Valdim Phiram, a man by the name of Valdim, chuckled. I could tell he was trying hard not to come across as too complacent or informal in front of me at this point, based on his demeanor. He bowed his head and covered his mouth as he struggled to keep his laughter from bursting out. My brows were raised in response to this. Despite the fact that my arms were still crossed in front of my shoulders, I moved closer to him.

When he became aware of my presence, he stood up straight and casually, as if he had not made that silly, rude gesture in the first place. "What's...