Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey

"So, what do you need from me, Lucas Darkheart?"

A smile came to my face, as I heard those words of hers.

"I came here to make a deal with you."

Let's turn this situation in my favour.

"…oh? A deal? Is this your roundabout way of asking me for a date?"

"It's a business proposition"

Though she was sceptical, Isla paused and allowed me to speak

"…go on"

"I would like-"

Before I could finish my sentence a strong pressure started emanating from Isla as her sharp eyes looked down on me. Because of how sudden this was, I was caught off guard. Raising my hand, I said

"…let me finish"

"Watch your words carefully"

"I would like for you, Isna to give me the potions that you've made"

"…oh?"

Carefully scrutinizing me up and down, she shook her head in disappointment.

"The only reason I came here was because you slightly interested me. I mean you were the guy who killed Samuel Ascal after all."

"…ah thank you"

"But I don't think I will make this deal with you."

'Sh*t'

Isna knows her family's business is not doing very well but despite all of that knowing she still not making a deal with me.

'She is very stubborn to her core.'

"I thought that you wanted to talk to me about something important…but it seems like I got the wrong idea about you. Let me be clear, I am not your potion salve"

Standing up, Isal prepared to leave.

"It was nice knowing you…err, whatever you are called"

"Wait"

Seeing her leave, I immediately tried to call for her only to be ignored. Just as she was about to open the door, I finally decided to release the bait that I had planned to use from the beginning.

"…oh well it's too bad... I thought you loved your family, but it seems like I was mistaken about you."

"You…you, what did you say?"

"I also know the reason why your family is on the brink of bankruptcy and I thought I would help you but it seems I can't do that anymore... What a shame."

Gritting her teeth and clenching her hands, Isal glared in my direction only to be left speechless as I laid my feet on the table and nonchalantly picked my ear.

Looking up, and seeing Isnl I said

"Ehh? I thought you were leaving. Shoo, shoo, if you're leaving then just leave. I think I will go somewhere else for this deal."

Seeing that I got a reaction from her, I continued with my act. With a person like her, if you didn't take the initiative then you would stand to lose more than you could gain.

Waving my hand to shoo her away, I took out my phone and started a game.

-Bam!

"What is the reason, tell me now."

"Oh? I thought you were leaving?"

She said nothing but glared at me.

"Ok, chill down for a sec and sit down then we can talk."

Putting my phone back in my pocket, I returned to my serious self. If I pushed her too much, then I wouldn't even know how I died.

"They… rheum, so do we have a deal?"

"…How do I know you're not lying?"

Squinting her eyes, Isla once again exuded her pressure over me.

…to be fair, it wasn't that much. I already fought many strong people since I came here. It just flinches me a little that's all.

"Fine, I will tell you, how your family business got downhill. Will that be enough for you at the moment?"

She said nothing.

'Ok, this is getting creepy somehow.'

"It started One month ago when Finest Pharmacist stock lost its value."

"Everyone knows that." Isla cut me in my mid-sentence.

"Wii you let me finish?"

"Do you know why Finest Pharmacist stock went down? Despite there was not a single problem with the potion, and there is no accident happened in the company even still its stock went down?"

"Just get to the point will you?" Isla asked me, impatiently.

"It's simple, there is a mole in your father's company."

"You mean someone leaked the information of the company to outside?" Isla's eyes went wide as she finished the sentence. She did not want to believe that it was true but she knew what I was saying was likely possible to happen.

"And I also know who is that person."

-Bam

"Who is it?"

"Whoa, came down women. You would give me a heart attack if you kept doing this." thought I was dead for a second.

"The mole, I'm talking about is your uncle, Thomas Hawthorne," I said to her after she came down, but soon enough her blood drained from her face.

"No, way." She mumbled as she lowered her head.

"Yes, way," I said to her. As I gazed at the wall beside me.

Thomas Hawthorne, brother of Peter Hawthorne and Isla Hawthorne Uncel.

He was jealous of Peter as his business doing very great but Thomas's business was also in alchemy but he was not as skilled as his brother.

Then one day when he made enough, he sold the Finest Pharmacist business secret to their rivals, A.K. Alchemy.

"How do I know you are not lying," Isla said as she gazed at me with her green eye.

"In this PAN drive, I have all of the information about How Thomas did it, when he did it, and where he sold that information."

I said as I took out a black colour pan drive from my smart bracelet.

"Give it to me." Isla shot her hand forward to reach the pan drive but I kept that pen drive in my fist so she could not take it.

"Only if we have a deal."

"Fine."

Isla took out her tablet and started writing a contract. We soon spent the next fifteen minutes agreeing on the terms of the contract.

"This okay?"

"yup, everything seems good"

Looking at the contents of the contract, I nodded in satisfaction.

Basically in exchange for my Information Isla would provide me with high-rank potions. The potions that she would make included [Stamina recovery potion] [Muscle recovery potion] [Strength enhancement potion] and so on…

Before, the potions I always used were low-level ones, hence why they were cheap.

"Then sign it"

Seeing the smirk that had appeared on my face, Isla's mouth twitched as she urged me to sign the contract. She could hope for nothing more but to wipe the smile off my face.

Tapping on the tablet, a holographic paper appeared before me. Using my finger I swiftly signed the virtual paper.

"…alright hold your end of the deal"

"Okay"

"And one more thing?"

"Now with is it?"

"It's just that I will be investing 200 million C in the Finest Pharmacist, so would you please send the online contract to my phone by this evening?"

Isla's mouth widened as I completed my word.

"Why do you invest that much money in Finest Pharmacist?"

"Are you an idiot? At this moment Finest Pharmacist need money to pay back the loan they took from the bank. Instead of asking me why I'm investing my money, you should say thank you instead."

A vain pop-up on her forehead, she makes a fist with her hand bearly holding herself to not attacking me because of academic rules.

"Besides when this matter is revealed to everyone Finest Pharmacist Stock will be skyrocketed. It's a win-win situation for me anyway. "

"Tch, what did you say your name was?"

"Lucas Darkheart"

"…Lucas Darkheart"

Repeating the name a few times, Isla looked at me dead in the eyes and said

"I will remember your name, now hand over that Pendrive"

"Okay?" I said in a confused tone as I handed her the pen drive.

"Well anyway please send that online contract by this evening." Saying that I left her standing there in her thoughts.