Chapter 552

 

It took a little more digging and roundabout discussion before they managed to drag the details of what was being offered. Not just an alliance with the Silver Accords, but a proxy guarantee of help from a small Alliance of International Harmonious Guilds – AIHG – or as Jack said it, ‘A’ight’ with a terrible Australian accent on top. A quick search showed it was a group of forty main guilds and another twenty or so, satellite organisations around them. Much like the Durians would be, if they chose to ally.

“And we’re fast growing too,” Jack added. “Together, we’re good enough to scare off any of the middle or some of the smaller large guilds.”

Middle sized being, as denoted by Jack, groups that had Intermediate Climbers in the hundred or so numbers, and Large guilds either having thousands of Intermediate Climbers or a couple of Advanced Climbers. To be considered super-sized, of course, you’d have to have someone ranked in the top 1000 of Climbers, which meant clearing at least one Master Classed Tower.

The group sounded nice, but small. Thus far, they had yet to actually prove that they were actually willing to go to bat for one another, which was admittedly their biggest problem. On the other hand, as Jack had said…

“That’s also because no one has pushed us! Anyone trying to muscle in on our guilds or affiliates has backed off, when they realised we were grouped.”

Eventually, they sent the man on his way to go sleep in his hotel, one of the large and expensive and marble-ridden luxury hotels that littered Kuala Lumpur. The marble actually made sense, of course, in a place like Malaysia where the cool stone helped keep temperatures low, but it also just looked good.

When Arthur had finished relaying all this information to his management team, he did have one question that he felt was rather important to ask.

“Why is all this happening now?” Arthur growled. “And do you think Jack’s group might have been involved in the attack?”

“Huh?” Yao Jing, drinking one of his protein powder drinks paused and stared at Arthur. “What you mean, boss?”

“Your boss thinks that they attacked us, just to scare him into joining,” Rick said, softly. “A little paranoid, but it sounds possible.”

There were a few nods around, with Casey fixing Rick with a flat gaze. “Maybe our local foreigner should be the one telling us about the American guild?”

“How am I supposed to know them? They’re not even in the top 5000!” He threw his hands up. “They’re nobodies.”

“What about their Alliance?” Mel said, hefting the tablet in her hand. “Not much of them online. Not even in the groups we paid to join.”

Most of the information of Tower-related things were generally gated via paid memberships, but with the money that was coming in for the Clan, they had purchased quite a few of the top-tier ones. Of course, it was locked to only a few devices, with Mel having one of them. Amusingly, while Arthur had his own memberships to a few that were meant only for Clan heads and Guild masters, he barely paid attention to it. Most of those forum and chat groups were bitch-sessions, individuals complaining either about how lousy and lazy their fellow guild members or Clan members were or the struggles about growing or the challenges in clearing Towers. Or, you know, some rather risqué and somewhat illegal suggestions and trades, most of which Arthur had taken one glance at and chosen not to involve himself in further.

For the most part, he just had those places on mute. He did, however, drop a generic question about such small group organisations in a new thread, and figured he’d follow up on it later. However, he trusted that people like Mel and his team would condense whatever they heard down.

Like so…

“I don’t know much about such things. You know my family isn’t really a Climber family. So what I know comes all second-hand and, well, unimportant for a sole Climber like me.” Rick touched his chest, sighed. “I figured I’d clear Malaysia, do a few more Beginner Towers and then apply for a real Guild later on, get into one of the bigger ones. With my family’s money and connections…”

“You thought you were guaranteed to get in,” Casey finished for him.

“Of course.”

“Not wrong,” Mel said. “Not useful for us, right now, but not wrong.” She placed the tablet down and looked at Arthur. “I can’t find much. They’re real, they do trades. Held a big auction not so long ago, to try to get more stones. Their need is quite clear.” She paused, and Arthur made a gesture for her to spit it out. “It’s not certain, but I think they might be dominated by another Guild. The Thrashing Boars.”

“Why do you say that?” Casey said.

“Just placement of logos, in press releases and the auction. I think… the Boars have famously a Beginner Tower of their own, in one of the South American countries. It’s only eight floors, mixture of both monsters and enchanted items coming out of it; but I think it makes them the richest – and biggest – of their group.”

