The caravan rolled through the wooden gates of Helos, and emerged into the city proper after a brief check by the local guards. The first thing Lyra noticed was how the people were dressed, which was vastly different from human clothing. Everyone here wore clothes made from fur, which also made sense. Agriculture and animal husbandry wasn't that common here in the territory of the beastkin, who rather preferred hunting and gathering. Meat and fish was in abundance, while common things like flour and wheat were harder to come by. Because of that, there also was no textile cloth industry, however the hide and fur industry was no doubt booming.
Jackets, shorts, pants, shirts, all things made from the fur and hide of large beasts that no doubt made their homes in these massive forests. Horses also seemed rare, Lyra reflected, as she watched what the people were riding. The same big black panthers as the private security which was now escorting them.
"Sabers we call them." Mara explained, as she caught Lyra's curious looks. She continued:
"Most beasts in the forests we call home cannot be tamed. However, if you manage to get saber cubs when they are very young and then raise them yourself, they can be somewhat domesticated. However, it is never an entirely sure thing. Should a saber be starving, it is still possible they could try and strike and attack out of desperation, so they are quite heavily regulated."
That made sense, or so Lyra mused. Unlike Horses, Sabers were predators after all. They had to be well-fed and their more primal urges constantly seen too, least they might start to consider their masters as food. The sabers were also lower to the ground and more mobile than horses, so they'd no doubt be a lot better in big forests like this where there were no roads. Horses were superior on large flat lands, and could also be used to work in the fields or to pull carriages and wagons, but those talents were wasted here in the forests of the beastkin, after all.
The second thing Lyra noticed, was the building style. In the first place they had visited, the houses had been made from wood and stood on large stilts, no doubt to keep them off the ground. Here in the capital of Helos, the buildings were on the ground yes, but still made entirely from wood. In her mind, the style looked rather asian overall, with plenty of arches, sliding doors and platform-styled roofs. Then again, Lyra had actually never been to Asia, so she couldn't be too sure. However, she also spotted plenty of small shrines were people would burn incense, so she asked Mara what that was all about.
"Ah, we have no fixed religion, but most people worship the spirits of nature amongst the beastkin. We believe every living thing, from the animals to the plants, all house its own spirit. By appeasing the spirits, we will be more successful hunters and have more luck and fortune in our lives." Mara explained.
Lyra raised an eyebrow. She herself could actually see the spirits, though the spirits she could see were distinctly different. Elemental spirits, made from Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. What Mara was talking about was more in the direction of souls and not something Lyra had experienced herself. Still, she found it interesting that the humans worshipped gods, divine beings who they said controlled various aspects of the world, while the beastkin worshipped smaller and individual spirits based on their needs of the day.
-"And burning those sticks is something the spirits like?" Lyra asked curiously.
"Yes, it is believed to soothe them. The sticks are made from a special kind of wood which we call "Spirit Wood", and it burns for a long time without much flame and heat." Mara answered, as they continued to ride through the streets of the Cat-Tribes capital. Eventually, the caravan with its many wagons and stagecoach, stopped in front of a set of metal gates. The first time Lyra had seen metal gates and a metal fence since coming here. Behind the gates, she could spot a large building. Standing guard were dozens of soldiers, clad similarly to the private security which had come to escort them the last bit of the way.
After a brief chat, the gates were opened, and the caravan entered the compound. To be able to own such a large swathe of land inside the capital, Kira's father must indeed truly be extremely wealthy. After a bit of a ride, they eventually pulled up in front of the massive 4-story house she had spotted in the distance. There, a man was pacing back and forth, surrounded by his many attendants and servants.
As soon as the stagecoach pulled up and Kira looked out from the open the door, the man jolted down towards the stagecoach.
"KIRA! MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER!" he shouted as he ran.
"DADDY!" Kira shouted back and leapt from the stagecoach, only to be caught in the mans arms. He looked similar to Kira, with the same black hair most of the cat-tribe people seemed to possess. His tail was longer and thicker, however, and he was rather muscular despite his status as a merchant.
