“My business is finished. Now, Miss Litt, it’s your turn.”
Otto elegantly interlaced his fingers on his knee, leaning back slightly, like a chess player who had just pushed a piece across the river—transferring the initiative to his opponent with impeccable poise.
His face remained adorned with that unbreakable gentle smile.
“Now it’s time for you to state your purpose. I wonder, Miss Litt, why did you deliberately avoid Red and invite me here? What is it that you want?”
Otto’s words pulled Litt back to her senses.
After organizing her thoughts, she spoke.
“I need you to provide an Official Certificate, either personally endorsed by you or by the Gilded Chamber of Commerce, to prove the ‘legitimate origin’ of all the weapons and armor in Red’s shop—flawless and unquestionable.”
“Oh?”
Otto’s smile visibly froze for a moment, a flicker of genuine surprise flashing through his eyes as if he’d just heard a fairy tale.
“That is… unexpected.”
He leaned forward slightly, the air around him probing.
“As far as I know, Mister Red’s superb creations—though their origins are a mystery—are neither stolen nor robbed, not shady goods that can’t see the light of day, are they? Why go to such trouble… unless there are secrets too dark to reveal?”
“Of course there are.”
Litt replied crisply, her tone calm and her voice unwavering, “But as for what those secrets are, I cannot tell you.”
“That does make things… difficult, Miss Litt.”
Otto gave a feigned sigh of regret, spreading his hands, his demeanor elegant yet carrying an invisible pressure.
“Trade is all about sincerity. Both parties must show their sincerity, offering information or value of equal worth. That’s the most basic rule of the game.”
“You’ve only put forth your demand, but keep your cards close to your chest. How am I supposed to play, then?”
His smile remained, but now carried an inscrutable depth—enough to make anyone itch to punch him.
Facing Otto’s tactical retreat, Litt’s expression didn’t flicker.
She maintained that unfathomable calm.
When talking with Otto, never let your emotions show—otherwise, you’d quickly get swept along by his pace.
“Bishop Otto, regarding ‘sincerity’… I’d like to remind you of something.”
Litt slowly raised her head, meeting Otto’s gaze.
“The Core Magic Array Red gave you before—can you guarantee not a single bit has leaked? That all those outside factions are still scratching their heads with nothing to go on… simply because of the ‘Divine Confidentiality Contract’ you mentioned?”
Otto’s smile stiffened ever so slightly as Litt brought up the Core Magic Array.
But he quickly returned to normal, even deepening his smile, as if Litt were simply discussing the weather.
He replied easily,
“Sister Litt, it seems you’ve looked into this quite thoroughly.”
He was utterly composed, showing not the slightest trace of fear.
“Ensuring the core secrets don’t leak, signing strict Confidentiality Oaths, gathering reliable Magus for research under controlled circumstances—aren’t all these perfectly ‘normal’ commercial and academic practices? Where’s the threat?”
“Heh…”
Litt let out a cold laugh as she looked at Otto.
Those Magus didn’t sign any ordinary Confidentiality Oath; their minds were entirely controlled.
If not, with the Sunmoon Empire’s factions probing and enticing at every turn, how could not a single rumor have slipped out?
Did he think those people were pushovers?
Litt pulled back from her icy thoughts, focusing once again on Otto’s unfathomable face.
Her voice regained its earlier flatness, now carrying a heavier weight.
“Whether those Magus live or die is none of my concern. I don’t intend to ask.”
“That’s very much your style, Sister Litt.”
Of course Otto knew that as long as something didn’t concern Litt herself, she’d always act as if it had nothing to do with her.
“But Otto… if you try those tricks on Red as well…”
Litt narrowed her eyes, a dangerously cold light flashing in her gaze.
The temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.
“I know what I’m doing.”
Otto set down his teacup, meeting Litt’s eyes.
“But tell me—am I really so untrustworthy in your eyes?”
“With your scheming, who wouldn’t be on guard? Just now, for example, you must have learned something before going to see Red, right?”