“The others are all shared Towers?” Casey asked.

“Yes. Some have time shares and slots that they’ve bought in other exclusive Towers, or they just make do with runs through public ones. Travel to other countries but…” Mel shrugged. “We know how hard it can get.”

“Not really?” Arthur said. “It’s been easy, isn’t it?”

“You don’t have to do the paperwork. And we’ve been subsidized for the vias,” Mel said. “Even then…”

“We’ve been subsizided?” Yao Jing said, surprised.

“One of my better deals,” Arthur said. “It’s only for a certain number a year though.” He drummed his fingers. “I had to go with a more open number of slots, rather than linking it to the team; but if we wanted to take a break or something…” Or someone died… “We’ve got options.”

“It was a good deal, but it’s not as easy. Some countries have application slots, or limits. We’ve been lucky, going to places that Malaysia has a lot of spaces left. When we start running out of spaces like that…”

Arthur sighed. “I don’t get why it’s so hard. It’s not like the Towers care…”

“Power and control and money,” Casey said patiently.

“We’ve gotten lost,” Uswah said. “Are we taking them up on their offer?”

“No way,” Arthur said, automatically. Then he blinked, looked around. “Umm, unless someone has any objections?”

No one did. As nice as being approached was, jumping at the first deal offered to them was a bad idea. Especially considering their most recent altercation. If the Silver Accords really were the ones who had launched the attack on Arthur, they would just be playing into their hands. Though…

“What if it’s just a coincidence?” Casey said. “Or maybe they heard about the attacks and came to mengangu kita?”

“So what? It’s still not a good deal,” Rick said. “If we wanted to get connected, I bet I could get us a better deal with a bigger group.”

“Thought you don’t know much,” Yao Jing said.

“My family…”

“Oh, yeah… your family,” Jan teased. It was light ribbing though, none of them were going to discount using family connections to get things done. That kind of stupid pride was something only the rich or Westerners could have – and not even the smart ones.

“Well, good if you can do that,” Arthur said, pointing at Rick. “Let’s get that started.” He looked at Mel, added. “Let’s see about trading for our stones too. We have some, but maybe… an on-going thing? Maybe we can get some help, even if it’s not an official alliance. Worse…”

“You want their gear.”

“How’d you know?”

“Your eyes lit up.” She grinned. “Like a little kid.”

Arthur shrugged, not entirely afraid to admit he was interested in the gear. Then, he turned to Casey and added. “If there is a third party, one that wants to hurt or stop us… we just have to keep being careful. Till we know who it might be, we’re just swinging at shadows.”

There were nods all around, while Casey sighed.

“One last thing,” Rick said, as everyone got up to go; all of them copying Arthur as he stood up. Arthur froze, frowning. “What are we doing with the Intermediate stones?”

“Obvious, no? Arthur takes it.” Mel said, softly.

“Not so obvious…” Jan said, quietly. “How about us?” She gestured at herself and Yao Jing. “We got to go up too, you know.”

“Not immediately,” Mel said.

“Really?” Yao Jing said. “How we protect…?”

“I didn’t say you shouldn’t go, but you don’t have to be as strong. You can take your time, get stronger. No need to rush after. Might even be better, because Arthur will have stones for you all when he comes out,” Mel said.

Casey was nodding along quietly, and raised a finger. “What if it needs teams?”

“We choose a Tower that he can solo.” Mel said, firmly. “No need to risk others, rushing. It’s bad enough with Arthur but…” She gestured at the case that Arthur had swept into his hands. “That helps. That helps a lot. We can go faster, with that.”

Rick looked uncomfortable for a moment, eyes lingering on the stones before he nodded. Arthur could understand it, he felt the hunger to drain the stones dry himself. How much more, for someone like Rick who had always wanted to climb. Climb more than just a Beginner Tower?

It was what it was, and Arthur wasn’t going to give up his advantage for the man. Anyway, it wasn’t as though the man spent all his time doing paperwork. There had to be some form of compensation, being a Clan Head after all.

 

Chapter 553

 

Drawing in the energies from the Intermediate beast cores were a rush, even after the first time. Arthur had tried and failed numerous times before, the initial merging shocking his control of how much energy was being pulled over and over again. Too much and the energy dispersed in his body, causing minor injuries as though a storm drain was being overflowed, water bursting out at the junction entrance and through improper seals.

