Indeed, much like mine, which was sourced from the supernatural side of society. He didn’t use much Singlish, like me either. There were a few flags raised here and there, and if he really was one of us, he most likely came to pay a visit because he noticed the Ward that was raised last night. Whether or not he could bypass it was one thing, but it was another to stroll up to my doorstep and talk to me. What exactly was he trying to do?
I opened the little package. There was a brightly colored alarm clock inside, its tick cheerful and lively. How convenient.
I narrowed my eyes as I examined the alarm clock. It looked every part an ordinary timekeeping instrument, causing me to frown slightly. But there was something weird about it. The second hand moved rather inconsistently, sometimes fast and other times slow, but it kept good time in the end. Was it my influence? Or something I did last night? Or just my imagination?
Eventually, I put my languishing thoughts out of their misery and returned to my bedroom. There was no point in overthinking things. Rather, there was something far more important I should take care of right now.
Like my wardrobe.
I’m not too sure what the dress code for entering a place like Orchard Towers was, but it surely wasn’t one that called for a black trench coat, shirts with a bright polka dot pattern and a large fedora hat. This particular combination might be accepted in some seedy, dubious and unique place in Singapore, but I’d be raising eyebrows anywhere else. To my credit, the clothes inside were gifts from jobs well done, or stuff along these lines: I definitely didn’t buy them.
Frowning, I picked out a relatively normal set of clothing to go shopping for something else to wear, before letting out a little sigh. Picking out and buying suitable clothes was the last thing I had expected to take care of before I returned to Singapore. But here I was, troubled over the concept of fashion. I also heard that the prices for normal clothing was quite expensive too, which just meant nothing but more trouble for me.
But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. No individual or company would hire a guy in a polka-dotted suit. They just didn’t. The people on the supernatural side called it discrimination, and I think they formed a union or something against it. It didn’t gain any traction though, but the polka trend continued unabated for years in the supernatural world.
The sun was blazing down in its full glory by the time I left the house, having finally convinced myself that the set of clothes I had picked out wasn’t too overt. Looking around surreptitiously, I made my way to the bus stop, and hopped on to a bus that just arrived. It didn’t take long for the bus to reach my destination and I disembarked swiftly, ignoring the stares that came my way: I had important things to do.
Directing my feet to the apparel shop that I used to frequent years ago, I began to examine my surroundings. I hadn’t been here ever since I started my free-lancing years ago, which was a sad reminder of how bad my growth spurt was. I could now see quite a few pillars of light that gave off a soft warmth, extending towards the skies. The fact that I could see them was probably a direct result of becoming sensitive to the spiritual side of this world.
Resisting the urge to metaphorically poke at the pillars, I soon reached the apparel store. A soft tinkling sound jingled in my ears as I stepped through the doorway, and I made my way to the men’s side.
Immediately, I felt a little wave of depression hit me. It didn’t exactly hit me until now, but my clothes were truly outlandish. Just how exactly did the people who saw me think of me? Even the shop assistant didn’t want to approach me. Smiling wryly, I started fiddling with a shirt that caught my eye.
By the time I had picked out seven sets of clothing, the smile had frozen over on my face. It was just some thread, colored and woven into the shape of the human body. But why did it cost so much? I walked over to the counter, passing the bag over as I lamented over the advent of shabby dinners in the weeks to follow.
“Excuse me.” I cast an expectant look around the counter, looking for brochures. “Are there any discounts or promotions going on right now?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” she replied, looking at me like how I’d view a rat scavenging in a bin.
My lips twitched. “Any discount prices for new members?”
“Sir, we don’t even have a membership, so what you’re asking is useless.” Her gaze grew even more contemptuous, and I heard my self-esteem crack.
“Never mind,” I said. “What’s the total price?”
“That’ll be $629.90.” She read out the numbers on the machine mechanically, her eyes silently questioning the state of my wallet.
I sighed and forked over a wad of bills.
I left the shop with a lightened wallet, and a heavy heart. The cost of living in this little city state was far too high. I really needed to get my Beacon up and running to start accepting jobs. Now, I just needed to restock the fridge, which meant heading to the nearby grocery store, where there would most likely be discounts.
Hopefully, the strain on my wallet would be a lot lighter…
Chapter 6
The sun was starting to dip towards the west by the time I arrived at Orchard Towers. The place glittered a golden hue from the dying light, but even that couldn’t mask the shimmering film of power around the structure. It probably wasn’t intended to either. More likely, it was both a symbol and a warning to everyone who could see it.
Orchard Towers wasn’t the only building with this treatment either. A cursory glance revealed two more structures standing behind the Towers. Tall, glimmering and imposing, they cast shadows upon the pedestrians below. From what I knew, major operating bases of any power would be as equally obvious and overbearing, if not more so. Apparently, the best way to deter would-be attackers was to paint a giant target board on yourself.
Lunatics.
Well, it’s about time I stepped in then. With false bravado, I stepped forward and the automatic glass doors parted smoothly before me. I shivered as a gust of cold air hit me.
