CH39: Broker and Agent 

***

CH39: Broker and Agent

The next morning, Navia and I woke up in each other's embrace.

It was quite a strange but welcomed experience for both of us.

"Good morning, Leo." She smiled.

"Morning, Navia."

"You're not surprised I know your name."

"Your labourer got the fabric for my order from a carriage bearing the DoomMane Guild's crest on it. The Guild is popular and even a toddler knows its crest. Your labourer definitely does too. From there, it should be easy for someone in our line of work to find my identity. Plus, I standout in the Guild so it's hard not to find out who I am."

"Can't you at least pretend to be surprised?"

"We know each other's personality. Would you have believed it if I acted surprised?"

"No, but it would've humoured me."

"Sorry, next time maybe I'll pretend as if I don't know."

"You know what? Don't bother. Your smart ass side is also lovely."

I could only shake my head in defeat. This woman was really fickle.

"Is it true you can't use mana?"

"Yes."

"But I felt the power from your body. You also changed your face."

"Let's just say that I've trained my body to the limit over and over again that I've gotten a form of control over it."

"So you're like a body temperer?"

"Close but also different. My body can't store mana to use to temper the body like Body Temperers. Instead, my body devours all mana that enters it, then uses that mana to rebuild the body damaged by my training. It's a sort of destruction and rebirth method."

"That sounds..."

"Brutal, right? I also think so."

"I was going to say difficult."

I chuckled.

"Then what about you? You're no defenceless woman yourself."

Navia's expression dropped for a second but she quickly recovered. She released her mana on her palms.

Instead of the white-blue attributeless mana most Humans release when they used their mana without their Pangea, Navia's mana was a dull/greyish-white mana.

"I awakened my mana attribute after what transpired yesterday, so I've opened my sixth ring."

Unlike Beasts who awaken their mana attribute at birth, Humans do the same only after they opened their sixth mana rings (Noble-equivalent).

This opens a new door as their use of mana takes a significant leap.

It is easier to control the attribute of one's mana at the 6-rings than it is to control the same attribute through their Pangea.

"What attribute is this?"

"It's a rare attribute. Illusion."

"Illusion? Shouldn't your attribute be Charm or something."

"Emeka's attribute is actually Illusion. It's just that her innate ability makes her specialise in Charm which is a sub attribute under the main Illusion attribute."

"I didn't know that."

"There are so many attributes out there that no one really knows them all. Only the major elemental attributes are taught to the public. After all, rare attributes are... well, rare."

"That's good to know. I only prepared for the major elemental attributes. I'll have to factor this new knowledge into my planning."

Navia ran her right index finger down my chest as she leaned on it while my right hand ran down her spine to those beautiful, plum butts.

We quietly enjoyed each other's company. Something that felt foreign to both of us.

It was nice.

"You don't need to keep it in. Just say it." Navia looked me in the eye.

The fact the we had a good understanding of each other's personalities would take some time to sink in.

"We should discuss business." I said.

"Can't you just enjoy the peace for a while longer?"

I gave her a look.

"Fine. Let's talk business."

She got off the bed and walked to her clothes. She wore her bloomer-like panties and the band-like bra.

I watched her perky butt jiggle as she walked to the desk.

After tasting the forbidden fruit for the first time in this life, it seems my attention was always attracted to the meaty parts of Navia's body.

I got up and also put on my underwear.

Navia took out a box from the drawer then returned to the bed.

She took out her House of Death Comms Crystal ring from the box, along with another thin ring. It was pretty much simply a thin metal circle.

She passed the thin ring to me.

"It's an add-on ring. It connects your account to mine. Anything you want is relayed to me and I'll get it for you."

"So, it gives you control of my account."

"Yes. DarkBlade should've explained about Brokers to you, right?"

I nodded.

"You can see Agents as troops of the organisation. They are powerful, however, it also means the organisation has to have means to control them. Here comes the Brokers in the organisation. They are the administrative and executive officers of the organisation whose job it is to control the Agents.

"Part of the ways Brokers achieve this control is in the missions and rewards in the organisation's comms space. The missions you have there are the least rewarding missions the organisation has to offer. Plus, the merit points for said missions are cut. A commission to the logistics staff who brought in the mission is the official excuse. However, in reality, the cut is to make sure the solo Agents don't earn that much merits.

"The reality is that an Agent with a Broker would have access to a wider selection of rewarding missions. Even if he did the same missions as a solo Agent, he would earn more merit. Do you know missions come with extra rewards?"

"I didn't know. I've never gotten anything like that."

"That's also another thing Brokers keep away from solo Agents and make available for theirs." Navia explained. She pointed to the ring. "However, nothing is free. This add-on ring is a measure Brokers use to control their own Agents.

"The ring links an Agent's account to their Broker's. Meaning the Agent's merit point is added to the Broker's account. This means the Agent can't acquire anything from the organisation without going through their Broker. Hence why choosing the right Broker is important.

"Agents see merit points as currency to get things from the organisation. On the other hand, Brokers see it as a measure of influence within the organisation. The Broker can use the merit points to facilitate their progress within the ladder of the organisation. So, if a Broker uses all the merit points in their pool to facilitate their progress, it would mean their Agents won't be able to acquire anything from the organisation unless they earn more merit points. Of course, the progress of the Broker means the Agents will have access to better paying jobs."

