( Next Day, Terra Nova Online )
The next day, Leo and Ben tidied up and set off towards the White Tiger Group Headquarters in StrongHaven City.
Having the confirmation that even if Shane did not buy any of their products, they already had another buyer lined up was a big ntal relief for Leo as with no other viable plan B currently to raise substantial capital, this assurance was crucial for him.
As they walked through the bustling streets of StrongHaven, Ben couldn’t help but bring up the topic of the gifts they received from Wade the previous night as Ben had spent a few good hours the previous evening unwrapping and admiring them after Wade left.
“You know, Leo…I think this pocket watch is quite nice. It even ticks properly….
Probably worth at least a few hundred gold coins.” Ben said, as he took out a pocket watch from his coat pocket as he stared at the expensive jewels inside the dial with an impressed smile on his face.
Leo laughed listening to his words, as he extended his palm towards Ben’s nose–
“And this perfu! I an, it slls decent enough. Wade must really be trying to impress us with these extravagant gifts.” Leo said, as Ben took a sniff of Leo’s fist and nodded.
While it wasn’t ideal for assassin’s to roam around having perfu as it could sabotage their stealth, it wasn’t a problem for Leo’s ‘Leo Skyshard’ persona who was a rchant to apply so.
“Well, I can’t say the bribe did not work. Because yeah, it worked. At least partially.
But let’s not get too distracted by these high-end items. We need to focus on our eting with that Shane kid today…. It’s this eting in particular where we must play it smart.” Ben said, while smirking as he really enjoyed the concept of getting free gifts.
“Agreed,” Leo nodded, trying to sound serious although he too had an obvious goofy smile on his face.
While Leo did not show his admiration for the freebies as blatantly as Ben did, internally he too felt like a little kid on Christmas as this was the first ti in his life that Leo had received such treatnt.
However, since the more important deal of finding a big rchant chain to partner with to sell their products was still incomplete. Leo decided to focus on it first, as he suppressed his evident glee.
“We need to leverage Wade’s offer without making it seem like we’re desperate. Shane needs to feel the pressure, but we can’t let him think he has the upper hand.” Leo said, trying to sound profound, however, sounding like a complete business amateur instead.
However, on a ntal level, Ben was no different from Leo, as he nodded at his disciple’s words as if they were wise and added to it by saying—
“We’ll start by ntioning Wade’s offer subtly. Not too obvious, just enough to make Shane curious. If he feels there’s competition, he’ll be more inclined to offer us a better deal,” Ben said, suggesting a strategy that sounded like sothing found in a manual for business beginners.
In reality however, it was impossible for Leo and Ben to ntion Wade without inadvertently revealing that there was a spy within Shane’s organization.
Because, by talking about the spy they would also be forced to disclose the fact that Wade was already aware of the value of their products and had made an offer based on that knowledge.
Essentially, their plan to subtly imply that they had other interested buyers was unrealistic and would expose more than they intended, making their cooked up negotiation strategies nothing but useless ideas.
However, with none of the two being any wiser they just kept hyping each other up by pretending that both of them were business geniuses.
“Exactly, we must feed off his curiosity. We must make him feel hungry for our products” Leo said, replying to Ben, with his eyes focused ahead.
“And if he tries to lowball us, we can hint at the premium Wade is willing to pay.
It’s all about keeping the upper hand without showing our full hand,” Leo said, now talking in puzzles to sound even more mysterious, as Ben clutched his head in awe listening to Leo’s profound thoughts.
“My good disciple is a business genius too!” Ben said feeling awed, as Leo instantly glared at him.
“Not your disciple master…. Call Leo when I’m roaming without a mask…” Leo interjected as Ben bit his tongue.
” Leo, yes, Leo Skyshard the rchant” Ben said, committing it to mory as he hoped that he would not slip with his words in front of a crowd.
Slowly, as they neared the White Tiger Group Headquarters, both n felt a mix of anticipation and determination.
They believed they were ready to negotiate hard to secure the best deal possible and considered themselves to be business prodigies when they were nothing but fools in reality.
***********
( Just outside the gates of White Tiger Group Headquarters, StrongHaven City )
As Leo and Ben approached the grand gates of the White Tiger Group Headquarters, they were t with an unexpected sight.
An unusually long line of people seed to have queued outside the gate, with the two guards at the door refusing entry to everyone.
