43 Keeping a Promise

[The Trading Post handles the transfer and conversion of absorbed goods and materials. This particular building will analyze and catalog the various products automatically for the Host.]

[Upon reactivation the Host can exchange items for currency and dimensional points, or vice versa. They will be evaluated by the system to determine the point value. The conversion ratios can be upgraded by improving the Trading Post.]

Smiling ear to ear, the banquet guests just thought he was pleased with all of the business transactions. They had no idea, that he had just received a prompt that would change everything. This was something, that he was expecting, just not nearly this soon.

With the meager number of points he was getting daily, it would take forever to get the upgrades and powers that he wanted. With the trading post, he'd be able to convert items, gold, and points back and forth. He could turn these piles of gold coins directly into power.

For now, he kept up with the guests, as he didn't have time to check what the rates were. After making sure that he had all of the orders, he brought up something he'd been meaning to ask Lord Martin.

"Brother Martin, before it gets too late, there were a few things, that I wanted to trouble you with."

"Don't be polite, brother Zanir, just let me know what you need. I'll have my people put the paperwork as the top priority."

"In that case, there are two things I wanted. The first is a permit to build a warehouse and shop here, we'll need somewhere to store company goods when they're brought into town. Secondly, I'd like to ask about recruiting some of the beggars, since I gave them my word, that I'd ask for your permission first."

Everyone was expecting the first request, but upon hearing the second, the crowd became confused. Normally, people didn't even want to acknowledge that there were less fortunate people, also living in their city. They couldn't understand why he would bother, with those poor and dirty people.

"The first request can be taken care of, I'll put my men on it right away. For the second request, I'll need to know more about that. Which people would it be, how many, that kind of thing, I'm sure you understand brother."

"Of course, brother Martin, I'm talking about the group by the edge of town, the homeless and starving people. The ones living out of the alleyways and abandoned old buildings. My company will educate them, giving them a second chance at life. None of them are contributing much tax to the city, if you let me have them, you'll be the city lord who cleaned the streets."

"Ah, I know the area you're talking about, it's such a shame that I couldn't take care of them. It's been hard with the last few seasons being below expectations. I'd hoped with the economy picking up, we'd be able to clean that area up eventually. You'll be doing me a favor, by giving us a head start on the renovation effort."

Hearing the conversation, the guests were once again impressed, for it difficult to find a merchant with morals. Honest traders were hard to find, as the world was filled with people who peddled subpar goods, or even outright frauds, who sold counterfeit goods.

Unlike the others, he didn't need pure profit, for he knew the value of relationships. A good relationship could blossom into repeat sales, which would bring steady income, allowing him to reliably build up his foundations.

Before he left the banquet, he had dropped a tidbit, to ensure more buzz for his company.

"Everyone, tomorrow night, some of the animals I ordered from the company will be arriving. I hope to see you all here, as I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss out."

Since the timer was close, he could head just outside of town tomorrow, 'meeting up' with his trading caravan of animals. His message had the intended effect, as people began discussing his trading company again. This confirmed that they raised animals too.

Packing up a few of the leftovers, with the city lord's permission, he and his men left the banquet. It was late now, but he gave his word, that he'd be back for those people. He'd lose a lot of face if he didn't show up.

Returning to the slums, they saw all of the same people there, and even several dozen more. By this time, there was actually a somewhat large crowd starting to form in the area. At the front of the crowd, was a young woman speaking out to them.

"I told ya that merchant was a phony, one meal and you lot believed he actually cared. How naive can ya get? It was probably just something he did to look good, isn't he at the city lord's fancy party tonight?"

Some of the people were standing up for Zanir, but there were in the minority, unfortunately. The others were swayed by what the lady was saying. He didn't expect trust to be built, at least not on the back of a single meal.

Approaching quietly, he announced his presence, once he was close enough.

"Sorry I'm late everyone, hope you didn't suffer too much, I've returned with more food tonight, as well as great news."

Hearing that merchant had arrived, the young woman at the forefront of the crowd turned around, ready to give him a piece of her mind.

"Listen here you smelly old merchant, you can't just come around here, throwing your gold around, thinking you can impress us!"

Turning around to point at him for emphasis, they finally came face to face. Clearly, she was shocked by his appearance, stopping mid-tirade. She'd been expecting the merchant to be an old man, as most of them usually were.

"Hmph, nobody said you were this young... or handsome."

She had said the last part in a much quieter voice, but he still caught it. He had not yet replied because he was also stunned by her appearance. Simply put, this young woman was beautiful. Long red hair fell endlessly into curls that went past shoulder length.

Like the other people here, she was covered in soot and grime, but it couldn't mask her attractive face. They stared at each other for a moment longer, as it became painfully obvious to everyone there, that they were interested in each other.

He couldn't tell her body type, due to the loose robe she was wearing, but that didn't matter to him. While the young lady subconsciously twirled her hair in one of her fingers, he approached. Somehow, he was actually nervous.

An entire banquet hall full of guests hadn't affected him in the slightest. Yet, somehow, he felt a mountain of pressure in his stomach, and his throat was suddenly as dry a desert. It didn't matter how many lives he'd lived, he still got nervous in situations like these.