Title: My First Trading Partner is An Awaken
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this book are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
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As the public outcry continued to escalate, Willy Morante, the former mayor, found himself in an uncomfortable position.
"Boss, the internet is heated up and our business partners are worrying that our share in the company might pummeled due to this incident." His secretary reminded.
"Those vultures! Where's my son?" Willy Morante asked in anger. Yes, he was angry to his son as he place him into hots water. Not only him but his listed company.
"Your son was in the villa, boss. The presses are already in the reception hall and waiting for your statement." The secretary urges. He knew his boss' antics and will still be enrage when the stocks in their listed company pummeled even for small percentage increment.
"I know. Let's go!" Willy Morante said. He needed to choose his words with the press as he doesn't want his business being affected his son's misdemeanor.
After answering questions from the presses, the promise was to visit the Two victims of bullying. After watching the video, he knew that his son and his group goes too far. Yet, however, he finds that the last person they bullied certainly have some strenght that might be comparable to three to four people.
Arriving at the hospital where Dylan was confined, Willy Morante was flanked by a small entourage, his expression strained with the weight of the situation. He knew he had to swallow his pride and make amends for his son's reprehensible actions.
"I... I want to apologize on behalf of my son and myself. What he did was reprehensible, and I take full responsibility for his actions," Willy Morante spoke, his voice tinged with a hint of discomfort.
Henry, Dylan's brother, stood stoically by his brother's bedside, his eyes piercing as he listened to the former mayor's words. There was an undeniable tension in the air, as Henry struggled to contain his anger at the man standing before him.
"Apologize? Where is that son of yours so that I can also do exactly what he did in the video?!" Henry's voice was calm, but there was a steely edge to his words that sent a chill down Willy Morante's spine.
Uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation, Willy Morante reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick envelope stuffed with cash, a feeble attempt to make amends for his son's actions.
"Please... take this as a token of our remorse. It won't make up for what happened, but... but it's all I can offer," Willy Morante pleaded, his voice betraying his unease.
But Henry remained unmoved, his resolve unshaken by the offer of money. "We don't want your money. What we want is accountability and justice. And until your son faces the consequences of his actions, no amount of cash will make this right," Henry's words were like ice, cutting through the tension in the room with their stark clarity.
"I know for sure that this is not the first time your son is bullying other people and this needs to stop."
Caught off guard by Henry's unwavering determination, Willy Morante faltered for a moment, his facade of contrition slipping to reveal the arrogance beneath.
"Well... if that's how you feel. But know that we are truly sorry for what happened," Willy Morante muttered, his pride wounded by Henry's refusal to accept his offer.
With that, Willy Morante turned and left the hospital room, his entourage trailing behind him. Henry watched him go, his anger simmering beneath the surface, fueled by a sense of injustice that refused to be quenched.
Willy Morante seethed with anger as he stormed out of the hospital, his encounter with the Ramirez family still fresh in his mind.
"The audacity of those worms! Refusing his offer of compensation and daring to challenge me!" left a bitter taste in his mouth.
As he made his way back to his office, Willy couldn't shake the feeling of humiliation that gnawed at him. He was used to getting his way, accustomed to bending others to his will with the mere flick of his wrist.
But the Ramirez family had proven to be an unexpected obstacle, their defiance a thorn in his side that refused to be dislodged.
"It's been a long time since someone had those antics towards me!"
Back at his desk, Willy wasted no time in taking action. He called in favors, pulling strings behind the scenes to launch a background investigation into the Ramirez family.
He needed to know who he was dealing with, to uncover any weaknesses or vulnerabilities that he could exploit to exact his revenge.
Meanwhile, Francis Morante, the bully who had put Dylan in the hospital, seethed with frustration as he learned of his father's encounter with the Ramirez family.
Fuelled by a toxic mix of anger and entitlement, Francis vowed to make the Ramirez family pay for their insolence. He would show them the consequences of crossing the Morante family, teach them that no one dared to defy them and get away with it.
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Tyler's reminder about the potential retaliation from the Morante family lingered in Henry's mind, casting a shadow over their conversation. Despite the distance between their worlds, Tyler's words resonated deeply with Henry, reinforcing the need for caution in dealing with the like of the Morante Family.
"Yeah, you're right," Henry acknowledged, his voice tinged with a hint of concern. "I'll definitely tread carefully from now on."
Henry recounted the encounter with the Morante family, detailing their offer of compensation and his refusal, expressing gratitude for Tyler's friendship amidst the uncertainty.
Tyler listened intently, nodding in understanding. "It's a tricky situation, but you did the right thing by standing your ground."
As the conversation turned to their trading arrangements, Henry expressed his interest in purchasing more F-rank crystals from Tyler to replenish their dwindling supply of healing potion.
"Let me ask something first, Henry," Tyler interjected. "How many liters did you already drink from the F-rank Healing potion?"
Henry paused to consider the question. "About 1.8 liters so far," he replied, realizing the significance of Tyler's inquiry.
Tyler's expression turned thoughtful as he explained the potential implications of Henry's progress with the healing potion.
"You're reaching your maximum potential," Tyler noted. "And you're close to the threshold of being awakened."
Henry nodded, acknowledging the newfound strength and vitality he felt since using the healing potion.
Tyler continued, proposing a trade that caught Henry off guard. "I've been training in an assassin's breathing technique called Ezio Breathing. It can elevate your power to a B-rank awakening level. I can trade it to you if you're interested."