Too little, and Arthur would never get around to actually using the stones fully. It slowed down his refinement speed to the point that he might as well utilize other stones. The point of these better stones was how fast he could improve.

So, he tried to get the connection and cultivation right, over and over again. Forcing himself to patience, when all he wanted to do was draw in energy at a rush and improve himself. These stones were so much better than the cultivation energy from Towers.

He was learning, quickly. One of the fastest things he was learning was where he had mistakes in his own cultivation practice, how he was letting energy escape. It was much more apparent when using so much more energy, and Arthur worked hard to clear those snarls and imperfections up. He even draw one of his Beginner spirit stones out, switching between the two so that he could practice at making it better; noting how the energy flowed smoother and how he gained a higher amount of energy from the stones themselves as he perfected his cultivation technique.

The technique itself too, was a problem. For the first time, he began to understand how much of a hindrance it was. Not just because it was not as effective and efficient with Tower energy and refined energy, how much time it took to refine tower energy into refined energy but also, how it passed and worked his meridians.

More and more, he was beginning to realise the difference between the meridians that he had utilized for cultivation and those that weren’t. His meridians that utilized the Night Emperor cultivation were more robust, more flexible and stronger. Energy flowed through it faster, and so any time he utilized a technique that made use of more of those meridians – like his Cloud Step – he was actually stronger, faster at activating such techniques.

While the Yin techniques, the Poison technique utilized only a small fraction of those he constantly worked with the Night Emperor cultivation form. That activated slower, was more difficult to control and required more energy and concentration to utilize.

Arthur took a break when he had that epiphany, finding the tablet to scrawl a note for others to review. At the Beginner levels, it would matter little, though not something to be entirely dismissed. Even fractions of a second could be important in a battle.

However, when he was conjuring a handful of Energy Darts, replenishing and releasing them at the same time… when one progressed to the upper ends of a Beginner Tower Climber’s ability, then such differences began to matter.

“We’re going to have to start charting cultivation manuals and tower techniques so that they work better together. Create a ‘system’ of things that work best and builds upon one another,” Arthur muttered to himself.

He wondered if Casey or Rick knew about this. Then, realised that Casey probably did. That she did not tell them was frustrating, but it was possible she was sworn to secrecy. Being forced to serve two masters must be tough for her… but it still did little for his own mounting irritation at the withheld knowledge.

Another breath, and he put a note for Mel to restrict this information to start. At least till they had a working group of people and techniques that could work together. He could see how some might try to build an ‘optimised’ path, and because they had not the right tools for them, go without necessary techniques – like a movement or crowd control one.

He probably needed a technique to help himself break crowd control methodologies. Something like Uswah’s ability to fade into shadows or something of the sort; though they were quite rare. Hers had been from a particular quest and while she had been working on writing it down, he knew the job was only half-done.

“Something to look into later…” Arthur rubbed his face. The problem with people moving through the Towers efficiently were that they had no time – or resources – to buy new techniques. No way to build up the necessary points, so that the only path forward was the accumulating points for the Clan. However, that was often locked to the specific Tower or, sometimes, Tower floor. As such, many of those points were being spent on upgrades to their buildings, to adding small necessities or luxuries.

He couldn’t begrudge the Tower floor leaders too much, after all, even he would be upset at the lack of running water. They might need to visit the washroom, but baths and cleaning out the gunk and blood that accumulated from fighting for one’s life was still an ongoing facet of life in a Tower.

Back to pulling energy, back to trying to refine the overflow. He figured he was getting the hang of it now, had a better feel and control of it. One of the things he realised that a minor modification in the cultivation technique, utilizing some under-used meridians to help soak the energy in and mix it with his own actually made it easier to manipulate.

Sticky Energy trait for the win.

At some point, he finished with the first of the stones; noted how he had gone up a full point in energy. His dantian was full, the churning morass of refined energy demanding that he use it soon. He knew he could store more, so he ignored it for the moment, curious what would happen if he kept drawing in more refined energy.

