Chapter 157: Deal Complete, Am I the Bad Guy?
No one understood Kaito Shirogane's meaning at first. Flame Fiend, enraged, was about to roar, but with a single snap of Kaito's fingers, he was ejected from the private space.
Kaito had no time for such threats. That man called Moon Fiend was already tracking him. This Flame Fiend, who in Kaito's opinion was inferior in both strength and temperament, trying to threaten him with his reputation... it was laughable.
The Nexus was a dark forest. There was no trust between Reincarnators. Almost every rule of the space encouraged them to kill each other. A weak Reincarnator could not bet their life on the supposed morality, mercy, or contracts of a stronger one. They could only pray they never crossed paths. And if they did, their only choice was to use every trick they had to survive. There were no other options.
Making threats in a safe zone like this was something only a fool would do, and only a fool would listen. If you encountered a Reincarnator you'd previously intimidated, would you spare them out of some sense of pity?
At least, Kaito wouldn't.
[Conspiracy], who had just been an errand boy for someone else, also took his leave. Kaito guessed he was a pawn for a faction opposing Flame Fiend and Fleur.
[Crimson Sorcerer - Luo Xi] frowned. Her bearing was clearly on a higher level, but she was also puzzled by Kaito's arrangement.
Kaito looked at them and smiled. "I've decided to split the 10 vials into two lots. One vial will be traded separately with [Show] in exchange for one B-rank Singularity."
"The remaining nine vials of Compound V will all be sold to [Rose Tiger], in exchange for [Shun Goku Satsu] and the [Satsui no Hado]. Of course, I will also add one B-rank Singularity from my side, plus the contract you mentioned."
Rose Tiger almost laughed with rage. "Do you take me for a fool?" This offer not only reduced the number of vials he would receive but also devalued his own supplemental terms. The only one who profited was Kaito.
Kaito shrugged. "Of course, we can adjust the details, but the general idea won't change. I will sell the vials in two lots. You are guaranteed to receive nine of them." He looked at them, and the smile on his grotesque face became even more hideous.
"I sell nine vials to you, and one vial to [Show]," he explained with a light laugh. "[Show] gets the vial he wants, I get the greatest profit, and you… you also ensure that Fleur doesn't get a single vial, don't you?"
Finally, Kaito looked at the most powerful person in the room, the [Crimson Sorcerer].
"And you, in turn, ensure that Rose Tiger can continue to lead a stable team under your banner. And even… in a way, you've gained an extra asset in me."
Clap, clap, clap…
Kaito nodded, applauding his own brilliant speech.
In fact, at that moment, everyone—Luo Xi, Rose Tiger, and Fleur—had fallen silent. Even [Black Butler] looked as if he were seeing this "Mercenary Tao," whom he had thought of as a simple beast, for the first time. He mentally revised his evaluation. The potential of this new monster had just been raised significantly.
Wild, sharp, and cunning to the point of being devious…
He hadn't given him much information, but Kaito had perfectly exploited the conflict between Fleur and Rose Tiger. With just a few words, he had grasped the true nature of this transaction and had accurately gauged the bottom line of every single person in the room.
Yes, the strangest part of this whole deal was that the highest bidder, [Rose Tiger], didn't actually need that many vials of Compound V. His one and only demand, from start to finish, was to ensure that Fleur did not get her hands on them. Both [Show] and [Fleur] were the ones who actually wanted the vials.
From this, Kaito had sorted everyone into their respective camps and had easily found his optimal trading strategy. First, [Rose Tiger] and [Fleur] were the most desperate, their interests in direct conflict. They could be pressured. If one didn't accept, he would just trade with the other, an outcome that would be unacceptable to the one left out. This supply-and-demand dynamic meant that Kaito could dictate the price.
Then there was [Show], the purest trader. His presence provided Kaito with the most direct profit, because his demand was the smallest—just one vial—a portion that could be separated from the main deal and was acceptable to both Fleur and Rose Tiger.
Kaito didn't pay any attention to the silent group. He just completed the first transaction.
[You have accepted the trade from II67855510 (Show).]
[You have lost Compound V x1.]
[You have obtained 1 B-rank Singularity.]
The man with the black and white swords still hadn't fully processed the complex transaction, but he found that the trade had, inexplicably, been completed. His face was a calm poker face, but his eyes held a look of pure, clear "wisdom." In the end, he seemed about to say something, but then just turned and left Kaito's space.
Kaito turned to look at Fleur and Rose Tiger, not in a hurry. He knew they would trade with him. And the one who would concede would most likely be…
Kaito tilted his head back, looking down at Rose Tiger from under his eyelids. It was a subconscious gesture, one that signaled that, psychologically, he had already judged that he had complete control over him.
The next moment, Rose Tiger glanced at Luo Xi, and agreed to the trade.
