酷视

For him, I needed those toys either for self-defense, some sort of distant conflict, or, preferably, an attempt at reverse-engineering all the wonders of human ingenuity hidden in the tech.

The worry that caused this warning was pretty well founded, given the extent of information Makary had.

"Don\'t worry, you will hear of no such event," I assured the man, only for my eyes to light up a bit. "Right, do you have a bigger car that I could plug a mobile freezer into?" I suddenly asked. "I kinda want to stock up on everything," I added, giving some sort of explanation. "This way, you could lend me some guys to help with those groceries and carrying the freezer.

And it would be a great way to bring the guns up to my penthouse."

To be perfectly honest, while my words implied all the groceries were just a cover for bringing in the highly coveted guns to my private apartment, it was actually the other way around.

It didn\'t matter whether I would get the guns tomorrow morning or right now. I had no plans to go to Fay\'s world today, after all, not when the beds at the penthouse were so comfortable and within the comfort of there being just me and Fay!

But when it came to the topic of a freezer… a fuel generator, several cans of gasoline, preferably some solar panels, and other pieces of equipment that would allow me to establish a rudimentary zone of the modern world on the other side of the portal…

When it came to those big purchases, not only did I feel safer having some men around while moving those around, but I also didn\'t want to employ Fay to help me carry those.

Sure, I could raise even a massive piece of equipment all on my own with my current level of strength… But what would any random passersby do when spotting a scrawny man like me easily lifting up to two, maybe even three hundred kilos of welded steel?

"That won\'t be a problem. It actually makes things easier for me," Makary readily agreed to my small request.

After all, in a certain sense, I just made him one hell of a rich man. He was the only one with the supply of both the extremely weak healing herb and the prospects of getting access to much better plants. As such, it was up to him to set the margins above the already extremely conservative price I came up with for the sake of my own calculations.

\'I guess it\'s a pity we no longer have global-range celebrities,\' I thought, allowing those idle ideas in the moment of respite. \'They would pay with their blood for the ability to moderate their drug usage…\'

With the collapse of the global market and the period of extreme instability and rapid changes that followed, all the main venues for a single person to grow popular pretty much fell apart.

The last nail to the coffin of the influencers\' career path came when the global net fragmented, turning into a myriad of private networks each controlled by the local autocrat or seat of power that controlled the immediate area.

Yet, while that meant there were no high-profile people who had to be extremely mindful of their reputation, there were bound to be some people willing to pay the weight of that herb in gold if it meant saving them from the negative effects of drug overuse.

And with that in mind, paying for even the most expensive groceries wouldn\'t even amount to the statistical error of the money Makary could make if he had the most basic business sense.

\'Even better, by doing so, he will pull all of the attention to himself, leaving me out of most of the trouble that comes with that level of profit margins.\'

"Oh, just one more thing, even smaller this time," I spoke out as a certain idea sparked in my head. "Would you mind opening up the bar for a little?"

I\'ve managed to see Makary smile. I\'ve got to see him suspicious, worried, and even wary.

But the surprise that flashed in his eyes when he heard my unexpected request which was in no way connected to anything that we have discussed today, was a new first.

"I mean, you don\'t really need to ask by now…?" he struggled to properly voice out his surprise.

What was the cost of opening some bottles, even if I wanted to taste the most expensive alcohol that he had in the store in the club at the ground level when compared to the value of the business we just concluded?

"Oh, and do you have any of the bar staff somewhere near?" I built up on my request, already struggling to hold back a smile.

"I could call someone, but why do you even ask?" Makary questioned, the look of shock giving way to simple surprise and curiosity borne out of it.

By now, I could no longer hold back my smile. Not when I could see how jittery Fay became when I brought up the topic of the drinks and the bar. And if this was the one detail about her that I needed to reveal to make her presence more natural within the group, how could I not take this opportunity?

Having Makary\'s men know her as a natural mixologist was far better than having them give in to their curiosity and look for ways to find out more about her on their own.

"It seems that my girl took a liking to mixing drinks. And while I stocked on those already…" I leaned my head to the side, giving Fay a happy smile. "I would love it if she could ask an actual pro for some pointers."