Parallel Vol.2 [Legacy Edition]

Chapter 32: Dirge of the Emperor

A few days passed since the discovery of the underground laboratory, and Kashi had all but confined himself, eager to learn as many of its mysteries as possible, nor was he interested in the stash of gold and treasure Miote had discovered in another room. No, it appeared the delf had been sucked into one of those moods which haunt craftsmen of every ilk, and until he satisfied his yearnings, nothing would tear him from his work. Luckily, though consumed by his work, he still had enough of his own mind to issue out requests, some of which were very strange.

Miote, upon the delf's request traveled to Meilfour to meet - and if they did not have one, set up - its trading council. The Chesch did as asked, pleased with the change of pace. He obtained from each of them a list of materials they needed for their respective trades as the church had taken anything that might have furthered the arts, and the monsters that roamed the land were too powerful for men who had not fought a real battle in quite some time.

Miote promised the assistance of the Hopeful Maggots in obtaining these items, but in return volunteers from the town must come forward everyday to join in the hunt. They readily agreed, as they had many young men and women eager to brave the wilds, and it seemed most had been trained directly or indirectly by the good old bartender.

As per Kashi's request (and much to the merchant's chagrin), he also provided them with capital procured from the now christened 'Deserun' meaning 'Rune of the desert' (Kashi named it himself, a fact Miote made sure to point out whenever someone asked after the peculiar name.) Being the merchant he was, he negotiated a deal for the capital. Hopeful Maggots owned 15% of the shops, no-one else could buy into their enterprises without the guild's knowledge, and most importantly, no-one apart from the owners themselves would ever hold a larger share of their enterprises.

The council also agreed eagerly. They could not fathom a situation where any other person would want into their enterprises anyhow. However, credit must not be taken from the golden merchant. Not all were so easily fooled. Some in the council were incredibly long-sighted and challenged the chesch's proposal. But Miote, well versed in the art of negotiations, blessed with a silver tongue reminiscent of the dwarves, and possessing high charisma and charm was able to win even the most bull-headed of them all.

Miote was also charged with negotiating a deal in which the merchants would help mass-produce then sell some of the merchandise the delf would provide in the coming weeks. This was where Miote realized a dreadful fact. Kashi, wise as he was, and always viewing a larger picture than the rest, was quite simply... a terrible merchant. Why, he had the audacity to ask for a 70-30 split... in favor of the merchants!

The delf failed to realize how much of a dangerous precedent that was.

The golden Chesch almost asked for an 80-20 split in the guild's favor, but then understood that the delf was trying to earn goodwill and not money per say from these people. But, before all he was a merchant, and profit always comes first to a merchant. So, he switched to a 60-40 split in favor of the guild, and they were accountable for their own materials (meaning any the guild brought, would be bought as per the market price - with a partnership discount of course). This way, he gained the goodwill of the merchants of Meilfour, but maintained the guild's economic superiority.

The Chesch could but laugh at his own vehemence. This was supposed to be a spy job, but he was thoroughly enjoying himself parading as a merchant. Well, it wasn't like Kashi was really doing anything of real interest for now and as long as he was here, Suzuki, the other assignment and the most difficult one, wasn't.

Sometimes Kira would accompany him, somewhat intrigued by the Chesch's skill (though admittedly very few times), while majority of her time was spent with the hunting party, tasked with a mission that seemed quite deplorable at the time.