Chapter 824
Sanford finally snapped back to himself and looked up at Ian, his lone eye trembling as though an earthquake had struck it.
When Ian casually tilted his chin, Sanford stammered, "T-The payment! Without settling the payment first… I was going to say I can’t accept any new requests!"
He had even started rubbing his hands together again, confirming it was a hastily fabricated excuse.
Of course, he probably just wanted to get his hands on at least a portion of what was inside the case.
Elia glanced back at him as if dumbfounded, while Hashim, still half-stunned, stared at the back of Sanford’s head like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.
"Is that so? Well, that’s unfortunate. I need at least some safeguards on my end, too." Ian shrugged, feigning indifference.
He had no intention of showing disappointment or playing along with such a transparent trick.
"I trust you, but not the other smugglers. One ship won’t be enough to carry that many people, so I suppose the additional request is off the table—"
"But how could I dare— Dare to defy the will of a demigod over something as trivial as a petty principle!" Sanford cut in hurriedly, eyes wide, clearly convinced that once Ian finished speaking, there would be no turning back.