Lian stood outside the White Lotus Clan Headquarters.
After showing his student ID to the guards, he told them he had an appointment to discuss a proposal with one of the clan elders.
One of the guards nodded and pointed toward the central tower.
"Go to the reception desk in the central tower. They'll let you know where to go."
Lian headed inside and confirmed his appointment with the receptionist.
She checked the schedule for a moment before looking back at him.
"The elder you're here to meet is still in a meeting with the other clan leaders. It'll probably be an hour or two before he's free."
Lian nodded.
"Yeah, that's fine. I'll wait."
There was a brief silence before he asked.
"So... how's your day been so far?"
The receptionist blinked, slightly caught off guard. It wasn't the kind of question people usually asked at the reception desk.
"Uh... it's been alright," she replied with a small smile.
Lian gave a small smile.
"Don't mind me. I'm just trying to kill some time instead of sitting around doing nothing."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"I can understand that."
"So," Lian continued, leaning lightly against the counter, "what's a normal day like working here? Do you get a lot of calls and people coming in, or is it usually pretty quiet?"
She replied.
"Yeah, we get plenty of calls and requests throughout the day. It can get busy, but there are quiet periods too. Like right now."
Lian nodded. "Yeah, sounds nice. So what kind of stuff do people call you for? Like... if the AC isn't working, do they call you?"
"A little bit of everything," she said. "We handle appointments, forward calls, send faxes, mail packages, and help employees figure out which department or person they need to contact. If someone doesn't know where to go, they usually come to us first."
"Sounds kinda boring," Lian said with a laugh. "Still, I've heard the White Lotus Clan treats its employees really well."
The receptionist glanced around before leaning in slightly, lowering her voice.
"That's what people outside think. But this clan is pretty... nepotistic."
She let out a quiet sigh.
"The important positions usually stay within the main family. Outsiders rarely get the chance to move up, no matter how capable they are."
She gave Lian a sympathetic smile.
"So don't get your hopes up too much. You might have great talent and even bring them a good proposal, but you could still end up working under the chairman's son."
She paused.
"Unless you're already on good terms with one of the main family members. Then things tend to go a lot smoother."
Lian scratched his cheek. "Not sure about that, but the guy I'm about to meet... I kind of beat his son in a duel in front of the whole class and took his girl."
"Also the girl part is a bit of an exaggeration. Still I Hope everything goes well"
She chuckled.
"I'd say your chances just went from zero to negative."
Lian sighed dramatically.
"Damn, don't crush my hopes before I've even given them my pitch."
He smiled.
"By the way, can I get your number? Who knows, maybe the deal works out. If I ever need help with something in the future, I'll give you a call."
She nodded.
"Sure."
She grabbed a notepad, wrote the number down, and handed it to him.
"And also... good luck."
"Thanks. Have a great day." Lian took the paper before walking away.
--
Some time later, Lian found himself sitting across from one of the White Lotus Clan heads.
The elder looked up from the file in front of him.
"So, what is it you wanted to discuss?"
"I'll keep it simple. I've already made Sequence 1 runes that are better than what your engineers are currently producing. If you'd rather keep your existing designs, I can improve those too."
The elder replied, "Those are some pretty bold claims."
Lian placed a rune deck on the table. Two of its eight slots glowed faintly.
"The Pyromancy Glove."
"And the Liquid Metal Rune."
--
A few minutes later, they were standing inside the clan's training hall.
The elder activated the runes, testing them against a training dummy.
When he finished, he examined them for another moment. His expression remained calm, though there was a hint of surprise in his eyes.
Lian broke the silence.
"So?"
The elder looked at him.
"So?"
"What do you think?" Lian asked. "How do they compare to the Sequence 1 runes your engineers make?"
He paused for a moment before adding,
"Or... how do my engineering skills compare to theirs?"
The elder handed him the rune deck back.
"I'll admit it. These are better engineered than most of our current Sequence 1 runes. They're more versatile as well and could be used across a wider range of fighting styles."
He looked at Lian.
"So. What are you expecting in return?"
Lian handed him a sheet of paper.
"I'll hand over the blueprints and continue working with your engineering team whenever needed."
"In exchange, I want these resources."
The elder picked up the list.
As he read through it, his expression remained unchanged.
"That's... quite a lot."
He set the paper back down.
"I'm sure you already understand this, but we can't allocate that many resources to an outsider. Resources are far more valuable than rune designs, especially in uncertain times like these."
Lian nodded. "Yeah. I've been hearing people say a war might break out with our neighboring country in the next few years. Makes sense that resources are in high demand."
"Exactly," the elder replied. "The military and the major clans are consuming enormous amounts of them to strengthen themselves."
He folded his hands.
"And even setting the resources aside, replacing our standard Sequence 1 runes isn't a simple decision. It means updating production, retraining personnel, and changing equipment that's already deployed."
He looked at Lian.
"Most of our investment goes into Sequence 2 and Sequence 3 runes. That's where the real battlefield advantage comes from."
"Your designs are impressive, but they don't provide enough value to justify those demands."
The elder stood up.
"I'll discuss this with the other elders. If we decide to move forward, someone from the clan will contact you."
It's just their polite way of saying fuck off, we don't need you here.
Lian nodded.
"Great, I'll take my leave, then.."
He turned back and walked out of the room.
As expected.
Looks like it's time for Plan B.
As the elevator reached the ground floor, Lian stepped out and headed toward the exit.
The receptionist looked up from her desk.
"So? How'd it go?"
Lian shrugged.
"They said they'll review my proposal internally and contact me if they decide to move forward."
She let out a quiet laugh.
"It's just their polite way of saying, 'Thanks, but we're not interested.'"
Lian sighed.
"Too bad, I guess."
With that, he walked out of the building.
--
The next morning, Lian stepped into a public telephone booth.
He opened the handset, made a few adjustments to the circuitry, and installed a small voice filter.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Time for Plan B."