On his way to the Johns and Josh merchant group’s headquarters, Wolf noticed that the Nobles’ District was built differently from the Merchants’ District and Port Town.
The district was laid out in a strange manner. Streets which were next to each other were bizarrely far apart from one another. It took a while for Wolf to realize that the stores and houses in which people lived were actually just fences surrounding the noble estates.
The inner part of each estate was like Mage Academy or Alchemists’ Guild. They had a lot of parks and green surfaces, with a complex of buildings at the center. On the fringes of their lands the owners had constructed buildings which they rented or used to house their servants, or run their own personal businesses.
Each of these complexes was huge. They covered anywhere between a dozen and several dozen hectares. Most of them were covered in ornamental parks or other landscape marvels, however Wolf noticed a couple which were turned into farmland.
Once he’d cracked the mystery Wolf didn’t care much for the estates surrounded by buildings. Instead he started focusing on the miscellaneous stores which lined the streets.
Among those buildings Wolf had found all sorts of establishments, and for the first time ever he saw a patisserie. Despite having a clear goal in his mind, Wolf still couldn’t help himself and had to enter to try a sweet.
A short while later Wolf left the confectionery with a bright smile, and a hint of whipped cream on his lip. He’d never eaten anything as sweet. Just like Wolf, his father never baked, so the sweets the youth had tried so far boiled down to fresh, or dried fruit, depending on what was available.
While fruits certainly were a healthier choice than the Summer Berry soufflé Wolf had just eaten, he would always choose something from this shop over lame fruits. That sweet sponginess that bordered on being a thick creme was unforgettable.
After walking for another block, Wolf saw the first whorehouse in the Nobles’ District. The sign above the door called it a bordello and it was much subtler than similar establishments in the Merchants’ District.
It was late in the morning, but in this broad daylight Wolf saw a group of five well dressed youths, roughly his age, walking inside while laughing.
“How do you feel about a spit roast?” one of them asked while nudging his friend.
“As long as she’s not too big and we don’t roast her all the way by choking her!” the youth answered, bursting into strange laughter Wolf found forced.
The youths all laughed and loudly bragged about their prowess and what they planned on doing to the women inside.
Wolf couldn’t believe it. The group walked inside without the least bit of shame. They were shouting obscenities and the things they said were getting more and more absurd and well out of hand. The last words Wolf heard as the door slammed closed wasn’t guys having fun, but outright criminal behavior which could easily escalate all the way up to manslaughter.
Back in the Merchants’ District Wolf had seen men going to brothels. They walked in normally, not trying to sneak in, but they certainly weren’t swaggering and shouting absurd things they planned to do inside like these fellows. Besides, how could you choke a roast?
To make matters worse, nobody on the street paid them any mind. Everyone either ignored them, or acted like what they were doing was normal. The only one to make any kind of a comment was an elderly gentleman, who chuckled affectionately.
“Ah, how wonderful it is to be young,” he said as he walked by.
Apparently prostitution worked differently when you were a noble. Wolf took note of this and decided to ask Wayde about it once he got back to the dorm.
Wait, maybe that’s not the best way to go about this, considering what his mother had gone through... Even though that’s what he thought, Wolf still remembered that he wanted more information on this subject, especially if he found out Wayde was fine talking about it.
While he did see youngsters going to a brothel, talking about murdering and torturing prostitutes, Wolf didn’t see a single beggar anywhere. There were no drunkards in the street either.
Another thing the youth noted as something worth inquiring with Wayde later. After seeing how many beggars lived in Merchants’ District and the whole slums, Wolf had found it impossible that there were no homeless people someplace within the Nobles’ District.
Wolf walked around the district taking in its sights. The contrast between mansion complexes and the seemingly normal looking streets between them fascinated him. All in all, the Nobles’ district looked quite impressive and was just as wasteful.
