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Leo

It was early morning as Leo and Elaria were having breakfast. Leo was distracted by his new ‘shower issue’, as he was tapping his pencil against the table with his head tilted back, staring up at the ceiling. He was deep in thought, trying to think of the most simplified system to make a magic shower, because he pretty much decided that he would rather pull out his teeth then try to fix that mess.

Leo had a short talk with Kesl, and he seemed just as pissed when he told him how much of an unprofessional mess that mage really did. Considering that a proper system should never need a mage to ‘fix’ the runes, he pretty much got scammed.

“Sorry about the wait, Kesl wanted to serve you two ales in our special glass mugs.” Tissa said, setting down a pair of mugs on the table before scurrying off back to the kitchen.

Leo looked down at the mug in front of him as he considered drinking it. ‘Normally I would give Elaria mine, as I don't particularly like to drink. Unfortunately, every time I remember that cluster fuck of a system downstairs, I can feel my dormant alcoholic whispering sweet nothings into my ear’.

“Fuck it.” Leo muttered, grabbing the cold glass to chug down.

‘I definitely needed that, and it seems like Kesl is making good use of….the ice...’ Leo stared at the mug, noticing the water form on the outside of the glass.

Leo’s eyes went wide and his expression broke into a smile as a thought hit him. ‘Condensation! I can just skip the rain cloud nonsense and create a thin layer of high humidity with a condensation rune on the ceiling, then just add a temperature setting. I have to probably work out a few more runes to adjust the rate of condensation, but all together the system should probably take about twenty runes max.’

Elaria smiled as she noticed Leo break out of his rut. “Finally came up with something then? You've been in a mood since you woke up, even after my little snack in bed…” She finished seductively.

Leo let out an uncomfortable cough. “Yes well, remind me to show you one of the compartments that I ‘was’ tasked with cleaning up, so you can understand why. But now I don't have to do any of that, because I'm going to redo the entire thing.”

“If you say so… Now what's the plan for today?" Elaria asked as she gave him a coy look.

Leo sighed, as he loved how eager she was, but felt like sex was the 'only thing on her mind. "Sorry but you'll have to wait till tonight or tomorrow for the main course, I have to do quite a bit today. I have to enchant all of the handkerchiefs, go to the merchants guild to sell them, pick up my orders from the blacksmith and carpenter, and draw up a new system for the shower."

Elaria let out an audible ‘Tsk’. "Damn it, can't some of that wait till tomorrow…" She complained.

Leo rolled his eyes, and decided to take a different approach. "If I get a lot done today, then I have more time tomorrow. So let me remind you that on this world, I am more than the average man, or do you not want an entire day of fun?" He teased.

Elaria looked like she wanted to protest, but couldn't find the words to do so. "I can wait…" She remarked softly, and Leo chuckled as he went back to planning out designs.

Leo was sketching out a few ideas for the shower when Allis entered the inn and slithered over to their table. After they exchanged greetings, Allis said she wouldn't be joining them for today, as she wanted to hand in her resignation to the local lord. She also was going to go around town apologizing to the people she treated badly. The herbalist was chief among them because she used to work at the clinic, but Allis basically drove her out. Allis hoped that she could smooth things over enough with the herbalist, so she'd take back up at the clinic.

Allis cocked her head as she watched Leo create small test runes. "Leo, I know the meaning for a lot of runes, but I've noticed that nearly all the stuff you make are completely unknown to me."

Leo grinned, as her remark confirmed a few things for him. "Well that just means that no one can replicate them, even when I translate them into my book. which is convenient if I'm going to make magic weapons. People could steal them, but if it's only like five untranslatable runes, then they are shit out of luck if they want to reproduce it. That's the same for most of my creations actually."

Allis furrowed her brow while she stared at his open book. "I still don't see how you are going to make something that will put a peasant on an even playing field with a mage, much less doing it with five runes." She remarked skeptically.

