The guard dropped to his knees, then proceeded to bow so low that his forehead thunked loudly on the floorboards, his hands pressed flat on the floor beside his head. A kowtow, or dogeza, if you will.
“We failed to see Mount Togah before our eyes. Please forgive us!”
As the combined auras of the Trio pressed down on the group, Joram was once again impressed with the sheer grit the guard showed. But he was also perplexed by the colloquialism.
‘Mount Togah?’ He sent to Alicia, thoroughly confused.
‘Think of it as their version of Mount Tai,’ she sent back, amused. ‘Though, here, Mount Togah is considered a Death Zone. It’s a Level 5 Mana Zone, so only someone of Tier 9 or higher can be there without the mana density killing them.’
‘Huh,’ he sent back reflexively.
‘So?’ Wentian sent him, obviously wanting to know what he should do with the prostrating man in front of him.
‘Let the guard go,’ Joram sent, then added a bit more. ‘We can let Cedric off, if he makes a Heart Oath to never bother us, or any of our families, friends, or business partners and affiliates again.’
He could feel the curiosity and slight disappointment from the Trio through the Network. He could understand the curiosity, but why were they disappointed? Had they been secretly chomping at the bit to get into a fight?
“You’re lucky today,” Wentian said, taking the lead once again. “If your young lord is willing to take a Heart Oath to never bother any of us, their families, friends, business partners, or affiliates again, then we’ll let you go,” Wentian finished, easing up on his aura enough so that Cedric could respond.
“Please!” The attendant who’d come in with the group finally found his voice. “Please, no fighting in here!” He pleaded frantically, wringing his hands in front of him.
“Don’t worry, there will be no ‘fight’,” Mo Yu said, giving the middle-aged man a small smile to reassure him.
Joram was then privy to the sight of what Mo Yu’s smile could do to a man. The attendant’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as he blushed, his mouth bobbing open and closed as he tried to say something.
The guard stayed where he was, likely knowing that his boss was the one expected to speak up.
It took another half a minute before Cedric could gather himself enough to speak.
“I will-“
* * * * *
“It’s good to see you again,” she said, taking Kinkade’s hand to shake, then Asura’s.
“It’s good to be back,” Asura said, giving her one of her dazzling smiles.
“Please, sit with me”, Layla said, directing the pair to the comfortable seats arranged around the small round table off to the side in her office. After they’d all taken their seats, Aenwyn returned with a tray of tea and light snacks for them all. Once everyone was served, Layla continued.
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit today?”
“As much as I’d like to say that this is a social visit,” Kinkade said, placing his teacup back on its saucer, “it isn’t.”
“There are a couple of matters that we wish to discuss with you,” Asura said, taking over for Kinkade.
Layla was thrown off a bit by the sudden change in their normal interactions. Normally, they just visited any time they brought in an item for auction, speaking of this and that. That they were taking the initiative to speak with her about something else could be an important opportunity for her to deepen the pair’s connection to the Auction House.
“Please, we’re all friends here,” she said, giving them a genuine smile. “Speak, and I’ll certainly do what I can for you.”
Kinkade and Asura exchanged a startled look, giving Layla both a bit of hope that what they wanted to discuss was something that she could help with, but also giving her a bit of pause. If what they wanted to talk about turned out to be something difficult for the Auction House, then her position might not be enough to shield her from any potential repercussions that her helping the pair might bring.
“Well, the first is regarding a business matter,” Kinkade said, then proceeded to lay out their plans to open a small department store on the outskirts of Stormhaven.
It sounded intriguing, and as she got more details from the pair, she came to a quick decision.
“I’d be more than happy to help you out with recruiting and passing along the details of your store to valued customers,” Layla said, her money sense exploding. “Would it be possible to get a sample of this ‘viridian silk’ to use when I speak of it with others?” She asked, very interested in the new material.
“I can do one better,” Kinkade said, retrieving a measuring tape and holding it up in a motion that asked if he could take her measurements.
Suppressing a sudden blush, Layla nodded. It took Kinkade less than a minute to take her measurements, a consummate professional when doing so. She noticed a heavily suppressed look of envy on Aenwyn’s face, and couldn’t help but mentally nod.
“Miss Aenwyn?” Asura spoke up, startling both her and her assistant. “Would you like to be measured too?” She asked, a soft smile on her face.
