Filed to story: A Bullied Boy Died: A Mafia King Woke Up In His Body
VIT: 33(+0)(+3)(+0) | CHA:
21(+10)(+1)(+0)
| Free Points: 20
Equipment
Necklace of Healing (Basic)
Skills
None
Titles
Former Crime Lord
Martial Arts Expert
Murderer
Potion Inspector (Basic)
Potion Crafter (Basic)
Healer (Basic)
Martial Arts Instructor (Basic)
Negotiations
“To negotiate, of course.” Kyle said, causing Haui to raise his eyebrows.
“I don’t think one needs seven gang members to perform a rudimentary negotiation.”
“Negotiations require an even playing field.” Kyle nodded his head at the guards.
A smirk appeared on Haui’s face, his expression confident. “I doubt your members are as prepared as my private guards. Are you sure these are the only guards I have prepared?”
“Then you would just have to account for me as well.”
The two stared at each other for a brief moment before Haui finally broke into laughter. “Very good. Come in.”
The two of them entered the store, with the gang members and the guards staring each other down outside.
“I must say, I did not expect you to be the leader of the Seven Snakes gang. I merely thought Damian was paid a few rakels to escort a foreign individual of note around, seeing as how he had to explain everything to you.” Haui sat behind the counter, arranging his robes.
“I did not expect you to have paid for observers around the district.” Kyle paced around the store slowly, looking at some of the potions he had not examined the last time he came.
“The Seven Snakes can’t be the only ones patrolling around, can they? My business depends on who runs the district. But let’s cut the crap.” Haui’s demeanor suddenly changed, his eyes glaring with ferocity. “You’ve been undercutting my potions through the brothel and are now flooding the market with knockoffs via the Red Lions. Even if Wrent is from another district, the fluctuations in market price would directly affect me and upset the established rule of the Alchemists’ Guild.”
Haui stood up and paced around, picking up a chisel and twirling it in his hands. “There were a myriad of ways I could have gone about this. The moment I heard about the brothel providing half-priced stamina potions through a… ‘loyalty’ program, I contemplated an assassination or a kidnapping.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Indeed. I understand that for you to reverse-engineer my potions that fast, you must have an extremely impressive ability to decipher the closely guarded recipes of the Alchemists’ Guild without external help. Maybe even a device that can do it for you,” Haui replied. “And the mass-production scale is on the level of factories, something the Alchemists’ Guild is clamping down hard to maintain the high price margins. As such, you are extremely valuable as long as you are able to evade detection. If I sent anyone to kill you, it would be a loss for me. I don’t believe any organization I hire would be willing to kill you if they found out the true reason behind the contract.” Haui sighed.
“And I can’t kill you myself because you are extremely well protected. I doubt this is the full extent of your security forces as well. I would not want to anger the Alchemists’ Guild either,” Kyle replied. This was why he didn’t just run over and kill Haui-it was far too costly, and he didn’t know the full extent of Haui’s backing.
Haui was surprised before a broad smile appeared on his face. “It appears that we are quite alike, you and me. Neither party can truly eliminate the other. Even if we try to, the consequences would be far too brutal. So here we are.”
“What’s your proposal?”