Chapter 52: Negotiation

Rick had maintained a stony expression the entire time, but the moment money was mentioned, he changed.

His face remained menacing, yet the twitching corners of his eyes revealed how deeply interested he was in this conversation.

I had already fully grasped what his desires were.

“A million dollars… you say it like it’s the name of the neighbor’s mutt.”

“In an environment like this, it might as well be.”

“Ho?”

“It means there’s money to be made everywhere you look.”

Rick mulled over my words for a moment before tilting his chin.

“This sounds like it’ll be a long talk. Care to sit?”

“Fine by me.”

“Hey! Bring some drinks!”

At Rick’s shout, the two gang members lingering by the entrance shuffled off.

While they were gone, Rick guided me to a chair by the window.

The seat faced outward, offering a full view of the dreary, desolate scenery below.

As I gazed at the sight, Rick broke the silence.

“What you’re saying sounds an awful lot like you want to completely tear this city apart and rebuild it. Am I right?”

“Similar, but not quite.”

“Similar yet different?”

“I’m neither a charity worker nor a public official. I’m a businessman whose goal is to make money.”

Revamping an entire city costs a fortune.

Some parts will lose money, others will make it.

“Business is done to earn profit. So we just take the profitable parts.”

“That’s a very interesting way to put it. Money is always right, after all.”

While the gang members poured liquor into our glasses, he continued.

“So you’re saying we cover the investment we lost with the profits from that project?”

“Since it’ll be a joint venture, I’m not giving you everything. I’m suggesting a win-win.”

“Hahaha, come on, are you just trying to use me? You’re looking down on me a little too much, aren’t you?”

“Instead, you’ll get exactly what you want, won’t you?”

“What I want?”

The moment I stepped into this room, I had felt it.

His longing, his wish, you could call it.

“Don’t you want to escape these back alleys?”

Rick has money.

He must have built a system where the money circulating in these streets trickles up to him little by little; there’s no way he’d be short on cash.

Yet he still greedily hoarded more.

Why?

One of two reasons.

Either he feels ecstasy simply from accumulating money.

Or he wants something that money can buy.

I was certain it was the latter.

“Escape the back alleys? Why do you think that?”

“If you only wanted money, you wouldn’t have created a place like this.”

“What’s wrong with this place?”

“It’s like a gallery, or a party hall.”

People who derive joy purely from hoarding wealth don’t want to show it off.

The moment you flaunt your riches, flies swarm in one way or another.

And especially for someone like Rick, who leads a gang.

If a subordinate gets any funny ideas and puts a hole in his head, all that money becomes meaningless.

“You want to become someone everyone looks up to.”

To have people in a room filled with luxuries like this, gazing at him in awe.

Rick wanted fame more than money.

Rick, who had been listening silently, turned his head and looked around the room.

The huge space was packed with possessions, yet it felt utterly empty.

Reading his eyes, I spoke.

“I’ll repay the investment you lost with that fame. And separately from that, we’ll split a million-dollar project.”

“Quite the entertaining story. Grabbing both money and fame in one go.”

Rick laughed, then looked at me coldly.

“Mr. Kang, plenty of people come to me with business proposals.”

“I’m sure. You’re probably the richest man in these back alleys.”

“And more than half of them left with their tongues cut out.”

“The other half walked out.”

“With holes in their thighs, though.”

Rick spoke icily.

“I don’t know what kind of project you’re about to propose, but if it’s just a scheme to bleed my money dry, you’d better give up any hope of leaving this place in one piece.”

“Hic.”

“And that scared friend over there, obviously.”

After issuing his stern warning, Rick stared at me.

“Now, speak. What kind of business is it?”

The negotiation table was set.

I grinned and answered.

“Construction.”

“Construction?”

“Yes. Even New York must have one or two construction companies, right?”

Every city has them.

“I’ll scout and acquire one that’s easy enough to control.”

“Hmm? And then?”

“Have them hand the redevelopment of this whole area to our firm. We’ll polish it up and make it profitable for you.”

“So I sell the buildings afterward?”

“Exactly.”

There’s a reason the broken-windows theory exists.

Each of these rundown buildings lowers accessibility to the back alleys and turns the area into a place civilians resent.

“Once the image of ‘Harlem’ is shed, it’ll become the most drool-worthy neighborhood for other companies.”

“Because it’s still relatively cheap compared to the rest of New York.”

“Yes. You could lease the buildings to those companies or sell them outright. Personally, I think leasing would be better.”

“You’re right. Pocket change isn’t what matters.”

What he wants is fame.

If this entire back-alley district becomes his.

No one would possess stronger prestige than him.

Rick nodded, seemingly impressed by the plausibility.

But he wasn’t an easy mark either.

“It sounds decent, but the initial costs will be massive. How do you plan to handle that?”

“We’ll shoulder it.”

“…Ho? You’re willing to take a loss?”

“As if.”

Do you think I’m insane enough to volunteer?

“As I mentioned earlier, I have a small company under me.”

“You’ll use the capital from that company?”

“Yes. Coincidentally, we were already thinking about dealing in stone materials.”

Most of the environment in the iron-ore dimension consists of mines.

It would be easy to focus solely on iron, but the next most abundant resource is stone.

