The air conditioner was the only sound in the hotel room.
Keith Hall lay on the single bed, bare chested and his eyes fixed directly on the ceiling. The white walls of the room were plain, nothing special.
His hotel wasn't too fancy, but it had a certain glow to it, just a below standard five-star hotel in the busiest part of the republic city of Xhina.
He most definitely could've afforded better, he had the money now, but habits were hard to change and Keith had always believed in spending smart, not big. Unless it was completely necessary.
Besides, the hotel had served its purpose.
It had kept him in close proximity with the Global Jade Convention as it only took 30 minutes to drive to the convention location.
His phone lay beside him, with the screen faced down, buzzing occasionally from social media notifications.
Yesterday's convention struck the eyes of many online and it had been a country wide enigma. He was sure that if he scrolled enough on the articles concerning the event, he would see a piece or two about him—or moreover Mr. Halo.
'Two deals in one night… and they never saw it coming, I never saw it coming… I just seized the oppurtunity when it presented itself like a sore thumb!' Keith thought, folding his arms behind his head, still staring at the ceiling.
'Funny how a mask and a touch of charisma can turn an ordinary entrepreneur into a legend overnight.'
Still, the euphoria of success didn't last long for someone like him. Victory was sweet, yes, but he couldn't afford to bask in it.
He had other problems to take care of.
His thought shifted focus.
His side quest from the system.
To rebuild his fallen investment within seven days.
'Two days left,' Keith muttered, sitting up on the bed. His six pack abs tensed slightly as he leaned forward and grabbed his phone.
"I need to know if Lucio and Daphne are doing better…"
He tapped the screen and dialed the private line of the hospital Valerie Sawyer transported them to.
A woman's voice answered.
"Good morning, this is nurse Kora speaking. How may I help you?"
"Yes, I'm calling about two patients admitted into your hospital… Lucio Nagellsman and his daughter Daphne Nagellsman. I'm Keith Hall, their business partner."
"One moment, Mr. Hall"
Keith listened as soft footsteps faded on the other end of the line.
His gaze shifted to the window, where the sun shining over Xhina's sky line had a sharp contrast with the windows glass, twisting the light and laying in across the bed and floor of the room.
He hated delays. And as a business man, he hated anything outside his control.
Soon, the nurse returned.
"They're both stable and recovering well. But the doctor says they'll need at least another four days before they're cleared for discharge…"
Four days.
"Damn it…" Keith hissed silently.
That meant they wouldn't be available to help complete the rebuilding of his investment. And without their support, meeting the system's deadline was close to unattainable.
He ended the phone and slapped it face down on the bed.
Staring into open space, he furrowed his eyebrows and cemented his focus.
"Come Forth…" he intoned.
Ti-ring.
The system interface responded and flickered to life.
[Side Mission> Secure what's yours]
[Objective> Restore investment operations >Food Industry< ]
[Time Remaining> 2 Days, 13 Hours, 47 Minute]
[Reward> +1 Level up| +5 BGS Credits|+3 Reputation Points]
He let out a huge sigh of disappointment before speaking, "System, any way to extend the deadline?"
Ti-ring!
[Extension requests are locked until Level 10. Current level> Level 9]
"Tch."
He leaned back into the pillows, rubbing his forehead. The Pine Cone was his first business venture, a test to see if he could make it in this new world.
"I can't afford to fail this quest. Not when everything's just starting to pick up speed." he needed to return to Noir York city if he wanted to beat the time and achieve the quest.
His fingers moved quickly as he opened his flight app and searched for the earliest available flight back to the states.
But just as he was about to hit the "book now" button, his phone buzzed again.
Victor Sawyer.
A text form the Sawyer private channel dropped down from his notification bar.
He narrowed his eyes.
He had already signed the contract and their business deal was already on the way, but even at that he couldn't ignore a straight inbox from the man he just entered a business deal with.
"Do they have an item for me to test already?" Keith muttered to himself, letting the questions ricochet in his head like exploding bullets.
Tap.
Keith opened the message.
Victor Sawyer> Another high stakes auction tonight. Confidential items, I need Mr. Halo's expertise. It starts at 9pm, Xhina Central time. Note that this opening service would have a bonus pay of up to 50% the nights benefits.
Keith stared at the screen for a long second. He knew what this meant, an opportunity to expand his alias influence. Possibly land another fortune, but it would eat into the time he needed to rebuild his food industry investment.
He let out another heavy sigh of frustration.
"What's the smarter move?" he asked himself.
Option A: rush back to Noir York City now, focus only on the restaurant, and maybe fail due to the lack of time and manpower.
Option B: attend the auction, gain rare assets or favours and try to find more strategic leverage for this new business domain.
It was one business domain for the other. A domain clash.
His brain tickled like a machine. With fast, cold, analytical brain storming.
"Someone like Victor will always attract sharks to his auction event… but also power players… connections...money"
He clutched his phone tighter and typed his reply.
Mr. Halo> I will be there.
He put down the phone and stood up. Muscles of his body flexed as he stretched with a loud groan.
Walking over to the closet, he revealed a black suit and carbon fiber half mask with silver rhine stones embedded on it, giving it a shiny look.
Mr. Halo.
Keith ran his fingers down the lapel, then looked at h
imself in the mirror.
"Even if I don't fulfil the side quest, you'll still help me rebuild the investment with your money… Victor."