I was currently looking at the most Madam looking Madam possible. I got here after explaining to one of her bouncers I was interested in buying instead of renting. I was having a tough time keeping my eyes from roaming. This was going to be a tough sell if I couldn’t focus so I got into business mode and came right out with it.

“Hello there. My name is Frank. I would like to buy Yandel. What is your price?”

She looked at me for a minute trying to size me up. She was probably much better at that than I was if I had to guess. “Well met Frank. I am known here simply as The Madam. Now… Do I look like a slaver? Why would I sell one of my girls? That isn’t my line of business.”

‘Good, good.’ I thought. ‘not outright no. Just trying to feel me out.’ “You are not a slaver. Any fool could see that. Just like anyone can see Yandel isn’t a prostitute. I saw no less than 10 men walk right past her to other women before I approached her. She won’t be an earner for you. Best to take my money and buy someone who will be.”

“Hmm… I will admit she isn’t the standard of beauty. Why do you want her if you don’t think she is attractive?”

‘Perfect she is already trying to find out my desires so she can come up with a price… here we go.’ “I have a need of a night guard and she seems the type that can be trained. I don’t want to spend a lot on this so when I noticed her being put in a position that didn’t fit her it seemed like an opportunity. She is pleasant to talk to and I also get to avoid the slave auctions. I hate those places.”

She screwed up her face at that. “Yes, they are rather unpleasant. If I were to consider this what would you offer?”

‘Ok, so she looks like she knows how to make a sale. Never put up the first offer. First rule of negotiating price. That is ok though… I have an two aces in the hole. The first one was I know how much she was bought for from talking with Yandel. She was 2 Gold including fees.’ “I offer two Gold. How does that sound?”

“Like highway robbery! She is healthy and strong! I bought her for more than that. I won’t do less than…”. She held up 4 fingers.

‘Liar… also, odd way to say the price… is that a cultural thing? Whatever.’ “I don’t want to spend that much. I can do” I held up 3 fingers mimicking her action “if that will speed this along.”

What she did next baffled me. She held up 3 with one hand and then made another sign with the other hand that I didn’t understand. What was this sign language class? USE YOUR WORDS! I didn’t want to be outed as an idiot in these types of negotiations so I pulled out my purse and took out three gold and counted out 30 silver. “This, and it includes the cost of the night I just spent with her. Final offer.”

She looked at me for a second trying to tell if she could squeeze more out of me. I tried to exude the feeling that this was the most I could do. “Done!” she said and pulled out a contract. “This is her contract. You will need too blood it right after I do or you will have to go to the slavers too have it redone.” She then pulled out a knife and pricked her finger, putting a drop of her blood in the center of the text. It flashed golden and I pulled out my knife and pricked my finger doing the same making it flash again.

“Nice doing business with you” she said. “I was actually quite upset with the girl who bought Yandel. She wasn’t going to do well in our industry.”

“Is that so?” I said. Time to use my other ace. “From one business person to another how far off was I? What would you have taken for her?”

She winked at me and said “To late as the contract is blooded you know. Sure, I’ll tell you. I would have sold her for a gold and 50 silver!”

Standing outside the building with Yandel I asked her about the strange hand gestures the Madam had used. She said they were how most negotiations were done because in crowded markets you couldn’t always hear due to noise and in auctions you might be too far away to be heard, but they could see. I had her teach them to me and then said “Ok… time to buy you for a Gold and 50!” I started Time Return. I was gonna get my money back!

