[Chapter 134: They Made Their Move]
"You want the rent and deposit back?"
"That's impossible!" A middle-aged, overweight man, mostly bald on top, sprayed spit in Francia's direction. "Someone in your group died in my house. Now it's cursed, and you still want your rent and deposit back? What kind of dream are you living in?"
"Not only will I refuse the refund," the landlord sneered, "but I'll also sue you for damages to my property."
Francia lowered her head and whispered, "I consulted a lawyer. It was an accident, so we don't owe any compensation. You should return the rent and deposit."
"What do you know about the law?"
The fat landlord waved her off dismissively.
But suddenly, his expression shifted. He eyed Francia and swallowed hard. "Returning the rent and deposit isn't impossible, if you spend a few nights with me, heh heh..."
"Bang!"
A swift kick sent the landlord flying. When he landed, blood spilled from his mouth, staining his shirt red.
Daniel hadn't gone inside with Francia, thinking there wouldn't be any trouble with getting the rent and deposit back.
Yet she never came out.
When he entered, he overheard the landlord's final lecherous remark.
"How dare you hit me! I'm suing you! I'll wash your ass clean with lawsuits until you rot in prison!"
The landlord pointed at Daniel, his face twisted with fury.
"Is that so?" Daniel stepped forward and landed several punches on the landlord's face.
Blood spurted not only from his mouth but also his broken nose.
"Ahh!"
The landlord screamed in pain.
"Do you know how old she is? She's only sixteen. Just for what you said, I could call the cops and have you arrested."
"Bang!"
Daniel's punches kept coming.
"Ahh!" "Ahh!"
"Stop! Stop hitting me! I won't sue you anymore!" the fat man whimpered, sobbing.
"Bang!"
"You're done suing?"
The man nodded anxiously. "I'll give you the rent and deposit."
"Then hurry up."
"Let me get up first!" The man was close to tears.
He got to his feet and went into the back room.
When he returned, he held a thick stack of cash.
"This is your rent and deposit, totaling--"
Daniel cut him off, snatched the money, and shoved it into Francia's hands. "Count it. See if anything's missing."
Francia began counting each bill carefully and slowly, laying them one by one aside rather than flipping through the stack quickly.
Daniel grew impatient but held back, waiting until she finished.
"Is it all there?" he asked.
She nodded. "Exactly right."
"Then let's go."
Daniel glanced back at the landlord. "You saved your skin today."
Watching Daniel and Francia leave, the landlord froze for a moment.
Suddenly, he shuddered and snapped out of it.
"Ghost! Ghost!"
He collapsed onto the floor, a warm wetness soaking his pants.
Just moments ago, he'd seen something, its face shredded and maggot-infested, staring hungrily at him.
He could feel it wanted to devour him.
Frozen in fear, he hadn't dared move until it vanished. Only then did he dare to scream.
...
Francia didn't have much stuff, so she quickly packed it into a few cardboard boxes.
With wide eyes, she watched as Daniel effortlessly stored the boxes in his System space and then took her directly to Cross Hall.
"All yours now," Daniel said. "This will be your home."
"The hours are flexible, just don't have them overlap with your classes."
"Understood, Mr. Cross." Francia looked around, surprised. The place was better than she expected, much more comfortable than her last apartment.
The space was large, and every kind of equipment was new and ready to use.
Well, of course, it hadn't been lived in much since Daniel bought and combined the two storefronts and renovated the space.
The back was now set up as a three-bedroom apartment.
The only downside was the poor lighting in some areas, where the lights needed to stay on constantly.
"Thank you, Mr. Cross. I'll take good care of the shop."
"Mhm. It's yours now. Call me if anything comes up."
Daniel was tired of hanging around the shop himself, it was dull.
After handing it over, he got in his Cadillac and drove off.
As he drove, he suddenly remembered he hadn't signed any contract with Francia, nor arranged insurance or anything beyond agreeing on her basic salary.
"Ah, I'll deal with that in a few days," he muttered.
He shook his head and headed home.
...
Around 8 p.m., Daniel got a call from Marcus Hale.
"Mr. Cross, you didn't reply to the message, so I'm calling."
Daniel replied, "I've been busy these past few days and haven't turned on my computer. Have you found all the herbs?"
Marcus: "Found some. I sent you the list, check it out."
"Okay."
Daniel hung up, logged into web portal, and pulled up the list.
Immediately, his heart lifted.
Besides various Grade 2 Elixirs and several Grade 3 Elixirs, the Soul Condensing Elixir was missing only one ingredient: the soul-nurturing flower.
Fortunately, he already had one soul-nurturing flower in his possession.
He asked Marcus: [You don't have the soul-nurturing flower?]
Marcus replied, [It's an ancient herb. We've asked everyone in the business but haven't found any. The seeds are extremely rare and hard to come by. There's even a legend it only grows when sensing someone's deep longing for a deceased loved one. That sounds like something out of fiction.]
Daniel chuckled to himself, then wrote back, [I want these herbs. Prepare them and ship them ASAP.]
He sent over the list.
[No problem,] Marcus said. He wouldn't turn down a guaranteed sale, even if this order was smaller than before.
The herbs themselves were rarer and more precious, though.
The price came out to about 1.5 million US dollars.
As usual, Daniel paid 50% as a deposit and would settle the rest upon delivery.
...
The next morning, right after Daniel left the bank having transferred the deposit, his phone rang.
It was Frank Douglas, his tone grim.
"They made their move."
Daniel immediately understood that "they" meant the Brotherhood of Saints.
"What did they do?" Daniel asked.
*****
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