The pair embraced and hugged, and it seemed like no one else mattered to them. Seeing this strong family bond, Lyra smiled gently, though also felt a small pang of sadness deep within her, since she had no family herself. Reina, sensing this, put a hand on Lyra's thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. Lyra looked her way and sent her a soft, thankful smile in return. Eventually, the man turned to Mara, Reina and Lyra, nodding their way, as well as to the members of the Bright Sun party who were on the other wagon.
"Thank you all, for bringing my precious daughter back to me safe and sound. I am Karnir, Kira's father, and the owner of the Etherum Merchant Company. The hour is late, but I implore you to accept our hospitality, and stay here for tonight. Join us for dinner, and I shall have rooms prepared for you all." he said, as he placed his daughter up on his shoulders, smiling brightly. Lyra looked towards Ray, who in turn sent her a nod. Then she spoke:
-"Very well, we accept your generosity." she answered, and everyone started dismounting. All the crates and bags from the wagons were unloaded and carried off into warehouses, while Lyra and the others followed Karnir and Kira inside the main building. What followed was an amazing and friendly dinner, consisting mostly of various steaks and grilled fish, which Lyra and especially Reina enjoyed. Then they were offered a bath, and after that taken to their rooms. Reina naturally objected to being separated from Lyra and so the pair of them eventually got a shared room. Lyra also was certain Reina stuck her tongue out in the direction of Kira before she was shoved inside the shared room, and Lyra could not help snickering gently.
That night, Reina was a bit extra cuddly, but Lyra did not mind. They hugged for a bit in bed, talking about the trip, and decided on a plan for tomorrow. They would have breakfast here, see if Karnir might be interested in buying some of Lyra's plentiful dragon materials, and after that, head to the guild HQ to report the success of their mission, which would be enough to have them promoted to S-rank.
With a clear plan in mind, the pair eventually drifted off and fell asleep. Sleeping in a bed after nearly a month on the road could not be understated. They only woke up when a maid knocked on their door around 9 in the morning, to let them know that breakfast would be ready in fifteen minutes. After that, they washed their faces and got dressed, before heading downstairs to the dining hall. The members of the Bright Sun party were already seated, talking a bit with Karnir and Mara.
Kira was sitting in her father's lap as he fed her himself, while Mara stood behind them, attentive and quick to assist with anything they might need. All of them looked up as Reina and Lyra entered, and offered smiles and nods their way. The food was, again, various kinds of meats and fish, but also had grilled sweet potatoes and a few fruits present. Lyra and Reina sat down, and helped themselves. Karnir in particular had his eyes on Lyra and Reina, but said nothing for a while. Eventually however, he cleared his throat, as he said:
"So, Lady Lyra and Lady Reina, was it?"
-"That's right." Lyra answered simply.
"I heard from my precious treasure that she's taken to calling you Big Sister." he added.
-"Indeed." Lyra said in response, wondering if he perhaps took issue with that.
"I suppose that then makes you my child." the man said, smirking, clearly teasing in an effort to make the setting a bit less stiff and formal.
-"Ah, well you seem to be a very doting parent, so I shall be in your care then, father." Lyra said, equally tongue in cheek. The others seated at the breakfast table could not believe the direction of the conversation, looking shocked, but Karnir just laughed loudly, slamming his fist down on the table a few times.
"HAHAHA! Kira was right, you are an interesting one, Lady Lyra. Please never hesitate to rely on me or the Etherum Merchant Company in the future. You'll have VIP treatment at any of our locations across the Beastkin Territories." he said, smiling brightly, flashing his fangs.
-"Oh, that is very generous of you. I'll make sure to do so, moving forward. I actually had a bit of a business proposal myself..." Lyra answered, leaning forward. Karnir raised an eyebrow, as he fed his daughter another piece of fish.
"Do tell, milady." he then said.
-"I happen to have in my possession quite a few red dragon scales. Is that something the Etherum company would be interested in?" Lyra asked.
"Why of course! We beastkin value "The Hunt" above all else. To be able to walk around with equipment made from dragons would give you a massive status boost. How many scales we talking exactly? More than a dozen? Two dozen?" he answered, and posed his own question in return.
