"Zu Chiru does not understand. You are not a merchant, yet you are better at appraising goods!"

"Isn't it obvious?" Ilyshn'ish replied, "I'm a Bard. Merchants aren't the only people who can appraise things, you know."

When it came to discerning the material value of goods, all types of Merchants, Bards and Rogues held roughly the same degree of proficiency. Vocations that revolved around the acquisition of value, whether they be Nobles, Mercenaries or Reavers also had the sense to a lesser extent. As a Dragon Bard, Ilyshn'ish wielded both her natural treasure sense and Bardic appraisal skills.

A Quagoa Merchant would probably have the advantage over a Human one when it came to appraising ores, metals and gemstones, but Zu Chiru was simply no match for her. This did not mean that Ilyshn'ish would never become confused over more subjectively-based market values and shifting trends, but once she was accustomed to them it was next to impossible to deceive her.

"Zu Chiru's wife is so skilled!"

"Zu Chiru's wife is so clever!"

"Zu Chiru's children will be the greatest merchants in the world!"

Ilyshn'ish glowered at the Quagoa apprentices. Both she and Zu Chiru denied that they had such a relationship, but the other Quagoa only egged them on.

She was strong because her fur showed her to be a superior Quagoa.

If she had no interest, then why would she continue to stay close to Zu Chiru?

Ilyshn'ish considered becoming a Dragon on the spot, but it was sure to cause an even more unwelcome stir in the tunnels.

"You shouldn't wear that kind of face, dear wife," Zu Chiru chided her.

"What?"

"Merchants must strive to appear helpful and welcoming to the public," he explained. "This is what Lad–"

"No, what did you call me?"

The Quagoa merchant turned his gaze away in embarrassment.

"You said I could choose," Zu Chiru said sheepishly. "I-I think it sounds nice."

"You're going to make things worse."

"Is it truly so bad?"

"It won't work!"

"But you are very beautiful…"

"Faugh!" Ilyshn'ish threw her paws up into the air, "I swear if we weren't in the Sorcerous Kingdom, I would have eaten you already."

One of the Quagoa nearby made a lascivious growling noise. Ilyshn'ish could only shake her head. These mortals were hopeless.

Another wagon of assorted rocks trundled down towards them. The owner was a greenish-grey Troll that smelled like he had rolled through twenty kilometres of rancid mire. This meant, of course, that he had washed thoroughly before entering the city.

Zu Chiru's apprentices got to work unloading the wagon. His 'operation' was actually quite simple. People would come in with random loads of stone and Zu Chiru's apprentices would sort the cargo out. There was a service fee for their skills and labour, and Zu Chiru would negotiate a price for everything.

"Wait," Ilyshn'ish sensed something pass in front of her.

An apprentice, who was holding a handful of wet sand and gravel, stopped.

"There's something in there," Ilyshn'ish told him.

"T-there is?"

He walked over to place the ball of wet gravel onto a cloth. Two other apprentices gathered with him and they sifted around for a few seconds. Murmurs of astonishment rose into the air.

"You!" One of the apprentices turned on the first, "Is your nose broken?"

"My nose is runny!" The accused sniffed.

"Then go find a Druid to heal you!"

"B-but it costs money!"

"Fool! How can you make money if your nose doesn't work? How much of this have you thrown into the wrong pile?"

The apprentice held out her paw, revealing several metallic yellow flecks.

"Master, come see!"

Zu Chiru quickly waddled over, and his expression brightened at the sight.

"Oh…you have found gold, Mister Troll! What great fortune!"

The three-metre tall Troll dropped to his hands and knees to examine the findings.

"Huhuhuhu…"

Did he understand what he was looking at? Going by the gleam in his eyes, he did. Ilyshn'ish rolled her own: a Troll merchant – what was the world coming to?

After Zu Chiru brought a close to their business – which the Troll somehow had no problem understanding – she watched the lumbering Demihuman head off with a skip in his step.

"What does he even do with it?" Ilyshn'ish muttered.

"With what?" Zu Chiru asked.

"The money," Ilyshn'ish answered. "As far as I know, those Trolls only value food."

"They purchased tools and other useful items at first," Zu Chiru told her. "The wagon is also bought, but they are going cheaply with House Wagner's new models coming out. Aside from that, they invest their earnings."

"I-Invest? What's that."

"You do not know?"

Ilyshn'ish glared at him.

"Erm, how strange," Zu Chiru cleared his throat. "The postal offices have a banking network now, so I thought you would be aware."

"Now I'm even more lost. Speak with normal words."

