Chapter 513: Chapter 513 Joining a Criminal Organization (2)

"Welcome! You must be the one that Vernon has told me about. Please, take a seat and enjoy some refreshments." The man sitting at the head of the table said.

His dark brown hair was slicked back, and he had a very distinct mustache that had been stylized by twisting the ends of it.

Frankly, he looked like a third-rate scheming villain from some cheap holomovie to such a degree that Avery wondered if this was actually some sort of prank.

Still, he knew that the setup for everything here would be far too elaborate for a joke.

’I guess some people actually like that look.’ Avery thought in amazement as he sat down.

Without any hesitation, he grabbed the nearest bottle in front of him and poured the glimmering purple liquid into a glass.

He had it on good authority from Doctor Raiti that most poisons that would normally be lethal to a regular human would no longer have much of an effect on his currently shifting biology.

At worst he might have a stomachache for a while unless they used something special.

So, he took the clearly highly alcoholic beverage and took several large gulps of it to show that he either trusted the hosts, or he was too stupid to consider that they might be trying to poison him.

"I see that you can handle your liquor."

Avery put down his glass and nodded his before saying, "Yeah, I’ve had a lot of experience at... certain establishments."

His ambiguous statement seemed to get across to the two men sitting across from him.

"Yes, I do believe I read a report on that. You apparently owe a lot of money to some danger people, Ferdinand." The man who presumable was a member of the odium syndicate said.

"I won’t deny it. Some bad bets, and even worse loans to pay for my debts have put me in a tough spot. That’s why I moved my operations to this sector to find some more profitable jobs. Which has been working out for me so far."

More of the beverage that was around forty percent alcohol was funneled down Avery’s throat as soon as he finished talking.

He was looking to make a certain impression, and he felt that he was doing a pretty good job from the looks he was receiving.

"Vernon here did tell me that you completed a valuable assignment for him without any difficulties. And some of the other traders and merchants I spoke with had only good things to say about you. Apparently, you have no trouble moving certain goods even when the Alliance Police catch you in one of their annoying patrols."

"That’s right. I pride myself in being able to transport anything. For the right price of course. So, why don’t we get down to business. I doubt that you called me all the way out here just to offer me a drink and talk about my money problems. You clearly already did your research on me. What is it you want me to move for you?" Avery said confidently.

It was a little bit of a gamble to accelerate the conversation, but it seemed that Avery’s assertiveness had paid off.

The man who had yet to introduce himself smiled, and said, "Sure. I think that you’re someone that we can probably do business with."

He then motioned to one of the guards that was standing against one of the room’s walls.

From a hidden compartment, the man pulled out a case and brought it over to his employer.

"I’m wondering if you have perhaps heard of "Paradise" before." The man said as he opened up the case.

Inside were several different containers that each held a beautiful light green substance in many forms.

One was a tube that had what looked like crystal dust in it, while the one next to it was a fully solid block.

As for the two others, one was a liquid while the other was in a sealed metal canister that presumably meant for holding dispensable gas within.

"Yeah, if I recall, that’s the name of a high-end drug that’s popular in some circles of people. Never had it myself though. It’s not cheap, and well, I’m not really into stuff that strong personally." Avery said, repeating a prepared answer to this question that he had practiced.

He made sure not to allow his internal disgust to show on his face or in the tone of his voice.

This was obviously his first time seeing the dangerous substance produced by the Odium Syndicate in person.

Knowing what it did to people, it was difficult to not show any sort of negative reaction.

He also made sure not to seem too interested.

Looking like he might turn into some junkie that would get hooked on the product he was supposed to be transporting would be a quick way to fail before they even got started.

Luckily, the mostly indifferent reaction with a hint of interest that he had shown was the correct choice.

For a criminal organization like the Odium Syndicate, they needed to be careful with the people that they brought into their operation.

No doubt the entire meeting so far had been a test of sorts to make sure that Avery, or well, "Ferdinand", was the right fit.

"You know of it, that’s good. And, if I told you that this is what I wanted you to transport across the border between the Zatis Consortium and Dramid Alliance, what would you say?" The man asked.

"Like I already told you, if I’m getting paid for it, I don’t care what the goods are. Your money is just as good as anyone else’s. Though, I do expect fair compensation for the hazardous nature of the work. Should you be offering me a job."

Avery took his glass and sucked down another big gulp of his drink while maintaining eye contact with the man.

There was a long pause as the man appeared to be carefully thinking everything over.

Eventually his lips turned up into what many would describe as an evil grin and said, "Very well. I’d like to hire you for two weeks as a trial run. If things work out, we can make this a more permanent arrangement."