Enlightened Empire

Chapter 457: An Offer He Can't Refuse

Inside a nameless shack in the eastern part of Rhodanos, an almost eerie quiet had taken hold. Usually, this place was bustling, filled with the smell of booze, sweat and copper. After all, everyone in the area knew that this shack was owned by the Portside Gang and operated as a gambling house.

Yet tonight, none of the usual gamblers were here to throw away their hard-earned savings on dubious chance. None of the croupiers were manipulating the dice rolls to make sure the house would always win. At least the latter were still there, but without any customers to rip off, what was the point?

As the boss stared down at the desolation of what once used to be his best business, he knew he was in trouble. Up here on the second floor, the boss usually sat, enjoyed some wine, and looked over the railing down onto the gamblers, as they made money for him with their vices. Right now, he still sat and drank in the same place as always, but the wine was pleasure no more. Now it only served to numb his troubles.

"Everything still the same?" he asked his right-hand man, hoping for a different answer, despite knowing better.

"Yeah, boss," the right hand with the two missing fingers replied. "Those South-city bastards left the front door, but one of them is still watching us from across the street. He'll probably 'arrest' anyone who wants to go in."

"Are they still wearing their ridiculous costumes?" The boss sneered. Those guys from the south city were an embarrassment for the gangs of Rhodanos. Yet in contrast to the boss' derision, the right-hand man frowned deeply.

"That's right, boss. They say they're scholars now, so they need to stamp out any gambling in the city. They say it's their right to arrest all the gamblers they want."

"Bastards! They take out the competition and now all our customers are gambling at their place! Why else would anyone go into that dingy rat hole!?" The boss slammed his fist against the second-floor railing, before he added in a deep growl: "Are they that eager to start an all-out war?"

"Well, boss..." The right hand hesitated, before he continued. "Last time we tried to fight them, the guards got involved and arrested all of ours. And they let those southern bastards go with no arrests."

Of course, the boss knew all of that already. Reminded of the uncomfortable truth, the boss' body deflated as his hot head cooled off again. Someone up high in the city apparently wanted to deal with the Portsiders, and they were using the South-city gang to do it.

Now that they were against another gang and the local guards, there was nothing they could do. Even the old bribes weren't helping anymore. They hadn't been warned about any of the recent raids, and none of their guys had made it back out from prison recently.

Frustrated, the boss turned back away from his empty establishment. Looking at the empty seats wouldn't magically generate more customers. Instead, he focused on something productive and drank some more wine. What else could he do? Thus, he continued to spend his night like he had spent his day: brooding in silence.

For a while, the boss looked deep into his wine, as if a magical solution would present itself within. It took a sudden banging from downstairs to wake him from his apathy.

"Damn fools! Can you not stay quiet and let me sit here in peace for a moment!?" the boss screamed and jumped up, his cup of wine still in his left. Once again, he slammed his right fist against the railing, as he stared at the source of the noise downstairs.

Yet what he saw robbed him of his voice, and all of his anger. For the first time in days, customers had finally arrived, but they had come with bad intentions. A dozen armed men in black robes had entered the room, and they were in the process of taking apart his gambling house.

At some point, his right-hand man had left his side, and now he was leading the Portsiders to defend their gang's last good property. With clubs and knives they charged to drive out the intruders, yet against this new enemy, they were helpless. All they could do was scream as they were taken out one by one.

All the intruders seemed to be fighting experts, armored and armed. Although they were faced with the most ferocious gang in Rhodanos, there wasn't even a need for them to draw the swords and axes they carried. All of his men lost their weapons before they could swing them, and they promptly ended up as heaps on the floor.

Some screamed as they held their broken arms and legs, others were unconscious, or pretending to be. His right hand was one of them. In a corner and hidden behind another body, he lay down and glanced up at him. The boss didn't really mind their cowardice. This wasn't the kind of enemy they could fight straight-up, not even with all the bravery in the world. Faced with overwhelming force, all they could do was await their final judgment. In fact, he'd rather his guys didn't injure themselves over a lost cause.

It's been a long time coming, the boss thought, and looked for the leader among the attackers.

Once the room had been cleared out, two figures entered, neither of whom fit in with the surroundings, or the rest of the intruders. A fat man dressed like a woman, all bright and with needless frills, stood next to a slim woman dressed like a man, wearing a warrior's battle robe. As their goons took apart the gang's remaining forces, these two held a conversation as if they were out on a stroll.

"Well, who said my methods were too rough?" the woman asked the man. "What about this is different from last time?"

"Back then, we dealt with a lord, and a business partner. This is different," the man argued as he carelessly waved around the room at the destruction his people had caused.

