Chapter 20 - Talk (2)

Someone was following him. James was surprised when he realized this.

"Someone is following me."

He spoke in a very low voice. So low that it was barely a murmur. But Fox could hear him clearly.

[Yes. There are four of them, but they don't seem to have malicious intentions.]

He was even more surprised by what Fox said. Why were they watching if their intentions were not malicious?

James thought with a smile:

'Well, there's an easy way to find out."

With that, he turned down one of the alleys. Thanks to his mini map, he could see the roads clearly.

When he entered one of them, he walked for a while and then turned around. When he turned around, he saw men dressed in black.

They looked very ordinary. They looked just like the security guards he had seen before. The only difference seemed to be their hair color. The almost identical clothes they wore seemed to indicate that they belonged to the same organization.

The Eclipse inscription on the left sleeve of their jackets confirmed this. The man at the front took a few steps closer.

"Hello Mr. James, the boss would like to see you. Please come with us."

His tone was respectful but not argumentative. James looked the man over.

After all this time, the Eclipse Restaurant had found this time to come out? He frowned. It wasn't the man he was uncomfortable with, but the Eclipse itself. He looked at the men with him. Apart from the one in front, he could see one on the left and one on the right. There was someone in the back. The street was narrow, so he hadn't crossed to the side.

James sighed. He could easily have dealt with them until the police arrived. But he didn't want to do such unnecessary things. He could already guess what the boss was up to. Maybe their conversation would end better.

"All right, lead the way."

The man in front thanked him respectfully, gave him the way and the four men started to move forward.

Many puzzled looks could be seen as they moved forward. Everyone seemed to be wondering what was going on. James had many thoughts in his mind as they walked, but he remained silent. At this moment Fox spoke:

[Don't worry. You should be much stronger than ordinary people now. Worst case scenario, you'll run away quickly].

James nodded his head in agreement and looked at their destination in amazement. It was a large, three-story restaurant. The LED lights were bright enough to make James' eyes uncomfortable, and a sign large enough for everyone to see said Eclipse.

Averting his gaze, he continued to walk with the men to the entrance door. He was undoubtedly too good, but it wasn't something he cared about.

When they entered, he was greeted by a respectful waiter. His elite attire caught James' eye immediately. The waiter spoke respectfully:

"Welcome. The boss is waiting for you on the top floor."

The men with him nodded their heads in agreement. Then they headed towards the stairs. James followed them. As far as James could see, the inside was much more spacious than the outside.

When he reached the second floor, it was still as spacious. There were candlesticks on some tables. The plates shone like new. After a brief glance, James continued upstairs with the men.

James could observe because the men stopped every now and then. He already understood what they were up to. James deduced that their boss had told them to do this to send a simple message.

"We're better than the restaurant you work in."

Sighing, James made his way up to the last floor. Unlike the other floors, there were not many people here.

Most noticeable on this last floor was a man with a black beard sitting at the center table. He was clearly middle-aged. Contrary to what James had expected, he didn't look like a chubby asshole. On the contrary, he was neat and well dressed. According to James, it was obvious from the air he gave off that he was the boss of the place.

His black beard was long enough for him to stroke. When he saw James coming, he squinted his black eyes as a grin spread across his face. He eyed James carefully.

One of the men next to James spoke respectfully:

"We brought him, boss."

And just like he thought, this man was the boss of the Eclipse restaurant.

The boss nodded his head in agreement and then spoke:

"All right, you go and do your work."

The men nodded their heads in agreement, then turned and headed downstairs.

James glanced at the departing men and then looked at the black bearded man who was the boss of this place.

He looked young with his black hair and beard, but when he looked carefully at his wrinkled face, James thought that his hair and beard was dyed. The color of his hair and beard were in harmony with his black suit.

Of course, all these things were of no importance to James.

This man who was going to be the boss looked at James.

The clothes he wore had a color palette that showed he was a brawler. His purple jacket, in particular, easily gave away the element James was playing. Of course, the purple gauntlet he always wore on his arm backed it up.

Since these were all common traits among brawlers, Eclipse's Boss didn't pay any attention to them. What caught his attention was James' skin color and the strangeness of his eyes.

