Each With Their Own Schemes

"Isn't this Miss Jian? You brat, why aren't you here to greet your guest?"

Um, who is this...?

Upon seeing someone enter, a middle-aged man's eyes lit up, and he was about to walk over, but when he saw it was a mace, he stopped and turned to look at a young man not far away.

Hearing the middle-aged man's words, the young man walked over hesitantly.

"Miss Jian... welcome..."

Suika looked at the 1.82-meter-tall Jian with a strange expression, then at the young man in his early twenties who was about 1.6 meters tall not far away. For a moment, thoughts like "a small horse pulling a big cart" popped into her mind.

"This is a distinguished guest of Kjerag Trade. She will be staying here for a while, and all her expenses during these days will be charged to Kjerag Trade's account."

Jian Suika from behind him to the front, then said without changing his expression.

"Hello, my name is Logan, welcome to the Warm Cottage..." After Suika blocked his view, the uneasy young man became a little more alert and said subconsciously.

"Yes, yes, I can tell this place is really nice."

Suika said in a strange tone.

Would you two like to eat first or...?

"Let's order some of our signature dishes, and two bottles of good wine. I'm in a great mood today, let's have a big toast!"

After Suika pulled the mace to an empty seat, she called out with a cheerful expression.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

After the boy walked away, Suika widened her eyes, looking on with amusement, and asked in a low voice.

"You mean Logan? He's a fan of mine."

When I first came here, I never imagined I would have fans in Kjerag."

Jian said calmly.

She might be able to fool herself with those words, but can she fool the audience?

Even a DSLR camera could tell that the boy's gaze towards her was off; it didn't look like the expression of a fan looking at their idol.

But she insisted that the other person was just a fan.

"Hiss, are you trying to fish for fish?"

Suika suddenly asked.

"Hmm, fishing for scales? Although there are indeed scales in Silverheart Lake, the lake is frozen over at this time of year. If you want to fish for scales, you'll probably have to wait until the snow melts next year."

It seemed that Ken was genuinely considering what to do if Suika wanted to fish for scales.

"Are you serious?"

Suika said she didn't believe it at all. As a top-notch martial artist, even if she was lacking in emotions, she could still sense the unique breathing, gaze, and body temperature that people had when they met.

She could definitely sense any difference in how the other person treated her.

But she pretended to be confused, which is why Suika thought she was trying to bait her.

He glanced around discreetly, making sure no one was paying attention, before letting out a soft sigh.

"At least this way, everyone can save face, right?"

She was well aware of the different way the little guy looked at her, and the boss seemed quite inclined to play matchmaker.

However, for her, the gap between the two was simply too great, and she couldn't accept this kind of relationship.

If Suika hadn't been staying here for so long, and if this wasn't the only hotel she found acceptable in this town, she wouldn't have come here at all.

"That's interesting. Does Enciodes know about this?"

Suika asked in a low voice.

"Of course I know," Suika said, noticing that a cold, sharp mace rolled its eyes—a rare occurrence for Gintoki. It seemed that SilverAsh was quite amused by the news.

Just as the two were chatting, a large pot of stewed meat was brought to the table.

"Wow, it smells so good! If only there were some fine wine too."

Being able to live a life of eating meat to one's heart's content and drinking wine from large bowls is truly priceless.

Upon hearing what Suika said, the young man quickly went to the bar and brought over the drinks.

Then he stood not far away, staring blankly at the back of the mace.

Suika shook her head at this, then looked at the mace.

"I think it's best to be open about these things."

If you don't make your stance clear, that guy will always think there's still hope.

This is one of the three great illusions of life, and it's quite powerful.

If you let him feel that there is still even the slightest hope, he will probably keep bothering you in the future.

So, if you don't like it, just say no.

Just like the way you fight, fearless and unwavering.

After hearing Suika's words, Kai nodded and prepared to stand up, but Suika grabbed him.

"Hey, hey, don't be so impulsive."

I'm staying here for another month or so. If you go up now, won't the boss's family know that I was the one who instigated this?

What if he makes things difficult for me?

Putting everything else aside, it would be difficult to investigate if someone secretly spat into my food.

This hotel is quite nice, and I don't want to switch to another one.

You can deal with this after I leave...

At least, I need to be able to live in constant fear during this time."

Suika pleaded earnestly and righteously.

If I hadn't tasted the food and drinks here, or seen the surroundings, I would have done this without a second thought. But now I'm going to stay here for a while, and I've already offended the host on my very first day. Isn't this just asking for trouble?

Suika dislikes bitterness the most, so she can only make Jian suffer for another month.