I took a moment to digest the information.

I didn't particularly feel bad about the system. As long as the Broker was honest in revealing this to their Agents, I think anyone in our line of work should be rational enough to understand that every advantage has a price.

"This doesn't breed conflict?"

"Depends on how the Brokers manage it. Most Brokers charge a percentage of what an Agent earns and withdraw that to their personal account. This way, the Agent knows he has his dues while the Broker also earns merit points to progress. It's a safe bet, but it's slow for the Broker and even to the Agent."

"I can understand it being slow to the Broker, but why to the Agent."

"The Tier of the Broker determines the difficulty and hence the reward an Agent can receive. Even if the Agent is a Saint-class assassin, if their Broker is only Tier I within the organisation, the Agents can only take Tier I missions."

I nodded in understanding.

Tier I missions were what I was currently doing. They were contracts for targets below the knight-rank.

An exalted Saint going after Novices, Beginners and Experts? That would sully their reputation.

"That's quite... ingenious. It emphasizes a comprehensive partnership from both Agent and Broker." My eyebrows furrowed. "But for this to work, there's still something missing."

Navia smiled.

"I see you figured it out. I'm sure I'm going to enjoy our partnership." She suddenly said.

"In more ways than one." I added.

The smile widened.

I released a chuckle.

"So, please give me the missing piece, my fair lady."

Navia smiled mysteriously.

"Agents are allowed to kill their Brokers and vice versa. The organisation won't interfere."

"Brilliant!" I clap my hand. "I'm guessing Agents are usually stronger than their Brokers. So, Brokers use benefits from the organisation to control the Agents while Agents use the threat of death to control the Broker from going out of line. That ensures that both sides think damn well before they join hands."

I was getting a picture of the organisation.

"The ring links the Agent's merit points to the Broker's on the promise of proper management. The Broker can use the merits to acquire whatever the Agent needs or use it to rise up the ladder.

"If it is the former, the Broker would do their best to get the best deal for their Agent in order to have enough merit for the latter.

"If the Broker does the latter without the permission of the Agent, the Agent can kill off the Broker. On the other hand, if the Agent doesn't allow the Broker to use their merit to progress, the Agents will also not have access to better paying missions

"An interesting system of check and balance is formed." I surmised. "That said, there are still loopholes that can be exploited."

"No system is perfect." Navia said. "Besides, I have a hunch the loopholes were left there on purpose. It's a warning from the organisation that each side's life is in their hands and hinges on their decision.

"Same as now. You need to decide if you trust me enough to-"

Before she finished her words, I had already put on the ring.

The thin, almost strand-like ring connected and fused to my previous ring. Heck, I couldn't even notice a difference.

Navia looked stunned. Then she smiled.

She knew my personality well. I'm not one to trust easily... not in this life.

My action was my version of an act of good faith.

"Thanks for the trust." She said.

"It's as you said. I commit fully when I commit." I said nonchalantly. "Besides, I could always kill you if you betray me."

I said this in a light tone, but both of us knew I was very serious.

I won't let the happenings of my past life reoccur in this life too. I will kill any traitor without mercy!

Navia stiffened at first. But then, as if she recalled something, she smiled.

"I'm not so easy to kill."

"Is that so?"

My figure flashed.

Before she could react, I pounced and pressed her facedown beneath me.

"Remember this well, my fair lady. No matter how powerful a lioness becomes, she never stand a chance against the lion king. Such is her fate after submitting to him. And such is yours after submitting to me. Are we clear?"

"Yes, we are." Navia replied. "Now, can you stop pocking my butt with that rod of yours. Haven't you done enough damage last night."

"It's your fault. I don't think I can get enough after tasting such a delicious meal." I got off her.

"After what you just did, 'lion king', forget about getting more of it. Humph." She pouted.

I laughed at her antics.

"Just how strong are you? I'm at 6-rings! I should be a Noble-ranker." She muttered. "I got it. It must be because it was a sneak attack."

"Sure. Maybe." I shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyway, I don't use the same power system so I'm not exactly sure, but I think I should be able to pull out Noble-rank strength if I go all out and prepare sufficiently beforehand. Just that I don't have an attribute."

Navia nodded.

Her attention turned to her ring.

The connection of our accounts was done.

Thanks to the connection, I could also see what she displayed on the holographic window from the comms crystal.

[A.N: Hope we haven't forgotten only the ring owner can see what's displayed on the window.]

There was a confirmation of my acceptance of Navia as my Broker.

Navia swiped that away and opened my record within the organisation.

[Agent Zero]

-Bio-

Call name: -

Rank: Outer member.

Active: 3 years.

Activity Area: Landrose City, Bayveth Republic.

Recruiter: Lord DarkBlade.

-Record-

Expertise: Unknown.

Infamy: Unknown.

Contracts Accepted: 25.

Contracts Completed: 25.

Merit Points: 11.7

(P.S: 1 merit point = 1 low-grade mana stone = 1000 UC)

(To be continued...)