If all of those people grew food instead of having miniature forests, ornamental gardens and oversized lawns there wouldn’t be any hungry people in Silver City. At least there were some people who had adapted to the times and grew food instead of being wasteful.
Thinking up to here, Wolf realized there was a bit of an error in his way of thinking. The district was originally made in an era when people lived peacefully out in the country and there were no major famines or food shortages. As for overpopulation it was naturally resolved by disasters, Monster Beast attacks and similar events.
Also, if Wolf had a garden plotted out by his dad, he too would let strangers starve, rather than dig it up just to feed them.
Wolf kept on walking, while thinking about the problems he kept seeing all around. The root cause of everything boiled down to what the Emperor had done, supposedly in order to strengthen the human race.
Entertaining all sorts of thoughts, Wolf reached his destination. He stood in front of the largest building he’d seen in his life.
Other manor complexes were mostly covered in greenery, or converted to farmland, however there wasn’t even a blade of grass that could be seen from outside of the Johns and Josh merchant group’s headquarters.
The large building in front of him was exquisitely built. It was planned so as to harmoniously house dozens of paved courtyards, storage facilities, offices, various shops and more.
Above the main entrance were two meter tall letters wrought in silver. The sign simply said ‘John’s and Josh’s’. Despite the fact that the name had gone through a minor change the owners decided to keep the original sign. Deep down Wolf approved of this, even though he didn’t linger on the thought.
Even if you’re not happy with it, you shouldn’t hide where you came from. Such were the thoughts of a youth who hid half his heritage and the entirety of his identity.
Wolf walked through the large gate and entered the main building. He found himself inside a spacious hall that had water fountains, dozens of cages with birds and the temperature was artificially maintained at a level of a comfortable spring day.
As soon as Wolf set his foot inside he was immediately greeted by a pretty young lady, who was in her late teens or early twenties. Even Wolf found it hard to tell because of the extensive makeup. Her large breasts however were appreciated wholeheartedly by the youth.
“Good day Lord Mage, how may I be of service?” the young attendant chirped pleasantly.
Another ass kisser? Or do Mage Academy students really get to have the same treatment as bonafide Mages? Wolf wondered, tearing his gaze away from the considerable assets standing proudly before him.
“I’m looking for Monster Cores. Ninth Order and above,” he said calmly, as if inquiring about cabbages.
The female attendant on the other hand felt waves crashing inside her head. She’d struck it rich today. “We should have some. Would you let me take you to the store which deals in higher Order Monster Beast parts?”
Wolf noted the strange wording, but nodded nevertheless. The smiling hostess rang a silver bell she had hanging from her belt.
A couple of moments later a rickshaw, pulled by a muscled man appeared. The young woman boarded it and gave her hand to Wolf, apparently forgetting propriety of which that chaperone had spoken at great length.
“Watch your step Lord Mage,” she smiled, while her face practically glowed from happiness.
Once Wolf boarded the rickshaw the woman directed the driver. “Take us to the store twenty-three.”
The man started sprinting and the rickshaw jolted into motion. Wolf examined the man and noticed that his build and the way he moved were very similar to Red and his men. The man was probably a store guard and not just a rickshaw driver.
It’s not a bad way to utilize idle warriors, and it’s not bad training for them either. If I were to ever have a force of my own it would be a good practice for everyone to be combat able. Hmmm… I should write to Rand and ask how Oakwood Freeland folks are doing these days…
The guard sprinted like crazy, and after a few minutes Wolf and the clerk had arrived at the store which dealt in Monster Beast parts. As soon as Wolf walked in he saw a familiar person writing into a ledger. It was the beggar he’d sent as a proxy to Johns and Josh merchant group to deliver Red’s message and to fulfill his father’s will.
“Sir Jod, this here Lord Mage is looking for Monster Cores of Ninth Order or higher. Do you have some items in stock for him?” the well shaped young woman asked respectfully, almost making Wolf doubt this was the homeless person he’d turned into a living puppet ages ago.
