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Leo

It was a lovely early morning as Leo and Elaria were having breakfast, but he was distracted by his new shower issue. He tapped his pencil against the table with his head tilted back and staring up at the ceiling like the answer was going to fall out of it.

Blanks were all that his deep thoughts managed to draw up.

Eventually he came to the obvious conclusion, his mind changing track to think of the most simplified system to create a magic shower, because he would rather pull out his teeth then try to fix that mess.

Leo had a short talk with Kesl, and he seemed just as pissed when he told him how much of an unprofessional mess he paid for. Considering that a proper system should never need a mage to fix the runes, he pretty much got scammed at worst, or paid an overpriced novice at best, even if those differences are paper thin.

“Sorry about the wait, Kesl wanted to serve you two ales in our special glass mugs.” Tissa remarked and set down a pair of drinks on the table before scurrying off back to the kitchen.

He looked down at the mug in front of him and considered drinking it. ‘Normally I would give Elaria mine, as I don't particularly like to drink, but I unfortunately keep thinking back to that cluster fuck of a system downstairs…’ His dormant alcoholic started to whisper sweet nothings into his ear.

“Fuck it.” He muttered before grabbing the cold glass and chugging down.

‘I definitely needed that, and it seems like Kesl is making good use of…the ice...’ He stared at the mug, noticing the water form on the outside of the glass.

A eureka moment hit the aspiring enchanter, his eyes going wide while his expression broke into a smile as a thought hit him. ‘Condensation! I can just skip the rain cloud and floating water nonsense and create a thin layer of high humidity with a condensation rune on the ceiling, then just add a temperature setting. I have to probably work out a few more runes to adjust the rate of accumulation, but all together the system should probably take about twenty runes max.’

Elaria noticed him break out of his rut and smiled. “Finally came up with something then? You've been in a mood since you woke up, even after my little snack in bed…” She finished while suggestively licking her lips.

He let out an uncomfortable cough, aware she was teasing, but still not used to a woman being so forward in public. “Yes, well, remind me to show you one of the compartments that I was tasked with cleaning up so you can understand why. But now I don't have to do any of that, because I'm going to redo the entire thing.”

“If you say so… Now what's the plan for today?” She asked while giving him a coy look.

Leo sighed, as on the one hand he loved how eager she was, but on the other he felt like sex was the only thing on her mind. “Sorry but you'll have to wait till tonight or tomorrow for the main course, I have to do quite a bit today. I have to enchant all of the handkerchiefs, go to the merchants guild to sell them, pick up my orders from the blacksmith and carpenter, and draw up a new system for the shower.”

His lover let out an audible tsk. “Damn it, can't some of that wait till tomorrow?” She complained.

He rolled his eyes and decided to take a different approach. “If I get a lot done today, then I have more time tomorrow. So let me remind you that on this world, I am more than the average man, or do you not want an entire day of fun?”

The physically frustrated selarin seemed like she wanted to protest, but couldn't find the words to do so. “I can wait…” She remarked softly, drawing a chuckle from him before he went back to planning out designs.

…

It was when he was in the middle of sketching out a few ideas for the shower when Allis entered the inn and slithered over to their table.

After some exchanged greetings, Allis said she wouldn't be joining them for today because she needed to hand in her resignation to the local lord, as well as wanting to go around town apologizing to the people she treated badly. The herbalist was chief among them, Allis having basically driven her out from working at the clinic. The repentant noble hoped that she could smooth things over enough with the herbalist so they would take back up at the clinic.

Allis cocked her head as she watched Leo create small test runes. “I know the meaning for a lot of runes, but I've noticed that nearly all the stuff you make are completely unknown to me.”

Leo grinned at her remark, which confirmed a few things for him. “Well that just means that no one can replicate them, even when I translate them into my book, which is convenient if I'm going to make magic weapons. People could steal them, but if it's only like five untranslatable runes, then they are shit out of luck if they want to reproduce it. That's the same for most of my creations actually.”

Allis furrowed her brow while staring at his open book. “I still don't see how you are going to make something that will put a peasant on an even playing field with a mage, much less doing it with five runes.” She remarked skeptically.

