Chapter 54: Bargaining Power [Pt 2]

Rey took in a deep breath.

He had actually never been in a proper sale before, but that didn't stop him from trying his best here.

There were a bunch of things he hadn't done before, and he managed to scale through them on the first try.

'Fighting monsters is a good example...'

Right now, he was treading on a fine line.

'I have to be careful.'

"The Grade is considerably high, and since this is a wholesale, you should know that I have over a thousand pieces." Rey finally spoke.

His voice was clear, and his tone was confident.

"I am well aware, but—"

"I am also well aware... of your procedures. However, I have mine. And that entails speaking to a higher-up when it comes to business of this scale."

Rey could already see anxiety creep in on the face of the man in glasses.

He just had to keep pushing.

"We're talking goods worth hundreds, if not thousands of Platinum Coins. Do you really think you are sufficient to handle such a trade? Will you take full responsibility?"

"S-sir, I'm just doing my job..." The man protested weakly.

'I know, man. I know.'

In all honesty, Rey felt a little bad for what he was doing. But so what?

He was sure that they would do the same to him if he showed even the slightest hint of weakness.

These people were the monsters of the business world.

He had to destroy them before they did the same to him. Else, he would be devoured before realizing it.

"I'm only stating facts. I can't compel you to bypass these procedures for me. You are well within your rights to refuse..."

Rey could see the hesitance in the man's face.

'Of course, he won't! He can't afford to drive me away and allow me to fall in the hands of a competitor.'

Rey drew a little closer to the man and whispered words that only the two of them could possibly hear.

"Thousands of Platinum Coins... can you handle such a loss? You'll take responsibility for all this, right?"

With a wide smile on his face, Rey observed the trembling form of the man.

'Gotcha!'

A company of this magnitude had to have arrangements for customers who were exceptions.

Outliers would not be subjected to the standard procedure that everyone went through.

Rey recognized this and desperately desired to be among the exceptions.

That was because they had the bargaining power.

"I-I understand..."

"Good."

Rey retreated his face and returned to his earlier position and waited for the decision of the man behind the counter.

"Please give me a moment."

The man scribbled a few more things on the piece of paper and finally raised it from the desk.

"I shall call someone to properly attend to you while informing them of the information you have given."

"Good."

Rey would be lying if he said his heart wasn't racing.

'I'm not going to get in trouble, right?'

He had heard a lot of unsavory things about Black Markets—including how tons of death happened there.

Without the reach of mainstream laws, he and Noah ran at a risk, especially if he crossed someone with authority in this underworld.

'I've never fatally harmed a human, talkless of killing them.'

Rey wasn't sure he could.

Still... he maintained his stoic face.

'I had to do this. I had to go this far.'

The man behind the counter tore the paper he was writing in, and it soon dissipated in the air.

'An Enchanted Item, huh?'

The information written within was most likely going to be relayed to whoever was going to attend to Rey.

"Please go upstairs. You may enter the first room to your right. Someone will come and attend to you."

Once Rey heard this, he smiled.

"Good."

He and Noah proceeded to do as they were told, leaving the dazed man heaving in relief.

'And that's how you do business!'

******

The room where Rey and Noah were directed to was finely furnished.

It was painted white, with tons of colorful murals decorating the walls.

A small chandelier hung from the ceiling, and comfortable sofas were waiting for them.

The sofas were placed in a 'U' fashion, and a very sturdy desk stood in between two pointed sides of the 'U'

"You'll have to stand." Rey told Noah, plopping to the chair.

"E-ehhh?"

They had both been standing and walking for a while, so Noah was very tired.

Rey must have known that.

"That's your punishment for stealing my Cores and getting scammed while trying to sell it."

All things considered, Rey was being extremely lenient with his punishment.

If Noah had any common sense, he would just swallow any complaints he had and take it in stride.

That was precisely what he did.

"This place looks nice. It's designed to make the customers comfortable, but also to intimidate them."

The designs that filled the room told of this establishment's incredible wealth.

Anyone who wasn't worth their salt would feel very uncomfortable and intimidated if they stayed here for too long.

'This won't work on me, though...'

Rey thought about his stash of Monster Cores in the Hobgoblin hideout, and a smile instantly coursed through his face.

With so much potential money in his grasp, there was no way he would allow these people to frighten him.

'Hehehe... hehe...'

Not very long after they arrived in the room and made themselves comfortable, the door slowly opened and a man appeared from behind it.

He had very smooth brown hair, and he donned a formal outfit, with his waistcoat complementing the formality he represented.

He was outfitted with a few Enchanted Items, and everything he wore had to cost Platinum Coins.

Frankly speaking, Rey could tell why the man at the counter was skeptical of his entire arrangement despite Rey being outfitted in clothes that cost Platinum Coins.

There were levels to these things, and right now, Rey was at the bottom of the food chain.

'Well... not for long!'

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