He would have to utilize it, increase some of his basic traits soon; but that was a problem for later. Right now, he had two more stones to use and he believed he could get even more energy for it. Now, if the Clan could figure out how to get more cultivation techniques, especially one meant for the Yin Body; he would be happy.

There was an on-going search for it, but most techniques that appeared on the open market were either ridiculously expensive – enough to beggar their Clan – or just worse than his own. Arthur could only assume he would have to wait until he crossed into an Intermediate Tower to find something like that.

Hopefully, as a Clan Head and with the additional quests available, he might find something. For now, all he could do was all he could do.

 

Chapter 554

 

Putting together an auction of Climbing gear and enchantments took a lot of work – both in terms of organizing everything and the paperwork that it required. It grew exponentially when, after having his offer of an alliance turned down, Jack immediately pivoted to asking to join the auction. Under the table, that was. Their guild would provide the gear for sale, the Clan would take a cut of the proceeds and everyone would be happy. Supposedly, the percentage cut negotiation had grown quite heated between Mel and Jack, until it was pointed out that none of this could be done without the government’s agreement.

Oh, and the fact that, if everything worked out – they might just do it again. Taking delivery of the goods, on the other hand, had been a little harrowing.

“Luckily, they hadn’t expected us to have a backup team,” Eric was explaining, waving his hands around. “When Leia arrived with the rest of the team, the gangs scattered. We captured a bunch of them and handed them over to the polis but…”

“But the underworld is just shrugging their shoulders?” Arthur said.

“Yes. They said that if we’re importing things like that, it’s just the cost of business. If we don’t want to be attacked, we can pay.” Eric lips curled up in disgust.

“Something to negotiate in the future then,” Arthur said, softly.

“With them? I don’t like being blackmailed…” Eric growled.

“No. With the Silver Accords,” Arthur said. “They can organize the transport to us next time.”

“Oooh, letting them make the payments?” Leia smirked, picking at a scabbed over cut on her arm. It had been quite the wound a few hours ago when they had arrived at headquarters, but now it had closed up and was forming a scab. Eric reached over and grabbed her fingers, squeezing it.

“I don’t like. I don’t like how tied we are into them,” Eric said. “Neither does Tsifu.”

“I know,” Arthur said. “I didn’t say they have to pay it. But we don’t need to make it our trouble.”

“But won’t they have trouble guarding it, won’t they? They don’t have people…” Leia said, hesitantly. “How…?”

“We can make arrangements. Even if they’re not actual fighters, they should be able to do that much.” Arthur chuckled. “Worst case, they can hire other guilds. But we don’t have to make it our problems. And Manager Kong will be happy about the new money and visas coming in.”

“Will she?” Eric said, doubtfully.

“Eh…” Arthur sighed. “She wants to show she can do this, we’ll give her more chances.” He drummed his fingers. “On that note… she asked us to help on something.”

“Oh?” Leia said, quietly.

“There’s a small Clan – the Fu Association – that has been in decline for a bit. They had an early Clan seal, but then never took advantage.”

“I know them…” Leia said. “They’re more of a group thing…”

“Yeah,” Arthur said. “Well, they lost a number of their highere ups. Went into Penang, never came out.” He made a face. “They’re still existing, but might fracture soon. More importantly, their newbies are causing trouble. Acting like a tong, more than anything else.”

“And…?” Eric straightened. “You want us to do what?”

“She wants us to see if we can put them straight. Maybe help them out, maybe just…” Arthur shrugged. “They’re making a ruckus in Damansara Heights. We need them to stop, and be more…”

“Nice?”

“Something.” Arthur sighed. “If I knew how to solve it, I’d tell you.” He gestured at them. “Unless…?”

“We can do it,” Leia said. “Better than dealing with the gangs.”

“I take it you’re less than thrilled with them?” Arthur asked, knowing they had their own run-ins in the Tower. They’d seemed happy enough to help with working with them when he first left, but perhaps proximity had further soured them on the project.

“Uswah is better off. Her and her people…” Eric trailed off, stared at Arthur. “Do you know what she’s doing? What they’re up to?”

“Nothing illegal, as I understand it,” Arthur said.

“Nothing illegal,” Leia said that with a twisted laugh in her voice. “That’s… probably true.”

“But…?”

