34 Gorilla Marketing (II)
It was early the next day that Arnold, as expected, showed up to the gym.
Randolph, still surveying potential trade targets, spotted him fidgeting at the center's entrance. He let the student stew in his thoughts for a while before walking up to him, waving his hand.
"Yo, Arnold. A bit early aren't you?"
"I could say the same to you," The man replied with a bit of hesitation, still fidgeting a bit. "Anyway… can we not talk here?."
"Of course, follow me."
The fitness center that Randolph had chosen was located very close to a community college in the town. It was on a main street, being the separating boundary between one of the residential districts and the commercial district.
It was rather old, but that was why Randolph had chosen it. Only those in less than ideal circumstances would use such a gym.
Connected to the gym was a large park, located across the street. It was a rather large park for a town, filled with dirty wooden benches, dull and flattened grass, and a few scattered trees. The only thing that could be considered beautiful in the park was that it was connected to a large lake, blocked off by a long wooden fence.
This park was where Randolph took Arnold. The two walked deep into the park, following the road to the very edge of the lake.
As it was a business day, there were very few people in the park. Even fewer came close to the edge of the lake, most of them just walking their dogs or jogging. The spot he had chosen was isolated enough so that nobody could hear them talk, but people could see them if anything too drastic happened.
"Is here fine?" Turning around, Randolph turned his gaze to the college student.
"Sure, whatever, it's fine," Arnold appeared rather anxious.
His brow was furrowed in apparent irritation, and his eyes darted to his surroundings nervously.
"Do you have the contract you mentioned before? I want to see it."
"I do. I had it printed just yesterday."
"How about the money? Do you have the money? You said you'd pay me first, right?"
"Yeah I have it. Why are you being so hasty? We can get the process over pretty quickly, so there's no need to rush." As he spoke, Randolph reached rustled around in his suit's pocket.
"I want to get this over with as soon as possible, before my… fellow students can see me. Who knows what sort of rumours are going to spread."
"…Your fellow students? Don't you mean friends?" Noticing his hesitation, Randolph voiced his doubts.
"…" Arnold's frown turned to a scowl upon hearing the word. "They're no friends of mine. They acted like my buddies, but that was only when I had any money or popularity at all. Now that I've fallen out, they've ghosted every single one of my calls and texts."
"…I see." Nodding, Randolph understood what had convinced him to sign.
Friendship wasn't such a fickle thing, but Arnold had only himself to blame for his poor choices and his shallow nature. It also explained his apparent anxiety.
"Just keep in mind, I wouldn't even approach you if I didn't need the damn money." As if trying to save himself some of his pride, the college student pointed a finger at Randolph in contempt.
But Randolph didn't care. Nothing mattered, no matter his words or his will to sign. The only thing that he cared about was the man actually signing.
"Here." From his suit's pocket, he pulled out a pre-generated contract.
Arnold grabbed the contract upon seeing it, unfolding it and looking over it carefully.
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Article I: Parties Involved
1.1 Individuals
a) Randolph Ivy
b) Arnold Armstrong
1.2 Administrator(s)
a) Randolph Ivy's Trading System
Article II: Trading Principles
2.1 Items Eligible for Trade
Upon completion of the contract, party (b) will agree to give (7) STR points of their (20) to party (a) in exchange for $3k.
2.2 Transaction Verification
The party responsible for verification of aforementioned items will be administrator (a).
2.3 Privacy Clause
Upon completion of the contract, party (b) will agree to the condition of absolute confidentiality of party (a). Administrator (a) reserves the right to interpretation of such an event.
2.4 Guarantees
Party (a) will confirm that the trade will not result in crippling or disability, enabling party (b) will be able to regain what he will have lost.
2.5 Additional Conditions
Upon completion of the contract, party (b) agrees to allow party (a) to view, and only view, their status page.
Upon completion of the contract, party (a) will pay first. Only upon receiving the money will party (b) be required to fulfill the contract.
Article III: Transaction Protocols
3.1 Trade Completion
Upon Contract Generation, a contract will be generated in which both parties must sign in blood (fingerprint).
3.2 Dispute Resolution
Upon breach of contract as confirmed by administrator (a), party (b) will have all stat points granted to party (a) in its entirety.
Upon breach of contract as confirmed by administrator (a), party (a) will be forced to pay $20k in renumeration to party (b)
[Generate Contract]
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The contract this time over was still barebones, but it included the basics necessities of what Randolph desired. The number one concern was privacy, merchandise being second.
"This is a weird contract… Who's the administrator? Randolph's trading system?"
"It's the name of my company. It's also the party that will bring it up to the government."
"What about this STR? And what the hell is a status page?"
"STR is a unit of your muscle strength that we've classified to make it easier for people like you. As for the status page, it's just the right to run physical exams on your body on occasion so we can confirm the effects of our drug."
"Hm… Examinations? You mean, side-effects?"
"There are side-effects yes, but only temporary. It says you can regain what you've lost, right? Don't worry, they won't take more than an hour. Plenty of people like you have been through the same process."
"I see…"
In usual contracts, word of mouth was used as a basis of trust throughout the signing. But even still, everything that was guaranteed should have been written down in the contract. Anything and everything was to be written down, to ensure that there would be no loopholes.
But Randolph didn't depend on the law to uphold his contract. He relied on the system, and that included its privacy clause.
This meant that, as long as the terms benefited him the most out of any party, he could do as he was currently doing and have blatant lies flow from his mouth like a river.
The system was extremely effective as it wasn't held back by the red tape of the law. This made it extremely rough, but also extremely simple.
"I'm beginning to feel like we should have agreed on the terms beforehand," A bead of sweat formed on Arnold's forehead as he read through the contract. "Something doesn't feel right. How did you prepare this beforehand? And how do you know my full name?"
"Don't underestimate the company backing me. Your name is incredibly easy to find out. As for the contract, it's the same terms we give to all those who sign with us," Randolph was patient in manner as he spoke, taking his time to explain things. "All you really have to know is that you'll get the money first in return for doing our experiment. Isn't that all you need?"
"…"
Randolph's words were undeniable. Although rough, they were logical and held a strong persuasion. Arnold's brows furrowed deeper as he pondered.
If I do the experiment… I'll get my money. Isn't that all I need to know? I can just gain the muscle back, as long as I get through the predicament in front of me.
Randolph could almost see what the man was thinking as he stood there.
This was a positive of simple-minded people. Their thoughts were simple and direct, and therefore, they were easily manipulated.
"…Fine. Where do I sign?"