Walking down the street with Yandel, this time only a Gold and 60 silvers poorer, I said “Lets get some breakfast. Do you know a good place to eat this early?” She didn’t, but went up to a person opening up their shop and came back saying she had directions to a good place. When we got there, it was a stand selling meat filled breads. The aroma was ok. We paid and got one each. There wasn’t any seating so we went to a nearby fountain and sat to eat. As we were eating she kept looking at me from the corner of her eye. I knew what she had to be thinking so I started talking while I ate. “I may own you now, but I will not be treating you like a slave. I don’t even like the idea of slavery, but we will keep things like this for until you are strong” She looked me in the eyes at that. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking so I continued. “You are my guard from now on. That said we need to come up with some money to keep us afloat. I have various ways to do this. One thing I need you to do is keep your ear open for any good deals. I won’t explain why, but what I’m looking for is the type of thing that if you had known was going to happen you could have made money on it. Do you understand?”

“You mean like if you knew someone bought a slave they couldn’t use you could get it at a steal?”

‘Shoot’ I thought… ‘I need to be careful with this one. She isn’t just strong. She is smart too.’ “That’s right!” I said with as big a smile as I could put on my face. “Exactly that. Think you can do that for me?”

“I can… and I will also be the best guard I can be for you. I am not… I not trained as you know from our talk.”

“That won’t matter. I am trained and will train you. When I am done with you, you will not only be trained, but a cultivator. Now… where is the best place, do you think, for gossip?”

We spent the rest of the day in various places where merchants gather. Around midday we went to get food at a place known for merchants eating there. It was a little pricey, but we figured it would at least let us get an idea of what the local merchants were like. She noticed the waitress seemed harried and asked what was wrong. When the waitress said the other girl who worked there had gotten sick suddenly Yandel looked at me and whispered “why don’t I take a job here? I could make us some money while paying attention to conversations.” I nodded and she asked the waitress. Not only did she nearly cry tears of joy, but when Yandel got up to start right away, she comped our meals and gave me a to go bag.

Stolen story; please report.

I promised Yandel to pick her up when the place closed and left. I had my own way of making money and in a place that would also let me know who had had windfalls. I went straight to the gambling hall.

I took me a while of looking around to find the right games to play. They had several that would work for making money, but I also wanted to gain information. I found a couple such games and slowly started to increase my wealth while chatting up the people around me. I knew what merchants looked like by now so I bought a few drinks to get their tongues looser and got several tidbits. Nothing that would work today as it had all happened yesterday. I couldn’t go back that far even if I had the energy because of Morgianna. I did get one piece of information I really wanted. Someone was selling a cultivation technique. All the merchants were upset they couldn’t buy it. ‘Quit gambling and maybe you could have.’ I thought. It seemed the technique was one from a family who had no more cultivators in their line and had fallen on hard times. They were selling it to get out of debt and the cost was 10,000 gold. That was far out of my price range, but did give me an idea. I made sure to lose my last few games in front of the establishment’s owner and then leave. Didn’t want them to kick me out. This place was too good. I would come here to lose money for the information I could get. That said I had made 15 gold. I really needed that cultivation technique though. Not having enough Qi to use Time Return was going to be annoying otherwise.

I found an Inn near where Yandel was working and settled in… two beds of course… Just sharing a room made me shiver thinking of Morgianna. I needed some time to build up my Qi. According to the merchants I talked to there was someone coming from another town to buy the technique, but they wouldn’t be there until 3 days from now. I had time. I would start observing tomorrow. Yandel like me heard a few things, but they were from the past week. I encouraged her and we went to bed. She was surprised, but then bashfully thanked me for giving her, her own bed.

The next day I went to the home of the family with the cultivation technique and then looked for the nearest tailor. I told him I would pay him all 15 gold for his best clothes right now. It took him 30 minutes to tailor it to me and then I went straight back and asked to see the cultivation technique. Good clothes open doors as they say. As soon as I was shown into a study and it was brought out of a lock box, I used my Time Return to just before I entered the tailor. Now I knew where it was. I needed more information to stea… borrow it. I went back to the home again and this time read a book while watching guard movements and anything else I could see. At around 8pm the family left for dinner out. All the guards except one in the rear saw them off. This was my chance. I noted the time, thanking the stars Morgianna hadn’t also taken my watch… and my prybar.

