"Zzz... zzz... zzz..."
The incessant chirping of cicadas outside the window reached Nielsen's ears, making him even more irritable.
As he listened to the fat man in front of him ramble on, Nielsen wanted nothing more than to grab the tea beside him and throw it in his face.
This damned fatso!
He kept repeating that other merchant guilds' Household Magic Machinery worked just as well, offered performance scarcely inferior to the Xinfei Merchant Guild's, and cost several times less. No matter how you looked at it, buying those products was a far better deal than buying the Xinfei Merchant Guild's Household Magic Machinery.
Damn it! If this fat bastard really believed that, he wouldn't have come to see me today at all! Nielsen cursed viciously to himself, while keeping a smile on his face.
By now, however, his smile had grown rather stiff and no longer looked quite natural.
Of course, Viscount Wilbur, the Odor Duchy's director of foreign affairs, paid no attention whatsoever to Nielsen's expression as he held forth across from him. After listing a whole host of disadvantages that Xinfei Household Magic Machinery supposedly had compared with other brands, he finally stopped and took a sip of tea to moisten his throat, which had grown dry from all that talking.
Nielsen immediately seized the opportunity to speak again.
"My lord, I admit that our guild's Household Magic Machinery does cost somewhat more than other brands. But as for your claim that other brands perform just as well as Xinfei Household Magic Machinery... I disagree."
"Oh?" Viscount Wilbur gave Nielsen a sidelong look. "Is there really any difference between these things? They all do the same thing, don't they?"
This ignorant fat bastard! Nielsen could not help cursing viciously to himself again.
"Ahem... of course there is