The next morning, at the Weisren Heavy Industry headquarters.
Vera, Colin, and Lina were, for once, not in their offices buried under mountains of paperwork. Instead, they stood side-by-side at the entrance to the first-floor lobby, looking utterly haggard, like three ghosts.
Colin's eyes were sunken, and he was still clutching a roll of financial reports he hadn't finished reading.
"If he just shows up today to feed us a bunch of empty promises, or spout some nonsense like 'keep up the good work'," Colin seethed, staring at the street, "I swear I'm going to smack him in the face with this report and go back to the countryside to be a farmer."
Vera held a cup of a dark green, concentrated stimulant potion, swallowing a mouthful with a deadpan expression. The bitter taste made her tightly furrowed brow relax just a little.