I used time return to 30 minutes earlier. Then just when everyone was looking the wrong way as the family left, I slipped in a window. I then made my way to the study and used my prybar on the box. Once that was done, I waited until a second opening I had noted in the guards rounds and left. Frankly I was surprised it worked the first time. I had thought it would take me a few tries before I got it. In fact it really seemed to easy. Something wasn’t right. Why was something so expensive not better protected? I went straight back to the Inn. When I opened the book the first page looked like the contract for Yandel… I got a bad feeling and when I tried to turn the page sure enough. It wouldn’t budge. No matter what I tried. I was going to need the blood of the head of the house.

I was committed if I wanted to get this technique. I had hoped to memorize the technique quickly and then Time Return so no one ever knew it was taken. If I didn’t make this work this time, it was going to be tight getting enough Qi for another run. With that in mind instead of Time Returning to before the theft I left for the restaurant I knew the family was at. I was going to wing it.

When I got to the restaurant, I watched getting more and more nervous until the head of the house headed speak with someone at another table and they both went to another room for a few minutes before the other man came back out. I didn’t know what went on in that room, but I was headed there when he came back out. I went ahead into the room and took a minute to find a good place to hide. I then Time Returned to before the head of the house got up the first time and headed in.

Hiding in my spot I waited until I heard them come in. “Goulong you can’t keep pushing this off. A debt that large will have repercussions. If you pay it then my backers will stay with me, but if they find out this debt is on my ledger half of them will want their money back and that will ruin me. Besides if you pay it off then we will make a killing transporting Spirit Blossoms. That is a time sensitive endeavor. Already those harvesters are looking for other buyers.”

“I know Farwei. I know! I’m doing everything I can”. Goulong the head of the house put his hand on a pot near where I was hiding. I could just reach it without them seeing me. I pulled out my knife and poked him with it.

“Ouch! This plant has thorns? Look Farwei I will sell my family’s cultivation technique in 2 days. If that doesn’t work, I will take out a loan on my house and give you the money, ok? We will get through this.”

“If you can get a loan on the house why not do that instead of giving up your family’s heritage.”

“I won’t get into why, but the family line is broken. That means even if there is a cultivator in the future this manual is the same as any other in terms of risk. We will work to get back our wealth and then buy another when the time comes.”

“I see. I’m going back out. Are you coming?”

“I will in a moment. I need to compose myself.”

“Very well. I will see you in two days then. We will leave in no more than 3 for the mountains of Shuwal if we are to have a chance.”

“See you then.”

I waited until both of them had left and then used the drop of blood on the knife on the paper. I was relieved when it flashed gold. I then put of drop of my blood on it and the book opened. It wasn’t a normal book though. Somehow as soon as I opened it the knowledge of how to do the cultivation technique was in my mind. All I had to do was flow my Qi through my meridians in a certain pattern and it would take hold in my soul. I didn’t do this though. I Time Returned first to just before I opened the book with the blood and sure enough the knowledge was still there. I then Time Returned to just before I entered the house to steal the technique. Instead, I headed home. Head full of thoughts of cultivation, Spirit Blossoms and the mountains of Shuwal. I was going to make so much money!

The next three days were a whirlwind of activity. I didn’t have time to sit down and practice cultivation. Turns out it is a lot of sitting and trying to open meridians to flow Qi through. I didn’t have time for that. I busted my butt putting together the deal of deals. By the time Goulong and Farwei arrived at the Shuwal Mountains I had already bought the Spirit Blossoms at a discount on credit. Turns out making Mountain men wait on a crop that could go bad at any second was bad for business.

I still sold it to Goulong and Farwei and then used that money to finish paying off my debt to the mountain men. I still ended up with 2800 gold. I probably could have made more if I had been willing to really stick it to them, but I didn’t want to transport it to resale… and I didn’t want them to go out of business either. They in turn now knew me as a shrewd merchant. I could use that in the future.