CH.392 HomeBase Store
<span style="font-weight:400">Because the few days I spent nting flowers with Paulina, I felt it was about appropriate timing to go visit Lawrence. I know his son came back because Endy has been stalking … keeping an eye on the store, so maybe I can bring Lawrence to HomeBase now.
<span style="font-weight:400">I have a few things I need to do, that may or may not involve delivering Ursa Major materials to a client and maybe giving some gifts to two Princes. And having my personal merchant with me when I do that would be great, as it will build up his connections and the high ranked people will then know that he works for me.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Ah. Sir Wood. Wee.” Lawrence weed me into his store.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hello Lawrence. And you know just Brian is fine.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“For now I’ll keep calling you Sir Wood.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... whatever.” I gave in. “So how did your talk with your son go?” I asked.
<span style="font-weight:400">“How did you..?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I just do. I’ll tell you how if you agree to work for me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t. Truthfully, I don’t care.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I like your attitude. Know what you need to know, don’t ask for anything more. So, what is your decision?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Of course I’ll ept. Only a fool wouldn’t.” Lawrence said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, some are a bit more hesitant. So how soon can you move? It is no rush, by the way, but I would like you toe with me on a business trip in two days, even if you won’t move by then.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Trip to where?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Oroco city and the Capital. I have deliveries I need to make to both and I want to introduce you as my personal merchant.” I told him. I then added a bit more seeing his questioning look. “We’ll travel using my airship and it can make the trip there and back in one day, so don’t worry about that part.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not wasting any time, huh?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Depends on what I do. And honestly speaking, I’ve been dying delivering the Ursa materials to Marquess Oroco while he has been gathering the money for it, so that isn’t exactly true.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... We are visiting the Marquess? And selling SS-rank materials?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. Get used to it, as you’ll be doing more of that.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“As you wish, Sir.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... so, about my earlier question? When can I expect you to move?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“I have everything packed and ready to go. I simply have to sign the store over to my son and the Bakpany. So tomorrow, if that is fine with you.” Lawrence said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Sure. I’lle with a few people tomorrow to help you move.”
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<span style="font-weight:400">The next day, I took Molly, Cina and Olia with me to Lawrence’s store. The move really wouldn’t be difficult, as I can just take everything Lawrence owns into Storage and then bring it out on HomeBase. The reason I asked these three toe with me is because all three of them have the Cleaning skill, so we can leave the ce spotless. Nondlords demanding to keep a part of the security deposit.
<span style="font-weight:400">Though I suppose this is a sale, or maybe more like leaving the ce for the next of kin, so I don’t think that would apply. But it''s still better to leave the ce all clean.
<span style="font-weight:400">After we finished cleaning everything, we made a quick stop by the Bakpany’s store where Lawrence dropped off his key to the store, before I beamed us all up to HomeBase.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Alright. Olia, you can return to your regr duties. Molly, Cina, you two follow me to the store.” I said as we got out of the teleportation room.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Yes Sir.” Olia responded before walking off.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then began to lead the way outside of the Citadel building so that we could get to the space I set aside for the store. The entrance to it was quite close to where the church was, because I felt it would be appropriate to have them close to each other.
<span style="font-weight:400">“... Where are we?” Lawrence asked when we got outside. “We are definitely not in Alewatch, but we aren’t in any nearby towns or cities either.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“This is HomeBase. An invisible floating ind. In short, we are in the air above the Alewatch ins.” I answered. “I know that might be a little difficult to believe, but it is the truth. Molly and Cina can show you the viewing room when they give you a tour, but first let me show you where your store will be located.”
<span style="font-weight:400">On the way, I talked a bit more about what I expected of Lawrence, while also recapping all the benefits he would get. Mainly funding and ess to an airship. For now his airship ess woulde in the form of either Ria or Eline summoning and piloting the B.E.S. monsters, but if he does well, I’ll give him a Card Summoner skill orb and have him get the skill. But those orbs are still earned. I won’t just give one to everyone just because I can.
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<span style="font-weight:400">“Honestly speaking, I was expecting more.” Lawrence said as she looked at the empty store.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, you can build it up how you like. It is a new store, after all.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... True.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“So, do you know what you’ll need?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“At least shelves and disy cases.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You can have the workshop make those for you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Workshop?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You’ll see when Molly and Cina give you a tour. They’ll also show you your room.” I said.
<span style="font-weight:400">I then began bringing Lawrence’s wares out of Storage, so that I could get back to my own business. Molly and Cina will help him take his clothes and stuff to his room, while the stuff he wants to leave at the store can stay here.
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<span style="font-weight:400">The next day Lawrence and I headed out in B.E.S. Covered Core, heading for Oroco city.
<span style="font-weight:400">On the way, I instructed Lawrence on how to operate the ship and the new mapping devices I made.
<span style="font-weight:400">I know you think this might be a bit much for someone new, but that is just what you have to deal with if you work for me. If you can’t keep up, you can always quit and get your mind wiped.
<span style="font-weight:400">… okay, I probably wouldn’t mind wipe Lawrence even if he quit.
<span style="font-weight:400">Arriving near Oroco city, I had the two of us get down from the ship. Straight in the yard of the Oroco manor. Don’t worry, I informed them beforehand.
