“This is the place. Wait here for a moment, I’ll go find the Boss.”
After leaving the tavern and walking for a while, Rant brought Liyami to a house that was neither too big nor too small.
He then told her to wait at the door while he went inside to look for his “Boss.”
Liyami glanced around briefly.
They were still within the Lower District, and although the house before her was noticeably better than the surrounding buildings, it was still nothing special.
It looked like the home of an ordinary merchant with a bit of money.
“So, he’s not going to take me straight to Furnace Hook…”
Liyami muttered softly to herself.
Of course, this wasn’t Furnace Hook’s new residence.
It was probably a place he used to conceal his identity and screen potential guards.
Liyami had expected as much.
She had already prepared a false identity and background; with Furnace Hook’s abilities, he would only find her fabricated history, so there was no risk of her true identity being exposed.
Now, she only needed to wait until Furnace Hook completed his background check on her and successfully accepted her as one of his guards.
Just as Liyami was thinking this, Rant opened the door and came out.
He made a gesture inviting her inside.
Once inside, Liyami quickly surveyed her surroundings with the corner of her eye.
The room’s layout and decorations were quite ordinary, nothing unusual.
It looked like a typical merchant’s residence.
Rant led Liyami to the sofa in the drawing room.
After she sat down, he took the seat opposite her.
Liyami looked across and saw a portly man sitting there, smiling kindly but with a sly, cunning expression.
From any angle, he looked like an ordinary merchant.
This man was obviously not Furnace Hook.
Liyami had seen Furnace Hook’s true appearance in the information she received from the President, so she knew exactly what he looked like.
The man before her was likely an actor hired by Furnace Hook, pretending to be the one commissioning the task.
It seemed she would only meet the real Furnace Hook after he finished investigating her background.
Liyami wasn’t surprised.
In fact, if Furnace Hook weren’t this cautious, she wouldn’t even bother disguising herself as a guard.
She might as well have gone straight in and dealt with things herself.
At that moment, the portly “merchant” spoke.
“Miss, may I ask your name? Why have you accepted my commission? Are you sure you’re capable of handling this job?”
The portly “merchant” fired off three questions right away, clearly trying to seize control of the conversation.
Rant, standing beside him, frowned at the man, displeased with his aggressive approach.
He probably worried that if Liyami got upset, it would cause problems.
The portly “merchant”’s acting was quite good, very fitting for the role.
He might actually have been a merchant once.
But Rant—yes, that was his name—was much worse.
Who glares at their Boss like that?
His acting was terrible.
No wonder he was drinking alone in some remote tavern.
He’d probably been demoted by the real Boss.
Liyami quickly sized up the two of them, then slowly answered.
“You can call me Lilith~ As for why I took this job~ of course because it pays well~ As for whether I’m capable, hehe, don’t let appearances fool you~ I’m actually level 30~ quite strong, you know~”
Well, Liyami admitted, she was starting to feel disgusted by how she spoke.
Next time, she’d try a different way of playing a woman.
After Lilith’s strange response to the portly “merchant”’s questions, he smiled and nodded.
He decided to keep this strange woman around for a few days, waiting for the background investigation to finish before letting the Boss make the final decision.
There was also another reason: the increasingly hostile looks Rant was throwing his way made him nervous.
He feared that if he refused again, Rant might just attack him on the spot.
“Hehe, in that case, Miss Lilith, why don’t you stay for a few days and try out the job? If after a few days you’re still interested, we can sign the contract. Don’t worry, the pay will only increase.”
“Here you go.”
The portly “merchant” said with a smile, and Rant looked on expectantly.
Seeing this, Liyami also smiled faintly and agreed immediately.
“Alright~ That sounds good~ I hope the pay later will satisfy me~ Well then, see you today.”
After some casual chatting, the portly “merchant” had Rant escort Liyami out.
Only once Liyami had completely disappeared from sight did the portly “merchant” breathe a sigh of relief.
When he turned around, he saw Rant with a slightly displeased expression.
He froze for a moment, then quickly put on a flattering smile and approached Rant.
“Hehe, Lord Rant, what’s wrong? You don’t look very happy.”
This portly “merchant” was named Lane.
He was originally just an ordinary merchant, but after his business failed and he went bankrupt, Furnace Hook took him in, making him one of his subordinates to manage slaves or act as a front-facing agent.
Rant had originally been Lane’s hired guard, but after Lane went bankrupt, Furnace Hook saw potential in Rant and promoted him to Guard Captain, instantly elevating him above Lane.
Although Rant had recently been demoted, his contributions to Furnace Hook still far surpassed Lane’s.
Because of this, Rant often mocked Lane or threw obstacles in his way, probably as revenge for past grievances when he was still Lane’s subordinate.
In short, Rant loved to cause trouble for Lane.
And although Lane was very displeased, he dared not show it openly.
Rant glanced at Lane with dissatisfaction and said, “Because of some fat bastard, my good plans got ruined! I could have lost my virginity today! It’s all your fault for asking so many questions and making her unhappy! Now she’s in no mood for me—how are you going to make it up to me?”
Indeed, although Rant boasted in front of Liyami about being battle-hardened and called himself “Powerful Rant,” he was mostly full of hot air.
In reality, while he had some skill, that was about it—and he was still a virgin who had never been with a woman.
Hearing this, Lane couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.
He twitched his mouth, thinking, You came unannounced and caught me unprepared.
And even without me, there’s no way you’d get with her!
Look in a mirror!
She’s just playing you!
Of course, Lane could only keep these thoughts to himself.
He smiled apologetically and said to Rant,
“Sorry, sorry. Lord Rant, it’s my fault. I’ll be more careful next time!”
Seeing Lane repeatedly apologize, Rant finally relented but still insisted Lane treat him to several meals as compensation.
Once Rant finally calmed down, Lane began preparing to send someone to investigate this Lilith.
“I hope Rant can really bring in someone useful this time. It’d be troublesome if the Boss rejects her again,” Lane muttered to himself, clearly exasperated by Rant’s unreliability.