‘Here we go,’ Severin thought. He knew this was coming, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“I assume it won’t come as much of a surprise if I tell you that I am here to follow up on the report that had been delivered by Krey’s group of subordinates?”

Severin wasn’t in the mood to answer rhetorical questions. Luckily, Mag didn’t seem to expect him to.

“I was so excited when learning of these reports. If those information were sent by some random person, they might’ve been dismissed, but when coming from one of our own guys, we have to take these reports more serious. But even then, what I saw here today far exceeds everything I had had expected prior to coming here. Confirming the existence of said item’s and ascertaining their authenticity is only part of my job, you know. Maybe even more important is the risk assessment. Especially if the items in question this unique, and, quite frankly, far too cheap for what they provide. If it wasn’t for the restrictions put on these items like carrying capacity, for example, the risk factor would be many times higher.” This was somewhat consistent with Markus’ words back then.

‘Great, and if the ‘risk factor’ was higher, then what? Would you try to eliminate said risk?’ He was getting more and more annoyed but kept these thoughts to himself. For the moment. Still, he didn’t manage to completely hide his displeasure.

“Glad to hear that.” Severin replied drily. “So that means you’re done here?”

“I can’t help but feel that you are under some misconceptions regarding our work.” Magda’s reply was as courteous as always. “Please tell me, what exactly is it that bothers you?”

‘Besides being called a potential risk factor, you mean?‘

Being asked so directly, the floodgates finally opened.

“What bothers me is the prospect of someone meddling with my business. Someone wanting to build an outpost on my land to then start monitoring me and my customers. Who then wants to tell me what I can and can’t sell. And to whom. And for how much. And how many. And maybe demand some exclusive access to some of my wares while at it? At discounted prices? Or just directly demand some kind of bogus ‘tax’ in exchange for ‘protection’.”

At the end of his tirade, Severin had to catch his breath. Mag, on the other hand, was still smiling.

“You are right about the outpost,” she said in a teasing tone. “Don’t look at me like that, haha. I tell you, you’re overthinking things. In the end, the work of the Adventurer’s,” she put special emphasis on this last word, “Society comes down to providing all kinds of help and assistance to individual adventurers and guilds alike. To increase their odds of survival. And thereby ensure order and safety for everybody.”

“Right. And all that out of the goodness of your hearts, I suppose.” He was being snarky, but that wasn’t enough to put Mag off; she displayed her patience and admitted, “Well the money does help, but if it was just about wealth, a good portion of us would’ve just continued on as adventurers. It’s about the alternative. Without us, there would only be chaos. Most adventurers wouldn’t even dream about sharing information on specific monsters, much less about dungeons or raids. If they aren’t part of the same guild, they would cheat and backstab each other for even just the slightest benefit. Sometimes even if they are. Not to speak of the things regular people would have to endure with no one around to keep classbearers in check.

So you see, it’s not just out of ‘the goodness of our hearts’, but simply necessity and self-interest that drives us, most of us at least.

“And by the way. Most of those people certainly would not go out of their way to advertise this shop of yours. If anything, they would try to keep its existence hidden for as long as possible, in an attempt to keep all the benefits to themselves. They don’t care how many others could’ve been saved just by having access to your potions. Or any of your other products, really.”

When Magda finally concluded her speech, Severin still remained silent for a while. He knew she was right. Maybe not in all aspects- he simply knew too little about this world and the Society’s other dealings to be certain- but at least when it came to the last part, he had to agree. Ff grudgingly. Be it Andreas or Markus, customers he liked and valued, he knew that both of them were very much guilty of what Mag had just described; which ultimately also hurt his business in some way. Still, he wasn’t entirely convinced.

“This still doesn’t really explain your intentions. So what exactly is it you plan on doing? You want to advertise my shop because it helps adventurers; do I understand you correctly? Because it’s ‘the right thing to do’ as it might save lives, that’s it?” he asked doubtfully, but most of his sarcastic tone had already left his voice. “Then what about the outpost? What’s that all about?”

“Well. For the moment ‘outpost’ may be a bit too grant of an expression. For now, let’s call it a small branch office. Nothing too fancy. As for its use, that should be quite obvious, no? If we are to offer our services and keep people in check, we need to be where those people are. And it really doesn’t take a genius to understand that as long as you continue your business up here, even if for some reason you end up deciding not to further expand on it, eventually this place will be bustling with adventurers. I mean, it seems like you’ve already attracted the attention of some bigshots.“

“Okay, sure. Let’s assume I buy everything you just said; then what exactly do I need you for? You said it yourself sooner or later, this place should thrive with or without your help. Why give up parts of my land?”

“Well, this is awkward,” her bubbly tone didn’t match her words. “For one, our support would certainly help accelerate the process. That alone should be worth something, no? There is also the matter of security. No one will dare attack you or cause any significant trouble. Not if there is official Society presence. Or at least they wouldn’t get away with it.”

‘Not really something I have to worry about, anyway.’

Maybe his thoughts were reflected on his face or maybe it was just a coincidence, but next moment the woman added, “Then again, it is said you are perfectly capable of defending yourself. Heard you taught Senheim’s brat a lesson.

“But I still think we can help each other. You might not see it yet, but if you ever need help with anything… finding trustworthy suppliers… reliably employees… you name it… well, you get the idea.”

Severin slowly nodded, though he wasn’t exactly sure if he really did get it. He was debating whether it was a genuine offer or a thinly veiled threat.

“So. What do you think?”