Chapter 71: The Sponsor

After trading thumbprints on the Contacts page with the contractor, Hugh sent Shara home—to the disappointment of the crowd fawning over her.

"Back to work, everyone," Eric called out. "I know she was cute, but you can get one of your own."

"Easiest Legendary pegasus to get is from Magical Girl Gacha Garden," Hugh offered. "It's a mobile game, so it should take less than a day. Just don't waste your money on lottery pulls and run through the adventure mode. The Legendary pegasus was a reward put on an early stage to entice people to keep playing. It won't be a mount, but if you're linked to GameNet, you can transfer her to the Cometic Pet Vault and get her from there. She should be about the same size Shara was, but she won't be black. She's solid white with purple and pink streaks in her hair. Oh, and she has a gold unicorn horn for those of you who like that kind of thing."

The muscled crew of construction workers immediately started teasing each other, asking who was going to get themselves a magical pink pegasus. The biggest one of them all made everyone laugh by proudly admitting he would as soon as he could find a phone to download the application, which made the women workers around him grin and bump his fists.

"What is it about you?" Frankie asked, walking up to him as the crowd dispersed back to their jobs. "I've been busting my ass to get these fellas to like me and you do it before you even get through the door."

Hugh grinned at him and replied, "What can I say? Guy like seeing cool stuff and I have a lot of it."

"Including a new wardrobe, I see," he said, leering appreciatively.

He flushed at the compliment and nodded his head toward Frankie's new purple button-down shirt, which he wore under his Meister Maybe black lab coat. "You look nice, too. I guess we both had the same idea to dress up for the Director?"

Hugh expected the Doctor to blush, but he didn't. He actually looked down at his shirt and paled. "Oh, this? It's um..."

"Hugh!" a voice cried out in joy, interrupting Frankie before he could explain who, exactly, he'd actually dressed up for since it obviously hadn't been for Hugh or the Director. They turned in unison as the Director himself quickly scuttled through the busy lobby, spryly dodging workmen to join them out into the mall thoroughfare.

Director Laos wasn't a large man and his hair had gone completely gray, but it didn't seem to matter. His personality was a force to be reckoned with. He was the type of man who let you know if he liked you—or if he didn't—with only a look. Hugh could understand why he was a leader in the Medical group and why he boldly joined the second wave of people to enter Thrive.

They spent several minutes shaking hands and running through a round of introductions. Eric immediately pleaded the need to get back to work and fled when his father shot him a questioning expression, silently demanding to know what he was doing.

In contrast, the look he turned on Hugh was one of relaxed pleasure, like they were old friends. "I apologize for not having anywhere for us to sit and talk, but we've been going ninety miles an hour since we arrived and the clinic's interior is a mess. I'm afraid we'd be in the way if we tried to go in."

"Understandable," Hugh replied, folding his hands in front of him. "I'm sure you have a lot to do. I just wanted to come say hello like I promised and let you know I'm taking steps to prepare myself for the World Raids. I've already secured reliable transportation and a tutor in swordsmanship. I plan to focus on securing equipment today to bring my stats up and, hopefully, increase my Book's carrying capacity. If all goes well, I'll be making my first foray into the moonscape outside Nexus on Monday or Tuesday."

"Moonscape?" the Director asked breathlessly. "I believe someone mentioned the moon was beyond the walls, but have you seen it yet?"

"Unfortunately, no. I haven't made time. It's something I plan to correct very soon, although I suppose I should warn you I'm not expecting to find anything out there. Dex and I are both fairly certain the moon was chosen as the first World Raid to keep people from worrying about whether they're missing anything while they're settling in. If I do happen to find something, you'll be the first to know."

The Director tensed rather than relaxed. "Isn't it a vacuum out there? How do you intend to explore it without a space suit? If you need one—"

"I have it handled," Hugh promised soothingly, although he filed away the offer for future reference. If the Director thought he could get his hands on a space suit scan from the real world, then what else could he possibly get? "I have space shuttles, a frigate, and several fighters in my Mount Vault from when the gaming industry went through a science fiction phase a few years ago," Hugh explained. "At least one of them will be equipped with an EVA suit."

The Director shoved his hands into his lab coat and nodded, his tension evaporating. "It sounds as if you have everything in hand. I won't question your abilities any further. I do, however, have several things to give you. Let's see if I can remember how to do this. Wand."

He pulled his hands out of his pockets just in time to catch the slender starter wand when it appeared midair and started to drop. He carefully pointed the tip at his open palm and said, "Hugh's Cards." A small box of business cards appeared in his palm. "I took the liberty of having these made for you, in case you run into any issues in the future."

He pulled one out and handed it over, letting Hugh read the black bold lettering printed on a glossy honey yellow background with hexagonal honeycombs decorating the edges.

EXP Honey

Explorer and Procurer

Sponsor: VB5I Medical Group

On the back, his personal Net address was listed, as well as the contact information for his Public Affairs Manager, Jackson Scott. "I have a manager?"

"It's the same one listed in the email I wrote on your behalf to the media," Frankie quietly explained as if he were afraid to interrupt. "Jackson can handle any media inquires you receive moving forward and oversee your public image. If you run into trouble, he'll usually be able to get you out of it. He's a very good resource to have."

"Do I have to pay him?" Hugh asked, still bewildered by the thought of having an actual manager managing stuff for him.

The Director laughed as he handed the box over. "Don't fret. Jackson is contracted with VB5I, so his services are already covered. He'll actually be happy to have someone like you to support. I'm afraid our Medical Group doesn't attract a lot of daring young men. I think the hardest thing he's had to face in years is a DUI from one of the interns. He could use a challenge. But back to business. I have two more things for you. The first—" He tilted his wand at his palm again. "Hugh's bag of Zettabits."

Although he summoned a bag of Zettabits, a single clunky hexagonal coin appeared in his grasp, which he immediately handed over as he explained, "As per your email, Jackson negotiated the sale of several video clips of our teleconference he felt were suitable for public consumption. We would have directly deposited the profits into your account, but I wanted to give it to you personally and assure you the entire amount is there. Several members of the Board wished to take a cut, but we never have and never will demand members of our Group to forfeit percentages of the money they make as guest speakers at conferences. So why would we demand it from you?"

Hugh flipped the coin over in his hands, inspecting the Zettabit's imitation physical form. On one side of the coin, the World Council logo was prominently displayed. On the other, the value was listed down to the fourth decimal point.

"Uh, Director?" Hugh murmured, staring at the number in awe. "Are you sure this is the right coin? I think there's too many zeroes on the wrong side of the decimal."

The Director smiled, deepening the handful of wrinkles on his face. "I promise it's correct. The media pays a premium for three things—celebrity baby photos, celebrities in compromising positions, and celebrity voice clips on hot button topics. At the moment, you are very much a celebrity and Thrive is a very hot topic. Jackson asked for a top dollar on your behalf and he received it."

"If you say so, but I don't feel like a celebrity," Hugh said as he stored the Zettabit in his inventory, then moved it over to his Book's wallet for safe keeping. "Business cards and an extra paycheck—I have to say I'm eager to see what else you have for me."