"Well in the first place, we are the major organization, who decides the prices around the kingdom, and any business, who tries to play smart, can be dealt with easily. So, no competition. Secondly, we can lend money. To be clearer, we lend it even to non-members, but of course if you are a member you will get a lower interest rate and longer period to repay the debt. Lastly, we also provide protection from… certain unwanted attentions and people. Let's leave it at that."
The man explained lowering his voice while saying the last phrase 'Wait is he talking about some kind of mafia? Well, if he is, it would indeed be a good thing to join the guild to avoid any kind of trouble. Let's play it safe for now and continue asking for more details.'
"And what about the obligations of a member?"
He asked. 'It is the other side of the coin after all. You gain something by giving away something'.
"Well, there aren't really strict rules. Of course, a member will follow any decision the guild makes and we also request a monthly fee to continue to be part of the guild. For normal members, the fee is 10% of their gains, for supervisors it is 5% and of course Masters do not pay such a fee as they are the heads of the organization."
The man answered.
His expression was as relaxed as it has been during the whole conversation. 'I see, that Is indeed one of the reasons they are coming after me. 10% of my total gains is probably a big deal around here, but to be fair the perks are really good too. Of course, there is no way such an organization could survive by simply spilling money from their members without giving something of equal value back'.
"Hypothetically speaking, what branch would I be joining?"
The man's expression changed for the first time since the beginning of the discussion at Satoru's question. He seemed to be getting serious.
"That is exactly the reason why we haven't contacted you before now. In the Council of the Masters there has been a fight over you. Well, more like a war of words than anything else. The ones fighting over you were the Master of Metal and the Master of Luxury. Since you deal with weapons and armors, the Master of Metal wanted you under him, even if you didn't produce the items yourself. The Master of Luxury argued that you sold a lot more highly valuable items than weapons, and since every luxurious item selling business belongs to him, you should stay under him."
The man explained. Satoru didn't speak and waited for the man to continue, after a pause the man did so.
"In the end, we decided to create a new branch. One that deals with the selling of anything magical. To tell you the truth, we tried to create such a branch many times, while trying to incorporate the Magician Guild, but they always refused. Though they are always selling magical items, they never saw themselves as a business, but a congregation of magic casters who wanted to discover new branches of magic."
The words sank into Satoru as he realized their meaning.
"A new branch, but that would mean…"
He began.
"Yes, indeed Sir Satoru. We would like you to be the first Master of this branch."
While Goldfinger's words should have made him relieved at not having to work under someone else, they instead made him really concerned.
'So, this is why he was explaining their inner workings in such detail. But if a master pays no fee that means they aren't after my money? That leaves me with the final question, what do they truly want from me? It would be dangerous to accept without knowing this'.
"I must say, I didn't expect such an offer. But now I must truly ask, what do you get out of this? You would be adding a new head to your organization. Someone you don't know and who only arrived here a month ago. Forgive me my hesitation, but I find your offer a little too good to be true."
'This is thin ice. I must be careful. Concentrate Satoru!... Concentrate!' His mind was set on full salaryman mode; Goldfinger sighed before answering.
"It seems you are no newbie to the world of commerce. This only makes my decision seem even more the right one."
"Your decision?" Asked the magic caster.
"Oh yes, as I said before I'm the representative of the guild. I deal with external interaction with other organizations and also act as a mediator between the various Masters during meetings to avoid any internal conflict. The decision of creating a new branch was actually mine and I must say I find this bet to be a good one."
The man admitted with a slight smirk.
"I will be direct with you, Sir Satoru. The guild is interested in you for the weight you have over the Adventurer's Guild. We have tried for many years to get an important position in the Adventurer's Guild, since they are one of the major money making businesses around here. Having you in an important position in the Merchant Guild would allow us to finally interact more with the Adventurer's Guild, something we dreamed about for many decades now."
The man explained. Satoru himself wasn't sure if the man was actually overestimating him.
Sure, he had refurnished many adventurers in the past month and many teams became usual customers, but he didn't know if he truly had such a heavy weight over the guild itself.
He preferred to remain silent and let the man continue to speak.
"I must say, you truly impressed me. I have seen businesses rise and fall since I was a toddler, but never before have I seen a merchant with no name arrive at a new city and have such power after only a month. To be honest, if you actually stopped selling to adventurers right now saying that you had problems with the guild, the guild itself would probably fall apart or split in two. From outside it may not seem like it, but you could probably ask anything from the guild and they would have to comply right now to avoid you closing your doors to them."
The man continued. Satoru didn't have any other choice but to believe his words. After all, he seemed to know what he was talking about.
If it was truly as he said, Satoru now had a great deal of power in his hands and it actually made sense to ask him to be a master right now.
'Like an employee who has influence over a great company will be hired in a high position by another company to ingratiate him to them and exploit his power'.
"I see, that is why… then Sir Faustus. I would like to think about it for now. Would you mind coming back in a few days?"
He asked. The man nodded and rose from his seat.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Sir Satoru. I hope to see you soon in our guild."
They shook hands like true businessmen, who just concluded a contract, but before he could leave, Satoru asked a last question.
"Why do people call you Goldfinger? If you don't mind me asking."
The magic caster asked. The fat man turned and smirked.
"Because everything I touch turns into gold, good sir, but right now, I may have found someone capable of giving me a run for my money."
He said before leaving the shop.
A few minutes later, as if waiting for their conversation to finish, the shop's door opened once more and the people he actually was waiting for entered.
The Warrior Captain stood as vigilant as always. Next to him the small cloaked figure reached Satoru and hugged him. It was a habit of hers every time they met.
It didn't bother him too much, so he let it go without further questioning, but he noticed that she panted heavily every time she did it.
Normally he would have thought she had respiration problems, but she breathed just fine in every other occasion.
'Is her human body automatically responding to being so near an undead?' The thought just came to his mind.
"Good afternoon, Princess, Sir Gazef."
****
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