Chapter 41: Products (2) & Plan
[Current Balance: £2,300,571 5s. 0d.](73,618,280R)
---
A squeek could be heard as the door to Alaric's office with many people coming inside.
'The hinges should be oiled... it's still considered new, what the fuck?' Alaric thought as he glanced at the people in front of him.
"Lad... you called us?"
"What's this about, 'Laric?"
"You need something, son?"
"Everyone's called?"
Multiple voices of his parents, uncle, aunt, Caroline were heard while Reuben and Thulani just went inside silently.
Jonathan, who was first to enter and last to arrive, finally made his way beside Alaric with a service trolley on his hands.
"I've done everything you told me to... M-Master..." The butler
Alaric nodded at Jonathan and cleared his throat, gathering everyone's attention.
"I've called all of you tonight as I made multiple products for our Kenway family to sell," He started as they listened to him.
"Jonathan, please gather these items in front of me and place them on top of the coffee table," Alaric instructed as he stood up, grabbing the handle of the service trolley, and walked towards them. "Sit down guys."
All of them sat down on the sofa and seats at the center of the office aside from Reuben and Thulani as there were no more seats available. Alaric stopped by the table, placing the cooked venison at the center.
Jonathan then went beside him to arrange the items he took from the desk beside the cooked venison.
"What're these?" Bernard asked while looking at the items and cooked Venison. "If you're just going to eat, I'll be off..."
"No," Alaric shook his head as he grabbed the cup of ramen from the table. After peeling back the paper lid half-way, everyone could see a small packet inside the cup on top of what looked like yellow worms. "This is... Ramen!"
Alaric tore open the small packet and spilled the contents into the cup. He gave the cup a gentle shake, making sure the seasoning was spread evenly over the noodles. Next, he turned to the kettle, which had been sitting on the trolley. Alaric grabbed it calmly, his hand wrapped around the metal handle. The steam rose in small clouds as he tilted the kettle over the cup.
He poured the hot water slowly, watching as it streamed into the cup, while the noodles floated up to the surface. He filled it until the water level reached about two-thirds of the cup. Alaric placed the kettle back down and took a step back, watching the water mix with the seasoning and noodles.
The heat of the water instantly softened the noodles as he used the lid that wasn't peeled all the way to cover the cup of Ramen. He placed a spoon to put some weight on the lid. Alaric then placed the cup of Ramen aside.
He then turned to Jonathan and signalled him to follow with the other cups as the Butler nodded, albeit hesitantly. "Set the ramen cups aside for three minutes after you're finished."
Alaric then grabbed the 'Hot Sauce' and opened the lid, making everyone turned their attention towards it. "This is Hot Sauce. It's a sauce that adds some spice on dishes."
He said as he poured some beside the vension.
Seeing as Jonathan was busy with filling the ramen cups, Alaric grabbed a knife and cut some small parts of the Venison skillfully.
"Everyone try dipping some Venison on that sauce," Alaric smiled as Everyone looked at him.
"Umm... what about that... ramen?"
"Why did you set it aside?"
"What did you do to it?"
Alaric shook his head from the barrage of questions and remained calm. "The Ramen Cup needs at least three minutes to fully cook itself. Try the sauce first."
"..."
"Sure..."
"It's not like we'll die from some ingredient..."
"It's Alaric we're talking about..."
As everyone neared the Vension, grabbing a small piece and dipped it into the sauce. They looked the food on their hands and hesitantly ate them.
"Heavens!" Caroline was the first to react as she widened her eyes and looked at Alaric. "You made this!?"
"Uh-huh..." Alaric nodded while opening the box of Celestial Tea.
"This... this is delicious!"
"Oh my!"
Even Reuben, who's face always looked either calm or pissed off, widened his eyes.
Their faces were a little red and hot from the spice, but they didn't mind it. Leonard, who was always silent, immediately grabbed the knife and made more slices of the Venison. Everyone took every slice he made, making him pissed off.
"STOP!"
However, none of them stopped eating.
Seconds later, only a slice was left. This made Leonard glare at everyone, but dipped the last slice and ate it anyways.
During all the commotion, Alaric finished dipping all the tea bags in the cups filled with hot water.
"It seems everyone loved the Hot Sauce," He smirked as he introduced the next product.
"These are teas I harvest from far away..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...Far away?"
Alaric nodded at the question without missing a beat. "I call these... Celestial Tea."
"However, let's wait a few minutes for the tea bags to fully steep in the cups."
"...Okay?" Linette spoke but as soon as the aroma from the tea filled the air, she widened her eyes. "Is the pleasant smell from the tea?"