“Hey co on now? Why won’t you take any one of us in? We know Mr.Shane is busy, but don’t you guys have a staff mber that ets with new clients daily?
Why are you not allowing anyone inside today, this is unusual and rude!” One of the rchant’s queuing outside complained as he had apparently been waiting for over an hour to go inside.
“No! Nobody will go in today. I have explicit orders from Mr. Shane to only let in the VVIP guests that are coming… all of you should scram today!” The guard said rudely, as listening to his words Leo felt slightly nervous about approaching the gate.
Although he knew that Shane was expecting to et him today, he felt montarily nervous about facing public humiliation should he approach the gate and then be rejected.
However, as soon as Leo cut through the queue and approached the gate, the two imposing guards, known for their usual stern and rude deanor, stepped forward and greeted them with utmost politeness.
“Welco, Mr. Skyshard and Mr…?” one guard said, bowing slightly as while they were expecting Leo, they were not expecting him to co with a guest.
“My guest…” Leo said, not taking Ben’s na out in the open, as the guards imdiately bowed and opened the entry gate for Leo and Ben.
“We’ve been expecting you. Please, follow us.” One of them said as he led Leo into the headquarters while the other guard held off the curious gazes of the crowd.
This unexpected VIP treatnt caused a stir among the long line of small-ti salesn and rchants gathered outside.
Whispers of disbelief and astonishnt spread through the crowd, many of whom had never seen the White Tiger guards show anyone such respect.
“Who are those guys?” one rchant muttered, eyes wide.
“I’ve never seen the guards bow to anyone!” another exclaid, shaking his head in disbelief.
“Their clothes were too average, I was half expecting the first prince to show up” said a third, as he vainly judged Leo and Ben based on their appearance.
However, unbothered by the public opinion, Leo and Ben exchanged glances, barely containing their glee as they followed the guards inside.
As they stepped through the gates, they were imdiately struck by the sight before them as the entrance hall to the rchant headquarters was adorned with red carpets, luxurious decorations, and an array of expensive gifts neatly arranged on tables.
A grand welco banner hung from the ceiling, emblazoned with Leo’s na and the ntion of ‘Mount Faulkner Trading Company’, as the banner read
‘White Tiger X Mount Faulkner’, with the na ‘Shane X Leo’ below.
Apart from the visuals, there was also soft, ambient music playing in the background, as from the second that Leo stepped into the white tiger group headquarters, he felt like he had been transported to so mystical fairyland.
Shane himself stood at the center of the hall, flanked by several of his top executives, all wearing broad smiles.
“Welco, welco!” Shane called out, extending his arms in a grand gesture.
“Mr. Skyshard, Gentleman, it’s an honor to have you here. Please, co in!” Shane said, as he gestured for Leo to step into the office, as Leo and Ben were taken aback by the sheer extravagance of the reception.
Internally, they were both turning to mush, as they felt thoroughly impressed by the lavish treatnt, however, externally the two kept a stern face as they tried to play the role of big-shot businessn.
‘This… this is amazing,’ Leo thought, trying to maintain his composure.
‘I’ve never seen anything like this. Maybe we really are big shots now’ He wondered, as he covered his mouth with his hand before letting out a big smile.
Similarly, Ben also found it hard to suppress a grin, as he wondered if the two of them had suddenly been upgraded to royalty?
The duo, oblivious to the fact that this was a calculated business tactic by Shane to impress and sway them, felt imnsely flattered.
They were completely blind to the manipulation and instead felt convinced that they were finally being recognized for their worth.
“Please, have a seat,” Shane said, gesturing towards a lavishly decorated table. “I have prepared so refreshnts for you. Let’s discuss our business in comfort.” He said, ensuring that the duo indulged in so delicacies before he brought out the topic of business.
As they sat down, sipping on the finest drinks and sampling gourt snacks, both Leo and Ben continued to be internally awed by the reception.
“I always knew we had it in us,” Leo mused, glancing at Ben with a satisfied smile. “We must really be making waves.”
Ben nodded enthusiastically, thinking to himself, “This is it. We’re definitely going to walk out of here with the best deal ever.”
The grandeur of the welco had completely captivated them, reinforcing their misplaced belief that they were negotiating geniuses and making it easier for Shane to steer the conversation in his favor by looking at their pleased expressions, as he understood that the money that he had spent on their welco was money well spent.
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