Going back to the present.
The sun moved, and afternoon came.
As Ryu and his family planned to have a dinner feast for the king boar meat Sara brought back from hunting, Graham went to fetch Hazel from her workplace. Meanwhile, Ryu and Sara decided to have a quick visit to the Pseudo Trading Guild, investing their savings.
Clink.
Ryu and Sara talked to the store clerk and entered the guild master's office. The room was large enough for an assembly to fit inside and get comfortable together.
At the end of the room was a person sitting on a chair while working on his table. It was the guild master.
"Sir Tatsuo, I brought the people as ordered."
"Uh, um, hello."
Sara greeted first.
Tatsuo, the trading guild master, looked at the kids and paused. He discreetly glanced from top to bottom like an actual merchant calculating their worth.
Truthfully, Ryu was a little nervous. He remembered when they got shrugged by that rude clerk in the past. Luckily, it seems that the guild master was a different yet reasonable person.
"An adventurer kid and a kid."
Tatsuo nonchalantly said with a stern look, showing them his perfect business smile.
"My name is Tatsuo. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Sir, I'm Ryu Xanastre, and this is my auntie, Sara Astalle."
"So the kid is the spokesperson—by chance, are you related to the city guard commander?"
"He's my father."
"Oh, oh, I see. Then this conversation will be easier since I'm an acquaintance."
"Thank you, Sir Tatsuo, but I want you to keep this meeting a secret."
"...Alright. Ehem! So how may I help the son of Graham?"
As someone with a lot of business experience, this was a chance to strike a deal. Ryu also knew that one mistake could end everything. They needed to impress the other party and allow them to open business opportunities.
Ryu tried to make his following words as simple as possible without further ado.
"We've 500 gold coins and want to start a business."
The store clerk, standing in a corner, dropped his jaw. His face painted words that said, "Five...five hundred?! Impossible!"
'Yes, who would believe two kids had that absurd amount of money?'
A regular employee wouldn't even earn this much in their lifetime. An amount enough for people wanting to rob in broad daylight.
'Did their money come from Graham...? No, even if they stole all the money in this town, it wouldn't be close.'
Tatsuo remained calm, closing his eyes. He sighed...
'Was he disappointed? Is this money not enough? Did I miscalculate something? Would my plans get delayed if this business deal fails?'
Ryu wondered.
After some silence, Tatsuo opened his eyes. To Ryu's surprise, they were flashing—the same eyes when his auntie looked at a precious coin.
"Brent, why are you making our guest stand?! They are our precious business partners."
A quick reverse of personality while Tatsuo excitedly gave another sweet smile.
'It's a success!'
Ryu saw how he was willing to listen when he allowed kids like them to talk. He even offered for them to take a seat.
In addition, Brent was asked to leave for their privacy.
"Pardon me. Again, my name is Tatsuo. I am the trading guild master of this branch."
Tatsuo explained in a gentle voice, then continued.
"What business do you have in mind? I know I shouldn't trust the words of a kid, but I have my instinct telling me to give you a chance."
Ryu cleared his throat with a cough. He looked at Tatsuo eye to eye and showed a composture that he learned from his previous life.
When Ryu saw his serious expression, he knew he had caught Tatsuo's attention.
"Sir Tatsuo, we want to buy a fake noble title and many properties to build an intelligence group."
"Fake noble title and intelligence... group?"
"Yes, a noble title so we can freely operate. It's a business where people can pay a tremendous amount to get information."
Ryu had many business ideas that could shake this world with his previous life knowledge. But, he knew that things would fail if he didn't have the power to back them up. All of his ideas could be stolen forcefully if some significant powerhouse wanted.
So Ryu decided to build an unbreakable wall first so their future would not crumble.
"An Intelligence Guild."
A group to train information gatherers. Not just regular ones that already existed, but the best of the best. They would be tasked to gather the information that was not open to the common public, selling for a price.
This would earn them money and also provides unlimited benefits.
A power that any kingdom wouldn't want to mess with.
Tatsuo, who was listening to Ryu talk, was mesmerized as he repeated.
"Information."