"Yes," Alaric nodded and smiled. 'I haven't tried these products... I don't need to, I know they're good.'
"Master... three minutes have passed."
Alaric nodded to the butler and signalled for the butler to serve the ramen cups to everyone, Jonathan included.
The youngest Kenway took a look at everyone. They no longer had doubt and hesitation in their eyes, no... they were filled with excitment as all of them salivated at the smell of the ramen cups they were holding.
Everyone ate their cups and widened their eyes. although they didn't say anything, Alaric could see that they loved it as they finished their cups quickly.
"Damn!" Bernard shouted. "I know I said I was full, but this is damn delicious!"
"Mmmm!" Everyone agreed but were still eating their fill.
Alaric couldn't help but chuckle. However, he too enjoyed the ramen cup on his hand. 'This brings back memories... tho I don't miss my NEET life at all...'
Minutes passed as everyone finished their cups as Alaric turned to Jonathan, and could only chuckle as the butler looked at him like he was a missing son who just found his home.
"Jonathan... help me with the teas please."
"Ah- Yes Master!" Jonathan sat aside his finished ramen cup as both him and Alaric were giving out the tea cups.
'Minutes ago, he hesitated to call me master...' Alaric shook his head at Jonathan's 180° personality change.
"Finally..." Linette murmured as she received the small plate under the tea cup. "Celestial tea, aye?"
"Ahhhh!" (This is not a scream...)
She closed her eyes she let out a satisfied long sigh after sipping some of the Celestial Tea.
"This is... celestial." She smiled, finding the word true to its name.
"Celestial indeed..."
"When are we gonna sell these?"
"Tomorrow?"
Alaric chuckled at their response. "Relax... I'm going to dig a huge hole underground, near the vault. By the time I finish with that, we'll start selling."
"Dig?"
"Underground?"
"What do you mean?"
"You'll see... anyways," Alaric smiled as he grabbed the last item on the coffee table. "This... is Beauty Mask."
"Beauty Mask?"
"This will sell well amongst the ladies," Alaric continued and opened the tiny packet of the said mask. "This one's improves the texture of the skin and makes it glow, removing impurities from the surface of the skin. This is best used in the night."
"Skin?"
"Not food?"
"Honey..."
"Sorry, dear..."
Alaric chuckled as he neared his Mother, Eleanor, "Look up for a second..."
"Hm? Okay...?" Eleanor was confused but complied.
Seeing as his mother extended her neck, Alaric pulled out a white mask from the packet that was slimey.
"This may feel a bit odd, but bare with me..."
Eleanor nodded as her son applied the Beauty Mask and spread it across her face gently.
"You have to keep this on for fifteen minutes," Alaric instructed as everyone observed quietly. "After that, dispose of the mask immediately."
"Any more than fifteen minutes and there will be side effects."
Alaric spoke as Eleanor widened her eyes.
"D-Does that mean something will happen to my face if I remove them too late?"
"Well... you keep the mask for twenty minutes, at most," Alaric replied. "However, it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Anyways... after removing the mask, don't remove the slimey substance that will be on your face. Just air-dry it and sleep right after."
While waiting for the fifteen minutes, Alaric got up and went behind his desk. Opening a compartment, he secretly purchased the items he bought and placed them on top of the desk, acting like he took them from the compartment.
[Ichiraku Ramen Instant Noodle Cups (30x) - 9d.]
[Uchiha Fire & Spice Hot Sauce (8x) - 4s. 8d.]
[Kunoichi Beauty Mask (5x) - 2s. 3d.]
[Sage's Herbal Infusion Tea (1 Box) - £1 7s.]
[- £1 15s. 3d.]
[Current Balance: £2,300,569 9s. 9d.](73,618,224R)
"These are for you guys... including you, Jonathan," Alaric said as he finished placing everything on the desk. "Please help me in distributing to everyone..."
"Yes, master," Jonathan excitedly went and grabbed the items, handing them to each of the people present.
"Make sure that the Hot Sauce is on the dining table everyday..."
"Yes master."
Alaric nodded and looked at the piece of paper that had the contents of his writing, grabbing it and made everyone read them one by one.
"When I finish drilling underground, let's start selling."
"That's all for tonight... you guys can go now... aside from Reuben, Thulani, and Jonathan..."
---
It was still night. The estate was silent, its occupants asleep... except for Alaric, Reuben, Thulani, and Jonathan.
"Are you speaking the truth?"
"Do I look like someone who makes up nonsense?"
Jonathan stared into Alaric's eyes, processing the intel he had just received. The names, locations, and roles of every high-ranking Templar in Bristol.
