Nggghhh~ I felt like I had a horrible sleep. It's probably because I'm excited for the shipment. Welp. It can't be helped, I suppose. I have indeed been mulling over this deal for a whole week now. Opening my chest, I began to pour Silver Coins into three empty Candy buckets. After finishing, I think I have secured around a third of my Silver Coins. I ain't ever did this before, no. Supplying out a whole clothes store… I'm now singing a tune from earth as I fly through my Throne Room towards the Kitchen. While passing, I noticed that Weeping Angel was standing next to one of the hollow sets of armor which visually adorn the Throne Room. I feel like I should be used to seeing my Clansmen wandering around the Wailing Keep, but every time I see one of them minding their own business when I turn a corner… I feel like it's that one moment in Shr*k where he opened his bathtub curtains to find the Wolf. It's like that.
Arriving into the Kitchen, it seems that Mobbin Village Keef Sama is cooking up a platter of Fish. It's been awhile since he woke up before me. Taking the time, I decided to launch into a conversation with my good ol' pal and help him with the Fish. He was reminiscing about his golden age. Apparently, Mobbin Village Keef Sama actually did have a spouse and child at one point. His child was a Tier 3 Goblin, but was still growing up. Before he could do so, there was an army which marched through the Lost Kingdom and claimed the lives of both. Ouch. He wishes that his child could have lived to see this. Me too. After giving Mobbin Village Keef Sama a hug, we finished cooking the meal and served it in the Dining Hall. I had a Crow go wake everyone up, and they emerged from the depths of my basement for our nightly meet and feast.
The whole gang is up and about now, and the band is currently performing on the side of the Dining Hall. I guess the room is large enough to fit their ensemble. Huh. Thankfully, as the night is still young; they're playing a more soothing melody. It's focusing more on the Weeping Angels voice than Mr Scarecrows, so the entire song is almost enthralling. Truly, I must praise my Bandsmen. They've got talent. They know just what songs to play depending on the time of night. After eating my fill and basking in the idle conversations filling the table, I decided that I should get to the Beastkin Kingdom early and ensure that I can find a carriage or wagon of sorts.
Yosh! Offering my arm to Cetilla, she took it most happily as she knew that this means I'd be doing something. As this deal is something unrelated to the Monster Knights, only my Clansmen and Party can really take part in it. Cetilla already met with Clive when I first made the deal, so she's already in the loop on the deal. She just doesn't know how I'm intending to pull it off. Well, it can't be helped. After all, even I did not know how I was going to pull it off until just last night. Before leaving, I made sure to inform the table that I was going to the Beastkin Kingdom tonight to enclose my shipment deal. Closing my [Hallowed Gate], I grabbed my Broom and we set off.
Flying to the Beastkin Kingdom was uneventful. I had a chance to catch a glimpse of the ecosystem in the Lost Kingdom quite briefly, but the flat grass lands surrounding the Beastkin Kingdom generally don't have any monsters to watch. It was boring~ Immediately after passing over the border, I was able to see that some of the farmers had begun constructing new houses while others had planted new mushrooms. There aren't any Crows around ravaging the fields, so I guess that they regained their spirit. It's fine as long as they don't enslave Scarecrows again.
When we arrived at the city of Reygid, I asked Cetilla if she knew of any carriage or wagon lending businesses in the city. She did not. She did however know that her parents owned many carriages within the city of Reygid and offered that we ask them. It's not a bad idea, so I decided to take it. Cetilla's a noble in this Kingdom, even if she's been missing for a week or two. After all, it's not strange for a top rate Sorceress to go off on an adventure. Cetilla pointed me in the direction of her family home and on arrival, I'm quite impressed. It's one of the higher end homes built on one of the larger farms in the Kingdom. It isn't built out of wood at all though, it's all stone and kind of extravagant. It probably doesn't beat my home, though. My home is exclusive, after all. You won't find carpet as high quality as mine, bro.
Cetilla took me to meet with her Father, who looks more Beast than man. He's a Cat person, with tabby fur the same as Cetilla. His eyes are a darker shade of blue, though. Maybe Cetilla has her mothers eyes? It wasn't important, so I decided to neglect the thought and began the deal. Laying down my three buckets of Silver onto a table in front of her Father, I began to negotiate.
