System Change

‘Okay, let’s talk price.’ Derek sent to Alanah. Stella stored the carcass of the Void Beast and went back over to her seat.

‘Very well.’ The feminine voice entered his thoughts. Her tone had subtly changed. There was still a hint of happiness in her tone, but the excitement had waned, replaced by a more business orientated tone. ‘First off, do you still plan on giving the other Void Beast to us as a bonus? Knowing what you now know?’

‘Of course. I can’t say that my word is my bond, but when dealing with those I respect, you can consider it as such. Honestly, I still don’t really want to take back half of the small Void Beast’s blood because I had already offered it, but, getting free Vitality points is too much to pass on. So, you’ll have to excuse me and accept the other Void Beast in its stead.’ Derek replied.

‘Very well. I thank you for that. I would not respect you any less if you chose not to do so. Just remember that.’ Alanah said. ‘Now, back to the super Void Beast. We have never had to make a deal with such a priceless ingredient, so this is new territory for me. Plus, having the three beasts, minus the blood of the small one, I imagine we will be able to draw even more attention in. I suspect there won’t be a single member absent from the auction. With that known, I can only ask. What is it that you would like as payment?’

Derek chuckled. ‘Well, there are many possibilities for that. I guess one would be a membership. But, I’m unsure if I fit into those qualifications yet.’

A musical laughed was sent back to him. ‘That… is not payment for the Void Beast. You would be walking out of this meeting with a membership card with or without selling this Void Beast. I like you, Derek. Please do prove my judgement correct.’

That was surprising. Derek had not expected it to be so easy to obtain a membership card, but then again, who else could do what he had done in the last few days. ‘Thank you.’ He replied. ‘Other than that, I do have some ideas.’

‘Oh? Let’s hear them.’

‘First. I was thinking that instead of a payment in gold, here and now, I could ask for a percent of the sales. Say… 25 percent. What do you think?’ He asked.

‘Hmm… Maybe. It depends on what else you would like.’ Alanah replied.

Good. He thought. 25 percent of whatever it is sold for will be more than enough for a single person. That should make it easy enough to support Brandi without having to do everything myself. Speaking of Brandi… ‘I would still like the hide of all three creatures, if that’s okay.’

‘Of course. That was always the plan. For our purposes, the hide is useless. Would you also like the claws and fangs?’ She asked.

‘Sure.’ He replied. I’m sure the claws will help her with some of the other crafting classes.

‘What else?’ Alanah asked.

‘I would like two meals from the regular Void Beast, and two from the super Void Beast. Is that too much?’

Alanah’s voice did not sound for a moment. Everything was silent. Finally, her voice rang again. ‘It’s… not too much. I would have to decrease your profits from 25% to 20%, though. Would that be acceptable?’

Derek thought for a moment. Of course, stats were priceless, so the decrease of 5% was not too bad. ‘That will be okay.’

‘Good. Is there anything else?’

Derek smiled. He did not know what to expect with his next ask. ‘Well, after you told me about Stella’s knife, I couldn’t help but think about the blacksmith. I can only assume that he is a member of your restaurant. Would you be willing to offer him a meal in exchange for him making me a weapon? My current one can no longer keep up, and though I’m good with my hands, I do prefer a weapon.’

This time, the silence stretched much longer before Alanah replied. ‘I can see, but I am not sure SHE will do it. The most likely answer will be yes. The extra Strength and Endurance is a great boon for a Blacksmith, but she can be… eccentric. However, if she accepts your offer, I am afraid I will have to cut your commission another couple percent. How does 18% sound?’

‘That’s fine, too. As long as the weapon is to my standard. Now, I also have a couple paltry requests that I doubt you will have a problem with.’

‘They are?’

‘You may find them a bit… unordinary. I would like a storage ring. I would also like it to be fully stocked with a variety of cooking equipment and spices. Maybe some common recipes too, if you’re willing.’ He answered.

‘Oh, training up a cook?’ Alanah mused.

‘Something like that.’ Derek smiled. ‘I would also like some pocket change. I had come in thinking that I would leave with a good amount of gold, but… well… things have changed and I would rather not have to rely on Walter for room and board. I have enough for a while, but I would like to be prepared, in case of emergencies.’

‘That’s fine. I will have Stella provide you with 500 gold. That should last you until your beverage starts selling… if you don’t squander it. Is there anything else?’

‘500 gold is great.’ Derek said. ‘Now, for the awkward request. I would like to arrange for a… friend of mine to shadow some of your cooks for a few days. They don’t need to provide lessons or recipes, just allow my friend to watch them. It’s also fine, if not better, for them to be your lesser cooks.’

‘Ah, I take it that this ‘friend’ is your aspiring chef? Well, we do not have any ‘lesser’ cooks, but your friend can observe the cooks from the first floor. Is there anything else?’ Alanah asked.