Zu Chiru put away his coin purse and wiped his hands.

"It is an…an…institution – no, a place…service?"

"I know what an 'institution' is!"

"It can be dangerous and inconvenient to hold money, so they are encouraging the citizens to deposit it with the postal bank."

"Won't they need to take it out again if they want to buy something? I thought you said it's more convenient."

"It is! Every member of the postal bank is issued identification and records, and they may make purchases with them. There is no need to hold money anymore."

"But I like holding money," Ilyshn'ish pouted. "Don't tell me they're forcing everyone to do this…"

"Force?" Zu Chiru frowned back at her, "Why would they need to do this? It is clearly better than what has come before…"

Except she wouldn't be able to sleep on her hoard, or bask in its healing aura, or eat people who came to steal from it and add their treasures to her own.

"Well, whatever," Ilyshn'ish waved a hand. "You said something that sounded like 'investing'."

"Ah yes, this is the benefit. The postal service takes the deposits and uses them for profitable ventures. Mostly improving the transportation network. For keeping their money with the postal bank, members receive a small amount of interest – for every year they keep 100 coins in the bank, they earn two!"

"That's not much. I can earn more than that in an hour at the Frosty Beard."

"But it is!" Zu Chiru exclaimed, "It is profit that requires no work! You can work while your money also works. The people here…if they invest enough, they can afford to pay for everything they need through this interest alone."

"But why do that when they can just make more money?"

"A Dragon cannot understand this," Zu Chiru shook his head, "for with your age, comes strength. Most grow frail and things are not so easy as when they were young. Instead of working until they die, they can retire to enjoy their lives or pursue their own paths."

Age aside, Ilyshn'ish considered the scheme. It did truly feel like a scheme – where did they get all the money to pay people every year? Her father's entire hoard would have vanished in one or two payments to so many 'investors'.

She had just received five hundred platinum trade coins. If she left it with the postal bank, how much would she have in ten thousand years? Something wasn't right…

They continued working until the grey of the approaching dawn peeked over the city wall. While it was filled with simple tasks that naturally suited her, she wondered what it had to do with the Empire. Her thoughts turned to the dismal display of the previous evening.

"Zu Chiru."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to improve your merchant stand."

"You…you would do this for me?" Zu Chiru blinked several times, "Perhaps you should become my wife, after all."

"I'm not doing it for you," Ilyshn'ish said. "I'm doing it for me. Working such a drab stand is annoying."

"I do not think some improvements would hurt. The stand will not make loud noises or move around on its own, will it? Lady Wagner has been doing crazy things recently, and I have nightmares about her terrifying contraptions sometimes."

Ilyshn'ish didn't want to know. She had too much to think about already.

Parting ways with the Quagoa Merchant, Ilyshn'ish left E-Rantel at daybreak. She idly ascended, going down a list of improvements she could make. He wanted a tent. The lighting was bad. Did he need a new table? No, she could just cover it with some good cloth. What else would work…

A half-hour later, she arrived at the harbour of Warden's Vale. She strolled along the growing row of warehouses in her Snow Elf appearance until she came across someone she thought might be able to help.

"Jeeves."

"Good morning, Dame Verilyn!" The diminutive Skeleton Merchant swept into an elegant bow, "How may I assist you?"

"I'd like your opinion on something," she said. "Wait – why are you wandering around outside?"

"I'm the warehouse manager, so I must inspect the warehouses, no? Lady Zahradnik dislikes when I leave the safety of my office, but these two fine gentlemen will have no problems taking care of me."

Jeeves motioned towards the two Death Knights to either side of him. Lady Zahradnik was inexplicably paranoid when it came to Jeeves' safety, and Ilyshn'ish wasn't sure why.

"Is Lady Zahradnik in, by the way?"

"She is not," Jeeves shook his head. "I believe she's been in Corelyn County for the past few days. Now, what would you like to ask?"

"I'm making improvements to a merchant stand in E-Rantel," Ilyshn'ish explained, "and I'm seeking the opinions of experienced merchants."

"I see…well, let's hear it."

Jeeves took on a thoughtful pose as Ilyshn'ish described the state of Zu Chiru's stand and the modifications she proposed.

"I believe you have the right of it," he said. "Cosmetic purchases are always a surefire way to draw the attention of the masses. We have everything that you require here as well. You may want to elicit a second and third opinion, however. The locals have some unexpected tastes."

The Skeleton Merchant pointed towards the end of the row of warehouses.

"There should be a Soul Eater over there that will get you to where you need to go. Do you require assistance with anything else?"

