Frank Bones wanted to know what we were offering him.
“So, what is so important that you have to bother me during my working hours?” Frank asked.
“We are here to make an offer, and you better strike a deal with us, otherwise we will offer this to someone else.” I replied.
“Now isn’t that interesting. What is so important that you are willing to offer it to me?” Frank seemed delighted with the situation, and he wasn’t taking us seriously. I placed one of the Copper Blocks on the ground, removing the cover.
“Here, what we owe you.” I replied.
Frank took a good look at the Copper Block and gasped in awe.
“What is this? Is it what I think it is?” Frank asked.
“Yes. We have brought you the missing Copper Block. Now, you have the 12 Copper Blocks you bought.” I replied.
“This is awesome.” Frank Bones replied. “Where did you find it? I thought you were done for. I never expected you four to have the courage to retrieve the block from the Hoglins.”
“We did not retrieve it from the Hoglins, this is a newly mined Copper Block.” Paul replied.
“Oh? But then where is the source of this Copper Block? I am interested now.” Frank replied.
“It is none of your business. Now, take it or leave it.” Tom replied.
Frank put on a specialized pair of gloves and analyzed the block for a few seconds before carrying the Copper Block back to his desk after covering it again with the black tarp.
“Okay, I’m going to keep it. This is perfect. I now have all my Copper Blocks. This is truly wonderful.” Frank admired the Copper Block on his table, ignoring our presence.
“Ahem.” Tom coughed.
“Oh, yes. Pardon me. For a split second, I forgot you were here. So, what else do you need? Tell me already because I need to take the last Copper Block to the exhibit of rare blocks I’m putting together.” Frank replied.
“We want you to keep your part of the deal.” I replied. “The equipment and the rest of the payment.”
“Right, I almost forgot that.” Frank replied. He went over to his desk and grabbed his phone. “Secretary, please call Doctor Burgundy back at the 1st Lab. Tell him to send the Substance Analysis and the Potion Maker machine to the city of Veromir to Doctor Ivy’s research lab. Do you understand? Good. Thank you.”
“Yes! That’s what we are talking about.” Tom replied. “Wait. How can we be so sure that they are really going to send everything to Veromir?”
“Are you calling me a liar, Strider? Well, I won’t take offence to that silly comment. You may check for yourself soon. You can see the deliverymen taking the equipment by land, so you won’t have to worry. As for the rest of the payment, here it is.” Frank placed a chest on the floor. “You may pick it up and take it back to Chief Derek now, Paul. I am sure he will be pleased.”
“Great. We have got everything we came here for.” Paul picked up the chest.
“Not everything.” I said. “We have one last deal to make.”
“Oh? Another deal? That’s interesting. Please do tell me more, Striders. What could you possibly have that is of interest for me?” Frank asked. “Oh, wait! Don’t tell me that –”
We placed the other Copper Blocks on the floor, removing their covers. Frank Bone almost fainted.
“What?” He screamed. “What is going on here? How many Copper Blocks did you find?”
“Here is our next offer, Frank Bones. Remember all the fancy equipment that you just lent to Doc Ivy?”
“Yes, those are topnotch medical equipment that you cannot find anywhere else in this Overworld, why do you mention it now?” Frank asked.
“We are here not only to borrow it, but to buy it. We want to buy everything.” I told him.
Frank looked at me, and then looked back at the Copper Blocks in confusion.
“The equipment is not exactly for sale. You see that equipment is unique to this world. We use it for the development of rare potions and other medical items. My lab needs it on a daily basis.” Frank replied.
“What a shame. In that case, we are going to sell the Copper Blocks to someone else.” Tom replied.
“No, wait! Let me think.” Frank said. “Perhaps I could offer you guys something else in exchange. What about some more Netherite and Diamonds? I have all the ores you need.”
“We do not need any of that. Have you ever seen a Strider using Netherite or Diamonds?” Tom replied. “Your offer is useless. In this case, we are taking the Copper Blocks to someone who can pay handsomely.”
“Wait! I am sure we can come to an agreement.” Frank Bones said.
“The medical equipment or nothing, it is our final, and only offer.” I replied.
Frank didn’t know what to do. He wanted us to strike a deal with him, but he did not want to sell the fancy equipment.
“You win. I will sell you the medical equipment for these Copper Blocks. Now please, give them to me.” Frank begged.
“Alright, they are all yours. Take them.” I replied.
“Yes! Copper Blocks!” Frank said. “Now I have 21 of them. This is wonderful.” Frank laughed joyfully.
“You can do whatever you want with them, but the equipment is ours now.” I replied.
“Yes, that’s fine. Thank you for the amazing deal, Striders. This is the happiest day ever. I’m sure my builders can come up with better medical equipment someday.” Frank replied.
