42

While the others were in a back room discussing money I stayed up toward the front and just watched people do their different jobs. Since I had some affinity here then I was mostly left alone as long as I left the workers alone. Until I found Ferithar having a 'charming' conversation with three much younger ladies.

At first I just stayed back a short distance away while enjoying the show before finally walking up to crash the party with, "I don't know what magic you used to make these lovely ladies like little old men, Teach, but you need to show me how its done so I can make them like tall young men like me again."

"It's you…" Ferithar says with an unashamed smirk as the ladies of mixed races he was talking to start giggling and hurrying back to work. "I heard about that crystal you brought in, the value on that thing is just as big as the crystal even though its only C grade. Where did it come from?"

"My friends and I cleared out a dusk imp nest and the queen had chosen the area for that crystal," I reply casually. "We kept all of the lesser females for ourselves, though. They make great battle mages but their pregnant still so I can't just start training them. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who could speed that along, would you?"

Considering the answer for a few seconds, Ferithar nods slowly while saying, "We have a few people in the monster trading side of the business but if anyone would be able to help it would be our Beast Master. I already know a few ways, but I've never tried those magics before and if you intend to sell or make use of the offspring then it would be best to go to the actual professional. If you sold the offspring through us the process would be even simpler and better for you."

"It depends on what they are, though," I reply with a shrug while looking around to see if anyone was paying attention to our conversation. "If she ended up having another priestess like her, I would keep it for its rarity. It she popped out hunters and or warriors, I would not care. Can your beast master tell what's in her belly? There are also over half a dozen other lesser females who are pregnant. I told you, we kept them all."

"Even I could tell you what she's having," Ferithar states with a frown, as if this should have been one of the simpler magics. "Have you even started using magic yet?"

Groaning inwardly as I realize where this conversation will be going, I boldly lie with, "No, I haven't. I can't trigger any phenomena or make myself feel my mana. I tried using external elements like fire or ice to stimulate my mana like some of the books have said but either I'm just not good enough or the directions are bad. I need my teacher to come by the Maran House and show me how to develop my mana sensing and manipulation skill"

Looking at me with the same frown, Ferithar asks, "The Maran House? Are you some long lost heir or something? What are you doing over there?"

"Since it is the business of the family I serve, I cannot say much," I reply simply while pointing up to my title. "However, Lady Mara has made m'lady, Lana Delai, her heir. We are setting the foundation for a new noble family. Now, I'm sure I don't have to tell you how smart it would be for you and the Golden Ferry to be friends with a new up and coming aristocratic household, right?"

Narrowing his eyes as he focuses on the thoughts turning over in his mind like cogs and wheels, Ferithar agrees with, "No, you don't have to remind me of that. It's a little risky, the Maran House has been inactive for nearly a decade. Things change, a merchant who would have once kissed your feet is more likely to call you a beggar after the gossip and rumors. I, on the other hand, happen to know this Delai family has a capable mind and body at their disposal. Are you inviting me over to the Maran House tomorrow to begin your proper tutelage?"

Now you want to properly teach me magic? Okay. "Yes, of course. It would be the perfect time to make introductions. You might also like to meet my friend, Oleander… she's a human-dryad alchemist who only wears Nature's Armor."

Ferithar's eyes got so wide when I said this that I felt like they would pop right out of his face and roll around on the floor. I not only had his attention, I had thoroughly secured his interest. Now I just needed to get him around the others so I can trick him into giving all the non-magic people in my party an increased mana pool like mine!

[You have raised your reputation with Ferithar the Grand Alchemist. Current Affinity: 76%. +2 % positive reputation]

Taking out a Galvanized Elder Bokuto, I show it off to Ferithar and say, "Oleander made that. She's only level twenty, now, but even without the galvanizing it did more damage than the ones you made for me. What do you think?"

"They certainly show promise," he admits, deftly flicking his wrist and elbow with enough force to whistle the sword loudly through the air with only half of a swing. "In fact, I'd prefer to have her for a student than you."

Giving the short old man I was starting to think was part gnome or dwarf a wry look, I say, "I bet you would. Just know that if she ever tells me to make you disappear you better vanish on your own. You're probably more powerful than I am, but death isn't the same to me that it is to you, my friend."

"If she has half the fire you do, I'm going to have a good day tomorrow," Ferithar retorts with a wink before laughing loudly and wandering off. "Just head toward the back of the building and follow the smell of shit, you'll find who you're looking for!"

Following the Grand Alchemist's directions, I continue making my way through the first floor of the large three-story building while slowly and carefully scenting the air. Finally, after a few minutes of wandering around blindly I finally caught the scent of monsters and their byproducts tainting the air. Licking my finger to feel the air, I find the direction the air is flowing by the cold side of my finger and head in the opposite direction to find the source of the smells.

When I finally found it I found myself in a large open area full of cages and crates of all kinds containing animals and monsters alike. The entire back of the building seemed dedicated to housing and caring for these creatures who looked like they came from all over the country. There were creatures I had not even seen in the forums, yet.

"Beast Master, where do I find them?" I ask after stopping the first person I came across.

The man was wearing a thick and tough canvas uniform with overalls not unlike the clothes worn by the blacksmiths at the public smithy. However, instead of answering me, the man just yells out, "Lyr! Some kid is here to see you!"

