Merchant of Death

by Jared Mandani

  John gave her a surprised look. “You know about that? How?”

  “I like to keep my eye on all three factions within the Eternal Battlefield,” Madame Yu Sha replied. “As you can no doubt appreciate, information is the most valuable commodity you can possess.”

  “You won’t hear any argument out of me,” he said back. “Gathering information is vital to profitable business activities. I have big plans for building a sophisticated network to sell gear and services across all three factions. I’d like to have you and your organization involved in that.”

  Madame Yu Sha raised her eyebrows. “That is most kind of you, but do I really need you? I have a most successful operation already.”

  “If you say so,” said John, “but you want more.”

  “How can you be so sure of that?”

  “I know people like you,” John replied with certainty. “I’ve mixed with those in the high level organized crime and know how they tick. You’re always hungry for more power and prestige, to go after that next big score. It’s like a drug. The more you have, the more you want. You can’t help yourself.”

  “Be mindful how you speak to the Tong Mistress,” Ro said in a sharp voice. “You will show more respect.”

  “Thank you Ro, but it is all right,” Madame Yu Sha said, silencing him with a flick of her bony hand. She gave John an amused look. “You are an excellent judge of character, but you are still a very low level player. You are level five, yes?”

  “Level eight now,” John replied, “but that’s irrelevant.”

  “To you maybe, but not to the Eternal Battlefield,” Madame Yu Sha replied. “Some would say you were an insolent upstart. Ro certainly thinks that. How can you possibly make me more powerful when you are barely able to hold a weapon, let alone use it?”

  “Because I use brain instead of brawn, that’s a much valuable currency in this world and in mine. I have a plan to expand my operations so much so that my game level won’t matter. I just need something that only you can provide and we’re on the road to easy street.”

  Madame Yu Sha frowned at him. “What is that?”

  “Slaves,” John said. “I need lots of them to help me.”

  “Slaves?” Madame Yu Sha echoed. “I have plenty of them but I doubt you could even afford one. What do you need them for?”

  “Manual labor,” he replied. “I want them to expand the Tong tunnel network until it reaches all across the Eternal Battlefield and links up to my workshop in Steamgrad.”

  Ro snorted. “That would be far too big an undertaking. Why would you even want to do that?”

  “Salvaging equipment from the battlegrounds is a very hazardous business,” John said patiently. “I’ve been killed numerous times while I’ve been collecting gear, and the Black Powder Boys keep getting wiped out and I have to wait for them to respawn before I can send them out again. It’s also getting more difficult to pass back into Steamgrad without attracting attention.

  “I usually bring stuff in at night, smuggled in cargo wagons and on a specially modified steam coach, but it’s becoming more difficult—especially as I have to bribe the guards to look the other way and I’m not collecting enough stuff to justify the expense at the moment. A tunnel network would let me move about more easily the same way it does for the Tong, and with a series of secret entrances leading up to the surface we can grab stuff and disappear down below before anyone can interfere.

  “If you rig the tunnels with traps and put in place the same security arrangements you have in your own tunnels, that’ll hopefully help deal with anyone who might find an entrance and stumble inside. We’ll also have teams of slaves salvaging gear as well, which will make the investment worthwhile.”

  “Something that big could take the labor of hundreds if not thousands of slaves,” cut in Ro. “You cannot afford to buy so many men from us.”

  “You’re not going to sell the labor to me,” said John. “You’ll give it to me for free.”

  Ro blinked and went a strange shade of purple. Madame Yu Sha looked highly amused by all this.

  “Why would we do that, John?” she said sweetly.

  “Because if you design it right, the tunnel network will give you access to every part of the Eternal Battlefield as well as parts of both Enlightened and Holy Seal territory without anyone knowing. You’ll be able to carry out any kind of illegal activity without interference, and you’ll automatically receive a twelve percent cut on anything that I salvage and sell on. That should be incentive enough to engage in this enterprise, and considering you don’t even need to pay your workforce I think that’s a very good deal.”

  “It is preposterous!” Ro exclaimed. “The whole idea is ridiculous!”

  “I like it,” Madame Yu Sha said.

  Ro deflated instantly and looked very sheepish. “Do not trust him, my mistress.”

  “I don’t,” she replied, “but think of it Ro, we could extend our smuggling operations beyond Seven Paths territory and link up with criminal groups both in the Enlightened territory and the Holy Seal. Think of how our power will extend. We will outshine all the other Tongs. My name will become legend.”

  “Now you’re getting it,” John said, giving them both a wide smile.

  Madame Yu Sha narrowed her cold eyes. “Yes, you have given me a wonderful idea, but now why do I need you? I can expand the tunnels and set up my own salvaging operation alone. Why should I have to go through you?”

  “You answered your own question earlier,” said John. “If you plan to connect with other criminal organizations in the Enlightened and Holy Seal territories, you’ll have to be able to communicate with each other. As far as I know, I’m the only player who is able to understand other players and NPCs belonging to all three factions. That makes me perfectly placed to be a negotiator for any future deals and alliances. I gladly offer my services, for a nominal price of course.”

