MM - Chapter 212 - THE DESOLATE BROKER STRIKES

As they passed beneath the gilded archway of the banquet hall, the cacophony of the crowd was replaced by the hushed quiet of a private corridor. Raine paused, manipulating the AR interface of his watch to release the vod of Master Torune being served a helping of justice by a cripple. His attack on the man’s reputation might have seemed brutish to the pampered elite sipping wine in the main hall, but Raine hadn’t been putting on a show for them. 

The common citizen held values that the top one percent would never fully understand. It was those downtrodden people out there on the streets who were the martials of the future, and Raine needed their faith and support far more than the approval of entrenched, affluent clowns. His toast had been for the true heart of Carter City, the oppressed, and it was to them he had promised justice.

A figure scurried from the shadows ahead, blocking their path to the booth. The Mayor of Carter—Killian Chance. Raine had seen him chasing after Torune like a dog seeking a new master, a clear sign of where the man’s loyalties now lay.

“Champion KongRu.” The mayor bowed as low as possible, considering his extended gut.

Raine didn’t break stride, forcing the politician to scramble out of his path. The man’s desperation was a stench in the air, further proof that he only came with a message to deliver. “Champion KongRu, please wait a moment!”

Raine spun on his heel, eyes delivering a death sentence. “If I asked, would you bother denying that you’re now in CronGate’s pocket?”

The mayor froze, mouth opening and closing. Disgust coiled in Raine’s gut; He had gone out of his way to protect the mayor during the duel with Jedidiah, seeing him fold so easily was beyond disappointing. “Get out of my sight. Resign and leave Carter tonight, or you won't wake up the next time you fall asleep.”

Bet Torune got to the assistant mayor as well. That’s going to cause problems if I don’t deal with them swiftly.

Raine left the man gaping, the rest brushing past as well. Celeste hesitated long enough to speak, “I hope you decide to stay, little piggy.”

As she passed, Pamalaiha's smile was sweet yet chilling, an unspoken promise that the mayor had no way of understanding.

[As my patriarch desires, so shall I deliver. Perhaps he would praise me again for another late-night delivery.]

She licked her lips at the thought while following Raine into their private auction booth. It was a stark contrast to the chaos outside. The space resembled the captain’s quarters of a starship, all polished chrome and rich, dark leather. A vast, panoramic window simulated a star-dusted cosmos. A central holographic plinth glowed with a list of the auction items; the true prizes were hidden behind tantalizing question marks.

Mel squealed with delight, zipping toward the premium hors d'oeuvres and apéritif. Constantine was right on her heels. The large man took several delicate whiffs of assorted liquors before choosing one and pouring it into a crystal tumbler. Taking a sip, he sighed, eyes drifting to a close. After recovering, he spoke to Raine’s back. “You really pulled me straight into your war, didn’t you? Is he really a peak master?”

Raine ignored the offerings, munching down the last of his nutrient bar, attention otherwise drawn to the auction display. “He is indeed. There’s no need to pretend. You knew this was a possibility the moment you let me into your car.”

Constantine took another slow sip, eyes sharp over the rim of his glass. “You’re right. I made my choice when you swore to secure my daughter’s future. So… what do you intend to do about Torune?”

Raine shrugged. “For the next few days, nothing. Your people are welcome to take refuge in Belehorn Tower until this is over.” In the reflection of the sparkling wall, Raine saw the refusal forming on the man’s expression and cut him off. “Before you decline, you should know that Torune has over two hundred experts under his command.”

Constantine choked, spitting a fine spray into the air. “Two hundred?!” They both knew that twenty would be enough to annihilate his business assets within a day.

Finally turning, Raine waved a dismissive hand. “Honestly, most of them are fodder. He has maybe a dozen mental ability users, and that pet psychic. The rest are hardly worth consideration.”

Constantine scrubbed at his mouth with a napkin. “There is something fundamentally wrong with your perception of reality. A week ago, Carter had a handful of experts, total. You shouldn't be so hard on our little Mayor. He’s way out of his depth and just trying to stay alive, like the rest of us.”

Raine snorted, lips pulled up in a half snarl to display what he thought of going easy on a coward. “Giving him a chance to leave was kindness, one Torune would never have afforded him. Being out of your depth is no excuse. It's only going to get worse. In a month, Carter will have thousands of expert-level martials. But that’s beside the point. If you want to keep your people alive, move them into Belehorn for the next two weeks. We have more than enough headsets to go around.”

A flash of avarice sparked in Constantine’s eyes at the mention of free headsets and the chance they represented for his people, but he remained hesitant. To abandon his businesses, protection rackets, and projects was a devastatingly expensive proposition. Raine said nothing more, confident the auction itself would convince the man of the truth.