He gave her a strange look before he facepalmed. “Right, I forgot to give you a demonstration yesterday. Remind me to show you how I made the pebble mightier than the sword.” His smile was met with confused stares.

‘God I'm going to miss people who get my references…’

_________________________________________

Elaria

After breakfast, Allis left Elaria and Leo for the day. Much to his word, he spent a few hours enchanting all the handkerchiefs, and Elaria accompanied him to the merchant's guild to sell them afterwards.

She stared at the box he was carrying with a mild intrigue. “So what are you going to try and sell them for?”

“I was thinking two or three gold each.” He answered so casually that her mind lagged for a moment, but her thoughts froze as she totaled the price of the seventy handkerchiefs in her head.

Her eyes widened at the amount. “A hundred forty to two hundred ten gold?!” She blurted aloud.

He laughed and said something that tripped her up again. “Actually, that's me being pretty cheap.”

She eyed him incredulously, believing that he might not understand the value of gold. “The hell do you mean cheap? You can buy a sizable bit of land with that.”

“I talked to Kesl, and he said that the guild is one big web of interconnected markets that covers most of the continent. So consider for a moment who they are going to resell it to, once they buy it from me.” He explained with a smirk and tapped the lid on the box.

“The rich and powerful…” Elaria's response trailed off, realizing that a few gold would be nothing for those people.

He smiled slyly as they turned a corner. “Exactly, and I wouldn't be surprised if they try and sell them for twenty gold each. Plus no one will be able to replicate my work because of many of the unknown runes I use, so they have to come back to buy more from me. And when they do, I can negotiate a higher price. This first deal is to get the market hooked on the product, since later down the road I plan to bump the price up to ten gold.”

The near broke and jobless selarin's eyes went wide at the amount he was talking about. ‘Holy shit! … If he started earning that much gold he'd be able to buy out a small territory. Fuck, he might actually get the funds to attempt his crazy revolution plan…’ She thought in amazement, and also a bit of worry.

“So what exactly are you going to do with that much gold?” She asked curiously, but still wore a bit of a shocked expression.

The human shrugged, taking the whole situation in stride. “Work in progress. I'll probably buy a large home in town, hire some house staff, and set up a workshop. Then earn enough gold until I can buy a manor and some land, then I can have the privacy for much larger projects. And from there… Start working on a proper plan for the revolution.”

Elaria was quiet the rest of the way to the merchant's guild, considering for the first time how quickly summons helped kingdoms take over the world, and that Leo was essentially going to try and build up the wealth and power to match a kingdom. Unlike other summons though, he is doing it because of some personal principles, and doesn't actually want to have a true empire.

‘I really don't like what I've gotten myself into, but I won't let him go, not now, especially after what he did for me.’ She resolved herself to stay with him, though she felt something other than just a debt that made her want to stay.

When they entered the merchant's guild they were greeted by a tall and deceptively young looking middle-aged selarin, whose chest was noticeably well endowed. Nearly seven feet tall, she had silver scales and white eyes, and a five foot tapered tail. The woman also had sexual appeal radiating off her to the point that even Elaria thought it was a bit ridiculous, though she found Leo's momentary fixation a little amusing.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Greetings, and welcome to the Telnar merchant branch. My name is Kessa, how may I be of assistance today.” She greeted them warmly.

Her partner smiled and stepped forward with an outstretched hand. “Hello, my name is Leo and this is Elaria. I'm here to sell the guild a new product that will make them very wealthy.” He confidently introduced as they shook in greeting.

Kessa's face fell into a slight but hungry desire, her gaze seeming to pierce through him. “Ah~ You must be the infamous dragon. I've heard some interesting things about you from the rumors, as well as my brother and daughters not shutting up about you.” She remarked while dropping into a sultry tone.

Leo's confidence visibly crumbled, his eyes wide with surprise. “Uh, daughters?” He queried uncomfortably, and Elaria couldn't help but snicker.

Kessa's eyes grew more hungry. “Oh yes, they had a lot to say about you, especially Tissa… And just to let you know, I'm single.” She told him while her uniform tightened, and she shot a glance at Elaria for some kind of permission, which was more than what most people did at the market.