"Hmph. You really know how to pick your moments, Mercenary Tao," he growled, but the words held a tone of submission.
Fleur closed her eyes and sighed. After she had contacted her own backer for support, only to have them send an idiot like [Flame Fiend], her expectations for that faction had fallen. Perhaps she should just focus on self-preservation and wait to see which side won. The conflict between the two [Peerless] of the Spirit attribute would not last long. Such a thing would cause massive losses among the Reincarnator population. There were already rumors that the top-tier collectives—[Destiny], [Nexus Throne], and [Azure Sky]—were in communication with the [Peerless] ones, trying to mediate.
She turned and left the private space, not forgetting to shoot a parting barb at Rose Tiger. "Mercenary Tao. If this tiger doesn't complete the trade with you, remember to contact me. My offer still stands."
Kaito nodded pleasantly and let her go.
Rose Tiger knew Fleur was furious with him, but there was no turning back now. "Mercenary Tao," he said, "you should understand that the value of these two items of mine is far greater than those vials."
Kaito just nodded. "Of course. But in business, there are always high buys and low sells. It's not unusual."
Rose Tiger glanced at Luo Xi and finally said, "I can accept the part where you only subsidize one B-rank Singularity. But in exchange, you must join the faction of Lady [Crimson Sorcerer - Luo Xi]!"
The beautiful woman now had a satisfied smile on her face.
Kaito also smiled. This Rose Tiger wasn't a fool either. His goal, from the very beginning, had been to join this woman's faction, to gain her favor and resources. So, after suppressing Fleur, and seeing that he couldn't get a better deal from Kaito, he had naturally turned his attention to Luo Xi. By binding Kaito to her faction, his investment of these two powerful abilities was not a complete loss.
Rose Tiger was almost tempted to praise his own quick wit.
But Kaito's smile was strange. "You want me to join your faction, Miss Luo Xi? Are you sure? I'm a person who is very good at causing trouble."
Luo Xi looked at his strange smile, thought of all the things he had done, and while they were outrageous, for a Reincarnator, the more outrageous, the more excellent.
"That's not causing trouble, Mercenary Tao. Only the mediocre cause trouble," she said, giving him a high evaluation. "A man like you is only ever trouble for others."
Kaito didn't object. He just thought, If you knew that the [Kalpa] I killed was indeed a follower of a certain [Peerless] one, I wonder if you would still be so happy.
"I can join your faction," Kaito said. "But I will not join anyone else's team, nor do I guarantee I will form my own. I will only… ah, act under the identity of a member of the [Crimson Sorcerer - Luo Xi]'s faction, and in missions that are not life-threatening, I may choose to provide assistance. Is that acceptable?"
The beautiful woman readily agreed. He was a new star, on a different mission cycle from everyone else, and she didn't fully understand his background. She had no intention of recklessly placing a monster like him into an established team anyway. As for life-or-death missions… she couldn't order a Reincarnator on a suicide mission. Reincarnators were, in essence, the property of the Nexus. The Nexus would never allow it. And… if she just had him eliminate a few rival teams within the same tier, it wouldn't be a violation of their agreement.
The woman smiled, her eyes crinkling. Rose Tiger finally smiled as well.
[You have accepted the trade from PW21322548 (Rose Tiger).]
[You have lost 1 B-rank Singularity.]
[You have lost Compound V x9.]
[You have obtained the Ability Scroll: Shun Goku Satsu.]
[You have obtained the Legacy Crystal: Satsui no Hado.]
With a series of notifications, everyone had gotten what they wanted.
[Crimson Sorcerer - Luo Xi has invited you to join the Collective: Crimson Lotus. Do you accept?]
"Accept."
[You have joined the Collective: Crimson Lotus.]
[NOTICE: After joining a Collective, you may gain information about your collective during combat. You may also directly enter the Collective's public space from your private space. The size and function of the Collective space is linked to the Collective's level.]
[Crimson Lotus (57/88): Level 2 Collective]
[Collective Position: Normal Member]
[Affiliated Team: None]
Luo Xi, seeing that Kaito had joined her collective, found that even his ugly face was now a little more pleasing to the eye. She had no idea just how much trouble he had really gotten himself into. For now, she just thought she had recruited an excellent talent.
Before she left, she gave him a special warning. "If you are not a Spirit-type who has broken the limit, do not touch the [Satsui no Hado] before you reach the [Strong] tier."
Then, she thought for a moment and added, "This private space of yours is quite large. You could decorate it. It's ugly as hell right now."
With that, she left. Rose Tiger followed.
Kaito realized that this woman was actually treating him as one of her own. He thought about all the things he had done, and the [Betrayer] milestone he had gotten after killing the original Mercenary Tao. He thought about the Homelander he had just killed.
Tsk. Am I really a bad guy?