[1% LIFESTEAL] Chapter 170 - Gratitude

[Author's Note]

Hello everyone! Apologies for the missing chapter last week. I'll catch up this week. Additionally, the finale will be released on RoyalRoad today, so I will be doing quite a bit of catching up before book 4 starts being released there.

This is something I haven't ever mentioned before anywhere because I considered it a private matter, but I thought it would be fair of me to give you guys a heads up. My wife is pregnant and just a few weeks away from giving birth. This is, in part, what kept me occupied last week. We had a lot of doctor's appointments due to a bit of a health scare (it was nothing serious, thankfully, but the pregnancy isn't exactly totally free of complications, which you can imagine is a little stressful and a big distraction).

I'm not announcing a haitus exactly, but I'm guessing that having to take care of a newborn will take me some time to get adjusted to, so the chapters might come a little slower then. This is my first child so I have no idea what's waiting for me. I'm sure those of you who've had kids are probably pointing and laughing at me for thinking I'll be "just slowed down" by my first newborn. But alas. Making predictions is a little futile.

Anyway, that's about it! Hope y'all have a great day and I hope you enjoy today's chapter!

Cheers!
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Freddy didn’t hesitate for even an instant. He immediately broke into an awkward, evidently confused smile and muttered, “What?” Then he half-scowled and scoffed. “Uhm… Sorry to break it to you, but no I am not. That’s ridiculous.”

The man smiled, his eyes shining with a pleased note. “Excellent reaction. Were I not so convinced of my guess, I would have certainly hesitated at the way you responded to the allegation. But I assure you, I am serious when I say I’m convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt.”

“Hold on, there, pal,” Freddy said, raising a hand defensively, chuckling with a bit of aggrieved frustration thrown in for good measure. “I don’t even have the life affinity. Hell, I don’t even remember how many bones there are in the human body, and you think I’m running anything even resembling a serious medical lab? You’ve already seen me go all out. I’m bewildered you’d even think to say that.”

“I am bewildered too, as to how you do it. And I will not pry. But again, I do not doubt my guess.” The man paused to take a sip of coffee. Freddy didn’t even realize the man was holding a cup, nor did he remember how he got it. “You see, I’m very eager to do long-term business with Mr. Skull. Thus, I’ve searched the whole city, creating a thorough map of every single building, its purpose, and everyone living there. I’ve found a number of curious things during my search.

“I even stumbled upon a cave not too far out from the city, and in it, I found an underground passage. And, to my shock, I actually discovered a four-star archhuman living the life of a hermit, a man who faked his death over fifty years ago. After executing him for treason, I was finally forced to admit that this mysterious lab in which Skull operates… doesn’t exist.

“And by the way,” he said with an easy smile. “While this underground passage is a bit outside the range of the city, I’ve taken it upon myself to file a request to expand the city’s limits to include the passage.” The man winked. “You’re welcome.”

“Again, and don’t want to seem rude here, but that doesn’t change the fact that—”

“Like many up-and-coming power houses who come from a lowly background, you have learned what it means to have enemies. And only enemies. To you, I must seem like a horrifying existence. Someone with authority and plenty of power to hurt you should I ever feel bored enough to do so. Am I wrong to presume you see me this way?”

Freddy paused at those words. “This is a bit besides the point, I think,” he said, a bit more reluctant now.

“In your life,” the adjudicator continued, ignoring Freddy’s repeated attempts at denial, “you will have many enemies. And you will need even more allies.”

“I have allies,” Freddy said, finding himself speaking when he didn’t want to.

The man smiled at him, and as he turned away, a pitying smirk tugged at the corner of his lip. “You have friends, yes. But friends and allies aren’t the same thing—not always. Say that man who killed your friend. He is no friend of yours. But now, with a tide rising over the horizon, you will both be busy plugging the holes of the same sinking ship. As for him, I am sure he knows damn well that targeting you at such a moment would be a mistake. As for you…” the man trailed off, turning to give him a once-over. “I believe you are yet to learn this lesson.”

Something in the man’s gaze shifted, and for a fleeting instant, his eyes honestly transcribed what the man knew himself to be. “I am not a saint. If you fear what I might do, that only means that your instincts are doing their job. Instincts, however, can only take you so far. Fear, my good friend, is the company of prey. You have learned what it means to have enemies. Now is the time to learn how to have allies.”

Freddy breathed heavily for a few moments, anger bubbling in his guts. He understood what the man was saying. In a sense, he’d already been living these words for a long while. But having it so blatantly spelled out it hurt, burn like a brand of shame right between his eyes. Yet, the futility of trying to fight it was as apparent to him now as it had ever been.

What was he supposed to do? Threaten the man? Scream at him for trying to profit off the coming tragedy, shout at the vast empire for their indifference at the slaughter coming for the populace of the Northern Belt?

That would achieve nothing but get him killed.

“I get it,” Freddy said. “And yes, you’re right. I’m Skull. Now, you were getting at something, I assume?”

