Wanting a gang of thugs

Eliz waited a moment, but Karanel paid no attention, so she looked around. The first thing she headed to was the stand that was displaying jewelry.

This could have made Eliz look like a showgirl, but she was not. Eliz was someone who couldn't even have a French manicure. She tried it once. She took it off the same day; the long nails and sliding doors in the bathroom do not match together.

The jewels that lay before her were beautiful works of art. They were chiseled into delicate shapes, like flowers, animals, or ornaments. Each piece had a price tag that ranged from 20 to 50 gold.

The currency here was pretty simple. One thing Eliz could be grateful to the author for. Anyone expecting complex financial functions in this novel will be disappointed. There was only one currency; not even the other races used different currencies. And that was gold, silver, and copper.

When Eliz converted that into dollars, 1 gold was $100, 1 silver was $10, and 1 copper was $1.

Eliz did the math in her head. If she recalculated all her available finances, she now had $350,000 thousand in hand. And that was a decent amount for simple pocket money.

Eliz's eyes glittered wastefully. In her life, she was just an ordinary office worker; something like throwing money around was impossible. Now she was encouraged to do so.

Eliz shook her head, however, and had to control herself. She could not just be so wasteful; she needed those funds. Even with what she would get for rebuilding the estate, it probably would not be enough for what she had in mind.

"Can I help you?" Said a voice behind her.

Eliz turned to Karanel and walked back to the counter. Karanel took his glasses from his eyes, and his eyes widened when he saw her and stood up.

"Young Miss Von Roseblood. What an honor to have you visit my humble store." The dwarf recognized her immediately and bowed.

Karanel was of average height for a dwarf. Eliz estimated that he was about 120 to 130 centimeters tall. The thick beard that reached his belly was the color of chestnut and was neatly tied into the three braids that dwarves were so fond of using. Although his hair was long, the top of his head was bone-straight and highly polished. His eyes were dark, not black, but probably dark brown, his nose prominent and a little hooked, and his mouth wide and cheerful.

He wore a simple tunic tied at the waist with a velvet ribbon and brown pants down his legs. He wore no accessories other than the jewelry that held his beard.

Eliz smiled. "No need for pleasantries, Master Karanel." She said.

Karanel put on a modest expression, but although Eliz was not good at discerning the feelings of others, she could tell it was false modesty.

"You are too kind, miss. I would not call myself a master." He said.

Eliz raised an eyebrow at his words. She doubted it very much. The author mentioned that he was a master maker. Could he be hiding his identity as a master? If so, she would rather not dwell on it.

"If you say so, Mr. Karanel. I must say that your business is beautiful. The way you have carved the walls of your store is truly breathtaking. It's worth visiting for that alone." She was flattered.

Karanel beamed with delight. Of course, Eliz had to butter him up. Someone who cares so much about the exterior of his store must have a special relationship with him.

"Ah, you have a good eye, miss! Not many people will notice that. They are all representations from our rich history." He puffed out his chest proudly.

Eliz nodded. "I can say that. You have excellent taste, Mr. Karanel." She continued to butter the honey, but it was time to get down to business.

"You have some beautiful things here, Mr. Karanel. You make them yourself, I assume?" She looked around the store in detail.

Karanel nodded. "Yes. Are you looking for anything, in particular, miss? I'd be happy to recommend something."

Eliz returned her gaze to his, and he winced a little for some reason.

"I would appreciate that. I am looking for something that will protect a person from hexes or curses. Preferably both." Eliz had some expectation that he might have something like that.

Karanel scratched his beard thoughtfully, then nodded. "Wait a minute, miss." He said and walked to the back of the room.

Eliz had no problem waiting; after all, that was only part of the reason she had come here. She had another request of him that would require his certain affection. So first, she had to spend a certain amount of money.

Karanel soon returned, carrying a small box with a ring on a velvet cushion - an elegant silver ring with three small gemstones. The two sides were blue, and the center stone was red. It looked simple but pretty.

"This is what you have been looking for, miss. This simple but elegant ring can suppress curses, lift a hex, and protect against a certain amount of mind control." Eliz was pleased with this description.

She resisted the urge to ask the price.

"I'll take it. And I want two more."

Karanel's expression was regretful. "I am afraid I only have this one piece left."

Eliz thought, then nodded. "Are you taking orders then? Can you make me two more?"

Karanel nodded quickly. "But of course. That's possible, miss."

"Good, then I'd like to order two more. How long will that take?"

"About a week, miss."

"Excellent. I'll take these, and when the other two are ready, send them to the Von Roseblood estate." Eliz thought that was quite a long time, but she could afford to wait a week.

Eliz reached into a hidden pocket of her dress and pulled out a pouch with some money. It was a bit impractical to carry cash, considering it was heavy coins; she missed her credit cards. But she paused at that thought. Wait, they were supposed to have dimensional artifacts here!