Before Leia could answer, Eric put a hand on her arm. He glowered at Arthur for a moment, then let out a breath. “Best he don’t know. So long as it’s not illegal, eh Even if it’s not… right?

“Morally? Ethically?” Arthur grimaced. “Just… so long as we can look ourselves in the mirror afterwards.” He looked at the pair, added. “It’s why it’s good you’re there. So that you can make sure we don’t go too far.”

“Probably best. That woman is a little…-”

“Bitchy.” Leia added at the same time as Eric finished with.

“Cold.”

“Keep an eye on it for me. Just because we need an out, a way to deal with the gangs and the TG group maybe doesn’t mean we need to go all samseng,” Arthur said.

Neither party looked happy but Arthur they left, leaving Arthur to stare at the documents on his tablet, all of which he had to scan over and then sign. A lot of legalese, that thankfully someone else had to read, though he did check them over.

Most were simple – contracts for caterers, for the event space, for the AV. He even had some documentation here about the security, and a whole slew of pictures and CVs of those who would be guarding the place. He skipped through them, memorizing their faces and the names of the supervisors but left the detailed research for others.

More interesting was the ever increasing list of items that they could sell. As though Jack could not keep his mouth shut, a few others – all local – had approached the Clan about selling of their goods. A few other Clans or unofficial groups were among the numbers, but there were also a few unaffiliated Climbers who were desperate to get more stones rather than risk their lives again.

That list, Arthur was more interested in perusing, since if they could buy these items first hand, it might be cheaper. After all, he was planning on climbing the tower soon and his gear was a mess. He desperately needed armour, boots, maybe even a new secondary weapon.

The kris was all well and good, but he rarely utilized it these days; so perhaps it could be gifted to someone else. Certainly, his own auras were easier to wield than the kris itself, even if the upper limit and amount of poison it could deliver was higher.

In either case, he was building a small list of things to purchase, from Jack and the goods they could provide and the occasional interesting item coming in from others. When he entered the Intermediate Tower – Penang or otherwise – he would be ready. Especially since it seemed he might be doing so alone.

 

Chapter 555

 

Day – or rather, evening – of the auction and Arthur was grimacing, tugging on the collar of his suit. No tuxedo, thankfully, but the formal clothing was more than what he was used to wearing. It did not help that the suit itself was lined and structured to hide the protective mesh beneath, so that if someone did take a shot, it might not penetrate.

Might not, depending on the gauge. There was only so much one could do with normal materials, not without making the wearer look like a tank.

He wandered the waiting room, forced to wait here while everyone else scrambled around getting things ready. He was not even the first greeter, that was reserved for Rick and Casey while Mel ran the actual event itself in the backend. There was something worrying about that, since she was technically the Vice-Guildmaster but he had extracted a promise from her to take part in the mingling once activities actually started.

There were others who she could handle the running f the event to, people like his seniors and some of the newcomers who were showing their ability in administration. There was some rumbling about a Kwok who had taken a large portion of her responsibilities, a former event planner that might soon find himself reacquiring that job – just with the Clan.

Arthur left her to it, beyond getting to know the man. Uswah was busy doing the check, making sure he was not vulnerable to manipulation like any of the other senior staff. A necessary thing, with how many of the senior staff had friends or families approached for information, or been lured.

In a few cases, Eric and Leia had been brought in. Ex-drug users, Shanghaied away to rehab clinics, word spread around amongst gangs and other members who might take advantage of them. Payment to be made, for drugs that might be sold, in exchange for the person held. Police bribed, so that they looked the other way for small infractions like car accidents with no injuries or small thefts, while the perpetrators were dragged off to be given a bollocking and added to a new training regime or a job that would take their time up from mischief.

The kind of thing that Arthur had once railed against, and now, they were utilizing in large measure because any such vulnerabilities became a problem for the Clan. Their enemies, ready to pounce, to draw personal information, to give away innocuous information like the itinerary of their people.

Innocuous, until, of course, someone came along and shot their people. Or kidnapped them. Or just swept in, and bought the company out. Politics at the higher end was one part defense, one part offense, and one large portion of semi-criminal behavior.

“How many RSVPs did we get again?” Arthur asked Jan, curiously.