The deal had been struck. We bought the equipment from Frank Bones.
Frank was happy with his brand-new acquisition. Now, he had a total of 21 Copper Blocks.
“The Copper Block expo will be a huge success!” Frank picked up the phone again. “Secretary, please send General Bart here. I need him for an important task.”
“Oh, General Bart is still working as a deneral? I was sure that the guy was going to be demoted.” Tom replied.
“Well, my other army is away on an important mission, and they will take months to return, so I must keep General Bart leading the 15th infantry until then.” Frank replied.
General Bart entered the office moments later.
“Here I am sir, what do you nee – wait, the Striders are here again?” General Bart asked.
“Nice to see you again,” Tom said. “How’s it going, coward?”
“Hey! I am no coward!” General Bart replied.
“Hello general, I am happy to see you’re still working here.” I replied.
“Yes, sure glad to see you too, Striders, and you too, Paul.” General Bart replied.
“General, please take these Copper Blocks with your special gloves and place them in the warehouse. My people will organize the expo very soon. I want these Copper Blocks exhibited in my special fair.” Frank replied.
“Absolutely sir, I will get it done.” General Bart replied, carrying the Copper Blocks.
“Striders, you may follow General Bart if you wish. The Copper Block expo is taking place soon, and visitors from all over the Overworld will be here to gaze at the marvelous sight of my rare blocks. This is going to be a huge success. They will see me as the richest man in the Overworld.” Frank replied.
“Yes, but we have to go back to the village and make sure Zack is fine.” I said.
“What’s the point? My men are already delivering the equipment to Doc Ivy. Trust me, they can deliver it in a day and Doc Ivy is going to take a bit to come up with a cure. You can spend some time here until the cure is completed.” Frank told us.
“Well, he’s got a point. We are going to check that expo before returning to the village.” Paul replied.
“Sounds good, I don’t see the problem.” I replied.
We left Frank Bones’ office and followed General Bart to the city. General Bart had to take the Copper Blocks to the warehouse before the great expo.
“So, General Bart, are you still working for Frank Bones even after everything that happened?” I asked him.
“Yes, he offered me my old job back if I promised to do everything he wanted. And here I am, being his errand boy and pretty much working as his assistant.” Bart replied. “Can you even imagine that? Being a general and being tasked with the most menial jobs? It’s humiliating. I guess it’s his way of punishing me for failing him.”
“You do not deserve this kind of treatment, General Bart. We all saw how you fought hard alongside Paul to protect us.” I replied.
“True. I shouldn’t even be calling you a coward anymore because you did prove yourself, general. I just can’t help it.” Tom joked.
“They are right. We know you are a brave man, General Bart.” Nora said.
“Thank you all, but I really can’t do much about it. I am powerless, after all. I have no other place to go, so I am at Frank Bones’ disposal.” General Bart replied.
“Man, you’re wasting your time around here.” Paul replied. “Come back with us to Veromir. I’m sure Chief Derek will treat you the way you deserve. Chief Derek can be a bit of a fool sometimes, but he’s 100 times better than Frank Bones.”
“He is right, you know?” I said. “Chief Derek at least has some sense. Frank Bones cares about nothing other than his own wealth. I know Chief Derek would give you a nice place to live and have work for you to do where you would not have to spend your days doing silly tasks.”
“Sounds very promising but I still need to think about it, and I would need to talk to the 15th infantry and see if they were willing to come along, but thanks for the offer guys.”
“No problem. The offer will be up once you have made up your mind.” I replied.
General Bart took us to the warehouse, where he stored the Copper Blocks. He gave orders to some of the workers about the blocks.
“Guys, please wear your protective equipment; Frank Bones said to also put these blocks in the exhibit. He will be visiting soon, so make sure to display them properly.” General Bart said.
“Roger that!” The workers replied.
We left the warehouse and walked outside, where General Bart took us to the fair.
“Here is the main exposition. Frank decided to put the original eleven blocks on display to show the world his amazing riches. I think his goal is to draw in more investors for the city of Albeja, and also to make some new partnerships with other towns. Personally, I don’t think this is a good idea. After spending some time with you guys out there in the Nether, I have realized that these blocks deserve to be locked away in a safe place far from everyone. We should not take any risks even if they are encased in a special glass to protect the viewers from radiation. And yet, here we are at a public fair, displaying these radioactive blocks for the whole world to see.” General Bart said.
“Well said, general. We feel the same, but again we had no choice. We had to purchase the equipment and make sure Doc Ivy can find a cure for Zack and the others.” I replied.
“I understand. You are not at fault here. Frank Bones and his greed is.” General Bart replied.
The city of Albeja was holding an exposition with the Copper Blocks as the main attraction. Did Doc Ivy already receive the equipment back in Veromir?