《The Peerless Emperor of the Skies》Chapter 6 – Negotiation
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Four hours had passed since Solomon arrived to school.
Tommy and he made their way to meet up with their other friends who were part of another class.
They found their destination outside under the shade of a large oak tree within a brick planter. Beneath the tree was a set of lunch tables for the students.
Solomon swiveled his head back and forth, searching for the rest of his friends. After a few twists of the neck, Solomon spotted them and quickly walked toward them.
Around his friends was the only time Solomon felt comfortable to socialize.
When Tommy and Solomon arrived, the table seated four young boys.
"Took ya long enough!" said a chubby youth as he slurped from his microwavable ramen.
The boy was short. He only reached Solomon's brows. The boy's name was Zachary.
Zachary had skin white like toothpaste. The sickly colored skin displayed the boy's hate for the outdoors. His body took the shape of a pear which would wobble from the slightest movement.
It had been Zachary who introduced Solomon to VR back in their first year of middle school. Back then, Zachary was extremely skinny like a straw. It was a wonder how such a huge transformation could be made in a few years.
Had Solomon known that Zachary would turn into a living potato, he would have dreaded VR even more. But by chance, Zachary still seemed normal in middle school, leading to Solomon's current VR predicaments.
"It couldn't be helped. We were kept back because of a test.... it wasn't very good..." Tommy replied as he took a sandwich out of his bag.
"Not good for you. I was just waiting for you to finish." Solomon joked.
Solomon may have been a VR addict, but he took his promise to his parents seriously. As he said earlier in the morning, Solomon did not neglect his studies, and made sure to keep his grades away from the C ranges.
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"Solomon, I heard you caused a ruckus in the Eagle Canyon over the weekend. Do you need us to sell the items again?" asked the last of the boys.
The boy was average looking. He wasn't muscular like Tommy nor was he fat like Zachary. He stood at a height identical to Solomon.
The only thing that stood out about Joey was his head of red, curly hair.
Unlike Solomon's other two friends, Solomon only became acquainted with Joey when they began high school. It seemed he was friends with Zachary back when the two were in elementary school.
Joey tended to keep to himself and always acted calmly. He was quiet, but not as socially incapable as Solomon. It was an odd contrast to Zachary's explosive personality.
"Joey's right! I bet you got a good haul this time! We're splitting it forty for us and sixty for you again, right? It's not like you can exchange those items without causing a commotion. The moment you enter a town, the people will either flock or run!" added the obnoxious voice of Zachary.
Zachary was right. Solomon had become a well-known character in Immortals of the Skies. This made it hard for him to sell the items he would take.
In order to get around this problem, Solomon employed his two friends, Zachary and Joey, to sell the items for him. In return for their help, Solomon would let the two keep some items and some of the profit.
"Yeah . . . I'll be needing help with those"
Solomon made a brief pause before continuing.
"I don't think I'll be playing as much after this haul. I think I'll find a new game to spend my time on."
Solomon already reached the near pinnacle of the player base and he was about to get the funds for a new set of games. He already got a good feel for the immortals trope, and planned to switch it up soon.
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The recent attack by Master Soul Cloud only hastened his decision.
"What do you mean?! If you stop playing, how am I supposed to get more items? How am I supposed to get stronger or richer?! Solomon, I'm only at the mid-Earth Realm! At least help me until I'm as strong as you!"
Zachary was horrified at the news, and thought up ways to get Solomon to keep playing.
"Thirty-Seventy! You can take away from Joey's share since he doesn't care as much! If that isn't enough, you can just take Joey's share completely! Please just grind a bit more!"
Zachary wasted no time to throw his friend's share down the drain. Solomon's character was the lifeline of Zachary's power. If Solomon were to stop playing, Zachary would have a much harder time getting items.
Solomon's expression didn't change. It seemed he had already made up his mind.
Noticing his counter-offer wasn't working, Zachary got up from his seat and prostrated on the floor. On his way to the floor, he had spilled his cup of ramen. The hot ramen scalded Zachary, and he quickly took off his shirt, revealing an even paler white chest and stomach.
"Sky Master Solomon! Have mercy on this lowly peasant! Please keep up your tyranny until I can take your place!
It was a strange scene to behold. A fat, pale boy bowed to his classmate. His position combined with his strange looks resembled a large, sentient rice cake. Many of the nearby tables eyed the boys with confusion and mocking in their eyes.
Under the gazes of all his classmates, Solomon's introversion began acting up. Cold sweat formed on his back, and he began to freeze up.
"O-okay, okay. I'll give you my items and help you for a week. After that, I'm done. Now get up!"
Zachary quickly got back up and didn't even bother to cover his pasty skin.
"Haha! I knew you couldn't let a friend down, Solomon!"
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