Derek shook his head, even though Alanah could not see him. ‘Nope. That’s it. You might want to prepare your chefs, my friend is… different.’

‘Okay. So, we have 18% of the auction sales, a weapon by a master Blacksmith, two meals from the regular beast and two from the giant one, 500 gold, a storage ring filled with cooking supplies, and observation rights for your friend. Does that sound right?’

‘Yes, that’s fine.’

‘Very well, please hand Stella the red crystal and inform her that I wish to speak with her.’ Alanah said.

Derek stood and leaned over the desk, handing the private communications crystal to Stella. “Alanah wants to talk to you.”

Stella frowned and hesitantly received the crystal from Derek’s hand. Taking a deep breath, she injected the crystal with her mana.

Derek watched as her breathing changed from slightly fast to a slow, mechanical pace. Then her pupils dilated and her eyes glazed over. She pulled a set of papers out of thin air and began working vigorously.

Seeing the mechanical motions, Derek could only shake his head in awe and praise his Wisdom and personal willpower. It also made him feel a pang of sadness for Alanah. If one simple word through a communication crystal from cities away could force Stella into this state, he could not imagine what it must be like for her and the people close to her. If there was anyone close to her, that is.

He had lived alone for over 5 years back on Earth, and he was fine with it. But after his experiences in the void, he knew the pain of being alone better than anyone else. At least Alanah was able to talk with others after they acclimated to her passive skill for a time. He was alone for… well, he was still unsure how long he spent in the void.

Stella continued mechanically working on the contract while Derek contemplated his life. Finally, she slid the papers and pen across her desk and placed the crystal on top, snapping Derek out of his daydream.

Derek picked up the crystal. ‘I’m here.’ He said.

‘Good. Stella should be fine in a few minutes. I hate doing that…’ Alanah trailed off. ‘Anyway, please review the contract and let me know if you need any changes. I had Stella stamp it with my approval stamp and confirmed it myself.’

‘Okay.’ Derek took the contract and reviewed it. Everything they had talked about was outlined, and there was not any fine print. The contract was exactly as they had discussed. At the bottom, instead of Stella’s signature, there was an odd symbol radiating magic. That had to be Alanah’s stamp of approval. ‘Everything is good. I’ll sign it now.’

Derek placed his hand on top of the stack of papers and channeled his mana into them. Soon, the contract message appeared before his eyes.

A contract with one ‘Alanah Swan’ via ‘Stella Brighton’ and entity ‘Crown Restaurant’ has been initiated. Would you like to proceed?

Y/N

Derek focused on ‘yes.’

Contract has been completed. Please abide by the terms to avoid any penalties.

‘Very good.’ Alanah’s voice sounded inside Derek’s head. Indicating that she had received the notification of the contract. Derek also noticed a flash of intelligence in Stella’s dead eyes when the contract completed.

‘Thank you for the favorable contract.’ Derek said. He was being genuine. As a person who could ‘summon’ Void Beasts, he felt like he was getting the better end of the deal. All he had to do was use a skill, then have a short fight. Alanah and the Crown were the ones who had to specially prepare the Void Beasts to obtain stats from them.

‘It was nothing, dear.’ Alanah answered in a happy tone. ‘Now, while we wait for Stella to snap out of the compulsion so she can register you as a Crown Restaurant Member, I have one last thing I would like to discuss with you.’

‘What is that?’ Derek asked.

‘Well, I was wondering. Since you seem to be able to summon Void Beasts, have you thought about making a long-term deal?’ Alanah’s amusement laced voice rang in Derek thoughts.

Derek’s blood ran cold, and all traces of emotion left his voice. ‘What?’

‘Don’t worry, I won’t tell anybody. But you really should be more careful. You bring a Void Beast for negotiation, then you leave the city to go on a mission in a remote location. Then, there is the giant purple beam that shot into the sky… it’s more noticeable than you would think. After that, you bring back two more Void Beasts for sale.

‘Plus, according to Stella, you have the most alluring purple eyes. Now, I’m pretty sure that I am the only one to put all this together. I am the only one that knows about the purple light too, well, me and my ‘eyes’ but they are deathsworn. Stella may have some suspicion, but that’s all. Before you ask, no, I am not going to blackmail you with any of this. I am not that type of person. I just like having information. It helps keep me… occupied.’ Alanah explained.

Derek calmed down after that explanation. ‘Do I have anyone else to worry about?’

‘No, dear. My ‘eyes’ confirmed that they were the only ones to keep track of your comings and goings. They also did not get close enough to ‘see’ the Void Beasts, just the light. I put two and two together. Walter may have some ideas, but he only knows about the one beast. Plus, he is a decent man, he would have a membership the moment he gives any contribution to the Crow, but he is more worried about his noble house.’ Alanah sent.

Derek released a deep sigh. ‘We can talk a little about it, but I don’t plan on using the skill too much. It’s very random, I never know what I’m going to get.’