Chapter 312 – Meeting the Head
I sat in a way that allowed me to see both men at the same time.
“What would you like to talk about?”
“Can I assume you know who I am and what I do?”
“I know.”
“That’ll make things easier. I’m planning on meeting my supplier tomorrow to discuss joining Miwai.”
“What does your supplier have to do with this decision?”
“As I said, they’re not supporting my business. They’re supporting me personally. The situation changes completely if I go under someone else. That’s why I need to meet with them and convince them.”
Fradorant sent a glance at the man next to me before focusing back on me.
“How can we trust you?”
“Was sending a mercenary to burn my house not enough? What more do you want?”
I watched them carefully, but none of them reacted.
“What are you talking about?”
There wasn’t a single change in the head’s expression, as if he truly didn’t know anything.
“There’s no point in denying it. Crali came to me this morning with the information. An underground fire mage from Thuk, right? We know everything already.”
Fradorant still didn’t show any reaction, but the man next to me flinched a little. Maybe the head wasn’t aware of the details, leaving it all to his subordinate. Or he was amazing at keeping his emotions in check. He wasn’t the boss of one of the great merchant companies for nothing. Either way, this was enough for me. I was now certain they were responsible for it.
“Do you have any proof of what you’re saying?”
“You’ll receive word from the city hall soon.”
This time, the expression of the man next to me crumbled a bit. What he imagined to be a perfectly untraceable job came to hunt him like this.
“And? What is it you want to say? If you supposedly have evidence against us, for what reason would you still like to join us?”
“Because I know the city hall can’t protect me all the time. Just like what happened with my house.”
“Interesting. Did you say you’d go to another continent?”
“That’s why I have some conditions for joining you.”
There was a moment of silence, with the head looking like he was thinking about it, while the man next to me scowled.
“Who do you think you ar…”
“Shut up.”
He was interrupted by his boss before he could finish his sentence. He closed his mouth immediately, looking scared. I felt like I was in an old gangster movie, with thugs acting as henchmen of powerful mafia clans. Except this was supposed to be a proper merchant company.
“Let me hear those conditions, then.”
“First, I want some shares in Miwai.”
“That’s not a problem. We can give you up to 0.5%.”
“I want 1%.”
“That’s too much.”
“We both know that’s how valuable selnic items are.”
“…Fine.”
“Then, I want a share of sales of each selnic item.”
“You sure ask for a lot.”
“It’s something you wouldn’t have without me, right?”
“Hmm. We can’t give too much. The company needs to profit too. We can go up to 5%.”
“I want 10%.”
“7, nothing more.”
“8 or nothing.”
“…Fine. If that’s all, let’s sign a contract.”
“I’m not done with my conditions.”
For the first time, the head looked annoyed.
“You shouldn’t go too far.”
“Or I’ll just leave for another continent. It’s all up to you.”
“…What do you want?”
“I want insurance you won’t harm me after the deal is done.”
“Why would we harm our own people?”
I only raised my eyebrows incredulously, and I saw a few of his arm muscles moving, as if he was trying hard not to blow my head on the spot, which only proved my point even further.
“If you’re so scared, why don’t you hire some high-ranking mercenaries to guard you?”
“There’s no guard that can protect someone perfectly.”
‘And who can’t be bought for more money.’
“So, what sort of guarantee do you want?”
“I want a document stating that if anything happens to me in the next five years, you’ll shoulder my death as if you murdered me. And that document will go straight to the city hall.”
“What if a real accident happens? How would that be our fault?”
“That’s for you to care about. I know well how easy it is for you to fake accidents. You should know how to prevent them, too. Same-minded people, right?”
“Mind your words, kid.”
This time, he growled a little, having trouble containing his anger. I shrugged, and he gnashed his teeth a little.
“Fine, but I have a condition too. If we give you all of that, we need to have a direct connection with the supplier.”
I faked hesitating for a few seconds before nodding.
“Deal.”
The tension relaxed a little at my words.
“We’ll prepare a contract for when you come back. Don’t try any tricks this time, or you’ll find out that even going to another continent might not help you.”
“I understand.”
The meeting ended, and I left the building. Frankly, this whole negotiation didn’t matter in the least. I had already accomplished my goal long before we even started talking.
For the next two days, I was careful not to appear in Geola. Instead, I focused on my businesses in Makji and anything inside the domes. I even avoided the bunnies’ village, taking a few days of break from my normal routine.
Whenever I wasn’t working, I focused on physical and magical training. And when I had enough of that, I meditated, preparing myself for what would come next. Meditation might not be the correct term, though. Mental preparation was closer to reality.
It was two peaceful days for me. I spent some time chatting with Suuru and Minsto after a long while, and even had a lengthier visit to Ulum. I often came to see her in her office, but this time, we went out to eat at lunch and shared news for almost an hour.
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