Yes, people might not realize how vital information is in life.
For example, one could never win a war without accurate information. A good strategy comes with how much one knows about the enemy, landscape, and tactics. It could even prevent war or conquer a nation without shedding one drop of blood.
Businesses require information such as location, demand, finance, and competitors. A company was deemed to fail with poor planning—a common occurrence for inexperienced entrepreneurs.
If one ever wanted to ruin someone, all they needed to know was their weakness.
With information, a person could make anyone submit. Either use it to blackmail or simply release it in public.
These were just a few of the benefits of having an intelligence group.
Of course, Ryu didn't go all the way in explaining these to Tatsuo. Knowing too much could backfire in the future.
The intelligence guild would be concealed as a normal one that provides services. But Ryu planned to make this the best group in this world, whose sole purpose was to serve him.
With this, the world would always be in his grasp, and no one could dare harm his loved ones in the future.
"We also need loyal subordinates. People who wouldn't betray us even if they were to be bribed or threatened."
Ryu added.
Tatsuo held his chin as he thought, hesitating to suggest his thoughts to the kids. Though, Ryu already knew what he would offer.
"Then... How about you get some slaves? Enslaved people are marked with sealing magic that gives the ability to be commanded."
"S-slaves?"
Sara exclaimed in surprise. She was someone fierce enough to kill a bear, yet she was still innocent.
Ryu could understand her reaction. Enslaved people in this world were not treated with care. Their life differ on what owner they would have.
A maid would still be treated as a human and protected by the law, while an owner could slaughter an enslaved person, and nobody could care.
"We would also prefer that."
Ryu suggested that the trading guild mediates between the slave trader and them to prevent being scammed.
"Please introduce us to the slave trader—"
"R-Ryu?"
Sara panicked, trying to understand his reasoning.
Ryu purposely did not tell her about the enslaved people, so the member of the trading guild would see her reaction. To cheat them, lowering their guard against them.
'Let them think that we were just a bunch of naive kids with a lot of money.'
"Don't worry, auntie."
Ryu reassured her with a smile and continued.
"Aside from slaves, we also need at least four properties in this city and one property for other cities and towns in this kingdom, especially the north."
Tatsuo, who was processing his requests, unintentionally sweated.
"O... Okay, I understand. You will need 100 gold coins for the noble title, we will take 50 gold coins for the transaction fee, but your money might not be enough to buy all properties."
"Mhm... Just buy what you can for now. We'll bring you more money in the future."
"Alright."
"Thank you, Sir."
"And don't worry, Ryu, I will personally handle your request."
"That's reassuring, Sir Tatsuo."
The Pseudo Trading Guild has an excellent reputation for strict processes, so customers wouldn't worry about getting conned.
Even if they cheated, all Ryu had to do was burn their whole building.
After a while, Ryu and Sara processed the legal documents and handed them the money. They also received a receipt for additional proof of the transactions.
Tatsuo got a good deal out of them, plus their main branch would reward him for striking a big deal. So he has no reason to decline. He would even treat the kids better in the future. And this established their first business connection.
"Thank you, Sir Tatsuo. When can we hear from you?"
"At least three months to buy properties in this city, and six months for other cities... About the slaves... it can be done next week."
Buying properties was not a loss since land value always increases over time. Their money would not be dormant. The slaves had maintenance such as food, clothes, and lodging, but they could be trained to do work and earn money in the future.
It was a good investment. Everything was going according to Ryu's plan.
He stood up and glanced at Sara, preparing to leave.
"Thank you, Sir Tatsuo."
"My pleasure. Please come back whenever you want."
Both parties shook hands, and the kids went their own way.
Sara, who was quiet this whole time, asked.
"By the way, Ryu. What is the name of our group?"
Ryu stopped for a few seconds and looked at her. He almost laughed when he thought of a name.
"Sara Intelligence Group?"
"Eh?!"
Her face flushed, and her mouth trembled, unable to reply. So Ryu stopped teasing her.
"Then, Shadow Intelligence Group?"
"L... Let's choose that!"
The aunt and nephew went back home, giggling.