NOVEL WEB Chapter 10: Broke
50 gold coins up front and 500 gold coins per semester?
"That's, like…" He counted with his fingers. "Five hundred times two…a thousand…times four…"
4,000 gold coins for the five years he was going to stay. Hell. No. His current salary was roughly 10,000 silver coins or, if he exchanged that amount, approximately 100 gold coins.
He would have to somehow get five times his current salary by the end of the month. At the very least, by the end of the day, he was going to need half his salary's worth to pay the upfront fee.
'Which I don't have since it's still August! Half the year has gone by and naturally I've been spending! I don't have that amount! Shit!'
Okay, okay. Deep breaths. Calm down. Leo was from the Dark Sector. He was trained by birth to adapt to his surroundings. This was no different.
'Okay, panic is gone. Now, I gotta focus. I can't let myself get boggled down by if it's possible—I have to think of what I can do to make it possible. For Phoebe, it's the only way I'm allowed to think. How? How? How can I get the money in time?'
The smell of sizzling garlic and chili oil was new to Leo. Plates clattered softly. Men and women spoke in Chinese or Mandarin or whatever language it was called. It was all quite foreign to him. Leo spoke the universal language, English, although at home with Phoebe he spoke Greek and Roman. He could speak bits of French and Spanish, although not enough to be fluent, only conversational.
Leo walked to a table tucked near the back corner and sat down. He stared at the steaming plate of dumplings already there for him. His hood was back on and his voice was distorted. This was no longer Leo. It was Sir Anemoi.
Across from him, Robert sat hunched over a bowl of stir-fried noodles, and next to him was the merchant, a middle-aged Chinese man named Hao-Yu Wu, who had invited them here.
Leo reached for his chopsticks, fumbling slightly as he tried to mimic the way Hao-Yu held his. He failed miserably, managing to pinch one dumpling only to have it plop back onto the plate with a wet thud.
Shen smiled weakly. "First time having Chinese food, sir?"
"Yeah. Never had the chance before."
"I as well," Robert added, twirling his noodles with surprising chopsticks skills. "The Baishi Mall…full of the Chinese Imperials, just as I heard. Why are we here, merchant?"
The formerly kidnapped Chinese merchant, Hao-Yu, smiled faintly. "That's changed. The war forced a lot of walls to come down. People aside from the Chinese are allowed to come in."
Leo finally managed to grab a dumpling and brought it to his mouth. The flavors exploded on his tongue—savory pork, ginger, and scallions balanced by the slight tang of soy sauce. His brows lifted in surprise.
'This is amazing,' he thought, but all he said aloud was, "Not bad."
Robert cleared his throat once they were all done eating. "Sir Anemoi, I have been thinking about what's next. Now that we are all here and the merchant has talked to his contacts, there is opportunity to expand. Business always thrives in peace, after all."
Leo set his chopsticks down. "Do tell."
Robert glanced at Hao-Yu, who nodded. Robert took the cue to speak again. "The way I see it, we have got a solid foundation to build on. Hao-Yu does his work here in the Baishi Mall. He sets up a stall and sells rare textiles for people as well as—and this is the important part—for stores to then weave into clothes. I believe, and Hao-Yu believes it too, that with the right words, we could start moving high-demand goods between sectors. We can be more than just sellers, we can own our own store here. We can establish a multi-purpose business."
"So a store as a profitable front and trading between sectors as another," Leo stated.
Robert smiled. "Yes. Legal or… otherwise."
An ordinary textile merchant that went in and out of the Dark Sector and a gentleman who hailed from the region of garbage. Not exactly the most comforting company to start diving into the black market.
'At the same time, that's what makes them so good. They're quiet. They're obedient.'
"That's where I come in," Robert continued. "I'll handle logistics, negotiations, and making sure everything moves smoothly. But smuggling and trade come with risks. That's where you come in, Sir Anemoi."
Leo tilted his head. "Go on."
"I have great respect for you, sir, and I have greater respect for your strength," Robert said bluntly. "You are strong. Stronger than anyone else I have ever met. If something goes south, you're the only one who can handle it. So I propose a deal, from one gentleman to another."
Robert reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment. The paper was an eerie grey, and blood-red text glowed faintly across its surface. He slid it across the table to Leo.
"A Blood Pact," Robert said, tapping the parchment. "In exchange for half our revenue, you provide protection, security, and deal with any fighting that comes our way. It's binding—no nonsense, no cheating. All three of us benefit and act orderly as stipulated in our agreed upon terms."
Leo stared at the parchment for a moment, his mismatched eyes unreadable.
"You agree with this, merchant?"
"Y-yes, sir," said Hao-Yu. "We have filled the details. All you need to do is sign."
"Rest assured," Robert chimed, "on my pride, there is no hidden stipulation. Feel free to read it."
Leo did and he was right. There were no irregular terms, no cheap or vague remarks that could lead to confusion. Leo was a bit impressed. "You did this in one afternoon? Not bad."
"Thank you. I learned to read and write from a poet."
"There's only one issue…"
"Is there? I will rectify any mistake immediately!"
"I'll take sixty percent," he said finally.
Hao-Yu and Robert exchanged glances.
Leo leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he met their gazes. "Think about it," he said. "If we get caught smuggling—or if anyone finds out about you two working with me—what happens?"
Neither of them answered.
"You both go down. The Baishi Mall will turn on you, and the Chinese Imperial Sovereign Sect doesn't exactly forgive and forget." He paused, letting that sink in. "But me? I'm strong enough to get out. I'll survive. You two won't."
Robert chewed on his lower lip. Hao-Yu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes narrowing slightly as he weighed Leo's words.
"You need me more than I need you," Leo said simply. "Sixty percent is fair."
The silence stretched between them, broken only by the faint clatter of dishes from a nearby table.
"Frankly," Robert began, "I agree. Originally, I planned for seventy percent, however…" He jabbed a thumb at the merchant. "He convinced me otherwise."
"T-that's not what…!"
"I will take sixty percent. Seventy percent would not be comfortable for either of you," Leo said. "I am not here to extort. I am here to work. So, is it a deal?"
"It's…" Hao-Yu inhaled and glanced at the parchment. "It's a deal."
With a quill, Hao-Yu rewrote the fifty percent to a sixty percent. Afterward, Robert pulled a small knife from his pocket. He pricked his thumb, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the parchment. Hao-Yu did the same, their blood mingling with the red text, which pulsed faintly as it absorbed the drops.
"Here, sir."
Leo took the knife without hesitation, cutting his thumb and pressing it to the parchment. The blood disappeared instantly, the text flaring bright red before fading into black.
The pact was sealed.