Rounding on her father, Celeste threw her hands up in exasperation. “Who’s being stubborn now? The longer you delay, the further behind Ronexzera will fall. Soon, you’ll be completely irrelevant!” Her thoughts blazed fiercer than her scowl. Already, she was calculating how to rally Ronexzera's resources if her father wouldn't—she couldn't let pride drag down what took two generations to build.

Constantine’s lips twisted into a knowing smirk, landing a precise blow to his daughter’s composure. “Listen to you, trying to avoid disaster as adamantly as avoiding courting our champion. KongRu, in case you weren’t aware, my little girl’s never even had a boyfriend. You’ll have to excuse her skittishness.”

Raine’s heart skipped a beat at the confirmation. While purity wasn’t something he demanded by any stretch, he knew it was the norm in the societies. He glanced back, locking eyes with her, and decided he actually liked it quite a lot, but wasn’t about to miss the chance to mess with her. “Yeah, we noticed.”

A fierce blush colored Celeste’s cheeks when every eye turned to her, each holding knowing smiles. She jerked her head away, pretending to be fascinated by a small, secondary holographic display. Constantine’s grin was full of triumphant pride, though it faded quickly under the weight of the looming disaster.

The auction was about to begin. Raine became fully immersed in the central terminal, triple-checking that the items he intended to list were correctly priced and positioned. Sensing his focus, silence encased the room.

The central hologram flickered, revealing a man in a suit so sharp it could cut glass, complete with a tall hat and pencil-thin mustache. He swept the hat in a dramatic, sweeping bow. “Good day, my dear patrons. It is I, Mason Mnemonic, manager extraordinaire. Before we begin the festivities, I have a few… inconsequential announcements to make.

As you are no doubt aware, the world of ZionLine moves at a breathtaking pace. This necessitates an end to our historical monthly auctions. Henceforth, we will adopt a weekly format! While a cause for celebration, such news pales in compare to the next. As of two hours ago, the ZionLine currency exchange has gone live! From this day forth, you fine patrons may purchase gold directly through your in-game accounts with Earth credits! As such, all bidding shall now be conducted in ZionLine standard currencies without exception.”

Raine’s fingers became a blur across his AR interface. With practiced ease, he accessed his ZionLine account and pulled up the currency exchange to find the currently listed rate was five thousand credits per gold. It was an astronomical sum for the average person, nearly a year’s wages per gold! Yet, it was a pittance of what was to come. A predatory grin stretched his cheeks as he immediately listed the maximum amount of gold the system would allow.

Raine wasn’t done. Almost before hitting accept, he’d swapped over to the stock exchange and swiftly re-invested 800 million credits (most of his remaining funds minus what he needed for the week’s payroll) into ZLO. Over the last week, a wave of FUD had hammered the stock hard—lack of visible leadership, no employees, no headquarters, and zero responses to inquiries, official or personal. Since launch, it had been as though ZionLine’s parent company barely existed. However, with the activation of the exchange store, everything was poised to shift.

As credits poured in to buy gold, ZLO’s cash balance would explode. The company would go from a pariah, to being worth trillions overnight. Greedy corporations would scramble to stake their claims, driving the price even higher. Eventually, Ziegfried would emerge to reveal that the company was truly his, bringing legitimacy and an absolute craze to take part in an Old Monster’s endeavor. Only then would ZLO reach its peak.

Constantine leaned toward his daughter, brow furrowed. “What’s going on? What did all that mean? What is this exchange?”

“Shhh!” Celeste hissed like a cornered cat, eyes glued to the numbers flashing through her thoughts thanks to the LinQ embedded in her brain.

As the most affluent individuals across the globe became aware of the exchange and figured out how to access it, a frantic digital ballet ensued. Within seconds, the price per gold coin didn’t just climb; it rocketed to an insane one hundred thousand credits before plummeting just as quickly, finally stabilizing around twenty thousand. A moment later, the pool of available gold vanished, replaced by a blinking red notification.

[SUPPLY EXHAUSTED]

To everyone watching from their own Romaxillions, the realization dawned that the gold wasn’t infinite, and didn’t materialize from thin air; it came from Travelers willing to sell. Another, more obvious conclusion followed: when the masses logged in tomorrow and saw the exchange rate, the amount of available gold would swell, reducing the inherent value of every single gold piece.

Meanwhile, Raine was chuckling like a lunatic as he reinvested what he’d just made from selling that measly thousand gold into ZLO.

Easiest hundred million credits I’ve ever made! They wouldn’t be so hasty if they knew the limitations, the bottlenecks. Wait… if I hurry, I can use that too!

Mel coughed, choking on the pastry she’d just devoured in one bite. She smacked a fist against her chest, wide eyes finding Celeste and Pamalaiha.