"Just because they're of lower status?" The woman scoffed. "Surely, your big brother wouldn't like that sort of attitude."

In response, the man turned to look at the woman. Apparently, her complaint had stung.

"No, it's because in places like these, no one will respect us if we show no strength first. Not to mention, we're not here for negotiations this time," he said, and carelessly turned around, to look at the boss who was making his way down the stairs. "We're here to bring gifts."

Whatever you're bringing, I don't want it, the boss thought bitterly.

"Whatever you say, great master." The woman shrugged. "By the way, is it fine for us to just come in here like this? Shouldn't we be wearing masks or something?"

"It's fine. Even if the people here see our faces, it doesn't really matter," the fat man explained. "Legally, their word is worthless as evidence, since they're of lower status than us. We just need to make sure the guards or scholars don't catch us in the act, and they can't do anything to us. I mean, that's why we had our guys clean out the street first, right?"

So they're not with the guards or the South-city Gang? Who are these people? Or are they lying?

While the boss was thinking about the origins of his mysterious guests, the woman focused on him for the first time since they had come in.

"So, do you want me to lead the talks?" she asked the man next to her. "I mean, we only managed those last negotiations thanks to me."

"No need, Lady." The fat man put on a fake smile as he also focused on the boss as well. "This time, you can watch a master at work."

While the two of them had been talking, the boss had finally made his way down the stairs. By now, all of his men had either fled the premises or had been subdued. Only he alone was left standing. With resentment-filled eyes, he stared at the two who had apparently ordered his destruction.

"So, are you here to end it?" he asked with the utmost contempt he could muster. "Took you long enough. At least you're not playing around any more."

Without any respect for the great force before him, the boss sat down on the only upright chair he could find. His legs spread and his arms crossed, he stared at the intruders with the most disrespect he could. Maybe if he made these people angry, they would make a mistake, or at least focus on him and leave his guys alone. However, the intruders' calm reaction disappointed him.

"We're not here to end anything. We are only here to present a business opportunity." The fat man's smile widened as he spoke. With calm, even steps, he walked up to the boss who had lost control of his own hideout. As if he owned the place, the chubby stranger came up to him, picked up a chair off the ground, carefully dusted it off, and sat opposite the boss.

Meanwhile, the girl kept standing near the front door by herself. For a while, the fat man simply stared at the boss with his harmless smile, until the boss could no longer take the silence.

"So who's sent you? Was it those bastards from the south? Or that lying guard captain?"

The local guard captain had always accepted his bribes, yet suddenly and without any warning, the captain's men had turned against his gang. He wouldn't be surprised if that man had sent some goons to clean him up, maybe out of fear that his trips to the gang's brothel might become public knowledge. The people who had just dealt with his men were certainly strong enough to be warrior guards, so it wouldn't have surprised the boss. However, the intruder just shook his head again.

"I'm here to represent only myself, and the Wonders of the World shop, which I serve as vice-president," the man said, and crossed his legs in a relaxed posture, as if he didn't have anything to fear. Although it was true, the intruder's attitude really annoyed the boss.

"A merchant then," he tried to provoke again. "So what does a simple merchant want here with me? How much copper have those South-city bastards given you to deal with me?"

Yet in response to the repeated provocations, the merchant just held his eerie smile.

"However much copper they have, it would not be enough to buy my loyalty. My friends are very rich, you know? And so am I."

As he spoke, this vice-president set a vial filled with a clear liquid on the floor between them. At first he had looked for a table nearby, but all the tables in the gambling house had been overturned. Once the vial had been set down with a clear clink, the merchant leaned back and crossed his arms. Clearly, he was waiting for some kind of reaction, but the boss just stared back at him.

"Won't you ask me what this is?" the merchant finally asked after the prolonged silence had become uncomfortable, while he pointed at the vial.

"Poison?" the boss asked back. This stranger wasn't asking him to commit suicide, right? Or maybe he was hiring him for an assassination? It wasn't the Portsiders' area of expertise, but he wouldn't decline the job in the latter case. At least then, they had a chance to survive the night, and they really needed the business.

"Always so dramatic. I like that. I'm quite fond of drama myself," the merchant said and laughed inexplicably. "No, it's not poison. It's rose water from my shop. Lavender flavor, to be exact, one of our bestsellers. This vial alone is worth 15 Sila, probably more than your little gambling hut here makes in a day, even at the best of times."

The boss stared at the vial, and finally bent forward. When he was about to touch it, he hesitated, and looked up at the merchant, whose slit eyes and smooth voice were like a snake's.

