Chapter 217: The Upcoming Major Event
Lu Wei hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly.
Less than half an hour had passed since he’d entered the room, and a pouch full of Gold Coins was already sitting before him.
The mouth of the dark brown pouch was slightly open, revealing the glittering outlines of a few gold coins, which shimmered with a tempting luster in the sunlight.
He had thought it would take a bout of scheming and a war of words, but after some haggling that felt more like playing house, the 25 gold coins were his.
‘Did my “writing advice” actually work?’
“Miss Freya, since that’s the case, I’ll take the money.”
“But I can’t give you the IOU just yet… How about I write you a receipt?”
Glancing at the pouch on the table, Lu Wei shifted his gaze to Freya.
She hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.
“That’s not necessary. It’s enough as long as you can bring Furen back.”
“I’ll do my best, but it will take some time.”
“Of course… May I ask roughly how long?”
“I’ll go find him tomorrow or the day after, but I can’t guarantee he’ll come back with me.”
Lu Wei said with a straight face, “If that’s the case, we might need a bit more patience, so I can’t give you a precise timeline.”
Freya nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for your news.”
“Okay, then if there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”
His objective achieved, Lu Wei picked up the pouch from the table and prepared to leave.
But just as he stood up, Freya suddenly called out to him.
“Mr. Lu Wei, may I ask you a rather personal question?”
“Oh, I don’t have a girlfriend,” Lu Wei answered truthfully.
“…”
‘What are you talking about?’
Freya’s expression became bewildered. “That’s not what I wanted to ask.”
‘Huh? It’s not?’
‘Don’t pretend. I’m not a fan of women who play coy.’
‘Anyone can see that you’ve been captivated by my literary genius.’
Lu Wei pouted. “Then what do you want to ask?”
“I want to know how you passed the Professional Assessment to become a Priest.”
Freya composed herself and looked him straight in the eye.
“Please forgive my directness, but based on the information I’ve gathered, you don’t seem to meet the conditions to become a Professional.”
“So I’m very curious. I was wondering if you could clear up this confusion for me?”
‘Oh, that.’
“Where did you get your information about me?”
Instead of immediately starting his spiel, Lu Wei countered with a question, “Did you ask the townspeople?”
Freya nodded. “Yes, and some of it was provided by the Adventurer Association.”
Lu Wei asked again, “So, according to your information, what kind of person am I supposed to be?”
“An ordinary person.”
Freya stated her conclusion first, then continued.
“Your mother passed away early, and your late father was an ordinary independent merchant, kind and honest, known throughout the town as a good man.”
“You learned to read and write at the school jointly established by the Town Hall and the Church. Afterward, you traveled with your father as a merchant, occasionally gathering materials or hunting on the outskirts of the forest to supplement your family’s income.”
“After your father passed away, you inherited his business license and formed an adventuring party… Furen was your first companion.”
“Later on, you opened a general store in the forest named Gold Coins, Sword, and Pepper Powder.”
“That’s about all I know.”
Her gaze never left Lu Wei’s face, and her tone was frank, as if she wasn’t worried her actions would provoke his resentment.
And indeed, Lu Wei wasn’t angry that his “right to privacy” had been violated.
After all, the *Rules for Crafty Merchants* stated it clearly.
[4. Before naming a price, you must first figure out what your customer is worth!]
The marketplace is a battlefield. Knowing yourself and knowing your enemy might not guarantee a hundred victories, but it’s an essential skill for every Crafty Merchant.
A few days ago in the forest, he’d used Furen to get the dirt on Freya.
It was only natural that she was now doing the same to him.
Er… although it sounded a bit strange, in Lu Wei’s view, there was nothing really to say about this kind of “business investigation.”
Besides, the previous owner of his body’s life story was no secret; anyone could find it out with a few simple questions.
If Freya hadn’t even done this much preparation, he would have thought she was an idiot.
“So, according to your investigation, I’m just an ordinary person, is that right?”
After Freya finished, Lu Wei still didn’t answer the question directly, a “meaningful” smile touching his lips.
This, of course, did not escape Freya’s eyes, making her even more confused.
“Yes. If I had to point out anything special, it would probably be that your business philosophy is quite different from your father’s.”
‘The hell it’s a “different business philosophy,” just come out and say I’m a Crafty Merchant.’
Lu Wei nodded slightly. “Oh, I see. You think it’s impossible for an ordinary person to suddenly become a Professional.”
“Is there a problem with that?”
Freya heard the implication in his words, her brow furrowing slightly.
“Becoming a Professional requires the support of vast resources and wealth. An ordinary person might have a chance, but they would have to…”
“Stop. I didn’t say there was a problem.”
“Then what you mean is…”
“Don’t you get it yet?”
Lu Wei shot her a glance and shrugged. “Doesn’t this just prove that your investigation wasn’t thorough enough?”
“…”
‘That’s what I’m asking you about!’
Freya’s mouth fell slightly agape, momentarily stunned.
Of course, she knew her investigation wasn’t thorough. She was asking these questions precisely to probe the relationship between Lu Wei and the Dusk Shadow Association.
But who knew he would lead her in circles, only to end up right back where they started.
‘He’s so good at dodging the question and muddying the waters… He should be a scholar or a diplomat.’
“Alright.”
After a moment, seeing that she definitely wasn’t going to get anything out of him, Freya could only nod in resignation.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pried into these matters.”
“Mm… oh, right.”
