The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

Intuition told Wiener that getting into the store at this time would be very troublesome.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come in and have a seat?"

Paris had no intention of letting Viner turn around and leave.

He waited two whole days to finally see this kid. If he managed to slip away here, what would become of him?

"Anna, go and make tea to serve the guests."

"Good dad."

Anna nodded slightly and went ahead to make preparations.

Paris then gestured for them to proceed.

"Then I'll take my leave."

Vina returned the greeting and followed Paris into the store.

By the time the two were seated, Anna had already prepared tea.

"I heard that my daughter received a lot of care from you in Snowdrift Valley?"

Paris took a sip of hot tea and spoke first.

"That's too kind of you. Rather than saying we're taking care of Anna, it's more accurate to say that Anna and everyone in the Merchant Guild have been making things convenient for the Silver Wolf Class. We should be the ones thanking the Merchant Guild."

Faced with the biggest financial backer of the academy, Wiener couldn't help but become more cautious in his words and actions.

"The Chamber of Commerce and the Academy are supposed to help each other. If they can't even handle this small matter, then the person in charge should be held accountable for their poor management. The care I'm referring to is certainly not this kind of thing." Paris shook his head slightly.

“Then please enlighten me, President,” Viner said.

“I’ve seen your design sketches and Anna has explained your marketing methods to me. There aren’t many young people like you these days who understand both craftsmanship and business.”

"Anna secured two large orders thanks to your help. As the president of the Valentin Chamber of Commerce, I should express my gratitude to you."

“If you weren’t Tilissa’s beloved disciple, I would have shamelessly begged Lady Rhea to bring you into the merchant guild.”

Paris looked at Vina with eyes that yearned for talent.

"Then what kind of terms does the president intend to offer me?"

Wiener looked on with great interest.

He was curious to know how much value he was in the eyes of this chairman.

"A forging master as young as you can start as the deputy director of the R&D department. Six months to familiarize yourself with the work, two years to accumulate experience, and if all goes well, I can guarantee you two and a half years—"

“Dad, Viner was just joking with you, did you really take it seriously? Besides, he’s more than just a master blacksmith, don’t bring up his qualifications to make a fool of yourself!” Anna interrupted bluntly.

"Grandmaster?" Paris was startled.

How long has it been since a new master blacksmith appeared on the continent of Fodora?

The few remaining are all quite old, and even if they still have experience and skills, their bodies are no longer able to support them to create as they did in their prime.

Doesn't this mean that this young man has the potential to become the second, or even surpass, Tauronio?

"Would you be interested in becoming the son-in-law of the Valentine Chamber of Commerce?"

Paris then presented another condition.

Little did they know that they had already begun to test the waters.

Anna, who inherited the emblem of wealth, is now the only direct descendant of the Valentin Merchant Guild.

But there are countless collateral relatives.

Those with ability are entrusted with important responsibilities; those with mediocre abilities and qualifications can be recruited by marrying into the family to attract talent.

This is how the Valentin Chamber of Commerce continues to thrive.

Becoming the son-in-law of the Valentin Chamber of Commerce doesn't mean he's Paris's son-in-law.

"Thank you for your kind offer, President, but unfortunately, my heart belongs to someone else." Vena picked up her teacup and politely declined.

Anna naturally knew who Vena was referring to when she said she had someone she loved—her biggest rival.

But Paris doesn't know.

Even if Anna tells him all the good things about Viva, she can't openly tell her father that his daughter wants to steal someone else's boyfriend, right?

Therefore, Paris thought that it was Vena who was cautious and saw through the trap he had set in his words.

His earlier polite refusal showed that he saw through the word trap, and his subsequent statement that he already had someone else in mind reiterated his stance.

The negative impression points that had been deducted earlier were instantly recovered.

Paris had no doubt that the person he was targeting was someone other than Anna.

"I heard from my men that you rescued my daughter from a hundred thousand demon soldiers in Snowdrift Valley?" Paris continued to ask.

Vina turned her head and sprayed it all over the floor, while Anna helplessly rubbed her forehead.

She clearly demanded a truthful account, but her subordinates felt that the crisis had to be portrayed as severe enough to highlight Anna and Venere's illustrious image.

Then it was passed down level by level, and it became like this.

“Lord Paris, you don’t really believe such nonsense, do you?” Vena shook his head with a wry smile. “If there really were 100,000 demons, Snowdrift Valley would have ceased to exist long ago.”

"I know that, of course, but you can't lie about saving my daughter and the Chamber of Commerce, can you?"

Paris received news that Vena had saved the merchant guild from an attack by thousands of demons.

He himself flipped the table upwards again, using an extremely exaggerated number, to observe Wiener's first reaction.

"I just saw Anna was in danger and helped out as a matter of course."

"Then you rushed to other battlefields, slaughtered your way through Snowdrift Valley in one night, and ended the calamity of the demons?"

"...I think the previous one, rescuing Anna from a hundred thousand demon soldiers, was simpler."

Chapter 441 Felix's barrage of questions

With the combined efforts of Viner's narration and Anna's supplementary information, the events of that night were finally reconstructed to about 70-80% of their original state.