Most buildings that housed powers like the Cultivator’s Alliance or the Conclave of Wizards had set up stuff like formations or magical wards that would hinder the use of spiritual abilities within their premises. It didn’t matter whether these abilities were magical, supernatural or ectoplasmic in origin—what mattered was security and a home field advantage.
Such measures, however, fell short when it came to people like me: not like it really mattered. I just wanted to deal with my Beacon issue, so it would be better to act like I was restrained by their countermeasures to put them at ease. Hell, I might get a good discount out of it. I adjusted my breathing, taking in more frequent but shallow breaths, and made for the lift.
The quiet hum of machinery permeated the air as the elevator shot up, providing a good view of the city illuminated by the sunset. The elevator doors opened at the eighteenth floor as I stepped out. I felt the air grow somewhat heavier; was it only this floor that had increased defenses? I forced down my urge to explore the other floors and instead turned the only visible corner.
Found it.
As usual, the company name tacked onto the door was entirely different from what was written in the letter. In fact, if I didn’t guess wrongly, every office on this floor was just a cover for Alliance business. At most, there would be a few more floors that would be used solely by the Alliance. To have the Alliance monopolize the entire Orchard Towers would be unthinkable.
I knocked on the door and entered, pushing it open gently.
The office was small, with only four cubicles and one more room at the side. Posters with encouraging quotes from Google decorated half the wall, and the other half had pictures hanging around. It looked entirely the opposite of what I assumed a cover office would look like.
Disappointingly enough, however, there was no one to receive me—or was it on purpose? Word around Singapore, if Hao Wei was accurate, was that I’m a walking time bomb. Having no one in the office that I was paying a visit to could very well be a m
easure to ensure no unwanted casualties; other than my feelings, of course.
I looked around more attentively and spotted a dinner bell, before ringing it a few times. It was probably left there to alert sleeping managers and worker drones that there was a visitor, and it didn’t disappoint me.
The little side room inside the office, which obviously belonged to the head honcho, suddenly opened with a loud bang, and a tall, burly man strode out, oozing confidence from every pore. Covering the distance from the room to me in a few long strides, he gripped my hand with a crushing handshake.
A loud, booming voice came out from him. “Hello there, esteemed visitor! Are you Mr. Newton?”
“I guess I am.” I retreated a single step as the bones in my poor hand protested. “How may I address you?”
“Won, Mr. Won.” Looking at my probably bemused face, he grinned “Yes, it is most likely the Won you’re thinking of.”
“I… see. It’s a good name, delicious indeed.” I nodded vigorously with a straight face on, deciding that I didn’t want to know his full name. I looked at him again. He showed none of the spiritual pressure that cultivators were said to exhibit, or the blend in with nature feel I got from the two cultivators earlier on, but he could very well be concealing it.
“So,” I said, cutting straight to the point. “I need to update my beacon, but it’s too out of date to be done manually. How do I go about fixing it?”
“Not here, little guy,” Won replied. “I got a little stack of papers in my office, so we’ll settle it there.”
Releasing his grip on my unfortunate right hand, he led the way into his office and closed the door behind me. He walked over to his desk and sat down, pulling out a few documents from a drawer.
“I have a question, Mr. Newton.” Won separated a few documents from each other, placing them into three distinct groups. “How much money are you able to fork out right now?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Not a lot, actually. How did you guess?”
“Doesn’t take a genius to find out. However, you’re in luck.” He tidied up the stacks of paper, straightening them out neatly. “The Beacon department just had a few assignments dumped onto them by the higher ups.”
“Ohhh,” I dragged out the word. “I see where this is going.”
“Saves me the joy of explaining at least.” Won smiled, his teeth showing. “Well, you just need to help us complete one assignment, and we have three for you to choose from.”
“Mind giving me a simple description?”
“Sure!” Won’s smile evolved into a grin. “We have a ‘Catch a stalker’, ‘Get rid of some hauntings’, and a ‘Babysit and bodyguard a VIP’s child’ job.”
I blinked. Choosing my words carefully, I asked, “You guys are the Beacon department, right? How did you end up with such assignments?”
“Well, one thing leads to another, and…” He shrugged and gave a helpless smile. “Y’know, higher ups and all. That being said, the higher ups have decided that you’ll be most suitable to do the bodyguard job.”
“Huh? Wait, what happened to having options?”
Won pushed the papers towards me and pointed at one of them. “The description of the stalker job states that the stalker's target is the Branch Leader’s daughter. The victim of the haunting case is also the Branch Leader’s daughter. Do you see where this is going now?”
I frowned. “Are you guys trying to set me up? Do I have another choice?”
“Who knows what the higher-ups are thinking? I’m just a good ol’ cog in the machine. I just do what they say…” His eyes lit up. “Maybe they’re trying to matchmake you and her?”
“You have got to be kidding me. Fine, I’ll bite.” I folded my arms in front of me. “What other benefits do I get?”“Well, you’ll be getting hourly pay too.” Won consulted a ledger. “Two hundred dollars an hour, it seems.”
“And? Do I get any employee benefits? What kind of accommodation should I be expecting?” I fired off a barrage of questions at him. As an up-and-coming worker, I should at least be aware of my benefits. It was my turn to smile at him, and Won shivered in response, like a plump rabbit who’d just spotted a ravenous wolf.