Henry's eyebrows raised in surprise at the offer. The prospect of unlocking even greater power was enticing, but he couldn't ignore the underlying desperation in Tyler's voice.
"I would love to try it. How much would that be?" Henry asked.
"It's a B-rank breathing technique so it's a little bit expensive." Tyler said.
"Accordingly, there is no such thing as E and F rank breathing techniques ever recorded in history. It all starts with D rank. However, the standard pricing of any breathing technique comes with the resources."
"By standard, Let's use the F-rank crystals as a basis. Thus, to rank up to E-rank from F, you need at least 150 purified F-rank crystals."
"For D rank technique, you will need 400 F-rank crystals; To reach C-rank, it is estimated to be around 2,000 Crystals. Yet for B rank technique, around 4,000 to 5,000 F-rank crystals." Tyler explains.
Tyler's explanation of the pricing and resource requirements for different rank breathing techniques left Henry reeling with astonishment.
The sheer magnitude of the costs involved, measured in both F-rank crystals and gold coins, seemed almost unfathomable.
"That is too expensive!" Henry exclaimed, his mind racing to comprehend the enormity of the figures Tyler had just outlined. "They were astronomical gold coins! If we add the salt to be used, it's around 132,350 gold coins."
As Henry processed the staggering numbers, his thoughts turned to the practical implications of such a significant investment. The sheer quantity of resources required seemed daunting, raising doubts about whether he could afford to take such a risk.
"That's 14.82 million grams, which is fairly equivalent to 31.13 billion pesos!" Henry calculated, his eyes widening in disbelief at the astronomical sum.
The weight of the decision weighed heavily on Henry's shoulders as he grappled with the implications of pursuing a B-rank breathing technique.
On one hand, the promise of unlocking even greater strength and abilities is tempting. Yet, the exorbitant cost and potential risks involved made him hesitate.
"Do I need to take such a risk?" Henry pondered aloud, his voice tinged with uncertainty as he considered his options.
However, Tyler's mention of achieving strength similar to the video he had sent sparked a glimmer of excitement within him, reigniting his determination to pursue his quest for power.
Despite the daunting challenges ahead, Henry knew that he couldn't ignore the opportunity that lay before him. With resolve hardening in his heart, he made a silent vow to do whatever it took to achieve his goals, that is to protect his love ones.
"Yes, that will be expensive, but of course, for all of your trades, I will only need salt," Tyler proposed, his tone laced with anticipation.
"Since we are already acquainted and we have already established certain trades, I will give you a discount on the breathing technique. How about 120,000 kilograms of salt?"
Tyler's suggestion caught Henry off guard, but a smirk crept onto his lips as he realized the opportunity before him.
"If it is salt, I might be able to accumulate that, but know that it will take time," Henry replied, mentally calculating the amount in his head. It amounted to about 120 tons of salt, equivalent to approximately 4,800 bags.
"The heck! A bargain! I will only be spending more than 1 million pesos!" Henry thought to himself.
He was engrossed by the equivalent gold while in fact he had the supplies of salt he just need to arrange. It's way, far way cheaper as comparable to the gold equivalence in Tyler's world.
"I know it will take time," Tyler acknowledged, his anticipation evident in his voice. However, just like Henry, although he discounted it, the price of the salt is now at 6 gold coins.
If the beasts in the Kailan Region continue to wreak havoc, the price of the salt will surely be at that amount or even increase in price later.
Thus, the discounted price of 120,000 kilograms of salt can be converted to 720,000 gold coins! This is enough for him to buy high ranking crystals for his training and ranking.
Of course, his trade in his world is independent of his trading with Henry. As far as he knows, Henry seems to be delighted with the trade. So, basically, it's a win-win deal between them.
"Anyways, I would love to purchase the wastewater and the powdered crystals too," Henry continued, seizing the opportunity to expand their trade. "Let's say, 50 liters for 1 kilo of salt?"
Tyler considered the offer for a moment before countering, "That's too much. I'll go with 20 liters for 1 kilo of salt and 5 crystal powders for 1 kilo of salt as well."
Henry nodded in agreement. "No problem, let's just sign the contract to be done with it," he suggested, eager to finalize the deal and embark on the next transaction.
In the contract, Henry was given six months to trade the salt to him and there would be some fines if it was extended for even one day. Henry happily accepted the condition.
"A piece of advice, Henry. Do control your power specially when you deal with people without enhancement. As you said, your place is not chaotic as mind but still, some cases seem to apply in your world like people with power controlling the background or even an underground organization like mine."
Henry nodded thoughtfully at Tyler's advice, recognizing the wisdom in controlling his power, especially in dealings with those lacking enhancements. "You make a good point, Tyler. It's easy to forget the impact my abilities can have on others, especially when they're not equipped to handle them."
Tyler leaned in, his expression serious. "Exactly, Henry. With the existence of this platform we have here, secret is the word. We don't want any unnecessary attention drawn to our activities."
Henry glanced around, his mind racing with possibilities. "You're right. And having a secure storage facility will definitely help with that. I'll have to look into that option."
"Good. And remember, if things ever get messy, the platform's storage could be a lifesaver. It's saved me more than once. Although I have a storage ring in my possession, the ring has limited space as compared with the storage of the platform." Tyler said.
Henry nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Tyler. I'll keep that in mind."
As Tyler prepared to leave the conversation, Henry couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency. "Take care out there, Tyler. I need to go as I'll need to stock up before the market for the E-rank crystals gets even more chaotic."
Tyler flashed a quick smile. "Anytime, Henry. Stay sharp, and I'll catch you later."