For hours now, the only sounds disturbing the room's quiet were the noises of scribbling and rustling.
Zeke carefully read through a pile of documents that only seemed to grow taller. The reason he felt this way was the fact that the mound was actually increasing in size. At any given time, three flying pens furiously worked on extending its height. It was as if they were determined not to let him ever catch up.
Three days had passed since the time of the Veergati, and a lot had changed since then. Right now, he was sitting in a study provided to him by the head of the Nair family, and the documents he was working on were the instructions he intended to send home.
He had always kept communication with Tradespire to a minimum. Not because he didn't have a way to contact them but simply because there had been nothing to report. However, the situation was different now. He had finally made his move and, therefore, needed their assistance. In fact, he had quite a few letters to send.
The first letter was addressed to Jettero. Zeke wrote about his plans for Korrovan, his deal with the Nair family, and all the blueprints he and Akasha had created so far. He hadn't lied when he told Mohan he had big plans for this city. Over the last month, he had come up with several products.
He didn't intend for Jett to manufacture them, as the situation at home wasn't great. However, he still wanted the old man's input on the schemata, as neither he nor Akasha had any practical experience. This was especially true for the crown jewel of his lineup — the thermal regulation system.
This was the very project that inspired him to expand his business ventures into Korrovan in the first place. And of all his ideas, it was the one that he believed had the most significant prospects.
They had thoroughly used Akasha's newfound knowledge of rare materials to develop this device. It used the immense temperature difference of the desert to operate. Therefore, this concept could not work anywhere else in the world. It was perfectly tailored to the needs of a desert city.
The end result was a complex piece of engineering that could keep a building cool during the day and warm at night. However, the design's most significant selling point was that it worked without Mana. By forgoing the need for a Mage, it was far more convenient than any other product that was currently being sold.
Zeke wasn't usually one to brag, but this project was something he was genuinely proud of. The apparatus used chemical reactions between rare minerals to store both heat and cold. This was possible because the nights were incredibly frigid here, often below freezing. According to their calculations, averaging the temperature throughout the day and night would make it pleasant around the clock. However, the best part about the product was that it would pay for itself. Despite the exorbitant price Zeke intended to demand, the savings in labor costs would be enough to justify the purchase.
Zeke had his fingers crossed. He really hoped for Jett not to find any glaring flaws in the design. If he could produce the device the way he intended, he didn't see any possibility of him not repeating the success of the Gondola. Zeke had found what he thought were the most important criteria for the success of his previous venture. He had invested considerable time trying to figure out the factors that had led to the Gondola's success. Of course, he had done so in order to reproduce them.
Ultimately, he came up with three points: Niche, Evolution, and Clientele.
The Niche he had used was the unique situation of Tradespire. The city was the safest place he had ever been to. This was most likely thanks to the presence of three Exarchs in a single city, with one of them even having a Time affinity. This had allowed him to forgo the protective hull and, in doing so, create a new market.
The second point, Evolution, referred to his many improvements over conventional designs. After all, if all he had done were to find a niche, it would have been too easy for the competition to catch up. Instead, he had released a product that could stand on its own merits.
The last point contributing to his success was his focus on his Clientele. By studying what the merchant lords of Tradespire valued, Zeke had been able to produce a product that perfectly fit their needs. He had traded combat capabilities for convenience and protection for luxury. Furthermore, by selling only a limited number at a time, he had enflamed their competitive spirit while guaranteeing the exclusivity of his product.
Zeke had paid close attention to those three factors when developing his new design. This was why he was so confident the thermal regulation system would be a hit. He had only been missing a local collaborator with the right connections.
Thankfully, the Nair family was precisely such an entity. They fit his needs so perfectly that he was secretly grateful to the Firebrand school. After all, it would have been impossible to convince Mohan Nair so easily if they hadn't been at the end of their rope. Of course, he didn't intend to take advantage of them either. The deal he had arranged with the Nair family could even be said to be very favorable.
Zeke had done that on purpose. Having a more significant stake would motivate them to work harder. By supporting the project wholeheartedly, the overall success would far outweigh any short-term benefits. After all, most of the profit would still go to him in the end.
The second letter was addressed to David. Zeke wrote a few words about his experiences and then asked how they were doing. Honestly, he was very curious about their progress. He had given a tailored regimen to both David and Margret before leaving. It was an experimental set of procedures to stimulate Soul growth. Yet, Zeke could hardly imagine how displeased David must have been with his regimen.
When creating the training plans, he primarily focused on allowing them to experience new, meaningful events. He had engineered circumstances where they had to break their routines and step out of their comfort zone. This was very important, especially for David, who had been working as a butler and head of staff for decades. He was already near the peak of the Grand Mage level, but his Soul was far from reaching the requirement for advancement.
Zeke suspected this was primarily because David's life had become predictable and monotonous. Therefore, David's training plan was quite extreme. When Zeke remembered the regimen he had come up with, he was filled with both glee and worry. Thinking about it now, he might have gone a bit overboard. He just hoped that David would be able to stick with it. Zeke was almost sure that he could benefit significantly if he managed.
