Upon hearing Glimmerwhisk's question, Alex looks to his left. Benezia is calmly sitting next to him, making no move or attempt to respond.
Leaving it all up to me... once again.
Alex takes a deep breath, focuses himself, and with a serious tone, he begins to speak. "The issue with the bounty aside... as we just told you, our mission went rather well, even if unexpected. Our guild leader gave us advice on how to deal with the Seekers, and we intend to take it to heart. Still, if you have any other advice, we'll gladly listen to you."
Continuing with an even rhythm, Alex adjusts his posture and calmly gestures with his right hand. "Apart from that, I believe Benezia, and of course me as well, are interested in any advice regarding our spoils. We never had so much to sell. Of course, we don't intend to shard these precious items. Is there another auction coming up? I'm not sure it would be smart to openly sell these things on the market... it will draw a lot of unwanted attention to ourselves and create an even bigger target on our backs than we already have."
Alex looks at Glimmerwhisk, hoping for genuinely useful advice. She enjoys his look, waits a second or two, and then calmly replies.
"I believe you can navigate yourself through the social traps of the system. The Union doesn't like to interfere in such businesses. However, I personally don't believe you need to worry much. If you won against the superior numbers of players you had to face during the last mission, I don't think they can effectively threaten you," Glimmerwhisk explains, almost looking bored.
"As for the items, hehe, of course you'll struggle to sell them. Only high-level players can afford such items. However, they usually don't need them, and the poorer players who desperately need them can't afford them. It's quite a tightrope to walk on... to find a suitable buyer who offers you fair compensation. To truly get a great price, an auction would be the smartest choice. Of course, there is one planned, but it won't start for at least another month, maybe two or even three. It all depends on the big guilds and the usual behind-the-scenes politics. You could simply wait to get the most out of your items."
"That's not what we desire, or frankly what we can afford to do. We need to turn our resources into an effective increase in combat strength now," Benezia states without hesitation.
Looking back... I thought what I earned during the last auction was a fortune, but by now... it's still a lot of FC, but honestly, not that much. I think Benezia is right. We need resources now. We can't risk stopping progress.
We need to grow and grow and aim for even better results. That's risky, difficult, and honestly exhausting, but only viewed from a short-term perspective. I believe in the long-term, this is the only possibility of making it through the Realm. High risk, high effort, from the start to the end! No rest, no complacency. If we rest, things will only get even more dangerous and difficult next time. It's a deadly spiral. Because of that, we need to use our resources now and can't afford to let them gather dust for up to three months... that would mean one, no, most likely two missions will pass.
"Surely there are other ways to sell our spoils for a maximum amount? The markets are not the only way. Private sales, referrals, or even various public or private shops. I believe it's at least worth considering," Benezia suggests, still calm, yet clearly disagreeing with Glimmerwhisk's passive approach.
"I even think we would be fine with exposing our capabilities. After all, by now rumours have already spread. My own and Menchi's existence have drawn a lot of attention to Alex anyway. The Seekers will most likely also partially spread rumours about us, if only to hurt us. We might as well proudly declare our abilities—if that helps to get a fair price, it's a price we should be willing to pay," Benezia says, speaking with calm confidence.
"Indeed, and yes, these are all valid ways. In fact, there is something else you might want to consider. You can simply hold your own little auction," Glimmerwhisk suggests. "I can promote it and even host it for you, for a modest fee. It won't be anything grand, like the hall Alex visited last time, but if we openly declare that you have three Devil Fruits, along with various Gold Quality items to sell, there should be a high turnout. You also have a few cheaper items. Since most players won't be able to afford your expensive items and only join out of curiosity, they might still decide to buy your lower-ranked ones."
Is that possible?! Really?
"Our own auction?" Alex asks, clearly surprised by the possibility. "Isn't that overkill?"
"No," Glimmerwhisk replies. "Look, forget the term auction. In reality, you are merely booking the smallest hall in the player tower and inviting people to buy your items, choosing bidding as the tool. Since you have a couple of Gold Quality items, you have the right to do so. I'll promote it for you and even prepare everything. How about ten percent of your sales?"
Ten percent... that's a whole lot less than we paid last time... but still.
"Can't you hold the auction and not disclose that we provide the items?" Alex asks, frowning slightly.
"Possible... but not advisable. It's not hard to find out that you came from the World of One Piece. Every item has its world of origin listed... it won't be too difficult to figure out who supplied them. It shows weakness. You might as well proudly declare your skill and competence." Glimmerwhisk tilts her head, sounding almost amused. "I already told you, it's not easy to target you and frankly not worth the cost or the risk. Sometimes, strength and confidence, even if it's perceived as arrogance, are the safest way to move ahead. Proudly show off what you are capable of—it will serve as a warning."
