CHAPTER 147: NEGOTIATIONS

{Aegis}

Sophie was sitting cross-legged on what used to be a couch and was now just a wooden frame with some cushions thrown on it.

Aegis stood in the middle of the manor’s main hall, gesturing at various disaster zones while Sophie listened with genuine interest.

"So that whole section collapsed because the support beams rotted out," Aegis explained, pointing at the east wing. "But once we rebuild it, I can set up merchant contracts. Basically rent out space to traders who want a location near the Merchant’s District without paying full commercial rates."

"That’s smart."

"Right? Passive income while I’m doing other stuff. And the basement—" Aegis walked over to the fallen bookshelf that hid the door. "There’s this whole network of ruins down there. Ancient training grounds, monsters lurking, the works. Once I get them open, Scarlett and Kanna can use them for combat practice."

Sophie’s eyes lit up.

"Can I see?"

"Not yet. Still sealed. Need some special key for it."

"Aw."

Aegis sat down next to her, bumping Sophie’s shoulder with her own.

"By the way... You’ve been handling the academy stuff okay? Classes and all that?"

"Yeah, it’s fine. All the tests are easy. I mean, I’m no fighter, so I don’t bother with a lot of the combat stuff, right? The rest is just singing, debating, dancing, persuading, and so on."

"And you’re good at it?"

"Better than good. Vera and I usually finish so soon we end up with lots of time to mess around."

"... Yeah, I’ve noticed. Hard not to when you two keep using my dorm room as a motel."

"What’s a motel?"

"Um, a place where people go to fuck."

Sophie grinned, completely shameless.

"Oh. Well, yeah, of course, we do. Your bed’s more comfortable."

"That’s Lune’s bed you keep using."

"Even better. Hers is softer."

"Oh my fucking g..."

Aegis shook her head, but she was smiling.

It was nice, actually. Just hanging out with Sophie without the usual chaos. No making out, no inappropriate comments... Not that Aegis hated that or anything, but still. There was, undeniably, something nice about taking a moment as just two sisters talking about real shit.

"How are Mom and Dad?" Aegis asked. "I, uh, haven’t paid much attention to my mail."

"Good. They keep asking when you’re gonna visit again. Dad wants to show you his new plow. He’s very excited about it."

"A plow?"

"It’s apparently a very good plow."

"I’m sure it is."

"Hey, our parents live on a farm! New plows are about as exciting as life gets."

"... Fair enough."

The front door opened.

Aegis looked up to see Scarlett and Kanna walking in, both looking significantly worse for wear. Dirt and blood covered their clothes. Scarlett had a bruise forming on her cheek. Kanna’s armor had fresh tears in it.

But they were grinning. Well, Scarlett was grinning. Kanna looked satisfied in her usual stoic way.

"We’re back," Scarlett announced.

"I can see that." Aegis stood up. "How’d it go?"

"Good. Really good."

"How many pelts?"

Scarlett and Kanna exchanged a glance.

"Lots," Kanna said simply.

Aegis’s eyes went wide.

"Define ’lots.’"

"Seven regular Crystalback pelts. One from an ancient variant—way bigger, way meaner. Plus some claws and fat we harvested."

Aegis’s brain immediately started calculating.

[Holy shit, if I negotiate well, this could be an insane amount of gold!]

She must have looked insane because Sophie poked her arm.

"Sis? You okay? You’ve got a weird look on your face."

"I’m great. I’m fantastic. You two are amazing."

Scarlett beamed.

"We make a good team."

Kanna nodded once, which was basically a speech coming from her.

Sophie hopped up.

"So when are we going to visit Mom and Dad?"

Aegis dragged her attention away from mentally spending four thousand gold.

"What? Oh. Right. Soon. Couple days maybe?"

"You promised!"

"I know, I know. And we’ll go. But right now I need to sell some loot first."

Sophie pouted but didn’t argue.

Scarlett and Kanna headed toward the stairs—probably to clean up and rest.

"Good work, you two. Seriously."

"Just doing our jobs," Scarlett called back.

Once they were gone, Aegis grabbed the storage bag they’d left by the door and hefted it.

Heavy. Very heavy.

She grinned at Sophie.

"Wanna come watch your big sis haggle?"

"Hell yeah!"

---

Rosevale’s Merchant Quarter was exactly what it sounded like—a maze of shops, stalls, and warehouses where anything could be bought or sold if you had the coin.

Aegis walked through the crowded streets wearing the noble outfit Lady Roseheart had sent over—deep blue with silver embroidery, expensive enough to be taken seriously but not so flashy that she looked like she was trying too hard.

Sophie walked beside her, looking around at everything with wide eyes.

"This place is huge."

"And expensive. Try not to touch anything."

They navigated through the crowd until Aegis found what she was looking for—a shop with a sign that read:

Corin’s Fine Goods & Materials.

