Chapter 1482

Tom Valencia was a businessman to his very core. The harshness in his words wasn’t exactly surprising. It was common to see people running massive corporations placed under immense pressure and struggling mentally to maintain what they have built.

Of course, even taking that into account, he seemed to be a fellow who put his company’s profit above all else.

Davey mercifully offered, “I’ll pretend I didn’t hear what you said today.”

The chairman had deliberately provoked Davey more than necessary. It was as if he wanted to see how Davey would respond to such a challenge if he himself truly believed he was a man of skill. Or perhaps he’d simply been trying to provoke Davey into giving him the answer he wanted.

Either way, he was dangerously crossing the line to challenge him in the negotiation.

Unfortunately, there was some truth to what he had said. It was true that the Sacred Group was struggling to establish its medical infrastructure. If they really wanted to save more people, they had to team up with someone who could quickly produce the vaccine at scale.

While some people thought that Davey had deliberately contracted with the Sacred Group just to give them a push and serve his own interests, no one was foolish enough to seriously challenge his conduct in public.

Tom always tried to negotiate using the cards he held. He began, “Grand Duke Davey—”

“Chariman, I believe I made myself clear.”

The man wanted to maximize his profits without costing Davey anything, believing it more likely to result in a positive outcome. His solution was to raise the price of the vaccine.

It would be a considerable burden, yet Davey was similarly certain that the Awakened would buy the medicine if that was what it took to survive, even receiving periodic injections until their bodies developed complete immunity.

If sold at his suggested price, Tom’s pharmaceutical company would rake in an overwhelming amount of wealth during that period.

There was nothing new about that kind of ruthless conduct. Davey had encountered people even more vicious than him numerous times throughout his life. A veteran of such savagery and provocation, Davey warned him to not cross the line or continue trying to manipulate him.

The chairman tried to hide his disgruntled smile. “I perfectly understand your intentions. But, Grand Duke, you do know that our company’s system is essential for producing the quantity you’re seeking, don’t you?”

Davey firmly replied, “It is not my policy to gouge customers in the process.”

“Grand Duke!” Tom called out, finally raising his voice. “Even if you are a saint, this is a foolish decision! We can both win! And better yet, no one even loses! Not you, not me, and not even the customers.”

Davey was unphased. “Are you saying the customers won’t be harmed even after you significantly raise the price?”

“But they will live,” Tom insisted.

Davey let out a dry laugh at his attempt at persuasion. “And who are you to decide their lives?”

“What?”

“I’m the one providing the medicine, not you. Furthermore, this is not a suitable topic for discussion right now.”

The chairman continued to act out of foolish greed, and Davey once again warned him to stop being presumptuous.

“I understand what you’re saying. I just believed you would understand my own perspective.”

“Chairman. Trying to manipulate the world as you see fit is arrogant and unwise.”

“But you are a being capable of that! Wouldn’t you say so? Nations around the world are watching your every move. You’re the one single-handedly protecting Earth! Why don’t you see it?! This is your destiny and your opportunity! You are qualified to lead the world! I’m merely trying to help with that!”

“The people who live in this world are the ones who should lead it, not an outsider.”

Tom wouldn’t give up. “Grand Duke...”

“As an aside, I think it might be better if you hid your true intentions a little better in the future. I’m not sure what you’re so desperate for, but I believe our interests do not align on this matter. I will only cooperate with you as long as those bizarre conditions are not part of the deal.”

“You will definitely need our help,” the chairman insisted.

Davey wouldn’t budge. “That remains to be seen.”

The man quietly sighed and then stood up. “It’s a shame. I thought this would be a good deal...”

“I’ll be right here if you change your mind, Chairman.”

It wasn’t the first or second time Davey had seen people like him, so there was nothing surprising about it.

* * *

“Hyun-Su!”

Davey met his uncle after a long time. Even knowing that he had been reincarnated as someone else, his uncle still seemed attached to the name Hyun-Su.

His uncle looked exhausted from running the company, so Davey cast holy magic on him to relieve his fatigue. He also checked him for any minor health problems, remarking, “I’m relieved to see you looking healthy.”

“Haha. It’s all thanks to you. People who run big companies usually live under tremendous stress, but thanks to you, I’ll probably live until my face is covered in wrinkles. Though once I’m old enough, I should hurry up and die.”

“Don’t say that, Uncle. You’re the only one who can protect those three-legged—no, Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee.”