“I would never presume, miss!” Aenwyn said quickly, shaking her head as her hands raised as though she were trying to push back such a thought.
“It’s no bother,” Kinkade said, his smile like that of a tolerant older brother, making Aenwyn slump in defeat as she stood up to be measured.
Layla suppressed a smile as she watched her assistant fight her own blushes as her measurements were taken before once again sitting as though all the energy in her had been drained.
“Here,” Asura said as she reached out and passed each of them a handkerchief-sized piece of silk.
They took the offered pieces and marvelled at its texture. Normal silk was smooth, but this was almost like touching water, or like running her fingers over wet ice, but without the cold or wet to get in the way of the sensation. Remembering the qualities they’d expounded upon, Layla proceeded to tug the cloth from its edges, testing its resilience.
Now, she had been very studious in her cultivation over the years, especially after she’d started dealing with Asura and Kinkade. The bonuses she’d enjoyed for the continued sales she facilitated with the pair had allowed her to purchase a steady stream of effective and valuable cultivation resources, letting her reach her current strength. As a late Tier 3 Mage, and one who didn’t forget to train her body as well, she was astonished by the fact that she couldn’t even fray the edges of the silk, no matter how hard she tugged.
“This… is impressive,” she said, once again looking back at the smiling pair. “Not just for how… luxurious it feels, but that it is so strong without having been made into an artifact first.”
“The source materials are Tier 4 and above,” Kinkade said, now looking serious again. “Part of why we’ve approached you is to obtain more of one of the key components of the silk.”
“Bloodmoon Reaver Silk,” Asura said, getting her attention. “We have some, but would need much more, and a steady source of it, to be able to keep up with the foreseen demand.”
Layla nodded, understanding their dilemma. As a Tier 6 magical beast, it wasn’t easy to deal with, never mind domesticating the beast to ensure a steady supply of its silk. The few businesses that specialized in the very dangerous field of magical beast husbandry that she knew of didn’t deal with magical beasts of that Tier, nor in arachnids.
“That… will be difficult,” she confessed, then explained why. “That said, we can start looking into anyone who might be willing to start up such a venture…”
Kinkade nodded at that, then spoke.
“Well, I’m sure that you’ll find someone,” he said with a smile that warmed her heart to see. “If you’re in need of funds, as I’m not sure if you’re personally offering to help or it it’s an offer that’ll be backed by the Auction House, we can help. Either way, we’d very much like to have a share in that business,” he finished, giving her a keen look as Asura gave him an amused look in turn.
Layla nodded, appreciating how on point they were. Even though she was now in the upper management of the Auction House, such a high-risk venture was something that she’d need to draw up a proposal for, then present it to the board of directors for approval. If she was willing to take on the risks involved in such a venture, then she could try to help fund it with her own personal savings.
Thinking about it a bit more, she was sure that personally funding the project with Asura and Kinkade would lead to enormous profits for them all. She was reasonably sure that she could convince the board of directors to fund the project, but such an amazing business opportunity was hard to pass up. Given what the viridian silk would be able to sell for, she was sure that they’d soon be swimming in Crystals.
“For now, I would like to personally head this project,” she said, nodding. “I would be very happy to work with you both to get everything going and running smoothly.”
Asura smiled at her before speaking.
“With that sorted, there’s another issue we’d appreciate your help with,” she said, then proceeded to explain some issues centred on a friend of theirs, as well as his friends and their families, and smiled.
That’ll be the easy part, Layla thought as she listened to Asura and Kinkade. For such a small family, in such a small kingdom, they sure don’t know how high the sky is.
* * * * *
*1346.08.11*
“I’m sorry sir, but the card had been declined.”
Cedric paused his conversation to look over at the source of the new voice, as it wasn’t who he’d been expecting.
“Sorry? Come again?” He said, not quite believing his ears.
“The card has been declined,” the man replied, taking the card off the small tray he’d been carrying it on and placing it on the table in front of Cedric.
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“Absurd. This is a Silver Card from Heaven’s Bounty Auction House.” He said, wondering if the restaurant’s card reader was malfunctioning.
“Yes, and I have confirmation from the local branch of Heaven’s Bounty that this card has been cancelled. Please provide another method of payment,” the man said, bowing slightly at the end.
