Chapter 10 How to Negotiate with People

Soon, the caravan's Nightwatchmen noticed Ronald's arrival.

The two awake Nightwatchmen among the three watching the firelight woke up their dozing companion, and then all three stood up together.

However, soon after,

Instead of focusing on Ronald, they stopped in their tracks.

The three men stood where they were and, after a brief exchange, started to argue about something.

Excellent, this was becoming more and more to his liking!

Although the rainy night made it impossible to hear the conversation clearly, Rodena could still see through these people's actions.

Simple body language, their back-and-forth was a debate that was not heated.

Obviously, as the caravan's Nightwatchmen, they were discussing his identity and how to manage the situation.

Was such a simple issue really so hard for them to decide upon that he couldn't easily deal with them with his gift of the gab?

Using his ability to understand languages, he quietly tried saying a few sentences in "local dialect."

Then, with a confident curve of his lips, he approached the three men.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, may I have a moment of your time?"

"..."

Seeing that the person they were wary of had already come this close, the three men finally gave up their pointless argument.

Promptly, the most robust of them took the initiative to stand out:

"What is your business here!"

"I must apologize for the disturbance I have caused to your rest."

To prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings, Ronald deliberately lifted the edge of his cloak with his hand to ensure they could see his face's good intentions. He then bowed slightly in apology:

"I've come from the town behind us and wish to go to the neighboring town for some private matters."

"I remembered a caravan passing by during the day, so I thought that with the rain, I might be able to catch up with you and hitch a ride."

"The matter is as simple as that; I beg for your understanding, my sirs."

After listening to Ronald's words, the three men immediately started discussing among themselves in a low voice.

"Do you see how fair this fellow's skin is? He looks like a noble."

"What noble would venture out alone in this weather? I think it's just the result of the cold rain. Besides, can you even see clearly in this light?"

"But the way he speaks is refined and polished; he's unmistakably a lord."

"So what do you suggest we do? Surely we can't just send him back?"

"Why should we, a few Nightwatchmen, bother with this? Best not to stir up trouble and just let him go home."

"That makes sense."

"That settles it."

After some whispering, the man who had previously addressed Ronald spoke again, and this time with the support of his companions, his words carried more confidence:

"Sir... Our group is just a makeshift team, and we cannot agree to the requests of a stranger under these circumstances."

"For the sake of avoiding unpleasantness for both parties, please go back."

"Considering the town is not far, there shouldn't be an issue for you to rent a carriage once it's daylight, right?"

"..."

It was probably due to Ronald's choice of words that the man adjusted his form of address, but all these were still responses that Ronald had anticipated.

The way ordinary people think.

This classic tactic for refusal was all too easy to deal with.

Ronald lowered his eyebrows slightly, his sincere tone now carrying a hint of pleading:

"Gentlemen, I..."

"What's going on here!"

Suddenly, a makeshift tent erected on a carriage parted slightly, and the shouts from a man interrupted Ronald's speech.

Ronald saw clearly that this was the carriage that had left the wheel tracks.

A breath later, the person in the carriage, noticing through the gap that the number of Nightwatchmen had increased from three to four, immediately realized what was happening:

"What's going on, I thought there were only three of you on the night watch?"

One of the Nightwatchmen promptly ran over.

"Master Nasesos, this fellow claims he's from the town we passed, wishing to catch a ride with us."

"Oh?"

Hearing this response, the man from within the carriage let out a sound, then fell silent.

And it didn't take long for him to respond.

A few seconds passed, and the person inside settled his clothes and hopped out of the tent, striding towards Ronald.

He was a healthy-looking man, no more than thirty-five, with a moderate build. What stood out most was his slightly curly golden hair and a well-groomed beard. Although he wore simple cloth garments, he did not appear unkempt.

Surely an experienced merchant.

Ronald immediately made his judgment.

Aside from tidying up his appearance to an extent, the man's ability to exit the carriage so quickly showed that he slept fully clothed, indicating a high level of vigilance.

While Ronald sized up the merchant, the man, though just awakened from sleep, used his green eyes to likewise scrutinize Ronald's face beneath his raincoat.

Upon seeing Ronald, the man asked in surprise:

"You... are you the noble from the town we've passed?"

"Sir Ronald!"

That's right, he recognized Ronald!

"Ronald Adler."

"It's a pleasure to meet you."

He nodded slightly, a respectful and unassuming smile emerging at the corners of his mouth.

Acknowledging his identity casually, Ronald was already pondering his next move in his mind.

Unlike the dull and simple-minded Nightwatchmen.

This fellow who stepped out of the carriage was intuitively not so easy to handle.

His neatly trimmed beard was meant to leave a good impression when speaking to others, his plain clothes indicated financial restraints, coupled with the use of a private carriage, as well as his attitude while conversing with the Nightwatchmen, the thoughts that rapidly passed through Ronald's mind led to an immediate conclusion.

This was a traveling merchant of average economic status, one who practiced thrift in his attire yet didn't compromise on his appearance, revealing that he understood the influence of external image while also being careful with his household budget. Taking initiative to check on things meant he liked to have control of the situation.

A cautious and shrewd businessman who likes to take the initiative.