  The Tong leader laughed. “That is very true and I’m sure you would be most accomplished in that role.”

  “I’ve had plenty of practice,” John said.

  “I still don’t trust him,” Ro huffed. “If he becomes too powerful, he could undermine our whole fraternity. We could be making a terrible mistake going in with him, my mistress.”

  John shook his head, becoming irritated by Ro’s suspiciousness. This was almost as hard as dealing with criminals in the real world. “Look, I am on the level. All I want to do is make money, big money. I don’t want glory or fame or to take over anything like that.”

  “Strange, that is what most of the other players here want,” Madame Yu Sha said. “They come merely to fight and kill and chase glory. I understand you come from some other world very different to our own, though some enchantment prevents the inhabitants of the Eternal Battlefield and its surrounding territories from questioning the existence of that reality too closely. All I understand is that it’s a place where pleasure is the most important pursuit and fighting here is just one big game to keep the players amused. You, though, are different. You’re not here for pleasure.”

  “That’s true,” John said. “I want to make money here because it will help me make money in the world I come from. I need a lot of money to help me do something very important. This is not a game to me.”

  Something that might have been respect glimmered in Madame Yu Sha’s eyes. “Xan was right. You are special. I sense that you will change my world forever and I want to be a central figure in that change. I will supply you the slaves you need.”

  Ro gritted his teeth but remained silent and stood rigid to attention. John smiled at Madame Yu Sha. “Thanks. You won’t regret this.”

  “No,” said Madame Yu Sha with a playful smile, “but you might.”

  Chapter 09

  Level Up! LVL 09!

  Faction Update: You are now a Red Viper Strategist of the Jet Dragon Tong.

  Favor of Tong Leader Bonus:

  Award of Chari
sma Increase by 15% granted.

  Standing with other members increased by 70%. Standing with all criminal elements increased by 85%. Increased respect and fear among non-criminal NPCs up by 60%. Access to all Tong owned buildings and businesses granted. Equal Footing with Tong leadership granted. Increased risk of assassination by 30%

  The messages greeted him as soon as he left Madame Yu Sha’s private chamber. He dismissed the menu and allowed himself to undergo all the blindfold nonsense for the return journey to Bastion. He was to return in a week’s time to discuss with Xan and Ro the practicalities of extending the tunnel complex. He thrilled at the prospect of sinking his teeth into such an ambitious project, and barely remembered the return journey across the battlefield to Steamgrad.

  When he reached the privacy of his workshop, he accessed his character menu to take a look at his new stats.

  Character Information

  Character Stats

  Currently Equipped

  Inventory: 56/60 Items

  Faction: N/A

  Class: N/A

  Guild: N/A

  Special Membership of Criminal Organization: Jet Dragon Tong LVL 01 (Red Viper Strategist)

  Primary Profession: Salvager

  Secondary Profession: Analyst

  Specialist Tertiary Profession: Smuggler

  Current LVL: 09

  Health: 290/290

  Mana: 0/0

  Speed: 250/250

  Attack: 180/180

  Defense: 130/130

  Charisma: 150/140

  ↑ Charisma + 10 LVL01: Ring Of Mild Charm

  Weapon Skills: 0/0

  Adventurers’ Backpack

  Chest: LVL 03 Button-Up Shirt

  Upper Body: LVL 01 Pistol Holster (Darrington)

  Bracers: NONE

  Legs: LVL 03 Chaps and Pants

  Boots: LVL 03 Leather Boots

  Cloak: LVL 02 Hooded Traveling Cloak

  Neck: NONE

  Main-Hand Weapon: LVL 04 Darrington Pistol

  Off-Hand Weapon: LVL 02 Bowie Knife

  Flashbomb x 10

  Jet Dragon Brooch

  LVL 01 Beginner Britches

  LVL 04 Darrington Pistol Cartridge x 18

  LVL 01 Peasant Tunic

  LVL 01 Peasant Pants

  LVL 01 Wood Sandals

  Salted Meat x 9

  Save Marker

  Steamed Bun x 12

  Steamgrad Gate Pass

  Gold On Person: 80

  Gold In Storage: 48,500

  John had noticed the small changes to the stat menu to accommodate the extra gear he wore. He carried the Darrington pistol all the time, along with the Bowie Knife concealed in his left boot, but hadn’t had the opportunity to use either of them yet. It was a fair point that—as a player—he was miserably weak, and he sometimes felt the urge to go and try leveling up by engaging in combat, but kept reminding himself that would be an unwanted distraction. This was a serious business and he needed to put the money making side of things first and foremost.

  He had built up a pretty decent amount of gold by now, the majority of which he kept in a safe in the bedroom above the workshop as indicated on his character stat screen. He kept roughly around a hundred gold or so on his person, and as well as developing the salvaging side of his business he had begun to sell some of his gold reserves on the player market in exchange for platinum which he could then convert into real world money. He now had around fifteen thousand dollars’ worth in cryptocurrency. It was a modest start, but once he got the tunnel network up and running—and had Tong slaves and the Black Powder Boys helping with the salvaging operation—the money would start to really begin rolling in.