“Haha. What is there for me to worry about when you’re around?” Despite his words, he couldn’t hide his bitter smile.

“I’m happy that Hyun-Ah and Yeon-Hee look bright these days. It’s all thanks to you, Hyun-Su.” Davey cleared his throat, not knowing what else to say. He then poured a glass of the expensive wine his uncle enjoyed for a hobby, offered it to him, and then asked, “Hmm. How are things at work these days?”

“It’s the same as always. Everything’s more or less under control.”

Sacred Group’s stock prices were bound to be soaring given the circumstances. After all, it was the overwhelming leader in the Awakened business as well as the virtual reality business, with practically zero competition.

“However, when a person is successful, jealousy naturally comes from those around them.” He chuckled, but still kept his eyes on his tablet as he continued, “Speaking of which, I heard you had a meeting with a pharmaceutical company CEO recently?”

“Yes. The chairman said Sacred Group’s medical infrastructure wouldn’t be able to meet the demand, so he made a proposal.”

His uncle finally looked away from the screen and turned to him. “What kind of person do you think he is?”

“Well, he definitely has a superiority complex. Considerably greedy. He’s not a person I view with any favor, for sure.”

“In a world like this, people like that are common.” Hyun-Su laughed heartily. “He’s a greedy man, but he still knows when to stop.”

If that man were a fool who would give in to temporary greed, he wouldn’t have been able to build a world-class pharmaceutical company.

“He seemed quite desperate,” Davey told him.

“I figured. The pharmaceutical company he leads is pretty massive. Word on the street is that his standing within the company is far from favorable at the moment.”

After an unreasonable move due to a forced succession plan, he experienced the backlash caused by the failure of business expansion.

“As things stand, there’s a good chance he’ll lose his position and be pushed out of the company. He might say it doesn’t matter since he’s already made enough money, but to him, that pharmaceutical company is everything.”

“So, you think he’ll make a move?”

“He’s a clever man, so he probably won’t act directly.” He smiled bitterly, acknowledging, “Just like you said, our Sacred Group lacks the time to meet the current demand. That means we must cooperate with other pharmaceutical companies. Truth is, there’s no other company as capable as the international pharmaceutical company Tom Valencia leads.”

In other words, simply leaving the man alone meant he’d inevitably come back with new conditions and a superior position.

Davey gave a sly smile. “I’m already aware of that.”

“Then what are you going to do?”

“Uncle, have you already forgotten where the vaccine’s coming from?”

Handling machinery and production wasn’t necessarily restricted to Earth alone.

* * *

Once Davey announced that he’d provide the vaccine at a cheap price, various rumors started circulating. While it was true that pharmaceutical companies in the same industry viewed the decision negatively, most of them reacted favorably. However, the other side worried that he was favoring the Sacred Group.

Many people also doubted whether the Sacred Group and its medical infrastructure could produce the necessary quantity to handle the disease on a global scale. In fact, considering their equipment and the training level of their personnel, many believed they had zero chance of keeping up with demand.

That much was true, of course, if everything were to be handled exclusively on Earth.

It wasn’t difficult for Davey to contact the Yurgian Continent again through Evanov, who was both a fragment of a god and a genius alchemist. He signed a contract to purchase a large quantity of the vaccine and arranged for the Sacred Group to cover the cost.

Naturally, the Sacred Group sent necessary goods instead of currency, while the Yurgian side sent the vaccine to Earth, which helped the group successfully secure the initial supply. With the crucial initial supply having been secured with ease, Sacred Group was left with plenty of time to use its machinery to produce enough additional doses to meet future demand.

Although they couldn’t secure as much profit as Tom Valencia had sought, that didn’t matter to Davey. It had always been about saving people, and he didn’t desperately need money or power like Tom Valencia, so he was satisfied knowing there would certainly be long-term benefits.

As the Sacred Group expanded its workforce and began distributing vaccines on a massive scale, countries began entering negotiations one after another to treat their sick Awakened, and the agreed-upon quantities were quickly delivered.

For Tom Valencia, who had assumed the Sacred Group wouldn’t be able to meet the demand, the revelation must’ve been a bolt from the blue.

Regardless, Davey traveled all over the world, treating those who hadn’t received the vaccine yet but whose condition was serious. Although the illness could be treated with the vaccine, Davey couldn’t simply ignore patients who could still be saved.