“I do have some,” Jod replied relaxedly while taking off his reading glasses and returning his quill back into the inkwell.
However, as soon as he laid his eyes on Wolf, the man felt a chill run up his spine. Jod couldn’t understand why, but he felt an instinctive fear as soon as he’d met Wolf’s gaze.
The youth wearing Mage Academy uniform looked at him with a mix of curiosity and respect. Neither of which Jod had warranted, and neither of which he felt he’d deserved from those terrifying eyes. In fact, to Jod, those eyes were something his nightmares were made of.
“Lord Mage, I will bring you the premium goods we have in our store. Please wait a moment for me, please,” the man blurted out nervously, not daring to show even the slightest hint of negligence.
He bowed two times before sprinting out the door behind the counter. The clerk who’d brought Wolf in was dumbfounded by the way Sir Jod had just acted. Did he know this youth? Was he an important person she didn’t know about? She, like the rest of Johns and Josh merchant groups’ staff, knew every single scion from Marquess households, as well as the heirs of Count families. Wolf definitely wasn’t among the faces she’d memorized.
“Lord Mage, I will wait for you outside in the rickshaw. Should you need anything just ring this bell.” the woman bowed, respectfully handing over the bell she’d used a short while ago to summon the rickshaw driver.
Wolf took the bell and gulped, his gaze locked onto the flash of white in the otherwise black formal uniform.
As the woman left, Wolf watched her figure from the back, feeling it was a shame that Anna’s chest wasn’t as developed.
She needs to put some meat on her bones. Wolf thought, deciding he should maybe cook for her more often in private.
Less than a minute after Jod had disappeared he came running back, covered in sweat. “Here you go Lord Mage. These are all the Monster Cores we have in stock that fit your needs.”
As Jod spoke he placed three boxes onto the counter.
“You’re very much afraid of me, aren’t you?” Wolf asked, carefully inspecting Jod.
The youth tapped his finger on his chin, contemplating the issue.
Is it a side effect of the Living Puppet spell? Wolf wondered. His subconscious mind could be aware of something, and it’s now trying to get through this without causing trouble? But, the spell shouldn’t work like that. Is his soul extraordinarily sensitive?
Hmmm. If that’s the case then the sensitivity of the soul and its power are two different categories. That could be worth checking out later.
Maybe I should run a couple of tests using Living Puppet and see how people act afterwards?
“No, Lord Mage, not at all,” Jod stuttered while uttering the most half-assed lie of his life.
“All right, if you say so. Show me what you have,” Wolf said without much interest.
While he wanted to know what was going on, he couldn’t just sack the man and experiment on him.
Or maybe he could?
For a moment the youth wavered, but remembered what his father had told him about karma. When he saw that frightened, rabbitlike look the store manager was giving him, Wolf dismissed the idea completely. He was already Wolf’s victim once through no fault of his own.
“Ninth Order Monster Cores are a rare commodity, Lord Mage,” Jod said subserviently. “As soon as they appear various powers get them, but some are left over. Um, these Monster Cores are flawed in different ways, so nobody wanted to buy them–”
“What kind of flaws do they have?” Wolf stopped the stuttering man, otherwise this transaction could take until nightfall.
“One of them had cracked during the battle,” Jod promptly stopped talking and answered Wolf’s question. “Because of that it can’t be used in setting up Spell Formations, nor Artificing. The second one has a poisonous attribute and can’t be used at all and the last one is the strangest by far. It was verified to have a vengeful remnant soul.”
“The last one sounds interesting. Which Order was the Monster Beast that left the remnant soul?”
“All of these come from Ninth Order Monster Beasts, Lord Mage. Monster Cores of Tenth Order Monster Beasts are sold on auctions. Even if they are critically flawed like these ones.
“But the party which had fought the Monster Beast from which the haunted Monster Core comes from had claimed that the Monster Beast was bordering the Tenth Order. We know for a fact that a third of their team was wiped out in the subjugation. They made a great deal of money with other parts, but because of the vengeful spirit, this Monster Core was a waste to them.”
