Chapter 53 - 54: A Deal!

Chapter 53: Chapter 54: A Deal!

Chapter 54: A Deal!

One-quarter of the commercial channels.

That was no small offer.

Although the Rowan Trading Consortium couldn’t compare with the Beaumont Trading Consortium, it had operated in Westmere for many years.

It controlled numerous channels for material procurement, potion sales, and low-tier equipment distribution.

If the Beaumont Trading Consortium could acquire these channels, its influence would expand even further.

Before yesterday, Nathaniel might not have cared much about such things.

But now, things were different.

Noctis was lying on his shoulder.

The Shadow Cat’s daily Shadow Harvest was directly linked to the commercial influence he controlled.

The greater his influence, the more Shadow Energy it could gather.

The Rowan Trading Consortium’s channels meant expansion for the Beaumont Trading Consortium.

For Nathaniel, that meant a steady increase in the Shadow Energy he could obtain in the future.

He became interested.

After thinking for a moment, he spoke calmly.

"One-quarter is too little."

On the other end of the communicator, Caleb’s breathing hitched.

"How much do you want?"

Nathaniel replied.

"At least half."

Caleb’s voice changed at once.

"Half?"

"Nathaniel, that’s too much."

"If we give up half our commercial channels, the people inside the Rowan Trading Consortium will never agree."

Nathaniel’s tone remained calm.

"That’s your problem."

Caleb fell silent.

Nathaniel continued.

"Caleb, you should understand your current situation."

"The Rowan Trading Consortium isn’t what it used to be."

"With your father missing, will those senior executives still treat you as the rightful heir?"

"Will your business partners continue to respect your family as they did before?"

Every sentence struck Caleb hard.

Of course, he knew.

Over the past few days, he had seen too much.

The moment his father went missing, those uncles, senior executives, and business partners had begun showing their true faces.

In name, he was still the heir.

But in reality, his authority was shrinking by the day.

Nathaniel’s voice continued through the communicator.

"You think giving up half your commercial channels is too much right now."

"But if you refuse, what you lose may not be half."

"It could be everything."

Caleb’s grip on the communicator tightened.

His face turned pale, but he couldn’t find a single word to argue.

Because Nathaniel was right.

The Rowan Trading Consortium had become a piece of valuable property without anyone strong enough to protect it.

If Caleb didn’t find a powerful backer soon, the organization would be torn apart bit by bit.

And who in Westmere was best suited to become that backer?

Nathaniel Beaumont.

An SSS-Rank first-advancement professional.

A young man who had subdued the Beaumont Trading Consortium through his own strength.

Nathaniel was no longer an ordinary peer.

He was someone everyone in Westmere had to take seriously.

Caleb took a deep breath.

"Fine."

"Half."

"I agree."

Nathaniel’s expression didn’t change.

"But your agreement alone isn’t enough."

Caleb gave a bitter smile.

"I know."

"There will be people inside the Rowan Trading Consortium who oppose this."

"They’ve already been taking control away from me. Now, asking them to hand over half the commercial channels to the Beaumont Trading Consortium won’t be easy."

Nathaniel replied calmly.

"Talk to them first."

Caleb was stunned.

"Me?"

"You’re the heir of the Rowan family."

"You have to raise this matter yourself."

"If you don’t even dare to take that first step, there’s no point in me helping you."

Caleb remained silent for a moment.

"I understand."

Nathaniel continued.

"Tonight, gather the senior executives of the Rowan Trading Consortium and make your position clear."

"Write down the names of everyone who refuses to cooperate."

Caleb’s heart skipped a beat.

"And then?"

Nathaniel looked out of the window.

His voice remained calm.

"Tomorrow morning, I’ll visit the Rowan Trading Consortium."

"And personally persuade those who refuse."

On the other end of the communicator, Caleb stopped breathing for a moment.

Although Nathaniel’s voice wasn’t loud, Caleb could already picture twenty Shadow Soldiers standing inside the Rowan Trading Consortium’s conference hall.

The pressure weighing on his chest suddenly eased.

"Thank you."

His voice was hoarse.

"Nathaniel, truly. Thank you."

Nathaniel chuckled.

"There’s no need to thank me."

"This is a deal."

Caleb was silent for a moment before smiling.

"Fine."

"A deal."

The communication ended.

Nathaniel put away his communicator.

Noctis was still lying on his shoulder. As if sensing his thoughts, it flicked its tail.

Nathaniel stroked its head.

"It seems you’re quite the lucky creature."

It hadn’t been long since it hatched, yet it had already helped him secure a valuable business opportunity.

"Meow."

Noctis seemed to understand the praise. It lifted its head slightly, looking rather pleased with itself.

The corners of Nathaniel’s mouth twitched.

He didn’t waste any more time.

Leaving the Beaumont estate, he headed straight for the Westmere Professional Center.

...

For the rest of the afternoon, Nathaniel stayed in the dungeon area of the Professional Center.

He began by clearing a Level 100 Hell-Difficulty dungeon four times.

Wherever his Shadow Soldiers went, monsters fell in droves.

They swept through the dungeon, tearing through every obstacle in their path.

When the final boss collapsed, an upgrade notification appeared before Nathaniel’s eyes.

[Congratulations! Your level has increased to Level 101.]

A warm current surged through his body.

Nathaniel could clearly feel his attributes rising again.

He opened his personal panel.

[Name: Nathaniel Beaumont]

[Level: 101]

[Profession: One-Star God of Shadows]

[Strength: 11,950]

[Agility: 11,950]

[Constitution: 11,950]

[Spirit: 11,950]

[Skills: Shadow Execution Level 2, Shadow Summoning Level 3, Shadow Passage Level 1, Shadow Rebirth Level 2]

[Equipment: Diamond-Grade Shadowstride Boots, Ring of the Eternal Shade]

[Pet: Noctis]

Nathaniel studied the panel with a satisfied expression.

As expected, each level gained after his first advancement added another 1,000 points to all his primary attributes.

Even he found the growth somewhat ridiculous.

However, Nathaniel soon frowned.

"Come to think of it, leveling up has become too slow."

He had cleared four complete Level 100 Hell-Difficulty dungeons just to advance from Level 100 to Level 101.

It seemed the experience required after his first advancement had increased by a huge amount.

Reaching Level 100 in just a few days, as he had done before, was no longer realistic.

Nathaniel closed the panel and prepared to continue.

After leaving the dungeon, he approached Administrator Lucas Bennett.

"I want to enter a Level 101 dungeon."

Lucas immediately straightened.

"My Lord, the Professional Center doesn’t have any Level 101 dungeons."

Nathaniel frowned.

"None?"

Lucas quickly explained.

"That’s right."

"High-level dungeons above Level 100 are scarce to begin with."

"Westmere is only a local city, so its supply of high-tier dungeon resources is limited."

"Among the dungeons above Level 100 currently recorded by the Professional Center, the closest available one has a minimum entry requirement of Level 105."

"There are no suitable dungeons between Levels 101 and 104."

Nathaniel’s brows furrowed.

In other words, even if he wanted to challenge stronger dungeons, there were none he could enter at his current level.

Instructor Julian Ward had been right.

Westmere could no longer meet his needs.

Nathaniel sighed.

"Then keep arranging Level 100 Hell-Difficulty dungeons for me."

Lucas nodded at once.

"Understood."