Kora looked at the two small creatures in front of her with even greater interest.
Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the fox had two tails, indicating that this creature was no ordinary fox... Drawing on her years of experience as an adventurer and even longer as a craftswoman in Thalendor, Kora was surprised to realize that this was likely a Legendary Spirit Fox!
That alone would have been enough to pique her interest, but realizing that the one speaking through that mental link was the Slime made the situation even more intriguing.
She had never seen a Slime like that before, not only demonstrating enough intelligence to communicate, but also possessing two extremely expressive, human-like eyes at the center of its gelatinous mass and being able to control its own gelatin to form human hands!
That level of delicacy and bodily control was unprecedented!
Despite being just a Slime, because it possessed such advanced and evolved characteristics, one could say that the level of rarity and value it demonstrated was perhaps even greater than that of the Spirit Fox accompanying it.
And with these two creatures appearing together, Kora had to admit, her attention was completely hooked.
Having worked with monster materials for so long, something began to stir in Kora’s chest, a desire to understand and analyze those creatures exactly as Yrneha had done.
But unlike Yrneha, who was the master of one of Lohan’s friends and someone with such great influence in the city that she could bring tangible benefits to them in the future, Kora, on the other hand, seemed to Lohan to be nothing more than a master leather artisan, the owner of a popular shop, perhaps nothing beyond that. So, just as she had been rude to them, Lohan saw no need to lower himself to her level either.
Then the Slime’s voice sounded in her mind, still calm without showing any displeasure, but also making no effort to sound fawning or condescending. "I don’t know if you’ve heard of the Astralis Requiem Guild, a new group that has joined Thalendor, managed by us. Our Guild is experienced in hunting monsters, and considering your shop’s supply needs, we’ve come to offer our services to you."
Kora raised an eyebrow, crossing her muscular arms over her chest. "Hmm, I’ve never heard of you. I already have suppliers for my hides, what benefit could you offer me that they don’t already?" she asked skeptically.
These two small creatures were interesting to her, but the group they claimed to have didn’t seem like much compared to the mercenary groups she already had contacts with.
Even more so when she sensed their strength and realized they had only gone through the first evolution; that level of strength didn’t amount to much in Thalendor.
"Currently, we have dozens of members reaching Level 11 and ready to operate under our direct coordination. We’ve already signed a contract for alchemical reagents with Intervar at the Silver Crucible, and we’re looking for a similar partnership for the leather armor sector. While Level 11 may not be much compared to the truly powerful, our growth rate is rapid, and I can vouch for our professionalism."
Upon hearing the name Intervar, Kora’s expression shifted from skepticism to genuine interest. She knew the elf was one of the toughest negotiators in the city.
"If Intervar accepted you, then perhaps there’s some merit..." Kora remarked, tapping her sharp nails on the counter, yet still uncertain.
Lohan didn’t quite understand the reason for such uncertainty. "Excuse me, Kora, but I don’t understand the reason for your uncertainty. If you provide us with a list of monsters and materials that interest you, we can get them and bring them to you to negotiate. Honestly, if you don’t want to, we can simply go to other shops and offer these services to your competitors, what would you lose by giving us a chance?"
Hearing his question, Kora realized that it actually made sense!
"Damn, that’s true—why hesitate? "All right, kid, you’ve convinced me, but know this: if the leather’s quality is compromised, I’ll reduce the price, and if you don’t know how to handle the leather during extraction, I won’t want it. If I receive material that’s been slashed by blades or damaged by acid, the contract ends before it even begins. Sure, if you want to bring the monsters directly, I can process those materials for a fee."
Lohan raised a second hand and made a gesture of assurance. "Our harvesting methods ensure the material is extracted without structural damage. I can guarantee that the quality of our material processing will surpass any supplier you currently work with. In return, we want a fair price and priority in purchasing your elite equipment for our members."
Kora let out a growl that sounded like an aggressive purr. "Fair." Then she ducked behind the counter and grabbed a sheet of parchment. Jotting down a few names, she finally handed it to the Slime. "Here’s a list of materials I’ll need this week, with the price I pay for average quality. If the quality you deliver is worse, the price will be lower too. Now, get out of my way, I have work to do."
Lohan looked at the list and was satisfied, despite the woman’s rude attitude.
Fortunately, he realized she didn’t seem to be rude to them out of prejudice or specific dislike for something about them, but probably because she was like that with everyone.
Not caring how she spoke, Lohan stored the list in the Astral Chest and left the store with Lisa, walking through downtown and visiting various stores that were still open and might accept the products they could supply.
Unfortunately, few stores were open at that hour of the night, with most people heading home to rest after a tiring day.
But just that night, Lohan and Lisa managed to establish partnerships with three stores, which would provide them with enough missions to sustain 20 Players for at least a week!
As a result, the Players would not only be more excited to hunt monsters and level up, but also to earn money, which would accelerate their growth even more than if they were doing it just to receive the salary Alice had contracted them for.
And Lohan didn’t know it, but this distribution system, which he was unconsciously copying from the guilds in the other-world games he watched, would be a major point of differentiation compared to other guilds in this world!