Finding the Shuriken in the third wall, Masao marveled at its preservation. Of all the damage, it had only slightly dulled edges, which compared to ordinary Shuriken was simply negligible damage. Many Shuriken went on sale with minor defects, and no one cared as long as the Shuriken could perform its functions, since it was going to shatter anyway upon meeting an enemy kunai or stone-filled soil.
"Nakayama-san, your goods are something else! Our pavilion will take everything you have!" Masao declared joyfully, unable to contain his emotions. He was already imagining what a sensation these six katanas and four hundred Shuriken would make. By his estimates, he could sell one katana for at least 150 thousand ryō, and the price for one Shuriken could rise up to a thousand, or even higher.
"Good," Kenshin replied without much emotion and began waiting for Masao to bring the required amount of money. The six katanas and four hundred Shuriken brought him exactly eight hundred thousand ryō, raising the amount of money he had on hand to four million.
"Here, Nakayama-san, exactly eight hundred thousand," the manager said with a satisfied smile and placed a solid leather briefcase equivalent on the table. "Perhaps you have something else unique? Our pavilion would be glad to cooperate with a supplier of the highest-level goods," Kimura Masao added flatteringly.
"Hm, we do have some quantity of katanas and Shuriken. Are you ready to buy another ten katanas and two thousand Shuriken in two weeks?"
"O-of course, if they're the same quality, our pavilion is ready to buy any quantity of goods!" Masao declared joyfully. He was already imagining how popular his pavilion would become if genuine pearls were sold there from time to time.
"Good," Kenshin said, and before the astonished Masao's eyes, he stuffed the rather large "briefcase" into a small backpack.
"No way!" Masao exclaimed inwardly. He had only seen artifacts of such a high level a few times, and they were always owned by people unattainable in status. One such artifact with incredibly complex fuin cost several million ryō, and it was now with this unknown man from the Nakayama Family. At that moment, Masao became absolutely convinced that he should only befriend this man and tolerate all his eccentricity.
"One more thing. It's your Kimura family that controls the underground market for selling 'talking weapons,' right?" Kenshin asked, deciding to save himself time and nerves.
"Y-yes, sir," Masao stammered in reply. This answer came very hard to him, as in a split second his old manager's brain ran through a hundred variants of 'yes' or 'no' answers. But Masao decided to take the risk and tell the truth, even though it was forbidden.
"Excellent. Take me there, and your pavilion will be the first I come to with the latest and unique developments from my family," Kenshin said. And though it was just an offer, it was said in a tone that allowed no refusal.
"Of course, Nakayama-san, follow me," Masao said with a smile. He was very pleased with the prospect of a reciprocal favor from this man. Over his long life, he had well learned the necessity of establishing strong mutually beneficial relationships, and the prospect of becoming a linking element in relations with the Nakayama Family was very tempting for the old manager.
Masao approached this matter with extreme responsibility and did everything at the highest level. In addition to showing Kenshin the way, Masao tried to entertain him with various stories, telling much about the slave market that Kasumi didn't know.
The most important thing Kenshin learned was that the slave market under the unofficial patronage of the Kimura family was divided into two parts, located in different places and managed by different people.
The House of Flowers was something like a brothel, as it dealt only in selling women, most of whom did not possess chakra. The conditions there were much more lenient than in the place where men suitable only for slaughter were sold.
All relatively calm women in the House of Flowers had some freedom and could even sometimes go outside to maintain health, and thus beauty. All these indulgences and relaxations were far from out of the manager's kindness but purely for profit. Kimura Takahiro, at thirty-five, had gotten the manager position precisely because of his calculating nature and cold-bloodedness. He didn't care at all about the convenience or comfort of the goods if it didn't bring profit.
Clients of the House of Flowers generally preferred well-groomed and neat women, which was why all promising slaves were well-fed, and some had the opportunity to live in relative comfort and use various beauty preservation products.
Slaves with no prospects were generally deprived of good nutrition and various beauty care procedures. They were also deprived of the last crumbs of social status and occupied the lowest rungs in the slave hierarchy, unless they could stand up for themselves, of course.
"Here we are, Nakayama-san," Masao said with a smile, standing at the threshold of a large four-story building. Then he entered and courteously held the door for the respected guest.
Seeing how the formidable war pavilion manager behaved like a mischievous boy trying to make amends to his father, the girl at the counter nearly dropped her jaw.
"What are you staring at?! Quickly call Takahiro, we have an important guest!" Masao barked at the employee. At that moment, his smiling face took on a bestial snarl, and Kenshin grimaced in displeasure. With the enhancement of his empathic abilities, he had come to value honest and open people more than ever, as he could see a person's true emotions almost through any fuin.
"Sorry, Nakayama-san. Some people get very lazy if you don't yell at them from time to time," Masao said with a kind smile and led Kenshin into one of the rooms. "Please, have a seat."
"Everyone has their own management methods," Kenshin replied calmly. Masao didn't appeal to him not for his rudeness but for his hypocrisy. If he were just callous, Kenshin wouldn't see any problem in that. He perfectly understood how difficult it was to manage a large structure and find approaches to different people.
"Masao-san, won't you introduce me to the respected guest?" Kimura Takahiro asked with a kind smile as he entered.
"Of course, Takahiro-san. The respected guest represents the interests of the Nakayama Family and wishes to become a client of your House of Flowers," Masao replied.
Hearing about the Nakayama Family, Takahiro paused for a split second and recalled everything he had heard about this notorious mercenary organization. The latest news said that two days ago this organization had brutally dealt with a very strong Jonin, leaving him no chance to escape.
"Nakayama-san, my House of Flowers is always glad to see you as our guest," Takahiro said with a smile. In just a few seconds, he had caught all the signals from Masao and understood how influential this man was. Moreover, he had noticed two young people standing completely inconspicuously to the side. They literally exuded enormous danger, and the experienced Takahiro decided to behave extremely cautiously and politely.