"Okay, it's a deal then. What is your fee?"

"It's pretty straightforward. 10 credits per day if I'm working only for you, otherwise I bill one credit per hour. If you make any financial agreements that involve paying people I collect a 5% brokerage fee for connecting you to them. If you make an agreement that doesn't involve direct transfer of credits then we will agree on the estimated value and go from there."

"How do you estimate the value of hiring someone? Or a team?"

Marcus chimed in. "Fair question, Cass, fair question. It's a little ephemeral, but there are going rates. Teams are rated by their current level in The Climb. A mid-tier team can generally get anywhere from 50 - 100 credits per person per day, whereas a high-tier team really has no limits, but usually starts at 100 credits per person per day."

"But, the Toxic Weaver Dagger was only 25 credits. You're telling me that the exchange rate for a single high level person is four items PER DAY? That is a LOT of money."

Ginny answered his question. "It is, but you have to remember a few things. First, in this day and age, there are an infinite number of creatures out there to kill. I'm betting a strong young man like yourself could go out and kill a whole bunch of sewer rats before lunch. Just because an item sells quickly doesn't necessarily mean it's valuable. Supply and demand work the same here as before, but The System puts hard bottom limits on things. I could go kill 100 Concrete Golems and sell their item drops on the market. With how common they are you'd expect them to sell for almost nothing, supply and demand being what it is and all, but since The System cashes them in for a flat 10 credits the cost of their items will never go below that."

"All of this is to say that you can't use items as a good conversion factor for credits. The whole economic system around items is rigged. Instead, you have to think of what these people are worth. Do you need their help enough to go kill four Toxic Weavers a day? Or 10 Concrete Golems? I'm betting it wouldn't even take you an hour to earn the credits to pay whoever you hire for the day."

"Okay, okay, okay - please. That's enough. I got it. I'll just pay and we can get out of here. Do I have the money to pay you yet?"

They both looked at Ginny and she checked the screen. "Your dagger already sold, so congratulations! You have your first 25 credits! Go to your PED and look under the Economy section."

Cass realized he hadn't pulled up his PED menus since the first days. He'd only ever been focused on his stat sheet and skills. At the time everything else had been blank anyway and he'd, well, just forgotten. He tabbed through until he found the Economy section and sure enough, there it was.

Total credits: 25

He scrolled down a little more and saw the next section he suspected he'd find.

Active contracts: 0

"So how do I do this?"

"Here," Marcus extended his hand and repeated the verbiage exactly as before. "Do you accept?"

Cass nodded and shook his hand, the golden glow passing over both of their hands and disappearing. He felt the finality of the contract settling into his soul and he checked his screen again.

Active contracts: 1

Active contract # 1: Contract holder: Marcus Kostas Contract length: 48 hours or until all terms are met Contract terms: Cassian Torres has found a person or persons that he considers to be powerful enough to meet his needs and at least 80% of the persons agree to return with him, or the overall strength of the person is 80% of what Cassian has determined he needs.

"The wording on this contract is really weird and a bit vague," Cass noted.

"Yeah, it has to be," Marcus replied. "You envisioned what you wanted and I did my best to interpret it, but with how unrefined the question was it reflects that in the contract. But no worries, this is actually a pretty common request and what I have there is pretty boilerplate. What it basically says is that I have to introduce you to enough of the right people that meet your needs, and that at least 4 out of 5 people agree to come back with you."

"But then if you introduce me to 100 people you have to guarantee that 80 of them come with me."

"Ah, that's true - still clever! But it's not as bad as all that. I'm going to introduce you to 5 - 10 people and you will decide which ones you feel meet your needs. If none of them do we'll move on. The System really only cares about what YOU think fulfills the contract. If I introduce you to 100 people and you only consider 10 of them worthy, then those are the only 10 that will be considered in the contract."

"On the other side, if you only find 1 person and he or she meets at least 80% of your needs then I've met my requirements."

"So if you introduce me to 1 person and they're only 80% of what I need, that's good enough? I'm stuck with them?"

"You're not stuck with them, my friend, our contract is just fulfilled is all. As much as the contract protects you, it protects me as well. You could send me on a wild goose chase meeting every high powered person in the city, and the only one who meets your requirements would be Superman. In that case it'd be impossible for me to fulfill my end of the contract. This gets you what you want within reasonable boundaries. Although, anything is possible with the right amount of time and money. I'm happy to bump the percentage up to… let's say, 99%, but you'd have to really define what you want, we'd need to extend the deadline, and it'd be a lot more expensive. Honestly, I think this is your best option. It will get you what you need, and if you want more after you can always hire me again. Like I said, there's enough of Marcus to go around!"

Cass was reluctant, but understood that Marcus was only trying to help him. He didn't know much about contracts but this felt right. He turned to Ginny.

"Okay, what about our contract?"

"Pretty standard stuff, nothing special. You sign an exclusivity contract with me, I guarantee to keep your details completely private, which is System-enforced and can't be broken unless someone is very high level or has special access, which wouldn't really be a concern for you. No offense, but you're small fish. Here, take a look."

Cass read through the contract that appeared in his vision, this one quite a bit longer.

Exclusive Broker Contract: Ginny O'Connor

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Contract Holder: Ginny O'Connor Contract Length: 6 months, with automatic renewal unless terminated Terms:

Exclusivity Clause

:

Cassian Torres agrees to work exclusively with Ginny O'Connor for the brokering, sale, and trade of all items. Should Cass wish to engage with another broker, an additional

early termination fee

of

10 credits

will apply, along with a

5% surcharge

on any deals made without Ginny's involvement.

