[IN AN UNKNOWN LOCATION]

“So, Is it ready?” A man asked as he puffed out smoke from his mouth while holding his cigarette with the tip of his fingers.

The man was seated on a very comfortable couch, with a glass of wine on a table beside him, as well as a plate which he used to dust off the ash already forming as his cigar burned. He was wearing a regal attire, with gold rings on each finger and had blonde hair and beard. He had a hard look, with a very expensive looking walking cane beside him.

In front of him was a woman, the one he was talking to. She wore glasses and had a stern and serious expression on her face. She wore a suit and had an opened book with her. As his secretary, she was required to do this much.

“Yes sir. It turns out we’ve somehow mysteriously gotten someone who claims he has the coins we require.” The other man said.

“Oh? How many does he have in stock?” The man asked.

“He claims they will be enough to entirely supply the amount we require. He didn’t say any more.” She said.

“We require a million coins, you know? How can a single person have that much? What a joke.” The man said with irritation.

He despised when others wasted his time or took his words for granted.

“But sir, the source of this information is legitimate. And the company he represents, the ones who are in possession of the coins we need, are very reputable.”

“The name” He asked.

“He goes by the name Julius Bodenheim, from the Imperius Auction House.” She said.

The man’s face slowly changed to surprise.

“Oh? Then the information must be credible. However, isn’t this surprising… How did they get their hands on Ancient coins so quickly?” He said, half talking to himself.

“Well sir, our people did some investigating and we interrogated those who frequent the Auction House, as well as bribed some of the workers there. After extensive research and investigation, a certain matter seems consistent.” She said.

“What did they find out?” He narrowed his brows and dropped his cigarette.

“Prior to Imperius’s acquisition of the Ancient coins, and before Mr Julius made it known to us, a certain man attempted to pay a very huge amount of Ancient coins to the receptionist at the counter.” She said.

“W-What?” The man asked, surprised at the absurdity.

“Yes sir. As bizarre as this might seem, those who we interrogated and bribed and were eyewitnesses, corroborated with the story. It seems to be true. However, they weren’t able to see or know much further since the strange man was taken within Imperius and concluded his transfer within the confines of one of their secret rooms” She answered.

“This is indeed absurd. What is the rough estimate of the coins he wanted to pay?” He asked, picking up his wine glass and sipping from it.

“They weren’t certain, but from most of their reports, we have calculated the money to be at least 10 to 20 million Ancient coins” She said, still maintaining a straight face.

The surprise from hearing that huge amount caused him to spit out the wine he had swallowed, some of which poured on the cloth of his secretary. She didn’t pay it any heed though, and kept facing the man she reported to.

“That is… Impossible!” He said, his hands shaking as he tightly gripped his wine glass.

“There is no way we can be certain of this information, however, at this point it is certain that Imperius has Ancient coins in stock, and not just a small amount.” She said.

“True. No wonder that bastard Julius was so confident he could supply me the coins I require.” He muttered.

This was an unexpected development to him, something he could never have foreseen. A single man paying so openly with Ancient coins? And with such great an amount in the first place. Is he stupid?

“With that much money Imperius will be the largest company in the entire Western Kingdom, and even one of the largest in the international community… But isn’t it strange?” The man said.

“What would you mean by that sir?” The woman asked.

“They haven’t made their possession of Ancient coins known, neither have they publicly announced the amount or registered it in accordance to the Royal decree. Something feels off.” He said.

The woman paused, slowly thinking upon his words before she finally spoke.

“True. We were only directly reached to by the man Julius, but not in the company’s capacity. It seems they do not have the intention of making this known anytime soon. The Royal decree imposes a 10 percent levy on the possession of such coins. A huge amount such as that would be a very great deal to any organization.” She said.

“No. Imperius Auction House has deep ties to the Royal and Noble faction. They have more to gain than lose, even with the levy imposed on them” He reasoned.

“Then…” She said hesitantly.

“It must be that man, Julius Bodenheim. He must be the one who directly obtained possession of the coins. Most likely, the Higher ups of the Auction House don’t know of their existence yet. He also most likely shut the mouths of the ones who know of its existence with some money or threats.” He added.

“You mean…”

“Yes. Currently, our dear Julius Bodenheim is hoarding the coins for himself and selling them in the black market, which has even higher prices than the normal market prices. Also, he has no need to pay levies to the Royal family since he keeps it under the radar. A profitable venture if I do say so myself.” He said, impressed by the man he has not even met.

“But wouldn’t that be reckless? What if he is found out? He has such a big name attached to him after all.” She asked curiously.

The man laughed when he heard her question.

“It seems you know nothing about business and dealings when it comes to the black market. Under here, we all operate on illegality. No one is able to implicate the other due to the illegal nature of both buyer and seller. In that same vein, even we can not do much against his business in the underworld since we also require and acquire our goods through illegal means.” He explained.

“So, what you mean to say is… Our hands are tied on the matter. Should we proceed with the purchase of the coins we require?” She asked.

The man laughed even further after hearing this.

“Oh no. Far from it!” He said, still chuckling.

“As one of the overlords of the underground black market, I can’t say I hate smart guys like him. But…”

Suddenly his face grew grim and deathly serious. A cold expression appeared that even sent shivers down the spine of the secretary.

“… You see, our young chap made a fatal error in judgement. He was wrong to assume that in the black market, he could refuse to pay any levy to whom it is due. For the surface, one pays their dues to the Royal family. It is only natural for Royalty to exist also in the underworld of trade. However, he jumped the gun and began to sell without our blessings yet” He said.

“S-Sir, what should we do about it?” She asked, her brows furrowing as she also had a more serious countenance.

“We’ll have to nip him in the bud… And then we’ll have our prize”

He smiled evily.