Auren makes his way to the Association again, while the others take care of acquiring a few long-lasting supplies.
They'll probably need a while—there is no reason to rush.
With every other walk from the airport, approaching the towering building again and again, Auren begins to loathe the building more and more.
Ignoring the employees, receptionists, and visitors—who, for some reason, keep staring at him—Auren just heads straight up to Pariston's office.
When he arrives at the door, he knocks, but receives no answer. He tries to open it, but finds it locked. Checking his phone, he sees the time—it's already past 11 AM.
He's not back yet? He mentioned a meeting... it might take a while longer.
Auren waits patiently for another thirty minutes until Pariston finally arrives, dressed in a yellow-and-black suit with a purple tie.
Nice suit....
"What a hassle," Pariston says, smiling wildly. "I am so sorry for the delay. The meeting took a little longer than anticipated."
He slides the key into the lock, opens the door, and politely gestures for Auren to follow him inside.
"Though the meeting was longer than anticipated, it's partly your fault, Auren," Pariston says as they step in.
"How?" Auren asks, now confused. "Did you talk about the exorcism or what? It's been 4 days already."
"No, the Chairman invited all Zodiacs to talk with him—though a certain Boar didn't show up. Unsurprisingly. It looks like he really enjoyed your little spar. He talked for almost an hour about Hunters needing to shape up."
That's just silly.
Pariston's smile widens.
"He's planning to make the Hunter Exam more difficult and tweak it to focus more on traditional combat. He's been mentioning your name to everyone. It looks like you really impressed him."
"No comment," Auren says. "In my opinion, I got beaten up one-sidedly and was clearly humbled."
"No, we all saw his injuries. To even manage to injure the Chairman is a feat that automatically qualifies you as one of the strongest Nen users the Association has to offer. Even Cluck and Cheadle looked worried. They clearly regret taking you too lightly. If you ever want to take your revenge, give me a call."
"There is no need for something silly like that! They are acting childishly, and I have no grudges against them," Auren clarifies with annoyance.
Pariston leans forward slightly.
"I personally know that you're quite talented, and it looks like your Hatsus are quite impressive. In any case, I notice that despite wounding the Chairman, you yourself aren't hurt in the slightest. Let's talk about your ability—more specifically, how we can use it to benefit the Hunter Association and save as many lives as possible."
"Cut the bullshit," Auren says. "I have conditions. First of all, you need to guarantee my privacy. Second, I require at least a few billion as payment—I don't want to waste my time otherwise. I expect a fair split of the actual revenue, not a lump sum. Knowing you, I would be on the losing end if I were to accept fixed rates."
He crosses his arms as he stares at the Zodiac. "With your skills, I wouldn't be surprised if you can find people willing to pay 20 to 30 billion. So even if I were to accept 5 billion, I would be working almost for free. I want a fair cut. Also, I might be busy, so ask me before accepting any 'patients.'"
"I see, I see, that sounds fair," Pariston nods, still smiling wildly. "It would make sense to turn this into some kind of event. Maybe every three to six months, we'll meet up somewhere, I'll invite countless Temp Hunters who are happy to help with security, and then you'll treat the customers I'll arrange beforehand."
"How about a simple 70-30 split?" Pariston offers.
"Seventy percent... fine, I agree," Auren replies.
"Haha, Auren, you are such a joker. Of course, the Association would get the seventy percent," Pariston says, barely holding back a laugh.
"No... you're not talking about the Association, but yourself. You would get the seventy percent," Auren rebuffs him.
Pariston grins before answering in a calm and cold voice, "That's the same, isn't it? I'll be chairman soon enough, and before that, I'm the one who keeps the Association running in the first place. You can view me as the caretaker of this place, which is why it's only natural that I'll obtain as much funding as necessary and manage it on my own. Surely, you agree."
No... I don't, but arguing with this madman is not gonna produce any results. The only thing that works is threats. He needs me, and we both know it. I will not get scammed.
Auren crosses his arms and speaks confidently. "Forget it then. Thirty percent is not enough. I have contacts myself and can get clients on my own. While I would appreciate your help—which, without a doubt, would be extremely valuable—along with the protection and authority of the Association, I don't think thirty percent is even a remotely fair cut for me."
"Also..." Auren continues, "I've got a feeling that you'll use my services more as a bargaining chip to expand your influence. This isn't all about money for you. I know how you operate."