A deep, devilish grin split the man’s face apart. “Yes. I was.” He waved his hand and a paper appeared between his fingers. He handed it to Freddy.

Now, Freddy had seen his fair share of contracts, especially in the last month. But this one was different.

Along its surface, it had a number of bizarre enchantments, and the material it was made of was… cursed. It had an aura. This was a cursed item.

Freddy opened his mouth to comment, but the adjudicator cut him off, “If you’re worried, then don’t be. This isn’t some sort of”—he stifled a laugh—”magical contract that’s going to supernaturally enforce whatever is written on it. If such a thing existed, there would be no traitors in the empire, I assure you. But there are. Oh, I apologise. I assumed you would be a bit ignorant in this regard, which was rude of me. Surely you meant to ask something else?”

Freddy had known that such contracts couldn’t exist. The Kraven Clan had even tried to sucker him into signing one such fake contract before. But he had to admit, had they handed him something like this back then, there was a good chance that he would have bought into the story. He coughed awkwardly and said, “No, I know such a thing is impossible, I was just wondering why this contract seems to be so… extra.”

“Ah, yes,” the adjudicator said with a light chuckle. “Mostly just to ensure as many layers of authenticity as humanly possible. Forgery is more difficult than some think, but easier than people like me are comfortable with. This ensures that whatever essence imprints the two of us leave in our signatures can’t be altered or tampered with in any way.”

“Aha. Okay.” It was then that he delved into the actual contents of the contract. As soon as he started reading it in earnest, he felt an unwitting, shocked smile try to barge onto his face uninvited.

The contract promised him 300 billion dollars in advance payment.

That was a lot of money. More money than Freddy was capable of describing with words. That was a city—no, several cities. A big city. He could afford some incredible things with that kind of cash. In fact, he was certain that this was a good bulk of the adjudicator’s total net worth. And the man was offering it in advance.

And the deal was, seemingly, weighed pretty heavily in Freddy’s favour.

Basically, the adjudicator was willing to buy the aforementioned sum’s worth of Freddy’s goods ahead of time, at the same rate they already had going, without any unfair caveats or any other bullshit.

In fact, it didn’t even specify any specific schedule he was forced to adhere, only that he had to “… show sufficient intent to adhere to article 1.1. should the signee be otherwise unoccupied.” The contract also specified that, should the adjudicator auction off the goods, if the final price ever went above a certain amount, Freddy would be paid extra.

This wasn’t just a good deal. This was an excellent deal. This was a deal that could only come from a man that was trying to do more than just buy Freddy’s goods. This deal was more or less an official declaration that the adjudicator was throwing his full support behind Freddy. He was investing in the potential of a future Overlord candidate.

Freddy eyed the man a bit, but the adjudicator was still sitting there with the same pleasant expression on his face.

This was an amazing offer. Too amazing. Amazing enough that Freddy had to make absolutely sure there was nothing he was missing.

The contract itself was brief, with no confusing parts. But Freddy took the time to carefully examine the runework lining the paper.

While he wasn’t nearly good enough with runes to suss out what exactly they were meant to be doing, his time inside the century of solitude was spent learning all sorts of things, and this had included a good amount of studying enchantments. He could at least tell that the contents wouldn’t change into something else after he signed it, and he could also tell that there was no hidden “underwork” beneath the apparent set of runes.

In fact, there was a whole set of runes whose entire job was to ensure that no part of the contract could be altered without purging the essence imprint, and the contract would actually split into two identical copies when signed, making it even more difficult to pull any kind of trick.

This contract itself had to be worth a small fortune. It was a minor favour that the man hadn’t mentioned anything about forcing Freddy to cover a part of its cost.

After he thought he’d done enough to ensure that there was no funny business, Freddy placed the contract down on the table and blew a long breath. It was then that the servant appeared from behind a corner carrying his food and beverage.

Freddy smelled the food before he saw it.

“One wyvern bourguignon,” the servant said as he put it down. “And a papietrotine bean espresso, Jeffrey-Quizzak style.” The coffee, of which there was much more than Freddy expected, was thick and viscous, like a foamy mud in a pearly white cup.

And the food appeared to be a stew of sorts. It wasn’t quite what Freddy was imagining, but it smelled damn delicious. The coffee, by contrast, actually smelled a little bitter, with unmistakable hints of ammonia.

The adjudicator nodded with a smile. “Feel free to eat. We will continue the talk when you finish.”

“Right… thanks, I guess.”

The servant stood there, watching Freddy with an expectant smile, one that made him slightly uncomfortable.

He reached for the coffee first. “Bottoms up,” he said as he took a sip. While it looked like mud, it also had the texture of mud, and honestly, kind of tasted like mud. Surprisingly, it wasn’t actually bitter. It was, however, sour. And oily. But it had a pleasant feel as it went down Freddy’s gullet, and he felt his mood subtly rise.

