"Damn, that was tiring," I moaned while stretching my arms up.
"You really are something else," the boss chuckled, resting herself against the backrest of her chair.
My bet paid off.
Just the fact that this woman was willing to be my guarantor while submitting the quota told me everything that I wanted to know.
There was no love between the sect and the other powers at play in the city!
'Sure, this isn't their main base, but I'm not going against the entire sect either,' I thought. I then took a deep breath and lowered my eyes right on the woman's face.
"Well, everything depends on the question of whether I can make it," I replied, moving my attention towards the smaller details of the deal we just made. "That's why, I hope you could push this meeting a little," I added.
"You don't need to worry about it," the boss chuckled. She then brought her hand up and swung her blonde hair behind her shoulders. "How does tomorrow, right before we go to the logistic center?" she suggested.
'Isn't this too good to be true?' I asked myself, reluctant to believe that this woman would willingly commit herself like that.
The meeting that we discussed was obviously my meeting with a formation master. But over the course of our negotiations, it turned into a shared meeting with one of the best formation masters currently in the city...
But also an old-time researcher of dual cultivation.
In other words, I took the bet of allowing the auction hall into the deal that I would soon spread throughout the brothels of this city. And by doing so, I exponentially increased the scope of the project.
But the entire plan relied on me being able to actually finish the product. I would only know it once my meeting with the experts concluded, as I still had several questions and problems that I couldn't solve independently.
Yet, from how the boss proposed dealing with the schedule, she would appear to assist me with the quota fulfillment either way!
"It sounds great," I said, standing up and bowing my head to the woman.
There was no shame in bowing my head. After she guided our negotiations in every way she desired, I had nothing but respect for her.
I finally met someone who was truly skilled at their craft in this world, more skilled than I could be by applying earth-born sense to it.
'Now that I think about it, leaving the business to a proper corporate officer was the way to go from the very beginning,' I thought.
For how groundbreaking my inventions back at the Skylader's sect were, they only provided me with a big one-off and some pennies over time.
Even if I were to ask for more in my current deal, there was a limit to how many yin stealing dildos and yang stealing sleeves I could produce on my own.
From the lack of materials to craft many of those, through the lack of manpower and later the time to add the finishing touches...
Doing everything on my own would greatly limit my scope.
I could earn an incomparable amount by relegating the entire thing to a third party and only assisting with the project itself and its organization.
Sure, I would give away most of the profits to other parties... But it was better to have a small piece of an enormous cake than to have a small cake all to oneself!
"Right, before you go," the boss said, following my movements and standing up from her chair as well. "You can expect several executives from other branches during that meeting as well," she said, gracing me with a slightly uneasy smile.
'Why is it sort-off alluring?' I asked myself, barely able to resist the gap-moe created by a troubled expression on a usually smug and confident face.
"Since we didn't discuss this," I muttered, buying myself a few seconds to think over the implications of what she said. "I assume my cut will remain the same if you expand the business to other branches," I stated my demands as if they were obvious.
In the end, I was the one indispensable element of the plan. Outside of mentioning a few possibilities and markets that I wanted to exploit, the boss of the auction hall knew nothing about my project.
It could be used in brothels and was connected to dual cultivation. But the details, I all kept to myself.
"You sure are confident in this idea of yours," the woman relaxed her face and rested her hands against the edge of her desk. "I wonder what gives you so much confidence in this project," she added with an innocent smile.
"Awareness of the nature of human beings," I replied calmly, shrugging my arms. "Give them a finger of opportunity, and they will demand an arm. Our greed is simply insatiable," I explained before bowing again and leaving the room.
'This day turned out far more interesting than I expected,' I thought, walking out of the building.
For now, all my matters were settled. All that was left for me was to return to the Inn, make use of the rest of the daylight by reading the books and go to sleep.
It would be tomorrow that would largely decide my future.
Yet, from the second I stepped into the Inn, I knew that a lot more of my time would end up wasted. Because just like nearly two weeks ago, I spotted Lucius with his head hanging low above his cup.
My attempts at passing by him towards the staircase failed through. Just as I was about to sneak past him, he had to raise his head and call me out.
"What happened," I asked, seeing that my attempted escape no longer had any meaning, "this time," I added to hint at how I felt about the situation.
"I got swindled again," Lucius muttered, sinking his eyes in the surface of the liquid he was getting drunk on.
"Huh?" I shrugged in surprise. "How in the fucks' sake," I asked, bewildered.
Was this a part of Madam's scheme? How did it connect to the way she treated me back at her place?
In an instant, a flurry of thoughts, ideas, and possibilities moved through my head.
Then, I listened to Lucius' explanations. Yet, instead of relaxing as I understood the situation bit by bit, my face continued to darken.
"So, long story short," I muttered, barely holding my anger back. "You gambled your money, you lost, and now you are blaming the brothel for setting up the bets?" I asked, summarizing Lucius' story.
I then took a step back and shook my head while looking at the man with disdain.
"I'm sorry, brother, but I'm not going to support your gambling addiction," I said, turning around and leaving right away.
My time was too important to be wasted on this hopeless addict. Rather than cheering him up or once again making new enemies for his sake, I would rather use my time to realize my own objectives.
"Is that how you are going to play?!" Lucius screamed out after me. From his voice, I could tell that the drinks he had were affecting him.
I ignored him and entered the staircase. I was on edge, expecting Lucius to chase after me all the way to the point when I finally locked the doors behind me.
'He is hopeless,' I thought when a sudden thing struck me.
"The words he said...." I muttered to myself, my eyes widening up a little. "Aren't they exactly the same as what I said to the sect's clerk back at the logistic center?"
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