The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary

It took some time for Ke Loong to process what has just happened. Only then did he slowly start to realise what exactly was wrong with the whole situation… "My gosh. I cannot believe I had been tricked twice in a row. I totally forgot that we are still in a dungeon instance."

"I did ask for your clarification. It's your own fault for not realising where we are." Jin gave him a grin as he wiped his bleeding hand with a towel and let the internal legendary inscription do its job of slowly regrowing the lost finger. (Although the feeling of recovery was just as painful and strange as before, at least this time it was slightly tolerable.)

"I guess you did place me in such a precarious circumstance that it fizzled my train of thought. Still, a promise is a promise. It's not like we actually need your finger for anything. It's all about the conviction to actually sacrifice a part of yourself, and you have more than proven yourself worthy. Do you wish for a blood pact or something similar as proof of my promise?" Ke Loong asked, and Kraft took the opportunity in the shadows to 'quietly' shout in Jin's mind.

"Contract! Now! I've already prepared it for you and asked the system to place it in your storage watch when you did that badass yakuza shit. Though it makes me wonder, is his master or organisation part of the Yakuza?" Kraft's thoughts were intensely loud in Jin's head, making him look as if he had a sudden migraine.

"What's wrong?" Ke Loong asked as a sign of concern.

"Nothing, I thought the pain was dulling, but instead, there was a sharp sting afterwards." Jin lied as he looked at his hand, but Ke Loong laughed at his statement.

"Hahah! Well, now I know that you really did your part in an attempt to sacrifice your finger. The pain will go off soon enough… But considering that you seem to be already recovering by whatever dungeon owner rights that you have, I seriously envy you." Ke Loon replied while Jin took the opportunity to take out the contract from his storage watch.

"What? You already have a blood contract ready for me?" Ke Loong questioned as he received the letter with two hands and started reading. At the same time, the minotaurs and penguins quietly retracted from the scene, and other fellow penguin waiters came in to clear up the mess, including replacing the meals with new, piping hot ones.

"I see. This is an interesting contract. No wonder Mr Know-It-All believes in you so much despite the limited interaction." Ke Loong stated, and Jin who did not read it commented that it should be quite a fair one, considering what Ke Loong was capable of.

"Quite true. Very well." Ke Loong agreed. He took out his pen and pricked his finger for blood. After which, the Sea Mesh CEO signed it and requested Jin to give him a copy whenever he was able to. Only when Jin was verifying the contract did he learn what Kraft had come up with.

It was not the usual sort of contract forcing the other party to pledge their services to the System. Instead, it was a promise that Jin and Ke Loong were to be treated as equal business partners.

Although the previous contract profit still stayed intact, subsequent contracts created would be made to benefit both Jin and Sea Mesh. If any of the companies ever stated to face difficulties, they would have to help each other in their times of need.

There did not seem to be any no hidden clause, no double meanings or anything that might change the way either party operated. The only limitation was not to question nor probe into each other's way of doing businesses unless it was for research or regulatory purposes. And even then it required informing the other party beforehand.

Jin was initially surprised by Kraft's contract, but when he thought carefully about it, it was still a major compromise for Sea Mesh's CEO considering that the current Dungeons and Pandas was still young and developing.

Usually, major companies would buy, absorb or take full control of minor potential companies. In this contract, they were established as equal partners for life. Though some might say it might eventually stifle the future potential growth of Dungeons and Pandas, what Jin needed now was an assurance that he could grow safely. (Especially when the latter could possibly develop into a threat to other businesses.)

Even though Sea Mesh was not by any means a multi national company at the moment, being locally recognised as a national company brought credibility to Dungeons and Pandas, and that would prove to have many implications for Jin's expansion.

Not to mention, Jin believed that it could provide a reliable front for all the experimental stuff he had been doing in his store. Along with the clauses in the contract, Jin now recognised that Kraft had protected the dungeon supplier's long term interests. Thus, he too signed with the blood from his severed finger (which was placed at the side) and completed the contract.

However, with Kraft in the picture, Jin knew that while this may seem fair, a devil's contract would always entail some unsaid parts. Although the agreement did not state anything about being in the service of the System, offering a blood contract meant that both Jin and Ke Loong's fate were intertwined as one.

Using that as the loophole logic of most blood pacts and contracts, it allowed the System to have partial surveillance of Ke Loong without him knowing. It was like a Trojan horse, forcefully entering Ke Loong's fate lines without being in control.

"There's no need to control him. Knowing what he has is more than enough." Kraft thought to himself as he returned back to his room and started to preview what an interesting backstory Ke Loong had.

Still, what he was most concerned about was the identity of Mr Know-It-All. Was he a foe who had sent them the CEO as a sign of mutual trust or an agent of destruction who had done so to make them less wary of him?

"Well! That's one way to start the new year." Ke Loong laughed as he clapped his hands and already felt famished from all the food staring back at him.

"A gross understatement. Please partake in whatever you wish to eat, today's meal is on me for the poor behaviour. I sincerely believed that you were going to blackmail me." Jin offered, and Ke Loong shook his head.

"I honestly wished to see what kind of person you really were. The previous times that I met with you were mostly a façade and the manufactured portal devices if needed, can be written off as liabilities, something I can afford to lose. While Mr Know-It-All did mention that you are still growing as a person and asked me to give you a chance or two, the business world is not as kind as he believes." Ke Loong was more than satisfied with Jin's response in the impromptu test.

"I wanted to see if you have the determination, the resolution to be a decent boss for the future and most importantly if you cared for your workers. I hate bosses who treat their workers like dirt and shit for their own benefits. I detest those people with all my being. If you had cracked under pressure to take my offer, I would have immediately sent word to annihilate you and redirect your workers to people who appreciate them more." Ke Loong said as he gorged himself with food. Jin only smiled at this.

Even if Mr Know-It-All's end goal was to harm Jin, the dungeon supplier was at least thankful that he had introduced a mentor for him to learn from.