Chapter 205
Chapter 205
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Negotiation (2)
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A group of vehicles pulled up to the Forest Restaurant on 27th Street in Landa's T District.
The vehicles were from the widely popular F-Series in Landa, but they were high-end models equipped with bulletproofing and various other options.
When no fewer than five such vehicles arrived, all eyes turned toward them.
And with good reason—such a grand show of protocol was a rare sight in T District.
"I figured a retiree would come quietly, but this is unexpected."
Forest muttered as he peered out through the restaurant window.
He had apologized to his customers and closed up early, clearing out the entire dining hall to set up a massive negotiation table.
"Is this a good thing?"
Oliver, seated at the negotiation table to Forest's right, asked.
Behind Oliver stood Jo and the other Fighter Crew members with speaking rights.
They looked distinctly uncomfortable, as if they didn't want to be there.
"Well, I've never dealt with a situation like this before, so who knows. Should've gotten business insurance if I'd seen this coming."
Forest replied half-joking, half-serious.
A short while later, a one-eyed woman who appeared to be a bodyguard entered alone and scanned the surroundings with her sharp, remaining eye.
That single eye brimmed with a massive amount of mana.
"......"
After finishing her check, the one-eyed woman left without a word, then promptly returned with an elderly gentleman in tow.
It was Gordon Goodheart.
Gordon Goodheart, a board member of the Landa Culture and Arts Association and former director of Crime Firm.
Four hulking figures followed behind him.
All of them were highly skilled mana users, and the dozen or so waiting outside matched them in strength.
'Some of them are even mages... Judging by the flow and volume of their mana, they're no ordinary talents.'
Forest and Jonathan's earlier claims suddenly rang true—not that Crime Firm lacked power, but their business mindset focused on maximizing profits and their political structure made aggressive responses to external threats difficult.
'Not bad at all... This might just work.'
Oliver felt a surge of confidence in his plan.
"Dave."
Forest rose from his seat upon spotting Crime Firm's former director Gordon Goodheart and called out to Oliver.
Oliver stood politely.
"Hello, Director."
"Hello."
"Hello? Forest. Dave... Please, just call me Gordon."
"Thank you for your consideration. If it's alright, would you take a seat?"
Forest politely gestured to the chair to his left.
Gordon sat without protest, following the guidance.
Once the old man was seated, Forest and Oliver followed suit, and the conversation began.
The first to speak was Forest, the organizer and mediator.
"First, allow me to thank you for responding to such a sudden request."
"No need. I came because of a personal debt, so think nothing of it. I'm also curious why you summoned me personally like this."
The personal debt in question was the auction house raid at the Subrepto Museum.
VIP clients had been injured in the sudden black mage attack, threatening massive losses.
Oliver had stepped in to minimize Crime Firm's damage.
Using that debt like this—life truly was full of surprises.
"So there's no need to thank me for showing up. I've paid my dues, after all."
His polite, humble tone, paired with the businesslike expression from his Black Market days, carried a different implication.
He had paid in full, so he was free to refuse whatever came next.
Not wrong, exactly. And they had no intention of settling organizational matters with something like this anyway.
In that moment, Oliver realized how accustomed he had become to this world's rhythms.
It was surprising—and gratifying. Proof that his years here hadn't been wasted.
"Dave."
Gordon prompted. Oliver responded.
"Yes, Gordon."
"I'm here as requested. So explain. That Fighter Crew didn't attack us and steal our goods. That's hard to swallow."
Oliver recounted what Jo had told him, the fight in X District, and his own deductions.
The chef had acted alone, but Jonathan's competent handling had complicated things. To draw Crime Firm's attention, he had revealed himself as the mastermind and pulled in Fighter Crew.
All speculation, really—but Gordon didn't challenge it.
On the contrary, he seemed to agree, to an extent.
"Hmm... That's plausible enough."
"Really?"
"What if you get your hopes up?"
Forest murmured softly to Oliver.
Gordon spoke again.
"Not exactly the same, but I've seen similar cases. As you can see, I'm not young anymore."
Gordon placed a hand on his chest. He was indeed the oldest one there.
"The chef's dead, you say... Glad that filthy thief's gone, but do you have proof?"
Oliver pulled a membrane box from his pocket and offered it. Inside was a chunk of collapsed flesh.
"Part of the chef's body. I wanted to bring it back intact if possible, but like the auction raiders, the corpse disintegrated."
Gordon pulled the box toward him, examined it, then slid it back.
"Honestly, as an old businessman, I'm not sure if this is the chef. But I'll take your word. I have ways to verify."
"Thank you for believing me."
"No, no—the thanks are mine. I've heard how active you've been, Dave... That said, this doesn't prove Fighter Crew's innocence."
The smoothly progressing conversation hit a snag.
Forest fell silent as if he'd expected it, and Oliver wasn't greatly surprised.
He couldn't pinpoint why, but he'd anticipated something like this.
The only ones rattled were the Fighter Crew members standing behind Oliver.
A few tried to speak, but Jo silenced them—showing his trust in Oliver.
Silence blanketed the restaurant. Only the soft sound of sipping coffee broke it.
"...If it's not too rude, may I ask why you can't believe it?"
"As I said, no proof of innocence. I'll be blunt: can you swear there's no chance you're lying?"
"Lying?"
"Yes. Maybe you joined the chef's plot, saw things going south, and bailed pretending innocence. You might not know this, Dave, but that's common in our world."
"I don't think so. I checked Jo and the others' emotions—they're all genuinely aggrieved. Don't you know what kind of man Jo is, Gordon?"
