Chapter 170 Negotiation
Saul watched Hayden with his one remaining right eye, seeing his face fade a little from its blood color.
With Saul's understanding, a Hayden who hunkered down in the corpse room without attending classes, researching, or progressing, was afraid that he just wanted to wait until he was thirty years old and left the Witch Tower to live a free and low-key life.
But the reality was not as beautiful as the imagination.
The closed Hayden finally came into contact with the truth that he had been unaware of.
His entire being disheveled down, his body shifted, and he pressed one hand against the tool bench, rattling the neatly arranged tools into disarray.
Just like his mood at the moment.
"I told you not to hide, not to hide, you coward, now it's over! It's over, isn't it?" The pale-faced Hayden, however, suddenly opened his mouth and uttered words that didn't match his expression at all.
Looking at such Hayden, Saul raised his hand and cupped his chin, pondering.
Being neighbors for two years, he had long discovered that Hayden had some problems with his personality and seemed to have evolved a second personality. It was unknown whether it was the influence of the witchcraft radiation or his own inner sickness.
At first, Saul did not intend to pay any attention to it, but during this cooperation, he suddenly felt that Hayden was actually a good assistant.
There was no excess curiosity, the basics were solid, and the 0th order sorcery library was almost 100% unlocked by him. Experienced in experimentation, I don't know how many guests have been handled by his hands.
Most importantly, Hayden didn't have any power behind him.
Saul lowered his hand and crossed his index fingers.
"Elder Hayden, I'll give you a choice. Do you want to leave the Sorcerer's Tower at the age of thirty, or do you want to work hard in the last two years and make an impact on the third level?"
Saul's question slightly loosened Hayden's restraint for so many years, but when he thought about his own situation, he deflated again.
"Saul, I'm already 28 this year. The two years you said are really all you have left."
Saul didn't force Hayden either, he looked back at the wall full of human display cases, "If you change your mind and want to give it one last try, you can come to me."
Saul headed for the door, "You can put an eye outside the door if you want to try, I'll see it and come back for you."
"You? You're going to help me?" Hayden sucked in a breath, looking at Saul, who was only fourteen, and thought it was a little ridiculous, but couldn't help but believe it.
"Doing my best." Saul shrugged and pulled open the door to the necropolis.
His white bony knuckles were unusually visible against the scarlet door.
Leaving the corpse room, Saul saw that it was about time and headed to Kukin's chambers for a darkly calculated appointment.
"Your eyes ..." Kukin pushed open the door and saw that Saul, who was fine yesterday, had become a one-eyed dragon today.
"A little experimental accident, not a problem." Saul said casually.
When Saul walked into the room, Kujin, however, closed the door directly from the outside, leaving him outside by himself.
Saul was stunned and immediately turned around to open the door.
When his hand touched the door handle, a voice came from the direction of the bedroom.
"There's no need to be nervous, Kujin isn't coming in because the person who wants to talk to you about cooperation is me."
He turned around and saw Ferguson, who had taken off his pants last night.
Saul's face showed appropriate bewilderment and alarm, "Who are you, Senpai? What is it that you want to see me about?"
"Have a seat." Ferguson pointed to the table and chairs in the living room, "I'm used to sitting down and talking."
"Is it because you can't stand?" Saul thought to himself, somewhat hesitantly walking over to the chair closest to the front door and sitting down.
Ferguson chose the seat across from Saul and sat down, looking like he wanted to negotiate.
"I don't know what you're capable of that you've taken over the position that Culkin has held for several years." Ferguson lifted his chin to Saul, "But there has always been an agreement between Kujin and I. I pay out credits or whatever else Kujin needs, and Kujin provides me with materials unique to the second storeroom."
So blunt?
Sol puffed up his chest, "That was your deal with Kujin, now he's leaving the Depot and I don't have the ability to continue the deal with you as he did."
Sol doesn't say anything stupid like "You are actually stealing materials from the treasury?" Playing dumb is fine, being too dumb is fake.
