Chapter 37: Real Client
"The artifact was sentient." The man's voice trembled in fear. "It latched onto me." Then it was silent.
Cail was sure the man wasn't dead (he was as silent as dead), but he also knew what happened after. Either this man ran away because of fear, or he told the cult the truth. The artifact latched onto him, but they still didn't let go of his family. They probably even kidnapped him and tried to extract the artifact through various means.
The man looked very dazed. Cail had to bring back his attention. This is a customer, you know!
"That's rough, man. Going from an average Joe to being chased by strange guys." While Cail tried to act sympathetic. Despite having similarities in situation, he really couldn't muster any empathy.
But in order to lighten the atmosphere, Cail decided to tease him. "Aww, after hearing your problems, I really wish I could help you, okay? But I'm just one guy, you know? I can't fix all the world's problems, much as I'd love to. But..."
Hearing that, the man suddenly snapped. "Then why did you ask me!" He looked like he was about to cry from frustration.
While this bloody, half-dead-looking stranger was crazy, he did have some hope that this guy wanted to help him. But after hearing that, he wished he were just crushed to death by the madman's tires.
Seeing that the man was finally lively again, Cail thought, My energizer succeeded!
He clapped his hands and looked at the man now lying on the ground. "Didn't you hear my 'but'? Why are you like that? Come on, cheer up. Well, maybe I can help you—but it will cost something!"
He tossed a stone at the man lying on the ground. "I'm not a charity! I'm running something serious!"
"I see you're still grieving your loss... but have you considered that this might be a time to upgrade? For the low cost of your current soul (and one minor organ), I can give you a brand-new family, genetically tailored to love you unconditionally. Custom personalities. Even loyalty presets. Want this deal?" Cail joked.