"Mr. Karanel, do you have any dimensional storage? A bag? A ring? Something like that?" She asked a little excitedly.

To her disappointment, Karanel shook his head. "I do not sell that kind of merchandise, unfortunately. But I could get it for you, miss. It would take about as long as the ring. If you do not mind waiting another day or two, I'll send it along with the rings. Do you have any requests?"

"Preferably something as inconspicuous as women in my position usually wear. A piece of jewelry, a silk purse, a handbag. But most of all, I would like a piece of jewelry." Karanel pulled out a notebook and began taking notes.

Eliz then paid, her purse a lot lighter, but she did not shed a single tear for it.

"Well, Mr. Karanel. There is one more thing I need help with." Began Eliz.

Karanel kept his attention on her, so she continued.

"I know your clan is quite large, and I want to make you an offer. I will soon be embarking on a rather large project, and I need capable and reliable builders and Weapon Makers. It would be a large-scale project with much gold flowing through it. Would your clan be interested?" She smiled gently.

Karanel looked at her in wonder. "Builders and Weapon Makers? What do you want to build?"

Eliz put a finger to her lips and winked. "This is a secret for now. I do not want anyone to know about it. But I assure you that your clan will make quite a bit of money from it. However, I can not reveal the project until you sign an employment contract and a confidentiality agreement with me. But I can swear by my name, Elizabeth Von Roseblood, that this is not a shady business."

Karanel looked at Eliz and thought about her offer. As a merchant, he was always interested in making a profit, but now he would involve his entire clan. If it was a big deal, he might have to call in help from elsewhere. Normally he would not agree to such a 'secret' deal. But here he was dealing with Elizabeth Von Roseblood. She could buy his entire store or maybe even the whole town if she wanted to.

"I myself cannot agree to such a thing. But I will pass your offer on to the clan. Is it all right if I send you our decision by letter later?" He decided to discuss the matter with the clan before making any promises. After all, he was not the head of the clan.

Eliz smiled and nodded in satisfaction before handing him another gold coin. "Thank you. This is quite enough." She stepped back from the counter.

"I look forward to hearing your response. Hopefully, a positive one." She said goodbye before turning and leaving the store.

*****

Karanel watched Elizabeth through the store window as she entered the carriage and drove away.

Then he went to the door, turned the sign that said 'Closed' inside out and made his way to the back of the store.

There was storage in the back, but in addition to a back door for supplies, there was another somewhat hidden door where he had a workshop. It was a room with several tables with artifacts in progress. In the center of the room was a large blue crystal mounted on an ordinary tripod with an aura of the same color. Within this aura, various objects slowly rotated. A ring, a bracelet, a dagger, and some glass balls. They were slowly immersed in the aura of the crystal and rotated on their own axis.

Karanel automatically checked them with a glance before moving to the corner of the room where there was a small but comfortable bed. His store was his home.

He knelt down in front of the bed and pulled out a small chest from underneath it, sitting it down on the bed. He opened the chest, where a crystal ball the size of a one-year-old's child's head rested on the soft bedding.

He placed his hand on the crystal ball and infused it with his mana. The next moment, the crystal ball lit up, and the face of another dwarf appeared.

"Karanel? What is it?" Asked the dwarf reflected in the crystal ball. This dwarf was older than Karanel, which was easy to see because his dark brown beard already had a lot of gray. Those who had not seen many dwarves might think he was an older version of Karanel.

"Sechal. We have an offer." He announced.

"An offer? For the clan? From whom?" the other dwarf wondered.

"Elizabeth Von Roseblood."

Sechal's bushy eyebrows lifted. "The daughter of the Duke Von Roseblood? The same one?"

Karanel snorted. "Do you think I would have called otherwise?"

The communication crystal ball was an expensive piece of equipment. With it, he could see who he was talking to, and the connection even allowed him to move small objects in either direction.

The only problem was that the crystal ball wore out with the number of times he used it until it finally broke. And it costs a lot of gold to make a new one.

"Hmm. Interesting. I heard that young Miss Von Roseblood doesn't have a good temper. What did she want, then? And what do you think?" asked Sechal.

"I heard that too, but she did not give me that impression. Maybe it's just gossip and rumor. But as for her offer, she has not said anything specific and will not until we sign a contract with her, which seems reasonable enough to me. Besides, we can not take her background lightly either."

Sechal nodded thoughtfully. "True. But you must have some idea, right?"

Karanel tugged at his beard. "She said it was a big project. She needs Builders and Weapon Makers. My impression is that she wants to build the fortress."

Sechal raised his eyebrows again. "The fortress? Why would a society lady want a fortress?" He asked somewhat rhetorically.

Karanel thought about the items Elizabeth had bought from him. "Maybe she wants to protect herself from something?" He hesitated, remembering Elizabeth's gaze, which was intense and full of fire.

