Chapter 35: Making mora

Two months have passed since I left Snezhnaya. I'm writing a letter for Dad and Leon here in Fontaine. I arrived here two weeks ago and started doing some reconnaissance for potential investments. 

Based on these memories, I was a manager in a major conglomerate, specifically leading the marketing department of a soda company within the group. This background has given me considerable experience with personal investments and shareholding responsibilities.

I've also visited the House of the Hearth a couple of times since arriving. Even though I didn't like the stare that Crucabena gave me when I came, I had to find a way to get Peruere to be the new Knave as safely as possible.

"and that's it," I said as I jumped up the chair and sealed the letter with an envelope. Outside the door, Polochko is seated while holding his spear, guarding the doors of my room.

"Polochko, please send this back to Snezhnaya, it's a letter for Dad and Leon," I said as I gave him the letter.

"This is your 3rd letter since arriving here," He remarked as he accepted the letter and tucked it into his sleeves.

"Those are different, the first one is for permission from the Tsaritsa to exercise my powers a bit, the second one is for permission from Dad to invest my money, and this one is to catch up," I said as I walked through the door and entered the lounge.

"I see, but why do you want to invest Young Master?" Polochko asked while scratching the back of his head.

"To grow my mora of course," We passed the exit of the hotel and walked to the market where many stalls and shops are located then I continued. "Nothing is surefire in life, you have to get backups and why not get more mora?"

Polochko wore a dampened smile and said. "I see, you learned this from lord Pantalone didn't you, young master."

 "What do you mean? It's just my own judgment, Dad never taught me anything about increasing my mora," I replied in wonder.

"I-I see," Polochko replied, muttering. "I guess the apple does not fall far from the tree after all,"

"You said something?"

"It's nothing young master, I'm just muttering to myself."

****************

We strolled the streets and entered a few shops, but nothing seemed to attract my attention. Most of the shops are not interested in branching out or not marketable in the long run. There are many to pick but almost all of them are not beneficial.

What I wanted was a business that would yield us ample mora and a place where information would be gathered. Taverns and cafes would be an easy pick but there's already a ton of them around making the market highly competitive. 

I could also invest in inventions or recreate a few things that I remember but I would need a proper understanding of how many materials are available. As far as I know, fossil fuel is nowhere to be found so cars and vehicles run by them are no go, and I don't understand elemental engineering enough to daddle on them.

If there's something I can make that would be food or consumables, but that would probably need a substitute of different ingredients or materials. There's Naku Weed for "street drugs" but that would mean that I'll be importing and exporting contraband and be known as the first Drug Lord in this world which I don't want to be known for.

This world is already depressing enough and I don't want to be the new source of it. 

As we continued to stroll through the streets in the hope of a "Once-in-a-lifetime encounter" a commotion gathered our attention.

"Hey! Put the fire down!" A middle-aged man shouted as he picked up a bucket full of water.

"O-on it!" Another man in his 20s followed suit with a bucket in hand.

Upon closer look, I noticed a fire that was growing on the table where they seemed to be testing something.

"We should go, young master," Polochko advised.

"Wait, I think I found it," I said as I cast a glimpse of a piece of glass that was strapped on a rectangular casing.

We approached the men who tried their best to put out the fire but not long after a few Gardes and Gardemeks arrived.

They helped put out the fire and dispersed the growing crowd. Amidst all this, a few of the Garde's took the two men on the side for questioning.

"It is prohibited to experiment in public!" A female Garde angrily shouted to the two men.

"But we have permission. This is supposed to be a success," The younger man in his 20s said while indignant.

"Argh, for fucks sake, stop this already. How many times have you already failed, I'm not patient enough to see you waste my mora!" The man in his 30s exclaimed angrily.

"Please! Just one more chance! I beg you, please let me finish this!" The young man begged on his knees but his plea was not successful.

"Enough is enough! Go find someone else that would waste mora on your fantasies." The older man then took his stuff and left, leaving the young man alone with his failed invention.

After a few questions, the Gardes and Gardemeks left the scene and only the young man was left.

I picked up a broken lens and a burned casing made of wood and thought to myself.

'I found you, my mora printer.'

"Is this yours mister?" I asked as I gave him the broken lens.

"Ah, yes..." He replied, I could feel a depressing aura around him. 

"What happened? And what is this mister?" I asked, trying to contain my excitement.

"This is just a failed invention like many others," He said as he threw the lens on the ground.

My eyes followed the lense and I picked it up and asked him. "What is your invention called mister?"

He tilted his head, I assumed he didn't want to talk about it, but he ultimately gave up with a sigh and answered. "I call it a Kamera, it's supposed to freeze what we see in time but, it's just a fantasy of mine, wishful thinking."

A smirk ran in my face but I instantly reigned it in and gave him back the lense. "What if I give you funds? Can you create this?"

He chuckled took the lens and put it in his pocket. "Thanks for cheering me up kid, but it's better to live in reality." He then picked up all his stuff and left.

On his tracks, I followed him and offered. "But I can really make it happen, are you just going to give up on your dream? Just like that?"

He stopped in his tracks and heaved a sigh before turning around to face me. "Look kid, it's not funny anymore, what can you even give me? A kid like you? Does your Parent's even know you're here? Look, your guards are waiting, go home."

After he spoke I tapped Polochko's thigh hoping he'd understand what I was hinting at. Fortunately, he did and threw a bag of mora toward the young man.

'Are you seriosly taking this much mora everywhere?' I thought in disbelief at Polochko.

Hearing the cling and clang of the mora falling to the ground, he turned back and saw the bag of mora laying on the ground. He looked at me with a look of disbelief and his eyes darted back and forth from the mora and me.

"So, are you willing to work with me or are you going to let this oppurtunity slide?" I said without hiding the smirk in my face.

***

"It's nice working with you, Francis." I said as I left with a great deal.

We settled for me to give him 500,000 funds for 30% of the patent and the company he'll make in the future that will focus on creating Kamera's. That means that if we get a 1,000,000 profit in mora I'll take 300,000 and he will take the rest.

As for the responsibilities, we'll have to talk about it in the future as the I was still a child and owning a company is not something anyone would believe. It was also a hard time convinsing him but we managed to make a deal so all's good.

"Polochko, what do you think? Am I going to drown in mora for the rest of my life?" I asked playfully.

"Young master, to be honest I don't understand why you made the deal, from my knowledge it's better to invest into a already established or succesful product rather than something that is still on prototype phase."

He's worry is not unfounded, normally I would invest on growing fads or buy shares of a company but it's different this time since I know of hte future, I have the high ground!

"Don't worry, you'll see."

'Speaking of investment's isn't there that one game that everyone was crazy about?'

I stopped in my tracks as I marveled at my sudden revelation.

"Polochko, get ready to leave." I said

"Where to young master?"

"To Sumeru, we're going to go and create a great empire with this." I said as an evil smile crept up my face.

'Nothing beats making mora.'