After Alex and his group returned from the kingdom, Emily was totally shocked by what she had seen. These guys sold cheap plastic stuff for kilograms of gold.

They were in the nightclub, and Emily’s mother was there, waiting for their return. After receiving that high quantity of gold, they would have to sell it, and this time, Harper would do it alone.

After agreeing with that, Harper called the Gold Digger. From the last time they sold gold for him, they now had a direct line, which would be much faster than previously.

"Hello, Dragon’s Hair, how are you?”

“I am a fine gold digger." I’ve called you today to offer you a deal, one you can’t refuse.”

“You’ve caught my attention.”

“I got 15 kilograms of pure gold with me. I can sell you that for 1 million dollars; are you interested?”

“Hmm. The deal is surely good. I’m willing to accept it. When are we going to meet?”

“I’m already in Las Vegas; let’s meet today.”

“Yes. Be ready in 1 hour.”

After that, Harper finished the calling, and he opened a portal to an alley, this time one that wasn’t too close to the casino. If he used only that one, it would raise suspicions.

He then walked into the city. The view was always beautiful. Las Vegas was a good city, full of life. As Harper walked the city, he could see why it was so special. After 30 minutes of walking, he finally made it into the casino. He surely had trouble doing it now, because unlike before, now he had 15 kilograms of pure gold in his backpack, so when he was walking with that, it was becoming tiring.

Harper then called the receptionist. As he had already scheduled his visit, she led the way into the meeting room.

There, Harper had to wait a few minutes before the Gold Digger came. As he walked in that hot city for almost 30 minutes, carrying 15 kilograms of gold within him, he was sweaty, and the cold temperature of the room was surely something good now.

After some time waiting for him, the gold digger finally came.

“Sorry for making you wait, Mr. Dragon’s Hair.”

“No problem. Then, let’s go straight into business, Gold Digger.”

Harper said. He was confident; the Gold Digger could see that, and it was something good for him. If he had all that confidence, it meant that his product was something good, not some mixed gold you can find everywhere.

“Here, I have 15 kilograms of pure gold. I can offer you 1 million dollars for that, as previously dealt.”

“I then accept it.”

The Gold Digger picked Harper’s backpack. He checked the gold, and it was fine.

“The gold is fine. As promised, I’ll pay you 1 million dollars. But instead of you winning a giveaway, you will have to spend that money. If you win two giveaways in less than a month, it will raise suspicions. I guess that you understand that, right?”

“It can’t be helped then.”

As Harper said, the Gold Digger’s employee gave Harper a suitcase full of money.

Harper then opened it to check. Everything was right; there were 100 blocks of cash, 10,000 dollars each.

Harper took five of these blocks, and then he said

“Gold Digger, we will open our nightclub in 2 weeks from now on. I would like to buy some advertising from you. I can offer 50 thousand dollars; do we have a deal?”

“Hmm…”

The Gold Digger thought for a while, and then he said

“Deal. I have some contacts I can call. But they are not simple men you can find everywhere; instead, they are some refined men, so your nightclub needs to be on par with their level; can you do it?”

“My friend… I can promise you that our nightclub is one of the best in the entire world.”

“Hohoho, I like it, even though I doubt you can keep that promise.”

“Don’t worry. You will be surprised when you see our nightclub.”

Harper said it. He was extremely confident in his affirmations. I guess that the time he spent in clubs when he was younger really came into play now.

As both of them agreed with the deals, they went in different directions. Harper then left the meeting room, and he was in the main room.

That place was surely something else. Initially, he didn’t understand why Alex said that the nightclub needed oxygen rates higher than normal in the absence of external light. But seeing this casino, he can tell why.

The high rate of oxygen makes the people there more energetic and active; as a nightclub, more people dancing would surely make it better. There was also the fact that this casino was spacious, so people wouldn’t feel claustrophobic. When you look at these things separately, they don’t make much sense, but after looking at them together, they surely make the whole atmosphere here unique.

Alex was right after all. He hadn’t any doubt about it, but now he understands why. All the elements that Alex proposed poured together would make the nightclub’s atmosphere really something else entirely.

The high oxygen rates would make people dance more and be less tired. The holograms and the lasers would control the rhythm of the place; the fire effects and smoke generators would animate the people there; and the air conditioning would control the entire atmosphere of the place. When the music slows down, the temperature also cools down, but when the music starts to be more active, the temperature rises and the atmosphere becomes hotter, making the people feel more animated and actually controlling the crowd.

After thinking about these things for a while, Harper left the casino and walked for 15 minutes until he spotted an alley, which he entered, and from there, he opened the portal and finally went to the nightclub.

“I’m back.”

