Owari made his way up the stairs and was brought to the same tacky meeting room as last time with all the velvet furniture and over the top decorations. Tristain was already inside waiting, he was sitting in a velvet chair and in front of him was a dark wood coffee table and across from it was a pair of similar chairs as his own. Owari recalled that there was only one chair last time so they must have the extra one set aside out of sight to be brought in when needed. It was quite professional and even though Owari still disliked the decor he could at least appreciate their attention to detail. He made his way over and sat down comfortably so as to not aggravate his wounds. The last thing he wanted to do was bleed all over this expensive room and have to pay to have it cleaned. He knew how expensive this material was from childhood watching his mother work and more importantly complain about material prices. As he got comfortable Tristain waited patiently drinking tea, and only when both Owari and the receptionist who followed him were sitting down did he speak.
"So it really was you who found the treants. Impressive." He seemed genuinely impressed by Owari and he was more than a little gratified that he had put the effort into signing him on before.
"That's correct, however that's not really the main reason I wanted to meet you. That was merely an excuse to discuss the actual business I have." Owari didn't bother making small talk and he quickly forced the conversation forward.
"Oh?" He seemed curious, after all treants are valuable resources.
"Under the land the treant's are located at is a fairly large source of gold, silver, electrum, and orichalcum. By the way I'm referring to the magical kind and not the alloys." Owari relaxed in his seat and carefully observed Tristain, however he was too inexperienced and Tristain was too skilled so he got nothing from his reaction. However he still needed the practice so he paid careful attention.
"When you say that I wonder how much you mean by a lot." Tristain didn't immediately take what Owari said to heart. He needed to confirm things first before his merchant side would allow him to start getting down to business.
"If my calculations are correct then there should be about eight or nine grams per ton of gold in the area at least near the surface. As for silver it should be similar in quality for grams per ton and the same for both magical metals. As for the depth after doing some spelunking it a cavern network I can confirm it goes down in some places to a depth of 50 meters, but that was just from a brief look. I didn't actually go any deeper than that due to a lack of equipment and the dangers from the tunnels themselves. On top of all that the actual range of the potential mining operations reach across at least a few kilometers, but again I didn't explore the whole region. I only went to a few key points and confirmed the existence of the ores in question." Owari went over all the data he gathered, of course he didn't share anything specific so as to not give away the location. He only went over the raw data.
"I see..." Tristain couldn't help but suck in a deep breath. Even he couldn't remain fully calm and collected under this barrage of information. Doing some calculations such a mine if it was financially viable would yield a lot of metal and thus a lot of potential money. On top of that after a few moments he realized that even if the mine didn't work out the land was still valuable for the treant farms, and if he could get both up and running and making profit? This land would have the potential to be one of the most valuable tracts of land still undiscovered in this part of the continent. When he looked at Owari he was struck with a sense of disconnect as he realized this person who only just recently became an adult had such a valuable asset in his hands. "I'm glad we signed you onto that exclusive contract back then." He couldn't help but sigh in relief.
"Actually that contract doesn't cover this specific topic. I made sure to check it and if I wanted I could sell this information to anyone I want and not violate the contract. I only came here because I've had good experiences with your people and everyone takes their work seriously here. Also you can see it as your investment paying off, after all I don't repay kindness with enmity and you put yourself out there to sign me on and I appreciate it." Owari didn't hide anything and did his best to be honest and appeal his sincerity.
"Clever to have checked beforehand, but that means you had planned to find this." Tristain was true to his title as manager as he immediately caught the main point of what Owari said. "What would you have done if this didn't work out?" He couldn't help but ask.
"Only a fool assumes he will succeed on his first try. I may have my faults and weaknesses but I'd like to think I am no fool." Owari may not be the best at lying, but he was decent enough at hiding the truth. Even if the other party knew he was doing it they would put themselves at a disadvantage the moment they pointed it out.
"I see." Tristain obviously read Owari's hint to drop the subject. He looked over at the receptionist who was looking somewhat shocked and frazzled. "I'll ask though I don't feel I need to. Did he really bring treant lumber? If so what is your opinion on the material?"
"The lumber was all top quality, based on the way treants grow they would need to have been raised in a very suitable environment to get the way they did. They were grown in prime locations for treant farming so at the very least he did find such a location. As for the rest I dare not comment." She quickly did her best to give a measured and professional response.