Even though Elaria had no problem with Leo sleeping with other women, she could now see why some men are so irritated when they get hit on. ‘The constant advances toward Leo stoked my pride at first, but now it has just become annoying to watch, as it gets in the way constantly... Though this situation is still a little more than funny.’ She thought in amusement, seeing that his gaze was fixed on the overly stimulating woman.

She smirked while giving Kessa a nod, not that she needed it.

The off-balanced and frustratingly reserved man quickly regained his composure. “I appreciate the interest, but I'd like to put business before pleasure if you don't mind.” He urged half heartedly as he struggled to keep eye contact.

The obfuscating attitude reminded her of his initial hesitation with her. ‘Hmph, he obviously wants her, go ahead and stare damn it.’

“Of course, if you would just follow me.” Kessa said with a cheery tone, and she very purposefully swayed her hips seductively as they followed her to the back of the guild.

Elaria once again noticed him trying, and failing, to keep his eyes off Kessa as they traversed the halls. He even shot her a look, as if asking if it was alright, which annoyed her more than it should have and ended up encouraging the behavior. ‘This might become an issue…’

Kessa brought them to one of the private back rooms, it was small, with two couches facing each other that was separated by a low table. Shortly after they got comfortable, a woman with a slave collar entered with snacks and beverages. The guild representative thanked and dismissed the slave while they both took a cup to drink, but before Elaria could take a sip, she felt a familiarly cold wave pass over her. She snapped her head to Leo, who didn't pick up his drink, and for just a second, he had that same look from when that selarin tried to take him at the inn.

“Is something wrong?” She asked worriedly.

Something obviously caused the sudden serious shift, but he waved her concern off and leaned forward while interlacing his fingers. “I'm alright... Kessa, can I ask a few non related questions before we start? I've never dealt with the guild before, so I would just like to know a little bit about what...products it trades in...” He asked with little emotion, and an emptiness that chilled the mood of the room.

The large and shapely woman seemed to notice his total shift in composure, and visually tensed as a result. “Um, sure. We trade in a variety of products and services, from providing the best in tools, weapons and armor, to contracting professional craftsmen, artisans and slaves. We als-”

“Slaves, how exactly does the guild operate when it comes to that trade?” He interrupted with an icy chill to his voice, his expression was dark with narrowed eyes.

Elaria had never seen him like this and felt as though she should stay out of this particular conversation, opting to just watch while she sipped from her cup and munched on the snacks as they talked.

The silver scaled selarin appeared to realize something, and noticeably changed her posture, dropping all of her sexually provocative actions as fast as he slid into his chilling mood. “We at the merchants guild pride ourselves on the most ethical acquisition and detainment of enslaved persons. We also provide the best in treatment for men and non criminal individuals. Our prices also reflect the worth and responsibility associated with caring for another sapient being.” She said in a neutral tone, almost as if she was reading off of a script.

Elaria noticed the trades woman's lips curl ever so slightly into a frown, as if she didn't like anything that she was saying. ‘Personal opinion, actual treatment, and policy rarely work well with one another. That's why my family has rules...’

Leo's eyes narrowed a little more before he sat back up. “Thank you for humoring my questions, it was very enlightening.” He remarked with no emotion, and went on to explain and demonstrate his product.

He put emphasis on the fact that his product couldn't be replicated by another mage, which prompted Kessa to call down a two requirement novice working there to verify his claims. The mage tried to ask the meaning of some of the runes, resulting in a scolding from the negotiator, because then it wouldn't be much of a secret.

To everyone's surprise though, he immediately told her the words for each one. “Oscillation, frequency, acceleration, fluctuation, and amplitude.” He told her in his own language, the translation necklace somewhat garbling the words from being unable to filter it into anything familiar.

The guild's mage looked utterly confused. “Um, what do some of those words mean?” She asked.

The inconspicuous summon smirked, but it was devoid of mirth. “Now that would allow you to recreate it. So it'll stay my little secret.” He turned back to Kessa. “Since the validity of my claims are more or less confirmed, can we discuss payment?”

“Right, we would like to offer you five gold coins for each item.” Kessa offered with a traders edge.

‘That's three hundred and fifty gold! ... but knowing Leo he would want to bump dow-’

“Ten.”

