Chapter 291 – Invitation From Colleagues
I wasn’t too worried about Selva. She was quick to get angry, and just as quick to calm down. Give her one day, and she would be ready to talk some more. Just in case, I decided to give her a bit more time, so we could have a productive second round of face-off.
I took care of all my other tasks, teleporting back to Geola’s shop when I was done. It was the end of the day, with fewer customers roaming around the three floors. Still, Urtek’s name was getting around, with interested new clients coming to see us all the time.
As I entered the premises, Poitr seemed relieved, coming to whisper in my ear as was his habit.
“Boss, there’s someone who wants to meet with you.”
“Who?”
“A merchant.”
“They’ve been waiting here for me instead of just getting an appointment? Have they been here for long?”
“About three hours.”
“It might be important. Take me to them, please.”
I didn’t need to go far because that person was using the rest area we installed on the first floor to allow people to eat the food they bought directly and at ease. It wasn’t that large, with only a few tables and chairs, but was good enough considering the size of our operation so far. The merchant was a man, a small-sized gila from the reptile subspecies, currently busy reading and writing on some documents.
Object: gila man.
Wealth level: wearing nice quality pants and shirt, 70 and 45 silvers respectively. Wealth is impossible to quantify, but probably comfortable at the very minimum.
Power level: amount of sel in his body: between 5200 and 5400, rank 5, air affinity. Muscle power: less than 10. Estimated to be an air mage. Adding a two-factor multiplier to account for hidden moves and trump cards. Estimated maximum power level at 10800: starts to pack a punch. Harmful potential: high.
“Nice to meet you, sir. I’m Tila Urtek, the owner of this store. I’m sorry for making you wait for so long.”
He stopped what he was doing and smiled calmly.
“There’s no cause for worry. I’m the one who came unannounced. My name is Fuvawi Yesbat. It’s nice to meet you too.”
“I heard you wanted to talk about something. Please come this way. Oh, if you would like, please take any of the food or snacks here.”
I thought I should implement candies and drinks soon. It could be useful in these situations.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“Alright. Please follow me.”
We moved to the third floor, where there was a small office. It was technically Poitr’s office space, since he was inside the store all day long, unlike me, but was shared between us in reality. Once we were seated, I initiated the conversation.
“It should be something important for you to wait for so long. May I ask what I can do for you?”
“Straight to the point, I see. That’s fine. As you might have guessed, I’m also a merchant. I came here as a representative of the Resistance.”
“Resistance, you say?”
My reaction left him a bit disappointed.
“I see you haven’t heard about it yet. Individual Merchants Coalition to Resist the Three Great Companies, shortened to Merchant Resistance, or simply Resistance. The name says it all, we’re grouping to survive against the monopoly-like influence of the three great companies.”
That was news to me. Or more like, I had been so busy recently that this type of news had gone well above my head. It might be time to create a basic information network, at least to be aware of these sorts of things. However, this was just yet another of the many things I wanted to do.
“I see. And you wanted to talk to me because?”
“Your arrival on the market took most of us by surprise. We know about selnic items. It’s hard to deny how incredible these are. For now, you’ve been selling them as luxury goods, but if there’s a way to lower production costs and make them more affordable, the demand could explode.”
“Well, thank you. I don’t think you came here to praise my products, though?”
“Actually, I partially do. I’m a merchant too, and I know the value of what I see. Back to the point, we, the resistance, see you as someone with great potential. We would like to invite you to a quieter meeting, with similarly minded traders.”
I raised my hand, palm facing him.
“Wait. Why are you assuming I’d want to be part of your group?”
He now looked shocked.
“Are you truly asking this?”
“I understand where you’re coming from, but I believe things should be clear from the start to avoid misunderstandings.”
He hesitated, staring at me with a bit of disdain.
“Well, if I have to spell it for you… There’s no way Miwai will leave you alone, is there? I’m almost surprised they didn’t do anything yet.”
Miwai was the name of one of the three great merchant companies. Among the many goods they traded, one was enchanted items. In other words, I was their direct competition.
“I’m sponsored by the city hall and Angin Vejas herself.”
“I saw the sign at the front. Was that not a bluff? I’ve never heard about the Lady sponsoring anyone before.”
“It’s all true. Feel free to verify with her directly.”
“…I haven’t been doing badly for myself, but I’m still not someone who can meet the city’s guardian easily.”
His gaze toward me changed again, now half distrustful, half impressed. The impressed part might not be because he believed me, but because I was bold enough to use such a prominent name fearlessly. Anyway, his remark told me he might not be a simple errand sent to me.
He nodded, paused for a moment, and continued.
“It’s impressive. Still, that’s not enough. The three great companies didn’t rise to prominence so fast for no reason. They’re ruthless against competition. It’s hard to say if even Angin Vejas’ name would be enough to stop them. No, I’m confident it won’t be enough at all.”
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