Steel and Mana

Chapter 68 – Preliminary Inspection

"I don't like it here."

It was a sentence that surprised me when I heard it. It happened after we had cleaned ourselves and were getting ready to go to bed. Our room was as luxurious as a local noble could wish for. The castle walls were covered with pelts, the same as the stone floor, making it easier to walk around barefooted. The bed was broad, with soft pillows and a thick, king-sized down comforter that I had just lifted up.

"It's not that bad." I answered, but I did miss our home, too. The bathroom, to be specific. Although the toilet was made out of stone just the same, it was a typical 'let gravity take it away' kind of toilet and not one that could be flushed.

"Am I becoming needy? Selfish?" She whispered, climbing into the bed, hugging me, "A few years ago, I was living in the forest, having nothing... now I say I don't like staying at a noble's castle. You spoiled me!"

"Oh, so it is my fault?" I giggled, playing with her red hair.

"Yes!"

"We can go and live in the woods if you want. Screw it, we elope, and we tour the world, just you and me!"

"What?! No! What would happen to the others? Not just Luna but the people who are now dependent on us?! I wouldn't leave them behind!"

"See? You are not selfish." With a kiss on her blushing face, I enjoyed her naked body snuggling up to mine, being happy, hearing my answer. It was no wonder that I had no trouble sleeping without worries until dawn.

...
....
.....

At the breakfast table the following day, we didn't discuss anything about the nobles; instead, my Uncle was more interested in how my city was coming along.

"I will want to visit it one day."

"Sure, but only bring your most trusted people." I nodded, not against the idea.

"Naturally. I also want to borrow and implement some of your constructs here. I am getting more and more curious the more you mention."

"That... hmmm... That can be arranged." I hummed, thinking a little, "If my magic formations work out as expected, you can contact my people to build structures within your territory. We will take care of maintaining them. For a fee, of course."

"No love between family, huh?"

"Business is business, Uncle!" I answered quickly, making him laugh, nodding, knowing I would give him a reasonable price anyway. "Wait until we finish setting up the heating system! I think you would want that for the winter."

"Sounds interesting... I would love to hear about it more."

"You will see it when it's ready. I am just afraid you will want to leave and join me in my city afterward!"

"It is that good, huh?" Elliot whistled, but he did not pry any further. Was it a real possibility? I don't know. But that would be problematic because then who remains here, leading this region? Even though his land is not considered part of the Frontier, it is its anteroom. Entering my territory is done through his.

I did not continue down on that train of thought afterward. Instead, finishing the breakfast, we went to his private courtyard, where Oleg already prepared multiple tables. My merchandise was laid out in the morning sun, guarded by my new guards. They were wearing simple leather armor, not yet adorned in any way, and I was still thinking about what type of uniform I should make them wear.

"Books?" Elliot asked, noticing the first stacks as we walked closer. "Are these... printed?"

"See it for yourself." I let him pick them up, one by one, flipping through the pages, stopping occasionally, chuckling before putting them down.

"Who wrote these? Some are really funny! They can be a good read when someone is bored."

"There are multiple authors. Some are from me, and some are from my Prime Minister, Merlin. Some are Sasha's creations."

"They are amusing." He smiled and continued looking over them, picking up one with a simple, pink-colored cover and examining it curiously. "Kama... Sutra? Who is that?"

"It isn't a person... and it isn't the recount of the ancient texts it is based on. I never read that; this is the bastardized version by yours truly."

"Ancient texts? What are you on about...?" He looked at me, puzzled, before flipping it through, exclaiming loudly, "Drawings?! You can print drawings?! Oooh... this looks nice!"

"Sasha has a way with metalworks. Her fingers are like the hands of a fine sculptor." I answered simply because it was she who made them at my behest. I couldn't help but grin, watching her face go red the same way when I came up with the idea... At least she did not stomp on my feet this time around.

"Damn... What an interesting little book! Can I have this?"

"I told you sex would sell." I murmured to my wife.

"Ugh... sssh!" Sasha whispered, pinching my buttocks, "I don't want to hear about it!"

"Even though you are a practitioner, too... OWIE!"

"Hm?" Elliot flinched, turning around, hearing my yelp, and watching me rub my bottom, "What happened?"

"Nothing!" Sasha answered him, stepping forward, closing the book in Elliot's hand, making him put it down and move on to the other items we brought. "We know that the books won't be the most interesting part, so let's look at the others!"

"I think people would love this one the most, but sure. What's this?" He asked, reading the atmosphere, knowingly ignoring Sasha's bright red face, letting her introduce our first perfume.

"Perfume. We named it 'Heaven's Valley.' We refined it multiple times, so right now, you only need to dip a little from it onto your neck, and you will smell nice throughout the whole day!"

"Oh? These smell... sweet." He whispered, trying out bottle after bottle. Sasha quickly stopped him from splashing out all of it at once, helping him sample them all. "I want this! All of it! How much did you bring? This will sell amongst the nobles like hotcake!"