Leo gave Allis a strange look before he facepalmed. "Right, I forgot to give you a demonstration yesterday. Remind me to show you how I made the pebble mightier than the sword." He said with a smile, but she just stared at him in confusion.

'God I'm going to miss people who get my references…'

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Elaria

After breakfast, Allis left Elaria and Leo for the day. Leo spent a few hours enchanting all the handkerchiefs, and when he was done, Elaria accompanied him to the merchant's guild to sell them.

Elaria stared at the box Leo was carrying with mild intrigue. "So what are you going to try and sell them for?"

"I was thinking two or three gold each." Leo answered so casually that Elaria's mind lagged for a moment.

Elaria's thoughts froze as she totaled the price of the seventy handkerchiefs in her head, her eyes widening at the amount. "A hundred forty to two hundred ten gold!?" She thought aloud.

Leo laughed, and said something that tripped her up again. "Actually, that's me being pretty cheap."

Elaria looked at him incredulously. "The hell do you mean cheap? You can buy a sizable bit of land with that."

"I talked to Kesl, and he said that the guild is one big web of interconnected markets that covers most of the continent. So consider for a moment who they are going to resell it to, once they buy it from me." Leo explained with a smirk as he tapped the lid on the box.

"The rich and powerful…" Elaria's response trailed as she realized that a few gold would be nothing for those people.

Leo smiled as they turned a corner. "Exactly, and I wouldn't be surprised if they try and sell them for twenty gold each. Plus no one will be able to replicate my work, because of many of the unknown runes I use, so they have to come back to buy more from me. And when they do, I can negotiate a higher price. This first deal is just to get the market hooked on the product, since later down the road I plan to bump the price up to ten gold."

Elaria’s eyes went wide at the amount of gold he was talking about. 'Holy shit!… If he started earning that much gold he'd be able to buy out a small territory. Fuck, he might actually get the funds to attempt his crazy 'revolution' plan…' She thought in amazement.

"So what 'exactly' are you going to do with that much gold?" She asked curiously, but still wore a bit of a shocked expression.

Leo shrugged as he took the whole situation in stride. "Work in progress. I'll probably buy a large home in town, hire some house staff, and set up a workshop. Then earn enough gold until I can buy a manor and some land, then I can have the privacy for 'much' larger projects. And from there… start working on a proper plan for the revolution."

Elaria was quiet the rest of the way to the merchant's guild, while she considered for the first time how quickly summons helped kingdoms take over the world, and that Leo was essentially going to try and build up the wealth and power to match a kingdom. Unlike other summons though, Leo is doing it because of some personal principles, and doesn't actually want to have a true empire.

‘I really don't like what I've gotten myself into, but I won't let Leo go, not now, especially after what he did for me.’ She thought as she resolved herself to stay with him, though she felt something other than just a debt that made her want to stay.

When they entered the merchant's guild they were greeted by a tall and deceptively young looking middle-aged selarin, whose chest was noticeably well endowed. Nearly seven feet tall, she had silver scales and white eyes, and a five foot tapered tail. The woman also had sexual appeal radiating off her to the point that even Elaria thought it was a bit ridiculous, though she found Leo’s momentary fixation a little amusing.

"Greetings, and welcome to the Telnar merchant branch. My name is Kessa, how may I be of assistance today." She greeted them warmly.

Leo smiled as he stepped forward and held out a hand. "Hello, my name is Leo and this is Elaria. I'm here to sell the guild a new product that will make them very wealthy." He introduced with confidence while they shook hands.

Kessa’s face fell into a slight, but hungry, desire as her gaze seemed to pierce through him. "Ah, you must be the infamous dragon. I've heard some interesting things about you from the rumors, as well as my brother and daughters not shutting up about you." She told him as she dropped into a sultry tone.

Leo's confidence was demolished while his eyes went wide with surprise. "Uhh, daughters?" He asked uncomfortably, and Elaria couldn't help but snicker.

Kessa’s eyes grew more hungry. "Oh yes, they had a lot to say about you, especially Tissa… and just to let you know, I'm single." She told him while her uniform tightened, and she took a glance at Elaria for some kind of permission, which was more than what most people did at the market.

