CHAPTER 1489: CHAPTER 1488: MERCHANTS (1)

Stepping into the Merchant Hall, I grimaced a little at the lack of decor and paltry furnishings that were around, though thankfully the chairs and couches we had were enough for the visiting merchants... as well as Satanya and Nakith.

I began to pour out a glass for everyone present, handing out the wine personally and taking note of each of our potential new ’friends’; some of them seemed a bit more sociable, some were more straightforwards, and a few were even openly eager to see where this all was going to go.

Of the seven merchants sitting around the table, only one seemed to fall immediately to the temptation of sneaking a peek at me when I presented them their wine, and instantly I felt my skin crawl alongside a swelling of pride inside of my heart.

That conflicting emotional response was enough to make me stare at the merchant closely, catching their eye and making it abundantly clear I didn’t want to be leered at, which they thankfully caught and ’apologized’ for.

Since it had been something so tame and something that they seemed to understand as being idiotic, I didn’t put much emphasis on it and instead just resumed my profiling, though I did scrutinize them a little bit more.

The fluffy eared woman looked like a Foxkin of a sort, which I felt confident in saying since her scent wasn’t similar to Anput’s whatsoever... though there was the thicker scent that came from a virile futanari, so was knew that peek had been ’appreciated’.

Pale skin that seemed to not know the kiss of the sun contrasted the raven black locks that were pinned up by brilliant gold ornaments, while her cherry red lips drew the eyes immediately and made it clear she was going for sensuality, if it wasn’t made abundantly clear with the form fitted robe that hugged her curves just right.

She was the sort of merchant that didn’t flaunt her wealth immediately, opting instead for ’hidden’ designs that would cost yearly salaries while still looking clean and simple; the black cloth was embroidered with flowers and fish in a deeper black thread, one that glimmered slightly in the light.

Enchanted, no doubt, and I could sense a bit of magic clinging to her waist as well, so she likely had a concealed weapon or two, something that made me further ’forgive’ her wandering eyes since she seemed like someone I would actually like.

As for the rest, the only ones that caught my eye were definitely different from the black haired Foxkin; one was a somewhat pudgy man with a slicked back hairdo that looked smarmy, yet the cunning in his striking azure eyes made me certain he was leaning into that appearance on purpose.

The gold on his hands and the thick pearls dangling around his neck screamed opulence, yet it was done carefully and in a way that seemed particular, not just haphazardly thrown onto his fat wrists or around his second chin.

Definitely not someone I would trust, but when it came to business he was probably someone I wanted to get closer to, because these sorts of people were the ones who ran everything from the bottom up...

As for the other, it was a thin, hawkish woman who seemed tired, her drooping eyes filled with little interest in us but a lot in the glass I gave her, while her smooth chocolate skin was only marred by a single thin scar that went from the left of her jaw all the way towards the edge of her left eye.

A striking and memorable feature, but it wasn’t one that gave me enough to work with to further create some character of her in my mind; instead, the heavy, almost comically large crimson robe was more telling, since it was intricately designed and embroidered much like the Foxkin’s, just with a more obvious design.

The interlocking Ritual Circles were done in golden thread, showing off the powerful enchantments that were protecting her right this moment, while a gorgeously cut pearlescent Mana Crystal dangled from one of her ’normal’ ears, likely keeping everything powered.

Three intriguing merchants that all seemed to offer something different - at least in appearance - with an additional four that were all what I was expecting from merchants, which was wealthy, somewhat arrogant, sharp minded and immediately judgmental.

Not in a bad way either, they were just instantly weighing the pros and cons of their time here and seeing if they actually were willing to care enough about the Scion of Asmodia now while she was still a fledgling Lord, or if they should just wait and take the ’loss’ after some years have passed.

With everyone having some wine in them Jahi finally started, looking them over one by one and asking them to explain to her why they were here, what they had to offer, and why she should deign to use her own time on them.

The immediate shift in the air as they felt their own tactic be used against them was enjoyable, and although I was content to just observe quietly I had to hope that the three I had ’chosen’ would continue to prove me right.

The first to speak wasn’t one of those three, but instead a pink skinned older man that seemed amused by this, his rich, smooth voice filling the room as he immediately answered "You should value our time, Scion of Asmodia, because we come in good faith and hopeful mutual benefits.

You’re a very storied adventurer already, one with a Noble background and obvious connections. It isn’t ’wrong’ of you to question our value, but the same can be said of us, no? Stories can be embellished, after all..."

"But connections cannot. So tell me, Mister, is there something special about you compared to your six other peers?"

He chuckled, swirled the wine around and drained it in a single go, forgoing the more refined sips that I was expecting of him and instead opting for directness as he said "I deal in a variety of goods, all at fair prices. There is no need to be a master of all when being decent at everything provides immeasurable wealth."

The certainty in his voice was refreshing, while the twinkling in his red eyes was reminiscent of Belian a little, something that gave me mixed feelings...

"I can buy practically everything off of you for good prices. Need to sell rocks to someone? Sure, I can take them. Want to sell some excess grain while you’re at it? I can fit that on my cart too. Found yourself a beauty of a gemstone? I’d love to have it. That is my value, Lady Asmodia. I buy everything, all the time."