Chương 24: Chapter 23 - Pay Raise

The clerk motioned to a few clothing racks near the checkout desk.

"Beyond the weapons, storage rings, and light orbs, we partner with the finest tailor in Easton to provide a variety of enchanted clothing." He led the way over to the rack. There were a few shirts, cloaks, and robes on it.

"Many of these have cleanliness enchantments, keeping them free of dirt and grime, and they also offer enhanced shielding. We of course can custom-make any items you desire in that area as well, milady." Moving behind the counter, he pulled out some amulets and bracelets that each had visible runes inscribed on them.

"Many of these offer similar shielding to the clothing, but are far more durable and affordable. Clothing is very hard to properly inscribe runes on, after all, as they must be hand stitched." He picked up one specific amulet, a beautiful silver chain and silver casing, with a light bluish-green stone set into it. He admired it for a moment before speaking.

"This one has a single use illusion enchantment built into it. Transform yourself into an enchanted beauty for a night." He paused and eyed Kiara.

"Not that you would need that, of course, your ladyship is already breathtaking, but should you wish to be someone else for a night, the option is available." Ah, so he was a smooth talker, this one. Kiara nodded along politely as she listened.

"We also offer custom enchanting on any common items that you wish to increase the general durability of. Carriage wheels, for instance."

"You offer a lot of durability enchantments," Kiara mentioned.

"Any particular reason for that?"

"Very astute," the clerk replied with a knowing smile.

"Enchantments require the artificer to have a knowledge of the magic being imbued into the item. The deeper the understanding, the better the enchantments. Our primary artificer in Portish has a special knack for the concepts of durability and sharpness, so our items do tend to lean in that general direction.

"The other items are ones that we've picked up from travelling merchant caravans that pass through Portish now and then. If you wish to see a wider variety of item enchantments, your ladyship can of course visit other shops, but I would personally recommend an auction house."

"Auction house?" Kiara asked with raised eyebrows. The clerk nodded.

"As the regional capital, Portish has a modest auction house that generally has showings once per month. The capital of course has larger auction houses, and higher end items, but I have been to a few of the auctions in Portish, and they did not disappoint." Kiara made a mental note to have Dustin look into that. She had money burning a hole in her pocket, and she was very interested in attending an auction, even if it was just for the experience.

She looked through the storage rings available at the shop and found a nice gold ring with a small sapphire gem set in the center. It had a 2 foot diameter storage space, and would last a year in between recharges. The cost was a whopping 300 gold. Her gut told her that it might be overpriced, but she didn't mind too much. It would be nice to have a larger storage ring. She did end up deciding that her current silver band was sufficient for now, and didn't order the second custom one.

With the weapons, and the light orbs, she ended up spending close to 400 gold. The clerk was ecstatic with the sale, but didn't seem fazed when she handed him the 4 ruby coins. While the clerk counted out her change, she looked around the store and realized that the value of the items in this store would be more than the estate she had just purchased.

"How do you keep your wares safe?" she asked out of curiosity. The clerk glanced at her in surprise, then seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"Not many people ask about that, but I guess it's not really a secret. Security enchantments on the door prevent any unpurchased items from leaving the store. Any kind of violence or spell casting triggers lock down enchantments, and the thieves would be trapped here until help arrives. The city guard patrols the area regularly, so the thieves would be caught pretty easily." Kiara thanked the man, and left the store with Ned.

Once she was back in the carriage, she put the enchanted sword into her soul storage, where it was out of sight but she could retrieve it easily if needed. She moved a few coins into her new storage ring along with the light orbs, then strapped her new dagger around her waist. It looked nice! Next, they visited Handel's Sword Academy, where Kiara enrolled in the beginner's course starting the following week. Handel was apparently a renowned duelist, and Kiara was excited to learn from him.

By the time they got back to the estate, the sun had set, and the line of job seekers was gone. Two guards greeted them at the front door, bowing their heads respectfully as they opened the door for her. Kiara found Dustin in the same room as before, pouring over paperwork by candlelight. She pulled a few of the light orbs from her storage ring and placed them around his table, brightening up the space. Dustin blinked his eyes against the sudden light, then straightened up, popping his back.

"Oh wow, thanks!" He exclaimed.

"Those help a lot." Kiara nodded once.

"You bet. How'd the interviews go?"

"Great! We have a full estate staff starting tomorrow morning. Plenty of those folks have been out of work for some time, and were grateful to even be considered. I'm considering bringing some of these mercenary guards on full time as well, if that's okay?" This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Kiara shrugged.

"Whatever you think is best. Can we trust them?" Dustin chucked softly.

"Not really, no. It isn't uncommon for wealthy houses to plant spies in other houses. Cooks, guards, maids, gardeners, butlers, you name it. Most of our hired staff will be loyal, but it's hard to know which ones aren't. We'll have to be careful what we say when others are around." Kiara thought for a moment.

"Will we be paying them well? The guards and the estate staff?" Dustin nodded.

