"Sig, I extend my apology for coming to your teashop unannounced. I should have delivered you a letter before coming here." The Merchant Guild Master radiated sincerity when he stated his apology but Sigmund knew how sly that man could be.
Four carriages arrived at his shops while he was comfortably basking in the morning sun outside the al fresco area of the teashop.
Sigmund liked the feel of the warmth of the morning sun when he arrived on this continent of the immortal realm. Perhaps, his level as a God-rank made him more immune to the negative effects of sunlight. But he noted that the villagers here also reveled in the heat under the two suns without the ill effects.
The planet Tao Deu was part of a Tri-Star system. But in the lower immortal realm, only two suns, a giant blue sun and a smaller red sun, could be experienced by the inhabitants.
This morning, he watched the bigger blue sun, similar to the color of the sky, moving almost in alignment with the smaller sun in the sky. That signaled the time to be almost midday.
But before he could witness the celestial shift, he was surprisingly greeted by the arrival of several carriages.
The first carriage revealed the guild master of the Merchant's Guild, a man he became more familiar with. Together with him was his secretary whose attire reminded Sigmund of the modern designs of his previous world.
It was a white dress that went down below the knee, with shorter sleeves that hid the arms, and a red satin belt, which accentuated the garment. There was no other ornament worn except for the red ribbon near the neckline. As expected, Roxie fashioned her pair of clear eyeglasses.
Talking about fashion in Greston, the people here had varied choices. But then their garments, as usually expected in civilizations, reflected their positions in the social strata.
The adventurers had liberties in choosing designs for their garments. Sigmund even saw some that would only cover their private parts, either male or female. The materials of these attires were made of leather, probably from the beast's hide.
As for the linen and silk materials, he learned that the female dwarves crafted them. These dwarves even mass-produced simple clothes including trousers for the mortals of the village.
For distinguished personalities with positions in Greston, he witnessed business-like clothes that were similar to the planet Terra's such as robes and coats.
The arrival of surprise guests to his teashop did not fluster Sigmund.
These matters were within his range of expectation as he also looked forward to Langford Berry's response to his intention to acquire the parcels of land near his shops.
Other guests, however, were predicted beforehand as the matter of buying a large parcel of land in the village might be alarming to their authorities.
Hence, the presence of the Village Chief including a few Village Elders was not entirely surprising for Sigmund.
On the other hand, the Guild Master seemed to find a certain reaction from the merchant owner of the teashop. After finding none, which made him a little flustered, he went ahead with the introduction.
"Sigmund Chua, let me introduce to you the Village Chief, His Excellency Rafa Libera. Together with him is his Deputy, Her Excellency Sildora Zenia. His Honor, Markito Lora, his advisor, and lastly, the Venerable Elder Ricaford Berry, my grandfather and one of the Elders of the Village Council."
Langford Berry wore a proud smile after he introduced his grandfather, to whom the elder's response was a simple grunt though not abrasive to hear.
Sigmund noted the middle-aged lady in their group. She happened to be the Deputy Chief of the Village. His scan of the other's stats resulted in certain details, which were not really that astonishing. But if others in the village would see this, they might be greatly surprised.
[Sildora Zenia]
Age: 134
Soul Force Units: 13,000
Level: Rank 5 elemental mage
MP : 12,000
HP : 10,000
XP : 37,500
Strength : 2,500
Wisdom : 1,500
Agility : 1,500
Intelligence : 1,100
Dexterity : 150
Control : 150
Expertise: Elemental magic, proficient in the elements of water, earth, fire, and wind
Weapon of choice: Dragon-crested elemental sword
Tools equipped: Storage ring
Protective necklace
Gauntlet
Boots of speed
Abilities : Teleportation
Quick speed
Ice swords
Earth magic; petrification
Elemental (fire and water) balls and beams
Wind blades
Sigmund noted the strength and agility to be above the village chief's stats.
Her soul force units might be lower than the head of the village, but with her age, she could surpass him in no time.
As for the agenda of the meeting, Sigmund already knew it but then he decided to play the role of a hospitable host as he led them to the spacious private conference room inside the teashop.
When the guests settled around the rectangular conference table, their eyes would often wander at the treasures inside the room.
As Barry distributed the refreshments, Rafa Libera broke the ice.
"I have been hearing of your bottle of ale Mr. Chua from our adventurers. And they seem to like it."
While waiting for Sigmund to respond, the Venerable Elder Ricaford Berry, pitched into the conversation. "My grandson noticed it to have medicinal benefits after he noticed his vitality level rise after drinking three bottles of it. But it could also make one get drunk."
"I'm even more curious about this and also of your spirit tree." Rafa Libera's intimidating tone seemed to command the room as the village chief attempted to cover different topics including the Mystical Jacaranda, which managed to arouse his curiosity about this new merchant.
When Rafa Libera dealt with merchants, he always found most merchants to have an obeisant attitude. These merchants would nod their heads as Libera played the dominant role in negotiations and even during meetings. Some would get flustered while others tried to look calm but their faces and their bodies were already drenched in sweat.
However, when he looked at the merchant named Sigmund Chua, he did not detect a hint of submissiveness or obeisance to the authority. Rather, the person looked calm and unbothered. He even radiated an aura of enthusiasm rather than fear.
Sigmund's attitude, may not be totally unexpected as the Village Chief was briefed prior to their arrival but his domineering attitude still wanted to see the other person cower in the presence of authority.
The Village Chief's authority gave him the dominant position in his territory. Even though he could already play the king of Greston, his mage level did not permit him yet.
The Primeval Forest had these unwritten rules that categorized the rankings of territories according to the level of their rulers.
For mages in the ranking of 1 and 2, they could establish tribes in the primeval forest.
Level 3 mages could develop a high-ranked tribe when their territories' population did not reach a thousand people. But beyond that in population numbers, they could upgrade into third-class villages.
Second-class villages were ruled by level 4 mages.
In the case of Greston, its high-ranked village status was because of the village chief's mage level.
If he wanted to upgrade, considering the population of Greston extended to more than a million in numbers, he must reach level 6 to make his territory into a third-class town.
Seeing the spirit tree in the room, his surprise could lead to opportunity if he played his cards well.
"The spirit tree was found in the primeval forest during my adventures. I prefer its purple blossoms, which are attractive to the eyes." Sigmund nonchalantly responded as he took a sip of his spirit tea. He did not even look at the village Chief.
The deputy chief, however, commented, "To see this tree, which was guarded by a demon beast that only mage level 10 could handle in the primeval forest, is quite auspicious."
Her comment seemed to lead the others to think and believe that the presence before them was more powerful than them.
Sigmund's response left them in shock. "I had one of my sons to deal with that beast."
With a slight pause as he put down the cup, the merchant continued, "As a token of gratitude for granting me a permit to operate in this village as well as a residency in this village, I could have another planted within the village for public viewing. But I want that the site shall be on the land I intend to acquire. I think Mr. Berry was fully aware of it. All we have to do is to finalize it."