Commission

:

Ginny will receive a

15% commission

on all successful sales or transactions that Cass makes with her assistance. This fee is applied to the

final sale price

, whether the sale is through an auction, private sale, or trade.

Privacy Protection

:

Ginny guarantees to maintain privacy regarding Cass's personal and business information. This agreement is System-enforced. However, Cass acknowledges that Ginny may share certain transaction details with partners or vendors to ensure business is conducted smoothly. These details will not include any sensitive personal information unless consent is given.

Item Identification and Auction Fees

:

Ginny will assist Cass with identifying, valuing, and auctioning his items. Should Cass choose not to auction an item, a

5% fee

will be applied for any other sale method Ginny facilitates (including private transactions). If Cass opts for the auction,

10% of the earnings

will be taken as a listing fee, regardless of the auction outcome.

Loan Option

:

If Cass is in need of immediate funds, Ginny offers

short-term loans

for items or

credits

, with a

15% interest rate

. Repayment must be made within

7 days

, or the interest will compound daily at an additional

2%

per day.

Exclusive Access

:

Ginny will provide Cass with

priority access

for items that have

high rarity or significant value

, such as rare beast cores, exotic materials, or unique technological items. This exclusivity ensures that Cass has an edge in making profitable transactions. In exchange, Ginny will charge a

3% fee on high-value items

that exceed 100 credits in estimated value.

Brokerage Fees for Connections

:

Ginny will assist in connecting Cass to other brokers, merchants, and service providers. For every successful connection made (whether for buying, selling, or hiring), Ginny will take a

5% brokerage fee

on the total value of the contract or transaction. If the contract involves non-monetary compensation (such as services or trade), Ginny will negotiate the monetary equivalent and charge based on that amount.

Termination and Early Exit:

Cass may terminate the contract at any time with

30 days' notice

. If terminated before the full 6-month period, a

200-credit per day remaining in the contract exit fee

will be charged to cover losses from missed transactions.

Ginny retains the right to terminate if Cass fails to engage in at least one transaction every

one week or an average sales amount of 500 credits per month

. Any transaction Cass does complete within this period will carry a

5-credit fee

for processing. If Cass is unable to meet the transactional requirements Ginny retains the right to apply a fee up to 500 credits per month for the value of the missed transactions.

Non-Disclosure Agreement: Ginny is bound to keep all transaction details, prices, and market data confidential within the confines of the contract unless an exception is agreed upon in writing. However, Cass acknowledges that Ginny may still share "general market trends" and insights with other brokers, especially those she is in direct competition with, in order to maintain her advantage.

Initial Payment: Cass agrees to pay 5 credits upfront as a non-refundable set-up fee for the initiation of the brokerage contract. This covers initial identification and valuation services. If additional services are requested, they will be billed at a standard rate of 2 credits per hour.

Additional Terms:

Ginny reserves the right to charge additional fees for specialized services such as

high-level item appraisals

,

custom auctions

, or any

exclusive market listings

that exceed standard offerings.

If any dealings involve

high-value items

or

high-risk trades

, additional

security fees

may apply depending on the specifics of the deal.

Cass was overwhelmed. Were those good rates? Bad? Was he getting in over his head? Damn it, why didn't mom come? Maybe I should go get her real quick. The thought of coming back with his mommy in tow made his stomach clench, but so did signing the contract.

"What happens if I can't keep up my end of the contract?"

"That happens sometimes. Someone makes a deal, runs off, we never see them again. If they're dead, no big deal. I lose out on my commissions but no harm, no foul. But let's say you run out of here to your little neighborhood or whatever, your mommy gets mad that you made this deal and tells you you can't come back anymore - The System enforces its deals. At the end of the contract, or in this case at the end of each month, it'll charge you. You'll get a warning that you are about to be in violation and will have a short grace period to fulfill it. If you can't, it takes the energy anyway - from your experience. I've seen people who made deals with the wrong type end up dropping five levels because of it. You definitely don't want to renege on your contracts."

"You're just giving me incentive not to sign one. Or to go to one of the bigger names," Cass said.

"The bigger names are just as bad as the black market. You think they have your best interests at heart? Their contracts are much longer and a lot less favorable for you little guys. You're best off dealing with someone like me. As for not signing up with an exclusivity contract at all - you don't have to, you'll just be paying more. You'll also have people looking for you when you list your items. Plus, you'll have to look through the entire market any time you need something. Plus,"

"Okay, I get it. I don't have a lot of time and you'll save me the time. I just don't know if I should be agreeing to any contracts. This isn't just my stuff, it affects other people too."

Ginny shrugged. "If you need to go get your mommy, go ahead, but if you're not going to sign anything then stop wasting our time. I have other clients and you seem like you're running out of time yourself. Shit or get off the pot, kid. The clock is ticking."

Cass looked between the two, pressure mounting. What do I do? I wish I could at least communicate with mom. I could go get her, but she'd demand to come in and talk with them herself - plus I don't even know where she is. There just isn't time and they trusted me to do this job. Damn it! Make a decision you stupid, useless idiot! Just make a damned decision!

Cass thrust out his hand and the deal was struck. As they walked out Marcus looked back and gave Ginny a thumbs up behind Cass's back. Ginny returned it with a smile and a wink.

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