However.
In the next second.
The shock on Flint’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a look of extreme disdain and contempt.
Swish!
He violently crumpled the priceless blueprint into a ball and gripped it tightly in his hand.
"What a load of absolute gibberish!"
Flint turned around grumpily, turning his back to Russo as he walked into the piles of parts.
"Utterly useless! Purely blind scribbles! It completely violates the basic principles of mana mechanics!"
"He’s just a fraud! Kick them out immediately! Don't let them bother me again! Are you going to take responsibility if the delivery schedule is delayed?!"
"Huh? It’s a fake?"
The light in Russo’s eyes instantly went out, and he deflated like a punctured balloon.
"I knew it... where would all these 'special events' come from? I’ve really read too many bard storybooks; I actually believed their nonsense."
He cursed his bad luck under his breath and turned to leave, preparing to throw out the group that dared to play him for a fool.
Just as Russo’s hand landed on the doorknob.
"Wait a minute."
Flint suddenly called out to him.
The figure, still with his back turned, stuffed something into his pocket at his workbench before speaking.
"By the way, Russo."
Flint turned his head, his face still wearing a sour, deadpan expression.
"I’ve been working overtime for a month straight. My mother just sent word through someone saying if I don’t go meet that blind date candidate, she’ll die right in front of me."
"I need to take half the afternoon off."
"Time off?" Russo frowned. "But your progress..."
"Progress my ass! I’ve been working for over a month without a single day of rest! Anyone who wants this shitty job can have it! If you don’t approve it, I’m quitting!" Flint roared.
"Fine, fine, fine... Honestly, you couldn't have said so sooner!"
Russo thought about Flint’s miserable state—working like an old ox—and felt a bit of pity (mostly fearing that if he actually quit, no one would do the work, as young, useful, hardworking, and cheap labor was hard to come by).
"For the sake of our years of friendship, I’ll be generous and approve it this time."
"But don’t expect me to approve it next time!"
Russo pulled out his pocket watch, calculating with extreme precision.
"It’s 9:00 AM now. Go ahead and leave. Clean yourself up; don’t go looking like a ghost and scare the girl away."
"Since you only just started work this morning, I’ll be generous and only count it as 0.7 days of leave instead of a full day."
"As for today’s progress, remember to stay a bit later over the next few nights to make it up! Don’t let the project fall behind..."
"%@#$..."
Flint watched Russo’s retreating back, gritting his teeth as he gave him the middle finger.
...
In the main hall of the Riders' Dealership.
Russo walked out, a standard, distant professional fake smile plastered on his face.
Though he had cursed those arrogant fools ten thousand times in his heart, he was still in the main hall. Unscrupulous self-media types holding recording stones could pop up at any moment, so he had to maintain appearances.
"Everyone."
Russo walked to the lounge area, looking down at Leon and the others who were drinking free lemonade. He raised his voice slightly to ensure the people nearby could hear.
"Our master mechanic Flint has looked at it. He said this blueprint is absolute garbage... ahem, I mean, this design is completely inconsistent with the fundamental logic of mana mechanics. It’s nothing more than a pipe dream."
At this point, Russo lowered his voice, adopting a fierce expression and warning them in a tone only they could hear.
"So, if you have no other intention of buying a vehicle—like that handcart over there for only 20 silver coins—then please, leave."
"We are very busy and have many distinguished VIP customers to attend to every day. Please stop using this sort of childhood graffiti to amuse yourselves at our expense, okay?"
"What?!"
Lucrezia Sylvania snapped to her feet, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"How is that possible! That’s..." She wanted to say that Leon drew it, so how could it be trash?
But others didn't know Leon’s true capabilities...
"Did you even deliver it to him? Or does that mechanic simply not know his trade?!" Lucrezia changed her tune, pointing a finger at Russo’s nose. "Come on, take the blueprint and let’s go find him together! I want to speak to him face-to-face!"
"Madam."
Russo’s patience finally ran out, and his expression darkened.
"Please watch your words. This is the Riders' Dealership, not a wet market."
"Buy if you want to buy, or get lost if you don't. If you keep making a scene, I’ll have to call the city guard."
Having been tormented all morning, Russo’s temper flared, and his voice rose several decibels.
This shout drew the attention of the nearby security guards and a crowd of onlookers looking for entertainment.
"You..." Lucrezia’s hands trembled with rage.
The commotion attracted quite a few spectators.
Security guards approached with their hands on their batons, and the surrounding crowd began to point and whisper.
"Oh my, coming here to act rich when they have no money?"
"Trying to scam a car with a scrap of paper? There are so many ways to grift these days."
Seeing that the situation was turning sour, Vespa quickly held back the nearly explosive Lucrezia.
After all, from an outsider's perspective, they looked no different from penniless troublemakers trying to act high and mighty with a scrap of paper.
"Um... sorry about that. There might be a misunderstanding. We’re leaving now, right now."
Vespa apologized with a forced smile while signaling A-Ling. Together, they grabbed the still-defiant Lucrezia from both sides and dragged her toward the exit.
However.
Leon wasn't angry.
He didn't even offer a single word of defense. He merely glanced at Russo’s empty hands, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"In that case, we won't trouble you further."
Leon stood up calmly and even gave Russo a polite nod, as if he wasn't the one who had just been insulted. He then led the others out the door with composure.
Once they were outside the Riders' Dealership.
"I am furious! Simply furious!"
Lucrezia was still stomping her feet, her small face flushed with anger.
"That guide is absolutely blind! And that so-called master must be a total hack! Trash, why aren't you saying anything?"
Vespa and A-Ling looked at Leon with concern.
"It's alright, Lord..." Vespa comforted him cautiously. "Everyone has their own specialty. You’re a mage, not a professional mechanic... or rather, an inscriber. It’s normal to get things wrong. There’s no shame in it."
Clearly, both of them thought Leon had genuinely failed in his attempt to show off.
Looking at his three teammates and their varied reactions, Leon was in a great mood. He reached out and rubbed Lucrezia’s head to soothe her.
"Don't worry."
He held up a finger and wagged it.
"Let the bullet fly for a while."
"Let's go. We have business at the Adventurer's Guild first."
Rate on N.U.
