CH 8

October 15, 2022

It was the morning of the debut of the tears of falling stars. Stock Company men had already gathered inside and outside the store—dodgy-looking characters, each and every one of them. An infestation of Becks was the best way to describe it. Becks are like cockroaches. There’s never only one.

“Ugh, this is such a pain in the ass!”

“We don’t got all day! Whatever it is, get on with it!”

“We’re here on Mr. Leroy’s orders, y’hear me?”

They were still grumbling as they were handed glasses with the tears of falling stars, but that changed the moment Marie and Rye added in the fruit juice.

“W-What the—?!”

“Did you see that?! The color changed! Is it magic? Damn, this brat can do magic!”

“Smells real nice. Cold as a motherfucker too! Haha, it’s gonna freeze my hand off!”

They were making a lot of noise. Stella wanted to urge them on, but before she could, they started drinking on their own. These were the regular tears of falling stars, meant for the general public.

“This is good!”

“Ahhh! Just the kick I needed!”

“We’re drinking better than nobles, I bet! Mr. Leroy’s got an eye for quality. Haha, one more!”

Some of the idiots started asking for more, and the rest soon followed. The first glass was free, just to get them hooked. They would have to pay for the rest—which they did, albeit through gritted teeth. They were here under direct orders from Leroy, which meant they couldn’t put it on their tabs or shirk the bill altogether, as they usually did.

“This is great—but it’d be even better with some booze, am I right?”

“Yeah! Let’s mix ’em!”

“Here goes nothing. Oh, shit! This hits like a punch . . . !”

“Seriously? Gimme that bottle!”

“Hey, that’s my booze!”

The idiots started mixing alcohol in their drinks and gulping them down like water. I can’t believe this.

‘Master, it seems they like it, eh?’

“Yes, because they’re idiots. Soon enough they’ll try the stronger tears, then the ultimate tears. Then we’ll have a horde of slaves coming every day to give us all their hard-earned money. Sounds great, doesn’t it?”

‘Perfect, eh?’

The regular tears of falling stars were fifty coppers per glass. That put it at the same price as a cup of ale, making for a very low barrier of entry. The stronger tears were a hundred per glass; the ultimate tears, five hundred per glass.

“Do they even have that kind of money, though?” asked Rye.

“If not, they’ll just scrounge it up somewhere. But it’s not such a bad deal for them, really. The tears are much healthier than real drugs. You can grow dependent on them, but they won’t mess with your head and drive you insane.” Stella giggled. “This town is going to improve a lot.”

“Is it really? I wonder.”

‘It’s fine. They’re ’aving a good time, and Master’s earning a profit. Everybody’s ’appy, eh?’

“I wasn’t expecting them to start mixing it with alcohol, though. That should double the addictive power.” She giggled. “Wonderful.”

“Double it? Really?”

“They’ll get drunk much faster. Which will make them a lot more generous with their wallets.”

Though she hadn’t tested it, Stella was sure that the tears would go well with alcohol. However, it came with the caveat that the side effects would be intensified as well, making “tearism”—like alcoholism, but with the tears—much more likely to occur. Unlike drugs, at least, they couldn’t cause hallucinations or withdrawal symptoms. They could cause other things, like intoxication and liver damage, but she could blame all that on the alcohol. I don’t care about their health anyway.

“Bring the booze! Hurry up!”

“More tears of falling stars! We’re waitin’ here! Bring a whole barrel and be done with it!”

A small run-down store with a noisy crowd outside—it was a sight hard to ignore. Most bystanders had enough sense to keep their distance, but the more curious ones shouldered their way through the mass of thugs into the store to buy a glass. Soon after, they exclaimed in surprise as the first sip showed them a world they had never known existed.

Stella sat on her chair inside the store and watched the scene, content, with a cup of coffee in her hand. She was still drinking from the store’s supply, as she couldn’t bring herself to dispose of it. It’s too weak, though, she thought. I’ll add more ground coffee next time.

“Gosh, I can’t catch a break! These people don’t know when to stop!”

“Thank you, please come again!”

Rye was in charge of serving the drinks; Marie, of taking the customers’ money; and Beck had the busiest job, which was to collect and wash the empty glasses. As containers for takeout orders, they were selling wooden canisters. There was a huge pile of them in the storehouse, and this was a good opportunity to get rid of them.

“HYAAAAGHHH!”

