Endless World: The Rise of Leonard Lawson

Naomi froze on the spot after hearing what her third and biggest mistake was.

Consumption of healing potions and recovery was a flaw?

What kind of sick logic was that?

"Are you fooling me?" Naomi gnashed her teeth and questioned.

"Not at all." Leonard mused. "I have no reason to lie when I could have simply given you two reasons instead of three."

Nodding in agreement, Naomi found no flaw in his explanation. Just one reason was enough, yet Leonard provided her with three.

"Why was the healing potion an exposure?" She subsequently asked. She was curious why a healing potion that functioned properly was a mistake.

"That's another question right there," Leonard said. He was unwilling to divulge the secret behind the Restoration Potion.

"..."

She was rendered speechless as she realized he was keeping her in suspense and curiosity purposely. This was to ensure she would raise another question while he would have more questions to ask.

While she held such a mindset, Leonard didn't care and began to raise his question.

"Who is the mysterious owner of this Slave Coop?" He asked coldly.

His question took Naomi by surprise.

"Wait a second." She raised her hand and glanced at him in disbelief.

"Aren't you going to ask who I am or why I was trying to lure you here?"

"Now, why would I ask those useless questions?" Leonard looked at her funny.

What use was there for him to learn about her role or identity?

Feeling like she had been looked down upon, Naomi was livid.

Nevertheless, she suppressed her rage and answered honestly.

"I don't even know who the actual owner is, only the person of contact in charge of the Slave Coop."

The answer was honest, but Leonard nearly wanted to give her another kick to the abdomen.

'This sly woman… copying my trick and using it against me.' He had answered her question but concealed some critical parts, which wasn't exactly against their deal.

And now, Naomi was doing the same.

She claimed to not know the actual owner, but revealed there was another person in charge while omitting any useful context about them.

"It seems like neither of us wanted to reveal much critical information."

"Agreed!"

Almost immediately, Naomi assumed a battle stance. The conversation naturally fell through, and it was time for a battle.

"I don't know what your deal is, but to follow along despite finding me suspicious is quite something else." Naomi sneered.

She flung her sleeves, which soon extended two sharp daggers, laced with poison. She held them with a high proficiency.

Then, without any warning, she kicked the ground softly.

With a "swoosh" sound, she blinked away from her position, having reappeared behind Leonard.

CLANK!

Naomi's eyes narrowed in a cold light when she spotted that the translucent-like barrier had shielded Leonard from her lethal slash.

She wanted to retreat, but found her daggers stuck to the barrier, almost as if it had been super-glued on it.

"An eighth circle barrier??!" Alarmed, Naomi finally recognized the power of the barrier.

She hurriedly released her grip and retreated a few distances.

As for her two daggers, they were slowly absorbed inside the barrier and fell to the ground, just a few meters away from him.

"You're so generous. To give me two daggers while I gave you a kick to the abdomen." Leonard chuckled in amusement.

He picked up the two daggers and admired their craftsmanship. It was truly an exquisite piece of weaponry.

"Now I don't want to brag, but did my handsomeness cause you to become attracted to me? These two daggers… I'll gladly accept them." He smiled cheekily and stuffed them into his magic pouch.

"Just who are you really?" Naomi ignored his teasing remark. She was beyond startled by the barrier's presence.

Such a power was definitely not something a gold ranked merchant could have!

"Hmm, are we resuming the information exchange deal?" Leonard rubbed his chin softly.

Frustrated by the situation, Naomi nodded. "The person I come into contact with is named Edwin."

"The last name?" Leonard pressed on. He was certain that someone like Naomi wouldn't stay put with just a first name. She was definitely the type to resolve her curiosity and be informed of the opposing party.

After all, she was currently trying to learn more about him, even if she wanted him dead.

"Baldwin." Naomi spat out.

THUD!

Almost immediately, Leonard's expression darkened. "Edwin Baldwin? What is that person's relationship with Alger Baldwin?"

"That's another question right there." Naomi hissed, using his own words against him.

She thought it was a clever jab, but her body trembled slightly when she sensed the changes in Leonard. The pressure she felt was even worse than that of her mysterious boss.

'What's going on?' Naomi was frightened internally. She had killed and dealt with many dirty things in the past.

Yet none of them had ever managed to cause her to feel so scared!

"I've investigated Edwin discreetly. As it turns out, he's the son of Alger Baldwin." She revealed what she had found.

On the surface, Alger Baldwin seemed to be an influential merchant dealing in silk.

Unfortunately, the emergence of cotton crops caused the popularity of silk fabric to dwindle, essentially resulting in Baldwin's Fall.

Although silk fabrics still had a small margin of patrons who preferred its luxury-like image, the overall profit was significantly lower than that of those who dealt in cotton.

"With the crisis of their family falling and losing influence, Alger's son thought of working for the mysterious owner to manage the Slave Coop. The Slave Coop's profit was something that not even their prime could earn." Naomi concluded her investigation progress.

She couldn't learn more due to the fear of being caught and eliminated.

"So you're saying that Edwin is the person of contact, but Alger remains unaware?" Leonard asked solemnly.

"According to my investigation, that is correct," Naomi replied, unsure of why she felt compelled to answer more of his questions.

Right at this moment, a voice suddenly came from behind.

"Master, are you alright?" Shirley arrived with heavy breathing.

Her eyes turned vigilant as she spotted Naomi from afar.

"It's you!!!" Shirley exclaimed in shock.