James's visible complexion was tan. Such a dark complexion was not often seen around here. His eyes were hard to describe. They had a strange light, a vitality, or something else.

After the two looked at each other carefully, the boss spoke:

"Hello Mr. James, we've heard a lot about you, I'm Victor Eclipse. Owner of the Eclipse restaurant."

Victor held out his hand, James hesitated for a moment and then shook it. However, Victor continued his speech:

"First of all, I apologize on behalf of Gray for disturbing you in-"

James interrupted him with a troubled expression.

"That's fine and no. I don't want to join you, your restaurant is fine, but I'm not interested."

Victor's intentions were clear, but he had said it bluntly, not wanting to prolong the conversation unnecessarily. That's what he had come here to say.

Victor was surprised. James had cut him off before he could make his point. But he quickly recovered and spoke with a smile:

"I think you misunderstand. It's not a request."

James frowned. The white sparkles in his eyes danced in his eyes like a burning flame.

"Is that a threat?"

Victor was caught by a feeling he couldn't make sense of. It was as if a wild animal was staring at him. He remembered that the last time he had experienced this kind of fear was when he went to the zoo as a child.

Nevertheless, he quickly dismissed these absurd thoughts and laughed maliciously.

"Of course not. It's a bet. That's exactly why I've summoned you."

James's eyebrows relaxed as he adopted a curious expression.

"What bet?"

Realizing he was intrigued, Victor quickly explained.

"A battle to see whose restaurant is better. If we lose this challenge, I will support you as much as I can and officially accept that you are better than us."

It didn't take long for James' brow to furrow again. It seemed unnecessarily ridiculous and purposeful. He asked softly:

"And if I lose?"

Victor laughed as if he had expected this question.

"You'll start working for us."

It was exactly what James had expected. Who wouldn't want someone capable of turning around a failing restaurant, let alone hiring a rising star?

James glanced at him. Then he approached the table. There was anger in him at Victor's behavior earlier. He knew it was pointless, but he could hardly suppress it.

Victor tensed at the frightening gleam dancing in his eyes, but he didn't flinch.

James put a hand on the table and looked at him. He asked in a voice of suppressed anger:

"What makes you think I would agree to this?"

Victor looked at James, confused by the sudden change in the situation.

"I didn't understand what are you trying to say."

James spoke, his gaze fixed on the man:

"I said: What makes you think I would accept such a claim? Our current income is fine. We can get ahead without needing your stinking support. And we have no need to prove that we are better than you."

Victor was stunned for a moment, but James ignored him and continued:

"But if you have the confidence to do what I ask if I win, then I might agree."

At James' words, Victor turned serious.

"Depends on what you want."

James leaned closer and whispered in his ear.

Victor's expression changed a few times before he finally gritted his teeth and nodded his head in agreement.

"I-It's a bit much... but I'll take it!"

James walked away without saying anything more. He didn't need to say anything more.

But on the way down he felt a pain in his chest. He had to walk with his left hand pressed to his chest.

So James left the Eclipse restaurant to go back to the Moonlight restaurant and started walking with his left hand pressed to his chest. He walked at a fast pace until the flames dancing in his eyes turned into sparks and then into the usual dim particles of light, all the while keeping in touch with Fox.

Fortunately, by the time he reached the restaurant, his discomfort had subsided. He exhaled a sigh of relief.

"I hope this works."

[Don't worry, I'm confident you can win.]

James smiled wryly and then walked into the restaurant. As much as he would have liked it to be, it was never easy and never would be.

When he arrived, almost everyone saw him and welcomed him.

"Welcome, James."

The first voice, of course, belonged to Lucy, who brought the food. Immediately after her, many customers turned to look at him.

"We were just wondering when you were coming. We have so many questions."

"As per the rules, of course."

"When's the new battle?"

James looked around. There were some asking questions, including the last one, and others waiting patiently. Turning towards those who had taken food, he began to speak:

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen. Let's take turns. I will answer your questions as long as they are not personal, but only for those who ordered food. Those who have not ordered food should do so as soon as possible. After all, closing time is near."

With that, a tiring yet fun time began for James.