Sendrick’s smile tightened noticeably. I could tell that I had annoyed him.

“With respect, Lord Thale, you’d be surprised by how many times I’ve heard that sentence,” Sendrick said, chuckling quietly to cover up the momentary lapse in his calm demeanor. “How will your product change the world?”

“Please feel free to drop the formalities, Mr. Grimhold,” I said, matching my expression to Sendrick’s. “I would be more than happy to speak to a man of your standing as an equal.”

“I suppose I will, Mr. Feldrast,” Sendrick said, his smile taking on a hint of authenticity for a moment. “Your vocabulary is quite advanced for a nine-year-old.”

“I read a lot,” I said in a demonstration of the kind of deception frequently used by nobles. My statement would not have activated [Lie Detection], because it was technically the truth. I did read a lot, but that wasn’t why my vocabulary was so advanced. If Sendrick connected the dots incorrectly, that was his choice.

“To answer your question,” I cleared my throat in preparation for the coming spiel, “my product will change the world by opening a whole new avenue of productivity with scholars and nobles alike. By ingesting a mere pinch of this black powder,” I opened the wooden box, revealing the charcoal powder within, “you’ll experience several hours of focus that you’ve never experienced before. I know that you’ve been trying to break into the Hinnom market for a few years now. Trust me, this product will make all the students and scholars there love you.”

With an extremely doubtful expression on his face, Sendrick leaned in toward the opened wooden box. I had engraved the first rune of the Common alphabet, ᛕ, on the side of the box with a knife. Sendrick pressed one finger into the powder, and his finger came away with flecks of charcoal attached.

“If what you say is true, then this powder would be quite the product,” Sendrick said, closely observing the powder on his finger. “But, with respect, this just looks like charcoal to me.”

To not allow the doubt fester in the air, I spoke immediately. “You’re very perceptive, Mr. Grimhold. Yes, I used charcoal as the binding agent when I synthesized this compound. Don’t worry, though. The purified charcoal that I use is completely free of any potentially harmful toxins.”

Sendrick still looked doubtful, so I continued speaking, “All I ask is that you try it out. Just take some of the powder like this,” I gripped a small amount of the powder between my index finger and thumb, “and you’ll experience a new world of productivity.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

I placed the powder on my tongue and made a big show of swallowing. I knew from the beginning that this would be necessary if there was any chance that Sendrick would try the focus-drug. All I had to do was get Sendrick to ingest some of the powder, and I knew he would be convinced.

I looked at Sendrick, silently pleading that he would take the offer. It was a hard sell, I knew. In my old life, if a nine-year-old came by and told me that eating some charcoal would help me do my job better, I’m not sure that I’d do what the child said. I was banking on Sendrick’s profit motive. Ambition and a sixth sense for finding new ways to turn a profit had propelled Sendrick to new heights of wealth, and I was betting that he would not allow even the slightest possible opportunity to pass him by.

“Sure, why not?” Sendrick said with a shrug. “I’ve eaten worse.”

I let out an imperceptible sigh of relief as Sendrick took a pinch of the focus-drug and ingested it.

“Thank you, Mr. Grimhold,” I said. “Trust me, you won’t regret this. By the way, I plan to make one more drug that I think you’ll be interested in.”

“Hmm?” Sendrick asked, grimacing as the sickly-sweet charcoal hit his esophagus. “What does this other drug do?”

“It’s a cure for impotence,” I said evenly.

Sendrick choked for a moment and turned to me. After an instant of silence, he began laughing loudly. “Now that would be a product! Bring me a legitimate cure for impotence, and I’ll make you a very wealthy man!”

“Oh, I intend to,” I said with a smile. Sendrick’s smile was infectious, and it put me in a good mood, even though I knew that he was laughing at the absurdity of my statement.

“You’re really not a normal child,” Sendrick laughed.

“No, I’m not,” I said, smiling. “The focus-drug should start working within the next hour, and it should wear off within eight hours. I’ll let you get back to work, and I’ll come back tomorrow to talk more about forming a business agreement.” I lifted myself up from my chair, steadying myself with my cane.

“Hey,” Sendrick wiped the tears from his eyes. “Even if the products don’t work out, we should still work together. I like your spirit, kid. If there’s anything you want to learn about business, I’d be happy to show you.”

“Thanks a lot, Mr. Grimhold,” I said with authentic gratitude. He still didn’t believe for a second that the focus-drug worked, yet he was still totally willing to work with me.

Sendrick leaned forward with his hand outstretched, and I shook his hand.

----------------------------------------

Standing just outside the building that held Sendrick Grimhold’s office, I immediately used the [Fourth Prayer] on myself. This prayer was meant to cure poisons, and I was fairly certain that it would recognize any drug that altered the mental state as a poison.

Quietly, I chanted, “Do not be afraid or terrified, for the Goddess goes with you; She will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Nothing happened immediately, but I could feel a portion of my mana expended by the spell. The [Prayer] must have neutralized the Adderall in my system. At that time, I didn’t want to go about the rest of my day with an altered mental state.