Chapter 31 - Business

In the backroom of the General Store, a group of people could be seen sitting around a wooden table. A big pot of tea could be seen in the middle of the table as well as a cup of it silently steaming in front of everyone.

The room itself was simple, yet perfect for such occasions. The main furniture was the big wooden table in the middle of the room, surrounded by chairs all over. A small cupboard was placed at the northern end just under the window that provided a view of the beautiful back garden that accompanied the house. A few pictures were hanging on the wall, but nothing too personal, as this room was used for business meetings and friendly gatherings in the past.

This was the Norton's General Store's back room.

At one side of the table were Granny, Lily, and of course, Aiden, while on the other side, an Elderly Lady was sitting, with slightly puffy cheeks, and rounded glasses. She was holding her small cup of still steaming tea and was resting her eyes on Lily's beaming smile. She met her a few times in the past, but she never saw her this happy before. It wasn't hard to guess what caused the change in her behavior, as the little missy was giving the occasional glances to her right, where an expressionless, slightly darker-colored skinned boy, with semi-long black hair, was sitting. His whole presence was incredibly unique not to mention those golden irises that could gaze into your very soul, making you lose yourself in its penetrating gaze.

As she was silently measuring the boy, he also looked at the elderly lady with its expressionless face as a question slowly left his lips.

"Why… are you staring?"

This startled the lady and pulled her out of her thoughts. Equipping a gentle smile, she looked at the boy.

"Sorry. Don't take it as an offense, I did not mean to be rude." Then looking at Granny, she continued. "Granny, we are always happy to have you guys visiting us. While my husband attends the store, please tell me how I can assist?"

Returning the gentle smile, the same expression could be seen on Granny's face. "You are too polite Mrs. Norton-"

"Please, just call me Camille, there's no need to be formal." Interrupted the elderly lady.

"...Camille. First, I have to say that I just love your tea the best! Isn't that right kids?"

"Yes" both kids nodded while sipping on their cups.

"The purpose of our visit today," continued Granny" is to deliver the potions your husband asked for and see what your next order would be. Mr. Norton mentioned when we were here last time, that you guys would need some remedies specialized for illnesses, and insomnia as well. While they are not a big problem, I would need some more details on the request, so I can prepare the proper ingredients."

Sighing, Camille answered.

"The insomnia is for Henry, my husband. He has trouble sleeping lately, ever since that Young Lord, from the Leon Family, visited us with his goons and started throwing threats. You know how Henry is, don't you? He hates stuff like this, and it just gets on his nerves. I would say, if you could make something that would give him a little peace and would allow him to sleep at night, we would be immensely glad and thankful. As for the other request…"

Putting down her teapot, she continued.

"...It's just a small idea we had recently. The apothecaries are far from here, and as the marketplace grows bigger day-by-day so does the need for the everyday citizen for some alternative options to cure their headache, or stomach pain, or some of the general illnesses that occasionally haunts them. Can you create something generic, that would be good for such? I know it might be a naive request, as most of these need specialized cures, but we would be just looking for a quick pick-me-up or something along those lines."

Finishing her long-winded sales pitch, she picked her pot back up and started sipping from it, while waiting for Granny to think it over.

The silent sound of sipping was only broken after a few minutes.

"..Hmmm... " started Granny. "As you said, there's no all-around option that would cure every illness there is, especially if you consider the non-human races, but for something generic, or just to give some boost, I think I have an idea. I was thinking that a stamina potion could do the trick, what do you think?"

"Aren't those only for adventurers, soldiers, and the like? Aren't they too strong for the everyday folk?" asked Camille with concern in her eyes.

"Don't worry, we can dilute it down, so it would be less potent. That way it could provide the boost you are looking for."

"Hmmm… That could work… Also, and this is something that just came to my mind, can you make it in multiple flavors? That way we could cater for a wider range."

Thinking about it for a few seconds, Granny nodded her head.

"Yes, but only fruity flavors would be possible, at least currently. For other variations, the mixture would need to be modified, and then tested. While not impossible, that will take more time, and it might mean a higher cost as well."

With a wide smile, Camille put down his pot once again.

"That is perfect! Just make a few different flavors, and then later, if customer requests came in, we could discuss other solutions." Cupping her hands, clapping loudly to exclaim her happiness in the successful business deal, she yelled out towards the door. "HENRY! COULD YOU CLOSE THE SHOP A BIT, AND COME IN?"

A muffled groan could be heard as a response to the query, but not minding it a bit, she looked at the trio.

"For the rest, we would like the same amount with the healing potions, as usual. As you have a new set of helping hands, I assume you would be fine with the increased amount?"

Nodding her head, Granny answered, and while looking at Aiden, she answered with a gentle smile on her face.

"That would be fine. Aiden is such a strong boy, I am blessed to have him with us, right Lily?"

Immediately, nodding her head, Lily proudly answered Granny.

"Yes, my brother is the best!"

----

A few minutes passed with some small talk when the door finally opened and a pudgy, round old man with short grey hair and a scruffy beard came in. He was wearing a blueish plaid shirt with greyish trousers. He too had a rounded glass assisting his aged, tired eyes. Taking his seat next to his wife, he picked up his empty pot, and while filling it with some leftover tea, he greeted the guests.

"Please excuse me for being so late in greeting you. I hope you all had a great time so far, and hopefully, all the boring business talk is already out of the way."

Hitting the back of his head, Camille looked at his husband with a strict face.

"Henry!" Then, just as her face changed back to her calm expression, she turned back at the guests. "Do you have any plans for lunch? What would you say, we quickly finish the business we have left, and then you guys stay for lunch with us? It was so long that we could entertain guests, and…" looking at Lilly, with a knowing look. "We have much better food and desserts then the restaurants around here. So, what do you say, will you stay?"

---

Meanwhile at the top of a building, away from prying eyes, 2 figures could be seen shrouded in dark clothes, with hoods covering their heads, and a dark faceless mask covering their identities.

"So, what news do you have, number 4?" Asked the feminine-looking figure. She was number 3, the person tasked with keeping a close watch on the unknown boy.

The muscular figure from the trio groaned in an annoyed tone, as he answered the question of his peer.

"I honestly doubt that the fat pig will be of any use to us. After throwing a temper tantrum in his room, he shortly left his mansion and got into contact with a local group of thugs. You probably saw them, they are the group mostly working at the marketplace, mostly small-time stuff, stealing and extorting money. After some discussion there, he made his way to the local branch of the assassin's guild and spent his afternoon there. Since then, he seems to be biding his time, waiting for something. I'm not sure exactly what the plan is, he still has a few days until his deadline, we will see if he can complete the task assigned to him. What about you, Number 3?"

Sighing, Number 3 looked at her colleague.

"Honestly, I don't know why we need to keep such a close watch on a kid. They are just a small family living in the forest, making a living from brewing small-time healing potions to sell here. I don't see the use of this boy in the Grand Plan." sighing once again, she changed the topic. "Anyways, if you run into any issues, I will be nearby."

Silently nodding his head, his figure flickered and both of them vanished from the spot.

Unbeknownst to them, the main topic of their discussion, the boy Number 3 was assigned to keep an eye on, was silently monitoring their location with his system's map...