System Change

After sparring with Clare and giving her some gifts, Derek made his rounds to everyone else. Alanah was very much for Derek going to the raid. In fact, it seemed like she was even a bit jealous. Obviously, if she didn’t have such a business to run, she would have wanted to go herself.

Still, she couldn’t leave the Crown for such a time. It wasn’t like she was Avery or Stella, who, although would be missed, could leave for some time and the Crown would still function because of Alanah. She was an umbrella covering the entire enterprise. Her presence was required, and she couldn’t step away for more than a few days at a time.

Derek was thankful to the woman, though. Along with her urging him to go, she made sure to tell him that she would look after his group. With her oversight, there would be nothing more for him to worry about. She also mentioned something about not wanting to miss out on the opportunity of possible rewards.

Apparently, she had been trying to get Avery to take a step back from Zac and Luke’s training and go on the raid as well. He had done all he needed to do for the kids. They had their weapons, elements, and the environment needed to move forward. She even planned on giving them the Mental Resistance scrolls she got from the King. Avery’s part was done. It was entirely up to the boys now.

The same was true for Clare, as well. Whatever happened with her would be based on how much effort she put in from now until she unlocked the system, and her mindset when she finally chose a class.

Derek thought Avery would be a very welcome addition to the raid group, especially after somewhat seeing him in action. He was sure that Edgar would have no problem adding another powerhouse to his force.

After chatting with Alanah, Derek left with a much lighter weight on his shoulders. He wouldn’t have to worry about everyone with Alanah there. He could breathe easily.

He then headed to Roman’s shop. The halfling was running around in a frenzy after receiving his money from the auction and all the extra Void Beast materials. Derek didn’t want to disturb him, so he told him about going on the raid before leaving. Roman did, however, inform him he was working on something new, and to stop by the day before he left to see if his new creation was finished.

Derek was hesitant. His previous round of potion testing was technically a success, but he definitely didn’t enjoy it. Still, he agreed and hoped Roman would have something good prepared. Derek would also use that opportunity to buy some good healing, stamina, and mana potions from the halfling at a discount.

After leaving Roman’s shop, Derek next headed to the City Lord’s Manor, where he was quickly let in and led to a private courtyard out back. He soon found himself sitting at a small table surrounded by a beautiful garden with a cup of coffee. He wasn’t surprised that the product had made its way to Natalie. It was a few minutes before the small framed woman arrived and hopped in the seat across from him.

“Derek,” Natalie said. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon after the auction.” She had left him with a standing invite to drop by at any time, but it hadn’t been long at all since he last met with her.

“I hadn’t planned on disturbing you so soon, but something came up and I figured it would be best to talk with you sooner rather than later,” he replied.

“Oh? What can I help you with?” she asked.

“First, I wanted to thank you for your work at the auction yesterday. I’m sure everything went much smoother with you there to verify everything.”

“I was more than adequately compensated for my role yesterday.”

“That’s good,” Derek said before moving on to the real reason he was there. “So, I was invited by Edgar to accompany him on the raid in a few days. I’m sure you know all about it?”

“Of course.” Natalie smiled. “I take it you have decided to go?”

“Yes.”

“That’s good. It is a great opportunity for someone like yourself.”

“Which brings me to the reason I’m here…” Derek started, but was soon cut off.

“You don’t have to worry about your people. As long as they are in or around my city, no harm will come to them. At least not from any people,” Natalie said.

That pretty much took the rest of the weight off of his shoulders. He knew what she meant by saying that no person would harm them. They would be on their own when it came to training. Any interference in that could do more harm than good. One couldn’t always rely on others in everything.

“Thank you,” Derek said. “If you ever need anything from me, just ask.”

“Well…” Natalie’s eyes sparkled. “Now that you mentioned it, I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on this ‘coffee’ of yours. The Crown has the monopoly on restaurants, but I am much more suited to distribute it throughout the Kingdom. Also, the potions and elixirs that were available at the auction are also something that I would be interested in.”

Derek did his best to remain calm, but the amount of information the woman in front of him had was staggering. Though, it didn’t take a genius to draw the conclusion that all the Void Beast items were coming from him, especially after she put it together that he was using the void element. He even wondered how much she already knew about Brandi.

