In the city of Sofia, a group of human merchants got to the gravity ship tower where plenty of people of all races were unloading goods. For many years the imports outweighed the exports in the whole Aesis world with gravity ships leaving empty most of the time.
It was common knowledge that there were little to no valuable goods in such a backwater world.
The merchants got close to a bunch of elf traders who ran a small trading outpost.
"Hi, I heard you are the ones who buy goods here to be sold off in distant worlds?" the human merchant asked.
"I am, but mostly take orders and say to the gravity ship captains if they could swing by this or that world and country to bring it here. Not a lot of profit in this small dump of a world," the elf said non enthusiastically.
"But you do buy stuff. You do work for a trading company right?" the merchant asked to clarify.
"Huoooooh. Yeeeees."
"So do you mind if we show you our product if you would like to buy it?"
"Fine. Maybe they are some pelts or something that are worth maybe something somewhere," the elf said and got up from his chair.
They brought him to a carriage. The merchant lifted a blanket from the top of it and showed three baskets full of shiny blue rocks that shined like the stars. They all were high-quality gravity stones.
The elf's eyes shot up large in an instant. He quickly put the cloth back on the carriage hiding the gravity stones.
"Does anyone else know about this?" the elf asked the merchant.
"Well no. We were ordered by the council of the kingdom to come and sell it for the highest price and you're the first one we have asked," the merchant explained not fully realizing what was in his possession.
The elf smiled with a large and greedy grin.
"No need to go and ask them. Our company the golden wreath will buy eagerly them from you. We operate in many worlds, and we will make sure that you get a fair price," the elf said rubbing his hands together.
"Oh, but I am also looking for a partner," the merchant explained.
"A partner?"
"Yes. Under orders from the council from the estimated librarian Doreen Lykanos, we are to have a partner that will keep buying our supply of gravity stones."
"By supply…..you don't mean?" the elf's eyes widened.
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"Yes, we have a rich mine and we would like to start selling these straight to a trading company who then sells them onwards," the merchant explained.
The elf realized this was an opportunity of a lifetime. On the backwater world of Aesis was a mine of gravity stones and he was the one to bring the deal to his company.
"Did someone say a gravity stone?" one anashim said.
"Gravity stones? Where?" a human merchant yelled out.
"Is someone selling gravity stones?" a kanaka said.
They all rushed in with the elf trying to stop them. They all started offering lucrative deals for the merchants hoping to land the deal of a lifetime.
It was not long until word spread out across the universe that the Aesis world was rich with gravity stone bringing new opportunities to many and making them much richer.
~ ~
It was the middle of the summer. Back in the capital, a bored Rufus was sitting on the throne as Doreen was updating him on the recent developments.
"Rufus, listen!" Haley yelled.
"Yes!" Rufus yelled out and straightened his back like a rocket.
"As I was saying we have decided to make a trade deal with a domestic company that they would hire our people instead of from other races. The company is named the iron sickle. A minor trading company that mainly has worked as taking buying orders from the rich nobles," Doreen explained.
"Well, that's good right. I am not needed here anymore. I will then go somewhere else," Rufus said and started to leave.
"RUFUS! STAY!" Haley yelled like he was yelling at a dog.
Rufus sat back on the throne disappointed.
"Rufus I am sorry, but I understand you would rather be doing some manual labor, but this is extremely important. We must talk about the upcoming meeting with the queen Sasha of the nation of Sparv. She will arrive here in around two weeks and we need to get you ready for it. It will be a formal event and uhmmmm," Doreen was saying but felt like he didn't want to say it.
"Just say it. I look like a slumdog," Rufus said.
"Yes…yes you do," Haley said.
"Well so do you," Doreen said to Haley, breaking her from the inside.
Edward came into the throne room with Joan.
"What's up my friends. Teutonia is shit, how is everything here?" Edward yelled out.
"We are starting to teach Rufus and Haley some noble's etiquette," Doreen explained.
"Great let me teach as well," Edward said enthusiastically.
"You should definitely not teach. You never knew any etiquette for example when you tried to walk as a noble as a kid you looked like you had ants in your pants," Joan said.
They started to teach different ways of etiquette and formal behavior. After around three hours they stopped.
~ ~
"I can't, I CAN'T. He doesn't learn!" Joan said who was bent over in disbelief.
"Haley isn't much better," Doreen said with both hands on her face.
"How can they be such hillfolk," Edward said who had lost all hope.
Haley and Rufus looked awkward and embarrassed. They were completely unteachable and didn't learn anything.
"How are things going on here?" Amala said who came with Pema to the throne room.
"How about those two. They also will be present at the party. They also don't know any etiquette," Haley yelled and pointed at Pema and Amala.
"They don't have to. They are grey skins so no one is expecting them to know any etiquette. Only their customs and that we all accept their ways as the same way we accept theirs," Doreen explained.
"Then why don't we also show we accept commoners' ways," Rufus pointed out.
All of them looked at, him.
"This kingdom is not anymore run by the nobles. We have common people also on the council of this kingdom. We show unity between nobles, grey skins, and common people by accepting everyone," Rufus explained.
Everyone was surprised since they hadn't thought about it. What he said was completely true. It would be stupid to act like the same people who were ousted and were the reason for the previous war.