Might as Well

Sam spent some time outside, looking on as the weather slowly but surely turned into spring weather. There were already several trees in the nearby parks that were trying to show off their green crowns, and the fields were full of budding flowers.

He spent most of his rest time sitting on one of the benches, looking up at the sky and just thinking.

Thinking about his previous life, his current life, and everything that had happened and everything that would happen.

The game was blowing up, and he already had some evidence that the rich people were present and trying to bend the game’s economy to their will. Conflict with them was inevitable. After all, they wanted to own everything, and Sam didn’t want to fall under anyone’s control. It would require a balancing act, but he was sure he could do it. Especially, if he surrounded himself with people with the experience and skills that were needed.

With Lucy already taking care of the administration, he would still need someone for security and leading the common troops while he was away gallivanting around the world of Magic Unbound.

He had ideas about people he could approach, though as of now most of them were entrenched in their current position. However, one break was coming up soon. While the timeline was thoroughly fucked, thanks to Sam’s action, there were still things he could expect to happen, as they were based on people he had no effect on. Hopefully…

For a while, Sam also considered his plans for the company he had set up in the city of Ironwood. With the conclusion of the contract with the Silvercrest family, they would be definitely set for a while with gold income. However, he knew as soon as the contract was done, other players would hear about it and go about doing the same thing.

Naturally, in the area around Ironwood, Sam was the leading economic power as of now, but if people started doing the same thing he did then expanding would become harder and harder. The only good news was that building the same level of relationship with the local nobles that he had with the Silvercrest family would take a lot of time for the guilds without his future knowledge. Still, he wasn’t stupid enough to underestimate the other players. He may have been one of a kind reincarnator but there was no dearth of geniuses anywhere.

For now, he would need to get the contract done, have a talk with Katie and figure out where to go with her family, then finish the auction, followed by getting more players to join the company.

Closing his eyes as the spring sun came out from behind the clouds and bathed him in life-giving rays, he let out a slow sigh.

He would be very busy in the foreseeable future…

After returning to his apartment and going through his routine, Sam laid down on his divan and placed the helmet on his head. As the device turned on and the surroundings darkened, he had only one thought. ‘I hope the capsules arrive soon…’

He already contacted several companies that were in the business of distributing VR helmets, asking them to notify him if any commercial VR capsule became available for gaming purposes.

For now, he had a game to play.

[WELCOME BACK TO MAGIC UNBOUND, SOLAR!]

[LOG IN?]

[YES]/[NO]

Without hesitation, he clicked on the yes button.

He appeared in the game where he left his character, in the bed, covered by Lucky’s fur. Having gotten used to it, he spent a few minutes spitting out fur, then feeding and playing with the playful canine, he left the room with a purpose.

Outside, he was met by one of the maids, handing over a no-doubt encrypted document inserted into a stereotypical light manila-colored file. He thanked the woman who scurried away after a short curtsy, then opened the file and began to read Lucy’s report while descending the stairs.

The businesses in the city were doing good. The identification and warehouse business was steady even with a dozen people and guilds trying to ape them. There was something to say about being the first to do something.

There were some notes about one of the copycats simply stealing stuff, but there was nobody Lucy could trust to look into it.

Sam scowled at that. The best person to handle the company’s security both internal and external was still a ways away from leaving their current post, while Sam himself had to juggle a few million things at the same time.

Granted, he could have gone and hired a random person that looked competent, but in the end, it was much easier to trust a person whose life story and motivations he knew. Making a note to check up on that clusterfuck, he approached the meeting room he had Lucy put aside for this exact talk.

Opening the door, he saw Katie sitting in one of the chairs, looking out of the window, aggressively petting Puffball – who was rather enjoying it – and fidgeting. However, instead of the all-encompassing plate mail that he got used to, this time, she was wearing a simple dress with cloth pants and something that was called ballet shoes according to Sam’s spotty memories of woman’s clothing. She looked delicate, not like when she was wearing her armor that showed her brutal and menacing side. Sam could see why she choose to cover up. Nobody would take her seriously as a berserker if she revealed how she looked.

Plus, no doubt, she didn’t want to get the same attention that all pretty girls got in games like these.

When the door opened, she looked away from the window and upon seeing him, she smiled a little.

“Hope I’m not late?” he opened with an easy-going smile.

She shook her head.

“No, you’re not…I was just… watching the city,” she answered quietly.

Sam nodded and walked up to the desk, putting Lucy’s report into his inventory. He sat down and looked at the young woman across from him.

She looked despondent and fearful. As if expecting Sam to be wrathful.

He considered the situation and at first, wanted to start with a joke or icebreaker, but after a second thought, he just went for it.

“Alright, we are both here. Let’s talk!”

She jumped a little but nodded without saying anything.

Sam gave her what was hopefully a reassuring smile and continued. “Let’s see if I got it right. Your brother started a guild and your father saw the economic potential of the game, so he decided to help your brother set it up. He wanted you to be part of the guild, something akin to a figurehead, no doubt thanks to your beauty. You disagreed, your father got angry, and probably arranged something that would drive a wedge between you and me.” Sam paused a little, to take a breath, then continued. “Also he probably tried to get information about me from you. How am I doing?”

Katie blinked at him for a few moments, then opened her mouth.

“What? How? How did you know all that?”

Sam just snorted.

