On a fluffy, red couch at the center of a furnished room sat five people. Diamond, Arthur, Kai, Matthew, and Ferhill. Diamond seemed to have recovered from her embarrassing situation, while Matthew seemed exasperated. Ferhill seemed terrified, while Kai sat with a casual expression plastered over his face.
Arthur stared at them all. "Kai, what did this guy teach you?"
"He taught me the basics of something called 'Charisma,'" Kai explained, cocking his head. "Is that wrong?"
"Well…" Arthur was unable to respond. "It's not wrong, by itself, but do not trust Ferhill's ways. He's not a 'normal' human by any definition."
Kai directed a disgusted glance at Ferhill, who averted his eyes while releasing a sigh. 'Damn, my hard work was washed away in mere seconds. Why does this guy trust Arthur so much? I thought we had a connection…'
"Anyway, forget about that," Ferhill waved frantically. As long as the discussion continued, Arthur would continue to criticize him. To escape the cycle of harassment, he decided to switch the topic, deciding to attack the crimson-eyed man. "Are you attracted to kids?"
Silence descended upon the hotel room. Everyone hesitantly looked at Ferhill, wondering if he'd lost his mind.
"What…?" Arthur spoke with squinted eyes and a cocked head as if he were bewildered.
"First Kai, and now Matthew. You're collecting them like a certain pocket monster franchise," Ferhill explained. "Are you planning on reviving child labor?"
Arthur felt his palm itch, but he resisted the urge. His lips quivered as he clenched his fist. Ferhill seemed to be stifling laughter, as the crimson-eyed man spotted a slight curl at the edge of his lips.
He glanced at Matthew and Diamond. 'Now they think I'm a predator.'
The two gazed at Arthur hesitantly, wondering if Ferhill's words held even a hint of accuracy.
"Elder Brother, I didn't expect that of you," Matthew muttered in disbelief and disappointment as if he'd lost all hope. With his head down and his fists clenched, he truly seemed saddened. "I didn't know preying on children."
"Oh, he loves it!" Kai chimed in, his expression that of joy.
'This guy misunderstood,' Arthur facepalmed. "You're not helping, Kai. Wait, when did I even prey on you?"
"Remember when you made me eat those balls and thin, soft, yellow sticks?" Kai asked rhetorically, licking his lips in a lewd manner as he recalled the moment. "I loved those balls. Can we try those again?"
Silence.
"He means spaghetti and meatballs."
"Yeah!"
Silence.
"I don't prey on children."
Silence.
"I swear."
Silence.
"Believe me," Arthur begged, abandoning his pride. Being labeled as a child predator was much worse than accepting it solely to preserve his dignity. Not that there would be any dignity to speak of. "Kai was talking about spaghetti and meatballs. He ate them in a restaurant on the ninth floor."
Diamond, Ferhill, and Matthew turned to face Kai. "Is that true?"
Kai nodded innocently, as if unbeknownst to the predicament his seemingly harmless words had put Arthur in. "He taught me how to order food."
"So that's how it was," Matthew muttered, nodding. "Yeah, I always had faith in Elder Brother. He would never do something like that."
Arthur eyed him in disgust. "Anyway, can we move on to the main topic or not?"
Diamond, Kai, Ferhill, and Matthew turned silent at those words, motioning for the crimson-eyed man to speak. They offered their undistributed attention to Arthur, who cleared his throat before beginning the explanation.
"Ferhill, I hope your skills in the art of trade haven't regressed. We'll need it pretty soon."
Ferhill nodded confidently.
"The reason I hired Matthew and Diamond was to refine artifacts, while Ferhill can take care of the sales. We are going to establish an organization based solely on the manufacturing and distribution of artifacts."
"With the upcoming war between the Devas and Asgard–which I'm sure all of you are aware of–it is the best time to establish something like this. By remaining neutral and protected by a third party, we can conduct distribution without issues."
"We can also buy materials from the supposed third party. Kai, you'll be in charge of the entire operation, since Ferhill will fuck us up."
Arthur could practically sense Ferhill's gaze burning a hole through his soul, but he deliberately ignored the man. "Any questions?"
"Who is the third party in this situation?" Ferhill asked. "You've been gone for several weeks. Don't tell me you still haven't secured a connection. Either way, can our ally match up to the power of the Devas and Asgard? If not, then they're useless."
"They cannot match up."
"See? Then we should ju–"
"But they are still pretty close."
Ferhill narrowed his eyes. "And just who is this third party?"
"The Ganghan Guild," Arthur admitted flatly, inciting a round of gasps. Kai and Matthew gasped despite being unaware of the situation, while Diamond and Ferhill gasped in pure terror. The Ganghan Guild was not a simple organization.
"I don't believe you," Ferhill immediately stated, averting his gaze.
"I don't give a flying fuck," Arthur instantly replied. "Ferhill, when you need materials, contact the Saint Sealing Devil directly. Mention my name and you'll receive the materials free of charge. At least, for a little while."
Ferhill swallowed his saliva, imagining a conversation with the Saint Sealing Devil himself. He nodded fervently.
"Are you certain it's safe to ally with the Saint Sealing Devil?" Diamond inquired her face a mixture of fear and uncertainty.
"I mean, yeah? Is there something wrong?"
"It's… nothing."
"Mother…" Matthew whispered. "You can tell Elder Brother. It's no big deal."
Diamond's gaze lingered on her son before she nodded. "It's rumored that he sacrificed his own family to gain power."
Silence descended upon the area as everyone stared at Arthur. His expression was conflicted, mixed with bewilderment and dumbfoundedness.
'What the fuck… How do they know about the River Of Oaths?'
'No one in the previous timeline was aware.'
'Or were they?'
Instead of spewing his thoughts, Arthur simply uttered a single word.
"What…"