Neither the bow nor the courteous tone the man used eased Cedric’s seething anger. He didn’t know why his card had been cancelled, but the humiliation he was feeling because of that was almost as bad as what he’d felt kneeling before that cur, Joram.
One of his friends offered to pay, alleviating the tense situation slightly, but then Samart, his cowardly guard who’d begged Joram to spare them, spoke up.
“The patriarch wishes to speak with you,” he said, lowering his communications card. “He is currently at Heaven’s Bounty. He expects you post haste.”
Cedric frowned, getting a sinking feeling in his stomach. What could his father want now? Was his father’s presence at Heaven’s Bounty related to why his card was cancelled? And, as far as he knew, there weren’t any auctions of note today, so why was he there at all?
After the bill was sorted, they entered his flying artifact, a luxurious coach that could fit him and his friends with room to spare. As a Tier 3 Artifact its speed was top-notch, so they soon arrived at Heaven’s Bounty. It only took them a few more minutes before he found himself waiting outside of one of the administrative offices, alone but for Samart waiting by his side.
A minute later, the door was opened by one of the stunning beauties employed by Heaven’s Bounty, distracting him briefly before Samart nudged him. Cedric gave the man a glare before stepping into the room where his father was waiting along with another stunning beauty who he recognized as Miss Layla, one of the top auctioneers of the auction house. If she’d been in the Academy, he was sure that she would have been at the top of the Goddess Ranking.
From what the rumours said, she was a prodigy when it came to business, finding, and signing very profitable deals for the auction house. Not only that, but she was one of the most sought-after bachelorettes in the kingdom, let alone in others. He’d heard that she’d transferred here to get away from the many suitors constantly vying for her attention. And he could see why.
Her black hair was long, but tied up in a neat bun that allowed for a short waterfall of her hair to fall down to the nape of her long neck, catching the light in such a way that violet highlights could be seen shimmering in and out of existence as her hair shifted in morning light. Her skin was like alabaster, smooth and perfect, while her eyes were like pure amethyst. So enthralled was he that he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her gorgeous mien to admire the rest of her stunning figure.
His breath caught in his throat as her large eyes locked onto his, causing his step to briefly stagger before he caught himself. Cedric broke eye contact first, suddenly aware that the rumours of how formidable this young woman was were indeed true.
“Sit,” his father said curtly, breaking him out of his stupor.
Cedric quickly did as he was instructed, taking the chair to his father’s left; something that should have caused a warning flag to rise if he hadn’t been so distracted.
“Shall we continue?” Miss Layla asked, her voice so smooth and melodious that he was once again distracted when his father replied.
“Yes, please do,” Careth Arabanise said, sounding as diplomatic as usual.
“Well then,” Miss Layla said, her gaze sweeping over them both. “Due to the House finding alternate suppliers, we’ve decided to cut ties with the majority of your businesses. Due to that, your account no longer qualifies as a Silver Tier Account, so you’ve been downgraded to Bronze Tier,” she said as though she were discussing tea.
What she’d said took Cedric a moment to process and realize just how significant her words were. To him, Miss Layla no longer sounded like a divine being who’d descended to the mortal realm to grace them with her presence. Now, she sounded like a cold-hearted demon to him.
“But, why?” Careth asked, trying to sound anything but strangled as he spoke.
“It is business,” Miss Layla said nonchalantly, picking up her teacup to take a sip before continuing. “We found a better opportunity, so we went with it. Perhaps, with some savvy business acumen, you might be able to find other buyers and partners to deal with before things get out of hand for your businesses.”
Another moment passed before Cedric’s father replied, sounding angry now.
“We’ve been in business for centuries. What changed? If it’s cutting costs, we can look at that. I’m sure that we can find a mutually beneficial balance between us,” he said, working hard to remain calm.
But Cedric knew his father well, and the fact that a vein in his neck was throbbing meant that there would be hell to pay for everything that was happening here.
“Well, due to certain opportunities opening up in the market over the past couple of days, we’ve decided to take advantage of them in lieu of continuing dealing with House Arabanise and its subsidiaries,” Miss Layla said, her tone not changing even slightly. “Some people’s abandoned business ventures are other people’s gains.”
Cedric was shocked by just how blasé Miss Layla was being about all this. He was being trained to take over the family holdings and businesses, so he knew that the number of Crystals flowing between House Arabanise and Heaven’s Bounty amounted to tens of thousands of Tier 2 HGCs per year. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to put their yearly income in the realm of Tier 3 Crystals; something that only a few in the kingdom could brag about.
