Free Trade City of Aquarius, Streets of Aquarius
1st Year of the New Age, Sunday, 2nd Week, 3rd Month Of Abraham.
The city of Aquarius bustled as usual with its streets filled with a diverse array of races and visitors from distant lands. The market areas were vibrant and busy, as mainstream as they came, with legitimate businesses thriving alongside more discreet dealings.
Riley, the leader of Team Epsilon, moved through the crowd in disguise. He had assumed the form of a more mature individual to hide his identity. His Orichalcum Mask was going to distort the prying gazes of detection Magic, but he was aware that high-level spells could probably still pass through its effects.
Beyond the mask, Riley's appearance was calculated to project authority. His skull mask, dark cloak, and the menacing aura he exuded made the lowlifes avoid him and commanded respect from those who were strong enough to recognize it.
'Mason should be wrapping up his business by now. I need to sell these Monster Cores quickly, even if they're at a discount.'
With an overwhelming number of Monster Cores about to flood the market, Riley knew he had to act fast or risk his entire business plan collapsing before his very eyes.
'It's a bit early, but… I have no choice.'
As Riley arrived at the Exrump Corporation headquarters, he was immediately welcomed gracefully with utmost respect. He was shown the path upstairs and even escorted by an esteemed individual like the VIP that he was.
"Your subordinate is still in discussions with Sir Elom Tusk. Would you like to join them?" an attendant asked.
Riley was surprised that Mason hadn't left the building yet, but he dismissed the thought as trivial compared to the task at hand.
"Yes, I would," he replied.
He was led to the room where Mason and Elom were meeting. The space was more lavish than the one he remembered, a sign of the company's intent to treat them well as Exclusive Sellers.
'I suppose they want to keep us happy,' Riley thought, managing a smile as he turned the knob and entered the room.
'Let's just hope I can maintain that status.'
The moment he stepped inside the room, Riley was almost instantly greeted by a very excited Human-Orc.
"Ah, sir! It's such a pleasant surprise to see you!" The man was grinning sheepishly at him, almost the way a fan would react when meeting their favorite celebrity for the first time.
'He's literally gushing…' Was Riley's impression as he nodded slightly, entering the room.
"I was just asking your subordinate here when we might have the pleasure of seeing you again," the man continued.
Riley glanced at Mason and noticed the uncomfortable smile plastered on his face.
'Were they pressuring him to convince me to come? Is that why he took so long?' Riley wondered, though he quickly brushed the thought aside.
"In any case, it's truly good to have you here. We have much to discuss."
Riley took a seat on the sofa, and Mason went and stood behind him almost instantly.
'Good. He knows how to keep up appearances without needing to be told,' Riley mused, feeling a sense of relief.
Mason seemed to be able to handle himself in business matters now, but sometimes he was still an indecisive klutz. Like just now, when he allowed his time to be delayed because of this man with Orc tusk.
Mason's discomfort was hidden behind his smile, but Riley chose to ignore it. These were the kinds of situations Mason needed to navigate on his own to learn.
'But this is going better than I expected. It seems they haven't caught wind of the incoming market saturation,' Riley thought, feeling a sense of relief, to say at least. This meant he had a shot here, to sell and be done away with what would soon become useless rocks given enough time.
"Before we get straight into business, I believe there's someone you should meet," Elom said with a smile, raising his hand to speak into a bracelet on his wrist.
"Bring him in."
'Who? What's this about?' Riley wondered, though he didn't have long to speculate, because a knock promptly echoed through the room, and the door opened before he could form any guesses.
"We've brought him, sir," a voice announced.
Riley's gaze shifted to the doorway, where two burly men stood behind a figure who looked absolutely miserable.
The man in front of them was tied up, and he had rags for clothes. Bruises covered his face, and he had an expression that showed he was desperately begging for mercy.
He couldn't speak, though, as his mouth was covered in a very thick gag.
But his eyes, wide with fear, said all that needed to be said.
'What the hell?! Who is that guy?' Riley wondered in shock.
He caught sight of Mason fidgeting nervously out the corner of his eye, which meant that he might recognize the unfortunate man.
'Could it be…?!' Riley's eyes widened under the mask as the two men dragged the pitiful man into the room.