"I never imagined that not only is Vina's forging skill unparalleled in the world, but her strength also far surpasses that of her peers. It's truly remarkable," Paris couldn't help but exclaim.

"If the guild leader praises my forging skills, I can reluctantly accept it. But this level of skill far surpasses that of my peers, and I dare not accept such praise."

There's Jessica, who excels in both magic and martial arts and has reached the level of a sword saint; and more recently, there are Lisette and Felix.

If it weren't for the weapons and equipment that Wiener forged to compensate for his losses, he would have been left far behind long ago.

"Is the competition this fierce for your generation?"

Paris turned his head to look at Anna.

"I only made it to the top 16 in this year's Griffin Tournament, but the Silver Wolf Class swept the top three spots in the semifinals."

Anna knew exactly who Vena was comparing herself to.

“I’m the weakest one in the Silver Wolf Class,” Viner said, raising her hand.

"Hiss—" Paris gasped. "The Silver Wolf Class is full of talented people. Arios will probably be very pleased to know this."

"You know Arios?" Now it was Vena's turn to be curious.

"I've seen him a few times."

Paris had dealt with Arios several times.

It was precisely because of these few encounters that his idealized image of a hero was shattered.

Paris is a businessman who has to switch between different personas every day to deal with all sorts of customers. Seeing through a person's true nature is not difficult for him.

He wasn't sure if previous generations of heroes had acted the same way, but if Paris had to describe Arios in one word, it would probably be "indifference."

That wasn't just directed at strangers and outsiders; it was indifference towards everyone.

No matter how normal he acted, Paris never felt equality and respect in his eyes.

Compared to the legendary hero who led humanity to defeat the demons, Arios is more like a ruthless mercenary.

Fortunately, he was on the side of humanity.

When was the last time you saw him?

“It was about a year ago,” Paris recalled for a moment. “At that time, he and Tilissa came to the Chamber of Commerce and commissioned the headquarters craftsmen to forge equipment for them.”

"Although the artisans at headquarters have done their best, they have not been able to satisfy Arios."

"Now that you're here, the Chamber of Commerce no longer needs to embarrass itself."

A year ago, that should have been the day Arios prepared to set off in search of the Holy Sword.

"Boom-"

As the three were talking, the clock in the shop suddenly rang.

Wiener looked up at the wall clock; the hands steadily pointed to twelve o'clock.

“It’s already so late,” Viner murmured, turning her gaze from the clock back to the two of them. “Then it’s time for me to—”

“It’s time for me to return to the Chamber of Commerce,” Paris’s steady voice interrupted Vena.

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and seemed to be preparing to leave.

"Leaving in such a hurry? I haven't heard you mention it at all?" A hint of reluctance flashed in Anna's eyes.

"Silly girl, do you really think your old man can stay here with you forever?" Paris chuckled and ruffled Anna's hair. "There are still a ton of things to deal with at the Chamber of Commerce. Squeezing out two days is already the limit."

The two orders Anna gave him alone would keep him busy for a while.

Paris glanced around the shop, his gaze lingering on Vina and Anna for a moment, before continuing, "It's good that this old man is leaving; it'll be easier for you two young people. Vina can be entertained by yourself."

He actually had a lot to say to Anna, but he didn't know how to start. However, after Venere's intervention, the conversation between father and daughter became much smoother.

Even for this reason alone, Paris should thank Viner.

As for the affairs of young people, this old man should refrain from meddling.

Paris took out a scroll outlined in gold lines from his pocket, and with a gentle tear, a beam of light immediately enveloped him.

When the light faded, Paris's figure had vanished.

It's likely that only a wealthy and powerful company like the Valentin Merchant Guild would do something like using teleportation scrolls to save travel time.

"...If I hadn't intervened, you could have escaped just the same?" Viner finally realized.

Since Paris can use teleportation scrolls as a means of travel, there's no reason why Anna would lack teleportation scrolls to save her life.

"It's too late to say all this now. Who told you to save me?" A sly glint flashed in Anna's eyes.

"So, you're going to get blamed for saving someone's life?" Viner was speechless.

Even if time could be reversed, he would still act without hesitation.

"Of course, because Venere is a good person. Good people are destined to be targeted by bad people."

Anna leaned most of her body onto the table, propped her chin up with her hands, and looked at Vina provocatively.

"The night is long, I wonder how Vena would like my daughter to repay her life-saving grace?"

Viner glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Then have some tea with me."

"Huh?" Anna was taken aback.

-----------------

The next morning.

“Vina, you came back really late again last night!” Felix leaned close to Vina, as if sniffing out something. “And you smell different from yesterday morning!”

Wiener looked at Felix in surprise, "You can smell that too?"

He drank with Anna until 3 a.m. last night, finally getting her drunk.

If it were a drinking contest, a hundred Venas wouldn't be a match for Anna.

But when it comes to tea, Anna, exhausted after a long day, is no match for Venus, who is rested and just woken up.

However, instead of simply leaving Anna there, Viner found a blanket, wrapped her up, and carried her to the bed in the shop's lounge.