“That…” Derek started. “That is something you will have to discuss with Alanah. She is the sole distributor for the coffee, but I’m sure the two of you could work something out.” Derek wasn’t about to get into negotiations with the woman in front of him. He really liked his shirt, and he was sure that if he tried negotiating with her, he would lose it.

“That’s unfortunate,” she said. “What about the potions and elixir?”

“That’s Alanah, too.” Derek replied. That wasn’t completely the case, as Roman had more to do with the potions than Alanah, but they had signed a contract with the Crown for the distribution. In fact, Roman wasn’t able to sell the potions himself. They would always go through the Crown.

It was for the best, as this gave the halfling a layer of protection. Plus, with the Crown doing all the heavy lifting with distribution and sales, it gave the halfling more time to work on his Alchemy, which he truly enjoyed. He wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but he had come around. And now that the auction was over, he was even more taken to the idea.

Natalie clicked her tongue in disappointment. “I just can’t believe the luck of that woman. Maybe I should expand my business ventures more into some of those backwater towns like Torith. What good fortune she has.”

Obviously, there was a bit of a competition between the two women. They were two of the most powerful figures in the Kingdom and both owned thriving businesses.

“In that case, you must promise me something.” Natalie continued.

“What is it?”

“If you come upon any more opportunities, such as the coffee, potions, or elixirs, you must think of me first. It’s never a good idea to have all your eggs in one basket.” Natalie answered.

Of course, she wasn’t wrong. As it currently stood, Derek was already relying too much on Alanah and the Crown. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have business ventures with both Natalie and Alanah. Maybe he could set something up with her and Brandi. His shop was in Natalie’s domain, after all.

“I will definitely do that,” Derek agreed without hesitation.

The two continued to chat for another half hour before Natalie sighed and had to get back to work. Derek was thankful he didn’t have much to manage and actually could go away on a raid if he wanted to. It all seemed like way too much dull work to him.

Derek excused himself and began to think about what he may need for his upcoming adventure. In a stroke of genius, he decided to leave Brandi with one of his old shirts and pair of jeans, in the off chance she found some material that could mimic cotton and denim. He liked the bat silk shirts she had crafted for him, but they just weren’t the same.

Since they planned on spending a lot of time in the lobby of his Time Prison, he decided to go to Geoffrey to buy some amenities and furniture. There, he spent over 10,000 gold coins on lavish chairs, beds and bedding that could fit in the cells, standing rune lights, and other specialty items. He was even able to obtain a few more prototype showers to set up.

Along with that, he made sure to get some inscribed tubs that could self-drain and clean themselves. Who better to market the shower to than some of the most powerful adventurers in the Kingdom?

Like this, he spent the next few days going over things he needed, training with Thomas, and chatting with everyone else. Soon, it was the day before the gathering, so he went back to Roman’s shop to see what the halfling had prepared.

“Come, come!” As soon as Derek walked in, Roman’s voice shot out from the back of the store and Derek was rushed to the same room he tested potions in as last time. Freia was already waiting, notebook in hand.

“I take it you succeeded?” Derek asked, as he found a spot to sit. He looked around and noticed that there were more health, mana, and stamina potions sat out than last time. It seemed that the near brain explosion and Derek bleeding out of every orifice on his head had caused the halfling and his assistant to be even more prepared than last time.

“Of course it is,” Roman said with a smug smile. “Freia!”

Freia disappeared and soon came back with a new potion in hand. She carefully sat it on the table in front of Derek.

“This…” Derek stared at the vial. Inside was a liquid which slowly changed color. One second, it was solid red, the next, it was transparent, then orange, then transparent once again… the color kept changing as it cycled through multiple colors. It was almost like the Potion of Physical Permanence, but instead of it being a constant circulating rainbow of colors, it stopped on a solid color before quickly changing.

“I’ve never gotten the chance to experiment with the other ingredients from a Void Beast, but I’ve had many ideas since my success last time. Since you gave me those whole corpses, I’ve been able to put my ideas to the test. This is my first possible success.” Roman explained.

Derek shrugged. “Well… should we get to it?”

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