Even though Elaria had no problem with Leo sleeping with other women, she could now see why some men are so irritated when they get hit on. 'The constant advances toward Leo stoked my pride at first, but now it has just become annoying to watch, as it gets in the way constantly.... Though this situation is still a little more than funny.’ She thought in amusement, as Leo's gaze was fixed on the overly stimulating woman, and she smirked while giving Kessa a nod, not that she needed it.

Leo shook his daze and quickly regained his composure. “I appreciate the interest, but I'd like to put business before pleasure if you don't mind.” He urged half heartedly as he struggled to keep eye contact.

“Of course, if you would just follow me.” Kessa said with a cheery tone, and she very purposefully swayed her hips seductively as they followed her to the back of the guild.

Kessa brought them to one of the private back rooms, it was small, with two couches facing each other that was separated by a low table. Shortly after they got comfortable, a woman with a slave collar entered with snacks and beverages. Kessa thanked and dismissed the slave while they both took a cup to drink, but before Elaria could take a sip, she felt a cold wave over her. She turned her head to look at Leo, who didn't pick up his drink, and for just a second, he had that same look from when that selarin tried to take him at the inn.

“Leo, is something wrong? ” Elaria asked worriedly.

Leo shifted forward while interlacing his fingers. “I'm alright... Kessa, can I ask a few non related questions before we start? I've never dealt with the guild before, so I would just like to know a little bit about what.. Products, it trades in..” He asked with little emotion and an emptiness that chilled the mood of the room.

Kessa seemed to notice Leo’s total shift in composure, and visually tensed as a result. “Uhhh, sure. We trade in a variety of products and services, from providing the best in tools, weapons and armor, to contracting professional craftsmen, artisans and slaves. We als-” She was interrupted by Leo.

Leo's expression was dark as his eyes narrowed. “Slaves, how exactly does the guild operate when it comes to that trade?” He asked with an icy chill to his voice.

Elaria had never seen Leo like this and felt as though she should stay out of this particular conversation, opting to just watch while she sipped from her cup and munched on the snacks as they talked.

Kessa seemed to realize something, as she noticeably changed her posture, dropping all of her sexually provocative actions as fast as Leo slid into his chilling mood. “We at the merchants' guild pride ourselves on the most ethical acquisition and detainment of enslaved persons. We also provide the best in treatment for men and non criminal individuals. Our prices also reflect the worth and responsibility associated with caring for another sentient being.” She said in a neutral tone, almost as if she was reading off of a script, but Elaria noticed her lips curl ever so slightly into a frown, as if she didn't like anything that she was saying.

Leo’s eyes narrowed a little more before he sat back up. “Thank you for humoring my questions, it was very enlightening.” He remarked with no emotion, and went on to explain and demonstrate his product to Kessa.

Leo put emphasis on the fact that his product couldn't be replicated by another mage, which prompted her to call down a mage working there to verify his claims. The mage tried to ask the meaning of some of the runes and Kessa initially scolded her, because then it wouldn't be much of a secret, but Leo immediately told her the words for each one.

“Oscillation, frequency, acceleration, fluctuation, and amplitude” He told her in his own language, as the translation necklace couldn't filter it into any familiar words.

The guild's mage looked utterly confused. “Um, what do some of those words mean?” She asked.

Leo smirked, but it was devoid of mirth. “Now that would allow you to recreate it, so that'll be my little secret.” He turned back to Kessa “Since the validity of my claims are more or less confirmed, can we discuss payment?”

“Right, we would like to offer you five gold coins for each item.” Kessa said with a traders edge.

‘That's three hundred fifty gold!... but knowing Leo he would want to bump dow-’ Elaria’s thought was cut short.

“Ten.” He countered.

Elaria and Kessa went wide eyed at Leo, as silence hung in the air for a few moments, and Elaria’s mind reeled. ‘What the fuck!?’