"Indeed, it seems this might be quite the find. Again I don't think I need to say it but I will. According to your contract everything spoken of between him and I so far is a trade secret so don't say a word about it. I don't intend to share this with anyone else until I have things sorted so don't think for a second I won't know it was you if it gets out. You can go now." He waved her off as he made all kinds of calculations and grew distracted as he considered numerous things. However as she stood up and woodenly approached the door due to her nerves he suddenly thought of something. "By the way good work today, I'll have someone sign you a bonus for this. We here value professionalism above all else and it was because of that professionalism that we impressed this trade partner. You can tell the rest of your coworkers that I'm truly impressed and proud of your work." He clearly knew to keep up worker morale, and this gave Owari a clearer insight into Tristain and what he was like. It also helped him realize just a bit why their receptionists were such good workers and why they didn't make the kinds of mistakes one may expect from such a large business.
"Thank you sir." She turned and bowed before straightening up and walking off with a much more even gait.
"Now then let's get down to business. How much do you want for the information on the location?" He immediately switched to business mode as soon as the woman was gone.
"I'm not interested in a lump payment. What I want is a percentage of the profits from the treant farm and ore mining." Owari gave a measured and immediate response as if he had practiced this beforehand.
"Smart." Tristain gave Owari a very approving look as he heard this. "Although it's riskier than a lump pay it gives you a more secure form of income. How much were you thinking though?" Even if he was impressed he wouldn't let that get in the way of business.
"Before that I want to mention a few things. When I did my initial prospecting I didn't just check the area for ore. I mapped the entire region I explored and even made multiple copies which I used to mark down various bits of data along with numerous notes." Owari patted the bag he had at his side, it was a cross bag and seemed to be filled with papers. "I collected extensive data on the ecology, geology, and even meteorology of the region. I also have maps that detail the hunting trails of local predators and the safer trails to take to avoid the dangerous spots. I also have the most important locations for setting up tests and taking soil samples and the quickest and safest paths. As long as you follow the notes and maps I made you should be able to cut a massive amount of time down on getting things set up so nobody can come in and steal it from you." Owari didn't take the maps out yet, after all they had too many details and would allow Tristain to figure too much out. "Since I can't just have you take my word for my skills I brought a sample, it's of a forest near my home town and the quality of the maps I made are about the same, though much more detailed." Instead he pulled out a prepared sample map. Even though he was unskilled at interpersonal communication and negotiation, he had watched his mother do business many times. One thing he learned was that as long as he held all the cards and was the one offering what the other needed he would be the eventual winner so long as he didn't give them more than he needed to.
Seeing how prepared he was and after taking up the map Owari had and inspecting it, Tristain was floored. Owari was absolutely abysmal at negotiating, he relied too much on the kindness of the other side. However his business acumen was through the roof, he clearly knew how to steer things into his hands. Tristain almost felt it was a shame for such a talented youth to be a hunter, however he shook it off. If not for him being a hunter he would never have the chance to participate in such business transactions. "This is definitely good, if the others are even better then I can definitely be reassured. As for the details of the contract, how about we go over them slowly? I have a feeling you are only getting started." He was right, and soon the two entered the real business talks. Going over the details of payment, setting clauses in the contracts to keep either side from scamming the other, and determining what was really fair. In the end they came to a simple agreement of the percentage of ownership for Owari, and it would depend on the value of the mines and treant farm. The more valuable the higher the percentage of ownership he would have all the way up to a 30% shares in the mine at maximum with dividends being paid out he’d make around 5% or so of the overall profits. When they were both satisfied, Owari and Tristain both prepared to sign the contract. They used their taming brands to sign it since it would ensure their mana traces which were unique to them would be absolutely binding. They each got a copy and Owari was even more pleased as he would receive a decent down payment on top of everything. He mostly negotiated for it for the sake of paying his medical fees.
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"By the way." Owari spoke up as they finished up. "As a manager for such a respected establishment your word should have some level of confidence placed in it by other groups in the city right?"
"I would hope so, but why? Do you need to borrow my name?" Tristain was in a good mood so he didn't deny Owari, he decided to listen at least.
"Not like you may be thinking. I'm planning on taking a contract with the Sapphire agency to help with their expedition. It's more of a favor to a friend whom you should know, Rebecca asked me to help her along with a few others. However I'm the only one in the group with mapping skills and we don't want a stranger to be mixed in. I was hoping you could write a letter of confirmation on my skills as a cartographer as well as my ability to study the local ecology and geology and properly compile it. After all it is an exploration type expedition and we need someone to do this work." Owari laid out his request openly, with Tristains word it would certainly dispel the doubt the Sapphire agency would feel due to his age. "Of course I'm not asking you to lie or overdramatize my ability. I merely want someone who can confirm in their own opinion my skills to dispel doubt." Owari added this in just in case he gave off the wrong impression.
