I completely froze as I watched him pull out an envelope from his suit jacket. Did he just say what I think he said? Did I hear that correctly? Actions not words? Does he know?
Ethan quickly came to my rescue while wearing a suspicious expression. "Paul, what do you mean by that?"
Paul shrugged. "You two forget, I used to be on the intelligence committee. I know a lot of things and have people everywhere."
Ethan shook his head, a slight bit of worry showing on his face. "That doesn't explain anything."
Paul sighed. "I know about your guild, Ky. I know that you're an owner along with a 26 year old Gavin Jamseon from Boston. I just thought you could use some help, is all."
I finally broke out of the ice block I was stuck in when I heard him mention Gavin. "Why?"
Paul shook his head, holding up his hand for a moment. I quickly understood why as the waitress was approaching our table with two bottles of wine in her hands. Another waiter was behind her holding my drink.
Sarah walked up to the table and stood next to my Uncle. "Sir, these are the new bottles we have acquired. This one is a 72' Italian red blend and this one is an 86' Nebbiolo."
My uncle nearly squealed in excitement. "Ooooh, I think I'll have the Nebbiolo. Can you have the head chef prepare a venison appetizer for us? It would pair perfectly with the Nebbiolo."
Sarah nodded with a bright smile. "Of course, sir. I'll grab the decanter in the meantime." She quickly retreated so as to not disturb the table after the waiter placed my old fashioned down in front of me.
Paul then looked back at me. "Back to what we were saying. This game… you, my nephew, have certainly bitten off a bit more than you can chew. There are certain powers at play. I know I'm being vague, but as soon as I found out that my kids were playing, I looked into it."
"Don't you find it strange that there are no developers listed? Disney doesn't own any game studios. They legally have to credit any developers used in the creation of their product. Regardless, it's not even that part that forced my hand."
"Rather, it was the economic potential of this game. The currency exchange opened only a week ago but the conversion value has almost doubled. This has introduced less than desirable players to the field. Some of them…"
He stopped speaking as Sarah came with the decanter and the open bottle of wine. "Enjoy, sir."
Paul nodded. "Thank you, Sarah." He then turned back to me. "Let's just say that neither you nor I would have the power to do anything if they were to make a move."
A bead of sweat rolled down the side of my head. "I had no idea."
Paul nodded. "Ky, I'm just looking out for you. My sister… she'd curse me from the heavens if I were to let anything happen to you." He then stretched out his hand which held the envelope. "Are you gonna accept my help?"
After a moment of hesitation I nodded, taking the envelope. "Thank you, Uncle Paul."
He smiled. "Take a look inside. It's a donation, not an investment if I'm being honest. I don't want a piece of the pie. I just wanna get involved."
I started peeling the flap of the envelope back as my brow raised with curiosity. "How do you want to get involved?"
Paul chuckled. "Well, I'm gonna play the game, of course. That package thing is being installed at my house right now! My assistant is taking care of it because I don't understand any of that technology mumbo jumbo. I might have been born with technology, but I've always been bad with it."
I shrugged as I got the flap of the envelope open. "Well, I'd be happy to invite you to my guild, Uncle."
Paul smiled and nodded. "That's what I was hoping for. I'm sure you guys could use some kind of intelligence group so I can take care of all that."
After he said this, I found myself unable to respond. It wasn't because of what he said, but rather from what I was seeing. I had cracked the envelope open slightly and found my breath bated.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…
EIGHT FUCKING ZEROES! FOUR HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS! A CHECK!
Paul chuckled. "Ky, don't worry about the amount. It's nothing to what you'll probably have quite soon. Also, this is but a drop in the water compared to what some of the other guilds I've been tracking have been allotted. For fucks sake, the Russian Government put a trillion into their associated guild."
That new number once again broke me out of my shock. "Holy shit. That is absurd!"
Paul shrugged. "It isn't if you ask me. It could multiply in a matter of years if they play their cards right. Would be especially helpful for them after that pathetic excuse of a war they brought across the world in the 30s. They aren't the only ones. Every major country in the world is starting to get involved. You also can't forget about the major corporations. Gaming groups are getting bought out left and right and the game has been up for less than a month. This is something special, kid."
I sighed. "Why invest in me then? Why not go for an established guild?"
Paul chuckled. "Boy, you claim that you aren't established but the numbers just do not add up. You do realize just how far into that game your guild has reached, right?"
I nodded. "Yeah, but these numbers you speak of are just too small. It makes no sense."
He shook his head. "Yes, but I don't think even those you call the leadership of your guild understand the position you are in. You guys have mid ranking officers on the edge of promotion across every branch of the Republic Army, an absurd amount of assets for a guild with no backing, and an abnormally high average level of combat capabilities. Your guild even has close relations with the top mercenary group in the entire galaxy! I don't even know how you pulled that off but trust me, that will open more doors than you can count!"
I scratched the side of my head, blinking a few times in disbelief. "How do you know my guild better than I do?"
Paul shrugged, pointing at me. "That's irrelevant. What's important now is that we move quickly. I'm going to be stealing your father for a while. I hope you can relieve him from duty?"
I laughed. "Ha! You're hilarious. We are currently stuck under an Imperial Blockade on Kuat."
He tilted his head in confusion. "Kuat? Sorry, I'm still wrapping my head around all the important players in the galaxy."
I nodded. "You're good. Kuat is the home of the number one naval and armor manufacturer in the entire galaxy known as the Kuat Drive Yards."
I was barely finished with my statement before his eyes lit up like Christmas. "That is damn perfect. This is a great chance. What kind of high ranking military officers do we have on the planet?"
After thinking for a moment, it came to me. "Oh yes! I remember! One of our guild members is a Lieutenant General. He is accompanying General Kroos in the Capital with the Noble Families."
Paul was confused again for just a moment before his face lit up. "Oh! General Kroos! He's next in line for promotion to General of the Army for the Republic. We must establish good relations with him. I shall speak to the guild member that is with him."
I shook my head. "There's no need for that."
He tilted his head. "Now why would you say that? You do know how much power he holds, right?"
I nodded. "Yes, I know that first hand. I was saying that because I'm already friends with him. His wife too."
Paul's expression lit up once again as he turned to Ethan. "Brother, this son of your's is unbelievable. I think this calls for a toast."
He quickly went to grab the bottle of wine but in his haste, he hit the neck of it with the back of his hand, sending it flying into the air and off of the table. I felt time slow down as the bottle lofted through the air and towards the floor, starting to turn over as it did.
Unconsciously, I reached out to try and catch the bottle. I'm not sure why I did it, but I did anyway. It was out of reach but it was at least worth a try.
As the bottle was about to tip upside and spill the wine all over the floor, the bottle stopped and started floating in the air. A small splash of wine escaped from the bottle and pooled on the floor.
With insane speed, my Uncle reached out and snatched the bottle out of the air while glaring at me. "That was a good catch, right?"
His tone was very stern and insisted that I play along. I nodded. "Yeah… that was some catch."
Paul nodded. "Let's try to not do that again, shall we?"
The control he held over his emotions was absurd. He didn't even have the slightest hint of shock on his face. However, I was almost able to feel the shock and slight panic reeking from him. This connection felt familiar. Then I realized what I had just done.
Before I could think any further, my dad and Uncle had their wine glasses raised in the air. I broke my train of thought and followed suit, raising my cocktail.
Paul nodded, gently pushing his glass forwards. "To new opportunities but more importantly, to family."
*Clink*