  The problem was he now had to wait for the Tong to get things going and he had neglected Brother Cedric for a while. He still wanted to get the professor’s potions into the mix as that would make a decent and steady income. He had returned once to Heaven’s Shield since his first conversation with Cedric and had taken fifteen potions of Vigil Boost back with him to Enlightened territory. He had discovered that the NPC guards in Steamgrad had taken a liking to the formula, and a few bottles of it had helped offset the cost of bribes to get his salvaged goods through the gates unhindered. John suspected that the guards in Bastion would have a liking for the Vigil Boost potion as well as many other security NPCs located in other cities and settlements across all three of the factions. Not only that, there were plenty of other potions he could sell to other NPCs and players in all the territories, especially formulas that enhanced fighting prowess or got someone totally high. If he could get the supply chain up and running correctly, the gold could easily start flooding in.

  He could also develop his own specialist potions, unique across the whole game world. He already had plans to start experimenting with designing his own weapons, inspired by the conversation he’d heard about the Lightning Spires. Specialist gear that only he could supply would mean he could charge whatever he wanted and he was certain the richer players would flock to buy anything that would provide them an advantage over their less financially well off opponents. Just like in the real world, the rich in EWO loved to find ways to fuck the poor in the ass.

  Getting so caught up in his plans, John almost forgot the reason he was doing all this in the first place. He also had to check in with the real world and deal with matters in serious need of attention, namely obtaining fresh supplies and maintaining the fusion reactor in the bunker. Now that his business with the Tong was complete, he saved his progress and logged out of the game.

  After spending so long online, it felt strange to be interacting with reality again and he experienced a sense of disorientation that lasted an hour or so. In that time, he fixed himself a simple meal of ham and eggs, and checked through the stores, making a mental note of what he needed to obtain. Next he did an assessment of the fusion reactor and found that the condensers were wearing out, and that the generator was not operating at its full efficiency. There was also a faulty transformer and two of the control rods needed replacing. He was able to repair the transformer but the other issues could only be resolved by procuring new parts. That irritated him greatly as purchasing those items could attract unwanted attention, but like the supplies the replacement parts were vital to his continued survival.

  To acquire both these much needed items, he accessed the Warehouse—a Dark Web based e-commerce site that specialized in buying and selling black market goods, weapons and military hardware. He had used it several times in the past and it was from there that he had obtained the mini fusion reactor to power the bunker.

  With Gen’s help, his interactions were kept concealed from prying eyes and he contacted a vendor called ByzantMerch—a Ukrainian based vendor who supplied arms and equipment to the Russian Mafia. John had compiled a dossier on Byzant, real name Denys Zakarch, a year or so before ever contacting him to do business. He found him to be reliable and relatively trustworthy for someone in that line of work. The man offered fair prices and had slowly built up a sophisticated smuggling network that delivered all over Western Europe and the States.

  John went onto Zakarch’s vendor page and ordered several boxes of canned food goods that had found their way off an army base in Estonia and the necessary parts he needed for the reactor. He made the encrypted payment and sent an email with directions to the dead drop where John wanted the goods delivered.

  The drop was a derelict general store located on the outskirts of the town of Concrete, Washington. John had rigged up security cameras inside the building and had hacked into the government CCTV network in that part of town so that he would be able to reduce the risk of being caught or for the deliverers to double cross him. The delivery was arranged for three days from now at eleven pm, and in the intervening time, John turned his attention to another pressing matter: gathering more information on how far the Chinese government’s influence extended and whether the Chinese or the Bureau were clo
se to finding him.

  He realized that because he had been spending so much time in the EWO virtual reality, he could be leaving himself open to an assassination attempt. Though he had covered his tracks well, he had a creeping sense that the net was beginning to close around him. He had to get away to somewhere safe and set up a new life under a new identity as soon as possible.

  To that end, he made email contact—using an encryption protocol—with a man called Keller, who was located in Arlington, Texas. Keller was a fifty year old hacker and petty criminal who had been in and out of jail most of his life. He was small fry of the most irrelevant kind, but he did have a talent for digging up information that few other people were able to find. John had used him five years ago to gather intel on a target he’d been ordered to liquidate. The mark was a Colombian drug baron who had a sideline in financing terrorist atrocities in pro west territories and was becoming more than a serious nuisance for the US government. The man was very careful about his personal security and had already avoided five attempts on his life both by criminal rivals and the US, and had made himself virtually untouchable. John had been unable to find a way to get to him, until Keller had dug up a nugget of information about the drug baron’s discreet visits to an exclusive bondage club. John had literally taken the criminal out when he had his pants down, and it was all thanks to Keller.

  He knew Keller had also been hired by the black ops division of the Chinese Ministry of State Security from time to time and had been paid to carry out cyber-attacks on US businesses, as well as returning the favor to the Bureau with both parties oblivious to this duplicity. Nobody knew about that little secret except John, who also did extensive digging on all the informants he used to find anything that could give him a firmer leverage over them other than a financial incentive. John also had concrete proof of this and it made his negotiations with Keller move a lot more smoothly.