HC:Pacifist | Ch. 61 - The Gazpacho Family

Gazpacho? Wasn't that a kind of soup? Did Soros invest money in a failed restaurant?

"The Gazpachos? Who are they?"

“They are the reason why I've fallen so low. You should have seen me in my glory days, broker. I had contacts stretching all over the planet. I imported spices from the desert, pearls from the caves, and gems and ore from the pits. Then, a few years ago, this crime family crept out of the slums to expand their territory.

They started going door to door, saying they were trying to keep merchants safe and only needed a small protection fee. I refused, of course! I am a man of principle.

My employees started getting beaten up every other day. My merchandise would be intercepted, stolen, or set on fire. That damn crime family made me an example. Before I knew it, they had gotten to most merchant guilds. I tried to take the matter to the court officials, but they said I had no proof it was them. Bastards! As if I was born yesterday. The Gazpachos must pay off one of the officials to get the Peace Corps off their trail. Bah!”

“I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”

“After that, no one would come in through my door. All merchants were warned to cut me off. If anyone did business with me, they were blacklisted. Customers who arrived were intercepted and beaten up by the Gazpachos. My savings kept me going for a while, but now I think I have no choice but to retire.”

Roth remembered the many incarcerated members of organized crime he'd met when he was imprisoned. For example, his sponsor at the Rageaholics was a former mob captain. Even though, nowadays, their operations were primarily focused on online scams, he had heard one or two cheeky mob associates retell the stories of how they racketeered businesses and charged protection fees on their turf. It seemed the developers had brought the concept into the game too.

What Soros was saying sounded like the introduction to a quest. For now, he was his only human contact in the city. He seemed to be an NPC with potential. His demeanor and his remaining possessions indicated that he used to be very rich and successful. He had to try to help this man back up so that he could secure his foothold in the city's commerce. Of course, he also knew the ratans and snakes living in the sewers, but he would avoid spending his days there if he could.

“Sir, I want to stop the Gazpacho family and help you get back on your feet.”

“No, son. Don’t. They will make mince meat out of you. Look at you. You’re just a young man. What can you do?”

“Just point me in the right direction. I'm sure there's something I can do about it.”

He thought for a moment.

"All I know is that they are one of the three families of the slums here in Hilsford. They control the northern part of the slums. But to be honest, I have no idea how to stop them. Perhaps, you can try to contact the authorities instead of me."

You've been given a quest: [Stop the Gazpachos]

Stop the Gazpachos (Uncommon)

Crime has been going rampant in Hilsford. Merchant Soros is one of the victims. The organized crime division of the Peace Corps in Hilsford has been unsuccessful in getting a lead on the Gazpacho Family. They can use the help of righteous citizens to find out information about their criminal enterprise.

Quest objectives:

Help Soros break free from the racketeering scheme of the Gazpachos.

“Very well. I'll do so."

"I thank you." Roth looked at his inventory, filled with items he wanted to sell. When he first saw the sorry state of this merchant's association, Roth had pondered selling it all in the Auction House. But this man seemed to use a helping hand. If his father were alive, he would have been Soros' age. Roth sighed.

"Besides that, sir, I have been offered trade agreements representing different factions in the Green Woods. I hoped you could help me sell these off in the city.”

Roth took out the [Broker's Ledger]. He opened the book on the relevant page and handed it to Soros so he could examine it. Soros excitedly picked it up and looked through them.

“These factions have a great deal of trust in you, broker. Exclusivity trade agreements are the ultimate stamp of trust in a broker. But to see five exclusive trade agreements in one day? That’s the first. You seem to be very talented.”

“I have contacts in the woods. But I need to open sales channels. I want to get the best prices possible. I also need to collect as many of the items they ask for as possible.”

Soro’s eyes sparkled as he started to smell profit. But then, remembering his predicaments, his enthusiasm cooled down.

“Try Diamond Caravan Inc. The old man there is in the Gazpacho's pockets, but he is impartial and does well by other races. He should get you good deals.”

“Sir, I would like you to do it!”

“Me, but... can’t you see the state I’m in?”

“Sir, you've just hit a setback in life. I also have. Everyone needs a helping hand in a time of need. All you need is to set up new trade routes. If humans are not willing to do business with you, I can get you in touch with many races who are.”

Your righteousness, letter of introduction, and business connections impress Soros, the merchant. +2 Charisma, +100 reputation with GoldenMountain Merchant Guild.

You help a good man in his time of need. +10 righteousness

With renewed fire in his eyes, Soros stood up energetically. He started pacing around the office.

“We must keep this a secret from the Gazpacho Family. Otherwise, they'll get in our way. I still have a few friends in this world. My influence is still enough to secure the products you want. They aren’t rare. The items you bring for sale, however, are incredibly precious. We'll have no trouble in getting them sold at good prices. But first,” he said, looking at Roth, “We need to discuss numbers! What’s going to be my percentage?”

Roth frowned slightly, feeling a dull throbbing in his temples. He hadn't considered that the old man would want a cut. Looking at the fire in the man's eyes, he knew this negotiation would be tough. Roth's mind raced, calculating the best offer to protect his interests. "10%?" he tried.

