"Thanks for the coffee," Del said to the stewardess as he retrieved his coffee.
"You're welcome." The stewardess pushed the cart away from their seats.
Anna and Del were accompanied by Cassandra. They were boarding the train towards Stamford, a city located near Ilbistirum Federal Government capital. It was located north of Lullin, around three hours worth of train ride.
All of them were in civilian clothing. Del and Anna were wearing shirts while Cassandra wore a dress. They were wearing formal clothing because they were heading for the financial city of Ilbistirum. Formal clothing would be required to meet such important people.
"You know, the amount of money inside of your suitcase is equivalent to the amount that medium-end stockbroker will have. In short, you're quite rich for their standard," Cassandra said.
"Hahaha, I might invest in the future," Del commented.
Cassandra arranged a meeting with the investment company owner in a luxury hotel located in the middle of the city. To gain more leverage, Cassandra convinced Del to invest two Husnael plates in his company. It might not be much, but it was still a lot for a beginner investor.
With that kind of leverage, Del would be able to enter the private security more easily. After all, he was a shareholder in that company. It would also mean that he also had an interest inside the company. To be honest, Del just wanted to join the private security, not the investment company.
However, there was also something else that he must do to stay inside the security company. He was recruited because of his recklessness. He must do a dangerous job for the security company. In return, he would be able to command his own units. According to the contract, he could command two people, but it would grow as time went by.
Even before that, Del still had to pass training for the security company, which involved flying training, combat training, magic training, etc. Basically, if he wanted to work with the elites, he must become an elite. It wouldn't be easy, but it would be worth it.
It would be one hell of a week with the private security company. Maybe there would be an examination first to decide whether he could enter private security or not. Hopefully, Cassandra's recommendation and his initial investment in the investment company would be enough to gain him access to that company.
"Tell me something, will I meet someone that I know in the company?" Del asked.
"I don't think you will find anyone that you know. Cole was pretty much disgusted with finance and Alina is too busy to even invest," Cassandra said.
"Basically, once you're gone, I'm on my own?" Del asked.
"Pretty much it," Cassandra said.
Del just smiled and nodded as he understood what he must do. Overall, his primary goal was to get a good relationship with private security. He also wanted to get enough leverage to get the private security to do his own wet work.
He immediately formulated a plan on what he would do. With his skill right now, he might be able to pull a covert, clandestine operation in Elbanian. It would also mean that he would be able to get his revenge on Eric sooner than expected.
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Stamford. The first impression came from a large number of skyscrapers inside of that city. It just felt different from the majorly suburban area of Lullin. The area really felt like an area for trading stocks. The train station was located close to the hotel that they would be staying in.
Del observed the entire city in awe. It had been a very long time ever since he looked at a very tall building. Overall, it was rather a pleasant surprise for both Anna and Del. Especially Anna, she was just gazing at the buildings in that town.
"Wow... This is just something," Del commented.
"Yeah, I never expect seeing skyscrapers in this world, but this is just insane," Anna commented.
The tallest building in that city might reach as high as one hundred floors tall. There might be a dozen of those buildings. Overall, it really symbolized the modernization that Ilbistirum had gone through. Del remembered that the empire state building was built around one year. Maybe the need for the financial building was so immense that skyscrapers were a lot more than 1930s earth.
Maybe the town was New York of Ilbistirum. The town was pretty much focused on its financial aspect after all. There might be a trade center around the region. It really made him forget that the country was under a civil war.
Del stepped out of the train station. He wondered how Ilbistirum was able to build that kind of structure even under a war. It looked like the air defense was still working as intended. The big and tall building was like a big giant mark for the flying bombers.
"Cassandra, how do these buildings are still standing tall even in the middle of a war?" Del asked.
"Easy, this town is located very far from the front line. No enemy bomber would be able to come here, no matter how many blunders the Ilbistirum military has made," Cassandra said.
If that was the case, then the success of Stamford had little to zero relationships to the Ilbistirum Federal Military since the biggest factor was the distance from the front line. It made full sense, to be honest.
"So, this town is pretty much independent about its security?" Del asked.
"Pretty much it, most of the security forces in this region are former contractors that entered the police forces or private securities that the rich people rent for their safety. It could be said that this town is the safest in the whole Ilbistirum, so, Del, do you have any questions before we check-in at the hotel?" Cassandra asked.
"Yeah, I have one question. Is this clothing alright, or should I wear a suit?" Del asked.
"Suit."
============
The dining area of that hotel looked rather majestic. Beautiful lamps were hanging on the ceiling. Everyone was wearing fancy clothing. With the soft jazz playing from the band at the stage, the aura of luxury was literally coating the entire room.
Del and Cassandra were waiting for the guest. Cassandra was wearing a formal white dress, and Del was wearing a black three-piece suit. They were waiting for the head of the investment group that they were going to meet. The person that was going to meet them from the company was called Linda Blake. She was looking for a personal bodyguard that would be willing to act as a meat shield. She was the chief executive officer, after all.
"Salve Group, huh? What's the name of their private security? Salve Security?" Del asked as he sipped on his wine.
"More or less, there she is," Cassandra said.
A man and a woman were walking towards their table. The man was bald and tall. He was walking right behind the woman. There was no doubt about it. The woman was Linda Blake. Del prepared himself. He must act calmly. A blunder would be very damaging to his chance of being accepted.
The bald man pulled up a chair on Del's table, and Linda sat down on the chair that the bodyguard had pulled. Linda was wearing a black dress, and her hair was styled. Overall, she was quite a respectful woman.
"Mrs. Blake, it's nice to meet you," Cassandra greeted.
"Nice to meet you too, Doctor Gable," Linda said.
"Please, just call me Cassandra, ma'am," Cassandra replied.
From that conversation alone, Del concluded that Cassandra respected Linda. Maybe it was because of her social status, but Del wasn't sure about it. Linda wasn't the type that would look down on people. She even called Cassandra using her back name, which Del hadn't done ever since he met her.
Linda gazed at Del. He was looking at his body, his posture, and his gaze. Del felt really uncomfortable, "You know what my father says, you should always trust your feeling. Truth be told, I agree. So kid, tell me, why should I recruit you as my bodyguard?"
That was quite a hard question. "Ma'am, I think I am capable of protecting a VIP. My military experience is being an adventurer in Elbanian and a contractor that destroys a tank company on his own."
Linda smiled at Del. She looked doubtful about Del's answer. "Your name's Del, correct?"
"Yes ma'am," Del answered.
"So Del, you have quite an experiences, and those are good experiences too. However, have you ever escorted a VIP before? I have dozen of people wanting to become my personal bodyguard and most of them have experiences in guarding a VIP. What's so special about you, Del?" Linda asked.
It was a hard question. Del could answer that he could purchase weapons far more superior than anything this world could offer, but would it be wise to tell Linda that?
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