Pariston smiles at Auren, completely unfazed.
"Fine," he says, turning serious. "One last offer—I'll funnel fifty percent of the total earnings to you, and I'll do it through the Association. That means I'll issue you different D- and C-rank missions. Not only will you receive half of the payment, without needing to think about security or waste time finding and negotiating with clients, but you'll also gain a lot of reputation from completing these missions. That means rapid promotions. You have no costs, no hassle, while I take care of everything. If this isn't enough, I would be foolish to offer you more."
Fine... as long as he takes care of the whole ordeal, it's really as simple as collecting money. I can live with half of the earnings.
"That sounds fair..." Auren replies after a moment of thought. "Add a few lower-ranked missions for my students and comrades, since I'll be taking them along. You can pay them a few million from my cut, but I want them to get the credits for completed missions as well. Also, you'll owe me a few favors—nothing big—but if I require some help from the Association, I want you to support me. Of course, I'll pay for larger favors. This is just about information, which you almost monopolize."
"Agreed," Pariston says. "You'll soon realize that you just made one of the smartest decisions in your life. Don't think the earnings will be small—you'll earn enough money to buy a country. You can trust me on that."
"Sounds promising indeed," Auren replies.
Not that I need even more money, but it certainly can't hurt. At worst, I can donate it to Hollow Blade. Maybe I can also donate to Meteor City and try to get a few more capable people that way. I can ask Rakshala whether she would be interested in that or if the risk of subversion is too great.
"Now, let's discuss a few more details..." Pariston begins.
He immediately launches into question after question, which Auren answers only vaguely, careful not to reveal exact details of his ability, making it seem like he has strict conditions he needs to fulfill.
"So you want to limit it to a maximum of three clients per day? You also decide the exact date and even want to add certain times when you want to work," Pariston confirms.
"Depending on the severity of the patient's issues, I might need three days for one client. I can tell you more if you tell me what exactly is wrong with the patient. If it's just a blemish—like a scar—it takes me a minute. If it's creating a new arm, it'll take a very long time, and I'll have to try hard. This is not something I can do just like that," Auren explains. "Also, my ability comes with limitations, as you might have guessed, which is why I need to carefully plan ahead, especially if it's not about a single patient. I need a lot of time to prepare beforehand.
"I think I understand," Pariston replies. "Good. I'll contact you once I've slowly and carefully lined up a few patients. I also plan to offer favors, so in those cases, I'll be the one paying you. We can discuss the details when the situation arises."
"In any case, let's talk about your collection," he continues.
"The people I hired for you—and who you generously paid—would be interested in continuing to work for you. I can assure you, they will neither scam nor outright deceive you. Reputation is everything to those people. Why not meet them in person and decide for yourself?"
"I've only seen pictures of the items they bought for me," Auren states. "Before I commit, I want to see my treasures, so I'll meet them fairly soon and decide then."
Pariston nods, seemingly satisfied with Auren's approach. "They've gathered the items in Yorknew. You can pick them up at any time. Give them a call, schedule a meeting, show them your license, and you can collect everything at your convenience."
"Good," Auren replies. "Let's talk more after that. I'll pick them up soon. I'll make a short stop in my old home for a week, and then pick them up. Afterwards, I'll prepare for the meeting. I'll bring a lot of money and the few items I've collected with me."
"I'll send you the details," Pariston explains. "The meeting will be fairly soon, so it's best if you prepare yourself. After that, make sure to catalogue your hopefully growing collection—with some details and pictures—and send them to me. You'll officially document and show off these items as your possessions; that way, your achievements can be fully attributed to you. These are the minimum requirements so you can get proper credit from the Association. I'm guessing if you do that, you should be able to make Single-Star without much trouble—especially after the other things you've accomplished. Add to that the C- and D-rank missions I'll issue you, and it won't take longer than a year or two at most."
Perfect.
Auren stands up, looks Pariston in the eyes, and stretches out his hand.
Pariston firmly shakes it, his smile twisting slightly. "Glad to be doing business with you."
Auren nods and turns around before saying, "I'll see you soon. Relay my thanks to Zamra—she did a great job."
I wonder what kind of backroom deals Pariston will make. Next time, I'll demand he tell me. Can't say that I'm not interested.
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