The rising demand for pyrite meant there was no need to push any deals through by force; the profit would naturally come. If there was no urgency, there was no way to swindle. So what to do...? He turned the problem over and over in his mind, always running into the same walls. Eventually without thinking, Lawrence said, “Say, Ho—” He managed not to say “lo,” but a passing craftsman did look at him strangely. Again, he realized how largely Holo’s small figure and invincible smile loomed in his mind. It seemed impossible that he’d gotten along on his own for so long before her. Holo would certainly be able to come up with some good ideas or at least set him on the right path. Somewhere along the line, Lawrence realized, he’d become quite dependent on her. What am I to you? He simply could not answer the question with any kind of confidence. “If I were Holo, what would I do?” Lawrence didn’t imagine that he could imitate the endlessly mysterious Holo’s thought process perfectly.