Chapter 290 Each Other's Schemes

After hearing what Suika said, Ken nodded somewhat speechlessly, which was taken as an agreement.

After finishing their meal, Jian left, and Suika was led by the young Logan to the second-floor accommodation area.

As a small-town inn, it naturally doesn't have any presidential suites or similar amenities, and the rooms are less than 20 square meters in size, but they are small yet fully equipped.

Moreover, the interior was decorated very exquisitely and beautifully, Suika nodded as she looked around.

She was quite satisfied with the place.

"Um... um..." Just as Suika was about to close the door, the young man looked at her nervously.

Sensing no ill intent from the other party, Suika wasn't nervous. Instead, she was curious as to why he had approached her. "Hmm? Is there anything else, young man?"

"Um... are you and Miss Jian very familiar with each other?"

He recalled that when he peeked at them, he saw the two chatting and laughing at the table.

Jian had eaten here with other people before, but apart from Lord Enciodes, few people could withstand her aura and communicate with her at the table.

Even Enciodes wasn't as nonchalant when talking to Suika, so he figured the two must have a good relationship.

"It should be alright!" After their previous friendly exchange of martial arts, Jian roughly understood that Suika's arrival wasn't to cause trouble for Kjerag.

Since they are not enemies, it is natural to make friends.

Often, ordinary people are intimidated by her imposing presence, let alone having an equal conversation; they would find it difficult to even maintain eye contact.

But Suika's strength was undeniable, so the oppressive feeling from the mace was completely ineffective for her.

That's why she could chat and laugh with Jian so easily.

"Um, um..." The young man's eyes lit up, as if he wanted to say something.

At this moment, Suika waved her hand.

"If it's related to the mace, you'd better go find her yourself; I won't act as your agent."

Furthermore, although I know a little about the mace, it's impossible for you to get information from me.

I need to rest now, please leave!

Before the young man could react, she closed the door.

The moment the door closed, Suika, who had been looking serious just a second ago, suddenly wore a comical expression.

"Interesting, really very interesting."

Outside, the young man looked disappointed after Suika's rejection, but his mother's calls from the hall below woke him up again.

After rousing himself, he went downstairs.

Meanwhile, in the Browntail family, the current patriarch Ratatos, looked at the message she had received.

"You mean a messenger brought news from Victoria that the university there has given Kjerag ten places?"

"No, to be precise, there are six officially registered in Kjerag, and four more are in the hands of Kjerag Trade, including my sister."

The speaker was a younger woman standing to the side.

"Xylur, do you think we should try to win her over?" Ratatos asked her sister.

"Of course, those four companies in Kjerag Trade were supposedly bought by Enciodes at a high price, bypassing Kjerag's finances."

That guy never does anything pointless.

The fact that he's willing to spend such a large sum of money for a spot shows how valuable that spot is.

According to the agreement of the Three Clans Council, we can take at least two of the six official positions.

If handled well, it's possible to capture half, or even more.

After all, the Paleroche family members are all muscle-bound; they might not be able to see anything special about it...

Xylur answered with absolute certainty.

"You're right about that, but I think we might be able to take all six of them down..."

Ratatos's face revealed a strange smile as she read the following words.

"Hmm, what do you mean?" Xylur thought she had a big enough appetite, but she didn't expect her sister to be even more ruthless than her.

"According to the secret report, the messenger brought not only the letter from that academy but also a set of exam questions."

She also said she would only select the ten people who passed and had the highest scores.

If fewer than ten people pass, she will only take those who pass...

The exam is scheduled for one month from now...

Ratatos smiled.

"What do you mean, sister?"

"First, arrange for someone to find the messenger and bring her preferences and information."

Secondly, it is said that the exam paper was placed at the headquarters of Kjerag Trade to stir up public opinion, claiming that Kjerag Trade, as a candidate in this exam, was not qualified to manage the exam paper that represented the fate of the new generation of Kjerag.

To ensure fairness and impartiality, the examination papers should be managed by the Manjushri Monastery, which is closest to Kjeragandr.

Ratatos looked at her sister and her brother-in-law, who had been standing quietly not far away, and said.

"I understand... as long as the exam paper mentions Kjerag Trade, then we..."

Xylur's eyes lit up.

"Sister, be careful what you say..." Ratatos raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Okay, I'll get right on it. Let's go, Yucatan..."

After saying Xylur pulled her husband away from the main house. Ratatos, who was left behind, looked at the map of Kjerag not far away, but her expression was no longer as relaxed as before.

"Enciodes, what exactly do you want?"

As one of the people who had the most dealings with Enciodes, she knew all too well that the man's plans would never have such a big flaw.