“Miss Litt’s insight is as impressive as ever.”
He gently stroked the rim of his teacup, his voice low and magnetic.
“In fact, the moment Brian’s Scarlet Legion nearly emptied your stock of armor, and Liz’s Dawnblade took away all the Knight Swords… a bold question began to circle in my mind.”
“Red… does he possess a power beyond common comprehension? A power to create—no, that’s too ordinary a word—to ‘generate’ vast quantities of superior weapons and armor in an impossibly short time?”
Otto paused here, his sharp gaze fixed on Litt, searching for any hint of a reaction.
“And now…”
Otto’s voice dropped even lower, his face brimming with the pleasure of having everything under control, “from your reaction, Sister Litt, it seems my suspicions have come shockingly close to the truth.”
In just a few sentences, Litt’s face darkened.
She had to admit, Otto’s scheming was truly terrifying.
Just from her reaction and a few bits of observed information, he could deduce an answer so close to the truth.
Worse yet, her response only confirmed his suspicions.
Even so, Litt’s face showed no panic.
She simply stared at Otto and spoke slowly.
“No matter what you think… what I want to say is, Red… is under my protection.”
“Declaring sovereignty, are we? How amusing.”
Otto chuckled, pouring himself another cup of tea, and spoke slowly.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of stealing him from you. To me, Red is more like an investment than a possession. Besides… with you around to spirit him away, why should I bother making a move?”
Litt clicked her tongue inwardly.
“In short, from now on, all of Red’s weapons and armor will have your Official Endorsement. That’s all I want, and don’t even think about laying a finger on Red.”
“Hmm…”
Otto gave a meaningful hum, the light of calculation flickering in his eyes. His flawless smile didn’t budge.
“Miss Litt, your demands… aren’t small.”
Otto tapped his fingertips rhythmically on the table.
“Trade, at its core, is about mutual benefit. If I agree, I’ll need to expend not insignificant resources and take on some risk… So, as a trade, what sincerity can you offer me in return?”
“This.”
Litt took out a bottle of blood-red Demon Potion from her pocket and placed it before Otto.
“I think you might need this.”
After the open house event, Litt had investigated the incident herself, and she’d noticed Otto seemed quite interested in the Demon Potion.
Otto’s eyes widened slightly as he accepted the Demon Potion, examining it carefully.
A playful smile curled at his lips, his voice low, carrying the pleasure of meeting a worthy opponent.
“That is… an unexpected reward indeed, Sister Litt. Your sincerity is more than sufficient.”
“Then, the deal is done.”
Litt announced succinctly, ready to bring this exhausting bout to an end.
Otto watched Litt’s departing figure, saying nothing more, simply sipping his tea.
“Always saying others aren’t honest… but aren’t you the same?”
***
Meanwhile, in Red’s shop.
Red had just finished enchanting the shortsword Otto requested.
But as he looked at the magic array inscribed on the blade, a trace of confusion showed on his face.
He had never seen an enchantment array like this.
Perhaps it was because he’d never received systematic training?
Red had even tried to activate it, but injecting magic did nothing at all.
It was as if the array wasn’t a magic formation at all—just a decorative pattern.
“I’m back!”
Just as Red was puzzling over it, Litt walked into the shop.
Seeing Red, she flashed an “OK” gesture and beamed.
“From now on, we’ll publicly state that all weapons and armor in the shop are provided by the Gilded Chamber of Commerce and personally forged by you.”
Litt specifically said ‘forged,’ not ‘created.’
After all, a “hand-forged” brand could always fetch a premium.
Hearing this, Red finally felt relieved.
But more than this issue, ever since Litt left, he’d been more worried about her safety.
For that reason, he’d left a Miniature Mechanical Insect on Litt—to monitor and alert him.
He wasn’t sure why there was a ten-minute gap of silence, but fortunately, the image was still there and nothing had happened.
Red didn’t know the situation with the others in the White Church, but as for Otto—he still trusted him quite a bit.
Aww, she really does care.