“How much is it?” Wolf was actually greatly interested in this item. When combined with the potion he’d bought earlier today, he should be able to advance his Sword-Sage Order.
“Under normal circumstances a Ninth Order Monster Core goes for two to six thousand gold coins. We are selling it for two. Even though it’s flawed, it’s still a Ninth Order Monster Core. But I believe the management would be happy to get rid of it for nineteen hundred gold coins. After all, this thing is just dead capital to us.” Jod couldn’t believe the flood of words coming out of his mouth.
Just now he’d basically haggled with himself, bringing down the price all the way to his bottom line without the customer saying a single word. Under normal circumstances he would start bargaining at twenty-five hundred and settle for two thousand, but now...
“Thank you for your honesty. I think we can agree to those two thousand you just mentioned. I don’t want you to get into trouble with your boss,” Wolf replied just as honestly, stunning Jod.
This is not how sales worked! You don’t start off with the lowest price and then the customer gives you more money for being honest. What was going on!?
“As for the other two, I can’t use poisonous Monster Cores either, but the cracked one can be used, if the price is right. Do you give a bulk discount?” Wolf continued, without minding Jod’s priceless expression.
“I-I-In general we do, b-b-but these goods don’t fall into that category. My apologies Lord Mage, t-this is because it’s rare for someone to buy Monster Cores in bulk. And, and, two isn’t really bulk, it’s just expensive,” Jod spoke in a fluster feeling like slapping himself the whole time. He wanted to know what was wrong with him. He’d never acted like this before.
“Fine, fine, I understand,” Wolf said with a sigh. Everything was so damn expensive…
Then Wolf and Jod started the similar negotiations as before. Jod opened by quoting the bare minimum price and Wolf paid more than that so as not to cause trouble for the man.
The worst thing was that all the while Jod had a feeling that he was standing in front of a gigantic predator he had to appease or be eaten.
On his way to the Johns and Josh merchant group’s headquarters, Wolf noticed that the Nobles’ District was built differently from the Merchants’ District and Port Town.
The district was laid out in a strange manner. Streets which were next to each other were bizarrely far apart from one another. It took a while for Wolf to realize that the stores and houses in which people lived were actually just fences surrounding the noble estates.
The inner part of each estate was like Mage Academy or Alchemists’ Guild. They had a lot of parks and green surfaces, with a complex of buildings at the center. On the fringes of their lands the owners had constructed buildings which they rented or used to house their servants, or run their own personal businesses.
Each of these complexes was huge. They covered anywhere between a dozen and several dozen hectares. Most of them were covered in ornamental parks or other landscape marvels, however Wolf noticed a couple which were turned into farmland.
Once he’d cracked the mystery Wolf didn’t care much for the estates surrounded by buildings. Instead he started focusing on the miscellaneous stores which lined the streets.
Among those buildings Wolf had found all sorts of establishments, and for the first time ever he saw a patisserie. Despite having a clear goal in his mind, Wolf still couldn’t help himself and had to enter to try a sweet.
A short while later Wolf left the confectionery with a bright smile, and a hint of whipped cream on his lip. He’d never eaten anything as sweet. Just like Wolf, his father never baked, so the sweets the youth had tried so far boiled down to fresh, or dried fruit, depending on what was available.
While fruits certainly were a healthier choice than the Summer Berry soufflé Wolf had just eaten, he would always choose something from this shop over lame fruits. That sweet sponginess that bordered on being a thick creme was unforgettable.
After walking for another block, Wolf saw the first whorehouse in the Nobles’ District. The sign above the door called it a bordello and it was much subtler than similar establishments in the Merchants’ District.
It was late in the morning, but in this broad daylight Wolf saw a group of five well dressed youths, roughly his age, walking inside while laughing.
“How do you feel about a spit roast?” one of them asked while nudging his friend.
