CHAPTER 97: NEW SHOP

If Gara ever ran into a real beastkin, they’d immediately know he wasn’t one of them, but using powder instead. The smell was far too strong, unnaturally so.

Only in Falopo Town or other small towns and villages could he use it, since the small towns and villages hardly had any non-humans. Even then, it wasn’t recommended.

Beastkin were the easiest race to blend in with humans. For all he knew, one could be wandering around without their knowledge.

Using beastkin powder openly in town would raise suspicion and suspicion was the last thing they needed now.

Back at the inn, Gara explained his plan to the others as well as to Tristan.

"Uncle, what do you think about Bota Village?"

"Actually, the Liners there are all human. No other races are allowed," Tristan said gravely. "That’s because there’s a secret protocol applied to a high-risk area."

"What kind of secret protocol, Uncle?" Gara asked. Even Madha, now serving as a town guard, looked puzzled.

"When a region is declared code red, every non-human race is automatically treated as a suspect. Bota Village has been marked red. Many believe the water contamination there was caused by other races.

Of course, the truth is that even humans might have been behind it. But humans are hypocritical creatures, they’d never blame themselves. So now, no other races are allowed inside, including druid envoys from the county."

"Perfect! Then we should go," Wina exclaimed, delighted with the conditions in Bota Village.

"But..." Gara cut her off. "I can pretend to be human, but my children can’t. They clearly bear the traits of half-humans. And Fian... he’s not human either."

Fian, who had been sitting quietly with a gloomy face ever since he heard that other races were forbidden from entering the village, finally turned his head.

His eyes softened. Gara hadn’t forgotten him after all.

"That won’t be a problem. Babies won’t raise suspicion. You can say they’re adopted, or that their mother passed away and they’re in your care, the father, or something along those lines. As for Fian..." Tristan paused for a moment.

"... He can enter only if he’s registered as your slave."

Gara’s face darkened. "That’s not happening. We don’t need to—"

"I’ll be your slave, Gara." The deep, unfamiliar voice came from Fian’s lips.

Everyone froze. The elf had finally spoken.

Gara was just as surprised, but what shocked him even more was Fian’s choice.

"Don’t joke about that, Fian! I will never let you be a slave again!" Gara snapped.

Yet Fian’s gaze didn’t falter. He stared back with unshakable resolve, unwilling to back down even against Gara’s fierce glare.

"Gara..." Tristan’s voice broke the intense glare. "Being a slave isn’t always as bad as you think. Look at Hilda. Despite her status, she’s respected because she manages a successful Merchant House.

Fian could do the same. He could be your slave on paper but act as your bodyguard. With that, he can officially register as a Liner."

Gara wasn’t happy forcing Fian to wear the title of slave again. But time was running short.

They only had days left, and decisions had to be made quickly. Wandering around without shelter, without a protective barrier, would only increase the chances of other druids finding them.

And worse, if their pursuers realized they had lost Gara’s scent and caught on to the trick, things would end badly.

Gara let out a weary sigh. "Then process it that way."

After a long discussion, Gara slept in the same room as his mother, keeping a closer eye on the triplets in case they woke up in the middle of the night.

Rea slept in Gara’s bed, while the three squirrel children rested in triplets’ cribs. For now, they would serve as makeshift baby monitors.

Nights as fresh parents were always rough. Madha and Fian, who slept in the next room, woke up several times as well and helped care for the triplets.

...

The next morning, Gara held a small meeting with Hilda about their Merchant House.

"I recommend we add another production house," Hilda said. "The demand is too high, and some shops won’t stop pressing us."

"Do you already have a location in mind?"

Hilda’s eyes lit up. Her idea wasn’t rejected, her Master had even guessed she’d already prepared the details.

"Yes, Master. To avoid drawing attention, I chose a house next to the village where our first production house is. Also, the land cost is much cheaper there."

"Good. Proceed. Add another warehouse too."

"Yes, Master."

"And one more thing..." Gara’s gaze turned sharp, making Hilda’s breath catch in anticipation. "We’ll open our shop officially."

"Our own opening?" Hilda’s eyes widened. She hadn’t expected that.

"I know I’ve always said we should keep things moderate, keep from drawing attention. But our herbs are too effective to stay hidden forever.

Soon, more shops from other regions will want to work with us. If we don’t have our own shop, they’ll keep pressing and think we’re the ones dependent on them.

But with our own, we can refuse unfavorable deals and it’ll serve as a reality check for them."

Hilda stared in awe. She had considered this herself, watching how popular their herbs had become, but she never found the right moment to bring it up.

Especially with her master always looking as if he needed to stay in hiding from something.

"I already have a few candidates for the shop front, Master."

Gara smiled in satisfaction. His manager always thought a step ahead. "Good. I’ll leave that to you. I only have one condition. I want a special lab for myself inside that shop."

A lab in the shop was far better than inside the Merchant House.

Shops were places commoners could enter freely, but if too many ordinary people kept walking in and out of the Merchant House, it would look suspicious.

"Understood, Master. I’ll see to it. But before the shop is built, there’s one important matter."

Gara tilted his head, puzzled.

"The shop’s name, Master."

"..." Gara had completely forgotten about that.

...