As much as I wanted to explore this district for a little longer, I decided it would be a better idea for us to go straight back to Linc and report our win.

I knew that Midori was even trying to get me to stay longer since she was pointing out a few stores we passed by and asking if I would like to try them out.

Seeing that she was completely silent when we first came here but she wasn't now was a very big sign.

Ries had a cloth tied over her nose this time to prevent the aphrodisiac gas from affecting her as we returned to the tower.

But well… The thing was that she remembered what she did while under its influence and she was quite embarrassed about it, making her keep her distance from me while hiding her face the entire time.

I did tell her I didn't mind it but she was still embarrassed by her actions.

She looked really cute so I decided to just leave her like that and maybe convince her that it was really ok later on.

Aside from that, the trip back to the Battle Royale tower was relatively uneventful and we got escorted to the elevator that took us directly up to the room that we first met Linc in.

I was expecting Linc to be gloating or something when I came back with the expectation that I would lose, but he was clapping his hands while laughing merrily the moment I entered.

"Hahahaha! I knew it! See?! I told you they would win, Midori!" He laughed.

Midori actually let out a sigh, "Of course…"

Huh… Something tells me that these two made a bet with each other on whether I would win or not. I'm surprised that he bet on us though.

She then walked over to his side and stood there as if she was returning to her owner.

Meanwhile, Linc gestured to the couches that materialised in front of him, "Come, come! Not only are you the champion of my Battle Royale, you also won my bet! This is the best! Definitely way better than the others who would lose quickly!"

Amber wasn't looking too happy with him though and she gave him a look as we sat on the couches in front of him.

"If you set your participants up to fail, how can you be surprised that they fail?"

The guy chuckled, "Oh, I'm not surprised if they fail because of that. That's why it's more surprising and interesting when people actually win! Why would I want to watch a team take on a challenge where they wouldn't even be challenged?"

"That's not fair, is it?" I pointed out.

He grinned at me, "Since when has things always been fair? It's only when things are stacked against you and you overcome it despite the challenge will it be interesting right? Ahahaha!"

"But if they are put into a challenge where they are unable to win, isn't that also something that wouldn't be interesting to watch?"

"Ahahaha! Look at that, Midori! She's still talking about fair challenges after winning a challenge! Isn't that cute?"

"Of course."

He's still doing that with her huh…

Linc turned back to smile at me, "That's what makes things worth betting on, Miss Tera~ Don't you think so? If you go into a game where the odds are always in your favour, you wouldn't feel much joy even if you win right?"

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I would argue that it definitely feels a lot better than just losing instead but I decided to keep my mouth shut instead.

I have a feeling if I were to say anything, it might draw me into another betting match and I just want to leave this place right now…

That's why I simply nodded my head at his question.

He chuckled, "Ah! It's so rare to have someone agree with me! Although I guess whenever I ask that question, the people who disagree with me are those that have just lost their bets with me. Go figure~"

Well no shit… Obviously those who lost are going to complain about their circumstance because they lost. Then the people who win like us would look hypocritical if we were to say the same thing as well…

He leaned forward in his seat, "So you girls are another forty million richer! Wanna make another bet?"

I raised my hand, "I'm sorry but that's enough for us…"

His eyes shone with an odd glint, "Really now? That means you intend to use that money to buy something right? What is it, might I ask?"

I hesitated and looked at my companions.

Amber gave me a shrug, showing that she didn't care if we told him. Lea's face was scrunched up to show her dislike at the idea but she wasn't against it either. And finally, Ries was still covering her face in embarrassment.

So cute.

Ahem…

I turned back to Linc, "We're looking to buy a new ship for us to expand our Mercenary activities."

"Oh, that's interesting…" He mused, holding out his hand towards Minori to prompt her to hand him a personal terminal to look at. "My, that's some impressive ships you have there. A Verlandi of all things too. Since there's four of you, you must be looking to get a ship with a big enough hangar space for both of them while also small enough to be maintained by a crew of four right? Any specific ships you have in mind?"

I'm not even surprised he guessed all that.

I shrugged, "We were looking to purchase a C Class Combat Freighter Broadsword."

He clapped his hands together, "Ohhh~ That's certainly a good choice! Nice, nice~ Hmm… If I'm not wrong, the current market price for one is at around a hundred and twenty million Credits, right? You guys already made more than that amount from doing the courier work and the bets you made. That means you're going to buy the ship now eh?"

He was right of course. We have about just under two hundred million Credits in total so we definitely have enough to not only buy the ship but also fully outfit it with whatever we want.

I'm actually quite looking forward to it, not gonna lie.

When I nodded at him, his face lit up with a wide smile.

"Haha! This is great then! Can I assume that you would be starting a Mercenary company then?"

I raised an eyebrow at his question before turning to Amber.

She immediately answered when I turned to her, "It's basically an official group of Mercs that is registered with the Guild. Instead of operating as individuals, the entire company will be treated as a single entity. There are some quests that are only open for Mercenary companies to undertake and we get more bargaining power and benefits from the Guild as a company than we would as just an unofficial group. The Reapers we saw with the Pirate Lord is one such Company."

"Huh… Why is that?"

"For a group of Mercs to form a company, a minimum level of skill and prestige is required. So clients would already know that the group has status and power to back them up. Not to mention the fact that as a company, you would also gain influence because you can get patrons."

At the last part she looked distinctly in Linc's direction and I quickly realised why the conversation was being steered in that direction.

As if reading my mind, Linc grinned at me, "That's right~ I'm interested in becoming your patron, Miss Tera~ What do you say? As a sign up bonus, I'm even willing to give you a blank cheque on buying your new ship and outfitting it."

I paused and looked at him in surprise.

"What… What would having you as a patron entail?"

He grinned, "Oh nothing much, really~ Just that you would get my support being under me and anyone who messes with you would also mess with me~"

Amber then butted in, "It would also mean that we have to do whatever he tells us to do and even if we're on the other side of civilised space, we would need to come running back here if he were to call for us."

Ok… That doesn't sound very good… I mean… I could see this as a choice for people who couldn't afford the ship but they had skills which would incentivise them to seek out a patron for such things. But for our case where we could actually afford stuff with our own money, we don't really need one.

Sure, we might get the benefit of being somewhat protected with his name and status but… Honestly speaking, I don't really even know who this guy is and what kind of weight he has to his name.

Also, with how much security this guy has, it kind of tells me that he probably has a lot of enemies that might be looking to kill him and I don't really want to get involved in that.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry, but I will have to decline your offer of being our patron."

He looked disappointed but didn't seem that surprised.

"Ah that's a shame~ Well then, in that case, let's add each other as contacts! If I have some work for you in the future, I'll give you girls a call, how about that? Feel free to take it or leave it, no pressure!"

I guess that's acceptable…

Now I guess we should go buy our new ship~