“As long as she’s not too big and we don’t roast her all the way by choking her!” the youth answered, bursting into strange laughter Wolf found forced.
The youths all laughed and loudly bragged about their prowess and what they planned on doing to the women inside.
Wolf couldn’t believe it. The group walked inside without the least bit of shame. They were shouting obscenities and the things they said were getting more and more absurd and well out of hand. The last words Wolf heard as the door slammed closed wasn’t guys having fun, but outright criminal behavior which could easily escalate all the way up to manslaughter.
Back in the Merchants’ District Wolf had seen men going to brothels. They walked in normally, not trying to sneak in, but they certainly weren’t swaggering and shouting absurd things they planned to do inside like these fellows. Besides, how could you choke a roast?
To make matters worse, nobody on the street paid them any mind. Everyone either ignored them, or acted like what they were doing was normal. The only one to make any kind of a comment was an elderly gentleman, who chuckled affectionately.
“Ah, how wonderful it is to be young,” he said as he walked by.
Apparently prostitution worked differently when you were a noble. Wolf took note of this and decided to ask Wayde about it once he got back to the dorm.
Wait, maybe that’s not the best way to go about this, considering what his mother had gone through... Even though that’s what he thought, Wolf still remembered that he wanted more information on this subject, especially if he found out Wayde was fine talking about it.
While he did see youngsters going to a brothel, talking about murdering and torturing prostitutes, Wolf didn’t see a single beggar anywhere. There were no drunkards in the street either.
Another thing the youth noted as something worth inquiring with Wayde later. After seeing how many beggars lived in Merchants’ District and the whole slums, Wolf had found it impossible that there were no homeless people someplace within the Nobles’ District.
Wolf walked around the district taking in its sights. The contrast between mansion complexes and the seemingly normal looking streets between them fascinated him. All in all, the Nobles’ district looked quite impressive and was just as wasteful.
If all of those people grew food instead of having miniature forests, ornamental gardens and oversized lawns there wouldn’t be any hungry people in Silver City. At least there were some people who had adapted to the times and grew food instead of being wasteful.
Thinking up to here, Wolf realized there was a bit of an error in his way of thinking. The district was originally made in an era when people lived peacefully out in the country and there were no major famines or food shortages. As for overpopulation it was naturally resolved by disasters, Monster Beast attacks and similar events.
Also, if Wolf had a garden plotted out by his dad, he too would let strangers starve, rather than dig it up just to feed them.
Wolf kept on walking, while thinking about the problems he kept seeing all around. The root cause of everything boiled down to what the Emperor had done, supposedly in order to strengthen the human race.
Entertaining all sorts of thoughts, Wolf reached his destination. He stood in front of the largest building he’d seen in his life.
Other manor complexes were mostly covered in greenery, or converted to farmland, however there wasn’t even a blade of grass that could be seen from outside of the Johns and Josh merchant group’s headquarters.
The large building in front of him was exquisitely built. It was planned so as to harmoniously house dozens of paved courtyards, storage facilities, offices, various shops and more.
Above the main entrance were two meter tall letters wrought in silver. The sign simply said ‘John’s and Josh’s’. Despite the fact that the name had gone through a minor change the owners decided to keep the original sign. Deep down Wolf approved of this, even though he didn’t linger on the thought.
Even if you’re not happy with it, you shouldn’t hide where you came from. Such were the thoughts of a youth who hid half his heritage and the entirety of his identity.
Wolf walked through the large gate and entered the main building. He found himself inside a spacious hall that had water fountains, dozens of cages with birds and the temperature was artificially maintained at a level of a comfortable spring day.
As soon as Wolf set his foot inside he was immediately greeted by a pretty young lady, who was in her late teens or early twenties. Even Wolf found it hard to tell because of the extensive makeup. Her large breasts however were appreciated wholeheartedly by the youth.
“Good day Lord Mage, how may I be of service?” the young attendant chirped pleasantly.