Then his thoughts turned to his encounter the other day and how he’d reacted to it.
---
“I will not,” he’d said, spitting at the feet of the tall foreigners. “I am a noble of this kingdom, I will not bow to plebeians! Mark my words, if you do anything to me, I’ll make sure that each and every one of you suffers. Then, I’ll make sure to ruin your families to the point that they’ll be sold into slavery to pay off their debts.”
He watched in satisfaction as many of the beauties paled at his words, especially that bitch from House Erhice. He’d once wanted to pursue her, as she was considered a beauty amongst their peerage, but now he could see that she was just another dog.
“If that’s what you want, then leave,” Joram Aneath said, still not looking at him when he spoke.
Ah, don’t worry, I’ll be sure to take care of you along with the others, he’d thought, already planning how he was going to disgrace and humiliate the young whelp.
---
After that, he’d gone home, bathed, then immediately went to the finance department of House Arabanise. There, he’d taken the time to go through the books. He’d then spent more time going through their various contacts and had come up with a plan.
From what he’d researched, it hadn’t been too difficult to cut ties with House Erhice, then with the Rearden Consortium. From there, he’d gotten into contact with other companies dealing with those two and had pulled in some favours, made some subtle threats, and had ended those business relationships as well. It had taken a bit of work, but he’d been proud of how he’d gone about ruining House Erhice and the Rearden Consortium.
“Wait, I know these businesses,” his father said, holding a sheet of paper dense with writing. “We’re already working with them. What’s going on?” He asked, shaking his head as the vein in his neck grew in size.
“I can’t say, but now that they’re no longer dealing with House Arabanise, it was a simple matter to scoop them up, along with many others who were willing to take advantage of better business opportunities,” Miss Layla said, then took another sip of tea.
“But, how?” Careth Arabanise asked as his left hand that was holding the paper fell to his side, allowing Cedric to see what was written there.
He paled then, his stomach sinking down into his boots. Miss Layla caught sight of his reaction, then spoke.
“Maybe ask your son? He seems to have realized something,” she said, a small smile forming on her lips for the first time that meeting.
Careth Arabanise looked over to him, frowning as he beheld his son’s sickly visage.
“What?”
Cedric took a moment to swallow, trying to wet his very dry throat before speaking. It didn’t work.
“Recently, I restructured a few business deals,” he croaked out, not able to look at his father, nor the demon sitting at the desk across from him.
“What?” His father asked again, this time in a tone so cold that Cedric was sure that the tea in his cup had gained a few ice crystals.
“House Erhice and the Rearden Consortium insulted me and the family a few days ago, refusing to apologize. So, to punish them, I cut off some business dealings with them and…” he stopped dead as the look his father was giving him told him that if he continued speaking, he’d die.
“I find that I have a few matters to attend to,” his father said, turning his attention back to Miss Layla. “If we could continue this discussion at a later date, I would be much obliged.”
Miss Layla stood up, prompting them to also stand.
“I don’t think that that will be necessary,” she said, then motioned them to the door. “Please, forgive me for not seeing you out,” she said as her assistant opened the door for them.
Cedric was feeling so ill that he missed what else was said before he was dragged out of the office and out of Heaven’s Bounty to stand with his father, his retinue, and Samart outside near their flying artifacts.
“What did you do?” His father asked as he activated a privacy array in his ring.
“Well, when I went to visit the Azure Crane the other day, I found that my room had been taken by plebians. So, I went in to dismiss them,” he said, then swallowed at the look his father gave him. “They then proved to be more than mere plebians, though. Alyraele and Sophia were there with friends from the Academy. As was that Joram Aneath,” he said, then stopped dead as his father’s hand clamped onto his neck faster than his eye could track.
“What. Did. You. Do?”
Cedric tried to swallow before speaking, then finally succeeded when his father’s grip loosened just enough for him to speak.
“Joram sent people to attack us, but backed off once he knew how much trouble harming us would bring him,” he wheezed out, causing his father’s look to change.
“How do I have such imbeciles for sons?” Careth asked himself, obviously not wanting an answer from Cedric. “Did I not tell you, and everyone else, to leave Joram Aneath alone?” He asked coldly.
