Chapter 27: The Greatest Merchant King's Return
"So, Kael, I'm afraid I would do everything in my power to prevent this transaction from ever going through. And I will not let the existence of this knockoff Health Potion ever reach the surface and let Nexus find out about it," Manager Drex finally expressed his decision.
Contrary to Manager Drex's expectation, Kael doesn't have the slightest care for what the former's experience was with Nexus and his opinion regarding his product.
"I'm also afraid to say this, but that's not for you to decide." Kael's smile turned cold.
"Why should I be the one to pay the price for you and your wife's past mistake?"
"Why should your misfortune get in the way of my goal?"
"Was it me who made the mistake?"
"Was it me who decided to be a bystander?"
"Why should I let a mere sob story get in the way of what I wanted to achieve in my life?"
Needless to say, he still feels sorry for what Manager Drex had gone through and understands why the latter wanted to make Nexus pay for the crimes they committed. And he also doesn't see any problem with Manager Drex's decision to stop Nexus from doing more destruction to Noverra and the possibility of bringing the same fate to their world into Avalon.
However, someone else's problem doesn't necessarily have to be his problem as well!
They might share the same enemy, and he might want to make this person his ally in the future, but that doesn't give enough reason to stop him from doing what he intends to do
Manager Drex has his own method of stopping Nexus, but so does he! And his method doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.
"I understand you hate Nexus, and I hate them as well. But that doesn't give you the right to prevent me from doing what I intend on doing to them!" Kael smashed the table with his two hands and stared at Manager Drex straight in the latter's eyes. "What I'm about to do to them is not to merely prevent them from doing more destruction to this world or the world of Avalon. That's the difference between you and me!"
"You might believe what you're doing right now is stopping them, but you're a fool! Because it's not! You are only preventing them temporarily. The next day, they'll simply find another means to achieve the same goal!" Kael snickered.
"Do you intend to stop that as well? By repeating it over and over again, you'll eventually get tired. But they won't! And you know that! And you know it deep inside of you that you alone will never be enough to stop everything!" Kael mocked Manager Drex's foolishness.
Although this man might have become Nexus's biggest enemy in the future, the latter still wasn't able to stop Nexus from doing whatever they wanted. Meaning, his actions weren't correct. Of course, his contributions still mean something. But that's not the same outcome he wants to achieve.
"My goal is to stand at the same level as Nexus!" Kael took the potion away. "And I'm going to take the first step to that goal using this potion you intend to stop."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Manager Drex heaves a heavy sigh of regret. Since his attempt to persuade Kael to drop the knockoff Health Potion has failed, he'll have to go with his backup plan.
In the next moment, Manager Drex took out a piece of rolled paper from his waist.
Meanwhile, Kael took out his hidden dagger under his sleeves and didn't hesitate to slide it next to Manager Drex's neck.
"This…" Manager Drex was slightly in disbelief, seeing a dagger below his chin.
Even Lawrence and Jayem didn't expect Kael to react that way, so they didn't know what to do after seeing it all happen.
"Better be safe than sorry, right?" Kael didn't care how others would think of him. In his opinion, there's a fifty-fifty chance Manager Drex would attack them. If he doesn't attack first, then he'll be on the losing side. Of course, he was confident that he'd be able to make his hand stop if the latter wasn't planning on harming them.
"I have the same thought," Manager Drex smiled as he glanced at the dagger his other hand was gripping right now. He was still surprised, though, because he couldn't believe Kael was faster than him. That might be why the latter purposely got his body closer to him, so that he could reach quicker.
"What's that?" Kael asked, still not lowering his dagger.
"It's a contract," Manager Drex explained. "In the contract, it specifically states that you will not sell the knockoff Health Potion through other channel other than through mine."
"You meant to say you want to be the sole distributor of our product?"
"It's the only way to prevent Nexus from getting their hands on your product and discovering its existence and how to make it."
"Fair enough," Kael signalled for Lawrence and Jayem to restrain Manager Drex.
As much as Lawrence and Jayem don't want to offend Manager Drex, Kael was the leader they handpicked. They couldn't just back out now and take back their choice. So, they complied.
With his hands free and Manager Drex still restrained, Kael took the contract and started reading to confirm its content.
"I'm surprised you still believe that people from Rustfall honor their contracts," Kael said in a remark.
"As long as I believe in it, my customers will eventually come to believe in it as well," Manager Drex simply smiled.
"In that case," Kael lowered the contract as he was already finished reading its content. "I'll believe in you instead, not the contract. But I want to revise something,"
"As long as we can come to an agreement with your revision, I don't mind."
"I want to exclude Avalon from the contract. You will become our sole distributor in Noverra, but not in Avalon."
"Why?"
"Because I'm not afraid of Nexus in Avalon." Kael was confident that as long as he was fighting against Nexus in Avalon, he'd be able to stand on equal ground.
"That's not the issue. If they could still get their hands on your product from Avalon, then my efforts in Noverra would all be for nothing!"
"They'll only believe they could replicate my product if they know that it comes from someone in Noverra. But what if they don't know that and they believe it came from someone in Avalon?"
"You mean…" Manager Drex instantly understood what Kael was intending to achieve. If Nexus believes that the product is made by an inhabitant of Avalon, then they'll presume theirs an internal conflict happening within the Royal Family of the Sylvaris Kingdom.
"They'll secretly support me using the pretense that they will support me in my fight against my supposed enemy," Kael smirked. When in truth, Nexus was his enemy, and he was just using them to make his force stronger.
"How did you find him?" Manager Drex turned to Lawrence and Jayem.
"He found us," Lawrence puffed his chest with pride.
"You know, I went through some of your history, and I'm honestly amazed at how many people you've scammed," Manager Drex chuckled.
"We only did that because those people wanted to betray us first!"
"Of course, you won't admit that." Manager Drex doesn't believe a single bit of that sentence. No thief will say they're a thief. Just like no scammer will say they're a scammer.
"Is that why you won't admit that you brought your own disaster into your family and blamed Nexus instead?" Jayem snered. If someone dares to mock them, he won't back down from that.
"Ohhhh!" Lawrence yelled in support.
"Enough about that," Kael interrupted. "Do you agree with my revision or not?"
"Only a fool would reject that!" Manager Drex raised his hand and let go of his dagger.
Seeing that, Kael shook Manager Drex's hand while Lawrence and Jayem both stepped to the side.
"Bring the contract to our house later. We'll wait in our place." Kael still didn't fully trust Manager Drex. If he waits for the revision of the contract in the Nexus outpost, and this man suddenly turns his back against them as revenge, then they'll have no way to escape because this entire place is Nexus' territory. Meanwhile, in their house, they have their computers, which could easily allow them to get inside Avalon once things turn worse for them.
"I understand!" Manager Drex didn't complain.
With that being said, Kael led Lawrence and Jayem back to their house. He only left a single potion with Manager Drex while he brought the rest with him.
Upon arriving inside the house, Kael went to his room to begin writing the new version of the Avalon Beginners Guide version two for Lawrence and Jayem while waiting for Manager Drex's arrival
While writing, Kael couldn't help but form a wide grin on his face as he started imagining the future. "I guess I can officially say now that I'm back!"
"The Greatest Merchant King has returned!"