"Le Petit Jardin" Restaurant – Sol-Regis Capital. Night – 07:15 PM.
This restaurant was the definition of "Expensive but Tiny Portions." The plates were as wide as car tires, but the food was just a speck in the center.
At Table Number 8, Sir Rianor sat upright with perfect posture. He wore the Navy Blue suit without glasses. He looked incredibly handsome, but his eyes were... empty. His soul seemed to be floating away, contemplating calculus formulas.
Opposite him sat Lady Vanessa.
The Shipping Count's daughter was beautiful, with platinum blonde hair, wearing a blazing red dress with enough diamond jewelry to fund a village for a year.
"So..." Vanessa swirled her wine glass with an affected air. "You know that limited edition Hermèsia bag the Viscount's daughter wore yesterday? It's fake, you know."
"Oh?" Rianor responded flatly. "How do you know, Miss?"
"You can tell by the stitching!" Vanessa giggled. "Real Wyvern leather stitching should slant 45 degrees to the left. If it's straight, it's definitely cheap factory-made. Pity, really, acting so rich."
Rianor nodded slowly. Inside his mind (Internal Monologue):
"Real Wyvern leather bag: 500 Gold. Capacity: 2 Liters. Factory-made Canvas bag: 5 Silver. Capacity: Same. Financial inefficiency of 10,000% just for slanted stitching."
"And Rianor," Vanessa leaned in, staring at Rianor's face. "You've been quiet this whole time. Compliment my new earrings. These are diamonds from the Southern Mines."
Rianor remembered his mother's instructions: COMPLIMENT HER.
"Uhm..." Rianor stared at the earrings. Rapid analysis.
"Those earrings... are very symmetrical, Miss. The light refraction shows a precise Brilliant Cut. They must be, uhm... aerodynamic when you walk."
Vanessa gaped. "Aerodynamic?"
"I mean... beautiful. Very beautiful," Rianor corrected quickly.
"Hmph. You're weird," Vanessa pouted, but was happy to be praised (however awkwardly). "But you're decent, at least you're handsome. Unlike my ex-fiancé, whose belly was like a wine barrel."
Suddenly, the waiter arrived with the main course. Wagyu Steak with Truffle Sauce.
Rianor's eyes narrowed.
Not because of the steak. But because of the waiter.
The waiter's shoes... Thick Leather Combat Boots, not the slick loafers of a luxury restaurant server. And there was a faint smell of oiled metal.
Assassin, Rianor thought. Morvath, you really aren't creative.
The waiter placed the plate in front of Rianor. His right hand reached behind the silver tray. There was a glint of a dagger.
"Enjoy your last dinner, Mr. Sudrath," the waiter whispered softly.
The knife lunged toward Rianor's neck.
Vanessa was busy cutting her meat, unaware.
Rianor didn't dodge dramatically. He didn't flip the table. That wasn't elegant.
His left hand moved with lightning speed, but minimal movement.
He pulled the Stun Pen from his inner suit pocket.
He jammed the tip of the pen into the waiter's armpit (nerve point).
Click.
ZZZZT!
The sound of static electricity crackled.
The waiter went stiff instantly. His eyes bulged, mouth gaping soundlessly. The knife dropped from his hand.
With fluid motion, Rianor caught the knife before it hit the plate, then placed it gently on the table.
The paralyzed waiter's body began to slump toward Vanessa.
Rianor held the waiter up with one hand, then seated him in the empty chair beside the table.
"Eh?" Vanessa turned, shocked. "Why is this waiter sitting here? How rude!"
"He... seems to be exhausted, Miss," Rianor said calmly, wiping his hands with a napkin. "Maybe his blood sugar is low."
But the threat wasn't over.
From the kitchen, two "Chefs" burst out carrying large meat cleavers. They saw their paralyzed friend and immediately charged at Rianor.
"Attack!" shouted one chef.
Restaurant patrons started screaming. "There's a madman with a knife!"
Vanessa screamed hysterically. "KYAAA! WHAT IS THAT?!"
Rianor sighed deeply. Ruining dinner.
He reached into his suit pocket again. Taking out a small ball the size of a marble.
Mini Smoke Bomb.
Rianor flicked the ball onto the floor, right in front of the running chefs' feet.
PUFF!
Thick white smoke exploded, but localized only within a 3-meter area. The smoke contained Capsaicin Powder (Northreach Chili Extract).
"ARGH! MY EYES!"
"COUGH! COUGH!"
The two chefs immediately fell rolling on the floor, blinded and choking.
Rianor stood up. He smoothed out his suit, which wasn't wrinkled in the slightest.
He looked at Vanessa, who was now hiding under the table crying, her makeup running.
"Miss Vanessa," Rianor called politely. "The situation is no longer conducive to dinner. Let me escort you to your carriage."
Vanessa looked up. She saw Rianor standing tall amidst the chaos, his face flat and emotionless, while three men writhed in pain around him.
To Vanessa, that wasn't a heroic sight. That was the sight of a Psychopath.
"Y-you..." Vanessa trembled. "You paralyzed them... while sitting down? You didn't even sweat?"
"Energy efficiency, Miss," Rianor replied.
"YOU WEIRDO!" Vanessa shrieked. She crawled out from under the table, then threw her napkin in Rianor's face.
"You're scary! You're cold! You're like a robot! I don't want to marry a killer robot!"
Vanessa ran frantically out of the restaurant, leaving her Limited Edition Bag (the fake one) on the chair.
Rianor peeled the napkin off his face.
Silence.
The restaurant manager arrived with a pale face. "Sir... what happened..."
Rianor pulled out a pouch of gold coins.
"50 Gold. For disturbance damages and medical costs for these three idiots," Rianor pointed to the assassins. "The rest is for you, provided you keep your mouth shut."
Rianor picked up Vanessa's abandoned bag.
"And please pack the steak to go. Shame to waste it."
Outside the Restaurant – Inside the Sudrath Carriage.
The carriage door opened. Rianor entered carrying a food package and a handbag.
Inside the carriage, Sir Roland was laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach.
"HAHAHA! 'Energy Efficiency, Miss'!" Roland mimicked Rianor's tone. "I swear, Yan, that was the most Nerdy Break-up Line I've ever heard!"
Rianor loosened his tie, then put his (imaginary) glasses back on. He instantly felt more comfortable.
"Shut up. The important thing is I survived. And I got free steak."
"Mom is going to rage," Roland warned. "The merchant fleet connection is gone."
"No problem," Rianor said casually. "I managed to glance at Count Vanessa's-father's ledgers at the reception desk when we entered. Turns out they're running a Deficit. It would be useless to partner with them anyway."
"You... you actually audited someone's company during a date," Roland shook his head in disbelief.
Suddenly, from the shadowed corner of the carriage, another voice was heard.
Elara (who had secretly tagged along).
"What voltage did you set the Stun Pen to?" Elara asked, ignoring the romance drama.
"Maximum. 50,000," Rianor answered.
"Good," Elara smiled faintly. "Means the circuit is stable. Tomorrow we make a Long-Range Version."
Rianor smiled. "Deal."
Roland stared at the two of them.
Damn, Rianor's soulmate really is just a science freak like Elara, Roland thought.
That night, Rianor failed to secure a trade connection. But he successfully field-tested a weapon, ate a good steak, and "broke up" without prolonged drama.
Task Failed Successfully.