At 69 Rose Street, in Lorne's bedroom.
He sat alone at his desk, his brows furrowed, looking dejected.
"Did I… answer incorrectly in the end?"
Thinking of Fors's clearly sulky face when they parted ways today, Lorne felt a pang of confusion.
Did she really discover something? But even so, her reaction shouldn't have been like that. A smart lady who senses something amiss might probe or distance herself, but never show such a nearly petulant emotion.
Although he did make some inadvertent mistakes, Lorne believed that the difference between the identities of "James Scott" and "Lorne Disenk" was quite significant—at least, the Scott identity allowed him to act more uninhibitedly—
"It seems that when I interact with Fors as Scott in the future, I don't need to be so reserved, nor do I need to be too considerate of her feelings." Immediately, as if to convince himself, he gritted his teeth, "Hmph! I don't owe her anything, why should I accommodate her—"
"On the contrary, she owes me quite a bit!"
This was the truth. Honestly, under neither identity did Lorne owe Fors. If the Lorne Disenk identity still carried some slight pen pal sentiment, then James Scott was her genuine savior.
"She's completely reversed our positions! Indeed, Scott should be more uninhibited. Being too considerate of others' feelings will only cause trouble for oneself—"
After a mental rant, Lorne's mood finally calmed down a bit. He chose to put the matter aside for now and picked up the latest income and expenditure statement from the gun factory, scrutinizing it carefully.
"Damn it! Why are prices rising so fast? The prices of copper and several other common metals have increased by 20%! Even the price of gunpowder has risen significantly—"
Seeing the wildly escalating raw material prices on the statement, Lorne was somewhat incredulous. What exactly was happening in Backlund lately? Why were price fluctuations so drastic—
"Should I—temporarily halt production? The sales channels for the new guns haven't expanded yet, and sales through the old channels are very limited. But what about the workers if I stop production? The market isn't good right now." Lorne fell into deep contemplation.
"Meow~"
A lazy meow caught Lorne's attention.
"Lachi, you're back?"
"Where did you run off to again? I didn't see you come back for dinner—"
"Meow~" Lachi deftly slipped in through the window, landing steadily on the floor.
"This—Lachi, have you gained weight again?" Lorne looked at the Orange Cat in front of him, feeling as if it had gotten fatter again.
"Meow?" Lachi looked down at her belly, it seemed—she really had eaten a bit too much.
No wonder, the food at the noble's house was simply too delicious! That Golden Retriever had shared so many foods she had never seen before. All kinds of fresh, tender meats, even delicious fish, and the purest, freshest milk that hadn't been watered down—she accidentally ate too much.
At first, she just wanted to tease the dog, but who would have thought that the dog was so simple and treated her, this unusual "companion," so well? This made Lachi, who had merely intended to test her instigation abilities, feel a bit uneasy.
She hadn't had this feeling before, but ever since her advancement, she felt many different emotions emerging in her mind.
Meow~ Forget it, I'll just look after her from now on. That dog is so naive, she clearly hasn't seen the world, probably hasn't even seen blood.
"Meow—" The well-fed and contented Lachi felt sleepy. She yawned human-like, then leaped lightly onto the bed.
"Tsk, meow—" Lachi shook her head.
She was a cat who had seen and experienced grand things, and she actually felt a bit of disdain for this slightly old bed.
She looked at Lorne, who was working at his desk, and thought to herself:
You have to work hard, strive to make my standard of living surpass that dog's as soon as possible!
The next morning.
"Hoo~!"
Lorne suddenly sat up in bed, his chest heaving violently, his forehead covered in cold sweat.
"Meow!" His sudden movement startled the Orange Cat, curled up beside him, awake.
Lorne glanced at the startled Lachi, then quickly went to the washroom and splashed cold water on his face. He looked at his slightly haggard reflection in the mirror, his brows tightly knit.
"A snake—a strange, silvery-white snake—"
"Why would something like that appear in my dream?" Lorne muttered to himself.
"It even bared its fangs at me with its mouth open, though I eventually kicked it away—"
It was an absurd dream, but Lorne's intuition told him that there must be some mystical element he wasn't yet aware of. "Forget it, now isn't the time to think about these things."
He had an appointment with Hazel today to visit her father, Councilor Macht. He couldn't let a strange dream ruin his state of mind.
"The gun prototype, the business plan, and various financial statements—" Lorne began to meticulously check all the items he needed to bring today.
"And the gift—"
For the gift, he carefully selected a bottle of Aurmir red wine from a good vintage. For a first visit, sending something too expensive could seem like he had ulterior motives. Sending something too cheap would appear insincere. This bottle of red wine, which was not cheap but also not overly extravagant, was just right.
After changing into a respectable formal suit, Lorne gathered all his belongings and prepared to leave.
"Lachi, I'm going out. I've asked Mrs. Griffin to prepare your lunch."
"Meow—" Lachi slightly opened her eyes and looked at the sky outside the window.
Seeing that it was still early, she decisively closed her eyes again—
She planned to sleep a little longer, and then, at noon, go to that Golden Retriever's house for a free meal—
"Hello, I am James Scott, here to visit Councilor Macht." Lorne politely greeted the maid who opened the door.
"Oh, that young man is here."
Hearing the maid's report, Mori Macht, in his study, immediately perked up.
"Go inform Hazel, tell her to—wait a moment, go in fifteen minutes. First, invite that James Scott to my study."
A short while later, led by the maid, Lorne met Councilor Macht.
—
—
Mori Macht was a typical Loen gentleman. He was about forty years old, with black hair and brown eyes, a strong facial contour, a receding hairline, and a slightly thin, long face. He looked more like a scholar and was quite different from the traditional image of corpulent politicians.
"You are James Scott?" In front of the young man, Councilor Macht still adopted a bit of an elder's demeanor.
"Yes, Mr. Macht." Lorne bowed slightly, performing a very standard bow.
"Hmm, please sit."
Lorne set down the gift in his hand and began conversing with Councilor Macht. Perhaps because both had an element of testing each other, the initial conversation was quite pleasant.
Councilor Macht asked Lorne about his major in university, his family background, and the business of his gun factory.
Since he had a favor to ask, it was reasonable for the other party to want to understand some basic information. So, Lorne answered each question.
Regarding the identity of James Scott, he fabricated a backstory of coming from a merchant family but having lost his parents early. This could actually be considered a replica of Lorne Disenk's background, as such a persona effectively avoided many potential problems that might arise from family members.
To be honest, Councilor Macht was somewhat disappointed when he heard Scott's family background. But on second thought, the young man, despite his age, could study and start his own business, which reminded him of his younger self.
He felt that this young man's future was still worth looking forward to. After setting aside that hint of dissatisfaction, he asked about Lorne's faith.
Lorne had already inquired and knew that Councilor Macht's family were devout followers of the Evernight Goddess. Therefore, the identity of James Scott also temporarily adopted faith in the Goddess.
As the time seemed appropriate, Councilor Macht steered the conversation in a direction Lorne had never anticipated.
"As an elder, I greatly admire young men like you."
Lorne's heart subtly rejoiced, thinking the groundwork was laid, and was about to seize the opportunity to request assistance with military channels.
However, Councilor Macht's tone suddenly shifted: "But—as a father, I believe it's better if we clarify some things."
These words made Lorne's heart skip a beat, and he proactively asked, "Please, what is it?"
Councilor Macht's gaze sharpened. He stared at Lorne and said, word for word, "The matter of you making my daughter cry.