-"Two hundred thousand. But I got even more at home." Lyra said, and everyone froze, except for Reina who kept eating happily. Ray dropped his piece of meat on the ground, Rowenna spat out the water she was drinking, and Daniel lost his cutlery.
"Now now, I do not appreciate mixing jokes with business, Lady Lyra..." Karnir said slowly.
-"I'm not joking, though." Lyra said, somewhat offended. So she decided to prove it. She accessed her sub-space inventory and decided to pull out about a thousand scales, which came pouring out from a rift in space, down over the breakfast table.
-"See, this is just a tiny fraction." Lyra said, as everyone gaped even more. Kira reached out to scoop up a dragon scale, smelled it, and then bit into it.
"Oh, daddy, they are real!" she expressed, and offered the scale up to her father. Karnir took the scale, and inspected it himself.
"I'll be damned..." he said lowly. Now it was Ray's turn to speak up.
"Lyra, how on Atlas did you come across this many red dragon scales?" he asked, even though he was scared to hear the answer.
"She killed over a dozen." Reina answered, chin up and nose high, looking mighty smug and proud of her Master.
"W-what? T-that's..." Ray stuttered, and Reina interjected immediately, raising her voice:
"What, you dare doubt my master? I was there, you know!" she said, but calmed down when Lyra patted her head.
-"Calm down, Reina. It is fine." she said, turning to look back at Karnir. "So?" she then added.
"I definitely want to buy these... but I cannot buy all thousands from you at once. Firstly, I do not have that kind of money. I do not even think the combined money of the entire cat-tribe could afford to buy a hundred thousand dragon scales at once... secondly, it would crash the market. I can however offer to buy perhaps a thousand scales per month?" Karnir said. He was certain he could definitely make a profit from this, and become known as the only merchant to be able to offer dragonscale equipment reliably. With a thousand scales a month, his master craftsmen could craft four to five sets every month, and no doubt people from all over the world would come to visit his store, for a chance to get their hands on them. He could have them auctioned off, let people bid rather than set a fixed price. His reputation would skyrocket...
-"I assume I could drop the scales off at any of your merchant houses?" Lyra asked. She was going to travel around after all.
"Absolutely. Tell you what. We'll buy 1,500 scales in bulk every month, at market value." Karnir said, unconsciously licking his lips. There was no way he'd pass on such an opportunity.
-"I have some claws and fangs as well." Lyra added.
"We could possibly use that as well. Lets say...200 kilos worth?" Karnir said, doing mental maths. It wold be nearly his entire monthly budget. But if this business took off... he'd be unstoppable in the future.
-"It's a deal then." Lyra said, and leaned over, extending her hand. Karnir was quick to accept, shaking it firmly. He added:
"It's a deal. However... could I make a suggestion?"
-"Sure, what is it?" Lyra asked curiously.
"Sell exclusively to my company. If you sell to other merchants too, the prices will drop. For an elf like yourself, it would be better to trade exclusively with one partner for a higher price for a long time, than to sell off everything at a low price quickly. You understand? I am willing to offer you more, for an exclusivity clause to our contract. How about VIP status at all our stores for the rest of your life? That's 30% of on everything we sell, and access to the VIP lounges and townhouses." he said, and Lyra could see how he had made such a fortune. He was a good and charismatic talker, with a good nose for business no doubt about it.
He also wasn't wrong. Lyra was an elf. Things like falling prices and inflation would hit her harder than most. It made more sense to sell a thousand scales every year for 1 gold each, for a hundred years, than to sell 10,000 scales every year for ten years, for 50 to 30 silvers per scale. She also did not want to crash the dragon-material economy after all. It was better to work closely with a known and skilled merchant, that way both of them could benefit.
-"I see the wisdom in your words, Karnir. I accept. Feel free to draft a contract while Reina and I head to the guild to report our mission success." Lyra said, and smiled his way.
With another handshake and a full tummy, Lyra, Reina, and the Bright Sun party then bid their farewells to Karnir, though they promised to return and stay one more night. Together, the 7 of them then steered their feet in the direction of the Cat-Tribe's Adventurer's Guild HQ. However, as they would find, reporting the success of their mission would actually not be so easy...