"Haha, I think I've found a perfect ally," he murmured, not loud enough for anyone present to hear, but they had all heard his voice.
"Huh?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to him, wanting to get what he said clearly.
"I was just asking, are there no cards to play or better, a Casino pack? We're not gonna sit this way all night, right?" Rino asked.
At the question, every other person who had fun of themselves before now reclined to their seats.
"Bayo!" Malcolm snapped his fingers to the far left corner of the lounge. "The pack."
Without wasting ti, the attendant standing at the corner, an average adult in a suited uniform, brought a carved rosewood box to their table. He carefully opened the lid of the box to reveal decks of custom cards.
The first was the Edges that were sowhat black-gold, and the latter was Crests embossed in red.
"The House plays," Reynar said, drawing a deck and starting the shuffle.
Hearing the voice, Rino turned in his direction. He had not paid rapt attention when Zaria introduced him at first to know what his fond na was.
But, well, he will just have to observe.
Sitting back with a half-smile, Rino thought. This is the ga before the ga.
He knew why he had brought up the topic of playing gas.
If there was nothing he imagined, he knew that when a group was gathered and involved in any kind of leisure activity, the mbers of the group tended to spit out so information.
That was his plan.
He needed to get his hands on so information concerning the Red Tann.
He had tried to get this info, as usual, using his wealth vision, but for so reason, he knew nothing about it, it failed.
Maybe because his skill was still at Level 1, it has so limitations, Rino thought.
Having shuffled the cards, Reynar dealt the cards to every occupant of the table.
As soon as Zaria got hers complete, she took it and tapped the glass table with her nails rhythmically.
"Speaking of playing hands..." she broke the unspoken silence that was a result of the patience of everyone as the cards were dealt.
"A new developnt might be creeping into dar sooner than we expect," she added.
Everyone who had collected their cards and started the play seed to pause, except Rino. Even Amaka shifted this mont.
Zaria continued. "To the much information I've got, the Comrce Economic Departnt plans to designate a Tech Hub in dar. Even the Federal Governnt is currently on a survey in the area, maybe they will soon make an environntal investnt."
"You got to be playing, right?" Malcolm said, his brow arched. "Is this so rumor or Intel?"
"Why am I called Blogger Chick? Have I ever looked like I drop rumors?" Zaria replied.
Right?
From the start, Rino knew their nicknas had sothing to do with their activity dealings.
Apparently, Kasper will also be an important asset for him.
Zaria was not done yet as the ga went on.
"Even, so conglorate businesses were already maxing out plans for their investnt in this particular area. What's the na again?" Zaria tapped her chin in trial to rember the na of the particular company.
"My brain seed not to be functioning right now, but I think they're planning to build a slting facility near dar," she added.
"That's a huge project that cost billions," Kasper confird. "And suddenly, the governnt finally got interested in sampling developing cities around, using dar for a start. Is that so?"
Nobody replied to him. They took it as a rhetorical question since that should be the first thing to occur in their minds. That is, this was the first ti they were getting inford about the investnt opportunities.
And it happened to start, focused in dar.
So, the question was not necessary.
Zaria once again broke the silence. "My Intel also tells the Green Lords are making silent moves to attract favor from these companies, and the governnt. We know what that ans, right?"
"Tsk," Kasper scoffed, laying a jack of spades. "Those vultures want to box us out even before the real deal?"
For fuck's sake, that's how investors work in business.
Rino yelled in his mind.
"This is all due to our delay in taking action, you know?" Dalia said, adjusting her bracelets. "This was how we watched them secure the Southeast grid permits, now, they're gonna pitch themselves as the only viable outlet before sumr."
"Does the Southeast really matter?" Amaka said quietly, shocking to Rino. "The darn zoning laws in dar are what matter. They are what will determine the future skyline."
Exactly. That was a perfect decision I had made.
Rino smiled unknowingly to others, having rembered his company in dar was the first he was going to be developing.
"... without those, the Green Lords are just squatters with fake blueprints."
"That's more like Cold Call," Malcolm smiled. "This ans we need to act first."
One after the other, they made their suggestion on the better plan to execute like they were on a betting table.
Malcolm wanted to step into the Green Lords' negotiation chain and create a rupture.
As the investor, Kasper favored luring the investnt reps to a private showcase. That way, be planned to show them what Red Tann could offer.
Dalia proposed to chip into the Green Lords' secrets, by setting up spies among themselves. According to her, seduction was going to go a long way to cause any of their males to spill the milk.
Even Zaria had a plan to have the dia, her digital empire, create a tailored narrative that could blacklist the Green Lords in the online space.
Even Reynar contributed.
Only Rino was yet to speak.
He kept staring at Amaka, each ti he got the chance to. Whenever it wasn't his turn to place the cards.
Inside his mind, he invited the system to help him check if Amaka would be a good match for his ally.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
«↓ Test Initiated | Subject - Cus Amaka ↑»
«↓ Progress: 16%... 54%... 98%... | Test Complete ↑»
«↓ Trustworthy [5/10]
- Communication [8/10]
- Vision [7/10]
- Accountability [9/10]
- Support [10/10] ↑»
«↓ % Quality Points: [78%] ↑»
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rino blinked.
Crossing the 70% mark ant she was fitting, plus her Support will be aweso.
At this instant, it was Rino's turn to play.
With a soft smile, he laid down his card on the submitted cards.
"Ga," Rino muttered.
Other players leaned in to be sure he had won.
And yes, he had won with ten red hearts.
"Dude's got lucky fingers," Reynar said, tossing his cards on the table.
Rino leaned back in his chair and spoke casually.
"So, all of this... stress... because so Green Lords might beat you to taking charge of so companies?"
Taking in the imdiate pause, Rino continued to speak.
"I'm not necessarily saying it's a less important matter, I'm only trying to understand why it matters," he shrugged. "Who are the Green Lords?"
He had listened to them as they debated and made suggestions, often ntioning the Green Lords. But, he didn't know what they ant by that.
Or, if he understood their language, this latter group could be their rivals, so, he wanted to at least know about them.
Malcolm leaned forward.
"Not all things should be said in front of outsiders, you know? Even ones with surnas that ring bells," Malcolm's voice was low, but they ca with a loud bang into Rino's ears.
They kind of... hurt.
Rino didn't let anyone at the table understand how he felt at the mont. He only raised a brow but said nothing.
"If you want full clarity on the matter, why we're here at this table, why Red Tann isn't just about a nightclub's elite suite..." Malcolm continued.
"...you need to be a mber."
And that was the reason Rino couldn't get info about the Red Tann from the system.
That was a limitation, he guessed.
He needed to be a mber if he wanted to get access to their details.
Is being a mber going to be worth the risk?
"So, Mister Cat... do you wish to be a mber? Because if you do, the process will carry on imdiately. Good enough, you were recomnded by one of our own," Malcolm said, tossing his cards on the table.
Rino glanced at Zaria, and then at each of the persons seated on this table.
Eyes were on Rino as well.
Maybe they had started seeing him as an asset since he was recomnded.
Would he accept to beco their mber?
Rino thought hard.
He didn't want to take any risk not worth risking.
He drumd his fingers on the glass table... once... twice...
Then, he reached for the dropped cards on the table to shuffle a new round.
Reviews
All reviews (0)