Ch.290[Chapter 290] City of Disaster

“…asking me to buy shares, what does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. My 14% stake in the branch, how much will you pay for it?”

Sir Dominic fell into quiet contemplation after hearing Mayer’s words.

Why on earth would Mayer suddenly want to sell his shares?

Hadn’t they just been discussing the profits to be made from the amusement park?

If anything, he should be increasing his shares, not selling them.

Unable to fathom the reason, Sir Dominic decided to tackle the question head-on.

“Why on earth are you trying to sell your shares?”

Mayer slightly turned his head at Sir Dominic’s question.

“According to what you said, holding onto shares would be more profitable.”

“It’s simple. I have many enemies.”

Sir Dominic found Mayer’s explanation even more confusing.

What connection could there possibly be between having many enemies and selling shares in an amusement park?

Sir Dominic’s face wrinkled severely.

Politics and economics were truly Sir Dominic’s nemesis.

However, Mayer, who already held Sir Dominic in high regard, interpreted his furrowed brow differently.

“Indeed, you seem to have grasped the general flow with just that statement. Yes. As you know, my enemies are desperate to devour me. And likewise, I’m constantly looking for opportunities to devour them. I probe for chances to send them on ‘vacations’ at the first opportunity. For example… yes, like an amusement park.”

Sir Dominic remained silent after hearing Mayer’s words.

He didn’t understand what Mayer was saying.

For the physically-oriented Sir Dominic, such scheming was far removed from his world.

But Mayer interpreted Sir Dominic’s silence as a sign of understanding and continued speaking.

“But you see, if I send my enemies on vacation to an amusement park, and I have shares in that park, what would happen? Obviously, they would realize I was behind everything. And that would be the most troublesome situation for me. I just want to secretly give them vacations, not give them leverage against me.”

Sir Dominic suddenly recalled the citizens of Tycoon City who fanatically hated vacations.

Didn’t they even commit illegal overtime at the union level because they desperately wanted to avoid vacations?

It sounded strange, but the people of Tycoon City had a pathological aversion to vacations.

Other companies were no different.

Why else would Sir Dominic’s farm be so popular?

It was precisely because it was the fastest and surest place to rest and return to work when given vacation time.

A trip outside the city would take a full day, but at Sir Dominic’s farm, half a day was enough.

For work addicts who considered even travel time precious, Sir Dominic’s farm was both innovation and revolution.

Sir Dominic began to see Mayer in a slightly different light.

Until just now, he had thought of him as “a very greedy suspicious person,” but with just the mention of vacations, his perception shifted to “suspicious but a reformer striving for employee welfare.”

Though he had mentioned enemies, Sir Dominic assumed he was referring to employees at Mayer’s company.

“Well? Will you accept my proposal?”

Sir Dominic stroked his chin thoughtfully at Mayer’s question.

In truth, this proposal wasn’t bad for Sir Dominic.

For someone who was already facing bankruptcy, more shares meant more money invested, which meant potentially greater losses.

Conversely, Mayer could profit from selling his shares and avoid the suspicious eyes of his enemies.

Wasn’t this the definition of a win-win?

With that thought, Sir Dominic nodded.

“Fine. How much do you want for all of them?”

“Ha, I’m glad we understand each other. Instead of money, I’d like something else.”

Mayer realized that Sir Dominic was quite reasonable.

As the owner of a rapidly growing company, he seemed very perceptive.

Originally, Mayer had planned to take money and end his relationship with Sir Dominic, but he changed his mind.

Sir Dominic was not only perceptive but also, having once been a knight, the type of man who would never even think of betrayal once he pledged loyalty.

What if I were to receive that loyalty?

Mayer entertained such a vain thought.

And because of this thought, Mayer made a proposal that would extend their relationship rather than taking money.

“Instead of money, I want to send people I choose to that amusement park for… ‘vacation’ when I want. Treat them extremely well. Perhaps, forever.”

“…Forever is difficult.”

