Feidin gazed at him with a skeptical gaze. "That's a rather vague answer, Cæ. I'm really not sure what that is even supposed to mean."
Cæ heaved a sigh. "I know it sounds really strange, but I would like you to trust me. I have strong reason to believe that going for this agreement will greatly benefit us over simply moving to another city and buying yet another base."
Feidin knitted his eyebrows with a confused expression. "…What? Why can't you just reveal what your thoughts are?"
Cæ's expression grew troubled and complicated. "…I wish I could. But let's just say that I am unable to. However, I can assure you that if you knew what I knew, you would agree that this is the most optimal line of action."
Even Seliphaz was deeply confused by Cæ's strange behavior. While she tended not to have as strong an opinion on the business strategy aspects of the business due to not being as informed on the matter as her two partners, she still found it to be rather bizarre. She shifted her round spectacles, gazing at him with an inquisitive gaze.
Cæ heaved a sigh. "I know this sounds extremely confusing and strange, but I have come across information that has caused me to reconsider our prior plans to expand to other cities in the future after covering the forty-eight districts of the slums that we have decided to target. Unfortunately…"
He shook his head, "I can't divulge it at this point in time."
Feidin and Seliphaz exchanged a confused gaze with each other before turning back to him.
Several seconds of a heavy silence passed before Feidin leaned forward with a furrowed brow.
"So let me get this straight…" he gazed at Cæ with a serious expression. "You want us to uproot all of our prior established plans with our expansion strategy after our operations in the Colohen Slums were complete, and instead go all in and expand across the entirety of the Colohen Slums because you have information that you cannot reveal that you think makes this worth it."
"…Yes."
Cæ's tone was resigned.
When he put it like that, it truly was a hard sell. He wouldn't even blame them if they rejected him for it. However, the Headmistress was extremely clear about what was and what wasn't permissible.
"…I think we should have some faith in him."
Cæ's eyes lit up with a hint of surprise.
Seliphaz smiled at him with a genuine expression. "I have seen how passionate he is about this business. Even when he was busy with the exams, he still made sure to read all our reports and keep up with everything that happened. I don't think he would do something that our threaten the business. If he isn't telling us, then I'm sure he has a good reason as to why."
She turned to Feidin with a thoughtful expression. "What do you think?"
Feidin's expression grew complicated. "Well, if you put it that way, then yes, I don't disagree, but still…"
He turned to Cæ with a deep look. "You're asking a lot of us, Cæ. I hope you realize that. I'm not most comfortable with having this little agency in a business that I have stake in and have contributed much to in its creation."
Cæ nodded seriously. "I do not discount the sheer importance and significance of your manly contributions. You have handled management, finance, organization, labor, and much more. You have even hired competent employees and workers for many positions. Without you, this business would not even exist."
He nodded with a hint of appreciation. "I am glad you acknowledge that, but I hope you understand that it isn't easy for me to just place my unreserved trust in you for something this important."
"I totally understand," Cæ replied with a knowing tone. "If you say no, then we can just forget this conversation and move on with things as they are. But if you are willing to put your trust in me, then I can promise you it will be worth it and more."
Feidin simply fell into thought before heaving a sigh.
"Fine. I'm on board. Please do not make me regret my choice."
Cæ's eyes lit up. "I promise, you will be extremely glad that you agreed to this."
He picked up the copies of the contract and skimmed through it with a thoughtful expression. "They really are going to rely on their magical power to secure our inventory, bases, and other? That's truly incredible. Frankly, this agreement seems one-sided in our favor. Is what you are providing the Headmistress really that invaluable?"
It was a fair question.
Cæ was getting extremely powerful protection with the Elendir Institute of Magic securing the distribution and trade of Trinity Housings in the Colohen Slums. It was undoubtedly strange with a superficial outlook.
However, he knew just how much this mattered to Headmistress Lenolia.
She had just played a rather risky gambit, of sorts.
If she succeeded, she would be taking a major step in the direction of the political objectives that she harbored. If she failed, however, she would lose a lot of political capital and would even be fired, in the worst-case scenario.
There were many risks and ways in which it could fail.
There was much at stake.
She needed to do everything in her power to ensure everything.
And that included placing someone she could be certain was not an agent or compromised by her enemies in charge of the entire program. She knew that Cæ was busy with his business initiatives and saw that they were taking place in the same target place that her program would be.
Thus, it was worth going far to get him fully on board.