[A hundred million?! What did he do?] Their shouted thoughts were in complete alignment.

Mel swallowed hard, edging closer to the hologram, determined to decipher Raine's scheme. He paid the girls’ curiosity no mind, thoughts racing to connect the dots no one else could see. His fingers flew again, urgently updating the items he had listed for sale. 

Celeste watched him with a complex mixture of emotions, dominated by shame. She dreaded discovering precisely how dearly her failures cost Astra. With the exchange open, the equipment she’d lost now had a very real, physical quantity that made her jaw tremble. Her father chose that moment to lean too close, blocking her view while trying to poke at her terminal. She pushed him out of the way, focus entirely on Raine’s thoughts and finding not a trace of disappointment or scorn, only hunger.

[He’s about to do something even more ridiculous, isn’t he? Damn it! I can’t keep track of his thoughts with how fast he’s thinking. Please don’t be as bad as I think it’s going to be… please.]

Raine critically examined the most glaring hole in the auction’s inventory. There were almost no bundles of cheap, low-level equipment. For months yet, every major power would be desperately leveling their workforce, making gear between levels five and fifteen more valuable than gold. Further stressing demand was the competition with millions of independent Travelers, creating a desperate, hungry market. It didn’t matter which ZionLine auction house one went to; finding equipment between those levels simply didn’t happen.

As the reality of the new gold economy set in, sellers withdrew low-level listings en masse, chasing tomorrow’s ever-higher profits.

An exaggerated bead of digital sweat trickled down Mason Mnemonic’s temple. “Ahem! In light of these exciting developments, there will be no associated listing fee for any equipment between levels five and fifteen. We hope this sweetens the pot for our generous sellers!”

Raine tried and failed to wipe the smile from his face while unloading his entire reserve cache of low-level equipment—just over one hundred thousand pieces he had initially planned to use for leveling his guilders.

With Torune so generously offering to donate all the gear I could ever need, I would be a fool to hold onto these.

As Raine listed the last bundle, a private message pinged his watch. It was from Mason. “Once more, The Desolate Broker has saved our humble auction. I know just the thing to make it up to you.” A second notification followed, granting Raine access to the complete, unredacted list of items up for bid.

He scanned the list. As promised, Romaxillions had spared no expense in acquiring several items that interested him. Additionally, Raine identified a few key components missing from the auction. He made some last-second sales, then slowly reviewed the specialized items; one in particular stole his breath, and anticipation for the fierce bidding war to come tingled through his limbs.

Before the bids could change further, Mason started the auction. Traveler-crafted potions, scrolls, and crafting materials were sold by the thousands. Despite some being worth buying, Raine ignored them all. Right now, he needed funds in both worlds more than ever before. His bundles of equipment came next. They were organized in sets of one hundred; each contained a matching suit of armor that included three copies of similarly-leveled weapons. This would allow each purchased bundle to fully outfit one hundred guilders.

With the format he chose, Raine’s hundred thousand pieces only stretched to ten bids. If everyone else hadn’t withdrawn, it would have been too many. As it was, there weren’t nearly enough to go around. The wealthy fools fought like ravenous beasts over the last scrap of meat. Not only did they expect to recover any spent gold after more supply became available on the exchange, they assumed that reselling the purchased gear would net them a significant gain. To a man, they crowed at The Desolate Broker’s foolishness.

However, there was one tiny truth they failed to realize—a truth that would undo all their greed: only one thousand gold coins could be sold and purchased per week, per organization. That included guilds and all of their subsidiaries in or out of ZionLine. The gold they envisioned on tomorrow’s exchange was a pipe dream. They would not be recouping their losses, and come the morning, they would each be cursing the Desolate Broker’s name.

There was no cheating ZionLine’s ability to read intent, either. If a buyer intended for the purchased gold to reach an organization that already reached its weekly cap, strict penalties would be incurred by both parties. Corporations and guilds would chase loopholes for months before deeming it impossible. Their surrender would also mark the beginning of ZionLine contracts becoming the worldwide standard for business dealings.

In a matter of minutes, Raine’s gold balance increased by over two million as each bundle sold for no less than two hundred thousand gold. Before his deal with the Phoenix, he had less than fifty thousand, and he was just getting started. The next item Mason unveiled wouldn’t be fought over by greedy corporations, but impossibly wealthy scions—like Damian Tafell—seeking personal power above all else. 

Mason's voice rang out with dramatic flair: “This is without a doubt the strongest weapon in today's lineup. Don't hold back, or you'll definitely come to regret it.” When they laid eyes on the item Raine posted, and realized how much higher its attributes were than other equipment its level, froth bubbled from their lips.