NOVEL NEXT Chapter 348: Greed’s Offer
Lux smiled, soft and cruel. "Don't look at me like I'm stealing from you. I'm saving you. You keep forty-nine percent. And if you play your cards right, you'll be wealthier than you ever dreamed. But the steering wheel? That's mine."
Elias's voice cracked. "And if I say no?"
Lux's gaze sharpened. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to. "Then you can explain to Thomas and his collectors why you missed your next payment. Explain to your team why their paychecks bounce. Explain to your creditors why you're shutting down."
He paused, let the silence cut deep. "And then you can explain to yourself why you watched your dream collapse instead of letting it grow."
Elias's lips parted, but no sound came. His shoulders slumped, the fight draining out of him. "You're… ruthless."
Lux grinned, slow and predatory. "I'm efficient."
The room felt smaller, tighter. The hum of computers, the faint clicking of keyboards—all of it seemed to echo against Elias's pulse. He dragged a hand down his face, muttering a curse under his breath. Finally, he whispered, "Fine. Fifty-one."
Lux's smirk softened into something almost warm. Almost. He tapped the desk twice, decisive. "Good boy."
He leaned back in his chair, casual again, stretching like a man who'd already won. "Now. The fine print."
Elias blinked. "Fine print?"
"Clauses," Lux said smoothly. "Revenue split—fair, of course. I'll shoulder the debt, consolidate it into clean capital, give you a runway. In exchange, fifty-one percent stake and veto power over expansions, partnerships, marketing campaigns, and distribution platforms. I want reporting structures tight. No leaky books. Every cent accounted for."
Elias's head spun. "That sounds… like you've done this a hundred times."
Lux smirked. "Try a thousand."
He reached into his inner jacket pocket, pulling out a sleek black fountain pen, the nib gleaming like obsidian. He rolled it between his fingers, watching the reflection dance.
It wasn't just a pen. It was the Infernal Ledgerbane, forged in the vaults of Greed and dipped in Lust's own ink. A tool of elegance and damnation, carried only by those who dealt in more than money—those who dealt in truths.
[Item: Infernal Ledgerbane – The Contract Pen]
[Grade: Relic (Bound to Lux Vaelthorn)]
[Description: A black-gold fountain pen, forged with infernal alloy and tipped with obsidian nib. When ink flows, it carries binding authority recognized across mortal and infernal realms.]
[Effects:
Pact Binding: Any contract signed with this pen binds both parties to its clauses, enforced by realm-neutral law.
Mutuality Rule: The contract cannot be broken unless all signatories agree to void it, or until the exact terms of dissolution within the contract are fulfilled.]
[Restriction: Cannot forge false contracts. The wording must be agreed and written clearly. Greed takes lies personally.]
[Status: Active – Awaiting Signatures]
Lux twirled it once, the black-gold body catching the light, and set it down on the desk with deliberate calm.
His smirk lingered. "This isn't just a pen, Elias. This is commitment. And once you sign, there's no pretending it was just talk. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry. It's just business. I'm not here to choke you. I'm here to guide you." His smile sharpened again. "Like a leash. Soft velvet. But still a leash."
Elias's skin prickled. He wanted to recoil, but the words burrowed into his bones.
Lux leaned back again, his thoughts a storm beneath his calm exterior.
Erebus Gate. A game on the surface. But not just a game. No—this was a gate in truth. A system that reflected the subconscious, that bent to the player's impulses.
Lux could already see it… millions of mortals logging in, shaping worlds from their desires, their fears, their sins. A database of souls. A living catalog.
He didn't need to plant infernal runes or trade soul credits here. The mortals would sculpt themselves. The system would reveal who was weak, who was strong, who would rise, who would crumble. And Lux would have the keys.
'Not just a mortal cash cow,' he thought, watching Elias fidget. 'A mirror. A crucible. A way to sculpt how mortals think of me. Today I'm just a name they've never heard. Tomorrow? I'll be the whisper in their choices, the weight behind their wins and losses. They'll worship me without even knowing it.'
Elias interrupted his thoughts nervously. "So… what do we do now?"
Lux smiled faintly. "Now, Elias, you show me everything. Your next project. Your pipeline. Your failures. Your secrets. I don't like surprises unless I'm the one making them."
Elias nodded quickly, pulling up files on his terminal. Prototypes flickered onto the monitor—unfinished worlds, half-coded NPCs, sketches of realms still in development.
Lux stood, coming closer, his shadow falling over the screen. His gaze lingered on the flickering code, eyes narrowing with something almost hungry. "Yes," he murmured. "This will do nicely."
Elias glanced at him, hesitant. "You really think it has potential?"
Lux chuckled.
"Elias. It's not potential I see. It's inevitability."
And his smile, sharp and golden, promised the kind of inevitability that mortals never survived without chains.
The room was quiet except for the hum of machines and the faint tapping of a nervous intern's keyboard somewhere in the corner.
Elias's throat worked as he swallowed, his eyes flicking down at Lux's fountain pen—the sleek black relic resting like a predator on the desk. Something about it made his skin prickle, like it was watching him back.
Lux leaned in, eyes glinting with lazy fire. "System," he murmured under his breath. "Draft me a contract."
[System Response: Drafting Contract Template…]
[Parameters Detected: Equity Division 51% (Lux), 49% (Elias), Investment Sum: $15,000,000 Initial Injection, Ongoing Capital Infusions on Approval. Clauses: Debt Absorption, Veto Authority, Non-Betrayal Enforcement, Confidentiality Binding. Draft Complete.]
[Contract Ready for Manifestation.]
A faint shimmer coiled at Lux's fingertips, unseen by mortal eyes. With a casual motion, he reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a folded sheaf of parchment that hadn't been there a second ago. To Elias, it looked like Lux had simply pulled papers from an inner folder. To Lux? It was the system delivering his will via his dimensional storage.
He laid the document on the desk, smoothed it with elegant fingers, and tapped the Infernal Ledgerbane beside it. "Read," Lux said, his tone silken. "Then sign."