Chapter 7: I was looking for a research laboratory.

“And you?” Ramelle asks Julius, the man tall and gaunt but barely fitting in his armchair the way he’s drenched himself in gold jewellery and rugged up in thick fur coats, despite the meeting being held in a warm sitting room of the tea parlour.

Julius takes his time sipping wine, legs crossed at the knee. He took the seat closest to the fire so glints of red make his gold trim flare brighter. The other five merchants watch him, waiting for him to continue the conversation so they can all pick at him. He’s learned to not bother saying anything when they become targeted.

“Feeling the pressure, I assume,” Ramelle says into the long silence, nervously stroking the fur of his coat. “Such a cosy shop but quite small. I admire how you keep afloat.”

“I feel sorry for the smaller businesses,” chimes in another merchant, placing her lipstick-stained wine glass on the squat table in the middle of the vague oval all the seats make. “Why, a quaint little place just next door to mine had to shut down recently.”

Everyone knows she vandalises and harasses smaller shops until they have to move so there are light titters across the room.

“Tragic,” drawls a man, adjusting his monocle. “Did you hear about what’s happening in the central kingdom?”

Everyone leans forward with interest. The emperor is currently fighting the south and his path of destruction has laid waste to the north and arced around to the west. The emperor allows the separate countries to keep their royals and nobles and kingdoms but only after cutting down all who stood against him.

This kingdom in the east faced no such threat of war and violence because the king gave in immediately. The economy is booming, trade to the central kingdom is tax free and tourism is at the highest it’s been in several decades.

Long live the emperor and all that.

Julius tips his wine glass and the fireplace glints off the rim. The other merchants have started talking about their contacts in the central kingdom but it’s about politics and not trade. Julius is aware they influence each other but these days he pays people to do that analysis for him.

He only comes here for gossip anyway. These people aren’t good for much else. Most of the merchants here are from old blood, many of them the spare children of nobles or more distant cousins. People like them are often handed down businesses or given loans large enough to buy an already successful business.

Ramelle had once tried to buy Julius’ a few years ago and has been antagonistic ever since he was rejected.

Julius himself started his own business by happenstance. When he was just out of school with no prospects, he would buy and resell magic items. All he wanted was enough income to have a relaxing life, and there’s no easier way of making money out of nothing.

Unfortunately, he turned out to be good at it. He was overrun by customers but refused to give up on such easy cash. He hired one person, then another, then six more. And of course he had to find a place to put them to work so he bought a shop, except they were moving so much stock around that he had to find a place to put that too, so he bought a warehouse and…things snowballed.

“My uncle,” Ramelle is saying with a huff. “A duke, as you all well know, is rather concerned about the restriction on exports from the central kingdom. We had tea with the palace financial minister to discuss the issue.”

“Why would you be concerned about their exports?” Julius asks, tuning back in now that it’s interesting again.

“Their prices are ramping up,” says one of the women. The other nods.

“They have very little this kingdom needs to import,” Julius points out. The east kingdom is forested, as far as the eye can see. The darkness of it is dangerous but also rich in resources, especially magical plants and animals which is why magic schools flourish here.

Julius focuses on magical items so he rarely needs to import from another kingdom but even in non-magical trade, there shouldn’t be such a problem.

“Unless you mean their demand of cheaper materials is a part of the problem?” Julius asks. He hasn’t been targeted as it’s mainly through nobles, but the emperor is asking for food and weapons. The man is still paying, for now, but the prices are rock bottom.

The other merchants share glances.

“There’s a war going on,” Ramelle scoffs but he’s back to stroking fur.

“I’m aware,” Julius says. “Which means they have even less to offer.”

“Except for an abundance of captured slaves,” Ramelle sneers. “My uncle has already ordered several southern barbarians for manor security. Goodness, Julius, your breeding really shows at times.”

The others titter, derisive.

 Ah, boring then. Julius leans forward and places his glass on the table. “I must be off now. Until next time.”

Ramelle hums. “You know, Julius, perhaps I can be convinced to put in a good word for you-“

Julius lets the door to the private room swing shut, cutting off the man’s words. Julius stretches with a sigh and heads back to the shop.

---

It’s during a rare lunchtime walk to get out of the office that Julius spots an interesting sight. Julius’ boots lightly splash against the cobblestones as he walks towards the market stall Diedrik is standing in front of, rather entertained by the way the boy looks so concentrated on the nice-looking jewellery. It’s all fake of course.

Julius stays back and either Diedrik hasn’t noticed him or he’s more concerned with haggling.

“It’s not worth nearly that much,” Diedrik says with a frown, looking at the necklace the shopkeeper holds up. A thin tarnished chain and a giant, gaudy green jewel on it shaped like a love heart. “Three silver is a joke.”