Another ass kisser? Or do Mage Academy students really get to have the same treatment as bonafide Mages? Wolf wondered, tearing his gaze away from the considerable assets standing proudly before him.
“I’m looking for Monster Cores. Ninth Order and above,” he said calmly, as if inquiring about cabbages.
The female attendant on the other hand felt waves crashing inside her head. She’d struck it rich today. “We should have some. Would you let me take you to the store which deals in higher Order Monster Beast parts?”
Wolf noted the strange wording, but nodded nevertheless. The smiling hostess rang a silver bell she had hanging from her belt.
A couple of moments later a rickshaw, pulled by a muscled man appeared. The young woman boarded it and gave her hand to Wolf, apparently forgetting propriety of which that chaperone had spoken at great length.
“Watch your step Lord Mage,” she smiled, while her face practically glowed from happiness.
Once Wolf boarded the rickshaw the woman directed the driver. “Take us to the store twenty-three.”
The man started sprinting and the rickshaw jolted into motion. Wolf examined the man and noticed that his build and the way he moved were very similar to Red and his men. The man was probably a store guard and not just a rickshaw driver.
It’s not a bad way to utilize idle warriors, and it’s not bad training for them either. If I were to ever have a force of my own it would be a good practice for everyone to be combat able. Hmmm… I should write to Rand and ask how Oakwood Freeland folks are doing these days…
The guard sprinted like crazy, and after a few minutes Wolf and the clerk had arrived at the store which dealt in Monster Beast parts. As soon as Wolf walked in he saw a familiar person writing into a ledger. It was the beggar he’d sent as a proxy to Johns and Josh merchant group to deliver Red’s message and to fulfill his father’s will.
“Sir Jod, this here Lord Mage is looking for Monster Cores of Ninth Order or higher. Do you have some items in stock for him?” the well shaped young woman asked respectfully, almost making Wolf doubt this was the homeless person he’d turned into a living puppet ages ago.
“I do have some,” Jod replied relaxedly while taking off his reading glasses and returning his quill back into the inkwell.
However, as soon as he laid his eyes on Wolf, the man felt a chill run up his spine. Jod couldn’t understand why, but he felt an instinctive fear as soon as he’d met Wolf’s gaze.
The youth wearing Mage Academy uniform looked at him with a mix of curiosity and respect. Neither of which Jod had warranted, and neither of which he felt he’d deserved from those terrifying eyes. In fact, to Jod, those eyes were something his nightmares were made of.
“Lord Mage, I will bring you the premium goods we have in our store. Please wait a moment for me, please,” the man blurted out nervously, not daring to show even the slightest hint of negligence.
He bowed two times before sprinting out the door behind the counter. The clerk who’d brought Wolf in was dumbfounded by the way Sir Jod had just acted. Did he know this youth? Was he an important person she didn’t know about? She, like the rest of Johns and Josh merchant groups’ staff, knew every single scion from Marquess households, as well as the heirs of Count families. Wolf definitely wasn’t among the faces she’d memorized.
“Lord Mage, I will wait for you outside in the rickshaw. Should you need anything just ring this bell.” the woman bowed, respectfully handing over the bell she’d used a short while ago to summon the rickshaw driver.
Wolf took the bell and gulped, his gaze locked onto the flash of white in the otherwise black formal uniform.
As the woman left, Wolf watched her figure from the back, feeling it was a shame that Anna’s chest wasn’t as developed.
She needs to put some meat on her bones. Wolf thought, deciding he should maybe cook for her more often in private.
Less than a minute after Jod had disappeared he came running back, covered in sweat. “Here you go Lord Mage. These are all the Monster Cores we have in stock that fit your needs.”
As Jod spoke he placed three boxes onto the counter.
“You’re very much afraid of me, aren’t you?” Wolf asked, carefully inspecting Jod.
The youth tapped his finger on his chin, contemplating the issue.