“Just over fifty bidders,” Yao Jing said from the corner. He looked even more uncomfortable than Arthur in his suit, partly because it did not fit. The sides of the shoulders strained in the muscular man’s clothing, such that he threatened to rip the coat if he moved too fast. “Hundred and eleven people, turning up. Not including the waiters, security, staff and the rest.”

Arthur grimaced, vaguely recalling that the total numbers added up somewhere in the region of a hundred and fifty plus. There had even been some media interest, though Casey had firmly recommended that they turn all such requests including the clout chasers and Climber groupies down. Not that there were likely to be many, yet, but it was best to be ready.

“We confirmed all the duit is actually real?” Arthur said.

“Deposits and coins all transferred to secure account already lah. Bank confirm already all good,” Jan said from her seat. “Relax lah, boss. All also can do.”

Arthur snorted, but relaxed a little. With the advent of various cryptocurrencies, there was always a little concern that such money might just ‘disappear’ at some point. Of course, the organisations that were being allowed in – and who had sent in their deposits – were all reputable, but you heard stories.

The deposits were a necessity to ensure that those who intended to make a bid actually could afford it. There were even safeguards – with letters of credit or guarantees – so that groups could bid over and above their deposits. In the end, of course, nothing would be traded till the money actually had arrived and was confirmed, since nothing being sold was that time sensitive but…

Better to be certain.

Just as Arthur was beginning to relax, the glass of Milo ping by his side, Yao Jing stiffened. Arthur noticed it immediately, of course, and turned to the man, a hand creeping down his side where his cursed kris lay, hidden.

“What!?” he snapped.

“TG Inc. representatives are here.” Yao Jing said. “Going through security now.”

Arthur grunted. That had been an unpleasant surprise, them requesting a presence. In the end, the Clan had chosen to let them in, on the basis that money was money after all. That, and keeping them near was probably better than just letting the group run around unchecked.

“Great. So, how many…?” Arthur asked.

“Three quarters of guests have arrived. Ten minutes away from when you should come out,” Mel said, drifting in. “Uswah says she’s not spotted any problems.”

Arthur grunted, picked up the cup and sipped. The cold chocolate drink was sweet, just like the way he liked it. It was more a comfort drink, something he used to have as a kid than anything else. Still, with the coil of unease seated deep in his stomach, a foreboding that something was going to happen, he was glad for it.

“Thank you.” He paused, met her eyes. “Thank you, seriously. For everything.” He glanced at his two bodyguards, added. “You two too.”

No surprise that the three looked uncomfortable. Frank discussions of emotions were rare, and such overt displays of admiration difficult for everyone involved. Yet, Arthur felt the need to say it. None of the three were willing to meet his gaze, shifting on their feet and letting the words hang in the air.

“Eh, boss. Don’t raise flags like that,” Yao Jing said and shuddered. “Real bad luck, lah.”

That caused the tension to break into light laughter. Moments later, Mel head raised as another call over her headpiece came over.

“Five, Arthur. Then it’s time to be on,” she said, firmly. “Be good.”

“Always.” He grinned, though his stomach lurched.

 

Chapter 556

 

The rooms they were holding the event over included the sky bridge, which for obvious reasons was where many of the guests had congregated. A small bar did brisk business, plying the guests with drinks and waiters and waitresses drifted through the crowd with serving trays of hors d'oeuvres full of spring rolls, goreng pisang, little mushroom and cracker bites and more. All of it was good, and appreciated, and the crowd were chattering merrily as the drinks flowed.

All of it on an open bar, a fact that made Arthur’s parsimonious soul twitch. However, he understood the point – pour generously, pour heavily and the bidders were more likely to bid wildly. Whatever they lost in paying for the alcohol, they should – hopefully – make up for in terms of enthusiastic bids.

The crowd itself was a mix. A group of older managers and bureaucrats, professional auctioneers or managers that were here, most of them sipping carefully at their drinks or gone straight to non-alcoholic refreshments. Their staff, working quietly and hovering behind them or grouping together to trade gossip with one another, acquaintances from other such events.

Then, you had the younger crowd for the most part. Clan members or strong Climbers in their own regard, people with money or a desire to pick up the gear or stones that were being made available. They were dressed more arbitrarily, ranging from smart formal shirts and pants to jeans and t-shirt combos to full tuxedos for the men. The women, not surprisingly, were generally more put together, with many garnering more than one look – after all, most Climbers were highly athletic. However that translated to the variety of body types, it still drew the eye – even if they might not necessarily be pale or svelte.

