A bead of sweat rolled down Julius's face when I stated my condition.
"What? But t-that is..." Julius stuttered, losing a bit of his composure.
Perhaps I should have broken it down to him, since I had merely told him my intention.
"Relax Julius, what I really mean is not possession, but rather access." I said in a calm manner.
Julius calmed down a bit, but from his expression I could tell that he still didn't fully understand my intentions.
"I want access to everything your auction has, even the hidden goods that are not available to others. Everything!" I said.
"Just access? That is all?" Julius asked in surprise.
"Whatever else will depend on your response." I said.
Julius became calm upon hearing this and fell silent. My bet was that he would be weighing his choices and trying to reason a way to come out profitable and balance the scales.
"While it isn't all that difficult to do, what you're asking goes against the company's bureaucracy. Premium membership allows the members access to almost all goods, but the Royal membership guarantees access to all. That is what you want." Julius said, looking uncomfortable.
"Exactly." I responded, playing along with him.
"But, you see. That nembership is exclusive only to the Royal family and those with deep ties to them. Even those with enough money to qualify, some of the richest of our customers, cannot obtain it. It's simply exclusive to the Royals." He said.
I understood what he was trying to do. From the minute I made my objectives clear to him, he had already accepted them. What he was doing now was just groundwork. If he had accepted it too hastily it would make him seem too desperate, which would in turn make him lose his bargaining power and standing. Something he could not afford. It was fine though, I'd allow it.
It would all work in my favor anyway.
"However, I am willing to make your case an exception." Julius said.
I knew it. For the price of fifty million ancient coins who wouldn't abandon protocol for such an opportunity? I also understood that he was trying to make it seem like he was doing me a favor by granting me this membership. Such a shrewd man, I liked him.
"That's good. And in the spirit of that, I will tell you the specifics of my immediate desires." I said.
Julius paid rapt attention.
"First, a proper coin card. As you must already know, I do not possess one. Though I could certainly use this relic I have for that purpose, I would like to avoid standing out too much. Can you make that happen?" I asked.
"Of course, usually coin cards are acquired through a certain process so that it can be guaranteed for only affluent people, and it might get difficult or tedious if you're not as famous as others. However, Imperius auction house offers these services. Using the reach of this establishment, I can easily obtain one for you. It depends on the one you would like." Julius said with a smile.
The look on his face told me that he was surprised by the requests I was making for such a huge amount of money. "Don't worry about that Julius, I intend to fully collect."
"I want the best possible one. Also, link the coin card account to your auction house. This means that my money will be under the management and security of this establishment. In essence, you're my bank." I said.
"That can be arranged." He said.
That way, there would be no stress in managing my finances, everything would be handled by Imperius. Also, that made me a huge stakeholder and well respected customer, deepening my connections with the establishment. Good.
"Anything else?" He asked.
"Yes, both my membership card and coin card will be under an alias. You should understand what I mean." I told him.
"I understand. After causing such a stir earlier, you don't want your identity to be connected to this new one, thereby giving you a fresh start in the auction house" He said.
Good, he got it.
"So far, calculate the costs incurred for all the things I have mentioned. How much do they remove from the ancient Clcoins I have?" I said.
"Not even up to a thousand. You still have plenty more to spend" He told me.
"Good, then I'll be requesting for one last thing. The main reason I'm in your auction house. The fairy wings merchandise you intend to auction" I said.
His eyes widened at my statement.
"Surprised? I'm sure you're wondering how I know this. You haven't even publicized it yet. Well, don't bother thinking about it. The important thing is that I want it" I said with a casual smile.
"Ah, well... About that." He said, trying to play coy again.
I wasn't going to play that game with him concerning that particular subject matter.
"Let me make this crystal clear to you. If I do not obtain those wings, all our earlier discussions and bargains are meaningless. I might as well just leave now." I said, rising from my seat.
"Wait, I understand the situation. But it's not as simple as that." He said to me.
I remained standing, staring at him and expecting an explanation before my patience ran out.
"The thing is, our privileged members already know of the fairy wings, and it is going to be the 'Main Item' of next week's auction. Selling it to you now will not only reduce the profits this organization will gain, but also the credibility. As for profits, I am aware you are able to fully compensate us, but there's the master of trust and credibility. The auction business operates on good name and trust." He said.
Well, those were all within my expectations. However, there was always a loophole. That was not for me to figure out, after all. I was not the desperate one. If push came to shove, I could as well just obtain the wings by force. Though that would be distasteful. This way was more fun.
"However, there is a way we can go about it." He finally said.
The words I have been waiting to hear.
"Go on" I said, returning to sit down.
He heaved a sigh of relief. It was clear who had the power in this negotiation.
"I can guarantee the item is yours, but can you still allow it to be up for auction. No matter how high the bid gets, you can always bid more. The money will be taken from your account with us, so there is nothing to fear." He proposed to me.
"Nice Idea. See? You can always find a way if you try." I said with a smile.
He laughed nervously.
"Well then, that about concludes it. How much is the total estimated expenses?" I asked
"Approximately 2,000 gold coins, including the estimated budget for the wings. That still leaves forty nine million, nine hundred and ninety eight thousand coins left." He said to me.
"Okay. I'll sell them to you at the market value price, just as you offered. You can just fix my money into my account with you. That way, I can just withdraw on demand." I said.
Julius looked so surprised and happy. The deal appeared to be in his favor since he could decide to pay me in installments, after all I wouldn't spend all the money at once. There was also the fact that there was no way he had the money to buy the whole fifty million coins from me in the first place. This actually benefited both of us.
I could finally sort out all the messy details without getting directly involved. I now had a connection with an influential person and company. Plus, right then, he owed me!
"I can't believe it" He said to me.
Normally, he would try to hide his excitement, but I was sure after our negotiations it had dawned on him that I was a more superior bargainer and it would be wiser for him to just be straightforward with me.
"If there's nothing else, then." I said to him, standing up.
"You have a deal, sir!" He said to me, rising up as well with a smile.
He stretched forth his hand to shake me, well, why not? I shook him back.
"Just in case..." I thought.
I used a Hex to enforce the deal we just made, thereby binding him to our contract. This way he wouldn't do anything contrary to any of the terms stipulated. I doubted that he would do it of his own free will, but still, I had learnt that being careful never hurt. That was how I was still alive till that day afterall.
However, the Hex would be more effective if there were to be clear and express terms to follow, that was why I'd need us to have a written contract and not just an oral agreement.
"Indeed, but just for reference sake, let us review the contract in detail" I said to him.
"Sure, but let's do so in my office. It will be more befitting." He said to me, guiding me to his office.
And just like that, I had an additional pawn.
Obtaining Talia's fairy wings, getting the best membership at the best auction house, getting the best coin card and an almost unlimited supply of funds and establishing an influential connection. All without lifting a single finger or using a Hex.
"It sure feels good to be rich" I said to myself, leaving for Julius's office to sort out the details.