[V11C25] Worth Five Minutes

For the past month or so, Isaac had been busy traveling all over Ridill.

Following a brief return to his territory from Sazandol, he headed to the royal palace in the capital.

After that, he followed Monica to Lugaroa during her investigation into the Red Dragon of Dalsmore, allowing him to make contact with the Dragon Slayer Mage, Silas Page.

Then, Isaac quickly departed Lugaroa to visit the commercial center of southern Ridll, the city of Paruva. He wanted to visit the main office of the Anderson Company, which dominated Ridill’s transportation industry.

The chairman, Widsley Anderson, rose to fame by introducing refrigerated carriages utilizing ice magic, revolutionizing the transportation of fresh food.

He also invested great sums in the development of wheels equipped with magical devices for shock-absorption, allowing many access to comfortable carriage travel. These were only a few of the Anderson Company’s numerous achievements.

As such, many referred to Chairman Anderson as the “Transport King” out of respect for his contributions.

That said, Widsley Anderson was also known for being very eccentric.

“Five minutes.”

These were the first words to exit Chairman Anderson’s mouth after Isaac proposed negotiations using his authority as the Duke of Erin.

Isaac observed the tall elderly man sitting across from him in the reception room of the Anderson Company.

Anderson was a dark-skinned man who looked to be in his late fifties, despite being almost seventy. His stern face was covered in old scars, and the sharp eyes behind his colored glasses were locked onto Isaac.

What’s more, Anderson spoke to the Second Prince of Ridill without showing the slightest hint of respect or restraint.

“I like to call myself the busiest old man in all of Ridill. That means I can only give five minutes to any potential business partners. Whether you’re a prince or a beggar, it’s five minutes for everyone.”

Anderson took a cigarette from a case and put it in his mouth.

This was clearly not appropriate behavior in front of royalty. He could not complain if he was sentenced to death for such disrespect.

And yet, the man remained unabashedly confident.

“Now then, I hope you can wrap up the conversation before I’m done with this cigarette. My lovely mistresses are waiting for me, you know.”

After implying that Isaac was worth less than his mistresses, Anderson lit his cigarette. That was the timer; once he finished smoking, the negotiations were over.

“Let me warn you in advance; I’m not interested in profits. I have enough capable subordinates to rake in the money without me lifting a finger.”

Anderson curled his lips around the cigarette, revealing a smile of yellow teeth stained with nicotine under his white mustache.

“What I want is entertainment. Business should be enjoyable.”

Widsley Anderson the Transport King had once made enemies of the Second Prince Faction, which included Duke Crockford.

The nobles of the Second Prince Faction claimed that Anderson’s commercialization of magic was encroaching on their privilege, and that the disrespectful old man needed to be put in his place. They attempted a boycott against the Anderson Company, which ultimately failed.

The benefits of their refrigerated carriages and shock-absorbing wheels were simply too significant.

Faced with forfeiting such conveniences, the nobles behind the boycott had no choice but to surrender.

(I see. He’s quite a character, just as the rumors say.)

There were many such stories about Anderson.

Once day, a noble who was angered by Anderson’s behavior told him this:

“I’m your customer, you know. Do you think you can get away with that attitude towards the one paying you?! Show some respect!”

However, Anderson simply laughed and said…

“Oi, oi, you got it backwards. You should be grateful to me for giving you stuff in exchange for money. How about you show some respect?”

Isaac was currently presenting himself as Felix Arc Ridill, the Duke of Erin, and this was an official negotiation. He had, of course, changed into the appropriate attire for a duke and was accompanied by several subordinates.

However, the Transport King acted as if he were the king himself.

Faced with such an arrogant old man, Isaac chuckled, as if unable to contain his laughter.

“Haha… The busiest old man in all of Ridill. I see.”

“What? Any objections?” Anderson asked.

“You don’t claim to be the busiest in the entire world. Surprisingly humble.”

The cigarette in Anderson’s mouth twitched slightly.

While maintaining his smile, Isaac spoke in a conversational tone, as if engaging in small talk.

“The reason the Transport King can only claim to be the best in Ridill is because of your struggles in maritime operations. Ridill’s main sea routes suffer from frequent water dragon attacks. For as long as that holds true, you will never be the best in the world.”

