Letran City, 10:00 AM.
Coming out of a luxurious black limousine, Zold stepped out of the car and stood in front of a high-end Michelin-star restaurant.
Dressed in a striped collared black polo tucked neatly into black trousers, his handsome and masculine features were perfectly accentuated.
He glanced at the restaurant's door and saw two large men in suits guarding the entrance.
Just as he was about to approach them, one of the bodyguards suddenly spoke in a cautious tone:
"Mr. Zold Starks?"
Zold raised his brows in surprise, not expecting to be recognized. He nodded slightly, "Yes."
'He does fit the description the Lady provided… is he the lady's boyfriend?'
The two bodyguards couldn't help but think of this and look at Zold more carefully.
The lady had never been seen with a man her age before.
They wondered if that person knew about this.
It was fine that person knew, but if he didn't…
The two shudder to think about the consequences.
That person was very protective of her daughter, after all.
The two bodyguards quickly stopped observing.
They knew better than to put their heads where it didn't belong…
One of the bodyguards pressed the transceiver on their chest pocket.
Buzz!
"The guest has arrived, please be ready. We're letting him enter now."
After sending a message, the two bodyguards made way for Zold and bowed.
"Please enter, the lady has been waiting for you."
Zold nodded slightly and entered the restaurant.
Inside, the wide dining hall was empty, save for a single circular table in the middle.
A crystal blue chandelier hung on the ceiling, casting a soft glow over the table.
On the opposite side, Maria sat gracefully. She tucked her long silky brown hair behind her ears, her gaze lingering on the table.
Then, as if she had just noticed Zold's presence, her amethyst eyes lifted. They lit up gently as they met his, a faint smile gracing her flawless face.
For a moment, the two of them stared at each other silently.
But then, Maria broke the silence with a small grin, "Don't just stand there, come sit down with me."
Snapping out of his daze, Zold felt slightly embarrassed. He smiled wryly before sitting down opposite to her.
"Sorry, I'm just not used to seeing you like this."
Maria's brows narrowed, her smile becoming more radiant, "Making the expressionless Zold flustered, I don't think the others would believe it even if I tell them."
"Please don't."
"Don't worry, this is a secret between us." Maria chuckled, then changed the topic. "It seems like you dressed nicely just like I said. You look great."
"Save me the compliments."
Zold shook his head. He glanced around the restaurant and then at Maria, unable to resist asking in a strange tone,
"... Is all this really necessary?"
"Absolutely necessary."
Maria nodded with a playful expression.
At that moment, a butler came to their table and brought a full set of meals with some expensive wine.
"Milady and her esteemed guest, please enjoy."
The butler swiftly arranged the table, showing great skill. He put a small silver ring bell in the center before bowing.
"Please ring this bell if you need anything."
Maria glanced at him, nodding in appreciation.
"You may leave."
"Understood."
The butler quickly left, leaving the two alone with each other once more.
Seeing the wide variety of high-end meals, Zold suddenly felt hungry.
'Come to think of it, when I reached the Ascension stage in my past life, I no longer felt hungry ever since.'
However, now that he was back in his mortal body, even ordinary food felt tempting again.
'You're going to drink at 10:00 AM in the morning?'
Zold glanced at the wine and thought to himself.
But Maria saw his gaze and immediately clarified, "The wine is for atmosphere. It's too early to drink…"
"Childish," Zold sighed and shook his head in amusement. "Why did you even set the meeting place here? I don't think anyone dines this early in the morning."
"No reason." Maria shook her head and replied unashamedly, "I've always wanted to try to dine with someone in a restaurant."
Zold was speechless, simply smiling wryly.
"How whimful."
"... Don't tell me you don't like it?"
Maria pursed her lips.
Zold shook his head, "It's fine, I'm just not used to it."
He had never really experienced anything like this before.
'It almost feels like a date…'
Zold couldn't help but think of this, immediately falling silent. He brushed aside such pointless thoughts and turned serious.
"Let's get down to business."
"Sure."
Maria nodded.
"The weapons, how many did you get?"
Zold asked, sipping on a glass of water.
"A lot," Maria answered slowly. "Guns, swords, sabers, and lances. I figured I would need a lot of them so I bought all that's available in my contacts."
Zold frowned, feeling like it's too high-profile. "Won't the government notice you smuggling that much firearms?"
Maria shook her head before explaining with a slight smile, "My father's brother is the Senate President."
"I see…" Zold quickly understood. "How about the quality of the weapons?"
"It shouldn't be a problem," Maria answered with certainty, "I ordered the weapons from a craftsmith in Crownreach."
"Crownreach," Zold nodded, but then he suddenly remembered a piece of news. He couldn't help but frown, "That's the Queen of Fantasy's territory, would she just let you take some weapons from there?"
"Morgana wouldn't dare antagonize me," Maria shook her head. "Don't worry too much. Instead, I want to ask you what do you plan to do with these weapons? You should know that ordinary weapons and firearms barely work against awakened lifeforms…"
This wasn't known yet to the world, but awakened lifeforms were resistant to ordinary weapons.
But they weren't entirely useless.
Tier I Beasts possess almost no defensive capabilities: ordinary weapons could still kill them with ease.
Tier II Beasts, on the other hand, had started to develop spiritual defenses, causing bullets to scratch them but never enough to do any meaningful harm.
But still, given a large amount of damage, Tier II Beasts could still fall from ordinary weapons.
However, Maria knew that Zold wouldn't need any weapons for monsters at that level, so that meant he only had Tier III Beasts in his sight.
But against fully awakened lifeforms, ordinary firearms and weapons couldn't even tickle them.
"There's no harm in telling you since we're in a cooperative relationship," Zold thoughtfully said, putting down the glass of water.
Maria raised her brows.
Zold raised his eyes to meet hers, then he admitted bluntly, "I know a little thing or two about Forging."
Hearing that, Maria's eyes widened in surprise.
Forging was the art of creating artifacts, weapons for Awakeners.
Those who excelled at this art were referred to as Forgers by other people.
Forgers were one of the most sought-after people in their previous life, and for a good reason.
Their legendary ability to create artifacts on demand made them essential to any force.
As a former Guild Leader, Maria knew very well the value of a Forger, especially during this early in the calamities.
'Should I say, as expected?'
After a moment of thinking, Maria smiled wryly as she shook her head.
Zold always knew a little about everything.
"If that's the case," Maria gazed at Zold with a playful grin. "Instead of money, how about you forge me an artifact as payment?"
'Didn't you say to forget about the payment…'
Zold thought in his mind but didn't reject her. This was also good, he didn't want to owe any favors.
"That's fine by me. But I can't guarantee that you'll like it."
"No, I'm sure I'll like it."
Maria rested her cheeks on her palm, gazing at Zold with a small smile.