novelraw Chapter 100 : The Dawn Chamber of Commerce
Chapter 100 : The Dawn Chamber of Commerce
After showing the portrait, the guards quickly obtained a room number from the innkeeper.
To Russell’s surprise, that room was right next door!
“So the kid was living next door all this time?”
That was unexpected…
Could it be that she wasn’t just some nervous little girl, but actually some kind of criminal?
Not impossible.
As the saying went, appearances could be deceiving. The cashier at a supermarket might turn out to be a vicious murderer. A delicate, slender girl might very well punch a cow to death.
Totally normal.
Seeing Rozelite lost in thought, Russell teased.
“You’re not thinking of asking me to go warn her, are you?”
“How could I?”
Rozelite rolled her eyes.
“Mr. Slime, do you think I’m some bleeding-heart fool? I don’t even know her. Why would I risk myself to help her?”
“Heh. Good. I’m glad you understand that.”
Russell nodded.
Rozelite was a kind girl at heart. He had worried she’d get carried away by sympathy.
If this had been her past self, maybe she would have. But as their 【Symbiosis】 level rose, Rozelite’s thinking had gradually shifted closer to Russell’s. At this point, they often didn’t even need words—just a passing thought, and the other understood.
To say that such deep resonance had no effect on their logic was impossible.
They influenced each other, until neither was fully themselves anymore.
In a way, they were losing their individuality.
But neither of them thought that was a bad thing.
Russell needed Rozelite to restore his missing humanity. Rozelite needed Russell to help her think more logically, more decisively.
They completed each other. Depended on each other.
That was the true meaning of 【Symbiosis】.
While they spoke, the guards had already reached the room next door.
The door opened, and sure enough—the red-haired girl was inside.
“Miss Sherry, Lord Falant requests your presence. Please come with us.”
Contrary to Russell’s expectations, the guards weren’t rough. They even sounded polite.
The red-haired girl pressed her lips together, lowered her head, and stepped out silently.
She didn’t resist. She simply let herself be taken away.
This wasn’t what Russell had imagined at all.
“Looks like we overthought it,” Russell muttered, then turned to Rozelite.
“Anyway, haven’t you rested enough? We didn’t plan to stay here long. Let’s gather what we need today—tomorrow, we move on.”
“But Mr. Slime, I don’t feel well…”
Rozelite whined pitifully.
“…Do you still want to go home or not?”
Russell knew that if he spoke firmly, Rozelite would push through no matter how unwell she felt.
But seeing her teary-eyed, he softened.
With their current strength, they could basically walk sideways across the continent. Maybe not top-tier yet, but easily just under the ceiling.
It wasn’t like some stray mutt off the street could just kill them with one kick.
“…Fine. Two days’ rest.”
Russell relented.
“After that, we go full speed to the capital. Understood?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Rozelite nodded eagerly. Her tearful expression instantly turned into a radiant smile.
“Heehee, I knew Mr. Slime was the best!”
“…Sigh.”
Russell couldn’t help thinking—Whatever happened to that hardworking girl who once dragged her tired body out to shovel snow for a few coppers?
…
Meanwhile—
Sherry, escorted by the guards, soon arrived at her destination.
Towering marble pillars gleamed coldly in the morning light. On the bronze-carved lintel above the great doors, the gilded words “The Dawn Chamber of Commerce” shone with restrained brilliance.
Unconsciously, Sherry slowed her pace, fingers clutching at her plain skirt. The two rows of armored guards at the entrance swept their icy gazes over her simple clothes, making her feel prickled all over.
“This way. The Chairman is expecting you.”
The guard’s voice was flat and toneless.
Inside stretched a long hall laid with crimson carpet, walls hung with costly paintings and lamps.
Sherry drew in a breath, forcing herself to stand tall.
She could hear her own heartbeat pounding, but kept her face calm.
She hadn’t expected to be discovered so soon.
Now that she had been, running was pointless. She had no illusions about escaping the guards. Her only option was to keep her back straight. No matter how much humiliation they heaped on her or her father, she had to survive.
The guards stopped before an ebony door carved with intricate patterns.
Sherry wiped the sweat from her palms against her skirt.
Just a month ago, her father had walked through this very door. He had staked everything—their entire fortune, and every scrap of his hard-earned credit—to borrow a sum so large it could only be called astronomical. He dreamed of climbing a rung higher in the world at Flemont.
Sherry, as his assistant, had stood beside him.
And everyone knew how that ended.
The doors opened slowly.
Behind a vast mahogany desk sat a middle-aged man in fine clothes, lifting his head. His eyes glinted behind gold-rimmed glasses as he smiled at Sherry’s tense posture.
“Sherry. Why are you standing there? Come in, have a seat.”
Sherry inhaled deeply, steadying her voice.
“Lord Falant… it’s been a while.”
“Relax, child. Come, sit. Let’s talk.”
Falant’s tone wasn’t overbearing. He gave off the air of someone unbothered by the debt her father left behind—or perhaps just the calm of someone with absolute authority.
“Your father fell to his death at Flemont. I’ve already heard the details. I regret that it came to this.”
As he spoke, he casually fetched a bottle of red wine from a nearby cabinet.
Pouring into two crystal goblets, he pushed one across the desk, inviting her with a gesture.
Stiffly, Sherry sat down.
“Relax, child. Let’s talk slowly.”
Falant took a sip himself.
“To be frank, your father’s passing is tragic. But business is business. The money he borrowed—after pledging all his assets and credit—is not a small sum. And you are his daughter.”
Sherry clenched her fists under the table.
Then, gathering courage, she suddenly lifted the glass and drained it in one gulp.
The alcohol burned down her throat, hot and sharp.
She slammed the glass down, voice steady.
“Chairman Falant, I acknowledge all of my father’s debts. But as you know, he already mortgaged everything to your Chamber. I cannot repay now. Please—give me ten years. I swear I will pay back every coin with interest.”
Falant chuckled softly, shaking his head.
“Ten years? Too long. Neither I nor the Chamber can wait.”
His gaze sharpened, sweeping over her with open appraisal.
“One year. At most.”
That brazen scrutiny made Sherry’s blood run cold with humiliation.
In a flash, she stood, seized the wine bottle, and smashed it to the ground!
Glass shattered, shards glittering in spilled red wine.
She bent and snatched the sharpest piece, pressing it to her throat. The jagged edge cut skin, leaving a vivid red line.
“If you mean to take my body as payment,” her trembling voice rang out, “then I’ll die here and now! That way, you’ll get nothing!”
Falant froze—then laughed. A harsh, mocking laugh.
“Your body?”
He leaned back in his chair, as if hearing the funniest joke.
“Miss Sherry, do you have any idea how much your father owed? It’s an astronomical sum beyond your imagination! You think selling yourself a few times would repay it? Let me be blunt—you could be my slave for life and still not touch even a fraction of that debt.”
“I…”
“Your father taught you many things, but not the most basic principle: business is business.”
With that, Falant slid a black card across the desk toward her.
“Take it. Look.”
Sherry hesitated, then flipped it over.
Her pupils contracted sharply.
It was a staggering number. Not nearly her father’s full debt—but still an enormous sum.
“Lord Falant… what is this supposed to mean?”
“Simple. Not only will I not press you for repayment—I’ll even lend you seed capital. Of course, the interest will be… a little higher. But for confident Miss Sherry, I’m sure that’s no problem, right?”