"The contract even specifies that the protection is partially conditional on the success of your operations in the slums," Feidin winced. "That's another element of risk that I'm not too pleased to take, Cæ. Having worked with you for a year now, I know that you are competent, creative, and a great leader, but this is a high bar."
Cæ nodded with a serious expression. "I don't intend to fail in that regard. I have lived most of my life in the Colohen Slums, I know how they work."
"That certainly is true," Feidin nodded as his gaze returned to the contract.
"It's rather surprising that the Elendir Institute of Magic is not asking for any funds or royalties from the net revenue," she frowned. "Even if they value your contributions extremely, this still feels extremely one-sided."
Cæ understood that element as well, however. Any profit earned by the Elendir Institute of Magic went to its stakeholders, among whom were the Headmistress' political enemies. While the sum that they would get from royalties was probably extremely small compared to their net worth, she still probably didn't want to give them anything.
"I suppose that you have this Outer District Talent Acquisition Program thing covered, don't you?" Feidin remarked. "Still, leading the two endeavors is going to be extremely rough on you. You will have virtually no leisure time whatsoever. Especially now that you will be entering your Senior Program."
Cæ had to admit that he certainly was right on the money when it came to that. Cæ had been busy before, but from this point on, he was going to be extremely busy to the point where he could essentially forget about the rest until at least one of his three commitments calmed down.
"Thankfully, the Outer District Talent Acquisition Program will not last too long," Cæ remarked. "The main talent acquisition programs will occur during the breaks. So, no more than two months. But even then, it also means that I'm going to be swamped up to the very neck."
The two of them nodded with a knowing expression, directing an expression of pity over him.
He was going to be worked to the bone over the next two months.
The Outer District Talent Acquisition Program was meant to be a long-term effort into continuously extracting talent from the slums; it would be ever present, because it was not possible to get it all done in one go, as it was in the inner cities across the entire country.
The craze of being a mage was not nearly as prevalent among the people of the slums.
There were more important things to focus on when one was starving and didn't have a safe shelter.
"Alright, since we're all in agreement, I will sign the agreement as soon as I can," Cæ got up, almost running away with how much of a rush he was in. "After that, I will apply for a business loan as we agreed and work with you guys in hiring skilled workers."
And just like that, he was gone.
The two of them stared at his disappearing figure with blank expressions.
"I wonder how he does it," Feidin remarked, heaving a sigh. "I truly can't believe that he is about to take up the leadership of two rather major initiatives. He is going to bury himself under a mountain of work."
Seliphaz smiled wryly. "I-I have a feeling he will do just fine. Even though this will be absurdly difficult, he seems really driven."
"He must sense an extremely great opportunity," Feidin stroked his scruffy chin with a curious expression. "Now I'm curious, just what did he learn that made him so zealous? It must have been something truly game-changing for him to divert from our previously concrete and ironed-out plans."
"It must have been some confidential information pertaining to the government," she guessed. "Headmistress Lenolia is quite powerful and influential, from what I have heard."
"Well, she is the Headmistress of the Elendir Institute of Magic of all places," Feidin mused. "I'm not particularly surprised that she has information channels that we can't even dream of having. It appears that she has truly come to trust Cæ over this matter."
Seliphaz nodded. "She called him to her office after his speech in the opening ceremony, I hear. Many people assumed it was to scold him for his speech, but in hindsight, I don't think that was the case."
"Hm…" Feidin considered the matter with a curious expression. "That's rather fascinating. Well, whatever it is that he learned from the Headmistress, we will most likely find out soon enough. I imagine that it's most likely a powerful incentive in the Colohen Slums rather than a powerful disincentive not to move to other cities. I suspect that we will experience a shocking amount of success."
She nodded. "Well, for now, we should get to work. We shouldn't let Cæ handle everything. Why don't we get to sorting out all the applications that we hear about from the operator labor market? I can look at their technical qualifications to build my product, while you can verify that they meet all the other conditions."
Feidin stirred at her words, nodding at her appreciatively. "You're right. We should focus on everything we can do that is within our purview and leave the rest to Cæ."
And thus, the two of them immediately got to work to procure all the machinery operators they needed to commence their production operations, while Cæ returned to the Elendir Institute of Magic, rushing to the Headmistress' office by the time he got back.
CLACK
The massive doors to her office opened as gasping, tired Cæ appeared at her doorfront with a hint of frenzied excitement. She simply raised an eyebrow, putting her pen down as she closed the document she was working on, and she shifted her purple hair behind her shoulders.
"You have returned," she noted, "with good news, from the looks of it."
Cæ nodded with a serious expression.
"Let's sign the contract."
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