Striking A Deal With The Alrin
The marketing campaign done by his noble wives was certainly quite effective, as the shop quickly became a hot spot for all kinds of customers. From the stealthy to the downtrodden, it seemed like everyone had heard of this shop.
It was a good thing that Anoteros had prepared ample stock. Otherwise, everything in the shop would have been gone within just two hours.
The servants picked to run the shop by Jania proved themselves competent and reliable. Being that they worked for nobles normally, they could handle the wealthier clients without any problem.
‘I’ll have to find good employees for when the shop has its grand opening…’
Not everyone could maintain their composure when dealing with nobles or rich merchants, and few could keep their wits when people from great clans showed up.
About four hours following the opening of the market, someone dressed in red robes and followed by a small army of servants entered the shop. It was clear with just a glance that this was someone from the Xing clan. The signature bloodred eyes were hard to miss.
It seemed to be a young man, though. Thus, it was probably someone from Edrick’s generation, or perhaps even younger than him.
“I wasn’t misled. This place is indeed quite stacked… I wonder who the owner is”
The young high-noble rubbed his chin in thought, but ignored most of the products and instead headed straight for the Fire-Feather Minerals and Golu Amethyst. Motioning for an older man to step forward and analyse the quality of the products. Whenever something like this happened, the employees would get a little concerned.
They had been assured by their lady that everything was of top-notch quality, and so far, it had been confirmed again and again–Though the main worry was that someone would feel a little too bold, and would try to claim that the quality wasn’t that good. All to try and cause a commotion for one reason or another.
It wasn’t exactly an uncommon thing, regardless of whether the quality was actually bad or not.
If someone did this, they knew well that Anoteros would have to come down, and they would rather not bother the husband of the two young ladies they served.
The older man stayed silent as he used a loupe to closely inspect several pieces of each material.
After several long minutes of silent inspection, he put away his loupe.
“...I rarely see such high-quality goods when it comes to these two materials. They perfectly match those hailing from the secret realm shared between several sects. In fact, the harvesting method is better. Whoever collected this knew what they were doing, unlike the inexperienced disciples who are allowed to venture into the realm”
The employees heaved a sigh of relief on the inside, whilst Edrick smiled by himself as he listened in on the conversation without ever moving from his armchair.
This expert was quite close to figuring out that these products indeed came from Eltysia, though the ownership of the realm had changed.
These products had been harvested with great care by Underwood Elves. They had discovered many deposits of these materials and were instructed to only collect specific amounts in each area, so as to allow them to naturally remanifest without interfering with their regrowth.
Despite Anoteros being quite stringent on this matter, the sheer number of spots where they grew was staggering, with certain areas beyond the Cradled Region containing massive amounts of ores.
“Perfect! So this is the best possible one I can get, yes?”
“Indeed, Young Master”
“Alright then, select the best out of the bunch in the quantities I already told you about. Take as much time as you need”
Hearing this, a nearby employee calmly approached the group.
“Sir, if you desire the highest quality for these products, I can show you samples that are kept in the back for the more influential customers like yourself”
Indeed, Edrick had gotten his hands on certain materials that surpassed expectations.
It was common for certain herbs and minerals to be better the older they were, and this applied to Fire-Feather Minerals and Golu Amethyst. In Eltysia, the air was also rich with ambient energy, which played a role in the quality of the products as well.
As such, certain of the goods the Underwood Elves brought Anoteros were of far higher quality than the norm, according to both Luxuli’s and Yechen’s analysis. Since putting them alongside the rest would have been silly, Edrick had decided to place them apart for special clients.
The older gentleman almost choked on his own saliva when he inspected these in the back of the shop.
“Good Sir, if I may ask… For what purpose do you intend to use these materials?”
The Xing scion hesitated for a few moments, but eventually just shrugged.
“I have been in a relationship with a girl for a few years now. Our parents set us up when we were still little, and I would like to ask for her hand in marriage officially. I know she likes Golu Amethyst very much, and she practises fire-based cultivation techniques, so I figured that Fire-Feather Minerals would be best for her…”
He cleared his throat as if embarrassed.
“...I know they aren’t very expensive materials for someone like me, but she is of lesser status, and doesn’t like it at all when I use lots of money for gifts”
He felt like he had to justify himself unless he appeared like a rat unwilling to open his wallet for the girl he loved.
‘It is a pretty good sign if she doesn’t want him to give her expensive gifts…’
Edrick rose from the armchair and quietly left the second floor. Squeezing himself through a doorway clearly intended for people of a regular size. He went to the same room the Xing scion was in.
The young man in red looked him up and down for a few seconds.
“...Zixuan Elt…?”
“I see that my looks are unusual enough for me to be recognised. I am the owner of this shop. I do not think we’ve had the pleasure of meeting before”
Anoteros extended his hand forward, and the two of them shook hands, even though their hands were ridiculously different in size.
“Oh. I am Liren Xing. We’ve never met before, but I heard about you from my Great-Jhila”
They exchanged a few words before Edrick went into the subject he wanted to speak about.
“I just heard what you were here for, and I have an offer to ensure that the ring you’ll gift your beloved will be crafted in the most exquisite manner possible”
“Mmh… Sounds interesting. I think as main-line scions both, we can trust each other without requiring extensive proof, so let’s cut to the chase. What do you want in exchange for this?”
“Nothing much. You are Bai’s Alrin, right? I would appreciate it if you could help me with her”
The Xing scion scratched his face.
“Well… Normally, I wouldn’t agree to helping any man win over one of my Alrinirs, but… Bai is such a weirdo, and the other guys chasing her are either only after her body, or have long since given up after getting to learn just how odd she truly is”
“Alright, as long as you swear to marry and not break her heart, I’m in”
“You won’t be disappointed, Liren”
“I would like to say the same thing to you, but Bai is just too weird for me to do that…”
“Don’t worry, I’m quite weird as well”