"Not as rude as you." Theo looked away, not really caring about Maya's status.
"Hahaha!" Maya only laughed and tilted her body, looking at Nikita. "See that, Niki? This guy is great."
"However, I need to agree." She shook her head with a calm expression.
"…" Maya fell silent and stared at her dumbfoundedly. "You are supposed to back me up, no?"
"When you call me Nikita."
"Can you please do it, Niki…ta?" Maya's tone was awkward as if she never said her name even once.
Nikita nodded and walked to Theo. Suddenly, she dropped on one knee while putting her right hand to her chest and raising the other, saying in a dramatic tone. "Young Miss is a great person. She is a responsible person and her ability to manage businesses is top-notch. On top of that, she is very generous."
"…" Maya facepalmed and shook her head embarrassedly. "Stop, stop. That's enough, Niki."
When Theo heard Nikita's words, he couldn't help but chuckle. And the moment Maya stopped her and called her "Niki" again, he asked, "So, can I know what you really wanted to say?"
"Young Miss is a rude person. She doesn't even care about other people and her mind is shrewd. On top of that, she is a spendthrift." Nikita corrected all those words in an instant and basically used the antonym for each description.
"Thank you for the translation." Theo nodded.
"No problem. Glad to be of any help." Nikita rose from the floor and stepped back.
"…" Maya looked at these two dumbfoundedly while pointing her finger. "Since when did you two team up?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." Theo and Nikita said at the same time.
"So, basically both of you are the same." Maya rolled her eyes.
"Well, your character aside, what do you want to tell me?" Theo asked.
"My character aside?" Maya's eyebrows twitched. "Isn't that line supposed to be "Jokes aside, bla bla bla?"
"Ehm..." Theo looked up as if he was thinking about it before looking at her. "No."
Maya was speechless. Theo literally didn't hold back even just for courtesy. At the same time, it wasn't like she could put her hand on him because he was still under the Griffith Family's protection.
After a while, she shook her head in defeat while complaining, "I guess I will be a bigger person and let this matter go."
Theo and Nikita shrugged their shoulders as if they knew it wasn't true. However, they didn't rebuke her anymore so she could continue.
"Okay, let's get to the topic." Maya put the gun down while raising three fingers. "There are three…" She stopped and frowned before adding the fourth finger. "I mean four things I want to say."
Theo remained silent as his expression turned serious.
"First, China has used its influence to make other countries stop supporting you. Our country doesn't really care about it and has told me to assess you and your ability. Depending on your ability, we would like to invest in you."
"Understandable." Theo looked down, knowing they couldn't trust him yet. "How do you want to determine my ability?"
A smirk appeared on her face as she pointed at herself. "Fight me."
"You sure?" Theo furrowed his eyebrows before glancing at Nikita. "Not her?"
"Why do I feel you glancing at her is telling me that I won't be enough to be your opponent? Are you trying to look down on me?"
"I didn't," said Theo with a poker face.
"You didn't?" Maya tilted her head.
"I didn't say it, but you can understand it? You are smart." Theo nodded, admitting that he looked down on her.
His statement stunned her as Nikita furrowed her eyebrows. She wasn't offended by Theo's statement. Instead, she was interested in it because there was deep confidence in his words.
Maya's lips curved before she laughed while holding her belly. "Hahaha. This is truly funny. Interesting, interesting."
Maya straightened her back and her expression became grim. She glared at Theo while licking her lips. "Since you claim it that way, you should have the ability to prove it. How about a bet? You are confident in defeating me, right?"
Theo squinted his eyes and asked, "What's the deal?"
"If I win, you will tell me about your status, level and skills. If I lose…" She looked Theo in the eyes as if asking him to fill the condition.
"I happen to find a skill interesting. I want you to get it for me." Theo smiled.
She extended her hand. "We have a deal?"
"Deal." Theo shook her hand, planning to take advantage of this situation.
"Niki, prepare a place for us to fight. When do you want to fight?"
"As soon as possible…" Theo paused for a moment and corrected his words. "After this discussion?"
"Sure. That's more efficient." She agreed without hesitation. "How's that, Niki?"
"I will find a suitable place. Though, I believe it's safer for you to unleash your strength on the other side. I will help you in clearing the area."
"Got it." Maya nodded and continued, "Okay. We've got the deal. I hope you're not backing away from this. I'm warning you, but Niki is a Mythical Rank Expert."
"Meanwhile, I can't hold you accountable if you try to break the promise." Theo shrugged.
"I won't. As long as you don't ask me to grab an S Rank Skill for you, I will deliver that skill."
"Sure. I will return to my house to retrieve my weapons first. We will meet on the other side."
"Yep. Sounds good to me." She thought for a moment and asked, "Shall we continue?"
Theo extended his hand as if telling her, "You're free to continue."
"Good. The second topic is your protection. As long as you interest me, I will guarantee your protection until you can choose your future. Of course, I don't want to protect you for too long… It's not like you're planning to stay in this country for a long time, right?"
"Certainly." Theo nodded. "I will be away within months."
"That's enough for me. Let's move to the next one, shall we?"
"Sure."