Cha Hon's face contorted into a mix of fear, anguish and confusion.
"Your Majesty, I-I am so sorry! That beast is called a parrot, and it can mimic sounds it hears! It had been silent until now, so I was unaware of its crass language! Its past company must have—"
Ixion cut the fox woman off, his blue eyes growing wide as he stared at the grey bird.
"Its… its perfect."
The bird's head flicked back into a straight-up position, then it croaked again.
"Fuck you!"
Cha Hon's mouth flapped open when the bird squealed directly in King Ixion's face.
"I will give— wait… its perfect?"
Ixion smiled as he reached in to pet the parrot, only for it to once again give no reaction as if dead.
'This thing… is really stupid…'
'I love it!'
"Yes, it is perfect. I shall purchase it posthaste!"
Cha Hon stumbled over a few words before she finally gathered herself and replied evenly:
"Alright, then he is yours."
Ixion narrowed his eyes as he stood up and looked down at the fox.
"What do you mean? Do you mean to say that this beautiful idiot is free?"
Cha Hon bowed her head.
"Yes. I couldn't possibly ask you to pay after being disrespected in your own capital to such a degree."
She was a merchant, and this seemed counter to what a merchant was known for: avarice…
However, Cha Hon knew the most important commodity in the world was life.
Couldn't use a coin if one were dead, after all.
Therefore, she decided that trying to survive and duck the king's ire was worth more than a few marks.
Fortunately for the fox, the rumors about Ixion were merely rumors…
Rumors with a lot of grounds to them and reasons behind their spreading, but the king himself was much crazier than those little rumors would lead one to believe!
As for how his craziness manifested?
"Cha Hon…"
The fox girl's neck stiffened at Ixion's cold tone.
Ixion continued:
"You dare to let a marvelous creature such as this out of your hands for free? I came here to buy the best pet in the world! Now… would the best pet in the world be one bought for free? Heavens no! The best pet in the world should cost a kingdom!"
"Fuck you!"
Cha Hon shuddered, completely caught off guard by this lunacy; however, the small cat woman behind her spoke for her.
"Your Majesty… name your price, and this bird will be yours."
Ixion smiled gently at the cat…
"Ah… how about everything in that chest for this bird and the cat?"
Both women grew a little confused, but they followed Ixion's gaze and soon knew what cat he meant.
The cat beastwoman began to shiver and stepped away, but the fox woman stopped her.
Cha Hon, after a deep breath, replied to Ixion:
"Of course, that sounds like a wonderful deal."
The woman whose wrist she gripped gave the fox lady pleading eyes, but she knew better than to speak out. For if she expressed her dismay at going with the king, their initial fear of the king's scorn may become reality.
Cha Hon pulled the cat woman back and set her in front of Ixion.
"This is Runa, treat her well."
Ixion looked down at the spooked cat.
"Don't worry, Runa… I didn't buy your servitude; I bought your citizenship and companionship. You will retain your free will in its entirety. Though I do suggest you follow me… You wouldn't survive these streets."
Runa looked up at Ixion, her green eyes shining with fear. It was clear she didn't trust his word. But it was also clear her choice in the matter wasn't one she had the luxury of making.
"I'll be in your care, Your Majesty."
Ixion gave the two women a pleasant smile as he slid his hand over the parrot's cage and took hold of the iron link on top.
"What does this thing eat? And you said it was a he?"
Cha Hon, despite just pawning one of her own off, smiled back:
"Yes, the parrot is male. And, he eats mainly vegetables, seeds, and insects."
'Hmm…'
Ixion held the cage up and looked at the grey bird.
"Fuck you!"
'What about your name…'
Ixion lowered the cage to his side.
"Simple enough… alright then, our deal is done."
Ixion began stepping out of the caravan and made his way over to the chest and unlocked it.
"Oh, I do suggest you and your entire convoy get a move on, though… I can't promise a peaceful exit. I pray you have good guards!"
The two women looked confused at his words as they stepped out onto the cobble plaza, but the moment Ixion pulled the lid of the chest back, Cha Hon's eyes widened.
Immediately, her instincts took over. Cha Hon turned to the caravan shop next to her and shouted:
"Plix! Relay the message: we need to leave, now!"
Then, she shoved Runa toward Ixion and bowed.
"Y-your Majesty, it's been a pleasure doing business with you."
Runa stumbled to a stop right before Ixion and gave him a solemn bow.
Ixion reached out and pet Runa's head, stroking her soft, velvety cat ears. As he did, he replied to the fox:
"Pleasure doing business with you as well… Try your best to survive, Cha Hon."
While Ixion was giving this merchant a chest full of gold, he was also giving her the biggest target in probably the whole world.
While gold's value had dropped significantly over the past decade, the amount Ixion presented was enough for each of these merchants to live on for their entire lives.
Ixion turned away from the fox merchant with the parrot's cage on one side and the taciturn Runa on his other.
'Ah… what a magnificent pet I bought.'
The parrot looked back at him and screeched:
"Fuck you!"