Chapter 417

The process of removing the ladies with only Arthur’s armour and backpack was a difficulty and a half. Stubbornly, he continued to refuse their offers of help for his weapons or any of his other enchanted gear including the spatial bag that containing all the beast stones he had gathered. Not that Arthur could keep the number secret for long. After all, the assessment and taxation of beast cores were part of the major taxes that kept the Tower running and provided a cash-strapped government a necessary boost to their budget. In that sense, all the security was to help ensure they got their fair share.

All in all, keeping his equipment to himself for the moment was a win. His other major win was not having to explain the changes to his constitution and how his Yin Body made desire for women significantly lower. Maybe even non-existent. He had enough of those jokes from his companions. Not that they pressed too hard, not when the Minister was not around. There was something a little demeaning in their use of women in this way, but there was also a reason it was a weapon that was wielded.

It worked - mostly.

Truth be told, Arthur might have been tempted if they had some say in the matter. But coerced relations, even as gently coerced as this might be, was a bit of a bone killer. And, realistically, Arthur did just want to have a shower to clean himself thoroughly and sleep on a mattress that was not made up of straw, grass or rags.

Oh, and to eat something that was not dried or preserved and trekked up multiple floors, at a rather alarming upcharge.

 

***

 

By the time Arthur was ready to leave the suite the next morning after an indulgent near eighteen hours of rest he was feeling much more human. The ladies had returned, not just with his cleaned equipment, but also a whole new set of clothing that fit well. It was nothing too elaborate – just a polo and pair of light jeans, but it was better quality than anything he had owned before he entered. Certainly better quality than the ragged and stained clothing he had on.

For a moment, before he put it on, he had run his fingers along the well constructed material, the toughness and yet, lightness of the cloth. Loose weave, but not that loose it was scandalous. Light jean pants that was, again, lightly woven so that it would breathe.

Socks and shoes and the latest set of sneakers. He put them all on, since tromping around in his boots would just create a truly odorous situation once he had to take his shoes off. Which, if he visited someone’s house, would be almost immediately.

Anyway, those boots needed some time airing out. Faced right into the Malaysian sun, they would dry off well enough; at which point he could pack them up till his next adventure. The ladies had, thankfully, oiled and shined them so they looked pretty new.

He could learn to like this kind of service.

After he exited, he was led to a small office that looked more like an interrogation room – with the pair of CCTV cameras up near the ceiling – than actual office. That was when they, rather efficiently, took their due; not just noting down the various enchanted items and materials that he had acquired but also the full number of beast stones on him. They split the details up floor type and quantity and took the government’s cut – a rather steep 25%.

Singapore, being Singapore, took only 20%.

Always had to one-up Malaysia.

All of that had been pretty routine. What wasn't was the next sheaf of papers that Manager Kong placed on the table before separating the pile into half and handing him that section, all in its own little plastic folder that bulged unseemly. Of course, it had to be in that folder - it had pictures of Malaysia in all its glory including the government's latest expenditure, the offices for the Climber Management department front and center. As usual, more flash than practicality was in play here.

Reminded him a little about the Central Library in KL. It was all beautiful soaring ceilings, expensive marble and pretty layout - but was, for the most part, empty. Dozens of bookshelves when there should have been hundreds. The government always willing to put money into giant capital projects - but never for their upkeep or the part that mattered. 

"What is this?" Arthur asked, not opening the folder yet. He was not sure why he was so worried - the act of opening it would not change their contents. But perhaps doing so would start him on a course he wished to avoid.

“Our offer,” Manager Kong said, tapping one finger on the table. I noted that they were rather ragged, a couple of places where I would call chewed on but chose not to comment. “A listing of all the benefits we normally offer to various Tower organisations who become official members of the government. You’ll see that the offer is quite extensive, from salary packages for individuals in leadership roles, funds for the organization itself, access to certain other organisations and locations.”

She moved her hand a little, flipped the folder open for me so that I could read it over directly. Staring me in the face was the invitation letter, one of those formal documents that no one truly reads. She tossed it aside, showcasing a stapled sheaf of papers next. “You can read it over now, you’ll see it already is at the highest level we normally offer.”

Then she moved it aside, so that it covered the useless introductory letter to reveal a smaller stapled series of papers.. “This is the offer we can make that enhances the normal offer. It’s laid out, but basically, many of these will be in addition or in replacement of what they offer.”

I scanned down the list, a series of numbers – for both the organization and myself – jumping out to me. They were eye-popping amounts, both because there were multiple large seven and eight digit numbers involved and not just as lump sum payments but also annually. If I took their offer, I would theoretically be a very, very much man – though, there were a few catches. Firstly, it was in Malaysian Ringgit, so if you figured it out in USD, it would have to be divided by around four. So not that much – in global terms – but still huge for me since I lived in Malaysia.

Secondly, and rather importantly, I would be tying myself to the government almost exclusively. I would be their dog’s body, be at their beck and call. I would end up being subordinate to a group of people who had never stepped foot into the Tower – and would never step foot in it.

And while all Malaysian Tower climbers had to report in, there was still a degree of freedom involved. We paid our taxes, we reported on where we stayed, we told them if we were going back in and reported when we exited. A lot of bureaucracy; but end of the day; we were still citizens.

This would make me a weird mixture of civilian and military, an arm of the government. Which boded ill for the things they might want me to do.

“That’s quite the number…” I muttered.

“Keep reading.”

I scanned down further, finding reading over the Malay – of course it had to be in Malay – a bit of a struggle. Not just because I was not used to reading legalese in Malay, but also because I hadn’t been reading at all in months.

Huh.

That thought stopped me for a second, realizing how true that was. Outside of cultivation manuals and notifications, there just was not much reading material in the Tower. I would need to make sure I brought something with me the next time, though carting around an eReader and a solar battery sounded like a recipe for breakage. Also, if I was in the Tower; I was generally training.

Still, probably a market for that.

Then I came across the part that made me freeze. I read it over twice, before I tapped the portion. “Seriously? A Tun? Me?”

“In time. We would make you a Datuk first, of course. But in time and service…” She let it trail off, before adding. “And it would be inheritable too.”

“Now won’t that cause trouble?” I said, knowing how certain groups hated the idea of giving ‘proper’ titles to non-Malay. Especially if they were inheritable.

“The Dato’ – the Minister – believes this is important enough.” She leaned forward, fixing me with a stern gaze as she added. “However, that deal-” a finger tapped the updated proposal, “is only available in the next day.”