Indeed. Jo had moonlighted as Black Market security, overlapping shifts with Gordon by coincidence.
"I do. Excellent fellow. Competent, quiet, trustworthy. But judging by your eyes and one man's word isn't enough to let this slide. Even if I buy it a hundred times over, I can't convince the other directors."
He was right.
Fine for personal matters, but this was organization against organization.
One side had suffered material losses and humiliation.
Telling them now it was all a misunderstanding and to drop it didn't fly.
Especially against Crime Firm.
"If we just swallow it based on your word, others will start seeing us as a joke."
"Who exactly do you mean by 'others'?"
"Other Crime Firm branches, Landa's independent gangs, our trading partners, and foreign syndicates expanding from port cities... Crime Firm may be known as the underworld's ruler, but we face challenges inside and out."
Not a perfunctory complaint, but sincere. Oliver followed up immediately.
"So, for the organization's sake, you can't let it slide?"
"In essence, yes. Don't take it personally."
"I don't. Everyone has their position."
"Glad we're on the same page."
"In that vein, the Fighter Crew says they know where the remaining attackers are. How about we help you catch them? Apparently, before dying, the chef tasked some underlings, so they have a rough idea."
"Not a bad offer, but insufficient as a deal. I doubt the other directors—or I—would agree."
"What if we add one more condition?"
"One more? What?"
"How about Crime Firm hires the entire Fighter Crew?"
***
The calm yet bombshell proposal echoed softly through the restaurant.
Everyone present was stunned. Gordon and his men, even Forest and Jo—who'd been forewarned—couldn't hide their shock.
The only one composed was Oliver, the speaker.
"...Forest."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Mind if I smoke?"
"Of course. I'm suddenly craving a drink myself."
Gordon immediately took a cigarette from the one-eyed woman, lit it, and Forest accepted a drink from Al.
After a moment, Gordon stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"What do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean?"
"Hiring Fighter Crew."
"Exactly what I said. From what I hear, Crime Firm's been bolstering its forces lately. Why not hire Fighter Crew?"
"To be frank, you're not wrong. With the Mage Tower and city hall power struggle, this city's getting brutal. It causes endless arguments among us. Force is a touchy subject."
"Yep."
"But hiring Fighter Crew... It's disorienting. Very much so."
"May I ask what's giving you pause?"
"First, their combat prowess. I know Fighter Crew's got a reputation, but it's street-gang level at best. I don't see how they're better than proper trained mercenaries or elite fixers."
True enough.
Fighter Crew's fame came from standouts like Jo or teams with great synergy.
Not every one of their roughly three hundred members was exceptional.
At best, a gang with unusually high fighters?
The chef's training methods had never been systematic, so it wasn't surprising.
"What if we solved that?"
"Got a concrete plan? You'll need specifics to convince."
"I'll teach black magic to the Fighter Crew."
Gordon lit another cigarette at the response.
"Whew... You're serious?"
"Yes."
"Are you their leader now?"
"Pardon? No."
"Then why teach them? Black mages and mages alike are stingy with their knowledge."
"I know the reputation, but I didn't see a reason not to... I promised Jo I'd help with this, and for resolution, it's not impossible."
Gordon stared at Oliver through the smoke, then spoke.
"Sounds like more than empty words."
"Yes. Not boasting, but I've taught a few times before. Confident I can produce results."
"No doubting your skills, Dave."
"Thank you. Point is, guarantee Fighter Crew's safety and pay fairly, and I'll train them diligently... Crime Firm gets a major force boost, right?"
"I agree. I'd beg for it, honestly. But one issue remains unsolved."
"What...?"
"Trust."
"Trust?"
"Yes. Trust... This world runs on it. Especially this world. Proof Fighter Crew will faithfully cooperate with Crime Firm?"
"May I say something about that?"
Silent until now, Forest cut in smoothly. Gordon nodded.
"Truth is, it's complicated. Crime Firm can't fully trust Fighter Crew, and Fighter Crew doesn't want full control by Crime Firm."
No one had voiced it, but Forest nailed the crux. Gordon nodded knowingly.
"Most of Fighter Crew hails from X and Y Districts. Hard to fully trust each other."
"Bottom line?"
"What if I act as the link?"
"...Be specific."
"I sign an exclusive contractor deal with Fighter Crew to supply personnel solely to Crime Firm."
"Then Crime Firm separately contracts with you for Fighter Crew members. Pay regular base salaries; you manage the risks."
"Exactly. Like a subcontract. I handle management, so Crime Firm reduces risk while bolstering forces via Fighter Crew... Plus, no power concentration in one director, avoiding needless tensions."
Forest hit the key point. Power concentration and checks were huge in Crime Firm.
Forest as middleman provided a safety net.
"Whew..."
Gordon exhaled smoke and stubbed out his second cigarette.
"Frankly, it's tempting. Fighter Crew as our subcontractors looks good, cuts internal politics."
"Grateful you understand."
"One final check: Forest, what gives you the confidence to broker between Crime Firm and Fighter Crew? Mess up, and you get crushed in the middle."
True. If Fighter Crew screwed up, Forest bore the losses—possibly his life.
"I'll take responsibility for that."
"You, Dave?"
"Yes. This mess started because I acted on my own."
"Responsible attitude looks good, but how?"
"If they break the contract with you and Crime Firm, I'll kill them."
"......"
"Just keep promises, and no problem, right?"
Oliver said it like it was nothing. Everyone fell silent.