As he treated people one by one in a sort of global tour, the Sacred Group soon began distributing the initial supply to various countries. Some countries refused, claiming the vaccine hadn’t gone through the necessary pre-approval phases. However, whether because of the reputation Davey had built or because he traveled around personally treating patients himself, most countries accepted the deal.

As the number of infected people began to rapidly decrease, the Sacred Group’s stock price naturally began to soar alongside Davey’s image.

Those who received the vaccine began seeing results within a day or two. People who had been suffering from fatigue and nausea just the day before were suddenly up and about with healthy, energetic faces, and word of the vaccine’s effectiveness quickly spread around the world.

After one round of the global tour treatment, all that was left was rest.

As Davey sat in a chair, admiring the wide landscape, Illyna was lying in his lap, leaning her back against his chest. Feeling her warmth, he placed both hands on her belly, trying to feel the very faint pulse.

They looked so affectionate together that someone took a picture of them and posted it online, but he didn't pay it any mind.

At that moment, Shin Hyun-Ah and Kouna approached them.

“You sure know how to get paparazzi on you! You’re being all lovey-dovey and even doing PDA when you’re abroad?”

“The three-legged octopus is here,” Davey said with a playful groan.

“Says the squid.”

Hyun-Ah looked completely unsurprised, but Kouna made a slightly sad expression as she saw them.

“Ah. I should get up.” When Illyna, who was flustered with embarrassment, tried to get up, Davey lightly pressed her down with his hand, preventing her from moving.

“Stay.”

“N-no, I don’t wanna, it’s too embarrassing.”

She squirmed for a moment, then eventually cleared her throat and stood up. Hyun-Ah chuckled and helped straighten her clothes.

Kouna whined like a child, “Me too, please...”

“Hmm?”

She came closer, looking directly into his eyes. “Me too... please do it for me too.”

“Hey now. Go ask your crush or whoever to do it for you, not me.”

“But you are my crush.”

When she pointed at Davey, he couldn’t help but sigh. It wasn’t that he didn’t know her feelings, and Perserque had even said she wouldn’t stop her anymore, but that wasn’t enough of a reason for him to accept her.

Seeing him turn her down, she looked away with a dejected expression.

Davey gave a sigh and remarked, “Seriously... what’s so great about a married man with a child?”

Kouna immediately replied, “You’re everything to me.”

“You’re still young.”

“Like our age difference is even that big...”

He shot back, “Our actual ages are completely different.”

If he wanted to argue that way, then technically his and Illyna’s age gap was actually even bigger, but he deliberately ignored that fact.

In the end, Kouna, though pouting, didn’t ask again. She then mumbled, “I have plenty of time anyway.”

“Huh?”

When Davey looked at her, she turned her gaze away.

“Plenty of time, my ass!” Davey shouted. “Ten years fly by quickly. You need to go live your own life instead of wasting your youth on me.”

She looked at him with a sullen, clearly dissatisfied face and pouted her lips.

Hyun-Ah cut in to say, “Oh? You didn’t know? Her lifespan got longer.”

“What nonsense is this now?”

As far as he remembered, she had given up the chance to gain immense vitality through the dimension pearl. Her lifespan couldn't possibly exceed that of an ordinary human!

Yet, it seemed the reality was different.

Kouna began, “Hmm. It’s hard to explain...”

“No matter what it is, how much longer could it possibly be?” Davey asked skeptically.

“Really... your answer is no?”

“No, you knucklehead.”

Davey flicked Kouna lightly on the forehead, and she asked with a depressed expression, “Then... am I pretty?”

He casually answered in a matter-of-fact tone, “Yeah. You’re pretty.”

“Then why don’t you want me? I won’t report you, I swear. It’ll all be over before you can even count all the patterns on the ceiling.”

“Snap out of it. You’re getting loopier and loopier.”

Seeing her shameless yet awkward attempt at seduction, it seemed Hyun-Ah must’ve put some unnecessary ideas in her head. He turned to her, criticizing, “Hey, don’t go teaching her weird stuff.”

“Whatever. I don’t want to give our Kouna to a guy like you either. Ah, I don’t mean to say my sister-in-law made the wrong decision, of course.”

She flipped him off with her middle finger and then handed something else to Illyna. They were items good for prenatal care, which wasn’t surprising considering her love for her nephew.

Kouna, showing her persistence, challenged Davey again by saying, “It’s okay, because I have plenty of time.”

“Oh, come on...” Davey couldn’t tell if she was being shameless or just optimistic.