Both selarins went wide-eyed at the human as silence hung in the air for a few moments, Elaria's mind reeling from the counter offer. ‘What the fuck?!’

Kessa narrowed her eyes. “Apologies sir, but that price is way too high for such a small product. We won't be able to market it to anyone while still maintaining a reasonable profit.” She remarked a little condescendingly, probably to illustrate the absurdity of the price.

‘Exactly, even if he was right about them reselling it for twenty gold, why would they give up half the profits up front?’

Leo raised an eyebrow, frowned, and looked slightly offended. “Sorry for being blunt, but are you insulting my intelligence? All you would have to really do is hand out four or five of these for free to the most chatty and influential of your clientele, have them brag about paying thirty or even forty gold to acquire such a luxurious item, then the most wealthy individuals from across the continent will gladly pay to get their hands on one. That's not even to mention when the scarcity hits as you start to run out. You should be able to hike the price up to even eighty gold when three or four of them are left.” He explained with a much sharper edge than his opponent's cutting words.

A tense air hung between the two as they seemed to peer into each other with a cold calculating gaze, but then the tension was soon broken by Kessa.

A wide, almost comically large, smile spread across Kessa's face. “Fucking hell, Kesl wasn't kidding when he said you knew your stuff, but I think he forgot to mention how brutal you could be in negotiating. Actually, I can't even call that a proper negotiation, you pretty much executed any attempt I could make to lower the price at the very start.” She remarked between amused laughs while her ample chest bounced in rhythm.

Elaria was baffled, the mood of the room pulled out from under her. ‘Wait what just happened…?’

A sly and genuine smile crossed Leo's face. “Yeah, well, I originally planned to sell for three a piece, to get the guild hooked, then negotiate from a position of power when your very wealthy clientele come knocking. But then I was reminded of certain abuses, and decided that such initial charity wasn't worth my time. I'm glad you didn't take it personally, and sorry if I was being a little intense or offended you. It was all mainly directed toward the guild itself.” He said with a genuine sincerity and friendly tone that was the total opposite of his earlier behavior.

Elaria's thoughts became even more of a mess. ‘Charity?! You would have still walked away with two hundred ten… Wait, now it's seven hundred! Not even the family coffers made it past five hundred!’

Kessa hung her head and sighed. “Yeah I get it, you're from the north right? Slavery's outlawed in the beast clans, along with most of the far northern territories, so it's no surprise that you'd dislike the guild.” She started to sound distant. “Even though I make sure this branch treats the slaves here like people, it's a rare sentiment that others don't share, especially when nearly all of them were branded criminals for one reason or another.”

At this point Elaria's mind was lagging behind the conversation. ‘...Is he really going to get seven hundred gold?!’

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “I noticed that your gratitude toward the slave that entered was genuine, and that you disliked having to recite that obvious speal about the guild treating slaves well, but then why not release them?”

Kessa groaned and crossed her arms underneath her breasts, making them unintentionally pop provocatively. “One, they are technically owned by the guild, not me, so doing so would be considered stealing from the guild. Two, even though I want to free them, I would need to find a powerful mage to break the slave collars. And finally, even if they find a way to escape, they would just be hunted down by slavers again.” She answered with a bit of sorrow.

He sighed and leaned back into the couch. “Figures… Anyway, I hope that I wasn't too unreasonable, It is still my first time dealing with the guild.”

Kessa also relaxed a fair bit, now slipping back into her more salacious persona. “That's alright, in fact with the way you handled yourself, I would never have believed you were a mage. Hell I still don't think I quite believe it.” She remarked with a honeyed voice and leered over him with a returning hunger.

“Float.” He said aloud, and the box full of rune enchanted handkerchiefs floated over to Kessa.

Elaria finally started paying attention when Leo cast a spell. ‘Oh, he remembered to say something. Wouldn't want another Allis incident, even though we got very lucky with her in the end… Seven hundred...’ Then her thoughts drifted back to the amount of gold.

Kessa arched a brow at the display. “Damn, seeing is believing I guess.” She remarked while grabbing the box out of the air.

Leo chuckled and held out a hand. “So, we have a deal then.”

‘For seven hundred gold!’

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