Chapter 64: The Mercantile Life

Chapter 64: The Mercantile Life

Kai's body felt shockingly light as he ran, so he didn't have as long to examine the battle as he expected. He made out three heavy wagons, overloaded with goods. They had minimal fortifications, and the guards around them were shockingly weak, just rated 20 on average. There were several lizard monsters menacing the legs of the horses, but the majority of the threats seemed to be bat-like monsters swooping overhead.

Monster: Bat

Threat: Alpha

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Monster: Lizard

Threat: Alpha

>

Neither type was strong enough to earn a beta rating, though the bats did seem swift enough to cause problems for anyone without enhanced reflexes. The guards might have been able to pull through if they had kept together and used shields, but they were panicking, letting the claws of the bats cut into them from their blind spots.

Just as Kai arrived, he saw three bats sink their claws into an untrained young man atop the first wagon and drag him into the air. Kai immediately leapt into action, leaping off the back of one wagon to intercept them before they got too high.

Three swift blows from his gauntlets and they were dead. Even easier than he had expected. Kai managed to catch the flailing young man in his arms and then used his legs to absorb their landing. As he set the man down, he looked to the rest of the battle, only to find it almost over.

Zae Zin Nim used extremely thin beams of qi so as not to tax her reserves, but she easily pierced the wings of the bats. When he joined her to take out some of the remaining lizards, it only took a matter of minutes to end the battle. The beleaguered guards cheered their arrival, but when one of them got a good look at Zae Zin Nim, he pulled back.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded. She immediately shrank back and Kai automatically started to step in front of her before she strained herself.

"The question is impolite, but we need to ask about plague." The surprisingly high voice came from the young man, who approached them calmly. "If you're ill, we must ask you to keep some distance. But if not, thank you for saving our lives."

"I am not diseased." Zae Zin Nim stalked away from the group and kept her back turned. That left Kai to handle the negotiations.

He wasn't sure how to interpret her reaction, but she took the mantle from him carefully and soon had the hood pulled up over her face. Beyond that, she didn't seem inclined to talk. Kai instead moved up to sit beside Razz, who was doing his best to encourage the spooked horses to go faster.

"Is this a big gamble for you?" Kai asked. Razz immediately smiled uncomfortably.

"Yeah, you could say it's my first real risk. A few clans have absolute dominance on luxury goods in Rayakan. Anything to do with hunters is dominated by Orgoron. I have the mana and potions just to prove someone else can trade in them. But my big bet is challenging the Corinin clan on silk."

"Silk is that valuable?"

"A big city like Rayakan has an active court scene." Razz gestured vaguely south and rolled his eyes. "Every year, there are brand new fashions, and Krysali silk is always a sought-after luxury item. Problem is, the Corinins always have all the best silks first. This year, I risked a lot to meet a contact early, and now I'm racing back to beat all other merchants. My parents said it couldn't be done, but if I can sell the newest silks first, they'll be more willing to listen to me. Maybe we can even deal with our permit problem."

Such trade squabbles had always struck Kai as distasteful, but he found himself liking Razz more than he'd expected. The young man was just trying to get an advantage in life. Judging from his slender physique, he might not have been suited for monster hunting at all, so he'd taken what he could.

Before Kai could say anything else, Zae Zin Nim pulled on his sleeve to draw him nearer. "You can't expect me to remember all these Goralian sounds," she whispered. "Are these clan names going to matter?"

"It's not complicated," he told her. "The Orgoron clan is probably strongest in terms of hunters. It seems like the Corinins have a trade lock on this city, but they're generally the best of the lot. The only other clan with representatives across the nation is Lantrian - they're the ones that banished me."

"You were... Granfian?"

"Yes, but that's a small clan. It's somewhat important in Monskon City, but nowhere else."

"Hey, I hear you whispering back there!" Razz grinned over his shoulder. "I don't mind, really, but driving the cart gets really boring."

"Just explaining the local clan politics." Kai swung back up to the front of the wagon and took a seat beside Razz. "She's not from Goralia, so the names tend to run together."

"You look like you're from around here, though."

"Yeah. I'm... not from a big clan, so just Kai is fine."

"No problem at all. Like I said, I prefer Razz." The young merchant grinned at him again. "But if it means anything to you, my full name is Razzagah Lantrian."