It’s Diedrik’s fault, really, to be wandering around in such fancy clothes and to look so adorably naïve. The shopkeeper darts a glance to Julius over Diedrik’s shoulder and Julius only smiles. The shopkeeper relaxes a touch.

“It’s a vintage piece,” the shopkeeper insists, holding the necklace delicately and turning it this way and that but it’s so bad it can’t even catch the light. “It has history, boy. People have lost their lives over something this grand.”

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“I’ll give you one silver and you’ll thank me for it,” Diedrik states, blue eyes narrowing. Sparks of electric blue mana spark off his fingers, a flamboyant threat that almost makes Julius laugh.

Julius steps in, putting a doting hand on the boy’s thin shoulder. “Now, now. There’s no need to bully the child. Here, I’ll split the difference.” With a sleight of hand, Julius pulls two silver from his sleeve and tosses them onto the table.

“You won’t regret it,” the shopkeeper says cheerfully, snatching the money up as they bounce off the table.

“What do you want?” Diedrik demands, peering up at Julius suspiciously.

“You’re welcome,” Julius says instead, taking the necklace from the shopkeeper. He ushers the boy off with his hand still on a small shoulder and they slip into a slowly moving crowd of shoppers.

Diedrik’s head is the perfect height that he literally has to duck out of the way from large woven baskets hanging off elbows. Julius gently nudges him into one and while the boy is distracted, Julius draws a circle against the gem, small enough that the glow doesn’t escape his sleeve. Nothing, it’s still a cheap knock-off emerald.

“Careful there,” Julius says and reels the boy back in, handing over the necklace.

Diedrik tucks the thing away safely in a jacket pocket, far more cautious than what that piece of junk should warrant. He’s frowning again, a cute little pout with his chubby cheeks. “Are you satisfied now?”

“Very much so,” Julius chuckles. “I’m curious though. You practically threw money at me before but today you won’t part with two more silver?”

“I don’t pay you extra for your wares, I pay you for your talents,” Diedrik explains, candid about his extra motive.

“My talents in…finding wares?” Julius asks with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s more like maintaining our relationship, for my future use.”

“A precocious one, aren’t you?” Julius muses.

“I would like to grow your talent, Julius,” Diedrik states, blue eyes sharp. “You’re an easy one. Keep feeding you money and you’ll grow yourself. It’s very hands off and I appreciate it.”

“You’re a little young to be playing with the big boys,” Julius tsks.

“A man named Hakim approached me just yesterday with an offer and many things to say about you.”

Julius looks down and Diedrik is watching him closely. His hand on the boy’s shoulder starts to feel like a leash but Julius is not the one holding the handle.

“I was looking for a research laboratory,” Diedrik continues and his smile shows teeth. “Thank you for your timely present.”

“Anything for a loyal customer,” Julius says and falls back on a politely bland smile.

“Who would you recommend if I wanted someone to sell the mass-produced mana rain?” Diedrik asks pointedly. “This is good news for both of us.”

Julius opens his mouth to not answer properly but then pivots left and quick-walks into a narrow alleyway between stalls that swiftly turns into claustrophobic brick walls, dragging Diedrik along. He flicks up a wide 1^st level spell over the mouth of the passage just in time for Dilani to come storming past with a face like she just saw…well, Julius.

She goes right past the slowly spinning gold circle and no one else reacts either, the spell a quick notice-me-not.

“Who was that?” Diedrik asks, amused.

“I don’t know what you mean,” Julius says peaceably, just walking straight through the alley. The spell will turn itself off later after it runs out of mana. Julius pops out of the other side and gives Diedrik a nudge onward. “Off you go, child. Go and frolic.”

Diedrik huffs out a laugh and walks away without a backwards glance.

Julius’ easy smile falls off his face. He underestimated the boy, that’s his fault. But Diedrik isn’t the first person to try and gain control over Julius or even buy him out. The child isn’t a threat.

It’s fine that Julius’ information gathering got out too. Julius wasn’t planning on following on with Hakim or the mana boost -called mana rain apparently- alchemy anyway. It would be a huge market for even a drop of that stuff but Julius doesn’t make his products, he’s only part of the transport supply chain.

And it seems Diedrik already has plans of amassing some swift wealth, probably to bankroll his odd product requests. Hakim is a researcher and doesn’t seem the type to do mass production, but he has an excess of interns. Then it’ll come to Julius to be sold.

It should be an easy decision to agree, but Julius doesn’t like the way Diedrik talks. Nobles -even children- are confident, swollen with it, but it’s mimicry and shallow. Diedrik talks like he can back it up. He spoke to Julius like there was no other option, and that Diedrik would be the one to enforce that.

A little 3^rd class magician…

Julius is really quite curious.

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