“Oh yeah, totally,” Anderson agreed. “My life would be so much easier if the government got serious about hunting water dragons.”

“There would be no need to hunt them if you can simply avoid the danger they pose.”

Isaac placed a stack of papers on the low table in front of him.

Anderson’s eyes immediately locked onto a line of characters written on the first sheet.

“Might you be interested in a ship equipped with magical tools for detecting water dragons?” Isaac asked.

Anderson leaned forward, reaching for the stack of papers. The eyes behind his colored glasses moved left and right, chasing the words written there.

While gauging his reaction, Isaac asked, “Are you familiar with the rumors about the newest Sage?”

“…The Dragon Slayer Mage, right? In a short period of time, he reached third place in solo dragon subjugations.”

“He has also developed a magical tool for dragon detection. Meanwhile, my subordinate is developing a spell for underwater reconnaissance.”

Only then did Anderson raise his eyes from the paper. Isaac put on a big smile.

“I want you to invest in those two projects,” Isaac continued.

The proposal from Isaac outlined how Erin would provide the necessary ports for research, while the Anderson Company would provide the funding.

Anderson sought to expand into maritime operations, so a ship capable of accurately detecting water dragons was extremely valuable. The old man sparkled his eyes like a boy with a treasure map.

“Now then,” Isaac said, leaning back against the sofa. With that single movement, the atmosphere of the room underwent a complete transformation.

Isaac had been raised as a body double for Prince Felix, so he knew how to dominate a conversation using only the tone of his voice and the expression on his face.

Putting on the arrogant smile of a ruthless dictator, Isaac took out a pocket watch and opened the lid.

“Five minutes.”

Without sparing a glance for Anderson, Isaac lowered his gaze to the pocket watch in his hand. Then, he spoke in the most cold-blooded tone he could muster.

“I’m just as busy as you. Make your decision in five minutes, Transport King Widsley Anderson.”

Isaac had been taught by top instructors in every field. However, he knew that the most talented of his instructors was none other than Duke Crockford himself.

When it came to dominating a room with charisma and understanding human psychology, Duke Crockford had no equal.

(Widsley Anderson loves ships so much that he sails one as a personal hobby, separate from his maritime business.)

As such, he would never give up the chance to obtain a vessel equipped to deal with dragons.

The Transport King was a greedy man. Whether it’s money or women, he went after everything he wanted. The deal was already sealed the moment he felt the desire of “want”.

Anderson pinched his cigarette, which was considerably shorter now, and stubbed it into the ashtray.

“I respect the producers. After all, we merchants can only sell what the producers make.”

Anderson was essential boasting, “I don’t show respect to my customers, but I do to the producers.”

The old man pulled out a cigar rather than a cigarette. A thick one that would likely take much longer to smoke.

“Now this is something worthy of my respect. I salute whoever came up with this underwater reconnaissance magic.”

Anderson trimmed the end of his cigar with a cigar cutter, then placed it in his mouth. He ignited a match and slowly brought the flame to the cigar.

“Alright, let’s get down to business. My lovely mistresses will have to wait… but this is a worthy deal.”

Apparently, his ploy to bring the tricky old man to the negotiation table ended in a success.

Isaac withdrew his intimidating aura and spoke with a gentle smile.

“I plan to focus the research in two locations: my territory of Erin, and the port city of Sazandol… You see, my subordinate researching underwater reconnaissance magic is a man named Walker, who resides in Sazandol.”

“Hmm, Sazandol, huh? Their port was pretty good.”

“In that regard, I would like to entrust the communication channel between you and Walker to your son, Clifford Anderson.”

Once Isaac mentioned Clifford’s name, Anderson furrowed his brow in thought.

“Uh, did I have a son with that name? Oh right… Which wife was he from again? Wasn’t he chasing after the daughter of Chairman Colette or something…?”

This was a glimpse into the darkness within the Anderson family.

Chairman Anderson was infamous for having four wives, numerous mistresses, and so many children that he couldn’t remember them all.

But rather than showing any sympathy for Clifford, Isaac simply smiled and uttered a complete lie without any change in facial expression.

“My subordinate Walker is very good friends with Clifford-kun.”


The next day, Isaac learned about Theodore Maxwell’s attack on the capital.

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