Is it a side effect of the Living Puppet spell? Wolf wondered. His subconscious mind could be aware of something, and it’s now trying to get through this without causing trouble? But, the spell shouldn’t work like that. Is his soul extraordinarily sensitive?
Hmmm. If that’s the case then the sensitivity of the soul and its power are two different categories. That could be worth checking out later.
Maybe I should run a couple of tests using Living Puppet and see how people act afterwards?
“No, Lord Mage, not at all,” Jod stuttered while uttering the most half-assed lie of his life.
“All right, if you say so. Show me what you have,” Wolf said without much interest.
While he wanted to know what was going on, he couldn’t just sack the man and experiment on him.
Or maybe he could?
For a moment the youth wavered, but remembered what his father had told him about karma. When he saw that frightened, rabbitlike look the store manager was giving him, Wolf dismissed the idea completely. He was already Wolf’s victim once through no fault of his own.
“Ninth Order Monster Cores are a rare commodity, Lord Mage,” Jod said subserviently. “As soon as they appear various powers get them, but some are left over. Um, these Monster Cores are flawed in different ways, so nobody wanted to buy them–”
“What kind of flaws do they have?” Wolf stopped the stuttering man, otherwise this transaction could take until nightfall.
“One of them had cracked during the battle,” Jod promptly stopped talking and answered Wolf’s question. “Because of that it can’t be used in setting up Spell Formations, nor Artificing. The second one has a poisonous attribute and can’t be used at all and the last one is the strangest by far. It was verified to have a vengeful remnant soul.”
“The last one sounds interesting. Which Order was the Monster Beast that left the remnant soul?”
“All of these come from Ninth Order Monster Beasts, Lord Mage. Monster Cores of Tenth Order Monster Beasts are sold on auctions. Even if they are critically flawed like these ones.
“But the party which had fought the Monster Beast from which the haunted Monster Core comes from had claimed that the Monster Beast was bordering the Tenth Order. We know for a fact that a third of their team was wiped out in the subjugation. They made a great deal of money with other parts, but because of the vengeful spirit, this Monster Core was a waste to them.”
“How much is it?” Wolf was actually greatly interested in this item. When combined with the potion he’d bought earlier today, he should be able to advance his Sword-Sage Order.
“Under normal circumstances a Ninth Order Monster Core goes for two to six thousand gold coins. We are selling it for two. Even though it’s flawed, it’s still a Ninth Order Monster Core. But I believe the management would be happy to get rid of it for nineteen hundred gold coins. After all, this thing is just dead capital to us.” Jod couldn’t believe the flood of words coming out of his mouth.
Just now he’d basically haggled with himself, bringing down the price all the way to his bottom line without the customer saying a single word. Under normal circumstances he would start bargaining at twenty-five hundred and settle for two thousand, but now...
“Thank you for your honesty. I think we can agree to those two thousand you just mentioned. I don’t want you to get into trouble with your boss,” Wolf replied just as honestly, stunning Jod.
This is not how sales worked! You don’t start off with the lowest price and then the customer gives you more money for being honest. What was going on!?
“As for the other two, I can’t use poisonous Monster Cores either, but the cracked one can be used, if the price is right. Do you give a bulk discount?” Wolf continued, without minding Jod’s priceless expression.
“I-I-In general we do, b-b-but these goods don’t fall into that category. My apologies Lord Mage, t-this is because it’s rare for someone to buy Monster Cores in bulk. And, and, two isn’t really bulk, it’s just expensive,” Jod spoke in a fluster feeling like slapping himself the whole time. He wanted to know what was wrong with him. He’d never acted like this before.
“Fine, fine, I understand,” Wolf said with a sigh. Everything was so damn expensive…
Then Wolf and Jod started the similar negotiations as before. Jod opened by quoting the bare minimum price and Wolf paid more than that so as not to cause trouble for the man.
The worst thing was that all the while Jod had a feeling that he was standing in front of a gigantic predator he had to appease or be eaten.
