Chapter 115

"I'm listening to you, Bestia..."

"There's someone here to talk to you. I guarantee the safety of the meeting."

She spoke as calmly as always and this time there was no indication that it might be some kind of trap. and that's good, but...

I've been on pins and needles for two days now. I don't really want to go somewhere to talk. And with someone I don't even know.

"And who wants to talk to me?"

"You know her. this is Hanako Arasaka."

I frowned.

"Bestia, you shouldn't joke around like that... or do you really think you can handle the security of a corporation like Arasaka? And dating the sister of someone I just zeroed in on?"

"David..."

While we were talking I got to the girls.

"Connect to the Undead Network. Bestia wants to sign me up to meet Hanako, and I want to make sure there's no new trap."

"Will do..."

Lucy and Judy nodded, confirming Kiwi's words and immediately going to work, while Bestia continued to try to convince me that everything would be fine and that I wasn't in any danger.

"...stop being so broken! David, I'm begging you, for the sake of our cooperation and, uh. friendship."

And that was not an easy word for her to say. But I don't think I would have found it easy, so I didn't emphasize the hiccup.

"...you meet this girl. I'll guarantee your safety, I'll personally hire a few solos from the big leagues, the same Mystique who's working with Regina now, and a couple of other reasonable..."

I sighed. Answering without knowing for sure that it wasn't a trap...

"All clear. She's alone in her cubicle."

I nodded gratefully to Lucy, who reported back to me on the state of affairs in Postmortem.

"Okay..."

"Finally! The meeting's tomorrow at twelve. Don't be late."

"Yeah, yeah..."

I nodded at Bestia's words.

"...I won't be late."

"What's with the tone?"

Bestia's image frowned slightly.

"I just don't have many people I can classify as friends, and you're sticking your head in Arasaka's mouth... You be careful."

"Uh-huh...

Bestia's voice sounded a little huffy; after all, I had actually called her a friend now, and even though she herself had called me a friend, I was more than sure she hadn't counted on such an admission from me.

"...I will."

The connection broke, and I crouched down next to my ranchers.

"Anything else you need?"

"Uh-huh...

I answered the question with an additional nod of my head.

"...see if Bestia met with Hanako or if they talked in any other way? Because the meeting is tomorrow at twelve, I need to know what to prepare for, if she came..."

"Copy that. we'll check it out."

I nodded gratefully to the girls then stood up and went to check our gear. This time I planned to take not only Becca under invisibility, but also some of the other girls. Which meant more gear would be needed...

However, we keep a constant eye on him and keep him organized, so his check up is just my Constant Vigilance!

"Pfft..."

"Is something wrong?"

I looked back, though I recognized Triss from her voice, who had separated from the group of girls and was following me.

"It's nothing."

I shrugged.

"Just making a joke to myself, laughing to myself..."

"Maybe I'll laugh, too."

I shook my head.

"I doubt it... it's a joke with a backstory so to make fun of it you have to start your story by explaining all the details. It's, uh."

I cast a thoughtful glance at Triss.

"...when you were studying magic, surely there were funny moments and jokes that will be understood only by students of the same institution, or even only by your friends?"

"I see..."

She nodded a couple of times, at that judging by her voice she really did understand and didn't even think about taking offense.

"Have you decided to keep me company?"

"Yeah..."

As soon as we reached the workshop, the door closed behind us and Triss took me by the shoulders and turned me around.

"We need to have a serious talk..."

"Come on."

I nodded at the comfortable computer chair, and sat down in the same one myself, then looked at Triss carefully. The next couple of minutes passed in silence, during which I realized that I was the one who would have to start the conversation on an unknown topic.

"So? What did you want to talk about? That we're attracted to each other?"

A slight smile appeared on the fiery-haired beauty's lips and she nodded her head.

"That's partly what it's about. But not only that. You know, I'm glad you understand what I want to talk about, even if you haven't fully defined it, but... It's a lot nicer to be around a smart man than a dumb one."

"Thank you for the compliment. I can say that I too am pleased to be around a smart and beautiful girl, in your face."

"Yeah, uh... You know, I'd like to know what your plans are for the future? I tried to ask your girls about it, but they didn't know much about it, except that they said that your plans somehow involve Ciri, or rather her origin and the Nilfgaardian Empire..."

I shrugged.

"In one plan, yes. In the other, you can get by without it."

"Will you share them with me?"

"Sure..."

I once again shrugged my shoulders.

"...First, we destroy the Wild Hunt, scouting the area around the witches' fortress. Then recruit you or Ian, and then "capture" the fortress, rebuild it, through portals will be much easier to do, and with materials from this world so even more reliable will come out ..."

I paused to take a sip of iced tea from the bottle that stood next to my desk. Naturally, I couldn't help but offer it to Triss, and she nodded gratefully and took a few sips of the cool drink. Huh, if we were in a Japanese cartoon, the girl would have fainted from such an offer, because it was an indirect kiss!

"So what's next?"

Triss decided to hurry me up, and I snapped out of my thoughts and took a few seconds to reconstruct in my head what I was talking about.

"What's next? Next is to replace chromium with biological implants, or synthetic ones, as in my case, and we have a mercenary order that works in several worlds at once. Completely independent from any government as in your world nobody could get to us... of course, if we didn't get cocky..."

"Well, uh. Well, yes. If you didn't get cocky, it would be hard to put together a coalition against you, and the technology of your world could provide you with defenses against everything but magic... and magic. not everyone could stand up to you. And to form a coalition with mages..."

Triss shook her head.

"...sounds even more fantastic than much of what people in my time have called incredible."

I grinned and nodded my head a couple times.

"Well, the second option is the first, with the correction that I will try to put Ciri on the throne, and my Order will become the Order of Nilfgaard. We will help Ciri to unite all the lands of your world under her hand, and then..."

"She won't agree."

"I know..."

I sighed and looked out the window.

"...But also Just Order of the Nilfgaard having the full support of the Empress sounds very good..."

"Yeah..."

Triss nodded thoughtfully, clearly lost in her own thoughts.

"You know what else sounds good?"

"М?"

"Triss Merigold, the first and only head of the Order's magical division!"

Triss's eyes clouded at the prospect, and I grinned.

Thank the Almighty for the fact that I remember a past life and based on the game The Witcher 3 I can say, What can be pressed to make Triss want to stay with us...