"I can do that no problem. However you'll have to wait maybe two days for me to send out a scout force to confirm the maps you made. After that I can send the letter to your current address." Tristain felt it was a reasonable request, and he also understood why Owari did it. He also now knew just how much benefit he could get by doing favors for Owari. After all the reason Owari came here was the goodwill he had been shown by Tristain so how could he turn down such an easy but meaningful request?
"Then I'll thank you in advance. If you find the maps dissatisfying feel free to send a letter saying so." Owari stood up and prepared to leave after getting his things sorted out. He was exhausted and he wanted to get some sleep as he still planned to wake up early and go see Noel. He also needed to get his wounds checked tomorrow.
"I won't keep you any longer, you must be exhausted after all that traveling." He sent Owari off with a farewell and the two went their separate ways from there.
Owari made his way home and eventually crashed on his bed without even bothering to change. He was exhausted to the point that he didn't even have a chance to dream before his eyes snapped open once again. He still felt a bit tired and his body ached all over, however it was better than it had been the past couple days so at least there was that. He took a shower and cleaned his wounds before redressing them and getting into a fresh outfit. His haori was still damaged but he didn't really worry about fixing it yet, he'd do that later. He made his way out of the house and towards Noel's, however he made a stop by Mirra and visited it.
After confirming that it wasn't uncomfortable and seemed to be enjoying itself he grabbed an apple and prepared to leave. As he took a bite though he had a thought and had it toss him another one, he had about a dozen more so he decided to give one to Noel as a gift. He easily made it to her place before she had left, however this time he had no book to kill time with so he just sat back and relaxed and let his mind wander as he finished off his apple. It was quite delicious and he even ended up eating the core and tossing the seeds into the grass nearby where they would break down and fertilize the ground quite well.
Eventually he heard the familiar footfalls of Noel and he had even gotten used to it to the point that he recognized the moment she noticed him by the slight change in her pace as she switched directions. "Back already?" She asked with a chuckle as she walked over to him. Of course she was only joking, he had been gone quite a while compared to normal.
"Yeah, I managed to get everything done that I wanted. Here, have this." Owari turned his head over and after confirming she had a free hand he tossed the apple over.
"Hm? It seems to be tougher then a normal apple, and it is quite small. Why is it so heavy?" She seemed to be oblivious as to what it was and she curiously inspected it noting how shiny it was.
Morgana who was nearby couldn't help but ask with some surprise. "Is that a treant fruit?" She seemed to recognize it for what it was.
"Treant fruit? If I recall a treant is a tree that has become a magical beast is it not?" Noel seemed to grow somewhat curious about the fruit in her hand as she heard what it was.
Seeing Noel still not recognizing what it was she was holding Morgana couldn't help but chuckle and explain with patience. "Treants are in themselves very rare, only being able to grow in specific places, less than a dozen across the continent in fact. Among treants there is an especially rare type that grows fruits, and these are among the more valuable of plant-type magical beasts. This is because each fruit they produce can increase one's inherent affinity by multiple times as much as an equal amount of beast meat. On top of that the affinities they have are earth, water, and light which are all very good for one's health. On top of that apple types are among the best for improving health and sell for the most next to peaches which have a beautifying effect." As expected of a top-ranking Silverblood servant she was incredibly knowledgeable even about magical beasts.
"Oh wow, that is certainly very impressive. No wonder even you showed some surprise." Noel finally started to get an idea of the value of this gift, but she was curious where he got it. Before she could ask however, Owari was already saying something.
"Actually the treant that came from evolved its earth affinity into the metal affinity. Since that is its primary affinity the water and light are more subdued, however they are still decent enough." Owari didn't want them to have any misunderstanding about the affinities so he corrected Morgana, though he was still impressed by her knowledge.
"A metal affinity? While it isn't ideal it would still massively increase the value. It may be a bit rude of me, but do you happen to be aware of how valuable such a fruit would be Sir Owari?" Morgana couldn't help but ask uncertainly, seeing how casually Owari was with it.
"How much is it?" Noel couldn't help but ask with more than a hint of curiosity.
"That single fruit is probably worth about 50-100 credits." Owari was the one who answered.
