Chapter 114: Signing The Contract

"Let's see…" Rana said as she entered through an underground stair to a big office where most of the lights were off at the moments. "You'll need the initial fees to participate, one hundred coins for that and for each match and you'll have at least… three? Right old man?"

"I think they can face up to four," the master said as he wore a pair of glasses that were floating just a few millimeters near his eyes with magic, "they can face four, as I guessed," he said after flipping some papers.

"Many teams participating this time, huh?"

"Many dreamers," the master said while glancing at Jim briefly, "no harm to be such ones."

"Indeed," she turned to Jim as she added, "a lot of wealth as well. Now you need gears and also uniforms for your team… who made you these coats for the academy?"

She suddenly asked and before he could answer her eyes shone brightly as she realized something. "The old Twisex race is back in the game… interesting luck kid," she chuckled in amusement, "so you can ask them to make you the uniforms and that will save you a bunch of coins."

"Hmm," Jim nodded in agreement before she added, "the fine gears you can handle over one year's payment cost around…" she paused while Jim was full of hope right now. "Let's see you pay and register your name first," she laughed as if she enjoyed playing him, "and don't forget to add my fees as well old man."

"Sure," the master turned to the papers where he wrote something there, "so I'll need six hundred academy coins," he said while turning to Jim, "if you want I can take only half as deposit and the rest when you finish, either by winning or losing."

"He should pay all," Rana rejected his kindness, "after all I'm doing him a big favor with the set of gears I'll give to him."

"Six hundred, right?" Jim said before taking out the coins and letting them fall over the counter, "here, you can count them."

"Humph, you weren't fooling me back there then… good for you," Rana said as if she was hoping for the opposite, "now pay me a thousand in advance… or you don't have them?"

"How much will these sets cost?" Jim didn't answer her and just asked a question of his.

"What do you think these gears would cost?" Rana didn't answer directly as she glanced at him like a real tigress eyeing a helpless lamp.

And from behind her giant body Jim saw the master shaking his head in silence, warning him not to fall for such a trap.

"Anything that comes from master is priceless," Jim said with a calm smile, "and I'm pretty sure the legendary player won't let her name be tarnished by useless gears, especially if she was the one to make them."

"Oh… you can keep your cool under my aura," she smirked before adding, "alright smart kid, give me the one thousand coins now and then I'll hand over the gears and sign our agreement."

"Agreement?" Jim wondered.

"Sure, a silly paper that I pledge to give you all to achieve victory," she shrugged.

"It's an important contract and a very essential paper to be recognized at the league," the master corrected, slightly irritated by her own use of words.

"Old man… we both know these are just for show," she turned to say to him before turning to Jim again, "now take out the money or forget about me being your coach."

"Fine by me," Jim took the thousand coins which left another thousand inside his ring or slightly less. "You can count them if you want."

"You bet I will," she slowly took her time before finishing counting the coins in more than half an hour, making Jim speechless at how many times she missed the count and restarted from the beginning.

"It's correct," she finally said, "now give me the contract to sign."

"What's the number I should put in the place of the gear price?" the master didn't give the contract to her to sign as he asked, trying to give Jim a help.

"I'll write it myself," she said before taking the contract from the hands of the master and the pen, wrote down something and then printed a blood drop of hers on it. "Your turn," she handed it to Jim who was instantly shocked by the number she wrote before hurriedly putting his blood over the contract.

And then the contract vanished and turned into a small medallion that fell in the hands of the master. "Keep it safe old man," she said before suddenly pausing, "what's the name of your team?"

"Name?" Jim was still impressed by the number he saw on the contract.

"Of course you won't participate in the league with a team named Jim, right?" she crossed her arms over her chest while gazing over him.

"I… didn't yet choose a name."

"Then select one now."

"I have to ask for my friends' opinion."

"Friends?" she noticed the way he addressed the others while raising an eyebrow as she asked, "aren't they just slaves? You can order and they will instantly obey."

"They are my friends," he said while feeling a little annoyed by her words.

"Interesting," she only said that before vanishing in thin air, "come tomorrow to the class and I'll prepare your gears there."

Her voice echoed in the place like her soul was still in it. "How much did the gears cost?" the master was busy with something else, "was she stingy with you?" he asked, "at least not less than four thousand, right?"

Jim turned to glance at him before saying with a big grin over his face, "she was a very generous master."

"How generous?"

"Very."

"Oh," the master smiled, "and you won't share this info with this old man?"

"Stop teasing with the captain of my team, old man!" suddenly her voice reverberated again in the entire place, startling both of them.

"Sorry, I was just asking," the master hurriedly said while softly muttering, "Damn! You didn't leave yet!"