"Everything. This auction center, I want everything you have."
A bead of sweat rolled down Julius's face when Elish stated his condition. It was preposterous, to say the least.
Such a demand was unreasonable!
"I apologize for my hesitation, but that is an absurd proposition." Julius struggled to smile, though he felt himself lose a bit of his composure.
"Relax, Julius. What I really mean is not total possession, but rather access," Elish replied calmly, his tone the same as always.
Julius calmed down a bit, but from his expression, Elish could tell that he still didn't fully understand his intentions.
"I want access to everything your auction has, even the hidden goods that are not available to others. Everything!"
"Just access? That is all?" Julius asked in surprise.
"Whatever else will depend on your response," Elish said.
Julius became calm upon hearing this and fell silent. Elish's 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," Elish responded, playing along with him.
"But, you see. That membership 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.
Elish understood what he was trying to do. From the minute Elish made his 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, Elish would allow it.
It would all work in his favor anyway.
"However, I am willing to make your case an exception," Julius said.
Elish knew it. For the price of fifty million ancient coins, who wouldn't abandon protocol for such an opportunity? Elish also understood that he was trying to make it seem like he was doing him a favor by granting him this membership.
'Amusing…'
"That's good. And in the spirit of that, I will tell you the specifics of my immediate desires," Elish 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. You can make that happen, no?" Elish 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, Scylla 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 Elish that he was still surprised by the requests he was making for such a huge amount of money.
'Don't worry about it, Julius. I intend to fully collect.' His smile widened.
"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," Elish said.
"That can be arranged," Julius said.
That way, there would be no stress in managing his finances; everything would be handled by Scylla. Also, that made Elish a huge stakeholder and well-respected customer, deepening his connections with the establishment.
"Anything else?" Julius asked.
"Yes, both my membership card and coin card will be under an alias. You should understand what I mean," Elish 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 gets it.'
"So far, calculate the costs incurred for all the things I have mentioned. How much do they remove from the ancient coins I have?" Elish said.
"Not even up to a hundred thousand. You still have plenty more to spend," he told him.
"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," Elish said.
Julius' eyes instantly widened at the 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," Elish said with a casual smile.
"Ah, well... About that," he said, trying to play coy again.
Elish 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," Elish said, rising from his seat.
"Wait, I understand the situation. But it's not as simple as that," Julius responded, his tone now taking a graver tone.
Elish remained standing, staring at him and expecting an explanation before his patience ran out. At the very least, he acted as such.
"The thing is, our dedicated customers 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 a good name and trust," he said.
Well, those were all within Elish's expectations. However, there was always a loophole. That was not for him to figure out, after all.
He was not the desperate one.
If push came to shove, he 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," Julius finally said.
The words Elish had been waiting to hear.
"Go on," Elish said, returning to sit down.
Julius heaved a sigh of relief, and a bead of sweat fell from his face. It was already very 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 Elish.
"Nice idea. See? You can always find a way if you try," Elish said with a smile.
He laughed nervously.
"Well then, that about concludes it. How much is the total estimated expenses?" Elish asked.
"Approximately 200,000 coins, including the estimated budget for the wings. That still leaves forty-nine million, eight hundred thousand coins left," Julius replied.
"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."
Julius looked so surprised and happy. The deal appeared to be in his favor since he could decide to pay Elish in installments, after all, Elish 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 Elish in the first place.
This actually benefited both of them.
Elish could finally sort out all the messy details without getting directly involved. He now had a connection with an influential person and company.
'Plus, Julius owes me after this.'
"I can't believe it," Julius's composed smile began to break.
Normally, he would try to hide his excitement, but Elish was sure after their negotiations it had dawned on him that Elish was a more superior bargainer and it would be wiser for him to just be straightforward with him.
"If there's nothing else, then," Elish said to him, standing up.
"You have a deal, sir!" Julius responded, rising up as well with a smile.
He stretched forth his hand to shake Elish.
'Well… why not?' The latter thought as he stretched his hands too, causing them both engage in a mutual handshake.
'Just in case…'
Elish used a Hex to enforce the deal they just made, thereby binding him to their contract. This way he wouldn't do anything contrary to any of the terms stipulated.
Elish doubted that he would do it of his own free will, but still, he had learned that being careful never hurt.
That was how he was still alive to that day, after all.
However, the Hex would be more effective if there were clear and express terms to follow, that was why he'd need them to have a written contract and not just an oral agreement.
"Indeed, but just for reference sake, let us review the contract in detail," Elish said to him.
"Sure, but let's do so in my office. It will be more befitting," he said, guiding Elish to his office.
'And just like that, I have an additional pawn.' Elish smiled as he walked alongside Julius
Obtaining Astra'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 much of an effort.
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[A/N]
I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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