The third letter was addressed to his parents and Maya. He wrote about his travels, the wonders he witnessed, and the people he met. Of course, he focused solely on the good parts of his journey to reassure them that he was doing well. He also spoke about their arrival in the capital and the city's unique beauty. He described the many kinds of Chimeroi he had seen and even talked about Ripper and Ash.
When the sun reached its highest point, Zeke finally put down the last of the letters and arranged them. Soon after, three neatly ordered stacks of paper took shape. They were labeled Jettero, David, and Family.
Zeke focused, extending his senses. Even though he had done this many times before, using his Space Magic in such a way was still a bizarre feeling. After about a minute, he felt a faint presence. This was it. He quickly zeroed in on that location and established a connection.
This was the relay point he had created in Tradespire.
In order to use the [Transposition] spell, an external relay point had to be created first. This was how all long-range Space Magic worked. After all, it was impossible to extend one's senses to such a distant location otherwise. Furthermore, any such point had to be registered with the authorities. This rule was enforced religiously, as unregistered relays could even be used as a secret invasion point.
Thankfully, Zeke had managed to obtain a permit. The reason was that his relay point was relatively small. The square space was only about as wide as his forearm. Therefore, it was determined that it would be impossible to be used for transporting people or large goods. As such, not many regulations or oversight were applied, as it was ruled for personal use only.
As Zeke focused on the distant connection, the interior of his relay came into view. As usual, the space contained a weighty bar of gold as well as a sack of coins. He had left orders to refill this supply daily so that he would never run out of money. However, this time, he didn't intend to take anything. Instead, he created a sturdy bubble around the first stack of letters before sending them through space.
At the same time the letters disappeared from his desk, he saw them safely arrive inside his relay. He repeated the same action twice more until all three piles were safely deposited. Zeke let go of the connection and smiled contently. They would find his letters the next time somebody checked on his relay. He would have to monitor his relay over the next few days to get the replies.
Zeke got up and stretched with a groan. Now that his work was done, his eyes were drawn to the other occupant of the room. Ashen wolf stood next to the door like a statue. Despite Zeke's offering many times, the Chimeroi refused to make himself comfortable. He, Vulcanos, and Gravitas shared this trait. They all seemed to take their new roles quite seriously.
This was surprising as Zeke had not intended for them to actually work as guards. The Veergati had been an excellent chance to bolster his local forces, but that was not the main reason for his actions. He had bought Vulcanos and Gravitas because he was interested in their innate Magic. Ash, however, he had bought because they had gotten close, and Zeke liked his personality.
Zeke had no intention of treating them like slaves. He had even proposed for them to relax if they didn't have any orders, but they refused. Apparently, lazing around wasn't something the Chimeroi enjoyed. Without his input, they had devised an around-the-clock guard's schedule. This resulted in the current situation where he was never unprotected.
The moment he exited the room, Ash fell into step behind him. He could only sigh. It was almost like being back home…
"Where are we going, master?"
Zeke groaned. He had tried to convince Ash not to call him that, but that endeavor had also failed. Honestly, for being slaves, those three were quite rebellious. It felt like they were ignoring most of his wishes at this point. "I am going out for a bit."
Ash nodded wordlessly and continued to follow.
Despite everything, Zeke was quite happy with how things were going. After all, he was finally making progress on his main objective. The cooperation with the Nair family didn't only serve to support his business ventures. They had already arranged a meeting with the Gemkar family. From them, he hoped to obtain a clue on the whereabouts of the liquid metal he was looking for. The appointment was set for a week from now, but Zeke wasn't about to stay idle until then.
Therefore, he asked Mohan to make an appointment with the local branch of the Treasure Pavilion. This was the most prominent trading house in Korrovan. From gems, herbs, and minerals to rare slaves, they sold anything and everything. Zeke figured that he might as well try his luck. Maybe he could find a trace of the other missing ingredient there.
When he arrived at the entrance, Zeke found a figure waiting there. The old man had already informed him that somebody would accompany him, but he was still surprised when he found out who it was. Mohan's grandaughter, Aisha Nair, stood near the entrance with a bored expression. She must have been waiting for some time.
Zeke smiled politely as she turned at his approach. "Are you going to accompany me, Miss?"
Aisha nodded. "The Treasure Pavillion is quite elitist in a way. If you were to go alone, they would most likely only show you the outermost part of their collection. Since you told Granpa that you are searching for something rare, you will most likely want to access the full treasury."
Zeke smiled warmly. It seemed the Nair family was quite sincere. They didn't have to go this far in helping him, but it appeared his good intentions were already bearing fruits. "I appreciate the help, Miss. Shall we?"
Aisha nodded, extended her arm, and looked at him expectantly. It only took a moment for him to realize what he was supposed to do. He had often seen how the noble ladies were escorted here in Korrovan. Well, it wouldn't hurt to make a good impression. Putting on his most chivalrous face, Zeke gently linked his arms with hers.
Soon, the three of them were on their way.