The next day - after a good night sleep and a tasty breakfast at the restaurant at Horr's hotel - in the afternoon, Vox and Charlie helped Wilson and Jim shop for clothes, shoes and accessories like smartwatch, phones (Wilson had hidden the phone Old Rogers gave him. He took it as a special phone that was supposed to kept away from all eyes.) and helped them move from the bar to settle down in a well furnished, private apartment owned and rented out to them personally by Horr, owner of Horr's Hotel and Residences.
"I have paid the rent for the first three months and there is enough food and supplies to last you both two months. Originally, it should have been just Jim, in which case, it would last him about half a year, but I'm glad I stocked in excess.
"Anyway, you guys should get yourselves a job or something cos this is as far as I am willing to go for you guys, even you Jim. The rent and feeding arrangements after three months is left to you both. If you have any questions or require advice, I'm always either at the bar or at the hotel. I will leave you both to it. It is nice knowing you, Wilson and it is good to see you again, Jim." Vox said and hugged Jim before running back to the Bar.
The residence was a two bedroom apartment a thirty minute sprint away from Barnes Bar, but that is only if one used the conventional road on foot. By making use of vehicles or passing unconventional shortcuts on foot, one could get there in ten to fifteen minutes.
In the evening, before dinner, Wilson walked beside Charlie as they toured the street, Charlie doing the introductions and descriptions, while Jim stayed behind with the claims that he wanted to cook a delicious meal to celebrate their escape and successful travel through the wild, snowy plains to their destination.
Vox, in the meantime, had hurried back to the bar to meet up with a fat man with glasses dressed in a white and black suit; the standard uniform for government officials. A 'T' emblem could be seen at the upper left breast area of the suit jacket signified that the fat man worked in the finances department.
"Sorry, I am so late!" Vox said as he sat at the same table as the fat man on the chair on the other side. He gasped and gulped for breath. He just was not used to running at full speed for that long.
"Why did you give me a time to come here when you would not be available then? I am risking my job for you, you know? Others have to book an appointment with the department and go to one of its branches, but I am here instead."
"I'm so sorry. Won't happen again!" Vox apologized as he caught his breath.
"Let's just get this done and over with." The fat official from the finance department said as he picked up his tablet and logged into the finance web server. He continued to ask: "Under what alias do you want your crypto account opened?"
"Vox."
"Your name?"
"Yes."
"What kinda account? Gold? Platinum?" The fat man asked.
There were five stages to the crypto account security; Regular, Standard, Silver, Gold and Platinum. The regular was the lowest and the Platinum was the highest level of security and likewise was the most expensive to acquire and maintain.
"No. Regular!" Vox answered.
As for the Regular account, it could be opened for free, its tax was the lowest and its security, almost non-existent. Even the most novice of hackers could access such accounts and do away with the money. It was a scheme by the government to get people to use at least the standard level where they could earn more from the account owners.
"Regular?" The official was stunned.
"Yes." Vox answered.
"Are you sure?" He asked to confirm that something was not wrong with his hearing.
"Yes, I am sure."
The fat government official took in a deep breath.
"You f*cking idiot!" The fat man yelled in anger. His body seemingly bloated as he ranted aggressively.
"If you were just going to open it with your actual name and a regular account at that, then why the f*ck did you want to meet me in secret! You f*cking bastard! Do you want to get me fired?"
"Just open the account for me so I can deposit alright?" Vox said dismissively. He waved his hands and promptly swaggered out of the bar.
The fat government official looked like he was going to burst open. An image of his supervisor scolding and threatening him with a query appeared in his mind. He pulled his hair and screamed in terror.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHH. VOX, I WILL KILL YOU!"
*************
Later that night, after Vox, Jim, Wilson and Charlie had dinner, Jim stood heroically as he told the story of how he and Wilson met and how much trouble they passed through before and after they saw the broken tar road. Although, Jim obviously made himself out to be more heroic than he actually was.
They laughed and talked and Charlie even sang a sweet ancient song by family and friendship.
"So, Jim. What do you intend to do for a living?" Charlie asked, facing Jim.
"Haha!" Jim laughed and answered with s confident look. Even strutting in order to give a stronger impression. "Is it not obvious? I don't know!"
The group of four men burst into laughter.
"Charlie, it is a waste to ask Jim. It will probably take him another two to three months to figure such issues out." Vox said with a wave of his hand.
"Oh? Okay!" Charlie said and turned to his right where Wilson sat smiling.
"What about you Wilson? Vox is a unique businessman, I am part of a mercenary group that provides combat related services for a good pay...."
"What does that mean?" Wilson cut in with a question as he faced Vox and Jim for a simple explanation.
"It means he does any fighting job that earns him a good pay like; beast hunting, protection, bounty hunting, and sometimes even military battles. They will do it as long as the amount of money they get is well worth the services rendered. Do you now understand?" Vox explained.
"Mostly!" Was Wilson's answer to Vox.
"Anyway," Charlie cut in. "We also know Jim will need some time to think things through but, what about you? What job do you want to do? Do you also need to think things through as well?"
Wilson hesitated a little. He could not think of anything at the moment. Maybe because he was really tired and just wanted to rest but, Jim did not even wait. He spoke on Wilson's behalf.
"Wrestle. Wilson's dream is to become a wrestler. Professionally!"
Vox and Charlie looked at each other.
"Well, that's not so bad. I mean wrestlers earn a lot of money...." Charlie began. Vox continued:
"But, wrestlers are not seen as a big deal by the Tiger City government. Unlike every other city in this kingdom, Tiger City does not even care to have an official wrestling platform. If you want to earn as a wrestler, you have to fight in one of those underground fight platforms. The problem with these places are that anything goes. There are no rules. You win any way you can and earn a commission from the bets and amount of audience you attract."
Charlie took over from Vox and said:
"I hear that some very good wrestlers gain sponsorships from representatives from other cities, though, to get a chance to enter the professional stage. So, you don't have to give up."
"If you don't mind, we can take a look at the one a friend of Mr Horr runs." Vox said.
Wilson thought about it for a little while before nodding in acceptance.
"I have to warn you, though. The chances of you dying or being sabotaged in a fight is insanely high." Charlie warned.
"Okay!" Wilson said.
Then Jim and Vox got into a small argument about who currently had better looks.
"Wilson!" Charlie suddenly called.
"Hmm?" Wilson hummed in response.
"What's your story?" Charlie asked and Jim and Vox quickly hushed.
"What do you mean?" Wilson asked back.
"I mean, where did you come from? What did you do for a living before coming here? Who taught you to fight? Why did you even leave wherever you came from anyway?"
Wilson looked at Charlie, then at Vox and Jim, who were sitter together and looking intently at him.
"I'm tired. I need to sleep. We will visit the underground fight place tomorrow, Vox, if you are not busy." Wilson said and walked into his room, shutting the door behind him.
"So, his background story is a sensitive piece of information?" Charlie asked rhetorically.
"But that just makes me even more curious." Jim grumbled.
"Ahh, f*ck!" Vox cursed, his hand itching. "Now, I really want to know what happened to him."
Both Jim and Charlie yelled at him: "Tame yourself, you crazy death-seeking machine!"