Watching the man just walk away without any more care after that, I start to just try stopping another person who could actually answer a question when a late yell comes across. "Send him over here to the serpent section!" The voice yelled irritably, making it hard to identify as I looked around for a 'serpent section'.

I spotted what looked like one of the ladies who worked up front who looked at me with pity and simply pointed off to one side of the building. I needed my thanks and hurried over. When I finally found 'serpents' I found reptiles of all kinds in a variety of cages as well as over a dozen workers in a more specialized uniform with sleeves and leggings that bore folded paper plates set at angles like diamond shapes.

I had seen things like this on Earth, people who worked with dangerous reptiles would often wear simpler protection to keep a viper's fangs from hinging or just keeping sharp teeth away from skin in general. The difference here, though, was that the armor was much more heavy duty.

At the center of all the activity in this area was a tall and thickly built but somewhat muscular woman barking orders at everybody around her including the animals. Some listened and actually went to different places or caged themselves while others would his and argue. A spiky looking tree dragon that was probably the rare armored tree dragon the armorer told me about actually whipped its tail at her.

She grabbed the end of its tail in the air and just ripped it off before bouncing it off of the lizard's forehead with a brief throw. The creature hissed its pain and anger before turning and scuttling into a large rectangular cage of thick iron bars. This seemed to satisfy the lady who turned her attention to other reptiles giving the other workers problems.

One creature in particular that everybody seemed to ignore was a massive fifty-foot snake slithering about the ceiling rafters overhead with a pair of leathery scaled wings furled along a third of its body. Its head was about as big as my entire body and with its reach it could easily snatch people from the ground like Duck snatched ferecats. I simply did not feel safe looking away from the creature tagged Venomous Wyvern with a level over one hundred.

Suddenly, there was somebody standing beside me staring up at the wyvern in the rafters as well who suddenly says, "She's a beaut, isn't she? Only ten years old and she's already so big. In another ten years she'll probably be level two hundred. Are you the boy someone said was looking for me?"

Looking over to find the amazonian in a form fitted leather version of the canvas uniform the others wore, I smile brightly at her bright green eyes under a head of shocking red hair and hold out my hand while saying, "Hi, my name is Life Hack, pleasure to meet you. I was asking around and my friends say you might be able to help me with an issue I am having? My friends and I recently caught and tamed the lesser females from an imp nest but they're pregnant so I don't feel comfortable teaching them Swordplay and the like just yet. Could you help with this issue?"

Carefully looking me up and down while spending several seconds examining my title, the Beast Master I heard called Lyr says, "I can't help you if you did not bring them. We received a shipment of product today so tomorrow should be pretty calm. If you bring them by I can take a look and see what I can do, shortening a pregnancy in monsters requires a lot of mana but that's it."

"I was hoping to invite you to the Maran House estate tomorrow," I reply with a regretful smile. "I was only just recently given my position and have a lot of studying that I must do. As well, I have Ferithar coming over tomorrow and after I told him that my alchemist friend is a human-dryad halfling I no longer feel as comfortable as I did before. Could you possibly come to help keep an eye on him?"

Flashing a disgusted look up at the ceiling, Lyr says, "Such a shameless man, you can't imagine how many times I have wanted to feed him to Glory up there. If not for his talents and money he would not get even half of the attention he does. Are you that kid people have been talking about recently? Apparently you're Ferithar's new student but you pay tuition."

"It's easier to just pay for it than to find somebody who will do it for free," I say with a shrug, returning my attention to the wyvern. "He cheated me a bit, though. I also paid him to craft weapons for me but he barely did anything. it's fine, though. I have more of those elder root materials than I know what to do with so I'll just sell them all through auctions so he has to buy more of the material rather than work it for free when I sell it to the Golden Ferry."

"Even if he says he needs it to teach you alchemy?" Lyr asks, knowing the Grand Alchemist better than I did and spotting an easy way for him to get the goods.

"Elder root does more damage but Hardened Hickory has better affects, he'll show me how to work the hickory before he shows me how to use elder root," I assure her with a small smile, envisioning arguing with the old alchemist over what materials I should be taught to work first.

"A young man with a good head on his shoulders, I think we'll be decent friends," the Beast Master laughs suddenly. "Alright, I'll come by tomorrow at noon and drag the gnome with me. Now, get out of here so I can get back to work."

[You have raised your reputations with Lyr, Beast Master for the Golden Ferry Chamber of Commerce. Current Affinity: 60%. +10% positive reputation]

Lyr likes me ten-percent more just because I was going to give Ferithar hell for the Bokuto? She probably actually liked him until he turned out to be an old perv. She was very pretty, too, with a body most women on Earth would gladly murder for so I could not help but feel bad.

However, Ferithar's mistake had just become my benefit so I was not too upset about it. I did, though, wonder whether or not I should tell Ferithar about how he might still have a chance if her got his shit together and became serious. I quickly decided I would not involve myself in that affair at all.

Back up front the others were waiting for me after concluding their business with what was becoming my personal clerk. Before we left I put up three clubs and three spears from the Elder Oak goblins for auction through the clerk in the hopes that Lyr would find out. Then I simply went back to reading my botany book to continue raising my Appraisal skill while following the others outside.

When the book was done, I also received a pleasant reward.

[This book has been very informative to you. +1 Intelligence]

*