"Standard rates for each position." Thinking about Lord Grivalt and some of the other nobles she had met so far, she said, "Let's increase the pay somewhat. Enough to help promote loyalty to our house for anyone that's on the fence. I want to make sure that everyone is paid fairly, and provide a pleasant work place for them. I want House Yountal to attract the best talent." Dustin studied the paperwork in front of him.

"The rates were already agreed upon, but I expect that none of them will complain if we bump their pay a bit." He glanced up at her.

"We'll burn through your reserves faster than expected this way. Are you certain?" Kiara nodded and smiled.

"We'll be fine, trust me. Plus, I'm sure our businesses will be profitable before long, right?" Dustin smiled back as a glint shone in his eye.

"That they will." She glanced around, ensuring they were the only ones present in the room, then lowered her voice.

"With the estate business out of the way, what's next? When can I see my family?" She really wanted to just go see them, but was trying to remember the wisdom behind Dustin's plan. Showing up uninvited might only cause problems, and waiting a few days to receive an official invite from Lord Grivalt would help smooth things along. She just hoped they weren't suffering in the meantime. She knew from her own experience how unpleasant Lord Grivalt could be.

Not to mention, her family was there because of her, so they might have inherited some of his left-over wrath. She shuddered at the thought. Dustin pondered for a moment, his eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"If we write to him out of the blue, it might raise suspicion. We should develop a business interest in his affairs first. I'll put out my feelers tomorrow and start making connections here in the city. Depending on how fast you want to move, we can get some businesses going in the next few days, and start making our presence known." Kiara nodded enthusiastically.

"The faster, the better. I want my family out of there as soon as possible." Dustin nodded.

"If we push too hard too fast, we'll develop powerful enemies. There are established power hierarchies already functioning in Easton, and they won't want us meddling in their prospects. We'll want to make a big enough wave that people know we aren't to be messed with lightly, but not too big, or else the big players will push back harder than we can handle right now." Kiara raised an eyebrow.

"And how do we know how big of a wave to make?"

"Connections, milady, connections. I'll ask around, find out what I can. Within a week, we'll have formal invites to dine with a dozen wealthy families or more. As a lesser noble, Lord Grivalt will be honored to make our acquaintance, especially if we show interest in his immediate business dealings. Once we visit his estate, direct correspondence would be socially acceptable, and raising the matter of purchasing some servants would feel less suspicious." A week? Was that too long?

Kiara's mind wandered to her [Invisibility] skill. Could she visit Lord Grivalt's estate without anyone knowing she was there? She realized that her own magical sense could detect people even if she couldn't see them. Would Lord Grivalt have something similar? Maybe she would need to spend her last reward point on the [Invisibility 2] upgrade. She nodded to Dustin, then excused herself for the night. She needed to sleep on things and make a decision with a clear head.

The next morning, she awoke refreshed and full of energy. True to Dustin's word, the estate was bustling with staff, and a maid greeted her as she stepped out of her bedroom. A full breakfast was waiting for her in the dining room, where Dustin was nearly finished eating.

"I'll get the ball rolling on a few things today, Lady Shian," Dustin said without preamble as she walked in.

"What will your day consist of?" Kiara glanced around warily at the staff waiting nearby, and wondered how many of them could be trusted. Dustin was keeping up the image of being a loyal house retainer, but he had been doing that ever since she'd 'hired' him. She had to remind herself to keep up that pretence as well.

"I might take a carriage ride into the country today, see the beautiful nature scenes around Easton." She didn't outright say where she was going, but she wanted to go back to her village. Dustin narrowed his eyes slightly and pursed his lips, clearly catching on to where she intended to go.

"I'd suggest you take a few guards with you then, Lady Shian. Bandits aren't as common out here as they are on the main roads that connect the larger cities, but it isn't unheard of, either." She nodded thoughtfully. It was a good idea, really. Her village was only maybe ten miles outside of Easton, but driving around in a fancy carriage would paint some kind of target on her back that she'd never had to worry about before.

She had walked the distance plenty of times in the past, and it usually took her three hours or so. She idly wondered how fast she could jog there with her increased [Strength] stat. Ditching the carriage and the guards in order to go see Lord Grivalt's estate might prove difficult, and going on foot would solve that problem. She put on a frightened look at the mention of bandits, solely for the staff to see.

"Oh my, bandits… On second thought, could we have some art supplies brought to my room? I might stay here for the day instead." Dustin snorted, but caught himself before he laughed out loud. It took a moment for him to regain his composure, during which time he covered his mouth with his hand. He motioned to one of the servants standing nearby, and they quickly approached the table. He handed the servant a few bronze coins.

"We haven't had our house crest made yet, and none of the shops will have a credit line open for us yet, so use this to buy some sketching and painting supplies for Lady Yountal." The servant bowed respectfully and hurriedly left to fetch the art supplies.

"If you'll be staying in today, might I take the carriage?" Dustin asked. Kiara nodded in response.

"Wonderful! I'll make sure to purchase a couple more carriages while I'm in town, and have them sent back to the estate in case you end up needing one. It's always good to have extras for an estate this size." With that, he stood and bowed to her, then headed for the door. Kiara dug into her plate of food with gusto. It was delicious. After she was done, she decided to go thank the chef.