Chapter 23: the Contact

A few minutes prior, while the representatives were still locked in heated discussion in the adjacent room, George sat on a sofa chatting with the group his previous seriousness gone he returned to his lazy appearance again. Despite his outward attempt to appear composed, smith was visibly tense his his fists were clenched, and a thin sheen of sweat glistened on his forehead. Patting Smith on the shoulder, George offered a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, kid. Everything will be fine. They’re the ones who should be nervous, not you so relax and let them do the heavy lifting for us."

​Smith offered a silent nod. In truth, his anxiety was undeniable. It was his first time standing before such influential figures—people he wouldn’t have dreamed of meeting just days ago. Although he had recently awakened a Legendary Tittled Queen, he knew his roots were still tied to the slums making him look inferior to them, making his nervousness entirely natural.

​Before they could continue to speak further someone knocked on the door and after George gave the permission to enter.

The secretary of Peter opened the door. "Mr. Smith," she announced, "my master and the other representatives have reached an agreement. They request an audience to finalize your contract." ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

​Without missing a beat, Smith stepped forward, with George, Jack, and Brian following close behind. As they re-entered the meeting room, all the representatives rose from their seats to greet them. Peter Brown stepped forward first. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Peter, the second son of the current Patriarch of the Brown Family."

​The representatives of the remaining seven families followed suit. George quietly leaned over, whispering background details to Smith about each figure. Every family present—including the Brown, Lionheart, Frost Moon, Dragonborn, Ashburn, Iron Bloom, and Gravela families—represented second tier powers they all conrol a city with the local government’s in their respective cities.

​Peter motioned for Smith to sit across from him at the main table. Everyone else remained standing, signaling that Peter was taking the lead in these negotiations. His secretary handed Smith an electronic tablet displaying the drafted contract. Smith handed the tablet directly to George to scan if their is any problem with the contract from the very beginning George was like an assistant to Smith so he accepted the contract and inspected it.

​After a thorough inspection, George nodded approvingly and handed it back. "It’s clean."

​Peter began detailing the terms. "Though our families are individually second-tier powers, united, our resources match any first-tier power in the Capital. Under this contract, you will be directly affiliated with the Brown family, though the other seven families may offer you independent tasks on a voluntary basis. In return, all eight families will jointly support your growth."

​Peter continued outlining the immediate benefits: "To start, each of our eight families will grant you a private estate and a business of your choice in our respective cities, along with a full staff of servants. Furthermore, task-specific rewards will be negotiated individually."

​Smith maintained a calm, neutral expression, though excitement surged beneath the surface. Realizing he had the backing of powerful factions, his gaze unintentionally drifted toward Jack and Brian.

​Catching the subtle look, Peter smiled and added, "Don’t worry about your friends. We have already agreed that they will receive contracts fully tailored to satisfy them as well."

​Hearing this, Jack and Brian beamed with gratitude. Even after rising to a higher stage, Smith hadn’t forgotten them. Meanwhile, George’s standing as an honored guest of the Browns was slated for separate settlement. Satisfied, Smith provided his biometric scan and electronic signature, finalizing the deal.

​The representatives breathed a sigh of relief. Smith’s modest demeanor made him easy to work with, and securing a master of a Legendary Tittled Queen gave their coalition the leverage they desperately needed to break political deadlocks in their home cities.

It has to be known that areas like Everest city where the government faction and the individual faction are almost at equal strength and so they rule the city equal was rare most of other areas usually either the government or the individual factions have the greatest influence over that place compared to the others party and this is caused by the difference in the amount of resources them control example the number of private dungeons normally unranked dungeons are not common and there rewards are mediocre at best and even if you find an unclaimed dungeon you must send a group of players in so as to open an exit which is normally very dangerous if they are not prepared and even if they are prepared variables may occur example they are directly telephoned near a large scale settlement of the dungeon inhabitants or if the dungeon suddenly mutated leaving the people sent inside in danger and because the can’t get out on there own before finding the dungeon exit but if you have A player with a higher Tittled Queen in the team that changes everything because she can act as an insurance example velvet for example if she reached the peak of the Novice Rank and leads a team into a novice rank dungeon and after entering then suddenly the dungeon mutation occurs where it rises from a novice dungeon into an Intermediate dungeon and the creature’s rank also increases to Intermediate Rank under normal circumstances it’s a difficult situation for a ordinary team but for her after she activated her title she could also jump to the Peak of Intermediate rank and even the pawn will have the strength of a beginner intermediate rank and even if a Golden Titled Queen was in that situation she could boost her aura to the middle of Intermediate Rank and her pawns to the peak of the Novice Rank so and together with good rated equipment they have a fighting chance.

​With the agreement settled, Smith was assigned a luxury villa in the prestigious Snow Peak Community. However, before moving in, Smith had one immediate request: he needed to fetch his aunt from the slums. Having lost his father to a car accident years ago, his aunt was his only remaining family. Understanding her importance, all representatives insisted on escorting him, eager to leave a lasting first impression on the person who raised their newly acquired future powerhouse.