We’re already using a lot of stone in One Direction too.

Combined with the Tinyfolk’s dexterity, they were producing architectural styles that didn’t look medieval at all.

Bringing in their craftsmanship would be difficult, but supplying the raw stone itself is simple.

And.

This is a good chance to start using the iron smelted from the ore.

I was planning to switch the offerings I receive from raw iron ore to refined iron.

Until now, accepting refined iron had been a huge loss because the smelting technology was poor.

But thanks to the blood-noble clan’s smelting research combined with the Tinyfolk’s techniques, we can now produce considerably high-purity iron.

If I wait longer, they’ll probably reach modern alloy levels, but pouring a large investment now isn’t a bad choice either.

I intended to use this opportunity to pump serious money into One Direction and push their tech tree upward.

Then we’d erect buildings using the iron, stone, and concrete developed and produced that way.

“It’ll cost a lot, but we’ll still turn a profit.”

“You’ll turn a profit.”

“But there’s one thing you need to understand.”

I cut him off before his thoughts could deepen.

“Only our company can make a profit from this.”

Others must have thought of this incredible business model before.

But I’m the only one who can propose it to Rick.

“Because we possess the raw materials, we can reduce costs to the absolute minimum. If another company tried it, they’d only see losses.”

“So without going through Mr. Kang, the project is impossible from the start?”

“You’ll confirm it in the contract later, but even a quick calculation will make it obvious.”

If Rick got any ideas midway and chose another firm, it would be troublesome.

That’s why this point had to be nailed down firmly.

Rick gave a snort and sank deeper into his chair.

Then he gazed out the floor-to-ceiling window at the massive buildings beyond.

Greed and ambition burned in his eyes.

“Alright, Mr. Kang. Add just one more condition, and I’ll accept your proposal.”

“What is it?”

“Build the tallest building in New York. One that everyone will look up to.”

“The tallest building? That’ll cost you quite a bit extra.”

I’m not building it for free.

I’ll be charging accordingly.

Rick smirked and nodded.

“Fine. I’ll pay.”

“Good.”

“You’d better keep your word. Otherwise you’ll regret it.”

“And you’d better pay every cent you promised, Rick. Unless you want the IRS digging up your hidden assets.”

“That’s a scary thing to say.”

We traded threatening jokes, and with that our deal was sealed.

The details would be finalized through lawyers and contracts later, but this level of verbal agreement was enough for now.

As I started to stand, Rick looked up at me and said,

“Since we’ve met like this, it feels like fate. I’d like to give you a gift.”

“I never refuse free gifts.”

“Is there anything you want?”

Something I want…

I thought for a moment, then glanced toward the doorway.

The two gang members were staring at us blankly.

The ones who had pressed a gun to my heart.

“If I’m going to live in this city, I can’t be anxious every time I breathe, can I?”

“That’s true.”

“Please make sure they never touch me or my company again.”

I needed to show what happens when someone touches me or my company.

I needed to prove that their little gang bullets couldn’t touch us.

Rick chuckled and nodded.

“Well, there was a small commotion on your way up, wasn’t there?”

“I nearly got a new hole in my heart before I could even make this nice proposal.”

“Yes, that wouldn’t do.”

Rick stood and walked toward the entrance.

The two members, having overheard our conversation, tensed up and watched him nervously.

Rick slowly approached them.

BANG! BANG!

Two gunshots rang out.

The pistol Rick had silently drawn sent both men collapsing.

“Urgh… Boss…!”

“Aagh…!”

“Urk!”

The two members, now shot in the thighs, writhed on the floor.

John, who had been standing quietly, covered his mouth and turned away.

Holy… shit.

I could only stare blankly at the scene.

The only person in the room who wasn’t shocked was Rick.

He looked at me as if it were nothing and asked,

“How’s that? Like your gift?”

“…I didn’t exactly ask for holes in their thighs.”

I had wanted a warning, but not this savage.

Looks like I’ll have some rough nightmares tonight.

Fighting the churning in my stomach while keeping my expression neutral, Rick spoke.

“This is just how I do things, so try to understand.”

“And if I don’t understand?”

“You’d better.”

Damn it.

Once the conversation ended, reality hit me again.

The man in front of me wasn’t just a rich investor; he was the gang boss who ruled these back alleys.

I’d better drop any notion of keeping this purely transactional.

“I’ll spread the word to the others too, so don’t worry.”

“Understood.”

“Then get going. Want me to lend you a car?”

“No need. John, let’s go.”

John and I stepped past the two bleeding bodies, ignoring Rick’s piercing gaze, and left the building.

Only after we were outside did John, his face now ghostly pale, touch his own cheeks before grabbing and shaking me.

“Boss! Making a deal with Rick Edman?! This is insane! You’ve lost it!”

“Don’t worry, John.”

“How can I not worry…!”

“Didn’t I tell you before we went in?”

I looked up at the building where Rick was and said,

“I never lose in any deal.”

The moment this deal was struck, Rick had looped the rope around his own neck.

And when he finally comes to his senses, the platform will be gone, and the rope will snap his neck.

“Let’s go. We have a lot of work ahead.”

To make that happen, I needed to prepare thoroughly.

It seems my vacation will have to wait a little longer.