These two were no ordinary people. While the city's wealthiest and most powerful rchants and heads of organizations were invited to the party, this middle-aged man, who seed overly cautious of his beard and mustache, as well as the elf at his side, were of a different kind.
These were two of the characters Andrew was avoiding for the ti being, as they were the ones he truly wanted to et at this party he'd organized, but he couldn't approach them right away.
While it was true that he wanted to associate with them, he couldn't appear desperate, so he decided to ignore them for the ti being. He didn't want to show them his need, as it would put him at a disadvantage.
Duglas Void and Lustas Vermind were their nas, and they are the heads of two of the largest shipping trading companies in the city, with fleets of over 1,000 ships each. They offer mariti transport services to any port on the continent, and their reliability is undeniable, as their ships are not only rchant ships, but also have combat ships for the protection of their cargo.
For her leisure house business, they were irrelevant, but for Candice's food and miscellaneous goods business, they were essential. If Candice had managed to maximize her profits from land trade to date, partnering with them was like giving herself wings.
Just think about it: Candice could transport her goods anywhere on the continent in large quantities, with relative safety; it was a lucrative business. In fact, Candice wanted to be at the party to connect with them. Although she already had money to spare, she was a rchant; business is her passion, and you can never have too much money.
Unfortunately, Andrew didn't bring her, so it was Andrew's job to contact them, at least preliminarily. Andrew didn't have the confidence to enter into serious negotiations with them. They're both old foxes who know the ins and outs of business all too well, so Andrew would be easily outdone, so it wasn't his job.
What Andrew had to do was make friends and propose a more private eting. Candice would take care of the rest with Gaston's help for now. Andrew continued chatting with the other people at the party, accepting no commitnts and just socializing.
He had already separated from Aki and Zany, as he would soon have to make his move on the people he truly needed, and that's why he had to separate himself from them. Just as he had expected, shortly after leaving them, the two girls were surrounded by pretentious n who believed they could take advantage of them, which upset them.
Although they had managed to maintain their elegant deanor, which was more than could be expected from those with explosive tempers, they were on the verge of yelling and firing everyone.
Andrew had noticed this, but he couldn't get close to them again or his plan would fail. Fortunately, Gaston was present. He knew the temperants of Andrew's two wives well, so he was monitoring them.
Seeing that the girls were about to explode, Gaston approached and, like a well-mannered butler, inford them that there was a situation they needed to take care of. The n surrounding them were annoyed by Gaston's interruption, but Aki and Zany were happy that he was getting them out of there.
So people even tried to fire Gaston, but this wasn't his first attempt. Although not everyone at the party was of interest to Andrew and the others, they were all important people with a lot of experience, so they had noticed that Gaston was lying.
It was a very common tactic to claim there was an important situation just to escape the place, so they wanted to thwart Gaston's plan, but he was no inexperienced young man. Gaston had noble training due to his family roots. Furthermore, he had cared for and accompanied Candice for almost her entire business life, so he knew how to handle these situations.
The point was that they couldn't stop Gaston from taking Aki and Zany away. This not only upset many, but also surprised them, because the way they had handled things made them understand that Gaston wasn't easy.
Servants had to be evaluated to understand their masters, and Gaston's behavior and handling of the situation had demonstrated the power Andrew wielded, so everyone, although angry, was astonished.
Andrew, who had been observing everything from afar and covertly, smiled, as another objective had been achieved. Duglas and Lustas were obviously keeping an eye on everything and also noticed Gaston.
Their evaluations of Andrew had increased after seeing the capable butler he had, and that embittered them even more. Although they wanted to ally themselves with Andrew, that didn't an they wanted to be on equal footing.
They wanted to get the most out of Andrew, considering him a rich kid who had co to Cors to expand. As the bosses of the largest trading companies in the city, they knew he needed them.
For this reason alone, they believed they had a secure advantage, but observing Andrew's behavior and the subordinates at his disposal, they began to notice that they probably weren't as advantaged as they thought.
They weren't the only trading companies in the city. In Cors, there were three major mariti trading companies, and, in fact, Andrew was more interested in the third than in the other two. The reason was simple: the head of this third mariti trading company was a beautiful, mature woman, which aligned with Andrew's personal interest in picking up girls.
However, he couldn't neglect business just because of this, and so he agreed to et with the three. This was for the sake of his wife, Candice, so he had no choice; he had to talk to them after all.
Late into the night, Andrew finally approached Duglas and Lustas. Seeing him approach, the two took on serious expressions, understanding that the mont of truth had arrived; they were no longer at a party, but on a battlefield.
"Lord Void, Lord Vermind, what an honor it is that you could join . I'm sorry I didn't say hello sooner. You'll understand that as a host, it's difficult to satisfy everyone," Andrew said with a smile, refusing to admit that he was avoiding them.
Obviously, the man and the elf had seen through his blatant lie, but they didn't hold it against him, as they would have done the sa. "Mr. Andrew, there's no need. We're experienced people, we understand the problems with these kinds of events," Duglas said with a smile.
Lustas also expressed his agreent, saying, "The important thing is that you're here. I assu you have so things to discuss with us, right?" Lustas didn't mince words. She had said this not only because she had noticed it, as even an idiot would, but she emphasized the fact that it was Andrew who wanted to talk to them, not the other way around.
This might seem like a minor detail, but it wasn't. In short, he was establishing a hierarchy between them. The one who needed sothing was always at a disadvantage, and his words were nothing more than demonstrating that Andrew was at a disadvantage.
Andrew dismissed it despite understanding their intentions. Smiling, he replied, "It's true I wanted to talk to you, but nothing important." This made the two of them furrow their eyebrows.
"Really?" Duglas asked strangely, as if he didn't believe him. He and Lustas knew Andrew needed them, so they understood Andrew was lying, but still, they felt sothing wasn't right, hence their surprise.
"Well, you're not the only mariti trader in town, so you can always find allies. However, it's true that I'd like to work with you," Andrew said. His words made Duglas and Lustas put on grim expressions, as Andrew was telling them not to overstep their bounds or he simply wouldn't work with them.
In short, he was threatening to ally with his competitors, which they didn't want. Andrew may need them more than they need him, but if Andrew went with his competitors, it wouldn't be good.
They had done their howork and knew Andrew's businesses were not small and the money they could make by partnering with him was substantial. They may have been far superior to Andrew in terms of wealth, but Andrew's wealth was nothing to sneeze at.
Although they owned two of the largest shipping companies in the city, that didn't an there weren't others. In fact, there was a third power in this business, and it was much larger than they.
The company Andrew wanted to work with was run by a beautiful woman, which was favorable for his goal, but there was also the fact that this company was much larger than any other in the city.
While it wasn't comparable to Duglas and Lustas's companies, it was true that it was the city's number one in shipping, and if Andrew's business reached it, that gap would widen, sothing they didn't want to see.
Although annoyed, they had to admit that Andrew had them where he wanted them, especially since it seed that, unlike them, their competitor already had so sort of agreent with Andrew.
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