“He’s just a kid…” he managed to say before the look of such utter disgust and contempt on his father’s face silenced him.
“Exactly,” Careth said, shaking his head. “He’s just a youth. Who happens to already be a Tier 3 Alchemist as well as a Tier 3 Artificer. Just a ‘youth’ who killed a mid-Tier 4 Battlemage with one swing of a mundane sword. Just a ‘youth’ who happens to be in his first year at the Grand Waeryn Academy. Just a ‘youth’ who now happens to be engaged to a princess of the Eternal Snow Kingdom. Just a ‘youth’ who just so happens to have organized a ‘study group’ of some of the most influential young women in the Academy. Who happens to have turned in dozens of requests at the Academy’s Quest Hall, all ranging from D-Class to B-Class,” he said, listing off things that Cedric would have normally said were impossible.
“So, tell me. Why would you think it was a good idea to antagonize Joram Aneath? Especially when I directly forbade anyone doing such a thing?”
Cedric couldn’t find the words to reply to his father. Instead, he could do nothing but stare down at his feet, his mind spinning.
“Congratulations,” his father said, sarcasm dripping from every word. “You’ve successfully destroyed House Arabanise. Samart? Take Cedric and lock him up,” he said before dismissing the privacy array and walking off.
Cedric watched numbly as his father, accompanied by his retinue, left in his flying artifact. He felt someone grab his elbow and turned to see that it was Samart holding his arm. He followed along numbly, getting into the flying coach, and sitting.
His mind was still spinning as he was led out of the coach, through the estates, and into his House’s jail cells.
What happened? Was all he could think to ask himself, still not registering where he was.
* * * * *
Alyraele read through the message from her family again, not believing what her eyes were telling her. Sophia, at her side, was doing the same with a letter that she’d just received as they sat at Starfall with the rest of the study group.
“Good news?” Joram asked, a curious look on his face.
Alyraele looked over at him, taking in his youthful appearance. Even after accepting his “friendship”, she’d still had doubts about just what he could do by himself. Yes, he was incredibly powerful, but that came with being a Reincarnator. They were all abnormal existences who seemed to flaunt common sense. Even then, she hadn’t quite believed that he could do anything if her family got involved.
She still wasn’t sure if what she was reading had been caused or influenced by him. Two days ago, when her family had contacted her regarding their business dealings, telling her that she wouldn’t likely be able to continue attending the Academy next year, she’d been crushed.
It looked like Cedric had followed through with his threats of ruining her family. Not only her, but also going so far as to cut ties with Sophia’s as well. Not only that, but even several other families and businesses had been targeted.
Alyraele hadn’t had the stomach to meet with the study group since then, preferring to discuss things with Sophia instead. Even with their business acumen, and Sophia’s contacts, they hadn’t been able to figure out a solution before Joram had called them all to meet today.
She’d almost refused the invitation given how angry she’d been with Joram for his part in what had happened. But ultimately, she knew that it was on Cedric’s head. Even though Joram had played a part, Cedric’s decisions were what had caused the financial ruin of their families, so she’d agreed to the meeting.
To say that the atmosphere was awkward to start would have been a gross understatement. For his part, Joram seemed… oblivious to it all, chatting quietly with Renna about growing trees, of all things. But then a messenger came to deliver the physical letters from their respective families, confusing them both terribly. Why they’d chosen to send a physical letter when they could have sent a message to their student cards had been beyond her, but then they’d read through the contents of said letters.
Now she knew why. Something that sensitive shouldn’t be entrusted to message spells. Even with the heavily warded letters, she still wondered why she hadn’t just been summoned home to speak with the family.
“Mhmm,” she mumbled before continuing. “It seems that our… financial difficulties have been resolved,” she said, not quite sure if she should explain it further than that given the public setting.
“I’m glad things worked out,” Joram said with a soft smile, but the glint in his eyes suggested to her that he had known something about all this before hand.
“Was it you?” Sophia asked bluntly, storing the letter away in her storage ring.
Joram looked at her, surprise evident in his expression.
Alyraele placed a hand on Sophia’s shoulder, stopping her from speaking.
“I’m glad we’re friends,” she said, a small smile spreading on her lips as she realized just how heartfelt her words actually were.
Joram smiled back at her, then waved a server over and ordered a round of juice cocktails form them all. After the server had gone, he looked back to her and smiled again.
“Me too,” he said.