The moment Alartun’s hands touched the bread packet, he had the exact same reaction Elicia had. His eyes widened in surprise and an expression of disbelief formed on his face.

"What is this thing?" he mumbled, picking up the packet. "This is so soft. Incredibly soft."

A smirk appeared on Elicia’s lips, as if she were saying, ’told you so.’

"Try it," she said.

Alartun gave a nod and took out one piece of bread from the packet. He did not eat it immediately. Instead, he stared at it and studied it. He looked at the edges and squeezed it a couple of times. Ronan could tell that Alartun was trying to figure out what the bread was made of, but he clearly failed to do so.

Finally, satisfied or probably not with his inspection, Alartun tore off a small piece of the bread and stuffed it into his mouth. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Perhaps because he already had an idea of what to expect, his reaction was a little subdued. He did not show an over exaggerated reaction like Elicia had. It was not that he was not shocked or stunned by the taste of the bread. He was. But he was forcefully keeping his composure in check.

Even so, he was not able to do it as well as he was intending to do. Ronan spotted the slight tremor in his facial muscles, the brief widening of his eyes, and the flash of disbelief that crossed his face.

Ronan had a good idea why the old man was trying to hide his reaction. It was a classic negotiating tactic. If he showed an exaggerated reaction, he would be admitting to the bread’s incredible exquisiteness and brilliance. By maintaining a neutral expression, he was trying to imply that the bread was not that unique or special, hoping to keep the price lower.

The old man seemed to be in no hurry. He took his sweet time enjoying the otherworldly taste of the bread, finishing that particular piece in a few more bites. Then, his eyes settled on the bottle of water.

"Now," he remarked. "What should I expect from this water?"

"Try it and find out," Elicia responded with a confident smirk.

She was thoroughly enjoying the situation and seemed all too eager to see the old man’s reaction. The old man nodded and picked up the water bottle. He unscrewed its cap and swirled a small quantity of water in his mouth.

He could not keep his reaction in check this time around. His eyes bulged in shock, and the hand holding the water bottle trembled.

"What even is this?" he mumbled, his voice laced with disbelief. "So pure! I had never even imagined that water could taste like this. Heavenly! I have never tasted water this pure."

He did not wait for either Elicia or Ronan to respond. He chugged a few more mouthfuls of water and only stopped when less than half the bottle was left. The man did not say anything immediately.

He sat on the sofa in complete silence, as if he were processing what was happening. As if he were engraving the taste of the bread and the water into his mind. He took a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure and return to his normal self.

"This packet of bread and bottle of water are what you want to sell?" He asked.

"Yes," Elicia responded.

Alartun raised his hand, stopping her from saying anything further.

"I would like to talk to the man directly," he remarked.

A frown and an unpleasant expression appeared on Elicia’s face, but she did not say anything.

"You are the owner of these products?" Alartun questioned, a serious look on his face.

"Technically, no," Ronan shook his head. "I am not the owner. You can think of me as a... what you would call a salesperson. I have been assigned the responsibility to develop a sustainable and long-lasting market for these products."

"But," he added. "For all practical purposes, you can think of me as the owner, or rather the sole decision maker for the goods."

"I, and I alone, will be the one deciding where to sell the products, whom to sell them to, and at what price. There will be no questioning or interference in my decisions."

"In fact," he continued. "Let alone this city of Kovliar, you will not find a second person selling these products for a large area in the nearby regions."

"I see," Alartun responded, a thoughtful look on his face.

"Who are the real owners then?" He questioned, after a moment of silence. "The real heavyweights. The real players"

"I cannot tell," Ronan responded calmly.

"To be honest, even I have only a vague idea," he continued. "As I told you, I am a mere salesperson. I do not deal with the owners or the manufacturers. I deal with people much lower on the supply chain and people much lower in rank and influence."

"Are you from The Sanctuary?" Alartun questioned in a hesitant voice.

"No," Ronan shook his head.

"I have already told you more than enough," he continued, his voice carrying a hint of irritation. "For my people, secrecy is paramount."

"If they had been keen to reveal themselves, we would not be using this kind of backdoor method to establish ourselves. We would have used a direct or more pompous approach. Even I, who belong to them, know very little about the grand scheme of things."

"We should proceed to what you are here for," Ronan added, his voice loud and assertive. "Where I came from, where these products come from, or where they are manufactured. Everything else is inconsequential."

"What matters is whether you are willing to buy them or not, and what price you are willing to pay," he concluded.

Realizing that he had displeased Ronan, a submissive smile broke out on Alartun’s face.

"Of course! Of course!" he said quickly. "I was just curious. I had no other intentions. And I am not only willing to buy everything, but I want this transaction of ours to develop into a long term relationship."

Ronan gave a small stiff smile in response. The negotiations for the price were about to begin.

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