"So why are you telling us this?" asked Klaus.
Rays of Hope was a guild with little battle power despite having two or three A-Class awakeners. Compared to the House of Blacksmith and Golden Hammer, which were not battle-based guilds, Rays of Hope still lacked prestige.
Klaus smelled Director Logan's hidden intentions.
"Since I know Mors Industries is affiliated with the Rays of Hope. I think it's good to tell you this information."
Klaus snapped his fingers. "Ah, of course. Artificial Arcana."
Director Logan could not help but smirk.
Klaus had known this would happen. The Awakener Association would not be willing to grant exclusive dungeon rights to Rays of Hope without something in return. They could not arbitrarily demand that Mors Industries sign a contract, but at this moment, they had good reason to do so.
He had wanted to toy with Director Logan and the Awakener Association for longer, but it seemed he had to end it early.
"Don't worry about it, Director Logan, Mors Industries will always have an open hand for the Awakener Association. We're even looking to make a proposal to you," Klaus replied.
Director Logan raised an eyebrow. The expression on his face said he was surprised. "Uh, it's that easy. I thought we'd be arguing before reaching an agreement. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this easy."
Klaus laughed. "Why would I make it difficult for people who want to cooperate with me?"
The gray-haired man nodded his head in response. After Klaus had refused and ignored his proposals for the past few months, Director Logan prepared arguments to urge Klaus to sell the artificial arcana to the Awakener Association.
Then, Klaus asked Sheila to schedule a meeting with Director Logan. Next, they would have a severe discussion about artificial arcana.
However, Director Logan did not stop there.
"Well, I wanted to talk about this last, but... forget it." Director Logan pursed his lips. "I came to this guild for another offer."
Klaus raised his eyebrows.
Director Logan told Klaus that he intended to come here to ask Rays of Hope for help. The appearance of dungeon breaks around the Atlantic Ocean was becoming a significant problem for the Awakener Association for the time being.
After getting information from fishermen about a wyvern attack, the Awakener Association mobilized a large amount of manpower to trace the whereabouts of the rift that opened up on Earth.
The Awakener Association had a special device to detect the existence of rifts. However, the device was unable to work properly. Ships filled with awakeners began to sail the Atlantic Ocean.
Someone picked up a signal on one of the ships where the rift appeared. Unfortunately, the location was in the waters of the Bermuda Triangle. They couldn't enter there if they didn't want their ship to sink.
It remained a mystery why every ship or plane that entered the Bermuda Triangle always sank to the bottom of the sea.
They needed to raid the dungeon before the monsters inside came out. And if that would happen, it would take a long time to eradicate the flying monsters called Wyverns.
The Awakener Association needed a lot of people to search the notorious waters. They made a proposal to every guild in the USA, but most turned it down, given its reputation.
Then, Director Logan came up with an idea. He would use the popularity of big names to entice awakeners to join the team searching for the rift in the Bermuda Triangle.
And one of the people that Director Logan considered famous was Justin Law.
"What? You want to use me to recruit people?" Justin snapped. He could not help but frown in anger as he listened to Director Logan's story.
The gray-haired man shook his head. "Not to deceive, but to inspire them to join the search for the rift."
Justin hissed in a sarcastic tone. "It's the same thing. I can take this shit. Nobody on a ship ever survives when they enter the Bermuda Triangle. I'll just send people to their deaths."
"You have to. You have an obligation to save people's lives."
"Nonsense. At the expense of other people's lives? No, thank you."
Justin's refusal annoyed Director Logan. "You know what? You're not important. You're just a punk who happens to be someone else's puppet. Don't think so highly of yourself."
Naturally, the blood boiled in Justin's head. The two started throwing sarcasm at each other without uttering any swear words.
While they argued, Klaus was silent in contemplation. He got an idea. More precisely, he thought of a new business opportunity.
The Bermuda Triangle was famous for its reputation as a no-go area on Earth. There was no definitive explanation as to why the water could sink any object that passed through it, whether from the water or airways. Many ridiculous theories were scattered among the public. Some people said this water area was a gateway to another world, and some said it was an alien base.
Klaus personally didn't know what the cause was. After all, he wasn't interested either.
However, there was one plausible theory that could explain the strange phenomena in those waters. It was said that the Bermuda Triangle was an area with strong magnetic and gravitational fields so that ships or planes traveling over it would sink to the bottom of the sea.
If it was true, Klaus could have simply built a ship with arcana capable of counteracting all kinds of natural effects so that the ship would not be affected when it sailed over the Bermuda Triangle. Then, he would sell it to the Awakener Association.
"Hehe, this could be a cash cow," Klaus thought.
Supposing a rift was discovered within the Bermuda Triangle, it would take at least 500 to 800 awakeners to conquer an orange dungeon. Klaus could make over 50 ships in one raid.
In addition, he could also venture into the shipping business if the raid was successful.
"Maybe I'm inexperienced, but I've never sacrificed others for personal gain." Justin adamantly refused.
Director Logan snorted. "How naive. From the beginning we conquered the dungeon by sending hundreds of stupid awakeners and rookies. Every year 400,000 awakeners die in the dungeon."
The two of them argued regardless of Klaus being in front of them.
CLAP!
The sound of applause jolted Justin and Director Logan. They looked at Klaus with enigmatic eyes.
"It's time you stopped bickering. We can sail the waters of the Bermuda Triangle without fear of shipwreck. I have an idea."
Naturally, Justin and Director Logan said, "What?" simultaneously.
"Hehe, listen to me."
The two then opened their ears, listening to Klaus' plan for the anti-sinking ship. Director Logan couldn't help but frown as he heard the details, while Justin looked happy, knowing they could conquer the dungeon without having to sacrifice people.
"How is it? My idea is good, isn't it?" asked Klaus.
Director Logan stroked his chin and nodded. "I didn't know you could make artificial arcana like that. Making ships unsinkable, huh? It's not a bad idea."
"But remember," Klaus held up a finger before Director Logan's face. "This isn't free. Think of it as the beginning of the cooperation between Mors Industries and the Awakener Association."
Not responding immediately, Director Logan was silent for a few moments, pondering before deciding. He was more cautious with his words since the previous deal with Klaus had failed. If it happened a second time, Mors Industries might refuse to cooperate forever.
"I can't give you a solid answer. But I can tell the boss and persuade him to approve this proposal," he answered.
A smile bloomed on Klaus' face. "Good. I'll wait for him."
They stood up and shook hands. Thus, a new business deal was reached. Klaus would use this opportunity to milk as much money as possible from the Awakener Association.
Justin broke out in a cold sweat, watching Klaus grin as he shook hands with Director Logan. Klaus couldn't hide the grin on his face.
After shaking the guild master's hand, Director Logan said goodbye.
"I'll be in touch in a few days. And tell your secretary not to make too many excuses."
Bam!
The door helped as he left.
"Huft, that old man was a jerk," Justin muttered.
"At least he knew what he was doing."
"What do you say?" Justin frowned.
"Nothing."
Klaus took a piece of paper and wrote something on it. Then, he folded it and put it in Justin's pocket. Naturally, his face twisted in confusion.
Smiling widely, Klaus patted Justin on the chest before he left.
"Hey! What is this, Klaus?"
Without looking back, Klaus waved and walked out of the room, leaving Justin wondering.
Curious, Justin took the paper that was pinned in his pocket. The snort escaped his mouth as he read the contents.
[Work hard this month, or I'll cut your paycheck].
"What the hell is this?"
Justin crumpled the paper up and threw it in the trash bin.
