Max leaned back in his chair, his super phone glowing faintly in his hand. The call connected after a few rings, and Charles's voice came through, loud and slightly panicked as usual.

"Boss! Hey, uh, how's it going? Everything good? You're not calling because I messed up, right? Because I swear, I didn't touch anything this time!"

Max sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Relax, Charles. I'm just checking in. How's business?"

"Oh! Business! Yeah, business is great! Well, not great great, but you know, it's... uh... progressing?. We've made some good progress lately. The B-rank national warehouse should be open to us soon!"

Max raised an eyebrow. "The B-rank national warehouse? That's the government place that sells raw materials to companies, right?"

"Exactly!" Charles said, his voice brimming with pride. "Once we get access, we'll be able to buy all kinds of high-quality materials. It's a big step for Pip Industry!"

Max nodded, a small smile forming on his lips. "Good job, Charles. I knew you could handle it."

Charles beamed on the other end of the line. "Thanks, Boss! But, uh... there's just one tiny problem."

"What kind of problem?" Max asked, his tone casual.

"Well, my dad pointed it out," Charles began, his voice dropping to a whisper as if someone might overhear. "The company's technically a mess. Like, a huge mess. We're making money, but it doesn't make sense because we're not really doing much business. Sooner or later, people are gonna start asking questions about where all this money is coming from."

Max frowned. "Ah, right. I meant to bring that up earlier, but I forgot."

Charles blinked. "You... forgot? Boss, this is kind of a big deal. The money from that bank account, look too suspicious even for me, we're gonna have a lot of problems, if people starts asking questions. "

Max waved a hand dismissively, even though Charles couldn't see it. "Don't worry about it. Just sell drugs."

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There was a long pause on the other end of the line.

"...What?" Charles finally said, his voice cracking.

"Sell drugs," Max repeated, as if it were the most obvious solution in the world. "Illegal ones. You know, the kind that gets you arrested if you're not careful."

Charles sputtered. "Boss, are you serious? I can't sell drugs! I don't even know how to sell drugs! What if I get caught? What if I go to jail? What if... "

"Relax," Max interrupted, his tone calm and slightly amused. "You're not actually going to sell drugs. Just pretend to sell them. Spread some rumors, leave a few fake leads, and make it look like that's where the money's coming from.

The government won't care too much as long as you're not causing any real harm. And if investigators come after you, just make some donations to the city mayor and a few government organizations. That should keep them off your back."

Charles was silent for a moment, processing this. "So... let me get this straight. You want me to pretend to be a drug dealer?"

"Exactly," Max said. "It's the perfect cover. If people think you're making money from illegal drugs, they won't suspect the source of the money, and trust me you don't want them to.

Moreover since you're not actually selling anything, they'll never have solid proof."

Charles groaned. "Boss, this is insane. What if I mess it up? What if someone actually tries to buy drugs from me?"

Max chuckled. "Just tell them you're out of stock. Or better yet, tell them you only sell to 'exclusive clients.' Make it sound fancy."

Charles sighed deeply. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but... okay. I'll pretend to be a drug dealer. But if this blows up in my face, don't blame me! ."

"Fair enough," Max said, grinning. "Just remember, Charles, you're not just any drug dealer. You're a classy drug dealer. Own it."

Charles muttered something under his breath that sounded like, "I'm gonna need a drink after this," before clearing his throat. "Alright, Boss. I'll get started on... whatever this is. But can you at least give me some tips on how to act like a drug dealer?"

Max thought for a moment. "Wear sunglasses indoors. Talk in code. And never, ever admit to anything. You'll be fine."

Charles groaned again. "This is the worst plan ever."

"It's a brilliant plan," Max countered. "And it'll work. Trust me."

"Sigh," Charles grumbled. "I'll let you know how it goes. But if I end up in jail, you're bailing me out."

"Deal," Max said, laughing. "Good luck, Charles."

The call ended, and Max set his phone down.

"It's a simple task, and if he couldn't handle this much, he is better off silenced."

....

Max leaned back in his chair, his mind already moving on to the next task. The crows were still playing outside, and Lucy was deep inside the mountain, probably experimenting with Kraxtal weaving.

He glanced at his super phone, the screen still glowing faintly.

"it's about time to deal with those guys."...

Max glanced at Easand-city in the Horizon.

"Ai, I need all info on that city, the mountain in it's central, and the Atyai family that operates within the city."