"Err... Only a box." I answered, twitching my eyes. "This is hard to make, so this is ALL we have."

"Bullshit! I will buy all that you have! Your scented soaps sold like no tomorrow! This is a goldmine!"

"It is true, Baron Elliot." Sasha reassured him, "This is all we have. It is a new process, and the alchemist doing it is still trying to nail the correct formula down."

"I am willing to sell it to you, Uncle," I interjected quickly, "That is why we brought it. But I need clear glass. That is one thing we are struggling with. Can you get it for me? If yes, I can speed up the procedure because I can establish a correct laboratory for her."

"Alchemist... huh..." He repeated, crossing his arms, thinking. "Clear glass... That is not cheap, and getting it is hard."

"You know someone?" Sasha asked, turning excited because clear glass was becoming more of an issue day by day. We can make our own glass, yes... but it is permanently tinted, and especially in alchemy, that is a big no-no.

"Yes and no. The man I thought about does not live here." Elliot explained, watching the bottles we brought over. "If you want to source it locally, Marquis Oscar is your man. He is a noble down at the southern borders. He lords over an area between the Geth Empire and ours, which has been turned into sand when the Empress of Death reigned supreme."

"Oh, I read about her." I nodded, recalling that specific title. Supposedly, she battled every neighboring nation we had at that time. I wasn't surprised to hear she challenged the only other Empire in our vicinity that held an artifact in their hands.

"It is a dead zone," Elliot continued after seeing I knew who he was referring to, "The Marquis is from the family that is guarding the border and also oversees the desert so it doesn't expand."

"Expanding?" Sasha chimed in, curious and enjoying the old legends, showing her child-like side to my Uncle.

"Yes. Two Artifacts of the Gods clashed there. The aftereffects are still present; most things brought into that desert will turn into sand. Luckily, it doesn't expand, but it is good to keep an eye on it. Anyway, the main point is that Marquis Oscar is our man if you need clear glass. The problem is the distance. It is the other end of the Empire!"

"How long would it take to make a trip and come back?"

"Months, no question about that." He answered immediately. "If I send someone out in spring, they may return by winter. It is not just getting there, which is a problem! It is going through a dozen other territories. Each has its own taxes, issues, and whatever else... haaah."

"But you sounded confident." I countered, waiting for the part he did not tell us about yet.

"The first option, as I said, is when you want to source it locally. The second option is the Atuvian League."

"Those are our eastern neighbors, yes?" Sasha questioned, waiting for our nods. "I didn't hear about them much. Leon?"

"Me neither. I only know that we fought them a few times."

"Right now, we are not at war with them because we are at war with their southern neighbors, who they also hate."

"Are we ever at peace?" I laughed, not wanting any honest answer to my stupid question.

"They are a merchant kingdom." Elliot continued with a smile, "They are a league of money-hungry opportunists! Their land was always pretty infertile, so they relied on trade a lot, and throughout the centuries, they became savvy at it. I visited them once, learning a few tricks when I was a teenager, and I can catch up on some old contacts. I think I could get you glass, but it wouldn't be cheap, and I would need more perfume. Dealing with them is not always done through gold but through profit margins."

"I see... I have Mom training traders right now; if they are ready, with your help, I can send one of them over. Will they be allowed to cross the border?"

"We are not at war." He smiled confidently and had a bit of mischief in his eyes, "We can manage."

"Good!" I clapped, dropping the topic as it still needed work, but not now. We can theorize a lot, but until it comes to testing the ideas, it is futile to go into too much detail.

I continued introducing them to the rest of the things we brought over. It included more scented soap, now enhanced by Marca's perfume, its aroma lasting even longer. I also brought over a few buckets of gold paint, the same thing I used to decorate my palace with. He laughed nonstop when he heard it was produced from the killed beast's body.

"Okay, okay, Nephew! I will not introduce it as such to the nobles, or it will be unsellable! I will think of something else... Heh...! Some greedy bastard will love to dip their stuff into it and parade it around as if it were made from gold. The glue you also brought over... hm. I don't know. Maybe the merchants would find some use for it... I am not optimistic, though, so don't get your hopes up!"

"I am just here to see how people react."

"They will love the perverted book and the perfume. The latter will be an instant seller; hell, I want to monopolize it at once! Do you know how much it would be worth when many people can smell like shit?! Nothing can beat it."

"No." We answered, watching him with a confident smile, "But Uncle, you will tell us, no?"

"No. I will show it to you! Just wait. I will make the announcement and send out the invites laced with perfume. They will be blown away! I can't wait to wear it..."

"Err... Uncle?" I raised a hand, wanting to stop him from splashing himself once again with the samples. "Those are for women."

"And? They smell good. Why couldn't we wear them if they smell good for us men? You are being stupid here, Leon!"

"..."

I couldn't help but turn towards my wife, asking with my eyes if her ears picked up the exact same words as mine. Watching her laugh, I was sure she did... Huh. Now, I was sure Elliot was my Mom's little brother. I could see her say the same thing.