"For you? Okay! 90% for me, 10% for you." The old man let out laughter dripping with mockery and superiority.

"That's outrageous!" Roth exclaimed, his frustration beginning to seep into his words. "60% for me, 40% for you!"

The confident merchant scoffed, raising an eyebrow at Roth. "Of 2% of the profit? Are you kidding me?"

Roth's patience began to wear thin as he defended his position. "It's still very generous! After all, I opened these trade routes, befriended the races, and brought these goods out here!"

"Who told you only to take 2% of the profit? A good merchant would have gotten at least 10%!" Soros shot back, his voice rising.

The room filled with the echoes of their heated argument as they engaged in a back-and-forth exchange, each trying to outmaneuver the other. As the first hour of their meeting was over Roth clicked his tongue as he got the notification that the bonus to charisma from his [Discoverer of Species] title had expired.

Your bonus to charisma has expired.

Your charisma is now under 250.

[Silver Tongue] has been downgraded to [Eloquent].

[NPC Appeal] has been downgraded to [Magnetic Personality].

When he lost 100 charisma, Soros regained the negotiation's upper hand, and the haggling became increasingly fierce as the afternoon wore on. The tension was palpable as they fiercely debated their respective shares.

Eventually, exhaustion settled in. After an eternity of negotiating, they finally managed to find a middle ground. "Very well," Soros relented, "30% for me, but you take care of transport and evading the Gazpacho Family."

Roth pondered for a moment, weighing the options before him. He knew he had to strike a balance to salvage the deal. "25%," he countered firmly.

A tense silence filled the room as the old merchant contemplated the offer. After what seemed like an eternity, Roth couldn't take it anymore and decided to put his foot down. "Take it or leave it, old man!"

With a sigh of resignation and a faint smile, the confident merchant extended his hand, sealing the deal with a firm handshake.

Soros likes your bargaining skills. +1 charisma +154 reputation with Golden Mountain Merchant Guild. +1000XP to your broker profession.

You are now respected by Golden Mountain Merchant Guild.

[Broker profession: level up!]

Before Roth left through the door, he carefully pulled the [Woodland Hood] over his head to cover his pointy ears and snout. The last thing he wanted was to draw undue attention. Besides, he still needed the charisma bonuses to gain the best possible result from contacting the NPCs in the garrison. He had dumped his entire inventory on Soros' office and was now light as a feather. It was time to go to the garrison to help Soros.

As he left the door and headed toward the main road, a man stepped out from the shadow of some crates. He was big and bulky but still smaller than Roth. Roth felt a shadow behind him. He was being boxed in.

"Hey there. Why did you go to see that old man?"

"Why do you care?" He was surprised that this wasn't an NPC. These were two players!

"The boss wants to know!" answered a man behind him. Shoot. Like he was trying to befriend Soros, some players built relationships with the city's crime families.

"Have you been issued a quest just because I entered that run-down building? It's my first time in the city, and I had a quest requiring me to deliver a letter to the old man. That's it. Letter delivered."

"Well, may this be the last time we see your ugly face here. If you don't..." The man punched his hand to illustrate what would happen to him.

"Message received. Can I go now, guys?"

The man stepped aside, letting Roth enter the main road.

"Ahaha. Well done, Frankie! With this, we have finished the quest."

"Hmmm. I hope it's worth it. That guy had another race. Had I not needed to intimidate him, I would have tried to ask nicely about how he got it. Have you ever seen a fox man before?"

"No. I haven't."

Frankie checked his quest.

[Intimidate the Competiton], completed

Frankie looked pleased with the rewards of the quest. He had received not only one point for charisma, thus unlocking the stat, but he finally had been given the skill he wanted.

Intimidate (Rare)

Skill description: By threatening countless innocents, you have learned the subtleties of fear.

Skill effects: Active. You can cause a [Fear] debuff. Depends on level difference and charisma.

It had required him to go around bullying people for the family, but it had paid off. The guide he had purchased hadn't been cheap, but he loved the questline that was making a mobster out of him. He didn't understand why he hadn't been given any reputation points with the family! He wanted to start building up a reputation with them so that he could become an associate. He went through the logs and found something infuriating.

Even though determination is appreciated by the family, killing a [Martyr] goes against family rules.

+50 reputation with the Gazpacho Family canceled.

One stack of [Martyr's Killer] curse has been lifted.

That crazy bastard from Green Woods! So that's what that curse did. He couldn't believe it! This was one of the best quests to reach an associate's level! The guide outlined precisely how to make it to a hundred reputation, and suddenly, he had lost half of that. He dared not throw a fit in front of the captain. These NPCs were touchy. One wrong word, and he would be in trouble.

"About that last mission, what did he want with ol' Soros?"

"He just wanted to give a letter."

"Hmmm... I see. That old man has tried to rat us out. Even though we have been isolating him for years, he still has friends and pull. It's never too much to watch for him. I will let the administration know. You can go now."

"Thank you."

Frankie left soured by the cancelation of one of the rewards of his quest. If he ever saw that crazy activist, he would give him a piece of his mind.

Ch. 60 - Soros

INDEX

Ch. 62 - Garrison