Harper said. Michael had come home now, so there were only Alex, Comoron, and Emily there.

“How were the negotiations? Let me guess, everything went well as always.”

“You’re right, Alex. Everything went so well that I even bought some advertising for us.”

Harper said. Alex was surprised; his friend not only made the whole negotiation a success, but he even used a part of the money to buy advertising, which was exactly what they would do with the money.

Harper and Alex started to talk about the casino; they were pretty excited about that, so Emily and Comoron were left unnoticed at all.

The atmosphere around them was pretty awkward. Guess that after their first encounter, they hadn’t much time to talk about it. There were a few seconds of silence that felt like hours before Comoron finally broke the silence.

“Hey, Emily… I would like to apologize for grabbing your hood that day.”

“Don’t worry about that, Comoron; it was me who was eavesdropping on you guys, so you did what you had to do, no resentments.”

“Yes, but even though I could’ve done it differently...”

“Then, I guess that I accept your apology.”

After Emily said that, there were a few more seconds of awkward silence. Emily was the first one to break the silence.

“Hey, are you from that place where we sold that stuff in exchange for gold?”

“Yes, I am, or I was.”

Comoron felt a little sorrow; Emily could see that, so she said

“Guess that I stepped on something bad; sorry for that.”

“No, you don’t have to. The thing is, I was a noble from there, but I was stripped of my title and lost my name there. But happily, I knew Alex at that time, and he gave me a new coat of arms far superior to my previous.”

“Oh, really?”

Emily was interested in the story. As she was from the slums, hearing someone speak about nobility and medieval kingdoms made her heart race.

“So, what are your plans for the future, Comoron?"

“I plan to continue working with Alex. He gave me a new purpose, so I will embrace that and work harder.”

“That’s a nice plan, but it’s somehow plain. What I meant was: What are your personal plans for the future? What would you like to do from now on, despite being a member of Alex’s squad?”

“Oh… I think that I really want to establish a family. I wanted it since I was a kid, but at that time I couldn’t do it because of my nobility. Now I can think about a wedding."

“A family, uh? I guess that I want the same. But I was from the slums, so I couldn’t think about romance back then, but now, I guess that I can fulfill that dream.”

Emily said. Both she and Comoron had mutual interests as well as completely distinct thoughts in some areas. They both talked for more than 30 minutes. They talked about technology vs. magic, what the similarities were between them, the differences, and how they could hybridize them into one thing. They had a very fruitful chat.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

Emily’s mother, who was cleaning the room that she and Emily would sleep in, looked at these two with a wry smile before continuing her work. I guess that this woman really knows that something’s going to happen.

Harper and Alex were talking about the nightclub, how they would make the preparations, what they needed to do, everything.

They had to create more furniture and prepare the rooms as well; they also had to hire a DJ and the employees for the nightclub, and the list goes on. They had two weeks before opening, as Harper promised the Gold Digger.

Alex also suggested that Emily and her mother lived in that place. There were two spare rooms, so if she and her mother slept in one and Comoron in another, it could work well.

After Emily and her mother went to the room, what they saw wasn’t exactly a good view. The walls were towed, the paint was spotted, and there were also some cracks in the wall. Even the bed was falling apart, as the base was already old. They had to make the place livable. Emily even joked about it with her mother, as they spent the whole day fixing that room.

As they were preparing the stuff, a week had already passed, and they were now almost ready. Michael hired some general staff to do the cleaning and serve as waiters; Harper also hired the bar staff and the people responsible for doing the drinks and the food. As for Alex, he changed his spatial storage to accommodate an entire farm, where he could cultivate more of that special sheep whose fur can be used to make sofas and other things.

He used that fur to make some furniture for Comoron, Emily, and her mother. They now had a good bed, a comfortable cover, and a pillow that made both Comoron and Emily feel like they were sleeping in the clouds.

As for these two, they both bought smartphones. They were amazed by the device, but for different reasons. Comoron loved the fact that he could search for scientific articles, books, and natural laws. It was an amazing technology he could never dream of. As for Emily, she was amazed not by the technology itself, because it was similar to computers in the Reich, but instead by the fact that everyone could put a hand in one of these. If her homeland had these devices, they could overthrow that dictatorial regime easily.

Emily was fascinated by Earth’s culture. The music, the art, the fact that everyone could create their own art, be it good or bad, It was far better than the plain Reich’s culture, which only cared for standards and not boldness like here. She tried the music and ended up completely in love. She liked it so much that she even changed the DJ equipment she had created, including more things and trying her own remixes and music. She was so excited that she turned on all the equipment in the nightclub, making her sound reverberate all over the place, disturbing the group’s work, because everyone started to dance to her music.