The building was three stories of dark wood and glass windows displaying various magical components, rare metals, and preserved monster parts.

[This is the place. Master Corin. In the game, he was one of the few merchants who’d pay fair prices if you knew how to negotiate. Time to see if that still holds true.]

She pushed the door open. A bell chimed.

The interior smelled like herbs and old leather. Shelves lined every wall, packed with bottles, boxes, and things Aegis couldn’t identify. A counter dominated the back of the shop, and behind it stood a man in his fifties with grey hair, sharp eyes, and the kind of face that said he’d seen every con in the book.

Master Corin looked up from whatever he was writing.

"Welcome. How can I—" He paused, taking in Aegis’s outfit, hair and eyes. "Ah. Lady Starcaller, I presume? Word of your victory at the Winter Trials has spread."

"That’s me. I’ve got some materials to sell."

"Of course. What do you have?"

Aegis set the storage bag on the counter and started pulling out pelts.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven regular Crystalback pelts, all perfectly preserved.

Then the eighth—the ancient variant’s pelt, nearly twice the size of the others and glowing faintly even in the shop’s dim light.

Corin’s eyebrows rose.

"Impressive. These are quality harvests. Clean cuts, no damage to the crystal formations." He examined one of the regular pelts. "I can offer you 200 gold per pelt for the standard ones. 350 for the ancient variant."

Aegis laughed.

Actually laughed.

"You’re reselling these for 500 gold minimum. The ancient one probably goes for over a thousand. Don’t insult my intelligence."

Corin’s expression didn’t change, but something flickered in his eyes. Respect, maybe.

"You know your market prices."

"I do my research." Aegis leaned against the counter. "These are pristine condition. Harvested by trained fighters who knew what they were doing. You won’t find better quality anywhere in Rosevale right now."

"Perhaps. But supply and demand, my lady. I have other sources."

"Then why haven’t you stocked up already? Your shelves are half-empty."

Corin smiled.

"Observant."

"I’m also backed by House Vermillion. Which means I have access to their merchant networks if I decide your prices aren’t competitive enough."

It was a bluff. Lady Cassandra had offered that type of support, but Aegis hadn’t actually established those connections yet.

But Corin didn’t know that.

He studied her for a long moment.

"Tell me, Lady Starcaller. What grade purity are these crystals?"

[He’s testing me. Wants to see if I actually know what I’m selling or if I’m just a lucky noble with good retainers.]

Aegis picked up one of the pelts and examined the crystal formations along the spine.

"Grade B, bordering on A. Clear crystalline structure, minimal impurities, excellent thermal conductivity. The ancient variant’s crystals are solid Grade A—you could use those for high-tier enchantment work without any processing."

She set the pelt down.

"Harvest method was clean kills—no poison, no fire damage that would compromise the magical properties. The fat was rendered immediately after skinning to preserve freshness. The claws were removed with the bone intact for better structural integrity."

Corin was fully paying attention now.

"You know more than most nobles who come through here."

"I don’t waste time on things I don’t understand. So. What’s your real offer?"

Corin picked up the ancient variant’s pelt, examining it closely.

"280 gold per standard pelt. 450 for the ancient variant."

Aegis did the math in her head.

[... Should be fine.]

"Deal. What about the claws and fat?"

"Let me see them."

Aegis pulled out the additional materials. Corin examined each piece with the same careful attention.

"The claws are good quality. I can do 15 gold per claw—you have twelve here, so 180 total. The fat is well-preserved. 50 gold for the lot."

"Make it 20 per claw and 75 for the fat."

"18 per claw, 60 for the fat. Final offer."

Aegis pretended to consider it.

"Fine. We have a deal."

Corin pulled out a ledger and started writing.

"That’s uh... 4,586 gold total. How would you like payment?"

"Half in coin, half in a merchant’s credit I can use around the quarter."

"Smart. Diversifying your assets."

He counted out 2,293 gold in various denominations—a mix of coins and small ingots—then wrote up a credit slip for the remaining amount.

Aegis signed the transaction record and pocketed the coin and slip.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Lady Starcaller. If you acquire more materials of this quality, I’m always interested."

"I’ll keep that in mind."

She and Sophie left the shop, stepping back into the busy street.

Sophie whistled low.

"That was intense. You were like a totally different person in there."

"Gotta know how to play the game." Aegis pulled out her personal ledger and started updating numbers.

[If Scarlett and Kanna can maintain this pace—say, two trips per week—that’s over 9,000 gold per week. 36,000 per month. And I haven’t even implemented my other money-making schemes yet. We’re ahead of schedule!]

She grinned at Sophie.

"Sis," Aegis grinned. "You and I are going to be RICH!"

"Yipee!" Sophie clapped happily.

[There’s waaaaay more I have in store, baby! Let’s keep this going!]