Solve It Yourself

While Glen was busy with his business, two people were watching from a distance.

"Is that him? Zamat?" asked a bald, muscular man, turning to his companion.

"It should be. I remember him. Fang was after this guy yesterday, maybe..." His companion was slender, with deeply-set eyes, resembling a sharp-eyed monkey.

They were members of a mercenary group, and they had been tailing Glen ever since he entered the town.

The muscular man, unsure, grunted, "He doesn't look like much, though. Besides, if it really is him, would he dare show up here again?"

"Maybe he doesn't think much of us? After all, someone who could quietly kidnap someone like Fang in the middle of so many people must be pretty strong," the sharp-eyed companion responded.

"Should we test him?"

"Are you stupid? Of course, we go back and report first! You think I want to be cannon fodder?"

The muscular man was taken aback, feeling a little frustrated but unable to find a reason to argue. He huffed, "You're smarter! I'll listen to you! Fine?"

The two exchanged banter and left.

Meanwhile, Glen, in the middle of his business, had already noticed their presence. His training in counter-surveillance had helped him identify the followers right away, though he chose not to address them.

As the day progressed, it became evening. Because Glen had set up his stall later than usual, he planned to close later as well.

Luckily, the customers were enthusiastic, and things were going well. It was nearing dusk, but Glen still had to wait for someone.

At last, a figure came running from the distance.

Glen was listening to Tia talk about the interesting things she saw while shopping when he smelled a familiar scent drawing near. He immediately interrupted her.

"Is he the one you're waiting for, Mr. Glen?" Tia asked, looking at the approaching figure.

Glen nodded.

"Ha... ha... Mr. Glen... As soon as I heard people say you were selling meat here, I rushed over from work. Do you still have any left?" the old cat, panting heavily, asked.

"Don't worry, I saved some for you. Let's see if it's enough," Glen replied, smiling and gesturing for the old cat to inspect the meat.

The old cat had specifically asked Glen to sell meat today, so Glen had kept some for him.

The old cat looked at the "silly roe deer" meat on the counter, mostly large cuts from the thighs and other prime parts. His face lit up immediately.

"This is perfect! Now I don't have to buy expensive meat from Im anymore. How much in total? I'll take it all!"

"Fifteen Bella, or sixty copper coins. But I'll give you a discount—fifty-five copper coins."

"That's great! Can you pack it up for me? I really appreciate it," the old cat said, handing over the money.

Once he had the heavy bundle of meat in his hands, the old cat finally noticed Tia, who was wearing a maid's outfit, standing next to Glen.

"Who's this?" he asked.

"She's a maid from a noble friend's house," Glen said, glancing at Tia.

The old cat, surprised, leaned in closer and whispered, "You have noble friends? How did you meet them?"

"It's a long story, very complicated. Can't explain it all in one or two sentences," Glen gave a vague excuse.

"I see," the old cat said, not pressing further. "But be careful. I've heard of nobles and commoners becoming friends, but some of them have other motives."

The old cat whispered this to Glen, making sure Tia couldn't overhear.

"Don't worry. I'm not too close with them," Glen quietly reassured.

The old cat nodded, slapping Glen on the shoulder. Then, turning to Tia, he said, "Nice to meet you, beautiful lady. I'm Desrothman, or you can call me Old Cat."

Tia smiled, standing up and giving a maid's curtsy. "I'm glad to meet you, Desrothman. Please call me Tia."

"Alright, Miss Tia. Hopefully, we'll get to know each other better next time. But I have to go now."

After saying his goodbyes to both of them, the old cat turned and left.

"See you next time," Glen called after him.

Watching the old cat leave, Glen couldn't help but think about how smooth the old cat was in his mannerisms and speech. He had obviously practiced such behavior, likely in some subtle way.

Afterwards, Glen and Tia quickly packed up the stall and prepared to head home.

Meanwhile, at the mercenary guild's tavern...

A scarred man sat in a dark corner, his hands crossed over his forehead, deep in thought. He had been in this position for a long time, and when his subordinates came to report, he only responded absentmindedly.

The loss of the "goods" made him uneasy. He had to figure out how to deal with the wrath of the young master from the Pank family.

The mercenary group was in the service of the entire Pank family, so the young master wouldn't kill him over this. But the loss was severe—three second-tier mages and a second-tier knight mercenary had been taken. The Pank family's patriarch would surely be furious.

"I have to find out who did this first, and take some of the anger off the Pank family," he sighed to himself.

Just then, the door opened, and this was the third time tonight that someone had come in to report suspicious people.

"Boss, we've found..."

"Enough!" the scarred man interrupted. "If it's a lead, keep investigating. If it's a suspect, keep following them. If you get the chance, inform me, and we'll take action then!"

The muscular man and his companion reluctantly swallowed the words they were about to say, nodding in agreement before leaving.

But as they turned to leave, the slim mercenary, looking like a monkey, suddenly had an idea and turned back.

"Boss, I think that guy came from outside the town. He might be planning to leave. If we wait until it's quiet, we can interrogate him properly!"

The scarred man rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then made a decision.

"Fine. You take a few people and test him."

The slim mercenary's face turned sour. "Boss, if he really was the one who attacked us last night, aren't we just walking into a death trap?"

The scarred man's expression darkened, his anger flaring. "Then figure it out yourself! Do you think I'm raising a bunch of useless idiots?!"

The two men were almost knocked off their feet by the shouting, not daring to speak further. They quickly exited the room.

Once the tavern was quiet again, the scarred man rubbed his head, muttering softly to himself, "Maybe I should just leave the Pank family. The pay they give is too stingy anyway..."

Back at Glen's home.

The elf girl slowly opened her eyes, the dark room around her coming into focus. The events from the night before slowly came back to her.

Realizing where she was, she sat up in bed and stretched lazily, her slender figure on full display.

Pushing the door open, Gotaya found the house empty. She furrowed her brows and muttered to herself, "Where did they go?"

After confirming that the house was completely empty, Gotaya decided to step outside to see if anyone was around.

Just as she opened the front door, she was met by a man standing outside, dressed oddly, with a gloomy aura. He was staring at her quietly.