Chương 32: Chapter 28 - The Broker's Price

Morning arrived quietly. Outside the inn, the streets were already beginning to stir: merchants dragging out their stalls, beasts moving in unhurried streams through the road, distant voices slowly replacing the hush of the night before. Inside, Luan and Torou were getting ready to leave.

Their purpose in the city was simple enough to fit in three lines: find someone who could provide corpses, find someone willing to buy spiritual fruit, and do both without ever letting anyone trace either back to the one actually supplying them. Once they were ready, the two descended the stairs. They'd barely reached the lower floor when one of the inn's attendants, a beast woman with a polite, practiced smile, greeted them.

"Good morning, sirs. Would you like breakfast for two?" Luan nodded.

"Yes. And while we're at it, could I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you know where the closest information broker is?" Her smile widened slightly.

"You're in luck. There's actually one that is not far from here. Practically just around the corner. Walk down the main street and turn left at the second intersection. The building should be easy enough to recognize." Luan thanked her, glad it hadn't taken more effort than that. After breakfast, they left the inn and followed her directions. The city was already far livelier than it had been the previous evening.

Beasts of every shape and size filled the streets, some dressed in elaborate finery, others in plain, practical clothes. Merchants shouted over one another about their wares, customers haggled without shame, and cultivators strode past in loose groups, weapons strapped openly across their backs as though that were the most ordinary thing in the world. Luan kept his eyes forward, focused on the walk ahead. Torou, beside him, kept glancing around instead.

He still hadn't gotten used to the city; there were simply many powerful beings crowded into one place. Even the ordinary-looking beasts drifting past carried auras that, back in the tribes, would have marked them as something worth being cautious of. They found the information broker's building after a while of walking. It wasn't much to look at: no extravagant sign, no elaborate entrance, nothing that set it apart from any other modest office along the street. Luan stepped up to the door and knocked twice. Knock.

Knock. A few moments later, it opened. A man with slicked-back hair looked the two of them over, said nothing, and stepped aside to let them in. The interior matched the outside: a few shelves, some plain tables, stacks of documents scattered with the particular disorder of a business that ran on paper rather than appearances. A man behind a desk looked up as they entered.

"What information do you wish to know?" Luan stepped forward.

"We would like information about merchants or suppliers who deal in corpses. Their locations and contact information, if possible." He paused.

"We would also like to know if there are any merchants interested in purchasing spiritual fruit." The man didn't answer right away. He leaned back slightly in his chair instead.

"Before I give you an answer, let me ask you a few questions."

"Sure."

"Are you looking to sell in bulk, or are you looking for a partnership?" Luan hesitated. Before he could answer on his own, Dendron's voice slipped into his mind.

"Tell him a partnership." Luan nodded faintly.

"We're looking for a partnership." The broker raised an eyebrow, then chuckled.

"I've heard about the latest news surrounding the Black Ape Tribe and the Orc Tribe." His gaze drifted briefly to Torou.

"Seems the two tribes are interested in some kind of partnership of their own." He leaned forward.

"I doubt the Black Ape Tribe lacks a pill maker. Not that I particularly care about your tribe's plans." Torou shook his head quickly.

"Ah, no. I'm only accompanying him. We already have our own pill makers. The elders simply want to use this opportunity to strengthen the tribe." The broker studied them a moment longer, then let it go. He was an information broker, not an oracle. Even the best network in the city couldn't account for everything happening in it. He waved a hand, and a subordinate stepped forward, took something from him, and returned a moment later with two sheets of paper, which the broker set down on the table between them.

"These are the two merchants I believe are most suitable for what you're looking for." Luan glanced at the papers. Only two? He couldn't quite hide his disappointment—until he actually started reading, and the feeling disappeared entirely. The first profile belonged to a middle-aged human man in eyeglasses. Vince Valentier, owner of the Valentier Trading Company—a business dealing in weapons, armor, pills, and other goods, with its own hunting parties and a standing interest in buying monster corpses.

The second belonged to a goblin wearing a monocle over one eye. Garwey, owner of Garwey Trading—the same categories of goods, the same hunting parties, the same appetite for corpses. Luan looked between the two sheets. The overlap wasn't subtle. Both were major trading companies. Both ran their own hunters. Both bought corpses, and both dealt in valuable goods. They were, in every way that mattered, direct competitors.

The moment he noticed that, he understood exactly why the broker had chosen these two and no others. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The broker caught him finishing and smiled.

"What do you think? Not bad, right?"

"Yeah." Luan nodded.

"Thank you. How much would all of this cost?"

"Thirty sen." Luan froze.

"Eh..." Thirty sen was not a small amount. For a moment he felt the sting of it before it even left his hand. But turning it over, the price made sense: the man hadn't handed them two names off the top of his head. He'd handed them two full profiles: businesses, hunting parties, buying habits, all of it. More than that, he'd handed Luan a wedge to work with. Two rival companies chasing the same thing could be leverage all on its own.

"Fair enough," Luan said, and reached into his bag. He counted out the largest coins one by one, each feeling a little heavier than the last, until the final piece landed on the table and he felt, for a moment, as though he'd gone from wealthy to nearly broke in the space of thirty coins. Fortunately, the batch of spiritual fruit Dendron had given him had sold for forty-five sen. Otherwise he might have hesitated a good deal longer before parting with any of it. The broker swept the coins toward himself.

"Pleasure doing business." Luan watched the coins disappear into the table and he felt a strange ache in his chest. Not from the loss of the money—that was expected. It was the uncertainty that bothered him. In the tribe, every coin spent had a known outcome. Food. Shelter. Tools. You knew what you were getting. This was different. He was paying for words. Words that could be wrong. Words that could be useless. He pushed the thought aside. It was too late to second-guess now.