"You are quite successful so far," Glimmerwhisk states, speaking objectively. "Anyone capable of obtaining so much loot in one world would be perceived as a monster, an otherworldly existence. Players who have gone through more than five missions, and maybe have returned with a few blue or Purple Quality items, would immediately realize the difference between you and them. The desire to protect their own lives is stronger than greed. Trust me, I have manipulated humans my entire life. It's not even a question to me."
Alex thinks for a second before replying. "Sounds good, but ten percent is a little—"
"One more word and I raise it to twenty percent, you ungrateful puppy!" Glimmerwhisk immediately yells, raising her finger.
"Fine..." Alex immediately relents. "Benezia?"
"A welcome and timely suggestion," Benezia replies. "We'll graciously accept your offer."
"Also... since we'll most likely gain a lot of FC, can you maybe contact your other... pupp—associates for us?" Alex asks, correcting himself just in time, his forehead twitching slightly. "We are looking for items... as we already said, we don't want to hoard our FC or exchange it for Realm time. You yourself told us not to do it, though the option seems more and more interesting to me... with Menchi and Benezia being able to create wealth out of thin air."
"Just don't," Glimmerwhisk says immediately, leaving no room for discussion.
She doesn't explain it... is she forbidden from doing so?! Why?
"As for your request regarding items, send me what you need, and I'll see what I can do. In the alternative, you can announce a private sale after your auction. You can simply advertise that you are willing to buy certain items at a premium. You'll probably overpay, but if many people offer similar things, you might end up buying for acceptable prices after all. It never hurts to try, as you can simply reject the offers if they're not to your liking."
"That's smart," Tereza points out, looking genuinely enlightened. "Almost like a reverse auction."
"Of course," Glimmerwhisk states, looking smug as she raises her head. "By the way, do you need a loan? I can offer you the best conditi—"
"No, thank you!" Alex instantly rejects her offer, even interrupting her.
"Cheapskate! Again, it's not nice to interrupt someone, especially me, especially when offering you a great deal," Glimmerwhisk complains.
"We have sufficient funds," Benezia states. "But we'll keep your gracious offer in mind."
"If you need some input on the current market trends, you may schedule a meeting with me at a later day," Glimmerwhisk says, looking only at Benezia.
"That would be quite agreeable with me," Benezia replies. "I'll contact you and rearrange my schedule so it synergizes with yours."
What schedule? Stop bullshitting and showing off! Schedule my ass; she is now making up shit. I don't go around claiming I need my calendar for overlaps too. Fucking pretenders.
"Now, I have another meeting lined up, and as much as I'd like to keep talking with you, business rarely waits. Little Jewel, if you want, you can keep me company a little while longer. You are such a well-behaved pet—truly the world's greatest spider."
❤️
"Benezia... maybe hand me back that [Cage of Hattori (Pet)] after all; I might need to use it soon," Alex says, causing Jewel to immediately shriek and pounce into Alex's arms.
No! Soulmate shouldn't even joke about that. How cruel!
"Thank you for the help, Glimmerwhisk," Alex says, standing up. "I appreciate it."
Despite your predictable and frankly annoying jokes and taunts. I always leave more knowledgeable and with a new goal... I guess that counts for something.
"Oh, no problem, it's an equal exchange... of course, there'll be a fee for my help." Glimmerwhisk's smile turns more sinister. "I'll send you an invitation in the near future, my dear Alex, and I'll expect you to comply immediately. I'll see you soon... very soon..." she says, smirking deviously, before perking up again, almost too fast.
What the... now I'm getting scared. I'll just ignore it. I didn't sign anything, so it doesn't count... that's the number 1 rule in business, isn't it? You can lie as much as you want, as long as you don't put it in writing.
"Also, don't forget to exchange that head on your way out. Softspark can do that for you. The Union thanks you, and hopes for a long-lasting and mutually beneficial partnership, blabla, you get the gist. Under Goblin Union rule No. 61, I'd like to stress that all bounty contracts in no way constitute a promise, or even a request, but merely an indication of... you know what, I can just skip over it, right? Bye bye."
??? What the....
"... bye?" Alex says, not sure what just happened, his head spinning from her rapid shift—not only in attitude, but also in topic.
On the way out, Jewel slowly climbs back onto his head, and the others follow behind. Alex once again approaches a still-grumpy Softspark, who immediately backs off and tries to walk away as soon as she spots him, her face souring instantly.
"..."
Give me a break... it was a joke!
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