Franz's prediction was right on the money; just two days later, the merchant Sten was back in Odellia. Franz was even kind enough to set up a quick meet-and-greet for Kelton, so that he could explain to Sten what he was trying to do. Sten was surprised (to say the least) that a construction worker, much less a day laborer from parts remote, would have any interest at all in local arts and crafts. He was intrigued.

Over their lunch break, Kelton and Jeremy went over to Sten's together, and outlined the pitch. It went well - Kelton was able to explain all of the ways in which the artisans weren't getting what they deserved, and what he thought made their work unique, which Jeremy was able to play up the sales angle and paint a picture of what it would do for them and the town. Sten smiled throughout the conversation, and eventually summed up the pair of them as "the brains, and the mouth" - but not in an unkind way.

Sten let the men know that he was leaving for the nearby metropolis of Mansoora the next day, and that he would be happy to bring them both with him, as long as they were willing to travel lightly. There wasn't a lot of extra space in his wagons, after all. Kelton and Jeremy readily and happily accepted, and agreed to meet up in the early morning. After returning to Franz to tell him the good news, he dismissed them for the day and wished them luck; they decided to head back to the inn for a celebratory drink and to prepare.

"You know, Kelton..." Jeremy began, "Sten was kind of right. It does seem super weird that you would care about this random group of artists. And you're always up to strange stuff - you planted that wheat, you built a smokehouse, you're still doing the construction thing. I don't know, it's just hard to understand your angle."

Kelton wasn't about to tell Jeremy that he wanted to get a town under his thumb, but he answered in a truthful enough way. "There's a lot of money to be made here. People just haven't been smart enough to see it, or haven't cared enough to go chase it. I see it, and I'm going to chase it. If everyone else feels like they are getting something out of the deal, so much the better. It can't hurt."

Jeremy sniggered, sure that there was more to the story than that. "You're a strange one, man. But whatever, you know I'm in - just, we have to be successful. I hope you're not getting distracted. It might be hard for us to get meetings with people, and what are the odds that we talk to someone who is going to want to buy right then and there? Seems like a long shot."

Kelton acknowledge the risk, but reminded Jeremy that they still had a lot to do, and they could talk through some of the strategy on the ride into Mansoora. Jeremy told Kelton that the trip, even with a wagon, would probably take most of the day - less due to the distance than the difficulty of the path. Even with a decent ride coming up, it would be better, they agreed, to prepare as much as they could now.

First things first; Kelton went and prepaid Millie for his room for the week. Not being sure of Jeremy's cash situation, he also offered to pay for his room, but warned him that Jeremy should consider it an advance. Kelton would take the cost out of whatever Jeremy's share of the profits would be at the end of the trip. Jeremy had no issues with that, since if the trip was a failure (and he still worried that it might be), he lost nothing and even got some free room and board. The men went upstairs to pack; Jeremy had a travel bag that he used to go between towns, and would only plan to put a little in there. Kelton, on the other hand, hadn't acquired much other than a few extra set of clothes and a couple of knickknacks; he threw some of the clothes into the bag, then headed out.

Kelton wondered if he should purchase a jacket from the tailor in town, but ultimately decided against it. It would have been good to have something formal, something that made sense for an art dealer, but the money just wasn't there. Besides, he doubted he could have gotten it turned around in time to matter anyway. He'd have to just go with what he had.

With that, Kelton made a visit out to the artisans, and picked out a few pieces from each of them, taking the time to get a little story about each one that was somewhat more interesting than just "Here's a pot. Here's another pot." They weren't exactly high artists, so Kelton figured that he (or better, Jeremy) would have to make some elegant tales about the potter's inspirations and innermost thoughts on each piece. Not his cup of tea, but Kelton knew that Jeremy would happily do it.

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Comparing their recent sales of similar pieces, Kelton agreed on baselines for each set of goods, so that the profit and commission wouldn't be a surprise later. He promised to give them receipts of sale for anything he was able to move. Packaging them carefully for the long trip took much of the late afternoon; however, working together, the men were able to manage it. They promised Kelton that they'd deliver the crates that evening to Sten's house, so that they could be loaded up in the morning.

That night Kelton struggled to fall asleep. The pressure was on - in a way, Jeremy had voiced the same concerns that Kelton had been tossing around all day. This might be a distraction, a waste. Should he be more direct in pursuing his motives? If he failed in this, he'd lose all credibility, and Kelton would be right back to his starting point again.

Somehow, he had to be sure that this trip did what it was supposed to, which was to make the artisans a little money, set up some demand, and establish Kelton as a person in the community who can get things done. He still had the wheat project, but who knew for sure if that was going to end up well or not. This was his chance; if it fell apart, Kelton would probably have to go to a different town and try again. Eventually, he slept, but fitfully.

As soon as the sun rose, Kelton was on his feet and out the door. Jeremy wasn't far behind, and they made their way to Sten's to load up. Sten had somehow beaten both of them in his preparations, and was already finishing overseeing the loading of the carts. Within minutes they were on their way. The journey gave them plenty of time to talk, and eventually, the conversation turned to the men's plans in Mansoora.

"As much as I commend what you are trying to do, I don't think you two appreciate how hard it can be to make a living selling, especially in a single city, in a market you don't know. You have no idea about your competition, your prices, anything." Sten started.

The men nodded, and Kelton responded first. "You're absolutely right. I know what they have is special and that the world will want it, if we sell it right. But will we get it right the first time? Will we even pitch to the right people? I honestly don't know. I appreciate you giving us the ride - I hope it's not in vain."

"I'm glad you understand the situation," Sten replied. "I tell you what. I'm not exactly an arts expert, but I've got a good network in Mansoora. I'll take care of a couple of introductions for you. At least I can get you into the right rooms to make your pitch, but the rest is up to you."

Jeremy's eyes lit up as the chances of success suddenly became much greater, and he fell over himself to thank the merchant. "No, no," Sten interrupted. "There's no need for that. But do let me give you another warning. You're coming in with a relatively unknown good in an untested market. Most people are going to offer you consignment; my advice is not to take it. You'll come home empty-handed, and probably get ripped off for the trouble. No matter what they tell you, it's better not to sell at all than to do a consignment deal. Now, tell me a little about how you're going to pitch these pieces."

Here Jeremy really began to shine. "Odellia is simply home to a cache of secrets. Not only have we found artisans of incredible skill, but their technique is simply impossible to reproduce. They literally risk life and limb for their art, as the signature style relies on a highly-explosive, hand-processed glaze that has been perfected over generations, and which can only be made with the rare ingredients uniquely found in the coastal outskirts. Each piece represents not only the years of experience, of training and experimentation, that the masters have dedicated, but also days upon days of backbreaking labor harvesting raw materials and performing complex scientific transformations under the most exacting conditions."

Jeremy leaned in a little to deliver the final hook. "These artisans can only produce a small number of pieces in this style every year, which is why the connoisseur will enjoy both the perfection, and the exclusivity, of each of these rare selections."

Sten nodded in appreciation. "You've done your homework, men. Very good indeed. My last piece of advice is this - ask for much, much more than you think. This is a rich town, and if you ask with confidence, you might be surprised. Don't short-change yourselves here."

With that the conversation turned to more mundane things, but those few minutes of advice and conversation had been worth more the either Kelton or Jeremy could have hoped. Kelton saw pieces of his plan coming together, and it was hard not to get excited. He hoped that he wouldn't have to kill the merchant in the future; Kelton knew it was a possibility, but it would be nice if he could avoid it. Before he could spend any more time on that morbid line of thought, Mansoora was in sight. It was time to get started.