Chapter 1006: Chapter 565: Rebuilding Trust (2)

Under the relentless impact of the swinging waves, Lance’s gaze couldn’t help but be drawn in, yet he withdrew his hand to avoid it.

"Alright."

Upon hearing this, Amanda obediently stopped her actions, yet her eyes continued to carefully observe Lance’s expression.

Lance could also see through her as a person.

The reason for saying so much is because she lacks a sense of security. After leaving the organization, Hamlet became her home, but her background and experience as a killer led to a peculiar personality, making it difficult for her to integrate into Hamlet.

Unlike Boudica, who fights when there’s a fight and eats and sleeps when there isn’t, she’s proud, and the smarter she is, the more unavoidable it becomes for her to overthink, desperately seeking recognition.

This is why she constantly tries to prove herself in front of Lance, going as far as to break the Deep Sea Shaman’s spell despite being seriously injured.

After a reprimand, it’s natural to offer a carrot; Lance didn’t hold a grudge against her, instead calming down to reassure her.

"Sela said you called my name before you fell unconscious. You trust me, so I naturally trust you too. Our mutual trust isn’t based on simple physical relationships but on the experiences we’ve shared. Emotions are the bonds between us."

Saying this, Lance raised his hand with a flourish, and like magic, a piece of blue-green Deep Sea Scale appeared between his fingertips.

"This artifact can withstand one attack; protect yourself well."

Amanda took the scale in hand, its jade-like spiritual essence gleaming charmingly.

But what delighted her even more was Lance’s acknowledgment; her smile appeared pure and genuine, without any falseness.

For someone like her to be so compliant, Lance must be a true master tactician.

"Ah! I have something for you too." Amanda seemed to recall something and pointed upward.

With a tap of her hand, a heavy box appeared, shaking the carriage, and as Amanda opened it, a brilliant golden light radiated forth.

A whole box full of Gold Coins!

Amanda dug her hand into the Gold Coins, grabbed a handful, then released them, flaunting towards Lance as if inviting praise.

"There are over ten thousand here, all taken from Sela."

Lance watched the Gold Coins glitter in the candlelight, their crisp clinking sounded exceptionally pleasant.

"That person is no ordinary one. It’s indeed impressive you managed to get so much money from her."

Elated by the praise, Amanda eagerly recounted how she had toyed with Sela.

Lance found her words quite intriguing.

He only instructed Amanda to negotiate those predetermined business deals.

Regarding the news about Bastia, the Barbarian Tribes, and Michelle’s convoy, he indeed signaled for it to be leaked.

But Amanda’s handling of the situation highlighted her "personal style." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Using her understanding of the organization, she managed to coax and deceive her way to obtaining Sela’s prepared information without spending a dime, directly uncovering the forces behind those fleets.

Meanwhile, using Lance’s name, she privately struck a deal with Sela to secure forty percent of the profits from the information.

It’s worth noting Lance didn’t signal her to do these things.

More interestingly, she only handed over the information to Grendel but didn’t mention these Gold Coins at all. If she hadn’t brought it up now, Lance wouldn’t have known about this secret.

Why would she hide this? It’s quite intriguing...

While speaking, Amanda noticed Lance fell silent and suddenly realized her actions were quite dangerous.

Her teacher, for instance, would never allow her to disobey orders, let alone act smart, and it was her failures on missions and the secret agreement with Lance that got her abandoned.

The pressure from her teacher gave her an instinctive fear. She had struggled out of control, but now seemed to feel it once more.

Her mind raced, quickly offering an explanation.

"I didn’t want to hide this from you and aimed to give you a surprise, which is why I didn’t tell Miss Grendel. Besides, I tried looking for you this morning to reveal this, but you weren’t there at that time..."

Whether Amanda truly intended to surprise him, or sought to leverage the partnership for personal gain, moved by emotion to confess, or had deeper motives,

in any case, the messy situation didn’t matter to Lance anymore, as her voluntary disclosure made it only one situation.

Damn, this really is a surprise!

Even if she had selfish motives, Lance wouldn’t care, nor would he investigate. Testing loyalty is foolish.

Sometimes, playing the fool is truly wise~

"I was pondering~" Lance suddenly looked up, interrupting her, "Do you think Sela could’ve led the Fishmen here?"

This caught Amanda’s explanation off guard, and she met his gaze.

"What’s the matter?" Lance casually returned her gaze, as if he hadn’t heard what had been said earlier.

"Uh..." Amanda was initially stunned but quickly caught on.

She didn’t see Lance as some fool but rather someone who chose to trust her. The sense of safety from this trust seemed to fill her heart, dispelling the pressure with unprecedented satisfaction.

She recognized Lance wasn’t like her teacher, and in Hamlet, she found new life.

Her expression changed several times before she quickly calmed down and offered her opinion.

"It’s pretty much impossible because if Sela had truly been responsible, she would have slipped away quietly instead of warning me, and wouldn’t have been intimidated. There was actually a brief moment when escape was possible."

Amanda hoped to convey something more, guessing Lance’s tensions with Count Bastia could spell trouble, especially if there was an underlying scare tactic in play.

"I think what’s more crucial is the Empire Emperor sending a princess to forge an alliance with Count Bastia. The connections behind this news could affect us."

"In stable times, such things might be problematic; however, right now, the Emperor can’t even suppress the rebels. There’s a chance he could be toppled at any moment."

Lance saw nothing of value in the Emperor racing to put out fires, jesting, "Besides, isn’t the princess missing?"

Amanda slightly hesitated but couldn’t help asking cautiously.

"This matter doesn’t concern us, does it?"

"I wouldn’t know if you hadn’t said so. Do you think I would care about such things?" Lance wasn’t offended, for if the princess were gone, the Emperor and the Earl couldn’t mingle, making Hamlet a potential beneficiary, hard to ignore.

His word was enough; Amanda knew Lance wouldn’t lie over such affairs and couldn’t help but sigh.

"In that case, the princess is likely lost, becoming a pawn in political strife—a real pity~"

Lance understood Amanda was empathizing, having been discarded in the top-tier power struggles herself.

"You aware of how productive this latest wilderness mission was?"

To quell her negative thinking, Lance subtly mentioned the gains of the operation, briefly summarizing key achievements, focusing on the ruins’ significance.

"The calamity struck too suddenly; the city is remarkably intact. Although the deathly aura awakened the Undead Skeletons, this proves the ruins remain untouched by humans."

Amanda grasped the implication—an entire city’s wealth... even if not money-hungry, the sheer magnitude made her breath catch.

However, Lance’s next words left her dumbfounded.

"Though Sela saved you, let her know about this, cancel out your debt to her."

"We’ve already paid, hence owe her nothing. The information ought to remain secret, immediately block it."

"Wrong, not only should we not block it, but we should spread it far and wide, the more people know, the better..."