Chapter 169: Negotiation

Saul fixed his one remaining right eye on Hayden and watched the blood drain from his face little by little.

From what Saul knew, Hayden had always holed up in the morgue, skipping classes, avoiding research, and making no progress. Most likely, he was simply waiting until he turned thirty, so he could leave the Wizard Tower and live a quiet, free life.

But reality was never that kind.

The sheltered Hayden had finally come into contact with the truth he’d always avoided.

His whole body slumped. He swayed slightly and braced himself on the workbench, sending the neatly arranged tools scattering in disarray.

Just like his current state of mind.

“I told you not to hide! Not to hide, you coward! Now look what’s happened! It’s all over, isn’t it?” Hayden’s face was deathly pale, yet the words he suddenly blurted out didn’t match his expression at all.

Seeing him like this, Saul lifted a hand and pinched his own chin, falling into thought.

After two years of being neighbors, Saul had long since noticed that Hayden had some issues with his personality—he seemed to have developed a second persona. Whether it was caused by prolonged exposure to magical radiation or something broken deep within him, Saul didn’t know.

At first, Saul hadn’t planned on getting involved. But during this collaboration, he suddenly found Hayden to be quite a capable assistant.

No excessive curiosity, a solid foundation of knowledge, and a nearly complete mastery of all Zero Tier spells. He was experienced in experimentation and had personally processed who knew how many “guest.”

Most importantly, Hayden had no backing whatsoever.

Saul lowered his hand and interlaced his fingers.

“Senior Hayden, I’ll give you a choice. Do you want to wait until thirty to leave the Wizard Tower, or do you want to make an effort in these last two years and try to reach Third Rank?”

Saul’s question cracked Hayden’s years of restraint, just a little. But thinking of his current state, he deflated again.

“Saul, I’m already twenty-eight. Those two years you mentioned… really are just two years.”

Saul didn’t press him. He glanced back at the wall full of human specimen cabinets. “If you change your mind and want to give it one last try, come find me.”

Saul walked toward the door. “If you want to try, leave an eye outside the door. If I see it, I’ll come find you.”

“You? You want to help me?” Hayden inhaled sharply, staring at the fourteen-year-old Saul. It seemed absurd, yet he couldn’t help but want to believe.

“I’ll do what I can.” Saul shrugged and pulled open the morgue door.

His pale knuckles stood out starkly against the crimson door.

Leaving the morgue, Saul checked the time—it was almost time. He headed to Kujin’s dorm for a meeting laced with hidden schemes.

“Your eye…” Kujin opened the door and saw that Saul, who’d been fine just yesterday, now had only one eye.

“Just a little experiment mishap. It’s nothing,” Saul replied casually.

But as soon as he entered the room, Kujin shut the door—leaving himself on the outside.

Saul was stunned and immediately turned to open the door.

Just as his hand touched the handle, a voice came from within the room.

“No need to panic. Kujin isn’t joining us because the one who wants to talk about cooperation… is me.”

He turned to see Ferguson—the guy who’d dropped his pants the night before.

Saul’s face showed the right mix of confusion and wariness. “Senior, who are you? What business do you have with me?”

“Sit down.” Ferguson gestured to the table and chairs in the sitting room. “I prefer to talk seated.”

“Because you can’t stand for long?” Saul thought to himself, then hesitantly sat in the chair closest to the door.

Ferguson chose the seat opposite Saul, adopting a proper negotiation posture.

“I don’t know what tricks you pulled to take over Kujin’s position these past few years,” Ferguson said, lifting his chin, “but I had an arrangement with Kujin. I provided credits or whatever he needed, and in return, he gave me materials exclusive to the second storage room.”

That direct?

Saul straightened. “That was a deal between you and Kujin. Now that he’s left, I don’t have the ability to continue that transaction with you.”

He wasn’t dumb enough to blurt out, “You were stealing materials from the storage room?!”

Feigning ignorance was fine—being too ignorant would be suspicious.

Ferguson didn’t beat around the bush either. “What are you concerned about?”

“The metal gate,” Saul said. “Since you’ve already made deals, you should know—the gate automatically verifies the task description. Anything not recorded through a message pen can’t leave the room.”

“We can help you with transportation. Anything else?”

We?

Was that a hint that Kujin was involved? Or were there other partners?

Saul paused for a few seconds. “What can you offer?”

“Basic magic crystals, credits—and since you’ve taken on the storage room task, you probably can’t leave the tower often. That means outside missions are off the table. If there’s something you need that’s not available inside the tower, you can let me know, and I’ll help you get it.”

Saul crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, thinking, “Quite the tempting offer you’re painting.”

“What exactly do you want me to transport? Let me be clear—if it’s anything with a number, I won’t touch it. Even if you say you’ll handle the fallout, I still won’t.”

Ferguson drummed his fingers lightly on the armrest. “We naturally won’t touch anything forbidden. Just some ordinary materials. We’re aiming for long-term cooperation.”

Now it was Saul’s turn to think.

“How do I know that after working with you, someone won’t secretly report me?”

“Hahaha…” Ferguson leaned back. “What good would that do? As long as you say you used the materials yourself, do you think the mentors will go verify each missing item one by one?”

He wagged a finger at Saul. “And don’t even think about turning us in. First, we’ve been doing this for years. Second, the mentors actually know. We’re not greedy—we’re careful not to cross their bottom line.”

So these guys really had been smuggling materials for a long time. Though some of what Ferguson said was likely meant just to reassure Saul.

Even if Saul hadn’t overheard their conversation, he wouldn’t take Ferguson’s words at face value.

“I understand, but I need some time to think about it.” Saul glanced at the hourglass clock on the wall and stood up. “It’s almost three—I’m heading back to the storage room.”

Ferguson didn’t rise. His expression darkened slightly, hands clasped in front of his mouth.

“Saul, there’s one thing you need to understand. We’re not wandering wizards, not lone wolves on the wasteland. Short- or long-term cooperation for a shared goal is normal. Why do you think Master Gorsa built the Wizard Tower? One person’s power is always limited.”

Saul lowered his head slightly. “I understand. That’s also why I’m being cautious about cooperation. If I agreed to everything too easily, wouldn’t you also worry that I might be playing a trick?”

Then Saul added, “What exactly is it you want?”

Ferguson pursed his lips, hesitated, then finally said, “For confidentiality, I’ll only tell you right before you enter the storage room. If you don’t leave the room for a while, or if you come out without the item we need, our deal ends immediately.”

Not giving Saul prep time—clearly to prevent him from planning anything.

What they didn’t know was that Saul had already overheard their plan.

Saul pushed himself to his feet with a hand on his knee. “Alright, seems like the thing you want isn’t that simple either.”

Ferguson’s expression faltered. He didn’t want Saul to think that. He quickly explained, “Nothing in the Wizard Tower’s storage is truly simple. The reason we don’t tell you in advance is to avoid any accidents.”

He tried to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“You’d better not waste too much of our time. Give us your answer by tomorrow night. Otherwise… we might find another partner.”

Saul’s smile turned cold in an instant. “Find another? Is that a threat?”

Being questioned by a Second Rank apprentice infuriated Ferguson. He gripped the armrest tightly, intending to stand up, but the motion shifted from pushing to clenching.

“Not a threat,” he said, suppressing his anger and squeezing the armrest as if trying to crush it. “Just a necessary reminder.”

After Ferguson backed down, Saul immediately changed expression and smiled. “Thanks for the reminder, Senior. Then I’ll take my leave.”

But this time, he didn’t promise to “seriously consider” it.

(End of Chapter)

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