Chapter 21: Deal (3)
Emblem of the Sun's executive meeting.
The Guild Master Evon Elsher, the Director of Unit 2, Vice President of Marketing Management, and the Manager of Darkness Overload. They all sat on a large oval table. Opposite them were two key figures—Director Lawrence, and Carl Mason, CEO of Dungeon Seekers.
An important meeting was taking place.
"We're fine with the cooperation, however, like I said, that's only on the premise that Darkness Overload will sign a contract with us."
"…That's not entirely out of the table; however, what you're offering is a bit too low. Especially since you're asking them to be the face of the platform."
"It's indeed a little low, but that's the most we can offer at the moment. The site is still at its developing stages, and any more than this is unacceptable for us."
"This…"
The manager of Darkness Overload, a middle-aged man with a thin beard looked around. His gaze eventually fell on the Guild Master who remained silent throughout the entire meeting.
He wasn't the only one.
Practically everyone in the room was eying him, be it stealthily, or blatantly. After all, he was the one who would ultimately decide whether the deal would go through or not. His presence alone overwhelmed everyone in the room as he remained seated where he was.
Tap. Tap.
His finger lightly tapped against the table as he slowly closed his eyes and fell into thought.
"The Price is indeed a little low…"
He muttered softly.
"It is indeed a little low, but you need to think about the potential that our web—"
"I already have a rough idea of the potential that your website can bring."
The Guild Master slowly opened his eyes.
"That's why you guys are still here."
The words were ambiguous but everyone in the room understood clearly the intent behind them.
"…Th-thank you."
Director Lawrence responded in a rather flustered manner as he dabbed the sweat away from his face. The Guild Master's presence seemed a little too much for him to handle.
"I'm not complimenting you."
The Guild Master's gaze turned toward the CEO of Dungeon Seekers. He was faring much better than Director Lawrence as his face remained composed. At least, on the surface.
Even he was having a tough time handling the Guild Master's presence.
"I heard that you previously contacted Nova for the exclusive rights to Froze Glaze."
"As expected, your connections are something to marvel at Guild Master."
With a bitter smile, the CEO added.
"We haven't come to a conclusion to our deal. They're demanding far more than we can offer. Since the opportunity presented itself, we've come to you."
"Is that so?"
An ambiguous smile appeared on the Guild Master's face.
"You think giving a chance to one of our lower-end groups would be enough to secure a discount?"
"No, of course not."
CEO Carl smiled back.
"But have you watched the clip, Guild Master?"
"I have."
"Then you should know there's no better platform than ours to display their talents. With our help, Emblem of the Sun could be looking towards the bright future of a new group. I don't think you're satisfied with having just one Tier 5 group under your management, right?"
"Indeed, I'm not."
It was no secret that the Guild Master of Emblem of the Sun was an ambitious person.
Just like there were Tiers for Star Chasers, there were tiers for Guilds, ranging from one to five stars. Emblem of the Sun was currently sitting comfortably at four.
To outsiders, this was an incredible achievement as 4-star Guilds were practically amongst the strongest and most influential Guilds on the planet; however, to the Guild Master, this was a far cry from enough.
He wanted to be at the top.
To be the number one Guild on earth.
With his arms crossed, the Guild Master shook his head.
"…But they're not the only promising group that our Guild has. If we're talking about potential, we've got some with a lot more potential than them—Margaret, King's Crest, Chamber of Snow..."
He slowly started to list examples.
"Dark Canine, White Fox... We've got plenty of talented groups in our guild."
"Right, I've heard of them too."
CEO Carl nodded in agreement.
"But why not add one more group into that mix?"
"I don't know about that…"
The Director of Unit 2 finally opened his mouth as he looked toward the Guild Master. He pointed toward a set of papers on his desk.
"I've just taken a look at their profiles, and it's been about three years since Blue Daisy has been active. Their results have been… rather sub-par if I have to be honest. Logically speaking, we should give this opportunity to a more popular group."
"…That won't do."
The Guild Master shook his head after some thought.
"Why?"
The Director of Unit 2 tilted his head in confusion as the Guild Master pondered over his words and elaborated.
"If we add a more popular group, they won't experience as much of a boost as a newer more unknown group. The site is also relatively new so we don't know how much exposure they will receive. And even if it does end up being a hit, do you have any clips that are as good as the one presented by Blue Daisy?"
"No… but I think it's a waste to have Blue Daisy be the only group to enter."
The Unit leader turned to look at CEO Carl.
"Is there no way for you to add another group to your website?"
"I apologize, but our policy only allows two slots max from each Guild."
The CEO shook his head.