Kessa narrowed her eyes. “Sorry Leo, that price is way too high for such a small product, we just won't be able to market it to any one while still maintaining a reasonable profit.” She remarked a little condescendingly, probably to illustrate the absurdity of the price.

‘Exactly, even if Leo was right about them reselling it for twenty gold, why would they give up half the profits up front.’ Her thoughts agreed.

Leo raised an eyebrow, and frowned as he looked slightly offended. “Sorry for being blunt, but are you insulting my intelligence? All you would have to really do is hand out four or five of these for free to the most chatty and influential of your clientele, and have them brag about paying thirty or even forty gold to acquire such a luxurious item, then the most wealthy individuals from across the continent will gladly pay to get their hands on one. Not to mention when the scarcity hits as you start to run out, you should be able to hike the price up to even eighty gold when three or four of them are left.” He explained with a sharp edge.

A tense air hung between the two as they seemed to peer into each other with a cold calculating gaze, but then the tension was soon broken by Kessa.

A wide, almost comically large, smile spread across Kessa’s face. “Fucking hell, Kesl wasn't kidding when he said you knew your stuff, but I think he forgot to mention how brutal you could be in negotiating. Actually, I can't even call that a proper negotiation, you pretty much executed any attempt I could make to lower the price at the very start.” She remarked between amused laughs while her ample chest bounced in rhythm.

Elaria looked baffled as the mood of the room was pulled out from under her. ‘Wait what just happened…’

A sly and genuine smile crossed Leo’s face. “Yeah, well, I originally planned to sell for three a piece, to get the guild hooked, then negotiate from a position of power when your very wealthy clientele come knocking. But then I was reminded of certain abuses, and decided that such initial charity wasn't worth my time. I’m glad you didn't take it personally, and sorry if I was being a little intense or offended you. It was all mainly directed toward the guild itself.” He said with genuine sincerity.

Elaria's thoughts became even more of a mess. ‘Charity?! You would have still walked away with two hundred ten….. Wait, now it's seven hundred! Not even the family coffers made it past three hundred!’

Kessa hung her head and sighed. “Yeah I get it, you're from the north right? Slavery’s outlawed in the beast clans, along with most of the far northern territories, so it's no surprise that you’d dislike the guild.” Kessa started to sound distant. “Even though I make sure this branch treats the slaves here like people, it's a rare sentiment that others don't share, especially when nearly all of them were branded criminals by their rulers.”

At this point Elaria's mind was lagging behind the conversation. ‘...Is he really going to get Seven hundred gold!?’

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. “I noticed that your gratitude toward the slave that entered was genuine, and that you disliked having to recite that obvious speal about the guild treating slaves well, but then why not release them?”

Kessa groaned and crossed her arms underneath her breasts, making them unintentionally pop provocatively. “One, they are technically owned by the guild, not me, so doing so would be considered stealing from the guild. Two, even though I want to free them, I would need to find a powerful mage to break the slave collars. And Finally, even if they find a way to escape, they would just be hunted down by slavers again.” She answered with a bit of sorrow.

Leo sighed as he leaned back into the couch. “Figures… Anyway, I hope that I wasn't too unreasonable, It is still my first time dealing with the guild.”

Kessa also relaxed a fair bit, now slipping back into her more salacious persona. “That's alright, in fact with the way you handled yourself, I would never have believed you were a mage. Hell I still don't think I quite believe it.” She remarked with a honeyed voice as she looked over him with a returning hunger.

“Float.” Leo said aloud, and the box full of rune enchanted handkerchiefs floated over to Kessa.

Elaria finally started paying attention when Leo cast a spell. ‘Oh, he remembered to say something. Wouldn't want another Allis incident, even though we got very lucky with her in the end....Seven hundred... ’ Then her thoughts drifted back to the amount of gold.

Kessa arched a brow at the display. “Damn, seeing is believing I guess.” She remarked while grabbing the box out of the air.

Leo chuckled as he held out a hand for her to shake. “So, we have a deal then.”

‘For seven hundred gold!’

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