<span style="font-weight:400">I quickly introduced Lawrence to the Marquess before we got to why I actually flew over here. I got the monster core out of Storage first, followed by the giant hide of the Ursa Major.
<span style="font-weight:400">Marquess Oroco paid 2400 gold for all of that, after which I gave him a small little gift as a bonus.
<span style="font-weight:400">It was thest of the Ursa Major w knives I originally made for the Queen and Princess Nevelle. I just thought giving one of them to Oroco was cool, so I did so.
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<span style="font-weight:400">After our visit to Oroco city, we headed for the Capital. Sadly there I couldn’t just beam myself down where we were heading because security reasons, so we had to appear in the Sawyer manor yard instead. Maybe I should purchase a manor of my own in the Capital so that I don’t have to always borrow this ce. It isn’t like I don’t have the funds for one.
<span style="font-weight:400">From there we headed for the Royal castle in my carriage, while I exined how the carriage worked to Lawrence. I might make him one simr to this, so he should get familiar with the controls.
<span style="font-weight:400">Lawrence was more than a little surprised by the ease with which we got through the security checkpoint to the castle. He then finally asked who we would be seeing. When I informed him we’d have a meeting with the two Princes, I thought he was going to pass out.
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<span style="font-weight:400">The second Prince was first. He was the one I was more acquainted with, and with Cressida working for him, she is able to get me these meetings.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Hi Brian. It has been some time.” Elias greeted me as I walked into his office.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Only two weeks.” I corrected him. “That isn’t that long.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Feels like a long time. Things were more exciting when you were in the Capital.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... are you saying I’m a trouble ma?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“No. But you did leave one here unsolved. But don’t worry, I took the honor of solving it for you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... did I? I don’t recall any problems.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“You don’t remember the rumors about you?” Elias asked. “Saying you are a chaotic person summoning dragons and causing panic?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well, they aren’t exactly wrong, so …”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Why is that like you? You just don’t care, do you?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not really. I know what I can do and what I must do. Some rumors won’t stop me.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well anyway, I took care of them for you. I even found out where they originated from.” Elias said, before asking. “Do you want to know?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... sure, why not.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“It was a man named Kevin. Apparently he is somehow connected to James, the S-rank adventurer, and used that connection to spread rumors among the lower nobility.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Kevin… Oh yeah. That Kevin. He used to work for the Bakpany until he just flipped because I summoned my Blue-Eyes. He then got double mad, because his son got injured in an ident involving my cards.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“... do I want to know what happened?”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Not really. But still, for him toe all the way to the Capital for that and to try to ruin me with rumors. What a joke.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“May have worked better if you didn’t save Ooco city from an SS-rank.” Elias said.
<span style="font-weight:400">“Speaking of, that is why I’m here. I have a little something for you.” I said, as I brought a mantle out of Storage. “A Fenrir fur mantle made just for you.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I then got a mannequin out of Storage and set the mantle on it so I could show the interesting part about it.
<span style="font-weight:400">“And while you wear it.” As I said that, I brought out my mithril sword. “No harm wille to you from any de.” I then shed at the mantle with my sword, my sword passing through it and the mannequin inside like they weren’t even there.
<span style="font-weight:400">Sheathing my de, I let Elias confirm that the mantle was indeed unharmed. I then let him test it out himself.
<span style="font-weight:400">“This is … I didn’t think such an item would be possible.”
<span style="font-weight:400">“Well you can thank my craftswoman for it.” I told him.
<span style="font-weight:400">“When I next meet her, I shall.”
<span style="font-weight:400">I spent a bit more time chatting with Elias, making sure I introduced Lawrence to him, before we left the building his office was in.
<span style="font-weight:400">Next up, the first Prince.
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<span style="font-weight:400">Prince Legio was a bit different of a meeting. Despite the fact that he was invited to HomeBase’s grand reveal, I wasn’t really on a first name basis with him like I am with Elias. The pleasantries are annoying, but it must be done.
<span style="font-weight:400">What I had for him was of course a sword cane, like Elias rmended. The de was vampiric steel, because that is the best for the function I wanted to give the de, while the tube and the handle were both world treant wood, again necessary for what I wanted to do.
<span style="font-weight:400">Now what is so special about the sword cane you might ask, well it is the real anti-mage sword cane.
<span style="font-weight:400">The sword itself has Magic Drain installed in it, so every time you sh at someone with it, it drains a bit of mana away from them, depending on how much damage the sh did. And yes, you don’t have to sh. Stabs and any other attacks also work.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">The tube on the other hand was just as impressive if not more so. It came installed with Magic Cylinder, allowing it to take in a ton of different kinds of spells, and then send them back out.
Spoiler
[copse]
<span style="font-weight:400">That is why I called it the anti-mage sword cane. From afar, the tube can take in most spells and send them back at … well, whatever you want to target the spell at, while the sword will drain mana from the mage if you manage to hit them with it.
<span style="font-weight:400">It is a deadlybo for someone to go up against.
<span style="font-weight:400">Legio thanked me for the sword cane and even gave Lawrence a trusted merchant pass. With it, he would have an easier time getting to the Royal castle. It was apparently something quite rare and I honestly thought Lawrence was going to pass out when he got it.
<span style="font-weight:400">From there, we left the castle grounds and made our way back to HomeBase.