No one was upset at her because they actually enjoyed the experience. It was a good break from the hard work. She was relieved; she let her emotions take the best of her instead of her rational thoughts.

As Comoron, he started to develop new spells using the natural laws discovered by scientists on Earth. Converting the mana itself into a physical event and purely using it was far more efficient than just using that mana to trigger the event. The mana usage had dropped by 60%, and according to his own calculations, it would reach 80% if he continued on his path.

As everyone worked really hard to build that place, another week passed, and as soon as they realized it, it was already the opening day.

Alex and Comoron made the VIP area that week. They used the special fur to create the chairs and a special wood from the demonic forest to make the tables. That wood had some colorful veins that gave it a really unique texture. Of course, Alex grabbed some saplings from that tree, and he is already planting them in his spatial storage. After some time, he discovered that he could manipulate the time flow inside his storage, so that place is surely becoming something entirely different!

Comoron and Alex broke an energy crystal into pieces until it turned into powder, which they mixed in the paint to give it a sparkling light effect. It was really beautiful; the wall had its own light, almost alien. That surely came into play when they made that nightclub theme a psychedelic house.

Alex then reviewed their plan.

“Ok guys, let’s review everyone’s role here. Harper, you are the bar manager. Everything related to drinks falls into your hands. Are you ready?”

“Yes, I am.”

Harper said it. He was surely nervous.

“Good answer. Now, Michael. You manage the general staff, including cleaners, waiters, and security. Everything related to that area also falls into your hands. Are you ready?”

“I was born ready, lol.”

“Funny as always, uh... Well, I am actually glad we have your confidence in us. Now, Emily, you will be our DJ. You control the music. As for your mother, I guess that you’ve taught her how to handle the atmosphere manipulator device and its effects, right? Well, are you two ready?”

“Yes sir.”

Emily was the most nervous in the group. Alex could feel her anxiety through their coat of arms connection, so he said some words to elevate her moral

“You are one of us; you don’t have to be formal. Anyways, I know you can; go there and do what you did six days ago!”

Alex said it with a wry smile on his face. He was referring to the time Emily let her emotions get the best of her and made the entire work force start to dance. She was flushed, but it surely had a moral effect on her.

“Alright. As for me and Comoron, we will be directly managing the VIPs. Unlike ordinary folks, these guys like to ask lots of questions, so we will be there to answer them all.”

Alex said. These guys weren’t just some rich, spoiled kids; they had a really diverse list of future contacts they could make that would help them in the future. They couldn’t fail. Alex surely was nervous, but he didn’t show that; he had to keep his cool for the sake of the group.

As they were doing their final preparations, Harper looked outside and saw a huge crowd out there. They weren’t expecting that many people, and they would only open in two hours!

“Alex, what do we do? There is a huge crowd outside.”

Harper said he was desperate.

“Calm down! For normal people, we can make them wait. But we can’t waste the VIPs time. They will have to enter sooner than expected.”

Alex said. There were some VIPs that had already paid for their place and were some really important people. Celebrities, people from the black market, famous activists, high-ranking CEOs—there were even some politicians or their families out there.

Alex and his group couldn’t let these people wait, so they would enter first.

“EMPLOYEES, WE ARE RECEIVING THE VIPS FIRST! IGNORE THE REST FOR NOW AND FOCUS IN THE VIP AREA!”

Alex shouted really loudly; everyone could hear, and they were fast to do so. As the group made the VIPs enter there first, the employees had already finished that area, and everything was ready for work.

As the VIPs were entering their area, a lot of celebrities started to record the place and post it on their social media, which made even more people join the crowd outside. As for the other people, they were talking about how refined the place was; the wood had some veins, but they could tell it was natural. They couldn’t tell which wood it was, though.

After 10 minutes, you could already hear the people talking about the place all together. Emily was playing some calm music, but with a tone of expectation. The place's atmosphere was getting hotter, so they knew something was coming.

The influencer media had already made the crowd double its size in 1 and a half hours. They would open the place early, and the people outside were starting to feel tired and less hyped.

As they announced that they would open the doors, everyone got their hype back, and they were already jumping in excitement.

When the doors finally opened, the music changed. Instead of the calm melody that was being played until this moment, now there was some gradual increase in the speed of the rhythm, people started to anticipate, and finally, the main part of the music came. A frenetic rhythm started to play, and the DJ shouted

“LASS UNS LÄRM MACHEN!”

It was in German. Emily thought that this language was pretty similar to her own, so she learned some words in it. She also heard that the capital of the country that speaks it is actually a huge electronic music center.