"So much?" Noel gave the fruit another look. "That's quite the expensive gift, what's the occasion?" She knew Owari wasn't the type to spend money for no reason.
"It didn't cost me anything." Owari shrugged. "I got it from my own tamed beast after all, I still have a dozen more still in the middle of ripening."
"You tamed a treant?" Morgana wondered aloud as she searched her memory. "If I recall even the weakest treant is about the low copper rank. For an apple tree type which is among the strongest of treants even a newborn is mid copper. Then with the evolved element it had to be at least high copper to low silver. Impressive." Even though she was impressed with Owari, he was more impressed by her quick judgment.
"It was pretty hard. In fact I wanted to ask you something related to that Morgana." He suddenly had an idea as he recalled his plans for the day.
"Ask away, if it's something I can help with I would be happy to provide you with aid." She smiled as she had a guess as to what he wanted to ask.
"Do you know of any reputable clinics in the city. I need to get treated and I don't want to be cheated or overcharged." She was quite knowledgeable about the city so he figured she would have some advice for him.
"Are you that badly hurt?" Noel couldn't help but ask from the side.
"It's nothing life-threatening-" Before he finished she interrupted him.
"I'd certainly hope not considering you're here instead of being treated." She gave him a deep look as she considered some things. "You seem pretty badly hurt." After inspecting him more carefully she noticed certain things that were off about him. She was pretty good at reading a person's body language due to her training, and she was even more used to Owari's natural posture. She easily noticed how he was shifting his weight and how unsteady he was compared to normal. It was so minute that she hadn't detected it until he mentioned being injured and after a careful look, but it was there.
"I got pretty hurt but I'll be fine. Honestly it would heal on its own as is with some time. But I want to be in perfect shape for when we go with Rebecca for the expedition if that's still a thing." Of course he assumed it was since he had checked and nobody had stopped by to say otherwise while he was gone.
"Well alright, as long as it isn't too bad." Noel trusted him enough not to question him further.
Off to the side Morgana who was much more experienced was able to tell from the start how injured he was. However she didn't bring it up because she knew it would change nothing if she said something directly, she knew Owari's type. "I know a couple spots. One is better for cheaper prices, but they can't treat wounds that are too serious. They would be a good choice if you ever need a quick fix for a wound so you can go back out without breaking the bank in the future. As for the other they can treat more serious wounds, but they are also more expensive. However I can personally assure they don't treat anyone differently and so long as you can pay the price they set they don't care about whether you are independent or a part of a group or anything." The final bit she threw in with a hint of exasperation. Clearly she was still a bit hung up on the blacksmith thing. Owari had mostly forgotten about the whole thing and if not for him noticing that the blacksmith had his whole business fall apart the last time he went over to the crafting district it would have long left his mind.
"That's good." Owari nodded with a bit of thankfulness in his tone.
"Make sure you rest too. You really put yourself through a lot, every time you come back you're injured once again." Noel couldn't help but say with some exasperation, however there was a hint of playfulness in her tone. Obviously she was worried about him but she also knew that wouldn't stop him from doing it. She would do the same thing as him if not for her responsibilities in town. In fact she was almost free of work by this point and mostly only went in to cure boredom. She didn't want to leave town and get hurt just before the expedition after all. "Now that I think about it I don't have much to do these days. What do you think of spending the day together sometime soon?"
"That would be nice. I also don't have a lot to do other than study until my wounds are healed. Even once I'm back to top shape I only intend to go practice my swordsmanship a bit." Owari felt like it would be a good way to spend a day.
"How does tomorrow sound? If you're too injured to go for a walk we can always just laze around like before." She couldn't help but be a bit eager when she thought of escaping the stuffy office she had gotten so sick of these days.
"Sure, though I won't know how my injuries will be doing until I get everything looked at." Owari felt it would be okay to just laze around for a day after all of his recent accomplishments. Especially since he wouldn't really know how much he was going to gain for a few weeks at least.
"Perfect, we can talk more tomorrow then. For now you should go get your wounds tended to." Noel smiled happily and turned to leave. As she walked away Owari noticed that her pace was lighter and quicker as she left. He only really noticed because he had gotten used to hearing her walk. As he noticed this he couldn't help but chuckle a bit but he didn't say anything. Instead he did as he was told and got the locations from Morgana and went off to the more expensive clinic first. He doubted his wounds could be considered light, and even if they could it wouldn't hurt to check first.