The effect wasn’t like regular caffeine. It lacked the anxious notes. It was more relaxed, soothing. Not intense, either, but soft. Just there enough to be unnoticeable if one weren’t paying attention.

With a “not bad” kind of tug on his lips, he nodded and slowly put the mug down. “This is great stuff.”

“Thank you, Mr. Cliff,” the servant said with a pleasant nod.

Now for the food.

Freddy grabbed for his utensils, only to find a distinct lack of spoon. It was only then that he gave the food another glance. It wasn’t really a stew. The chunks of meat were in a thick sauce, and were big enough that he had to cut them with a knife. So he proceeded to do so, taking a very small, almost dainty bite.

He immediately scowed. “Mmh.” He coughed a bit as he forced himself to swallow. “This is quite… uh… What’s the word?”

“Gamey?” the servant completed his thought.

“Right. That’s the one.”

The adjudicator chuckled. “It is wyvern meat, Mr. Cliff. Not much can be done about that. In fact, I can confidently tell you this is the tastiest wyvern meat you will eat in the entirety of the Northern Belt.”

“I believe you there,” Freddy said as he took a second, reluctant bite. It was only then that he noticed his body flaring up, giving him something akin to an after-workout pump. His muscles felt tight and full, ready for action.

“Is everything to your liking, Mr. Cliff?” the servant asked.

“Yeah, yeah… it’s great,” he said.

“Glad to hear it. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” The man nodded and walked away.

Freddy swallowed a few more pieces, and at that point, he could no longer continue. It wasn’t only his muscles that were getting a pump. Other parts of his body were also starting to respond to whatever this meat was doing to him, so he had to stop before the meeting got awkward.

He took another half-hearted sip of the muddy drink and then put it down with a bit of frustration. His eyes landed on the contract again. “I don’t have anything to add to the terms,” he said. “But I do have one question: are you willing to pay me in goods rather than money?”

The adjudicator smiled. “You want resources to prepare for defending the city?”

Freddy hesitated for a mere moment, then nodded. “Yes.”

“How much of the offered advance are you willing to set aside for this?”

This time, he didn’t hesitate. “All of it.”

The adjudicator’s eyebrows lifted a little. “That is a generous sum, Mr. Cliff. I would advise you to rethink this choice.”

“Why?”

“Because, frankly, even if you do spend all the money on helping defend the city, there is still no guarantee you will actually succeed. And should you pull off such a miracle, there is a good chance that the city won’t earn your investment back fast enough to justify making it in the first place.” Then, after a pause, he added, “And it shouldn’t be ignored that while, yes, owning a city is quite the luxury, the Northern Belt is highly unstable.”

“I get all that,” Freddy said with a smile. “But if I fail and the city crumbles, I want to know I’ve done all I could.”

“Mr. Cliff… sometimes, it is wise to moderate your investments.”

“And sometimes, Adjudicator, you have to do the right thing. Even if it won’t earn you a ton of money.” He could stop the venom from dripping into those last words. He sighed. Then, he forced a cheerful smile, laughing a bit. “I’m just not quite used to all this. Forgive me if I’m a bit rude.”

“It is no problem. In fact, I find it admirable that you’re willing to put the people of the Northern Belt first. I wish there were more people like you in power,” he said, but the unspoken part of the sentence echoed through the silence he left behind.

“So,” Freddy said. “Are you willing to pay in resources or?”

“I will do you one better, Mr. Cliff,” the man said. “I will add your money to the city defense plan I am already working on.”

Freddy’s eyebrows jumped at that. “Huh. Are you going to cooperate with the local forces?”

“Am I not already doing that as we speak?”

“Not really,” Freddy said. “I don’t own Valhalla. I have great influence with them, sure, but they’re not exactly mine. They have their internal command structure and their own plans.”

The adjudicator went silent at those words for a few moments. Then, he released a slightly displeased groan. “Perhaps you should work on tightening your grasp over them, Mr. Cliff. They might seem harmless enough now, or even helpful, but given enough time, the choice of letting them be will come back to bite you.”

“I’ve saved them from certain destruction,” Freddy said. “I doubt they’ll turn on me.”

“Don’t take offense to this, Mr. Cliff, but the last thing you should expect from those you help is gratitude.”

Freddy paused at those words. “Right. Well I don’t expect anything from them but to continue doing what they’ve been doing for years.”

“You shouldn’t expect that, either.”

“With all due respect, I would like to keep my relationship with Valhalla a personal matter.”

The adjudicator raised his hands. “All right. Your business is yours alone. I won’t meddle any more than is asked of me. On that note, I will contact their leadership so we can coordinate.”

“Thank you. I’ll be around, too. Oh, and before I forget—” He proceeded to list off a number of things he wanted to give Sophia, including elixirs, a one-star satellite, and a whole assortment of other resources.

“You will have those by the end of the following day,” the adjudicator said. “Until then, I believe we are done with our talk.”

All that was left was signing the contract, and Freddy was on his way.