Chương 1658: [1560] – Y07.060 – Shadows Over Arisa V

Lady Duru poured the tea for the older woman, whose skin was a a beautiful dark red, her eyes closer to ruby red, and the red upon her steel if she were to draw her blade would be sanguine. Lady Duru, bronze skinned and bright eyes, barely wrinkled and adorned in a sea of wine, was now the half retired Grand Lady of the Crimson Cloth. She was not one most people could meet, but the woman opposite her was, apparently, not just most people.

"I followed your tale as you travelled through Aswadasad," Lady Duru dared to lie.

"You burned brightly, before disappearing."

"My tale was thus," Gangak replied, simply.

"How is it that you have come into the company of those of Black Mountain?" Lady Duru asked, for it was a surprise to see the woman who had dashed away the hope of Black Mountain now travelling with them, and not just any figures of Black Mountain, but the Sword of the Lady, which, in a great many ways, was a greater hope for Black Mountain.

"My great grandchildren call them their ahms and ailas."

"What fortune for the children!" Lady Duru replied, beaming brightly, raising her cup of tea.

'Does she consider the bavwa her-,'"It is the fortune of Black Mountain," Gangak replied, sipping the tea lightly, not needing the tea to cool, while Lady Duru blinked awkwardly. It was she, Flame Brand, who had dared to cut down such a figure, who could be so arrogant to the Alladi of Crimson Cloth. While Flame Brand troubled the Grand Lady of Crimson Cloth, her grandson troubled her granddaughter.

"Whatever they touch, I will buy," the half elf said, holding his twins upon his chest, standing tall and proud.

"Kekeke!" Jirot cackled, leaning over from her father's chest.

"The more you touch, the more daddy will need to work." The girl snapped back, grabbing his collar, her eyes wide, the sheen of betrayal within her eyes. Adam smirked.

"Daddy…" Jirot nestled herself against her father's neck.

"If you buy moderately, I will only work moderately," the half elf joked.

"Daddy…"

"Fine, fine, I'll use some of my savings, since you insist," the half elf said, peeking down at his daughter, who continued to pout.

"I have so much money too, daddy!" the girl declared, suddenly filled with vigour, for when it came to spending money, she was her father's daughter.

"I can buy it."

"Daddy will buy all the cloth, you don't have to worry, not one bit." Jirot narrowed her eyes, the girl holding upon his collar tightly.

"When it comes to spoiling you, am I cheap?"

"A little bit?" Jirot side eyed her father.

"You! Have I shown you too much mercy?" A gentle smirk slipped across the girl's lips, and she cackled with delight, giggling against her father's neck.

'Is he truly that wealthy?' the woman thought, though considering he mentioned work, was he merely only rich?

"Now that I think about it, don't the Setting Sun Merchants make their home here, in Arisa?" the half elf mused, suddenly feeling his pouch was far too heavy for him.

"I wonder, does the vault of Crimson Cloth dwarf that of the Setting Sun?" This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"They may earn their pretty silvers from their domain," the Young Lady began, standing slightly taller, exuding the behaviour of her station, "but the House of the Crimson Cloth deals in cloth and gold."

"I see, I see." The half elf smiled, considering how cute this little house was, for certainly there was much gold to be earned in cloth, but did they have nobles lining up at their doors to drop chests of gold for magical weapon?

'I've been showing too much mercy to the nobles, haven't I? I should rinse them properly.'

'How does he know the…' Sarah blinked. How had she not realised, for the rumours had spread like wildfire within the merchant circles, of a foolish half elf, of the Iyrmen, of the Black Lions. Her eyes snapped to the Sword of the Lady, then to the Iyrmen, then to the Black Lions, each of whom would have given her pause, but together…

"Daddy, I want to look like mummy," the girl said, pointing to a design that reminded her of her mother's modesti, her eyes glued to the form of the cloth that hid the body from the world.

"Oh? You want something like this? Of course, my dear, of course."

"Of coas."