"It's our way to maintain a fair experience and stop Guilds from exploiting the system. Our goal is to display talents from all over the planet. That's why we don't want to saturate it with clips from people belonging to the same Guild. Regardless of price, we won't budge. However, we do allow Guilds to change groups whenever they want."
"But—"
When the Unit leader was about to answer, the Guild Master waved his hand to stop him.
"That's enough."
"Guild Master?"
"There's no need to discuss this any longer. Since this is an opportunity that has been acquired by Blue Daisy, it is only right that they have the chance. If they don't end up pulling good numbers, we can always switch groups."
CEO Carl slowly stood up.
"So does that mean…"
"That's right."
The Guild Master nodded his head.
"We accept the deal."
***
"Aigoo. It's so hot. Someone turn on the AC."
"No, Chief, please. It's too cold."
"And I'm telling you it's hot!"
"…No, I will really die if you make it any colder than this."
A war had broken in the small office room. The Chief of PR and her subordinates were currently fighting over the temperature of the room.
Personally, I thought it was a little cold, but it's not like I couldn't resist this little bit of cold. It's just that… if they really did turn on the AC, I'd probably get a cold.
Thinking about how miserable my life would be if I got a cold, I started to root for James in my mind.
"Actually, I agree with James. Chief, it's really a bit too cold."
Thomas from PR; James's colleague added.
I secretly nodded to myself.
Go, go! Let her have a piece of your mind!
"You guys are young, I'm old. I'm more sensitive to the temperature than you two."
"Chief! That's not fair at all!"
"How is it not fair?"
"Actually, I agree with her on this one."
Oh no.
I looked at Dean who had suddenly entered the conversation. Damn it, this traitor!
Pinching his sweater and flapping it lightly, he added, "It's kind of hot in here. It wouldn't do any harm to change the temperature to make it a little bit cooler."
"Well, there you go."
The Chief looked at her two subordinates with a victorious grin.
"Since the Vice Director has spoken, you two don't have any objections, right?"
"That…"
"…Chief…"
The two looked on the verge of breaking down. Desperate, the two looked around before eventually settling their gazes on me.
Looking at their pleading gazes, I felt a touch of sympathy well up inside of me. They reminded me of my siblings back at the orphanage when they wanted me to help them quell care mother's anger.
They were truly pitiful.
Thinking for a moment, I looked up only to see both the Chief and Dean looking at me.
"Do you have something to say, Liam? Do you also have a problem with us turning on the AC?"
"I…"
Right as I opened my mouth to respond, I felt my throat dry up. Memories of the past started to resurface in my mind. The hard times I had at the orphanage, and the pitiful faces of my siblings.
Their faces overlapped with the duo from PR, and I grit my teeth before resolving myself for the worst. Taking a deep breath, I looked at Dean.
"Problem?"
I took off my sweater.
"What problem? It feels like a sauna in here. Cold? Who's cold?"
***
"Traitor…"
"Scum…"
"Alright, I'm sorry, but I had no choice."
Mixing the powdered coffee and grabbing the cup with both hands, I apologized to the two of them.
"I already pissed off the Vice Director multiple times. If I sided with the two of you, I don't know what would become of me."
To be honest, he'd probably just grumble at me for a few minutes before stopping. But I did still feel a bit bad for what I did before...
If I were in his situation, I'd have probably already died from anxiety.
Plus, although the Chief and Dean looked heartless, they only lowered the temperature by a couple of degrees. It wasn't a big enough change for me to directly feel it.
Well, at least that's what I would've said had I not taken off my sweater. Honestly, every second felt dreadful.
It was so bad that I had no choice but to take a coffee break to warm myself up.
"Well, to be honest, I'm not really that mad."
James looked at me up and down.
"I was at first, but then seeing you in the room without a sweater made me realize that you were probably the one suffering the most."
"Tell me about it."
It was a good thing my face was just naturally stiff and no one noticed anything strange, but I really was suffering.
Felt like a popsicle.
"Still, that doesn't mean we've forgiven you."
"What do you want me to do to make it up to you guys, then?"
"Coffee. Buy us coffee next time."
"From the shop downstairs?"
"Yup."
"Alright, deal."
We shook hands. Like that, I was able to get rid of the 'Traitor', and 'Scum' tags off my back.
Just as I was about to return to the room, the door of the office room abruptly opened as Dean walked out with an excited look.
Somehow, staring at him, I already had an idea of what had happened and I felt a load lift off of my shoulders.
'Looks like the deal proceeded nicely.'
"We did it!"
He shouted at me, his eyes sparkling as he grabbed both my shoulders. It was the first time since meeting him that I saw him this animated.
"The deal went through! The girls will be broadcast in Dungeon Seekers!"
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone