Fudge popped out of his shadow like a ball bouncing on a hardwood floor. There was a certain pep in the slimeās step, as if he knew that his unique talents were about to be called upon for a mission.
"Yes, master?" Fudge asked, already smiling.
"Looks like you already know what to do," he said to Fudge. He had no doubt that the slime had been eavesdropping on their conversation this entire time. So, Fudge knew the situation even if he didnāt explain it to him.
"Fudge. Find that evidence for us," Michael said to him hesitantly.
Max and the twin royals looked at the violet slime and couldnāt help but express their doubt.
"Michael, is this your tamed monster?" Prince Harry asked. "And are you commanding him to infiltrate Uncle Jackās mansion?"
When Michael said that he had someone perfect for the job, they expected him to bring out a secret guard or assassin that he was connected with. They would have never expected in a million years that it would be a small little violet slime that had a penchant for wearing black rogue clothes.
"Yes, this is Fudge," he said, introducing the slime to everyone.
"Heya! Best ninja in the world, reporting for duty!"
Elizabethās eyes widened. The slime was the cutest thing she had ever seen! If it werenāt for the importance and heaviness of the situation, she would have immediately gone over and hugged the little fella.
"Ahem...Michael, are you sure you want to deploy this cuteāahem...slime?"
Michael nodded. "Trust me, if thereās anyone that can do it, then it would be Fudge."
The violet slime jumped up and down after receiving that compliment.
"I have to reiterate that those guards are the best at what they do," warned Prince Harry. "Iām not sure if you know, but there are Secret Service guards monitoring the castle at all times. Uncle Jackās guards are the same, if not better, than the guards here when it comes to protecting their mansion."
Fudge looked around and scoffed. "Pfft. Oh them? Then this will be easy. Theyāre not even ninjas."
As arrogant as it may have sounded, Fudge had a point. Michael knew the slime would have no trouble sneaking past the guards. It was dealing with Viperion thatās the problem.
"Hehehe...Master, is this important?" Fudge asked.
"Yes, Fudge. Very important."
The violet slimeās smile grew wider. "Then that means that I can use whatever means necessary to do the job, am I correct?"
Michael sighed. Fudge was very good at his job. Too good, one could even say. However, the little slime also had a tendency to go off the books and do things that others might consider āvillainyā.
There were no such ethical boundaries for Fudge. Heck, he even built a religion purely to manipulate his enemies to do his bidding.
Michael had no doubt that he would be able to fetch them the necessary evidence to put Uncle Jack behind bars for the remainder of his life. However, he was worried that by using Fudge for this reason, he could end up releasing a far greater threat to humanity than Uncle Jack could ever do.
"Master? Am I free to do what I want?" Fudge asked again, giggling and barely able to hold his excitement.
"...yes, Fudge. You do whatās necessary to get to the vault."
Fudge swallowed his smile and turned solemn, like a good ninja should do. He looked up at Michael and saluted.
"I shall not disappoint. The shadows shall be ever present wherever secrets lie..."
The slime acted cool and mysterious right before sinking down into Michaelās shadow.
Just before he completely disappeared, everyone heard the sounds of an eerie laughter coming from the shadow.
"Hehehehehe..."
Michael shuddered at the thought of what he had unleashed.
"I hope that this works," Prince Harry prayed.
"Iām going to ask for forgiveness now for whatever Fudge is going to do," Michael muttered.
It was at that moment that Uncle Jack finally had enough of getting constantly rejected by Angela. He turned towards Michael and angrily gestured for him to come over.
"Are we going to start this duel or what?"
Michael turned to everyone and gave them a reassuring nod.
He then walked over to Uncle Jack and stopped right when they faced each other.
Angela stood at their side, still displaying a solemn expression. She looked like the epitome of fairness. Her demeanor reminded Michael of the famous sculpture of the blindfolded woman holding a balance scale. This was very impressive, given how Uncle Jack tried so hard to piss her off.
"Please state the terms of your duel," she announced.
Uncle Jack looked at Michael and gave him a warm and welcoming expression.
"Michael, boy...I think we got off on the wrong foot here. I think that this duel is a chance for us to make up and bury the hatchet between us."
Michael nodded. "Our grudge will be settled for sure after this duel," he muttered.
"Then weāre on the same page. You see, I think that I was very much mistaken about your automobile. Your talents have led me to realize that maybe you are telling the truth and that the automobile will soon revolutionize Metropolis.
And given how complex it is, Iām willing to bet that you will have trouble producing these automobiles on a large scale. By my estimation, youāll only be able to create one per weekāand thatās if you have the best blacksmiths on your side."
Uncle Jack then walked towards Michael and got closer to him.
"Now hereās the thing. I want to help you out. Youāll need a lot of money and capital to be able to get the labor and the tons of metal resources you need for the production of the automobile.
Iām sure you donāt have that. The Vanderbilt family here is struggling to even keep their mansion. But you donāt have to get bogged down by their poverty. You can get it all on your own.
And here comes me. I am going to offer you a deal of a lifetime. You see, thereās this mineshaft that I just recently discovered. And the potential pay out for this mineshaft will be very lucrative for both you and me. And donāt tell others I told you this, but there may also be a GodForge piece hidden down there somewhere.
If you give me oneājust oneāof your automobiles, then I will consider it as enough payment for you to get a whopping 50% of all the profits in the mineshaft.
This is an investment opportunity for you. It will allow you to bring back the glory of the Vanderbilts, and maybe even get the attention of your grandfather.
So? What do you say?"
Uncle Jack couldnāt hide the greed from his eyes well enough. Even if Michael hadnāt heard this story before from his uncle Max, he would have still doubted the authenticity of this supposed mineshaft.
Since he already knew that the offer was nothing but a scam, he knew to avoid it entirely.
However, call it being vain, but Michael wanted to gain something from this scammer as a sense of poetic justice. And what better way to do that other than to have a contract overseen by a Montgomery?