"No, thank you. Have a good morning, Jeeves."

The wagon took ten minutes to make its way from the harbour to the plaza – a rate Ilyshn'ish felt dreadfully slow. When the city expanded to fill the island, would she be stuck having to use them? Why not have places where people could land, should they prefer flight?

Aromas of bread, fish and herbs wafted over the air as they closed on the new settlement. Ilyshn'ish hopped off of the wagon and joined the flow of villagers, heading straight to a shop that she had noticed the previous day. The plaza had more people out and about performing their morning routines and many lowered their heads respectfully as she walked by.

Chimes sounded lightly in the air as she entered a store that stood out the most to her treasure sense. It wasn't what one would call well-stocked, but it had a variety of magic items for everyday life arrayed on its shelves.

"Welcome," the man at the counter rose from his stool with a smile. "Oh, Dame Verilyn – it is an honour to have you grace our humble shop with your presence."

Ilyshn'ish smiled and nodded in return. The residents of Warden's Vale carried themselves differently from the citizens of E-Rantel. Even the proprietor of a food stand acted like they were running the best food stand in the world. She was certain that this was due to Lady Zahradnik's influence.

A rigid hierarchy that was intrinsically known by all provided societal order. Everyone appeared to understand where they fit in the grand scheme of things. It wasn't exactly based on a system of ranks – it was more that it revolved around vocation and expertise. Even Lady Zahradnik would defer to the words of a Farmer should the topic of discussion be something that they presumably knew more about.

There was a high degree of pride in one's vocation, and the people conducted themselves accordingly. The Undead had also been co-opted into this social structure, and they appeared to have no problems fitting right in.

"Do you have any magical lighting in stock?" Ilyshn'ish asked, "I need two to four."

"Two to four…" The clerk tapped his chin.

"Will that be a problem?"

"Ah, most likely not. It's just that prices have gone up in the past week."

"Why?"

"The usual reasons," the clerk offered an apologetic look. "Interest in our products remains healthy, but material components for popular enchantments are becoming increasingly scarce. The local ateliers have seemingly sucked the region dry of ruby dust."

A coincidence? Probably not.

"And the quality of the rubies doesn't matter…"

"Why yes," the clerk nodded, "they're being ground into powder, after all. How did you know?"

"I just happened to hear something about it in the city," Ilyshn'ish replied. "How are the ateliers getting their hands on rubies right now?"

"Through agents from E-Rantel's Merchant Guild. We don't have any travelling merchants of our own yet, so we're dependent upon them. I dread to know what their margins are."

Ilyshn'ish wondered how much these agents were making, as well. It seemed like a low-effort venture: they would buy low-quality rubies from unassuming vendors like Zu Chiru, then immediately turn around and ship them out for a profit.

The clerk set four crystal globes enchanted with Continual Light spells into a padded wooden case, and Ilyshn'ish went on her way. Cloth in Warden's Vale was created from the vast fields of marsh plants, so it was readily available. She found a large tent at a supply shop, then ended up purchasing a small table.

Then she bought a chair. Then a cushion for the chair. Zu Chiru complained that it was cold on the surface so she bought a blanket as well. Then a sweater. Before long, she was back in the magic item shop.

"Dame Verilyn," the clerk rose with a tentative expression. "Is something the matter?"

"Are there magic items that produce heat?"

"That seems to be the big question these days," the clerk smirked. "The people that came here early in the spring spoke of how cold it was when they arrived, so now everyone's trying to find ways to stay warm."

"Humans usually burn firewood, do they not?"

"Usually. After experiencing firsthand how much our other items save them in the long run, though, they want magical heating. Lady Zahradnik supports the idea, too. I suppose as a Ranger she doesn't like harvesting trees solely for the purpose of burning if it can be helped. It will leave soot everywhere when we grow larger, too, and no one wants that."

Less burning was always good. Though she possessed a Greater Ring of Fire Resistance, she still often instinctively reacted to a Frost Dragon's bane.

"I hear that the new alchemist has an idea of what to do," the clerk told her. "She's working with Kovalev to figure out how to best configure the product. I'm no enchanter, but I would guess they're aiming to get the new magic item out before winter."

Which meant that a cosy space for Zu Chiru would have to wait. Disappointed, Ilyshn'ish left the shop. They would just have to make do.

On the way back to E-Rantel, she stopped by one of the Lizardman villages and bought ten fish. Ilyshn'ish hummed to herself idly as she munched on her breakfast. Zu Chiru had better appreciate her efforts.