The room remained silent for about five minutes as Edmund sat deep in thought. In his mind, he weighed his options. If he were back in the Lion Kingdom, he could easily afford the items Rian was offering, but here in this village, he didn't have enough money to complete the deal. As his thoughts churned, an idea suddenly struck him.
Edmund looked up at Rian and said, "BlackMerchant, how about this: you provide me with the supplies now, and I'll pay you later? I understand you might not trust me, but what if we draft a contract that guarantees I'll pay you in instalments?"
Rian put on a sad expression and said, "I'm sorry, Sir Edmund, but the supplier won't agree to any contract. They want full payment upfront." In truth, Rian lies because he doesn't have enough funds to buy the items and waits for Edmund to pay him later.
As Edmund's face fell, lost in thought again, Rian received a notification from his friend list. It was the guildmaster messaging him: "Where are you? I have a deal to make." Realizing that another opportunity had just presented itself, Rian looked at Edmund and said, "Sir Edmund, please take some time to think about the offer. In the meantime, could you do me a small favour? I'm looking to open a shop in this village and could use some help securing the land."
Edmund nodded and replied, "I'll think about it later. Thank you. I'll arrange for someone to help you with what you need." He pressed a small bell, and a woman entered the room shortly after. She bowed slightly and asked, "What are your orders, sir?"
Edmund gestured toward Rian and said, "Take this gentleman and assist him with his requests."
The woman nodded and turned to Rian, saying, "Please follow me, sir."
Rian stood up, thanking Edmund for his assistance, then followed the woman out of the office.
As Rian exited the room, Edmund made a subtle hand gesture. Almost immediately, a shadowy figure appeared before him and bowed deeply. Edmund looked at the figure with a serious expression and said, "Summon the others from the Lion Kingdom. Inform them that I need funds, and they must bring me everything they have right now. Assure them that once we return to the kingdom, I'll repay them with interest."
The shadowy figure nodded and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
As Rian was being escorted to the ground floor, the woman politely asked, "Sir, what are your wishes?"
Rian thought for a moment before replying, "Can you please show me the land I can rent to open my shop?"
The woman smiled and nodded, her tone respectful. "Of course, sir. Please follow me this way." She gestured with a wave of her hand, signalling him toward the room where property arrangements were handled.
As Rian entered the room, he was once again taken aback. From the outside, the room had appeared modest in size, but upon stepping inside, it expanded dramatically, resembling the size of a football field. The space was bustling with people, each busy with their tasks, and Rian couldn't help but marvel at the sheer scale of it. It felt as though the room itself had warped beyond the physical constraints of the building.
The woman led Rian to a table in the expansive room and gestured politely. "Please, sir, take a seat and let me know where you'd like to open your shop," she said with a warm smile.
Rian nodded and clarified, "I want to set up in a more secluded location somewhere that's a bit out of the way, but still accessible for people to come and go. Not the busiest area, but somewhere quieter."
The woman smiled, acknowledging his request. "Understood, sir. I can show you some locations that fit that description. They are not in the central hub but are still within reach of travellers and adventurers.
Rian had chosen a secluded location because he knew that once players discovered his shop, they'd come regardless of its location. As the woman presented him with a single paper, she pointed to a specific area and said, "Sir, this place fits your requirements perfectly. It's in a more secluded area, or rather, it's not considered prime due to the fact that many of the people living there are poor citizens."
Rian glanced at the map, considering the location carefully. It seemed perfect for his strategy. He knew that once word spread about his unique items, players would flood the shop, no matter where it was.
Rian asked, "Alright, that location looks good. What's the rent for the land?"
The woman smiled and replied, "Sir, there's no need to worry about the rent. It's on the house, courtesy of Duke Edmund."
Rian blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the offer. "No rent? On the house?" he repeated, making sure he heard her correctly.
The woman smiled and nodded. "Yes, sir. Duke Edmund has already covered the cost for you. As a gesture of goodwill, there will be no charge for the land. It's yours to use freely."
Rian couldn't help but feel a wave of relief wash over him. He had expected to haggle or find a way to pay for the land, but this unexpected generosity made things much easier. "Thank you," he replied, keeping his tone neutral despite the excitement building inside him.
"You're welcome, sir," the woman said. "If you need anything else, just let us know. We'll handle the rest."
Rian stood up, nodding slightly. "Thanks for everything. When can I set up my shop?" he asked, looking at her.
The woman smiled and replied, "Sir, you can open anytime. No one will question you as long as you show this." She handed him a small medal, adding, "This is the Medal of Duke Edmund of the Lion Kingdom. It grants you his authority."
Rian took the medal, thanked her once more, and left the room. Exiting the building, he made his way in the direction of his future shop. After about five minutes of walking, he arrived at the area, and as he surveyed his surroundings, unease settled in. The place felt haunted; the neglected streets reflected the village's grim reality.
He noticed the residents were thin and weary, their eyes betraying a profound despair, The atmosphere was heavy, filled with unspoken sadness, and Rian couldn't help but feel the weight of their struggles pressing down on him.