One of the idiots had decided to guzzle a glass of ultimate tears, and now he was squirming on the ground as the crowd watched him. When they started wondering whether that barrel was poisoned, the man forced a smile and grunted through his tears that it kicked like an angry mule. I didn’t expect this to happen on the first day.

“These idiots are starting to bore me,” said Stella. “I think I’ll resume my magic training.”

‘Keke! Already bored on the first day?! You never change, eh, Master?’

“I can’t help it, you know. Marie can take care of the rest, I’m sure. She looks like she knows what she’s doing. Me, I need a break from all these Beck look-alikes.”

Marie was handling the customers with incredible efficiency. Most people would probably feel uncomfortable with this kind of clientele, but not her. Slavery had thickened her skin, it seemed. The way she seamlessly worked through the orders with a smile on her face was almost like an art; maybe she had previous experience with this. Rye, on the other hand, was struggling to maintain a forced smile and address everyone politely. It made for good entertainment, but that soon bored Stella as well.

She was rising from her seat to head to the back room when a new customer came in who was clearly different from the rest.

“I see business is going well,” he said with a kind voice. “I didn’t expect to find anyone other than our own men.”

He was a kind-looking man with a black vest over a dress shirt and round spectacles on his eyes. A mercenary stood to either side of him—rough men, and properly equipped, which set them apart from common thugs. A well-crafted smile rested on the man’s lips; it didn’t reach his eyes.

“And you would be . . . ?” she said.

“Apologies for the late introduction. I am Mace, son of Leroy Stock and vice president of the Stock Company. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Stella.”

“The pleasure is mine. I’m Stella Nordus, the owner of Glenn’s General Store. Well, since two days ago, as fate would have it.”

Mace laughed. “Oh yes, your reputation precedes you. Convincing my father to forgive your debt was an outstanding feat for a girl your age. You show great potential.”

“I appreciate the compliment.”

“It’s hard to believe you’re only ten years old,” he said, chuckling. “If you were truly a defenseless child, threatening the elixir’s recipe out of you would be trivial. But oh well; it seems that won’t be possible.” He raised his hands in defeat.

“Get too greedy and you might end up on the wrong end of a rope, like my father. I almost met the same end, in fact. Scary, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. That warning sounds extra convincing coming from you.”

Stella giggled. “I know, right?”

Now this is an interesting man. Mace was a completely different breed from Beck. Even as they exchanged smiles, he studied her carefully for any signs of weakness. Marie and Rye watched nervously from a distance. Stella lifted a hand to calm them.

“This new product of yours . . . the ‘tears of falling stars,’ correct? Splendid, truly. I could easily make arrangements for it to be sold in our affiliated taverns. If you—”

“I appreciate the offer, but it’s a new product. I’d like to give it some time first to see how well it does. Besides, this is a terrible location to run a general store—the tears are all we can hope to sell. I’m even using them to get rid of our wooden canisters. We have so many of them.”

There was an obscene amount of them in the storehouse for no apparent reason. What was Glenn going to do with them? Did he intend to sell them as military supplies in the coming war? Whatever his plans might have been, they had died with him.

“That’s a shame. In any case, I believe the younger men of our company will make up most of your regulars. They seemed to be very fond of your product—as was I, in fact, and these two as well.”

Mace grinned at his bodyguards, an artificial grin that betrayed his insincerity, but they returned it candidly. Superior brawn aside, their brains seemed to be on the same level as Beck’s.

“Thank you,” she said. “It was very kind of you to come just to say that. As vice president, you must be a very busy man.”

“It was the least I could do for our new business associate.”

“So, why are you actually here?”

He grinned. “Let’s speak frankly, then. As it happens, I came to remind you of something—but it seems that won’t be necessary.” His fake smile vanished.

“Is this about the elixir?”

“Indeed. I wouldn’t dream of you breaking our contract, but Father insisted that I personally come to check on you.”

Stella giggled. “You have my sympathies. It’s tough work, keeping children in check.” She threw him a look of pity.

A flash of anger ran over Mace’s face. The next second, it was gone. “Oh, no need to concern yourself. It is one of my obligations.” He paused before continuing. “Needless to say, it is imperative that you do not allow anyone else to get their hands on the elixir. No—you must not allow them to even learn of its existence. We can’t hide it forever, but we need more time before we can start selling it to the upper class.”

“Of course. I’m free from debt thanks to that elixir. You can do whatever you want with it, and I won’t sell it to anyone else as long as you keep on my good side. That includes keeping me safe from harm, as I’m sure you understand.” She knocked on the table.

