Filed to story: A Bullied Boy Died: A Mafia King Woke Up In His Body
“You can try, if you want. I’m sure it’ll do wonders for your reputation,” Kyle replied apathetically, not the least afraid.
The sheer confidence exuded by Kyle frightened Wrent, causing him to be markedly more cautious.
This man isn’t the same as Ulon. The slow method may not work for him. I’ll have to fleece him as much as I can. There’s no way the debt Ulon racked up is gone within less than two weeks. I know they still owe a million to the Crimson Swords.
Wrent ran his hands over the arm of the guest chair before removing his sword belt and sitting down. “Perhaps your death does not affect my reputation as much as you think. No one knows you’re the new leader yet.”
“Enough posturing. We’re both businessmen here. Let’s get to the point. How many?” Kyle began.
He has an intelligent head on his shoulder, and he immediately knew from the start that I didn’t care about the prisoners. A dumber gang leader would have refused based on pride. If we weren’t enemies, I would have recruited him right away. Wrent was never worried about the prisoners. Kyle could kill them for all he cared, as long as he got “compensation.” The Red Lions were a business, not a group based on friendship.
Wrent still had interest in how Kyle was getting so many potions. He had heard the reports of the brothel giving potions to their loyal customers, which prompted him to send a dozen members in the first place. Of course, he planned to use his weight to pressure Kyle into giving him more potions than was reasonable. The Red Lions could then easily sell them off in a heartbeat or use it in their own training.
Wrent tried to pry deeper. “You’re not getting these potions from Haui, are you?”
“That’s a trade secret. How many?”
Wrent remained silent for a moment, calculating in his head.
A ridiculous amount should suffice. If he rejects, it’ll tank his reputation, and I’ll increase the rate of harassment whether or not he releases the prisoners. If he accepts, the gang will be financially ruined, and it’ll be an easy win.
“Five hundred Stamina Potions,” Wrent declared. Based on Haui’s pricing scheme, it was close to three hundred thousand rakels’ worth of potions. With Seven Snakes in debt, it was nearly impossible for them to even have that much in stock.
“Done. You’ll have your full stock in ten days. Let me draft a contract.” Kyle retrieved a placeholder contract, filling in the details before handing it over to Wrent for inspection.
He caved that easily? The potions are worth three hundred thousand! Is he stealing them from an alchemist I’ve never heard of?
Wrent was still stunned when he read the contract. He checked over the clauses carefully, noting that everything was in order. “A non-aggression pact over the course of the contract…” This meant the Red Lions could not attack the Seven Snakes as long as they adhered to the contract terms.
Are my members really that valuable to him? What is he using them for?
As much as they were criminal gangs profiteering from illegal goods, contracts and agreements between gangs had to be adhered to-it was an issue of honor and reputation. Any gang that thoughtlessly broke a truce or ceasefire would immediately lose the trust of both the people and other gangs, throwing them into isolation. Even merchants wouldn’t dare trade with them unless coerced by force. Going against a contract signed willingly was a surefire way to have enemies gang up against the one who broke the contract.
Three hundred thousand rakels’ worth of potions was an eye-watering sum to Wrent, and he was basically getting it for free. “I accept.” Wrent readily signed the agreement.
The non-aggression pact is but a façade. The real war is fought on the open market with our businesses. If he’s as smart as I think he is, I’ll need to expedite my plan.
“Good. Each day at dusk, send five people to collect fifty potions at this meeting point. Pleasure doing business with you.” Kyle led Wrent out.
When Wrent left, he let out a hearty laugh, attracting onlookers who were curious about the resolution. “Seems like you got a good head on your shoulders, Seven Snakes. Smart of you to appease us so readily. Let’s move out!” He ordered his men to march back to their district.
A showman through and through.
Kyle returned to the common room, noticing a worried Damian on the side. “Sir, what was the agreement? Did we go into more debt?”
“A ten-day truce, along with fifty potions delivered a day.”
Damian was equally shocked, but not for the same reasons as Wrent was. “What? That’s it? We churn out two hundred a day, even while training!”
“It’s their loss. This gives us time to prepare, though we must shore up our finances. We’ll begin combat training immediately-we’re on a timer now. For the potions, make sure the first three deliveries are not Euria-infused. We will only infuse them randomly from the fourth day onward. Don’t want their alchemist to spot too much.”
*****
Kyle acted as an instructor for the rest of the morning, teaching the associates fighting skills. He used the prisoners as dummies, sending the associates in one by one to beat them up while continuously healing them. The rest were divided into sparring pairs. Kyle focused on sparring with Damian, drilling fighting basics into him.
Title Obtained: Healer (Basic)
This doesn’t seem like the right way to use healing…
+5 INT, +10% healing effectiveness.
Title Obtained: Martial Arts Instructor (Basic)