Upon reaching the plot where his shop would soon stand, Rian took a deep breath, then pulled the shop cube from his inventory and carefully placed it in the center of the land. As expected, the cube began to expand, gradually transforming the barren space into a fully constructed shop. After a few moments, the process was complete.
Rian stepped inside his newly established shop, a sense of accomplishment swelling in his chest. Wasting no time, he opened his friend list and sent a message to the guildmaster, sharing his current location and adding with a touch of intrigue, "I've set up shop here. I also have an offer you can't refuse."
After sending his message, Rian immediately received a reply from the guildmaster: [Wait there, I'll be there soon.] Seeing the quick response, Rian couldn't help but feel excited. He knew that what he planned to sell would give the guildmaster and his Apocalypse Guild a significant advantage and possibly even more fame.
As he waited, Rian began thinking about how to promote his shop in this remote location. It was secluded, sure, but that wouldn't matter once word got out. An idea formed in his mind: he would ask the guildmaster to help promote the shop on the game's forums and on Yutube. A simple but effective strategy anyone could come and buy what they needed, and with the guildmaster's influence, it would spread like wildfire.
For the inventory, Rian decided he wouldn't stockpile items in advance. Instead, he'd operate on a flexible model. Directly purchasing the specific items that customers wanted at that moment, ensuring that he always had exactly what they needed without wasting resources.
As Rian waited patiently, the guildmaster arrived with a group of two others, making a total of three. They entered his shop, scanning the place that still lacked customers. Rian, wearing his signature mask, sat quietly deep in thought. When he noticed the guildmaster approach the counter, he snapped out of his reverie.
"Guildmaster, please come through the back door. I'd like to discuss a deal with you in private, if possible," Rian said, his voice calm but with a hint of excitement.
The guildmaster, curious about what the infamous Blackmerchant had in mind, raised an eyebrow but nodded. Intrigued, he gestured to his men, and together they followed Rian through the back door of the shop. The group settled into the seats Rian had prepared.
As they sat down, Rian broke the silence. "First, Guildmaster, what deal did you have in mind with this humble merchant?
The guildmaster leaned forward, gesturing to the two people beside him. "First, let me introduce you to the vice guild master of [Apocalypse] on my right his name is DeathParadox. And on my left is our treasurer, DeathBox."
Rian nodded and, with a calm yet mysterious tone, introduced himself. "I'm sure you've already heard of me, but let me formally introduce myself. I am the Blackmerchant, the newest member of [Apocalypse] though it seems only in name for now."
The guildmaster leaned back in his chair and said, "Well, let's forget what I had in mind. Let's hear what you want to make a deal about first."
Without hesitation, Rian replied with a single word: "Information."
At the mention of selling information, a wave of disappointment washed over the faces of the guildmaster and his companions. But Rian, quick to notice their reaction, calmly added, "Guildmaster, what do you know about this game at the moment? We all know that Everlasting will be getting an update soon, but nobody knows what's being added. That's where my information comes in."
Hearing his words, the atmosphere shifted. The three men, who had been visibly underwhelmed just moments before, were now frozen in shock. They hadn't expected that the information Rian possessed would concern the upcoming game update.
The guildmaster leaned forward, suspicion in his eyes. "Are you part of the developer team or something? How do you have access to such sensitive information?" he asked, clearly not expecting that Rian known as Blackmerchant could possess insider knowledge like this.
Rian shook his head. "No, I'm not a developer, nor am I connected to anyone on the dev team. But I have my sources." He paused before adding confidently, "I'm certain that this information, once leaked, will cause a massive shock to the world. And I'm offering you the chance to capitalize on it to make your guild's name stand out even more. But I'm selling it for 1 million gold coins."
Hearing the price, the guildmaster's face twisted with an ugly expression. A million gold coins were no small amount, even for a major guild like Apocalypse. However, the weight of Rian's words lingered. If this information truly held the potential to shake the entire game, then it could be the best investment the guild had ever made.
As the guildmaster mulled over the decision, Rian spoke again. "This offer is coming to you first because I promised that whenever I wanted to sell something that would cause massive waves in the market I would first give the guild an offer to purchase that in return for the protection that the guild would provide me."
The guildmaster immediately responded, "I'll buy it. Give me the information on what's going to happen or what's going to be added to the game."
Rian was ecstatic inside, though he kept his composure. A deal worth a million gold coins was about to be made. He hadn't charged more, knowing that overpricing could damage his reputation if the information didn't cause the waves he promised but he was confident that it would.
Nodding, Rian said, "Yes, sir, absolutely." He began to reveal the secret. "In the next update, everything you know about this game so far will be useless. These villages - Village 1, Village 2, and countless others - were only created to help us adjust. Soon, we'll be entering the main world, where kingdoms clash, and demons wage war. All the NPCs you've seen so far are the less intelligent ones. The real NPCs those with advanced intelligence are waiting in that world."
The room went silent as Rian's words sank in, the weight of what he had just shared beginning to dawn on the guildmaster and his companions.