66 The Merchant [7]

"Getting back on path," Meira pinched the tip of her left pinky and twisted till it gave a soft almost negligible pop, quickly doing so with the other hand. "Do you have any major hangups about making a contract with me?"

He bobbed his head side to side in a noncommital manner, "this is more sudden than what I was expecting." He said, "I'd come here just to sell and try to build up some income for Liora to live off of once she has to leave the farm."

Meira arched a curious brow and asked, "she has to leave? Why's that?" He eyed her for a moment trying to figure out if he truly trusted her only to sigh and explain the nuances of Liora's struggles.

"I see." Meira clicked the tips of her ring fingers, her expression was now more sullen and concerned. "That's quite a bit of buckles." Biting her lip she moved onto her middle fingers. "I'd offer to pay it off myself but my funds barely reach even a third of that."

"I wouldn't ask you to pay it off." Noah huffed.

"And I would pay it as I'd get a bigger chunk of future arrangements." Meira pinched her index but didn't pop it, instead, moved to her thumps and squeezed and pulled until they did so. "Considering what you are and the business I can see you going into six hundred thousand is a mere drop in the ocean. Given the right choice of stock and the proper focus, it would be quite simple to get even up to a million total in at the minimum five years."

He mulled and a dower feeling grew in his heart, "so there's no actual way to pay it off, is there?"

Meira narrowed her lips and refilled her glass, "I wouldn't say it's impossible, just exceedingly difficult. Six months is barely enough time to travel to Icorius let alone build up connections willing to move over to a newly formed rancher they haven't the faintest even harvests quality products. They would much rather stay with someone they trust."

Going silent she stared coldly into the distance with a thousand-yard stare, her eyes glazing over in thought turning into mirrors that seemingly reflected ever multicoloured shimmer of the film over the windows.

"In other words, there's no point in us making a contract." Noah sighed, he hadn't gone into this expecting much, he didn't even have that open of a mind but hearing it, or at least interpreting it as such had given him this strange sense of forlorn hope that hung his head low.

Meira woke from her dazed thoughts and turned to him with her expression soft yet simultaneously alluring. "I wouldn't quite say that." She scratched an itch just below her right breast causing small undulations to ripple through the plump mammary. "Just challenging to say the least. Given some smart decisions and some hair-brained schemes it's actually quite possible." Her tone turned reassuring but how could he let that well up and give him hope? That was just asking too much.

"How so?"

"For one, the monsters you would be ranching. I'd say avoid the less valuable things and focus your time on the more exotic and rare creatures. Your dryad, for instance, could be quite profitable in the long run but things like holstaurs and sheepkin wouldn't be as profitable. Though they would be much more stable short term wise." Meira sipped from her glass and wet her drying throat.

"Another thing to focus on would be turning the basic resources into full-on products and build a business on that. Though things like the fruits from dryads are preferred fresh in the higher nobilitry, jams and the such would be profitable just as well. Though not quite as much as the whole fruit.

"And considering you need to save up quite a bit in quite a short amount of time, hiring outside help will prove quite the unfavourable outcome. So we'd also have to look into cheap labour, slaves most likely. They don't need to be particularly skilled at first but they do have to have the barest bit of competency to learn the trades we'd want of them."

Noah recoiled though not physically at the mention of slaves. His pallor sunk in, he'd half been expecting it considering the nature he'd barely been able to see of this world, but just hearing it tossed about so casually was still kicking up some sick feeling in his stomach.

Meira murmured more to herself as Noah fiddled uncomfortably with his fingers.

"Then of course…" she trailed off, "there is one way to void this whole debt debacle instantly." Noah lifted his head and waited for her to say what. "Just move to a different piece of land I may not have much but I can make an investment in some uninhabited land or an old farmstead and we could set you up there. No worries of debt then."

It was an easy thought, so simple yet it was not anything like what he wanted. Noah shook his head, "we can't." He muttered, "that land is Liora's home. It's where her husbands buried, it's where she lives. Can't just give up on it if there's even the smallest chance of saving it."

Meira inclined her head and rolled her eyes. "You speak a lot for this woman. You must truly like her. Love even."

"I wouldn't go that far. I've known her for barely half a month." He rubbed his palm over his eyes and let out an exhausted breath. He was human, at least, he was in his old world he wasn't quite sure if he could even be considered human or just another unique form of monster to this world. Part of him wanted to just keel over, the other part was wishing he'd been reborn as a baby so he at least had the time to acclimatize to this whole new situation of his.

"Yet you still care for her." Meria set down her glass and her posture strengthened, filling with implacable determination. "All due respect is given to this woman but it is just as you've said. You have known her for not very long by human lifespan standards and you seem to be thinking more for her sake than your own. In case you aren't aware there is a group that vyes to capture, kill, or enslave otherworlders. Be it your own sense of chivalry or whatnot, you must think of this logically. Should Artemia's church come to your door, it will not be her saving you." She paused for breath but all of them rang for hours to Noah's unsteadily clenching fists.

"I can provide you with the barest modicum of security, land that isn't on the verge of being stolen by heartless monarchs and heartless fools. An occupation that will let you live like your own king whilst also letting you bed whichever type of beast you could want." The longer she spoke, the colder, the sterner her sapphires turned.

She could see Noah didn't know what to say. She sighed, took a few calming breaths then spoke, "I don't mean to sound heartless, Noah. But you must look at this from a certain point of view. Six hundred thousand is a lot of buckles to collect in such a short amount of time. I barely know ten merchant families who even strike half that in a single year.

"Still," it came out without thought and was followed by nothing.

Meira drew back into her seat, sinking into the plush woollen seating and grumbled silent words. "Fine then. Stay at that farm. But… I still want to make a contract. For your services. Not for her land." She gave Noah the barest amount of time to process before continuing. "Land is interchangeable, a tree, a dryad like that can be moved. Even if it couldn't there is so much more profit to be found elsewhere. But either way, it's you I'm wanting to make this contract with. You as a person. Not the land you stand atop."

She did have a point, though Noah was still reluctant to accept it bare-faced. As his mouth fell open and breath hissed out as if to answer, Noah was suddenly drawn from his thoughts by a bright flash that turned to low, repeating flashes. He looked to the origin and noted a small circular bulb of sorts.

"Ah, looks like your friends have arrived," Meira said rising. "You ponder on what I said and I will quickly go fetch them." She left leaving Noah with little more than an ogling glance at her accentuated posterior. He could just tell she was shaking it like it was supposed to be a magnet for him to accept the deal.

As the door shut behind her Noah buried his face into his hands and screamed silently to the high heavens. "Jesus. Why am I so against this?" he grumbled. "She's basically offering to sponsor me and I'm being a hardass." He knew the answer. Liora. He always seemed to come back to her and it being her land. It made no sense to him that he could just take such massive measures on his own. At least with her soon to arrive, he'll have a second opinion and final say in Liora's answer. 'At least it'll take the pressure off of me for a bit.'

Mulling he leaned into the sofa and felt his body melt. The ceiling was wood coloured a nice-to-the-eyes dark brown. Rustic compared to the elegant and chic decor of the rest of the room.

"I wonder if I'll ever have the option to take a nap…" his lips turned up at the end and a sullen snort rose through his nose. "Yeah, fat chance. Reincarnating as an adult is a fucking nightmare."