"We managed to track down and capture the man who falsely claimed to be our Affiliate," Elom explained with a cold smile. "A lowlife like this, using our name to scam one of your esteemed subordinates… that strikes me as unjust."
Riley found himself nodding, though his mind was still reeling.
"And so, we decided to punish him for his acts. Of course, he regrets his actions and would like to say a few words to you."
Elom gestured to one of the hefty men, who immediately began untying the captive. The gag was removed, and as soon as he was freed, the man collapsed into a desperate prostration before Riley.
"I… I am shawry… Sho shawrry… Sharry for my a-ackshuns. Won't… won't do it again. P-pleashe… hab mershheyy…"
It seemed like the man's teeth had been broken, and his swollen lips got in the way of his words.
'I've seen a lot of things, but this is just brutal…' Riley thought as he watched the man repeatedly bow his head to the floor while begging for forgiveness.
'I feel bad for him. I even got my money back, so there's no need to be this extreme.'
"Hm. You didn't have to go out of your way…" Riley said, turning to Elom.
"Hah! Nonsense! This is the least we could do for your continued business with us," Elom replied, smiling the same way any bootlicker would.
'I've spent enough time around people to know what ass-kissing looks like,' Riley thought, recognizing the manipulative undertone in Elom's actions. It was clear Elom wanted something from him, which explained why he and his group went ahead and did this with extreme measures.
'Do I really strike them as someone who would enjoy this? Goddamn!' Riley was both impressed and disturbed by the lengths they were willing to go. 'At least now I know that this persona works well in this situation,' he concluded, realizing that his carefully crafted image had achieved its intended effect.
His black skull mask was crudely made, so he was thinking of getting something new, but it served its purpose well in cultivating his fearsome persona, and with this entire thing, he knew he had to keep it somewhere… just in case,
"Well, it's fine. It seems he has learned his lesson, so he's free to go. We have more important things to consider anyway," Riley said, dismissing the battered man.
Elom seemed very satisfied with this decision, so he turned to the hefty guard and nodded.
"T-THANK YOUU! Thank you so muuussshhh!" The pitiful man exclaimed as he was dragged off with his broken teeth exposed and his bulging eyes nearly popping out of his sockets.
'Now I feel like a Criminal Overlord or something. How did things end up this way…?' Riley thought, almost sighing in exasperation.
Still, he quickly composed himself, ready to steer the conversation in his favor. "Alright. What do you want?" he asked, cutting straight to the point. He knew it was better if he took the initiative and had the lead in this conversation.
"Oho! It seems you figured it out, Sir," Elom replied, clearly pleased.
"You wouldn't have done something as unnecessary as that without an intention. So, I ask you again… what do you want?" Riley asked calmly, though he couldn't help but feel it was slightly insensitive, if not downright rude, to refer to the brutal beating of that man as "unnecessary" in such a light manner.
But he already knew how the game had to be played.
He wasn't about to slack off.
"Indeed. The thing is… Sir… we are in need of those Monster Cores you provide." Elom began with an honest position. He had a gentle smile, one so genuine you wouldn't believe he ordered that a man should be beaten so badly. He leaned closer to Riley and had that look of excitement still radiating all over his face.
"I see. How many exactly?" Riley answered in a calm and unchanging tone, maintaining his calm exterior while his mind raced with thoughts.
'Yes, perfect! The worst-case scenario has been avoided!' he celebrated internally. He had to hide his excitement very well, and he felt like his skull mask he wore helped hide any telltale signs of his excitement.
'I just hope they need as much as I have. It would be suspicious if I try to sell them more than what they are asking for,' he mused. The laws of demand and supply were unforgiving, and he knew he had to tread carefully or that would ruin the value of his goods.
But desperation had a way of bending even the strictest rules. 'But right now I'm desperate. I don't mind selling it at a slightly lower price if—'
"As much as you have!" Elom's sudden, loud declaration snapped Riley out of his intense thoughts.
"Hm…?" Riley responded, momentarily caught off guard. It was so surprising that he was taken aback by the Broker's words.
As if Riley didn't hear it the first time, Elom repeated his words with far more fervor.
"We are willing to buy everything you have!"