"I want to look as pretty as mummy too," Jarot whispered up towards his father, peeking up through shy eyes. Adam blinked.

"If you want to be as pretty as mummy, you can wear this too!" The trio's tails swayed. Adam blinked.

'I probably shouldn't, but…' The half elf couldn't help but imagine them all dressed up so adorably.

'No, shouldn't I stop them, since no one can handle such cuteness?'

'He must be wealthy if he is this eccentric,' Sarah thought.

"Make sure you buy a set too!" The half elf half exclaimed to the others nearby, his eyes scanning from his grandfather and grandmother, then to the Black Lions, who blinked at him. Pam glanced aside to her husband, who was eyeing up various clothing, but none was for himself, or rather, it was for him under the night sky. Pam would have flushed, but walking around in such a place, was it right? No, wasn't it against the hierarchy? Wasn't she just a common woman?

'How scary,' Pam thought Jurot raised a hand, pointing from one end of the wall, to the other end.

"I wish to buy all of these." Pam reached up towards her husband's arm, feeling him flex his forearm against her touch, causing her to pause, the woman filling with stress, but her husband's tension stated he would never surrender. Jurot's Iyrmanly senses suggested he could not surrender, not at this time, though he was uncertain why. However, since his senses were screaming at him to empty his pouch, he would do so.

"It is too much," Mulrot said, though not to her first grandchild, but to her joint eldest.

"How much is each set of clothing?" Adam asked.

"Five-," Sarah began, while Pam blinked, for she was certain the woman meant gold, and thus she clutched at her husband's forearm tighter, "to fifty gold is most typical."

'Fifty?' Pam gripped her husband's forearm even tighter, the woman closing her eyes, realising that it was almost two season's worth of wages, and each set of clothing cost that much?

"What? Grandmother, do you think I'm so poor that I can't…" Adam paused a moment, glancing between everyone there.

"There's what, thirty people here? That's only one thousand and five hundred gold, isn't it?"

"Yes," Jirot said, side eyeing her father, who would joke he was terrible with numbers, and yet completed such arithmetic almost as swiftly as her. Almost.

"I can buy at least a set for everyone here," Adam said, including even the two newcomers from the Wir and Var families, who he was no stranger to.

"I want to buy at least a few scarves, some turbans, and… I want to buy at least a hundred bundles of cloth too."

'A hundred,' the woman thought, for the half elf was spending quite some coin.

"Each is between five and fifty gold also, Mo…"

"What?" the half elf gasped, not realising the mercy the woman was showing.

"I'll buy two hundred!"

"Is there a need to buy so much?" Mulrot asked, reaching over towards her greatdaughter, wondering if she should invoke her hidden card that was her adorable greatdaughter?

"Shouldn't I spoil everyone properly? I want two hundred bundles of cloth to be sent to the Iyr, and I want to buy two hundred scarves, two hundred turbans, and I want, hmmm…"

"Is there a need to spend so much in Arisa? You should save some money to spend within Jabal Adh Dahab?" Mulrot informed, peeking down towards her greatdaughter, who squirmed under her greatmother's touch, but did not shirk away from it. Perhaps it was time to calm the half elf down?

"Grandmother, do you think this grandson of yours only has one or two thousand gold?" Adam huffed.

"I am grandfather's grandson too, you know? When I defeated all their warriors, the nobles paid out the bets, and this grandson of yours, he became rather wealthy because of it!"

'He did what?' Sarah thought.

"This grandson of mine is so rich, so he will buy me a spear?"

"Of course, grandmother!"

"Of coas!" Jirot replied emphatically, for although she was her greatmother's hidden card, she was also her father's hidden card.

"I will buy you a hundred!"

"One is fine!"

"If it's only one, I'll make sure to have it enchanted with something greater than even grandfather's axe, then."

"I-," Mulrot began, though quickly smiled.

"My grandson spoils me so well." The half elf flushed, for technically he hadn't really spoiled her yet.

'I should have gifted her Ashuk's spear, instead…' The Young Alladi of the Crimson Cloth blinked.