"You're allowed to take it. Don't worry."

Finally, the boss picked up the precious item and weighed it in his hands. Once he had taken the vial, the merchant laughed as if he had achieved something special.

"You can have this one for free, but for the rest, you'll have to pay," the man finally said. Once more, the boss became vigilant. Maybe the poison was smeared on the outside? Was this guy blackmailing him for the antidote?

"What do you mean?" the boss thus asked with trepidation. All the acted calm from before was completely gone by now.

"I'm ready to consider you a franchisee," the merchant explained. Though when the boss didn't react at all to the strange word, the intruder explained further. "That means you will be allowed to purchase the luxury items of the Wonders of the World directly from my stock."

"Purchase? So I'm your customer." This time, the words made the boss frown. So this guy really was after his money, what little he had left.

Though, not only were the Portsiders poor now, this certainly wasn't the way to make a sale. The boss had no interest in these goods which only those nobles and fat merchants would buy. Luckily, there was a fat merchant right here to alleviate his concerns, even before he could voice them.

"Oh no, you're certainly no customer," he said as he shook his head. "The purchase price will be quite reasonable, below what you would have to pay in my shop directly. After the purchase, the goods are yours. What you do with them at that point has nothing to do with me. You can use them yourself, or you can bribe officials with them, or you can sell them on for a higher price and pocket the difference. I am partial to the last option, personally."

The merchant winked, as if he had made a particularly successful joke. However, no one was laughing, not even among his own people. As far as the boss was concerned, the deal sounded too good to be true. There was never a free meal in this world, not for people like him.

"And what do you get out of this?" he thus tried to probe. "Is your shop not running well these days?"

In response, the merchant sighed dramatically.

"It seems you have been busy with your own affairs," he explained. "Those new scholars who have been bothering you also don't want me to sell my luxury goods to the good people of Rhodanos. They've essentially shut down my store, so business is certainly not booming."

Finally, everything clicked in the boss' head. Now he understood what this intruder wanted from him. This stranger was eager to start a riot in the city, and he didn't want to get his own hands dirty.

"You want me to deal with those South-city bastards for you. So I'm cannon fodder," he calmly judged.

This snake would give him these valuable goods to sell, which was certainly a great opportunity. Smuggling was always a profitable business. Yet if the boss accepted the deal, he would certainly clash with the South-city Gang, who were apparently eager to make these goods illegal. Maybe under the guise of scholars, they would try to rob his new smuggling operation. Greed on both sides would inevitably lead to a massive gang-war, one which would cost who knew how many souls, one which could spell the end for the Portsiders.

On the other side, the offer was almost too good to turn down, especially now that they were at the end of their rope. While the boss was still struggling to make a decision, the merchant just shrugged as if he didn't care about his choice at all.

"There's no great profits without great risks," he added. "Yes, if you want to protect your profits from this smuggling business, you might have to deal with minor interference from some competitors. Then again, that has nothing to do with me. I'm just here to offload some excess merchandise I have in stock. What you do with it, or what happens as a result, is none of my business."

Easy for you to say. It's not your life on the line, the boss thought.

By now, the vial in his hand started to look like poison again. Before he could come to a conclusion, the snake spoke up again to tempt him some more.

"You should think about this clearly. If you won't take my business, then I'll go ask someone else. You're not the only desperate gangster in this city, you know?"

Again, the boss was torn. For now, he thought it would be best to play for time. Maybe he could at least learn more about this snake, before he agreed to a deal that would get them all killed.

"I want to say yes, but I can't make the deal by myself. In here, we make all our decisions as a group," the boss lied. "Please wait for an answer until I've talked to my guys."

To his surprise, the snake didn't push him any further.

"Very well. In that case, I won't take up any more of your time," he simply said. "Due to matters of accountability and alibi, I cannot personally give you any details on our dealings. Someone will contact you soon. Should you have made a decision by then, we will be able to proceed with our business. Otherwise, I wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors."

The merchant stood up, and bowed deeply.

Acting as if he's my equal, while he treats me like a pawn, the boss thought. However, the merchant seemed to have no concerns for his thoughts, secure in his strength, and in the strength of his deal.

"I hope for a mutually profitable cooperation," he simply said and turned to leave. When he was already by the door, he turned around one final time.

"Oh, and by the way, you don't need to worry about the city guards," he added. "However rough you guys decide to play this time, I guarantee you that they will no longer get involved. We have made sure of that."

Thus, under the baffled eyes of the boss, the mysterious intruders left as quickly and silently as they had arrived, leaving behind only his destroyed gambling house, as well as a single glass vial in his hand.