Chapter 251: The Void Emporium

    Natalie watched as the woman disappeared through the halls of her manor. The lady had brought her a very interesting, very profitable opportunity, all because of the short talk Natalie had with Derek Hunt before he left for the raid.

    She was doing her best to wrap her head around the new contract she had just signed. It was so good that she jumped at the opportunity. Apparently, it mirrored the contract that Derek Hunt had signed with Alanah for the new potion he and Roman Pascal produced.

    Now, however, Natalie had sole rights to sell the newly created potion. A potion that would permanently increase ones mental stats. As there were no ways other than special dungeon rewards to obtain such an item to increase ones Wisdom, it would be highly sought after. It would likely be just as wanted as the other potion that increased Vitality as well as the other physical stats.

    Natalie was delighted as she examined the vial containing the magical liquid. It constantly changed from transparent to a solid color, then back again. The potion she was given as a sample was made from one of the weaker Void Beasts, as Mr. Pascal was still perfecting its craft, but she was promised that other, stronger potions would come soon. For that, she couldnt wait.

    Natalie didnt need to use auctions to show her power and status. She had a list of preferred buyers, and she would likely get much more for the potions than that Alanah had at her auction. Natalie could practically see the gold coins raining down on her.

    Soon, the petite woman stored the potion and took out another item that the woman called Malorie had left with her. It wasnt much, just an odd blueprint connected to Geoffrey Tate and Derek Hunt. Apparently, they had created some device for bathing, and Malorie had talked with Geoffrey about letting Natalie in on the product in order to expand their possibilities.

    Natalie had to admit that the shower product was genius in its simple design. She especially liked the portable design for travelers and adventurers. Though, they would have to find a way to prevent knockoffs and also make it so the shower wasnt easily fixed, and lost durability with use.

    They would need to make it have a limited number of uses. That way, they could keep selling it. If everyone bought one, and it never broke, what use would that be? They were truly lacking business sense, but thats what she was for. And now that she was a partner in the business, she wouldnt allow Dereks people to wander around blindly.

    In fact, she would whip that Malorie into shape before Derek got back from the raid. It was the least she could do for someone who had been so quick and true to his word. She respected that.

    A gleam fell over Natalies eyes as she thought about training someone in the way of business. It had been far too long since she had done so. The next three years would be so much fun.

    Finally, the woman stored the blueprint back inside her storage ring and took a final sip of her coffee, which she found she enjoyed with just a touch of honey, but she also like it black. She sighed and sat her empty cup back on the table before hopping out of the chair and walking away.

    She was on the verge of getting some good information out of Gerald Torith. She just knew it. The half-elf didnt know much of anything, and the brute from House Aarden was just that, a brute. She had wasted her time on the other two. She should have spent it all on breaking through the old mans barriers.

    Instead, she thought she may get a good starting point from the other two captives, but she was wrong, unfortunately. She would talk to Alanah soon about what to do with them. Her job with the two was over. It would be up to that woman now. Cliff Aarden had done some terrible things, maybe not enough for Alanahs mind trap, but she had to admit, he would make a great Deathsworn.Ree?ad latest novels at novelhall.com

    Natalie really did hate having to do all this interrogating. It was taxing on her mentally, and because of the time it took her to recover, her work piled up and she was slowly falling behind, which had left her in a constant state of tiredness.

    Before she exited her courtyard, she had a bout of inspiration and took the Potion of Mental Permanence back out of her storage ring. With a single motion, she popped the cork and downed the liquid. If the potion increased the mental stats permanently, then maybe it would work on her mental fatigue, as well.

    At least you didnt sign it before letting me look it over, the contract maker said.

    Does that mean you found something wrong with it? Malorie sat forward with wide eyes. I looked it over multiple times, but I didnt see anything. What is it?

    This. Rudy slammed his index finger down on the contract. Will give me a good amount of experience and skill even if I wasnt the person to draw it up. Just imagine all that wasted experience if you would have signed it there. We got lucky.

    Malorie leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes. Of course, he was worried about himself and not about the contract. So, theres nothing wrong with the contract?

    No. He injected a bit of mana into the contract before sliding it back over to Malorie. Its a good contract. The City Lord even allowed it to be more favorable than the one we signed with the Crown. Though I believe those two have some type of hidden rivalry, so I wouldnt think much of it.

    What was that? she asked about the mana injection. She already knew from Derek that Natalie and Alanah had a habit of one-upmanship with each other.

    Just marking it with my mana to show that I was a part of the process.

    Of course

    So have you thought about a name? Youre going to need that to complete it, as it is for the business, not just the person, Rudy informed.

    Derek seemed to like things being somewhat simple, but with the magical setting created by the material used to make the shop, and his reputation, I was thinking of something wondrous.

    Rudy nodded. I have an idea if you dont.

    Oh? What are you thinking?

    First, how many people know that Derek uses Void? He took all the restrictions off of us before he left, so he shouldnt be that worried anymore, right? Rudy asked.

    Malorie frowned. Im sure many rumors have already spread, and he is already connected to the Void Beast, plus, we have connections with the Crown, the Royals, and Natalie Savannah, so even if people found out she trailed off.

    Thats what I was thinking, Rudy said. How about we call it The Void Emporium? We can just use it for the private contracts and wait for Derek to come back before we advertise the name. Besides, unless Brandi has a breakthrough, we wont be doing business out of the shop any time soon.

    Malorie thought about it before agreeing. Finally, she signed the contract with her mana signature and filled in the business name. For now, the business would be called The Void Emporium.