THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME
Zachary Establishment

"Have you made it here by running?" Emily asked as soon as Zachary sat on the chair opposite him at the corner table inside Cafe le Frere. "Why do you look so out of breath?"

Zachary just smiled at her without bothering to answer. She runs away from the Trondheim Torg parking lot to avoid delaying an appointment with Emily, but she sure as hell won't tell him that. He did not want to elaborate further on what had actually delayed his arrival.

Seeing her remain silent, Emily simply shook her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter, anyway" he said with a smile. "I ordered the food. But for now, we can go ahead and discuss the existing business while waiting. Is it okay with you? Or should we wait for the food and eat first?"

"Let's get straight to business" Zachary replied quickly. "I want to hear what the Red Bull representative said."

"Alright then," Emily said as she nodded. "As I expected, Red Bull is quite interested in signing you as one of their ambassadors. They even offer a sizable sum as an initial wage plus a very lucrative contract." He paused for a few seconds as the waiter brought their chosen plate and began to put it on their table. When he finished arranging the meal between them, they thanked him and then enjoyed the taste of their meal before returning to their discussion.

"So, how much does Red Bull offer?" Zachary investigated as soon as the maid was out of hearing range. He already felt his heart start pounding with excitement after hearing that it was possible to sign a support contract again. Especially with other world famous brands.

"They're offering 12 million a year" Emily said after sipping her cappuccino. "But don't get too excited. The deal is a cover to build a relationship with you and get you to sign a contract with one of their clubs. I guess you know Red Bull and his great interest in investing in sports. You?"

"Yes, of course, I know about their sports investments," Zachary replied as he nodded. "So, which team do they want me to join? Is it an Austrian club, Red Bull Salzburg, or a German club, RB Leipzig?"

"It looks like you know enough about the Red Bull team" Emily said, raising an eyebrow. "You already know about RB Leipzig. I just found out today. How do you know this information? Did the Red Bull representative contact you?"

"Well," said Zachary, smiling wryly. "I just did a dig on the internet after hearing that you met a Red Bull representative. I wanted to understand what kind of company they were and finally find out the information." He decided to lie because he could not admit that information about Red Bull was common knowledge for any football lover during his previous life.

"RB Leipzig is the club they want you to join" said Emily, putting her cup on the table and staring at Zachary. He then went on to recount the entire discussion with a Red Bull representative, even detailing what kind of weekly wages they were willing to offer. He even told me about Red Bull's master plan to quickly advance his new club to the Bundesliga in a maximum of three years.

Although Zachary already knew the information about RB Leipzig from his previous life, he still listened attentively—so as not to miss any minor details.

A gentle smile graced her face, softening her often intense face, as Emily began discussing more of the promises Red Bull made to convince her to join their team. His spirit brightened as he felt a surge of satisfaction sweep over him.

He could see that the Red Bull officials were quite sincere in making their offer. They really want to sign him to their team. And that makes him proud of his recent achievements at Tippeligaen. He is even more confident that he is on the right track to become a great player in no time. But he also understood that he could not accelerate his career progress in any way. Otherwise, he would stumble and fall before facing a fate filled with despair like his previous life.

"Their whole offer was quite tempting," Zachary said after deliberating for a moment. "But the timing is very wrong. I just signed with Rosenborg two months ago, in March. So, there is no chance I will leave my team in the middle of the season. It would be a little unprofessional and irresponsible. Besides, leaving the club before achieving something doesn't suit me. Had the offer come a year later, I might have promised to think about it. But now, it's a different story."

"Oh," said Emily with a small smile. He seemed not to be bothered in the slightest with Zachary's reply. "Do you not even want to sit with them and listen to what they say?"

"No," Zachary answered quickly. “I'm not good at rejecting people. If I met with that representative, I might be tempted by them and end up joining their club, especially given the money they offer. So, it's better for me to stay away from them to avoid such a scenario happening." He smiled, shaking his head.

If he had to be honest one hundred percent, he was quite tempted by the offer of 40,000 Euros a week. But if he agrees to join Leipzig in that transfer window, he will leave his side even before the middle of the Tippeligaen season. That will greatly affect his reputation and credibility as a professional footballer. Over the next few years of his career, other clubs looking to secure his services will wonder if he will leave them soon after signing a contract.

In addition, he is well aware that switching clubs at the start of his career is not a recommended course of action. During his previous life, he had witnessed Nicolas Anelka, a player with exceptional skill and exceptional talent, fail to reach his full potential partly for the same reason. The French striker underwent several transfers early in his career which made his development unstable as a professional footballer. Zachary doesn't want to follow the same path.

He is not against a transfer to another club when the time is right. But for now, he wanted to develop his skills in a familiar environment before thinking of joining the larger stage. That way, he will minimize all external factors that might destabilize his growth until some of his stats expand to S level.

Emily nodded expressionlessly upon hearing Zachary's reply. "Because you seem very confident and clear about this, I will reject Red Bull's offer" he said. "But you have to be sure that's what you want. Otherwise, if we keep rejecting it, and then you change your mind, it'll be very problematic."

"Don't worry," Zachary replied, his voice resolute. "I've been thinking about this matter for quite a while, even before today. I'm sure I'd like to continue to develop my skills at Rosenborg before thinking about joining another club."

"Then, that's good," said Emily, a smile adorning her face and breaking the serious mood on the table. "I will go ahead and do what is necessary. However, you should remember that we can only ban those parties who want to sign you—only if they approach us. It would be a completely different story if they decided to do a deal. with the club directly—and then trigger your release clause. You should be prepared for such a scenario, especially considering your current performance."

"Then we can go ahead and ask for some abnormal personal terms during the negotiation process if such a scenario develops," Zachary replied, grinning like an asshole. “For example, you can ask for 90 thousand Euros per week and then ask for a clause in the contract that promises regular first-team football. If interested parties can meet such requirements, I will force myself to forget my concerns and then transfer. But instead, I will remain a Rosenborg player for some time."

"That's a good idea" said Emily, a gentle smile still adorning her face. “I will be wary of such an opportunity in the future. But the negotiation of the offer of support is not dead. Red Bull may still want to take you on as a brand ambassador even if you reject the prospect of a transfer to Leipzig. But that's the way, they'll get plenty of opportunities to urge you and try to convince you to change your mind and join their club. Are you willing to accept their offer of support of twelve million Norwegian Kroner a year even after knowing that?"

"If they can remove the terms of the transfer to Leipzig in the next transfer window, then I agree with the deal" Zachary replied confidently. "I can easily resist their insistence if they pay me twelve million that a year."