For the most part, the climbers spoke to one another, the managers to each other and the outsiders – those who were there on their own to collect Tower items rather than use them, or in Jack’s case, representatives of external interest – hung out in the corners.

It was this environment that Arthur walked into. His very presence drew the eye, as though everyone had been waiting for him. He kept his back straight, a smile on his face as he snagged a passing glass of white wine from a server and kept walking. Behind the avaricious gazes and the weighing stares, the lights of KL glittered, tens of thousands of civilians living their lives, uncaring about the machinations of this group.

A good reminder, that it mattered little, no matter how much pressure he might feel at this moment.

“Clan Head Chua,” Manager Kong was one of the first to reach him, smiling as she nodded around. “Thank you for the invitation.”

“You’re very welcome,” Arthur said. “Is the Dato’ here as well?”

“Unfortunately, he had another engagement,” Manager Kong replied.

“Of course.” Arthur knew Casey would be disappointed by that, but he could not be happier himself. Having the Dato’ here would have been a pain and a half, what with the added formality required. At least they hadn’t gotten to the point where Tun’s and their like were showing up. “Will the government be bidding?”

“Not myself,” Manager Kong said. “Though, I believe Ameen is around. He’s from the bumi Climber department that provides training and equipment. They might be trying to purchase some of the equipment your friends have added.”

 “My friends…” Arthur glanced over to where Jack hovered by himself. Occasionally, people would come up to him, but for the most part, he was being avoided. Which was interesting to Arthur, but not something he chose to pursue. Probably some level of politics involved there too. “I’m surprised there was so much interest.”

“Not many Clans are willing to put together an auction themselves. Most don’t have that kind of surplus either,” Manager Kong said, leadingly.

Arthur laughed, softly. “You’re wondering how we can afford it?” He shrugged. “It’s not a secret. We’re using our taxed stones, for the most part. We keep the tax amounts low, but it grows with so many people stuck in the Tower emerging now because of us.” He sighed. “Mel says not to expect it to continue though, because the surplus will fade eventually.”

“Most would save such a surplus.”

“I wish we could,” Arthur said. “But we need actual Ringgit before cores. That might change.” Then he laughed, a little amused. “We might end up with more cores than we planned for anyway, if the Silver Accord and their friends goods sell as well.”

Manager Kong nodded, then glanced to the side as another individual slid over. A rather familiar individual in fact.

“Datuk Izzah,” Arthur greeted the shorter old gentleman. “I’m surprised you came yourself.”

“We wouldn’t, except for your new allies.”

Arthur chose not to correct the man, smiling thinly instead. “They do have quite the collection. I like the armor they have on sale, in particular.”

The Datuk sniffed, saying nothing further. Arthur understood since armour was one of the things their corporation sold, in abundance. Even so, it was not like the dozen or so sets that were being put on sale were going to make a dent in the overall profits other than cutting off some of the top end. It was not as though the TG group had many enchanters, certainly not of armour.

It was something they were talking about expanding from Dakha themselves, but since the process of learning leather making was tough enough already, never mind adding the enchanting, it was going to take a while. Even longer to build out a crafting station with the necessary Mana levels.

“When is the event to start?” Datuk Izzah asked.

Arthur looked at his watch, shrugged. “We’re still on time. Another twenty minutes of socializing, letting everyone take a look at what is on sale and then it’s time to move.”

“Of course.” The Datuk opened his motuh to speak, only for Mel to drift over.

“My apologies, sir. I need to speak with the Clan Head.”

“Mel?”

“This way, sir.” She got him out quickly, leading him towards where the various auction items were laid out in the tower room.

“What’s wrong? Or did you just get me away from him?”

“I did, but we really do have a problem.” Mel said.

“Oh?” Arthur said. “What?”

“We have a last minute addition being requested.”

“IteMalaysian Petir. m?”

“Guest.”

“So say no.” Arthur started to turn, only for Mel to grab his arm and kept dragging him forward.

“It’s Master Masahor.”

“Oh. Celaka.”