As the room atmosphere became more agitated, the oxygen rate increased, and people started to dance the frenetic rhythm with ease. The holograms started to show; people were amazed by them, but they couldn’t even care because there were tons of lasers and lights emanating from the DJ spot and making everyone dance. Fire effects, smoke generators, and the holograms simulating fireworks made everyone even more frenetic.

The VIPs started to enjoy the place as well. They talked about the potential this place had. How could the owners create such an incredible place in less than two months?

One of the VIPs saw Alex and Comoron talking to each other, so he took the opportunity to call them. As he called Alex and Comoron, he started to talk.

“Amazing place you have here. Where did you find that holographic device?”

The VIP asked. He was a man in his 40s. He wore a suit and was probably a businessman.

“Actually, we changed a device we found. It was originally a multi-directional laser. But we adapted it, and now it can produce holograms. I don’t know much about the details; it was a friend of ours who made it.”

Alex said.

“Oh, serious? I guess that I can’t get my hands on one of these for now.

The VIP’s face became a little down as he said that, but he quickly got himself up and continued.

“Actually, I work with technology, and after I saw that device, I really thought I could make something with it... By the way, my name is Richard White.”

The VIP said.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. White. You can also call me Alex Argent. I can’t tell you about the details of the holographic device yet, but I have some items that should catch your attention. We can talk about that later.”

Alex said, and then he gave Mr. White his number.

“I can see a future where we work together and become richer. I am glad to meet you, Mr. Argent.”

They both left. Alex was surely happy with this contact. Comoron, who was seeing him, could tell that this contact would surely be fruitful in the near future.

Another VIP also caught Alex’s attention; it was John Armstrong, the man who sells the best guns in Texas. Apparently, he was doing some business in LA and decided to go to a party after he concluded a multi-millionaire deal. That guy being here only meant that they could put their hands in some really high caliber soon...

"Hello, Mr. Armstrong. I couldn’t not see you here. How's the party?”

Alex said. He had approached that man and talked to him. Alex wasn’t sure about the ideal approach, but it had to work.

“Oh, someone who knows me, uh?”

John Armstrong said.

“I am a huge fan of your services, Mr. Armstrong. And I saw you here, in my nightclub, so I had to come here and say hello.”

Alex said

“Oh, somebody here that actually has culture, uh? I thought you Californians were just a bunch of weak disarmament; guess that there are exceptions.

John Armstrong said. He had a very strong Texan accent; you could tell by merely hearing it.

"Actually, sir, I served in the army as part of the mercenaries. I fought before the army officially entered the war, preparing terrain for their invasion in the Middle East.”

Alex said

“Oh, I thank you for your services then. I guess that you’ve caught my attention.”

Armstrong said.

“Thank you very much, sir. Actually, I am interested in reopening my mercenary group, so I need to buy some guns soon. As for the money, as you can see, I can do it just fine.”

Alex said.

“Oh, I like that idea. Then, let’s exchange contacts. As soon as you want to buy some guns, call me. I’ll give you a special order.”

Armstrong said

“I really appreciate it.”

Alex said. As he said, both of them exchanged contacts.

Comoron, who stood there all the time, could only see how amazing Alex was. In one day, he already had two contacts.

As the night passed, Alex and Comoron made more and more contacts and talked until the night came to an end and the nightclub closed.

They surely had a hard day. There were many more people than initially thought; the VIP area almost got full, and there was even a waiting queue outside to enter the place. They would never guess that their first day would be this successful.

But the most significant surprise had yet to come.

“Okay guys, guess that the day is over now. Good job everyone!”

Alex shouted. All the employees had worked really hard today, and it was worth it! The waiters earned tons of tips that would cover their entire week, and the bartenders also received tons of tips. The cleaners worked really hard, and because they changed places with the waiters, they also earned tons of tips.

Everything went perfectly. Far better than expected, and Alex could tell it. As everyone finished their work, Alex said

“Ok, now that everything is done, you folks can go home. Until tomorrow!’

Alex said to the employees: They surely worked hard, so they left the place as soon as they finished their work.

Alex, Harper, Michael, Comoron, and Emily were looking at the most important part of the day: the money. They opened their accounts, and Alex doubted if they could include laundered money there because the number they saw was astonishing. They’ve earned 200 thousand dollars today, and after removing the costs, the profit was 160 thousand dollars. They were really without words.

After some seconds to assimilate that number, Alex would divide the number equally between each one of them, and everyone received 32 thousand dollars. Alex left the place speechless. Comoron still didn’t understand completely the money here, but he could tell it was a lot. Even though they made 1.75 million dollars selling gold, that money wasn’t legal, but today, they’ve earned it 100% legit.

Now, it was time to start thinking about their future. Now that they’ve already established their laundry machine for the eventual money that they got, what would they do next?

Alex couldn’t help but feel anxious about the future.