Reuben had already briefed Thulani. They sparred daily, after all.
"Tonight, we execute them all... every last one who stands in our way," Alaric stated, arms crossed. "They're the key figures in the slave trade here in Bristol."
"What!?" Jonathan gasped. "Tonight? Why so suddenly?"
Everyone turned to him. The hesitation in his voice made him the outlier of the group.
Alaric let the silence stretch before standing up. "You can stay if you want. Reuben and Thulani are used to my decisions."
Jonathan clenched his fists, but before he could respond, Alaric shook his head. His gaze shifted to the moon outside the window before locking onto Jonathan again.
"A butler who can't fight in unpredictable situations won't be able to protect this estate."
A pause.
"Decide now. Are you in, or not?" Alaric smirked.
Jonathan's pride as an Assassin flared. "...Give me a few minutes to get ready," he said, then turned for the door.
"You're not even ready?" Alaric teased. "You have to be prepared at all times. Even here in the mansion. You never know when a maid's going to stab you in the back."
Jonathan didn't reply. He only gave Alaric a firm nod before disappearing down the hall.
As the door clicked shut, Reuben and Thulani chuckled.
"You're too hard on the bastard!"
"He's just a butler, 'Laric!"
Alaric shook his head, amusement flickering in his eyes as he sat back down. "What I said was true. He needs to be ready. We don't know how many enemies we'll make."
"Yeah..." Reuben nodded, then leaned forward. "We're going on that journey soon, right? You told us a year ago…"
This was true. Alaric told both Reuben and Thulani that they were going to journey towards London, then to Italy, then towards the south of the Ottoman Empire.
Alaric hummed. "Yes… so you best prepare." He then turned to Thulani. "Though I might not bring you with me."
Thulani blinked. "...What? Why?"
"Well… you're in love," Alaric smirked, watching the man freeze. "Caroline told me Aveline likes you too. Don't tell me… you're planning to leave her behind?"
Thulani's face fell. He hesitated before mumbling, "...It's forbidden. She's from an influential family. And I'm a slave…"
"Oi, musclehead, did you miss the part where Aveline likes you too?" Reuben groaned. "I'm so jealous I could die. And you're saying you're just gonna leave her?"
"Don't butt in," Thulani shot him a glare, but Reuben only scoffed.
"Look, she likes you, you like her. End of story!" Reuben sighed, then shot a glance at Alaric before turning back to Thulani. "Besides, her father's one of our targets tonight. You sure you wanna leave her fatherless? You could be her daddy."
Thulani stiffened. Even with his dark skin, the faintest blush could be seen. "S-Stop… how can I love her when I'm guilty of conspiring against her father?"
"..."
Silence.
Alaric shrugged. "That's up to you. But her father? He asked for it."
"...I don't see how she'd forgive me."
"Then don't tell her?"
*Knock. Knock.*
The door opened, revealing Jonathan, now clad in his Assassin garbs.
"I'm ready."
He frowned when he noticed Alaric, Reuben, and Thulani were still in their normal clothes, weapons nowhere in sight. "...Are we still doing this?"
"Of course," Alaric said, standing up and moving to his desk. "I don't even need a weapon, but I'll bring one. Just in case."
Resting on the desk was [Sasuke's Kusanagi]. Alaric picked it up, unsheathing the blade with a smooth shhhk. The steel gleamed under the dim light.
"A blade?" Jonathan muttered as Reuben and Thulani nodded.
"He calls it Kusanagi," Reuben explained, eyeing the weapon. "Apparently, it's a Grass-Cutting Sword."
"It has no hilt," Thulani added, arms crossed. "But don't let that fool you. Last time I saw 'Laric use it, he sliced tree trunks with a flick of his wrist."
Jonathan's brows furrowed as he stared at the sword. "That's… impossible…"
Alaric admired the blade for a moment longer before sheathing it.
"I'm ready."
Reuben and Thulani nodded their heads, as the former walked towards the door.
Reuben and Thulani nodded, and Reuben stepped toward the door.
"Reuben, take out the Templar in Easton. Jonathan, you handle the one in Long Ashton. Thulani, the docks... clear out the slave traders." Alaric's tone was firm. "I'll kill Emmett Scott… and have a little chat with Edward Colston."
Then, his gaze flicked back to Thulani, then to everyone, a smirk playing on his lips.
"And once you're all done with your part, meet me at the Colston Estate. I'll have a once-in-a-lifetime gift for our friend, Thulani."
"I don't care what methods you use, make sure they're dead. Am I making myself clear?"
"Yes..."
"Alright, let's go."
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