“Yes, of course. Let’s see… Three months. Three months is just the right time to ruin a person. Just do that much for me. Ensure that whoever I send has the ‘best vacation’ possible.”

Sir Dominic had meant that the amusement park would soon fail, but Mayer interpreted it as Sir Dominic playing hard to get in negotiations.

Liking this even more, Mayer became almost determined to recruit Sir Dominic.

“…Alright.”

After briefly considering Mayer’s proposal, Sir Dominic accepted it.

If it became too difficult, he thought he could always have them vacation at GachaWorld in GachaLand.

“Contract established.”

Pleased with the quickly concluded deal, Mayer smiled brightly.

It somehow looked artificial, but this was the brightest smile Mayer could manage.

“Here are my shares and the contract. Once you sign the contract, we’ll make copies—one for you and one for me.”

Mayer handed over the shares and contract to Sir Dominic.

After briefly reading the remarkably concise two-page contract, Sir Dominic signed at the bottom.

Once Mayer also signed, the shares were immediately absorbed into Sir Dominic’s holdings, and the paper burned away without a trace.

“With this, our contract has been successfully joined. I can’t remember the last time I made a contract so easily. I have some time left, so I should go back and review more documents.”

Mayer folded the contract and put it in his pocket as he stood up.

He had just finished the iced americano he was holding.

“I should be going now. Ah, before that, the completion is tomorrow, right? So the opening would be the day after?”

Mayer asked Sir Dominic about the completion and opening of the amusement park.

He thought Sir Dominic would know the progress well, given his direct investment.

Of course, Sir Dominic was well-informed, receiving five text messages a day from Don Castello.

Sir Dominic nodded.

“Will you attend the completion ceremony?”

“Yes.”

Sir Dominic nodded again.

“Then I should attend the completion ceremony. I’ll clear my schedule for tomorrow,” Mayer muttered.

After muttering so quietly that no one could hear, Mayer extended his hand to Sir Dominic.

The handshake was so precise that Sir Dominic unconsciously took his hand.

“Then I’ll see you at the completion ceremony, Sir Dominic.”

With those words, Mayer headed out of the cafe.

Or rather, he tried to.

If not for the sudden unexpected situation, Mayer would have been out the door by now.

[[!]This is a real situation. I repeat. This is a real situation.]

[[!]A hurricane is currently approaching from the northwest.]

[[!]An earthquake of magnitude 8.7 is expected to occur 120m north of Tycoon City Hall-]

[[!]Meteor forecast. Meteors are expected to fall from the sky. The expected landing point is south of Tycoon City-]

[[!]Mecha dinosaur warning! A mecha dinosaur hidden underground in Tycoon City has been released!]

Suddenly appearing system windows.

The system windows warned people about the anomalies occurring now.

However, there were so many anomalies that people were overwhelmed just reading the system messages.

Sir Dominic struggled to maintain his balance on the shaking ground while reading the system messages one by one.

“…What on earth.”

While Sir Dominic was trying to assess the situation, Mayer had ungracefully fallen to the ground and couldn’t properly grasp what was happening.

Unlike GachaLand, Tycoon City was a place where political scheming might run rampant, but physical violence did not.

For Mayer, who had lived in such a place, these sudden natural disasters were terrifying in themselves.

Fortunately, Sir Dominic was accustomed to such incidents.

Incidents and accidents always overflowed wherever he went.

Being the first to regain his composure, Sir Dominic picked up his sword and shield and spoke to Mayer, who was still rolling on the ground.

“It seems an incident has occurred in this city.”

Sir Dominic looked at the world that was suddenly turning upside down.

The ground cracked due to the earthquake, and mecha dinosaurs emerged from the cracks, toppling buildings.

A hurricane and massive tsunami, visible even from the city center, were approaching the city, and burning meteors fell from the reddened sky.

A true apocalypse.

That’s what Sir Dominic thought as he witnessed this spectacle.

The city was experiencing a cataclysm.