I Became The Administrator of A Sacred Ground
Chapter 38: Wisdom Transcends Violence

Chapter 38: Wisdom Transcends Violence

Euri had been afraid that Mr. Vernon would have called for the help of law enforcement by now, which would bar him from executing his plan. But thankfully, the man wasn’t so stupid as to involve the police in a conflict with loan sharks, not when the fault was mostly his own.

But Mr. Vernon had not taken any decisive steps at all since he had escaped, a fact that he realized only after circling the house several times and peeking past curtain-covered windows.

Aemon and Jameson had probably been fed some kind of sleeping medicine to keep them tuckered out while he contemplated his next move. Euri discovered them both lying soundly inside a spare bedroom, their wounds cleaned up.

Jameson, in particular, would need professional help. So Vernon did not have much time on his hands.

Euri could hear the man making anxious calls as he paced from room to room, contacting friends and acquaintances with requests for small loans. Normally, such conversations would not reach his ears through the walls, but Euri’s enhanced physique had done wonders for his senses.

After nearly an hour of hearing him accumulate funds over calls, Euri decided that it was time to strike. He politely knocked on the front door and stepped back to a safe distance from where he could make a quick escape.

Vernon opened the door, and froze upon recognizing Euri. The fury he had been consumed by in their last encounter had long died down. Rational fear of retaliation from the loan sharks was slowly overpowering his decision-making ability.

"Do you think we should have a conversation?" Euri asked loudly, confidently. "Or should I just give Boss Chen a call and give him the details?"

Vernon’s plump face twitched irritably for a bit as he chewed on his tongue, assessing the offer implicit in Euri’s questions.

"Give me my watch back, and then we can talk."

Euri chuckled. "Give me the money, and compensate my brothers for what you did to them. You’ll get your watch back."

"Come in," Vernon finally said in a pain-filled tone, only to see Euri shake his head.

"So that I can place myself in the same spot as my two big brothers? Looks like you still think you can use dumb violence to crawl out of the hole you’ve dug yourself into. And speaking of dumb violence... we do know a thing or two about it too!"

Euri was not sure how effective his acting was, but Vernon was certainly not in a position to evaluate his acting chops. He needed a way out, and for now, Euri was the only one hinting at one.

He knew that negotiations with Aemon or Jameson would be way harder, if not impossible.

"Look, kid, kid, listen!" Vernon put his hands up in a motion of surrender as Euri turned to walk away.

"I was only angry because you touched something that’s an absolute taboo for me. Nobody touches my lucky watch, because whenever I let that happen in the past, I lost money in huge amounts every damn time. It’s a big jinx for me!"

Euri pretended not to hear the superstitious fool’s pleadings, and Vernon got more desperate, trotting out on the yard to yell behind him.

"Your boss won’t be happy if he hears what you did either. He was the one who put me in a tough spot by sending you guys without warning. How can you be so unreasonable? Listen to me!"

Although his walk slowed down, without turning around, Euri waved a hand dismissively.

"I am not listening to anything except a reasonable offer of compensation. You said you can’t manage the funds. So what are we supposed to report?

"That not only did we not get the money, we got beaten up and chased away too? Do you think Boss Chen will give us future commissions once that happens?

"Don’t forget, my big brothers won’t forgive this easily! They aren’t some crackheads in the streets you can beat down however you like!"

"...It’s not that I can’t manage any funds at all," Vernon said in a raspy, hesitant voice. Euri pretended to be surprised as he turned around finally.

Observing the look on his face, Vernon continued, "I’ve contacted a few people for help, and they can lend me about 30,000 credits right now."

"The basic amount of the installment is nearly twice that number." Euri snorted, knowing fully well that Vernon had arranged for nearly 40,000 credits by now.

"Who told you you could negotiate on that?"

"If I had the ability to accumulate more, we wouldn’t be having this negotiation at all!" Vernon said in exasperation.

"The installment would’ve been paid in time."

After a bout of silence, Euri laid down his first card. "I think you can tell that I’m a newbie in this business. A habitual gambler like you should have a pair of discerning eyes. So I’m going to go ahead and admit this upfront; I don’t have a problem accepting those 30,000 credits."

Vernon’s beady, despairing eyes suddenly glowed with hope. "Really? Will you put in a word for me to Boss Chen? I just need another week to fill the gap."

"Sure, I can." Euri nodded agreebly. "But what about those two you knocked out? They’re hardened folks. They have a reason to hold a grudge against you. They’ll definitely oppose this offer."

"...Can you convince them to not speak up? If this matter can be solved with something extra... You know what I mean." Vernon rubbed his palms together awkwardly.

"You want me to convince them to accept a bribe, is that it?" Euri, well acquainted with the way of the corporate world, caught onto his silent gesture.

"Ahaha, calling it a bribe is too much. I’m just compensating them for their injuries. 5000 credits for each of them to forget about today’s matter and corroborate with you in front of Boss Chen to defend my 30,000 credits, wouldn’t that be more than enough? Just buy me an extension of another week or so."

Euri grinned a little maliciously. It was just as he had suspected. Mr. Vernon, an ordinary white-collar worker, feared the wrath of low-lives from the gutters of the city. He was hoping that the problem would solve itself as long as he dumped some money into it.

"They get 5000 credits for being the source of your troubles, yet I don’t get anything despite being the solution?"

Vernon gnashed his teeth visibly. "Fine, 5000 credits for you as well. But to make this deal, you have to show me some sincerity and capability. How can I trust that you’ll do what you’re claiming in front of me?

"Nothing’s binding you once you have my money and your friends in safe custody. And what about my watch? You still have it, right?"

Euri pulled out his miniscreen and showed Vernon the balance of his online account.

"My life savings are here. 4102 credits, in total. You’re a gambler. So how about we make the wager on this money? I’ll give you a temporary password to log into my account.

"If within 25 hours, Boss Chen doesn’t let you know that your payment has been accepted, you can keep the money. If I win, you’ll instead transfer over the extra 5000 credits to this account before the password expires."