Leaving the village Lesker had spent so much time in was tearjerking for him. He was grateful for the kind treatment he was given and how much he was accepted. All the experiences he had gathered and everything he had been through, he cherished it.
But, he had to move foward. Ever since waking up on that mountain, he knew he couldn't sit still for long. He had to find something and for that, he had to move foward.
The cart they had was in three sections. The rear cart was the one containing their luggage, the middle is where they would stay and the front is where the cart is driven. The cart was operated by a complex mechanism made up of various spells and magix circles. Those were powered by an Imagi stone.
It was a shiny white stone inserted in the middle of the mechanism to make it work. It is charged by the sun so it works in the night, for a few hours. It was a convenient means of travel. The three adults would take turns driving the cart.
The road leading out of the village to the nearby city was a straightforward one. It was a bumpy ride but it was hard to feel it with the complex magix circles on the cart.
It would take them a few hours to get to the city. The drive was much safer because of the combined auras of the two Mage Masters. The drive was nearly silent, with Yuli being asleep all the way, Ilan driving, Lesker sorting through the goods he had and Quella meditating.
They reached the city by the time the sun was setting. They lodged at a nearby Inn and parked the cart in a public garage, greasing the palms of the garage boy to keep their cart safe. They spent the night uneventfully. Soon, night made way into morning.
Early that morning, they roused from sleep, freshened themselves up and went down for breakfast. After their quick breakfast of fresh bread and bacon, they left for the Merchant Association to get Lesker's license verified with the permit from the Liege Lord's office.
While Lesker and Ilan went to the Merchant Association, Yuli and Quella went to the trading square to find the most suitable place to set up their stall. They also went to survey the competition.
After a few hours, they all met up back at the inn.
"How was it on your end?" Quella asked the two men.
"It was hectic and stressful but I got the Merchant badge as a proof of my verification. My name is on their system and I've paid the dues for this year. Honestly, it's because of the old man's effort that this was easier than it's supposed to be. How about you two?" Lesker responded.
"Well, there aren't a lot of book merchants, probably one or two. We can make profit by selling to libraries or the academy here. Another thing we have to put into consideration is the types of books being sold.
The other book merchants had varieties of books that they sold and it wasn't limited to a particular genre. We have to do something to stand out or we might end up just making a few sales by the time we leave this city" Quella explained.
"What about magix books? Are they being sold?" Lesker inquired after a short pause.
"Well....." Quella and Ilan glanced at each other.
"Magix books are valuable not because they are rare but because they contain knowledge and sometimes, even magix. The most common you'll see out there is a book to help unbudded. Those ones are given to help children. From that upwards, they are harder to find outside and sometimes, even prohibited to be sold. So, they are kept in organizations, clans, academies and public libraries. If you want to see magix books, you have to do it through a backdoor or sell directly to a library" Quella replied.
Lesker deflated like a popped balloon. Taking on the job like that, he never knew it was going to be as hard as that.
"Lesker, what about those writings you do everytime you get the chance? They are more detailed than any instruction book I've ever seen. Why don't you try selling those?" Ilan suggested.
"Hmm, I don't know...." Lesker replied reluctantly.
"May I see them?" Quella asked. Lesker let out sound of agreement and brought those books to her. She spent her time perusing them, nodding in approval.
"Your work was grossly undermined Mr. Lesker. It is excellent. We shall print them enmass and sell. The cover would also have to be good and we need to have an isigna of some sort" she praised excitedly.
"I'm glad you approve of them Miss Quella. Although it is a good idea, how do we get people to come and buy them?" Lesker said, throwing them back into silence. There was a longer pause this time as all of them were racking their brains for ideas.
"Erm, why don't we advertise?" Yuli said, speaking up for the first time. They all turned to him, thought for a bit and it clicked in their heads.
"That is a great idea Yuli. We just need to think of ways to attract people through advertisement. I'm going to spend the next few days working on the books. Ilan, you'll work on setting up a stall where Miss Quella and Yuli have chosen. Miss Quella and Yuli would be in charge of our advertisement. Alright everyone, let's get to work" Lesker declared.