Luan and Torou bowed and thanked him, then let themselves out. Once they were back on the street, Torou finally spoke.

"So, who are we approaching?"

"The human. Vince Valentier."

"May I ask why?" Luan shook his head.

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"I only know Mr. Unknown wants us to approach him. He didn't tell me the reason." Torou stared at him for a moment.

"Oh." Then his eyes narrowed slightly.

"You're speaking with him right now, aren't you?" Luan's expression stiffened.

"Ah..." He scratched the back of his head.

"Well—yes. Actually." Torou gave him a knowing look.

"He seems to like you more. I haven't heard a single word from him in a while." Luan laughed awkwardly and looked away.

"Haha... maybe. I don't know." They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence, and after roughly an hour arrived at their destination: a large building with a sign above the entrance reading Valentier Trading Company. Luan looked up at it.

"So this is it." Torou nodded.

"Let's go." Inside, a cheerful beast woman greeted them from behind the front counter.

"Hello, sirs. Good day. May I ask what you're looking for specifically? We can assist you during your stay here."

"Oh, that makes things easier then," Luan said, smiling.

"Could you call the manager of this shop?" The words alone were enough to draw the attention of several nearby guards, their expressions shifting to something more watchful. Luan noticed, and felt a flicker of nerves he didn't let show. He simply shrugged, still smiling.

"I'm only looking for him because we have an offer for the owner of this trading company—Mr. Vince Valentier specifically. Of course, we need to go through his people before we can reach him." One of the guards narrowed his eyes. Even without trying, Torou could tell the man was strong. Very strong. His hand drifted closer to his blade almost on its own. They're strong. Compared to the beasts he'd grown up around, even the guards here felt like they belonged to a different category entirely.

Luan kept smiling through it. The beast woman seemed to catch on quickly enough that this wasn't an ordinary customer.

"Ah, yes. I'll call the manager." She turned to one of the workers nearby.

"Please let him know we have guests requesting a business discussion." Luan bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you." After a short wait, footsteps came from the upper floor, and a beast that resembled a panther descended the stairs. He looked the two visitors over before speaking.

"What would you like? Tea or coffee?" Luan blinked, caught slightly off guard.

"Then—I'll have tea." The manager turned to Torou.

"And you?"

"Tea as well."

"Three cups of tea," the manager said to an assistant, then took a seat across from them. The three exchanged brief introductions, explained where they'd come from, and waited for the tea to arrive. Once it did, the manager took a small sip before setting the cup down and looking at Luan.

"Now. What was the offer you mentioned earlier?" He added, almost as an afterthought, "Don't worry—whatever you tell me will be relayed to the owner, if I believe it could benefit the company." Luan straightened.

"The offer we want to make is a partnership." The manager's smile sharpened with interest.

"Oho. A partnership? Can you elaborate?"

"My superior wants to establish a trading partnership with Valentier Trading Company."

"What kind of trading are we talking about specifically?"

"Corpses for spiritual fruit." The manager's smile faded a shade.

"That sounds like a loss for us."

"Oh, no—you misunderstand." Luan shook his head.

"We would provide you with spiritual fruit in exchange for corpses. We'd also sell you batches of spiritual fruit outright, so your company could act as a supplier in its own right." He raised a finger.

"The fruit itself, to be clear. Not pills." Silence settled over the table. The manager said nothing for several seconds, turning the offer over. It was simply too generous, and that generosity was exactly what made it suspicious. Why corpses, of all things? Why trade something as valuable as spiritual fruit for something as ordinary as monster remains?

"You want corpses specifically?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"And you're willing to provide spiritual fruit in return?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry if I ask too much but may I ask why?" Luan smiled.

"That's something my superior hasn't asked me to explain." The manager's expression sobered, but Luan continued before he could press further.

"It isn't a bad deal for your company. In fact, it could be very beneficial, especially compared to offering the same opportunity to your rivals." He let that last part hang in the air without naming names. He didn't need to. The manager understood exactly what he meant: if Valentier Trading Company turned this down, there were other companies more than willing to take their place, and if the fruit really was as valuable as claimed, refusing it might just hand their competitors an edge they'd regret conceding.

The manager couldn't argue with that outright, so his curiosity shifted instead. Who was this superior? And what could he possibly want with corpses? He leaned back.

"Then I'll contact my superior." A pause.

"As for how long a response will take, probably a few hours. You wouldn't mind waiting, would you?"

"We don't mind," Luan said.

"We'll be staying in the city for several days regardless."

"Good." The manager nodded.

"Then how should I reach you when I have an answer?" Luan thought for a moment.

"You can find us at the closest inn." He gestured vaguely behind him.

"Right outside—you can see it as soon as you step out. I... forgot the name." The manager stared at him. Torou looked away, saying nothing. The manager sighed.

"You mean the Himalayas Inn?"

"Yes. That one."

"Alright. I'll send someone if I receive a response." He stood.

"I won't take up any more of your time." Luan and Torou rose as well.

"Thank you for the tea," Luan said, bowing slightly.

"We'll be expecting a positive response." They made their way back to the entrance, where the beast woman at the front desk saw them off with a cheerful "Thank you for coming!" Luan returned the thanks, and the doors closed behind them. For a moment, neither of them spoke. They'd taken the first step—they'd found a merchant, planted the offer, and set the trap of rivalry in motion. Now there was nothing left to do but wait and see whether Valentier Trading Company would bite.

And somewhere far away, connected to Luan through the thread that bound them together, Dendron was already waiting for the answer.