"Or maybe she's preparing for a fight." He finally added.

Sechal paused and frowned. "Could it be that something is happening?"

"Maybe."

"Well, wait a moment. I'll take you to your uncle, and we'll discuss her offer."

*****

Eliz decided to go home for the rest of the day. She still had a lot to do but decided not to rush things. She also had work to do on the estate, even if it was more about studying. She already had a list of people in her head that she wanted to capture for herself. As someone who knew the story ahead of time, she should take proper advantage of that.

But that did not mean it was going to be easy. She was doing okay at the moment, but she did not remember every detail of the story, and she needed to know more about the world she was in.

Her next target was a little side character named Tyler Fellen. Tyler was full of potential. He led a small gang of thieves, smugglers, and usurers.

A character with a somewhat sad background, he and his minions were hybrids of humans and other races, so they were not quite accepted by either society. Tyler himself was a cross between a human and the wolf clan. Yes, the wolf clan. Humans with ears, tails, sharp fangs, claws, and the ability to turn into large wolves. But they were not werewolves because their transformation happened entirely at their will, and the full moon did not influence them.

His gang was mixed, so there were several types of hybrids. Most were his childhood friends that he had grown up with on the streets. He was also doomed to be the next victim of the main couple. Selene and Tyler's reunion was to be in two months. Approximately. Tyler was injured in a gang fight, and of course, Selene found him and healed him with her healing magic, sweet as candy. Tyler fell in love with her and started watching her from afar, protecting her on the streets and wallowing in jealousy. At some point, he faked a kidnapping of Selene to be alone with her and win her heart.

The main male characters completely misunderstood his intentions; they somehow found out where Selene was being held and rushed to her aid. It was pretty bloody - most of the gang members were killed. Gray and Tyler had a pretty fierce fight, but Tyler was badly wounded, then tearfully confessed his love for Selene. Selene cried. And then she threw herself into Gray's arms and ran out into the sunset.

Elis did a facepalm at that moment. She thought it was a shame about Tyler. With a bit of help, he could have been an excellent Enhancement Warrior, and, more importantly, he had a loyal and functioning gang that could be put to good use by putting some resources into them. That's why Elis wanted him for herself; she had more to learn first. She was not going to use Selene's method. She was not after a love-struck fool. She wanted a hidden blade.

When Elis arrived at the estate, she approached Eren, who tossed a ring on his head with instructions to wear it and never take it off. When she told him what it was for, he immediately put it on his finger, but Elis did not want to take any chances with that either, so she reminded him not to try to leave the estate or contact his friends.

She also told him to stop lazing around while he was stuck at home and get some training.

With that, she left and headed to the library.

*****

Alobela had been watching her young mistress since she returned home. She kept out of sight but was always ready to aid her when she needed something. She had known the young lady since Elizabeth was 14 years old, and Alobela was 16 at the time. One could say she had watched her grow up more than her father. Therefore, she could quickly tell that the young lady differed from this morning.

Especially also because the young lady was not angry about her fiancé or crying. She has been energetic since this morning and behaved uncharacteristically for her usual self. If Alobela were not sure it was her young mistress, she would have guessed that Lady Elizabeth had been replaced. Even her work was appreciated today. She was already used to the whims of her young mistress, so she was somewhat numb. But the praise was something that shook her confidence slightly.

Alobela found Lady Elizabeth on her way to the library - another strange thing. The young lady rarely visited the library. When the young mistress was still receiving her compulsory lessons, she had to be forced to go into the library.

Was it possible that Lady Elizabeth had finally given up on her rude fiancé and started to live properly?

Alobela quietly entered the library and silently and invisibly kept her mistress company.

She watched as the young lady browsed the bookshelves. The library of the Roseblood estate was large, with bookshelves filling most of the room and a few comfortable armchairs in the middle for reading.

Lady Elizabeth chose a book that dealt with the history of the world, then the history of their kingdom, and finally, a book that analyzed all the intelligent races.

Alobela marveled at such a selection when she noticed the young lady raised her head.

"Alobela?" Lady Elizabeth spoke up.

Alobela immediately stepped out of the shadows and approached her young mistress. "Yes, my lady?" Alobela asked neutrally.

Lady Elizabeth looked at her in surprise, and her eyes glittered disturbingly.

"Alobela. Are you the a Runner?" the young lady asked.

Alobela was surprised again today. Her mistress had never paid enough attention to her to recognize her. Had her mistress emerged from her self-inflicted misery?

"Yes, my lady," Alobela replied.

Lady Elizabeth smiled. "Splendid! Then you will teach me how to use mana."

Alobela opened her eyes wider. "My lady, have you finally awakened the mana?"

Lady Elizabeth nodded her head.

Alobela was stunned. That someone could awaken mana at such a late age of 19 was unexpected!