Ferguson didn't beat around the bush either, "What are your concerns?"
"The metal door, since you've already done the transaction you should know that the door will automatically determine the content of the mission. Anything not written with a transmitting pen simply cannot be shipped out of the warehouse."
"We can help you with the transportation. Then what other problems do you have?"
Us?
Is that a sneaky way of showing me that Kujin is in on it, or is there another partner?
Saul pondered for a few seconds, "What can you offer?"
"The most basic magic crystals, credits, and the fact that since you've taken on the Treasury's quests, you must not be able to go out for long periods of time, so the outgoing quests are basically out of your reach. If there is anything you need that doesn't happen to be available in the Sorcerer's Tower, you can ask me and I can help you find it."
Saul clasped his hands to his chest and leaned back in his chair, mentally pondering, "The big pie is drawn round enough."
"So what do you need me to transport? For the record, I won't move anything that has a number on it at all, even if you guys promise to help me out with the appropriate troubles."
Ferguson's hand tapped on the armrest, "Taboos we won't touch, naturally. Only ordinary things will be asked for. We are looking for long-term cooperation."
This time it was Saul's turn to start thinking.
"How can I be sure that I won't be secretly reported by people after dealing with you?"
"Hahaha ..." Ferguson leaned back, "What good would a report do? As long as you say you used it yourself, will the mentors still go one by one to the lesser of those materials?"
Ferguson held up a finger to Saul and shook it gently, "You don't have to think about turning in either. For one thing, we've been doing this for many years, and for another, Mentor is actually in the know. And we're not greedy enough to foolishly touch the mentors' bottom line."
It seemed that these guys had really been doing the smuggling of materials for a long time, but I'm afraid that there was also a part of those words just now that were simply meant for Saul to hear.
Even if Saul hadn't overheard the two men's conversation, he wouldn't have taken Ferguson's words at face value.
"I know about this matter, but I need a little time to think about it." Saul glanced at the hourglass clock on the wall and stood up, "It's almost three o'clock, I'm going back to the depot."
Ferguson didn't follow suit and stood up, only his face grimaced slightly and he crossed his arms, blocking his mouth.
"Saul, I think there's one thing you have to understand. We are not wandering wizards, not lone wolves in the wilderness. It's only normal to cooperate for short or long periods of time to achieve certain goals. Otherwise, why do you think Lord Golza Wizard built the Wizard Tower? One person's power is ultimately limited."
Sol bowed his head slightly, "I understand what you mean, but it is also because I am considering cooperation that I am more cautious. If I agreed to everything easily, you would also be worried that I would commit fraud, right?"
Sol added, "What exactly do you want?"
Ferguson nuzzled and hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "For the sake of confidentiality, I will only tell you the moment before you enter the treasury. If you do not leave the treasury for a long time, or come out without what we need. Our deal is immediately terminated."
Not giving Sol time to prepare was obviously also to prevent him from having time to play tricks.
It was just that they didn't know that Saul had heard their plan long ago.
Saul braced himself on his knees and stood up, "Well, it seems that what you guys want isn't simple either."
Ferguson's complexion stagnated, he did not want Saul to think this way, and hurriedly explained, "The materials that can enter the Witch Tower's coffers are naturally not simple. I didn't tell you in advance because I was afraid of any accidents."
He tried to change the topic.
"You'd better not waste too much of our time. Give us an answer by tomorrow night, or we might change who we work with."
Saul's smile instantly chilled, "Change one? Change how? Are you threatening me?"
Being questioned by a second level apprentice, Ferguson's anger burned up. But when he pressed his hands on the handrail and tried to stand up, his movement changed from bracing to holding.
"Not a threat," he suppressed his anger, gripping the handrail so tightly that he seemed about to crush it, "just a necessary reminder."
After Ferguson softened, Saul changed his face again instantly and smiled, "Thank you for the reminder, Senpai, then I'll be on my way."
Only this time he didn't promise to think it over again.
(End of chapter)