The two days passed without incident.
Kirias spent most of his time in his room. He read through several old tomes he had brought from home. These were unfinished works that now served as one of his only tethers to his old life. He only descended the stairs when hunger forced him to, always draped in the charcoal robes of "Caldris."
As he moved through the inn and practiced his interactions with the staff, Kirias realized a critical advantage he hadn't fully considered In this world, elves were viewed as an ancient, haughty, and reclusive race. To the locals, his attempts at speech probably sounded like a high-born elf who viewed the rest of the world as a secondary concern.
The in his routine change didn't go unnoticed. The innkeeper eventually pulled him aside, glancing toward the stairs with a mix of curiosity and concern. He mentioned that "Flyn" hadn't been seen since the news of the Saintess broke. Kirias didn't hesitate. He calmly explained that the Nix was battling a sudden, heavy fever and that he, Caldris, was acting as the lad's caretaker.
It was a simple lie, but it bought him the privacy he needed. By the end of the second night, the persistent ache in his veins had faded. His mana pathways had finally recovered, flowing with a cool, steady rhythm. He was almost at full capacity.
Now that manipulating mana no longer caused him pain, Kirias decided it was time to check his inventory. He reached into his subspace and began to examine his items one by one.
He pulled out the hexagonal coin first. He closed his eyes and let a small thread of mana flow into the metal, trying to bridge the gap between his own knowledge and this world's strange magic-craft. It took some time to decode the logic behind it, but he eventually understood its function.
The coin wasn't just a piece of metal; it was a verification tool. It emitted a unique signal that proved it was authentic. Without this signal, the coin was just metal, but with it, it acted as a key that could let him get to certain areas with no issue.
He looked through the rest of the items, gaining insight into many different styles of creation. It highlighted a major difference between his home and this world. Back home, the methodology for creating artifacts was mainly standardized and uniform. Everything followed an efficient blueprint.
Here, it was different. Each artifact felt unique, as if many different artisans had worked on it, each leaving their own mark on the craft. This lack of standardization made the items harder to analyze, but it also gave them a complexity that his own technology sometimes lacked.
Most of the items were useless to him. He found a bag designed to make its contents feel weightless and several magical weapons that were disguised to look like typical, everyday objects. One was a small, enchanted blade, and another was a heavy ring that could discharge a focused burst of mana. He pushed them aside. He didn't need them.
There was only one stolen item worth keeping: a pair of glasses that functioned like a telescope. They significantly increased his range of vision, which would be perfect for scouting from a distance. The only reason he had a use for them was because he had never delved deep into body enhancement magic beyond the mandatory classes. He tucked the glasses into his robes and returned the rest of the junk to his subspace.
During those two days of recovery, he had finalized his plan for the remaining four. He didn't want to live as a thief forever. Instead, he would steadily grow his influence through commerce. By introducing small pieces of his home world's advanced technology, he could build a reputation and a legitimate business front. This would provide him with a stable life and a level of protection that simple thievery never could.
Before he made a move, he pulled out the merchant's ledger. He quickly cross-referenced the guild's location and confirmed his theory about the hexagonal coin's purpose. Once he had the coordinates, he wove a veil of invisibility around himself.
He moved through the streets, careful to avoid the touch of the crowd while his magic masked him from their sight. He soon reached his destination. The guild building was massive and ornate, a structure that clearly belonged in the upper district. It was a physical display of wealth and power, the perfect place to start building his own influence.
He slipped through the front doors, following closely behind a lizardwoman as she entered. Inside, he stood back and observed how the guild operated. He watched the woman approach the front desk and present a hexagonal coin to the receptionist.
The receptionist took the coin and placed it onto a small, glowing pedestal. A faint light washed over the metal. Once the device chimed in approval, the receptionist handed the coin back and signaled for a guard to lead the woman deeper into the building.
He slipped out of the building and ducked into a nearby alley. Once he was sure he was alone, he dropped the veil of invisibility. He adjusted his robes, smoothed out his expression, and stepped back onto the main street as Caldris.
He walked through the front doors with a confident, measured stride. He didn't wait to be addressed. Instead, he approached the receptionist and placed his hexagonal coin on the counter.
"I am Caldris," he said, his voice calm and authoritative. "I've recently been recommended to the guild. I have an interesting business idea that I believe will interest your directors."
"A recommendation? I see," she said, placing the coin on the scanning pedestal. The device chimed with a soft, green glow. "We usually require an appointment for new proposals, Master Caldris. However, if your ideas are as... unique as your heritage, I can see if someone is available to hear you out."
Kirias reached into his robes and pulled out a small, perfectly clear vial. It was devoid of the bubbles, ripples, and green tints common to the local glasswork.
"The methods used in this city are inefficient," he said, placing the vial on the counter so the light caught its clarity. "I have developed a refining process that removes impurities from the sand and stabilizes the furnace temperature. I can produce glass that is superior, and cheaper to manufacture than anything currently in your warehouses."
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a businesslike tone. "With the Saintess arriving in six days, the demand for high-quality vials, window panes, and decorative pieces will skyrocket. I am looking for a partner with the infrastructure to scale this method. I believe the Iron Scale Guild is the only one capable of handling such a transition."
The receptionist was no longer looking at him with mild curiosity. She picked up the vial, rotating it between her fingers.
"One moment, Master Caldris," she said, her tone much more professional. "I believe the Master of Trade would want to see this personally. Please, follow me."
Kirias was led through the guild's inner halls. He passes several offices before being ushered into a room filled with blueprints and samples of raw materials. A middle-aged man with sharp eyes and ink-stained fingers looks up from a desk.
The receptionist leaned over and whispered into the Trade Master's ear, handing him the clear vial. The man's eyes widened as he held it up to the light, inspecting the lack of flaws. He looked at Kirias—or rather, at "Caldris"—with newfound respect.
The negotiation was sharp and efficient. Kirias didn't ask for gold up front. He demanded a permanent residence in the upper district and a significant percentage of all future sales involving his method.
The Trade Master tried to haggle, offering a lower commission and a temporary guest house instead, but Kirias remained unmoved. He knew the value of this technology, especially with the Saintess's arrival looming. After a tense back-and-forth, they reached an agreement. A formal contract was drafted and signed.
The agreement was finalized on a magical scroll. In this world, such contracts were bound by an oath. If either party violated the terms, they would incur the specific magical penalties written into the text. These consequences could only stop if the other party chose to offer forgiveness.
Kirias signed the scroll without hesitation, promising to deliver the refined method the following day as dictated by the contract. With the deal sealed, he turned and left the guild hall, his mind already shifting gears.
He walked back toward the 'Blue Scale' with quiet satisfaction. This would be his final night in the lower district. By tomorrow, everything would change, but for now, the adrenaline of the negotiation was finally beginning to fade, replaced by a deep, heavy fatigue.
When he reached the inn, he didn't linger in the common room to scout for information. He simply secured a meal and retreated to his room. He ate in silence, the steam from the food the only movement in the dim light.
Once finished, he used a quick pulse of mana to magic away the dirt and grime from his body, feeling instantly refreshed. He then lay down and let sleep take him, knowing he needed his mind perfectly sharp for the technical demonstration and the move that awaited him at sunrise.