'A-ahh… I understand now'
As Rey looked at Rebal and Asher, both of them having eyes that pleaded for myth, he had a considerable grasp of the situation.
'They invested a lot of capital on producing the items, but they can't deliver it to the Elves in time.'
This meant they couldn't recoup the resources they poured into the production, which meant less liquid cash for them.
However, that wasn't all.
'In business, punctuality is key. If they don't keep their end of the bargain soon, it's possible that the Elves could go to another Company, which would be bad for business for the KariBlanc Group,'
Not only would they never recoup their profit, but it would take an extremely long time to dispose of the items in their stock.
Ultimately, this was the major issue that was ensuing.
"The Eastern Continent is quite a long distance away. Do you know why the Elves are interacting with humans now? Why are they seeking so many Enchanted Items in the first place?"
"They didn't tell us. But I suspect it's because the war with the Dragons has made them desperate."
The moment Rebal said this, Rey nodded in agreement,
That was his first guess too.
'Elves aren't technologically advanced and have no clue about industrialization. They are even often depicted as nature-loving entities who live apart from the corruption of beings like humans.'
To see that Elves were going as far as dealing with Rebal—-a Black Market leader—made him suspect that the difficulty had been cranked up in their domain,
"I suspect we are being intentionally sabotaged by the other three Obsidian Council members who joined Scylla's side. We've lost contact with the warehouse located in the East, and our packages delivered through any route outside the Southern Territories immediately become unaccounted for."
If this continued, their loss would be unbearable.
'They're in quite the pickle.' Rey thought to himself as he listened to Rebal go on.
'I can't say I blame them for being desperate. No matter how much capital a company has, profit is the lifeblood.'
And profit was gotten through sales.
Rey doubted the KariBlanc Group could make a lot of money just from exploiting the Southern territories.
A company whose scope of business was suddenly reduced to one-third of their usual commercial domain was bound to experience massive loss.
'Add that to the many Items unaccounted for, and the whole Elf situation…'
It was inevitable that the company would sink.
'So that's why they need my help.' Rey could feel a small smile forming on his face.
Even if he wanted the Black Market to collapse, there was no way he wanted KariBlanc to be the first to go down.
This was the only place he had formed proper connections with.
'If they fall, the Black Market might still exist, but I lose all my current benefits.'
Rey could clearly see the appeal in helping KariBlanc. However, he also knew to be cautious.
'If I get caught up in a scheme that I do not understand, then it would be my total loss.'
Rey knew he wasn't very smart. He wasn't that great of a manipulator either.
He was still very inexperienced and only knew very little about how the world worked.
'I could be getting used by the KariBlanc Group for a much larger scheme.'
That wasn't how it seemed at the moment, but Rey knew he couldn't really trust the current circumstances alone.
If he was to support them, he would be taking a risk.
"The worst part about all of this is that it had to happen now. Right when we were about to begin our expansion plan…"
As Rey heard this, he couldn't help but blurt out his next statement.
"Expansion?"
Rebal looked up and smiled a little sadly.
"Yes. We were planning on going more mainstream once we had enough capital. This might seem a bit strange coming from me, but… the Black Market is a really terrible place."
Rey was surprised to hear all of this indeed. He genuinely couldn't believe what Rebal was saying despite being one of the major beneficiaries not the place.
"This place is dangerous and violent. It isn't a sustainable place to conduct business."
Once Rebal revealed more about what he meant, Rey could understand the man's sentiments.
Both from a logical and purely business perspective, it was much better to perpetuate trade in a more structured and orderly society.
Black Market Trade was more profitable, sure, but it was also incredibly risky and highly volatile.
Any mistake could cost you everything.
"We made a few auxiliary branches in mainstream to test out the market, and after a few years of doing our proper research, we were ready to fully transition."
Then, this unfortunate incident had to occur.
'If they plan on moving to the mainstream, then it makes more sense to help them.'
Rey now had a second incentive for acting.
However…
"I am curious about one thing."
"What is it, Sir Ralyks?" As soon as Rey asked this, Rebal replied.
It almost felt like the man was ready to be completely bare with him, making it difficult to distrust any of the things that were being said.
"Why do you not join Scylla's side?"
"…"
Rebal did not answer immediately, so Rey decided to elaborate.
"If you joined her side, I'm sure your business would be protected and all the harassment would stop."
The other three Obsidian Council Members probably figured this out a long time ago and folded.
If KariBlanc did the same, surely things would end well for them.
"Scylla is known as a very selfish and cruel person. Even among the three leaders of the Slave Union, she was always said to be the most ruthless. She's unprincipled, and I would never be able to work with her."
As Rey listened to this, he sensed arbitrary emotion taking over logic.
He never expected such an experienced businessman like Rebal Blanc to have such a stance.
"Besides, I reckon it's a little too late for an alliance. Not only did I not get an invitation, but it's most likely that the three who joined her wish to get rid of me and the other two so they can have more territory and power."
Rey could understand that.
"The fewer people there are in charge… the bigger the profit that goes around becomes."
The three Obsidian Councilors wanted their territory and profit to at least double, while Scylla wanted to rule everything.
It made sense why the KariBlanc Group was never going to be able to join their side.
'But why didn't he just say that from the get-go?'
Rebal had first of all displayed his emotional reasons before going into the logical domain.
Rey only had one guess.
'He wants to show me that he's a man of emotion and sentiment, eh?'
Rebal Blanc was a man of principles and rules. It wasn't a surprise that both he and Asher had the same Alignment.
'I like that!' Rey grinned widely as he looked at the two of them.
'There's a lot that can benefit me here, especially in the Elf department. I also want to have an actual company in the mainstream on my side. There's also the fact that they've helped me in the past. Finally, by helping them, I can stop the actions of the other criminals involved in this.'
There were probably other benefits he wasn't seeing at the moment, but Rey already had his mind made up.
'I'll join their side—at least, for now.'
If things ever got awry, or the KariBlanc Group acted suspiciously, he could always leave,
"Fine…" Rey spoke, a heavy sigh escaping his lips.
"… I'm in."
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Thanks for reading!