She was like that for the time being, but he figured things would probably change with time.

After finishing all her business, Hyun-Ah asked Illyna and Kouna to leave, wanting a moment for her to talk to Davey alone.

When Illyna led Kouna away, Hyun-Ah sat next to Davey. She remarked, “Have you noticed how good things are lately?”

“Good? What do you mean good?”

“You’ve been traveling all over the world, treating Awakened people without discrimination, so your public image is fantastic right now. Thanks to that, Sacred Group is benefiting too, and the vaccine deals are going smoothly.”

“There aren’t any problems, are there?”

“Not at all. At this rate, we can drastically reduce the death toll. You might even win the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for this, Davey.”

‘Like the one Aeonitia received?’

He had no interest in something like that.

“It should all end smoothly,” she began before offering him a can of pop. “As long as no one interferes, that is.”

“Are you talking about Tom Valencia?”

“Yeah. He’s quiet for now, but, just like uncle said, he’s definitely going to cause trouble. He’s not in the position to just ignore the business this vaccine could generate.”

Davey skeptically asked, “Even with me around?”

Surely the man wouldn’t dare mess with him so easily. Truly, he had no clue what kind of trouble that man could even cause.

She sighed and looked away. “He’s the kind of person who’ll do anything when cornered. At least, that’s the impression I got when I met him before.”

“Don’t worry. There's only one move for him to make, and it’s obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“He’s not crazy enough to pick a fight head-on. Plus, in order to secure the vaccine, he’d first need the herbs I brought from Tionis.”

Naturally, his pharmaceutical company would need to secure the herbs to make the vaccine themselves.

“They’d also have to make sure Sacred Group can’t use the herbs we have,” Hyun-Ah added.

“Right.”

“Did you know? There’s a nasty rumor going around about his company. They say they’re conducting human experiments to create human weapons. But the experiment isn’t going well, so they’re trying to raise a large amount of funds.”

Davey noncommittally replied, “Really? Interesting.”

“Aren’t you worried that he’s trying to block your sister’s way forward?”

“I know you have a solution.”

“I do.” She pulled out a device. “Guess what this is.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a remote detonator, with an indicator connected to motion detectors in a warehouse I set up. That way, if someone breaks in, I'll be the first to know—and the surprise will be primed.”

He could see the indicator below the trigger was already blinking red, meaning someone was inside and the “surprise” was charging up.

Since there was a significant time difference between where he was and the warehouse, he figured it’d already be nighttime there.

He saw an eerie smile on her face, and a chill ran down his spine.

“I don’t have to show any mercy to people who came to steal, right?”

Just as she finished speaking, the sensor started rapidly blinking before the trigger beeped and went from red to green, and she pressed the button without hesitation.

“Those sons of bitches just cashed a one-way ticket straight to the afterlife. Oh, by the way, don't you dare touch Tom Valencia—I'm going to crush him myself. I'll show him why Sacred Group is considered the strongest Awakened force in the world.”

While she hadn't gotten any evidence it was him who was responsible, she acted as if that didn’t matter.

Davey didn't know what to say.

It seemed Hyun-Ah had created a fake decoy warehouse to lure them in, laced it with a mountain of explosives, and blown it sky-high the moment they were all inside.

“I truly worry about who would ever marry a psycho like you...”

Hearing his murmur, she gave him a good kick. “Don’t say stuff like that when I’m already worried about you these days!”

That evening, Davey didn’t travel to the next destination, instead choosing to stay another day. Government officials from the country tried to contact him, but he completely rejected all requests and took the day to himself.

He lay in his hotel bed and checked the news. Pictures of him holding Illyna and enjoying the scenery were popping up all over the internet, but something else caught his attention.

It was news about a large-scale explosion at one of the Sacred Group’s supply warehouses.

The police who rushed to the warehouse found several Awakened individuals knocked unconscious by the blast, evidence suggesting they’d entered in an attempt to sabotage the herbs stored there.

Of course, the herbs weren't actually stored in that warehouse, but the incident quickly drew public attention to the fact that someone was against the Sacred Group’s vaccine distribution, even actively trying to sabotage it.

In the wake of the incident, the Awakened under contract with the Sacred Group moved out and quickly secured evidence that linked the incident to Tom Valencia.

It didn't even take three days for him to lose everything.

The incident served as a devastating reminder of just how powerful the Sacred Group truly was.