Published at 14th of May 2024 7:48 am

Chapter 2146 Pressure

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The payment day, the same day as the pocket dimension day.

Icarus is waiting outside the Hub as he sent constant messages through the wrist band to many students. The message was basically to notify them of one thing.

"If by midnight, you do not pay up this week's coins, the soul contract shall take effect and you shall pay the price according to that."

That was gist of the message. This made everyone go back and take a look at the copies of the soul contracts they signed. The most notable and eyecatching condition was that they are going to hand at least half of their personal property that belongs to them if their payment is delayed by one week and this will only be considered interest.

So, after one week they need pay up the two weeks' payment and they also have to pay up half of all their personal properties.

Half of personal properties might not seem like much. For many of the students and citizens that don't have big backgrounds, it is indeed so. Their personal property isn't something they could't afford to lose. They might face some serios financial trouble for a while, but they can recover.

But people from big families.

Particulalry, people like Christos and other members of the Noble league… Their personal properties go as far as planets, realms and all the resources those planets and realms provide. Apart from that, they have personal businesses and business partnerships that they have established with so many other merchants.

They own slaves as form of their dark forces that were hidden from their families and organizations. All of this, had to be handed over for ust missing one week's payment.

And that wasn't even the worst part of the contract. It was just the most notable thing because, it was the first rule in the penalties and they all kind of laughed at it when they had to sign the contract.

Because, the coin amount they had to pay was not exactly big. They could pay it off easily at that time. They all thought… 'why the fuck would I need to delay my payment for a week?'

That was their mindset.

And now they felt a prick in their hearts when they looked at the same statement. Then they looked at the remaining conditions. What happens when their payment is delayed by two weeks?

They would be barred from the Hub and they still have to pay for that week. What happens after three weeks? They will be giving up all of their inheritance rights that they had until that payment day to the Hub. So, if they had the inheritance rights for the twenty percent of the family property, that right then belongs to the Hub.

And the fourth week is the last one. They lose everything. Their personal property, inheritances, knowledge, their soul, body and of course their coins. They all becomes the slave of the Hub, or to be precise the slaves of the owner of the Hub. Who they believed is the Joker.

But in reality, it is none other than Sam.

So, this triggered a reaction that set the upper echelons off. Apart from all the wary behavior that they are establishing against the Hub, they now have to answer another question to quell the raging situation.

'Where the fuck is Joker?'

At this moment, in a room within the Zeus Academy where Christos usually held some important meetings, a man sat across him on the table. The man is middle aged looking and he had some silk robes that do not go with his burly and ragged face. He had thick beard and a natural frown on his forehead.

Just looking at his face, one would either feel scared or feel angry. But the silk robes almost looked like they belonged on a scholar with their white color and the exquisite embroidery.

"Where the fuck is Joker?"

That is what he asked.

Christos sighed as he looked at the man in front of him. This guy is the leader of one of the families in the Noble league. He is neither at the top of the league, nor is he at the bottom. They just go by in terms of strength. But in terms of background…

One of the major families of the Noble league, a family that could rival Christos' own family, is backing this guy up.

"Sir Whilt, I don't really have any knowledge about the Joker. Ever since he appointed Icarus as the manager, he disappeared. Even when consulted, he is talking only through virtual projection, that too only when he wished.

For some reason, even before we visited him, he knows our purpose of coming there and he is not talking to us anymore."

"I don't give a shit. You are the one that encouraged the whole league to be in bed with this Hub or whatever that hell hole is. Now, my family is out of the coins. My son who followed your orders is in debt and he needs to pay it today or he will lose half of his properties."

"Sir, we can manage the payment for your son. We will have a week to figure out this situation."

"And then what? Even the reserves of the noble league are not enough. You might not know this, more than half of the upper echelons of the Noble league sent their secret forces they are nurturing to the Academy realm.

They are all part of the special training program. They got in after this Joker opened it up to the rest of the citizens as well.

Do you think they will bleed out of their coin reserves to make the smaller families like ours get out of this situation?"

Christos was stunned. This is brand new information. He didn't know that the other families did this. If he did, he would have stopped them at any cost. After all, he is one of the few that foresaw the probable economic crisis. Its just that he trusted the exchange center too much and didn't expect it to be closed.

Most of his plans actually depended on the exchange center being open.

Now that it is closed, he is also at a loss.

Even when it was closed, he took it way too easy. He believed it is just a matter of couple of days or a week at most. Never did he realize something like this would happen.

But even with the assurance of the exchange center, he wouldn't have let the secret forces be included in the special program. Secret forces are individual forces, they are hidden in the dark and cannot be used by the league or him personally.

They belong to the families that are grooming them and he cannot benefit from them. So, how could he let them benefit in his territory.

But there is no use in crying right now.

"Sir Whilt. I understand the situation right now. More than anyone else. Maybe there is indeed some lack of thinking on my part when I pushed the hub that hard. But no one can deny the obvious benefits that came from them."

"Still, you should have been more prudent when he gave such unfair contract conditions. This all started with you and you better handle it."

Whilt stood up and left.

On his way out of the academy, Whilt's assistant who was in a deep thought said.

"Sir, why don't we do something like…"

He explained his plan, but Whilt shook his head.

"No, there is a contingent to that as well. The contract is absolutely fool proof. I cannot believe how someone so obviously stated so many rough conditions, but we managed to look past t.

Whatever the others say about us Olympians, is true. We are a greedy bunch and we might have to pay dearly for it."

Whilt spoke with a frown. Even though there is a sense of trepidation in his heart, he also had half a mind that the noble league would solve this issue. Because he could predict how much of a fall the noble league takes if these contracts become effective.

He believed they will try their best to stop it from happening and if they only cared about their children and offered up the smaller family children as sacrifice until they figure out the situation…. Whilt also knew what kind of adverse reaction they would have to face.

"Let them do what they can. We will try our best as well."

While things are like this, there is another pressing concern for Christos. The hostage situation.

The gambler's academy is still not letting them go. Pressure from Whilt and this all combined… he is ready to lose it.

He looked at his assistant and said.

"Tell the seniors that they need to kill Icarus today. Steal as much coin from him as possible. I am sure he has a lot in reserve because of how much the Hub gains. I want the result by tonight."

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