Chapter 99: "Emma" & Little Scheme
"Mr. Aurelius!"
"You’re here! I haven’t seen you in quite a while."
A familiar face entered his vision as these words echoed in Aurelius’ ears.
Short red hair. A chic black jacket and pants. A naive expression concealing the arrogance hidden in her bones.
TheoryMaster69!
Her name immediately surfaced in Aurelius’ mind, without him even having to take a look at the interface above her head.
It had not been that long since the two had last met.
Yet both he and this woman had changed significantly. Not only in strength.
Aurelius had been tempered by the nights he spent on the northern border, and his temperament had become more enigmatic.
Likewise, TheoryMaster69 was now also different.
She appeared far more engrossed in playing the role of Mia’s assistant, proof that the realistic nature of Nova Roma was beginning to affect her.
Aurelius noticed this, though he didn’t point it out.
Faced with TheoryMaster69’s greeting, his previous hesitation disappeared.
He no longer had the luxury of making a choice.
Since that was the case...
"Hello, Miss Emma. I haven’t seen you in a while," he reached out to gently shake TheoryMaster69’s hand.
A trace of curiosity flashed across his face.
"I don’t know what you’re doing in the northern border. You should know that the situation is currently extremely dangerous."
"If possible, it would be best to leave. You never know when something will go wrong."
He repeatedly shook his head and advised her, like a person warning their acquaintance.
TheoryMaster69 smiled.
"Mr. Aurelius, you need not fret."
"I’ve only come here to experience the life of an adventurer. I won’t truly rush into battle before I become an Awakener."
She then shook her head.
"Sigh. I don’t know when I will get such an opportunity," she lamented.
"My grandma in the capital is seriously ill."
"My parents died at the hands of monsters a few months ago."
"If I don’t gain more strength soon, I will never be able to help my mother recover. I will never be able to take revenge for my parents’ deaths."
Her back slouched as she spoke.
Although she tried to conceal it, her smile became far more forced and less heartfelt.
Anyone who saw her would feel pity.
But Aurelius merely praised her acting skills inwardly.
Could it be that this woman was a famous actress in the real world?
Thanks to the forum, Aurelius knew almost everything about the world from the Players’ perspective.
He knew that although they gained an identity upon descending, which indeed included relationships with other people, Players would not develop any feelings toward them.
This was different from Aurelius’ own situation.
Aurelius had reincarnated and awakened his memories.
Elena was still his mother. His friends were still his friends.
Aurelius was still Aurelius.
The memories in the Players’ minds were little more than scenes from a movie. They would never develop any feelings toward the imaginary characters in them.
Even if everything TheoryMaster69 claimed was true and this was really her family situation, it would have given her no reason to improve her strength.
Of course, Aurelius was wise enough not to point out her clear lies.
Seemingly wanting to cheer her up, he glanced at the nearby inn from the corner of his eye.
"I don’t know why so many people are looking for me..."
"Could it be that I’ve forgotten to pay the bills and the debt collectors are chasing me down?" he joked.
TheoryMaster69’s mood improved.
She shook her head with a chuckle.
"Mr. Aurelius, didn’t you previously ask these people to collect some extraordinary materials? The news has long since spread."
"These people are here for that."
"Last time, you rewarded these people handsomely. Most people were motivated by the promised rewards and were fortunate enough to obtain some of the things you requested."
For her to stand here, TheoryMaster69 was presumably one of these fortunate people.
But she showed no rush to show him her items.
Instead, she glanced at the rest of the Players and sighed.
"I’ve been here for a while and observed these people. Most of them are fine, but some among them are particularly insidious."
"They either possess counterfeits, wish to trade using stolen goods, or simply have impure motives."
"You’ll have to spend a lot of time if you wish to find anything valuable."
After saying that, TheoryMaster69 glanced at Aurelius for several seconds before finally gritting her teeth.
"Since Mr. Aurelius is such a good friend of Miss Mia, I’m willing to help."
"How about I help you examine these people? I can determine whether they are trustworthy for you."
"More importantly, I can check the exact value of these items," TheoryMaster69 said before adding,
"I’ve spent the past few days training under Miss Mia. It seems that I possess a natural talent for such things."
"Miss Mia has praised me several times, claiming that I’m already qualified to become a famous Appraiser."
TheoryMaster69 puffed out her chest, pride written all over her face.
’Sure enough!’
Realization dawned upon Aurelius.
It was no wonder this woman had sneakily approached him, going as far as to drag him further away before holding the conversation.
This had been her goal from the very beginning!
’Is this a way to trigger a Mission and earn Experience?’ Aurelius wondered.
But he hastily shook his head.
That was too simple. This line of thinking was something World_Builder would do.
A crafty person like TheoryMaster69 must have another, more complicated purpose.
Although he knew she had some scheme, Aurelius did not refuse.
He had already been planning to invest in her.
The days were passing, and the Beta Version would soon come to an end.
He didn’t have much time. He had to sell his Sun Knight Class and leave a deeper impression on the Players!
This was perhaps his last opportunity!
’Moreover, her words make sense. I can’t interact with each and every Player that wishes to sell me something. It’s best to have an intermediary between us.’
’With the Players’ ability to see information, I won’t have to worry about her appraising something incorrectly,’ Aurelius concluded.
Then, he looked at TheoryMaster69 and nodded.
"Indeed. This matter is somewhat troublesome for me, especially since I have some matters to tend to."
"Miss Emma, if you have the time, please help me."
The moment he finished speaking, TheoryMaster69’s face brightened.
Not only because a Mission had been triggered, but also because the first step of her plan had succeeded!
Now, she only needed to keep getting closer to this Hidden NPC until she became his trusted aide.
Imagining the EXP and other benefits she would receive once she accomplished that, TheoryMaster69’s lips twitched.
Even with her experience, she found it difficult to contain her laughter.