“Give me a moment, I’ll… pass you the contract.” He took a deep breath. “I have the authority, apparently, to amend the contract. So—uh, anything you’re not happy with, we can negotiate.”
My ears perked up at these words. The way Won said those words could harmonize seamlessly with the gentle clinks that falling coins produced, and I rubbed my hands unconsciously.
I felt somewhat sorry for his boss. To let me know his bottom line… I’ve met a lot of new negotiators, but this guy here was truly the cream of the crop when it came to making losses for his boss. I looked at him and smiled, putting in the best innocent face I had.
“Say,” I asked cheerily, “Why is the Alliance going so far to rope me in? They’re being very nice about it too!”
“Beats me.” Won rubbed his nose. “But the higher-ups wanted you at all costs.”
My smile widened even further. If there was any doubt that this was a ploy, they had all disappeared now. Sure, there was something odd about the way the initiative shifted to me, but if it was really a trap, I wouldn’t mind walking into it either. The bait was too expensive to ignore. I licked my lips and started scrutinizing the contract.
The moon had risen to a rather respectable height by the time I finished extorting—sorry, maximizing my benefits from Won. For some reason, the Alliance really, really wanted me to take up this two-week contract and didn’t hesitate to pay an exorbitant price to do so. Compelled by his bosses, Won had little choice but to accept my outrageous demands.
I started chuckling again as I left the building. The thick bundle of notes that I’d taken the liberty to claim as an advance smelt nice, and I briefly imagined the sensation of slapping a faceless victim on the cheek with the wad of cash, before stuffing it protectively into my pocket again.
What should I do now? Go home? Get some dinner? Treat some friends? Oh yeah, friends. I pulled out my phone. I had forgotten about something after securing this windfall. I selected a contact and called him. It didn’t take long for him to pick up.
“Hello? Is this Hao Wei?”
“A good evening to you, Aster. It’s me indeed. How may I be of service?”
“Well, someone wanted me to do something for two weeks, and I made him agree to my bringing in another helper. The pay’s really good.”
“Really?” His voice was suspicious, “What’s the job about? It’s not illegal, is it?”
“Nope,” I replied. “It’s a contract to babysit someone for a fortnight, although there’s no baby. In fact, it’s more of a bodyguard gig.”
I mulled briefly, searching my brain for the correct word to rope him in. Never mind. I wasn’t too keen to find the most suitable word anyway.
I tossed the little conundrum aside and carried on speaking. “Anyway, I’ll have to bunk in there for a good fortnight, so if you come along, I’ll be able to teach you some stuff. Plus, you get good money out of it. What’s not to like?”
“I’m not really concerned about the money, but I guess I’ll come along then,” replied Hao Wei.
I pumped a fist in victory. “I’ll send the contract over to you tomorrow then.” I fanned myself with the contract lightly, before deciding to head back home.
Chapter 7
I stifled a little yawn, as I watched a pair of men hard at work. I had been sleeping rather nicely, and only woke up due to these two guys coming over to fix my Beacon. One of the men from the Alliance had shown up at the door in work overalls and looked closer to an immigrant worker than someone who commanded mystical powers.
Although, I hardly expected a member of the Conclave of Wizards to be here too. When I opened the door, he had strolled in silently with the Alliance worker, his clothes billowing in the non-existent wind.
“Um, excuse me, Mr. White-haired clichéd wizard,” I s
aid, ignoring the non-verbal ‘ignore me’ signals he was giving off.
He responded with a grunt, and I felt the signals grow stronger.
“No offence, but why are you here?” My gaze traveled around his attire, which looked rather luxurious. The velvet cloth was unbelievably smooth—I could see my teeth reflected in them. With such an outfit, it was hard to imagine him as a contract worker, and I briefly wondered if I could cut a piece or two off without him noticing.
Another grunt.
“You just came in uninvited and unannounced… should I just throw you out?” I gave him a good once-over with my eyes.
Despite his age, his wealth was setting off some alarm bells… he could be hiding some things here and there. I didn’t want to provoke this guy, but I couldn’t have him striding around in MY home. If I don’t put my foot down, he might start living in it next. Not realistic, but who’s to say anything was impossible?
In a gruff voice, the old man answered, “I’m here to add some new functions to the Beacon. It’s a collaborative effort between the Conclave and the Alliance. Do you know how much money it costs to commission me out here to upgrade your Beacon?”
He paused, mulling over his next words. “Just how did you get that much money? I would love to earn that much too…”
His voice trailed away, leaving only a wistful sentiment hanging in the air. I guess he didn’t earn that much after all. No, rather, how much did the Alliance spend on me for him to say that? I looked at him and twiddled my thumbs.
“Well.” I shuffled my feet awkwardly, embarrassed. “You should try asking that Alliance personnel there. They wanted me to do some bodyguarding for them, I’m sure they wouldn't mind one more person.”
I paused, stealing a glance at his suddenly shiny eyes. “I recommend that you wait until this Beacon stuff is over though.”
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