As one of the merchants responsible for organizing the caravan and holding the power of speech, I must treat this fellow with care.

After analyzing the background of the traveling merchant, the corresponding conversational strategy naturally unfolded during the first attempt at probing.

If I remember correctly, earlier the Night Watch referred to him as Nasus...

His eyes, brimming with sincerity, did not diminish as Ronald spoke earnestly with an undertone of friendliness,

"Mr. Nasus, as a well-traveled merchant, you must have heard some information about my town during your stay there."

"I left home in a hurry and did not carry much money with me."

"But if you are willing to help, these coins can be paid as a deposit."

While speaking, Ronald had already taken out all of his coins, except for three silver coins, an act that conveyed the full sincerity of his words.

According to the actual situation, the country he was in still heavily used a tiered metal currency, and based on the general value of precious metals and the actual social conditions, it sufficed as a deposit.

"A deposit, huh..."

Although he muttered Ronald's words to himself, Nasus, the traveling merchant, didn't pay much attention to the few coins. Instead, under the guise of examining the coins, he scrutinized the palm holding the money.

This look brought about a one hundred and eighty degree change in the merchant's demeanor.

Through his experience of traveling abroad, he knew this man was a genuine noble.

The money might have been low-value copper coins, but that palm was quite interesting. The base of the thumb and palm showed no calluses, ten slender and pale fingers bore only a little grime from the rainy night.

Especially the nails!

All ten fingers were neatly trimmed, something neither the common folk nor bandits would concern themselves with. By the light of the fire, it looked like the man before him had most likely not lied.

So the man standing before him was the noble who had lived in the town they just passed through—Ronald Adler.

Then the 'information' he mentioned...

I see!

With a quick thought, Nasus remembered the news he had heard in the town:

The residing noble's family was once wealthy, but now they had fallen on hard times. Rushing to the neighboring town on such a rainy night, the coins in his hand also hinted at a poverty-stricken air, suggesting that the reason he appeared here was likely a financial issue.

The goal was to salvage the family's straitened circumstances, and the noble before him, for the sake of face, planned to do some tasks in the neighboring town that were inconvenient on regular days.

Having made his own assessment of the situation, the merchant hurriedly waved his hand.

"So it's Mr. Ronald then."

"When I passed through the town before, I had heard good things about you, and had hoped to have the opportunity to meet, but I was too busy with trivial matters to make it so."

"Now that we have met here by chance, it must be the Queen's blessing!"

"And to assist a gentleman, how could I possibly charge a fee?"

While exchanging pleasantries, Nasus also took the initiative to greet and stepped aside to open the path to his wagon circle:

"If you don't mind, you can come and rest in my tent with me, this weather is far from comfortable."

Without any hint of refusal on his face, Ronald nodded and followed.

"Then I thank you."

Following the enthusiastically welcoming Nasus onto the wagon, he became certain of his good fortune.

In dealing with people, the focus was often not on the talk, but on the approach.

Sometimes, even the smart ones could be dealt with.

In that brief exchange, Ronald had subtly hinted at his predicament with only a small amount of money to corroborate, never directly stating any clear reason.

Thus, the imaginary space left in the conversation was smartly filled in by the merchant.

An impoverished noble—

Traveling alone on a rainy night—

Heading to the neighboring town—

Shrewd people often liked to analyze situations themselves, and those with a strong desire for control liked to offer their suggestions proactively.

In this way, Nasus was unknowingly guided by Ronald's thoughts.

What he believed he had figured out on his own was exactly what Ronald had intended for him to deduce.

Once the guidance was successful, the rest was easy.

Generally, people are not inclined to doubt themselves.

This had been 'the truth deduced on their own'!

Using the reasons that the person before him had come up with to persuade him was more convincing than anything else, whether in conversation or debate.

Afterward, the smart merchant naturally didn't mind forming a good relationship with a local noble.

His desire for control would also make him suggest accompanying him.

It perfectly made sense for Ronald to accept the kindness.

—Interacting with humans was truly delightful.

Compared to the trouble he had faced with 'Vilarnika', who was not swayed by hard or soft tactics, this was the advantage of choosing the right approach when conversing with people.

Moreover, while exchanging coins, Ronald also took the opportunity to observe the other's gaze when seeing his possessions—utterly indifferent.

This small detail provided him with three pieces of information.

First, the value of the coins in his hands couldn't be too high, otherwise, the merchant would have shown some reaction, and if he planned to sustain himself later on, he needed to think of ways to make money.

Second, this Mr. Nasus didn't lack a small amount of money and wouldn't act irrationally in the short term.

Third, Nasus's attitude towards a moneyless noble affirmed the standing of the nobility in this world for Ronald.

Even without money, even when fallen from grace.

The status of nobility was still something commoners needed to envy, or at least admire.

This world, or specifically the ruling class of this region and their means of controlling the populace, was fully reflected by this.

The supremacy of bloodlines!

All in all, Ronald was quite satisfied with his experiences of late.

He had left his estate and Weird Town safely, found shelter in a limited time frame, and even gained more useful information through a brief exchange.

During the next leg of his journey, his food issues would be resolved within the merchant caravan.

Perfect!

Fantastic!