After Mohan agreed to Zeke’s offer, they spent a long time discussing the details of their future cooperation. As a seasoned merchant and family head, Mohan Nair fought tooth and nail for as many benefits as he could get.

Ultimately, he substantially raised their shares in the venture and improved the agreed-upon conditions. He was so happy about the final agreement that he completely missed Zeke's indifference to those minor points.

In the end, a lengthy document took shape. The obligations and privileges of both parties were clearly defined. The combination of Zeke and Akasha’s knowledge of Korrovan law resulted in an utterly ironclad contract.

However, the gist of it was simple: The Nair family would be the representatives of Ezekiel’s business ventures in Korrovan. They would be responsible for the sale and distribution of all his products. In turn, they would receive a share of all profits. Additionally, Zeke promised to aid the Nair family in re-establishing their position until they could stand on their own.

A smile came to Zeke’s face the moment Mohan Nair signed his name. He took the two duplicates and carefully placed them into his robes. “I will visit you with your signed copy in the next few days. It shouldn’t take long for my Patriarch to sign it after we have already done so much work.”

Mohan eyed Zeke appraisingly. “You seem pretty confident. Does your Patriarch trust you that much?”

Zeke smiled wryly. Trust? How could I not trust myself? However, it wasn’t the time yet to reveal his identity.

“Of course. I can confidently say that the Patriarch relies on nobody more than me. The fact that he entrusted me with such an important task should already be proof enough. Don’t worry. I am certain he will sign this contract without delay.”

Mohan nodded. “That’s good, but we must still solve our current crisis. As you already know, the Firebrand school demands that we either hand over Aisha or pay them back by the end of the day. We can’t wait for your Patriarch's decision on that.”

Zeke smirked. “There is a saying in Tradespire, do you know it?”

“What saying?”

“If a problem can be solved with money, then it is no problem at all!” After saying so, Zeke stepped in front of the head of house Nair and boldly extended his hand. In his open palm was a glimmering bar of gold with the number 10,000 embossed on it.

Mohan and the others stared blankly for a while. The old man recovered only after what seemed to be a very long time. “T-ten thousand? That is way too much! We only owe them around 500 gold. Even put together, all our debts don’t exceed 1000 gold.”

“I am well aware,” Zeke said leisurely. “The rest is for something else.”

“W-what is the rest for?” Mohan asked. He still hadn’t completely recovered from the shock of witnessing such a fortune appear out of nowhere.

This reaction once again reminded Zeke of how skewed his perception of money had become. During his stay in Tradespire, he had been forced to adjust his scale repeatedly. At this point, he didn’t even consider 10,000 gold to be a lot of money anymore. But anywhere else, it was enough to shock even the head of a prestigious family to such a degree that they completely lost composure.

Zeke cleared his throat to gather the attention of his mesmerized audience. “I think we should take advantage of our circumstances right now.”

Mohan looked at him in confusion. “What circumstance are you talking about?”

Instead of answering, Zeke swept his gaze over the many alcoves surrounding them. His eyes sparkled as they roamed the various Chimeroi on offer. Where else could one acquire so many peak Grand Mage level fighters for the price of a few coins? Zeke would be a fool to let this opportunity slip by, and his only obstacle had also disappeared.

Previously, Zeke would not have been able to spend that much without drawing attention. However, the situation had changed. Now, he could buy whatever he wanted, using the Nair family as cover. Nobody would consider it suspicious for such a well-regarded merchant family to spend vast amounts of gold.

“Akasha. Can you compile a list of the most suitable picks with a combined value of around 8000 gold?”

[Notice]

Affirmative. Here is the list according to specifications. They have a combined value of 8200 gold.

. Vulcanos— 2200 gold.

. Ashen Wolf — 1900 gold.

. Gravitas — 4100 gold.