Elliot looked back. Isaac had not been idle for long. Another man had appeared before him and was gritting his teeth as he cut off a tiny, thin slice of flesh, his face full of struggle and hesitation.
Isaac was still smiling. He always cut off more flesh than the person opposite him, yet he was growing fatter and fatter. His buttons could barely hold on anymore.
Elliot withdrew his gaze. He did not argue, merely asked softly:
"Could you tell me why you came here?"
"I..."
Cora did not hesitate for long before slowly beginning her account.
To be honest, her story was not long, and was even somewhat dull. In terms of misery, even Elliot could casually reel off a string of worse ones.
She was the daughter of a small-time merchant. Her family's business had been flourishing, even allowing them to send her to university.
But after only a year of study, something had happened to her family.
Her father had violated a law. Several items had been left out of the taxes he reported to the Golden Tax Court, and he needed to pay the shortfall.
The amount was not large, but it had gone unpaid for too long, and the late fees had become astronomical.
Even so, selling some family assets would have covered it. Although the family would have fallen on hard times, there would always have been a chance to make a comeback.
Unfortunately, the Golden Tax Court had taken her father straight into custody.
Only a small portion of a merchant's money was cash on hand. Most of it was tied up in debts and outstanding payments. Though Cora had run around everywhere trying to raise money, she knew nothing of her father's business connections.
In the end, the money she scraped