Stella wasn’t going to let herself be killed, but with this body anything could happen. She didn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, and one meat shield wasn’t enough.

Mace gave her a wry smile. “Naturally. We can’t allow our golden goose to come to harm. I’ll place men around your store. They’ll keep a vigil every night.”

“I appreciate being treated with care, but I’d rather not be called a bird. Well, just this once I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

Sighing, Mace took out a cigar. Stella shook her head. He bowed lightly and put it away. “Oh my, how tactless of me.”

“If you want to smoke, please do it outside, where the fumes can’t reach me. My health is very important to me.”

“As it should be. In any case, I’m glad we understand each other so well. I hope you’ll forgive me for expecting you to harbor ill feelings against us.”

Stella giggled. “I won’t deny that I do, but it was really my father’s fault for being naive. And considering he tried to take me with him, I don’t think he deserves my sympathy.”

“I see. That’s very very reasonable of you. In this town, it’s deceive or be deceived. Fools are nothing but cows waiting to be milked dry. You seem to understand that very well indeed.” Mace gave a crude laugh.

“But make no mistake—I am not my father. If you try to trick me, there will be consequences. Tell that to Leroy as well.”

“It’s Mr. Leroy, brat!” said one of the mercenaries.

Mace quieted him with a hand and nodded back to Stella. “I will.” Then he chuckled and said, “I believe there’s no harm in telling you. I intend to take over the West District. Father seems to think it best to hold back and keep things as they are, but I see it differently.”

“Is that so?”

“Indeed. The prime obstacle to our company’s growth is the Palpud Union, the most powerful organization in the West District. They’re an unpleasant bunch, always poking their unwanted noses on our turf. My plan is to gather all the power we can command, as well as the money we’ll make with that elixir, and mount a full-blown assault to crush them to the ground.”

“Sounds wonderful.”

This was the most interesting thing Stella had heard so far. Two power-hungry organizations going at each other’s throats—it was bound to get bloody. I hope I can see it from up close.

“So, no matter what happens, don’t get tempted to turn on us. You’re not the only one who doesn’t take well to betrayal. In this town, all traitors pay in blood.”

“Duly noted. I quite like that style.” She smiled.

“As do I,” he said, returning the smile. “Incidentally, I would consider finding a less inauspicious name for this place if I were you. How about ‘Stella the Alchemist’s Store’? I think it’s much better myself.”

For a moment, a strong wave of emotion washed over Stella, but she was able to keep it under control. Without breaking her smile, she asked, “Me, an alchemist? It’s a wonderful nickname.”

“That’s what Father called you. In his precise words, ‘She can work a miracle that turns water into gold.’ So, will you consider it?”

Stella giggled. “As much as I love the title, I’ll keep the store’s name as it is. I value my time far too much to waste it on something as insignificant as a name change.”

“I can respect that. Well, I think this is where I’ll take my leave. Until we meet again, Stella the Alchemist.”

“Goodbye, Vice President Mace.”

A quick handshake and Mace and his minions were off. A few of the thugs followed them out, but the fools who had mixed their tears with alcohol lay unmoving on the floor, dead drunk.

‘Keke! That was interesting, eh?’

“I see why he’s vice president. He’s smart, and he can hide his feelings well—he might be a better negotiator than Leroy. But I wonder about his position in the company.”

‘What’s there to wonder about, eh?’

“Why would someone in such a high position come to deal with me directly? That’s a job for the likes of Beck, don’t you think?”

Mace had seemed a capable man. Why would they send him to threaten a child? That was a job for a grunt, not a high-ranking official. It’s almost like he’s Leroy’s personal servant. She hadn’t failed to notice a slight hostility in Mace’s demeanor toward Leroy. He must be very unsatisfied with how the company is being run.

‘Master, ya sure it’s wise, gettin’ involved with ’im? ’E didn’t look the decent type, eh?’

“It’s all right. More than all right, it’s great—getting to know all sorts of people is exactly what I wanted. And there’s money in it.”

‘Keke! Spoken like a true alchemist, eh! Just wave yer hands and start magickin’ up some gold, easy as that!’

It was not as easy as that, but that was fine. She was doing it for her magic training. “ ‘Stella the Alchemist,’ huh. I like that. Maybe I should get myself a pointy hat tomorrow.”

‘I’m sure it’d look great on ya. I’ll look forward to it, eh?’

“Please do,” Stella said under her breath before bringing her cup of coffee to her lips. It wasn’t as hot anymore, but she drank it all the same. Hot or no, it tasted just as bad.