Lu Wei turned, took two steps toward the door, then suddenly turned back around.
“You should probably change the title of that novel of yours too.”
“Huh?”
Freya was stunned, not expecting his thoughts to jump around so much.
“Change it to what…”
“Of course, you have to spell out the selling point, so readers know what your book is about at a glance.”
Lu Wei’s expression was serious as he imparted his experience with a straight face.
“For example, if you’re writing about an Evil Dragon defeating a princess to save a Hero, you could call it *I Toppled the World With Just One Dragon*.”
“If you’re writing about a princess defeating a Hero to save an Evil Dragon, then you could call it *I Want to Be the Mother of Dragons*.”
“And if you absolutely must write a cliché story about a Hero fighting an Evil Dragon, you should at least try to be creative with the title, something like *How Can You Slay a Dragon When You’re Broke?*”
“…”
Freya: ????
A few minutes later, Lu Wei made a dashing exit under Freya’s shocked gaze.
Staring at the closed door, it took an unknown amount of time for her to gradually calm down and carefully recall their recent conversation.
After a moment, she turned her head to look at Gante, who had been standing by her side all along.
“What do you think?”
“Huh?”
Caught off guard, Gante subconsciously replied, “I think Mr. Lu Wei’s advice makes a lot of sense. Those titles make you want to read them as soon as you hear them, especially that *I Want to Be the Mother of Dragons*. It feels…”
“I’m not talking about that!”
A flash of anger crossed Freya’s face as her voice suddenly turned cold, cutting him off sharply.
“I’m talking about his identity!”
“Oh, oh…”
A cold sweat broke out on Gante’s forehead, and he lowered his head to mumble.
“I think it must be the Dusk Shadow Association.”
“Why do you say that?” Freya asked, looking at him coldly.
“Because Mr. Lu Wei just admitted that our investigation of him wasn’t thorough.”
Gante wiped his sweat and offered his opinion in a low voice.
“That means he really does have some unknown secrets. And compared to being the illegitimate son of some Count, I think the possibility of the Dusk Shadow Association is much higher.”
“If that’s true, then what is his purpose for staying in Heitai Town?”
Freya continued her questioning, “Whenever someone from the Dusk Shadow Association appears, it’s always accompanied by the beginning or end of some major event. There’s no turmoil in Heitai Town right now, so why is he here?”
“Uh, milady, have you forgotten something…?”
Gante cautiously reminded her, “The Silver Scale Merchant Association will be here in three days at most, and the Earl of Lancaster will also arrive before the Midsummer Festival.”
“Maybe something big will happen then…”
“…”
Freya suddenly frowned, averted her gaze, and said no more.
The room instantly fell silent.
About a few minutes later, she stood up, walked straight to the small round table, and picked up the manuscript.
“Alright, you may leave.”
“Yes, milady.”
Gante immediately bowed, exited the drawing-room, and gently closed the door.
Meanwhile, Freya returned to the study with the manuscript.
Sitting down at her desk, she had originally planned to check the manuscript for errors one more time before sending it to the editor of the *Kalin Port Literary Journal*.
But now, perhaps because of Lu Wei’s words, the more she looked at her “masterpiece,” the more insipid it seemed.
Soon, a mixture of shame, anger, and self-doubt began to well up from the bottom of her heart.
Finally, upon reading yet another full page of scene description, she could bear it no longer. In a fit of pique, she threw the entire manuscript into the wastebasket.
THUMP—
The wastebasket wobbled, toppled over, and a few sheets of the manuscript slid out, scattering across the carpet.
But Freya didn’t even look at it. Lu Wei’s words and the cold rejection letters from the editorial departments flashed uncontrollably and alternately through her mind.
“The story is too cliché, not an ounce of originality.”
“The manuscript lacks appeal and cannot be published.”
“Anyway, if I were a reader, I definitely wouldn’t read your novel.”
“We cannot publish it, but our company now offers self-publishing services. Please reply if you are interested.”
“I figured out the whole story after just a few pages. Do you think I’d be interested?”
“Some progress this time. I made it through two pages before falling asleep.”
“…”
The vexing echoes intertwined in her mind. Freya bit her lip, pride and frustration battling fiercely within her, and her resolve seemed to be wavering.
‘Maybe… I really am a terrible writer…’
‘But who would read those ridiculous stories…?’
Outside the window, the sun quietly shifted west. The angle of the light grew oblique, stretching long shadows from the bookshelf on one side of the study, which crept over the scattered pages.
Time trickled by as she struggled. After an unknown while, Freya finally unclenched her fists. She had convinced herself to try things Lu Wei’s way.
However, she still couldn’t accept a story where a “princess defeats a Hero to save an Evil Dragon” or an “Evil Dragon defeats a princess to save a Hero.”
After much thought, the only scenario within her barely tolerable range of “innovation” was a “princess defeats an Evil Dragon to save a Hero.”
“Hooo.”
A moment later, she took a deep breath, pulled out a clean sheet of paper, and picked up her quill, thinking for a moment.
And then…
[Story Outline: Three hundred years ago, the Sarland Kingdom was invaded by an Evil Dragon. Countless Heroes went forth to fight it, one after another, only to die under the Dragon Flame. At this moment, a brave princess took up the heavy, ancestral Sword of the Kingdom… Main Characters: The Brave Princess: Reya Delaro The Prince Who Betrayed the Kingdom: Furen Delaro The Greed and Arrogance Dragon: Lu Wei]