“Guesses based on behaviors of rich people.” While adding silently in his ‘and thanks to the massive amount of webnovels I’ve read in the past.’

The young woman snorted. “Well, you got it mostly right. He wanted me to leave your company and set up an auxiliary for the Steel Lions and help my brother lead the entire thing.” She took a breath, obviously trying to keep calm. “He was very… wrathful when I refused him. I have no doubts that those people who attacked us worked for him, keeping an eye on my brother.”

Sam nodded, expecting it.

“However, my and your luck is that my father doesn’t really understand games or how players think. He thinks that he could use his usual modus operandi to set up things here and rake in the money. He has been rather disappointed in my brother for not performing according to his expectations.” She scowled. “Although, good luck to anyone trying to explain to him that he was doing it wrong…”

“I see…” Sam spoke slowly, going over the information given. “Do you think he would try to strike at me in the real world?”

Katie’s eyes grew to the size of coins and shook her head.

“God no! He is all about economic suppression. Finds physical fighting absolutely distasteful,” she explained. “Though expect all manner of economic and political intrigue.”

Sam let out a relieved sigh. For those he had people that he could rely on. But defending against physical attacks? Much harder, especially in this modern world where weapon technology had advanced well beyond what Sam was familiar with. Cybernetically enhanced leg-breakers would have been the least of his worries…

“Thank you for the information,” he said with a smile directed at the still-fidgeting girl. “What about you? How are you handling it?”

The young woman grimaced. “Had a talk with my brother, he is very angry with father. But I’m just his daughter, I can’t really change his mind. It never worked and never will.”

“Why?”

The grimace deepened.

“He has beliefs about the place of women in a family…”

“Ahh… that makes it indeed hard…”

For a long minute, he eyed the young woman and then posed a question that was spawned from an errant idea.

“Would you be willing to act as a double agent?”

“Huh?”

“I mean go up and tell your father a bunch of useless facts about us and in exchange get some good intel?” he clarified upon seeing the slight confusion on her face.

Sadly, she shook her head. “It would never work. He doesn’t trust me, never has. No matter what I tell him…”

“Alright! What do you think his next steps would be? He failed to kill us for a small dungeon. Do you think he will get someone to explain to him how games work?”

Katie looked away thoughtfully, one of her hands coming up and scratching her chin. After a minute of thinking, she began talking slowly.

“For now… I think he’ll do what he thinks is best. Maybe he’ll listen to my brother, maybe he won’t, but I think he would need a bigger setback to seek external support. He doesn’t trust easily,” she explained while Sam listened intently.

“Hmm, alright. Was a farfetched idea to start with…” he spoke, giving the young woman a warm smile, which was returned immediately.

He drummed with his fingers on the table as he organized his thoughts. Finally, after a minute, he spoke up.

“What about you? How are you?” he asked.

Katie blinked at him in surprise at the question, then looked a little vulnerable.

“I…I feel angry but also resigned…” She let out a great sigh akin to a gust of wind and aimed a fragile smile at Sam. “I’m used to my father ruining everything related to me.”

Without saying anything Lucky silently emerged from Sam’s shadow, sauntered up to Katie, and began rubbing against her. She looked surprised momentarily, but then let out a wet giggle and hugged the giant canine.

Sam let the two work it out while continuing to organize the thoughts rapidly moving around in his head.

After reassuring Katie that he still trusted her and that he had no plans of getting rid of her, Sam left the girl back at the headquarters, while he himself headed for the Silvercrest manor.

Dressed in a suit that Lucy got him from somewhere, he cut a dashing figure, and people – NPCs and players – kept turning their heads as he walked by. He could have skulked along the shadows, but he felt like living it up for once.

‘Plus, it would give the spies something to report…’ he thought with a chuckle as he approached the manor.

The guards snapped into a salute and opened the door for him immediately. Inside, he was greeted by the butler, who looked him over and nodded in appreciation.

“Very good, Master Samuel,” he spoke.

“Thanks, I asked for help…” he responded with a small chuckle.

The butler just nodded. “A wise man knows when to ask for help.” Then he motioned towards the doors. “Now, if you’d follow me, young master?”

Sam nodded and started walking with the butler following him.

He was led to the lord’s office, where the man and his wife were waiting for him. Both of them were dressed up, though their clothing was much more high quality than Sam’s. Clearly, everybody had the same idea.

“HAHAHA! Welcome, my friend!” exclaimed the lord, loud enough to rattle the windows. His wife just stood there without flinching. “It is time to sign the contract!”

He motioned toward a small table to the side, which contained two copies of the contract, with two fancy pens ready to be used.

“I trust you found no problem with the contract?”

Sam shook his head. “Neither my friend nor I could find anything, so I’m ready to sign.”

The older man nodded, and his wife smiled at Sam. He returned the smile and stepped next to the small table mirrored by the lord.

Both of them reached for the pens, wetted them, and with a flourish signed the contracts placed on the surface.

The moment Sam lifted the contract, both of them flashed silver and a small chime could be heard. Sam looked up and exchanged a smile with the lord. He lifted his hand and offered it for a shake.

Lord Silvercrest grinned at him and slapped his plate-sized hand into Sam’s, shaking it, while Sam took a look at the notification popping up.

[Congratulations, you signed a major contract with the Silvercrest family!]

[You gain +1 LUCK!]

His smile widened.