"Hello, my name is Nero. I'm a travelling Cat who is currently associated with your kind daughter, Cetilla. It's a pleasure to meet you." [Nero] said while removing his hood and glasses before extending an open hand.
"Greetings, my name is Roy. Cetilla's off playing games again? To what do I owe the pleasure?" [Roy] asked while accepting the open hand into a shake.
"I happen to be here on business tonight. I'm in need of renting a carriage. I have brought these Coins here with me for that very purpose. Cetilla mentioned that you would likely have carriages capable of renting out for a few hours, so I thought it best to try asking you." [Nero] said with a smile.
"Well, I do have carriages. Even so, that amount of Silver is far too much for just one carriage at a few hours. Did you intend on renting several?" [Roy] asked, seemingly confused.
"I must confess. I had no idea of the common rates for renting carriages, so I felt the need to overcompensate. I don't believe this sum would allot me just one carriage either, but I wanted to come prepared. Just how many Coins will it require for one carriage? I don't need a horse to pull it." [Nero] inquired.
"If it's only a few hours of the night, I'm sure that I can spare a carriage for a measly 50 Silver Coins as you have no need for anything to pull it." [Roy] answered while twisting his whiskers.
"Very well, I find the price acceptable. I'll begin counting out your Silver for you now, if that's alright." [Nero]
"Yes, that will be fine. I'll arrange for a carriage to be awaiting you from the front of our home." [Roy] answered.
And with that, Cetilla and Roy began to have their own conversation while I counted Coins. It was only 50, so counting took me around a minute or two. I was honestly expecting to pay at least double, but it's probably because I don't need help carrying the carriage. Turns out, 50 Coins is a bit over half of a bucket of Coins. I'm beginning to think that my estimate on the total Coins earned from bandits was shy. With my 112 STR, I could probably pull it by hand if I'm being honest; but it would look strange to see a small child pulling a massive carriage. After sealing the deal, Cetilla and I took our leave.
Arriving at the Beach, Cetilla seemed somewhat confused but understood after I summoned the [Hallowed Gate]. Yep. I began by asking my Clansmen to begin hauling the pile of level 3 clothes first. I decided to carry this shipment out in multiple hauls. I have a lot of clothes to send, and I need to keep them organized by their efficiency. So, this is my only option. Maybe I should have requested more carriages after all. Oh well~ It only took around 5 minutes for the pile of level 3 clothes to be placed in the carriage. Looking at it, I think around half of the carriage is full. So, I decided to have my Clansmen also bring in the pile of level 4 clothes. We'll just keep them separate within the carriage. No big deal. After finishing, I had Mr Scarecrow pull the carriage with his 160 STR while I told my other Clansmen to guard the Hallowed Gate and Wailing Keep. The carriage is moving at a fine speed of 24 AGI.
There's a spot for someone to ride in the front of the carriage, so Cetilla and I are watching Mr Scarecrow run. Reaching Clive's establishment from the Beach took us around 45 minutes. Jeez! This is going to take all night! Okay. On arrival, I had Mr Scarecrow stay and protect the carriage while I went inside with Cetilla to meet Clive. We were greeted by his workers, but they honestly didn't recognize us. Oh well~ I've only been here once before, so it's fine. After explaining to the workers that I'm here to drop off a shipment of clothing and accessories tonight, it would appear that they were at least briefed on the events of the evening beforehand. Good! After explaining who I am, Clive appeared and asked for instructions regarding the receiving of the shipment.
"So, this evening I will be making several trips here with my product. Currently, I have a carriage outside holding what I would call level 3 or level 4 pieces. They will be the least valuable pieces of which I am dropping off tonight, however they will still be more valuable than the pieces of which I dropped off last time. Previously, I gave what I would call level 1 pieces. For this evening, I will be supplying up to level 10 pieces. This means that we will need to keep all of the product separate. In the back half of the carriage are level 4 pieces, while in the front half are level 3 pieces. When taking the pieces, please ensure that you store them appropriately according to their level. If you are unsure of the quality for a piece, please just place them in a different pile for me to handle later. We can call it the mystery pile." [Nero] stated happily.
"You've heard the boy, get to work everyone!" [Clive] commanded his staff before turning to Nero and continuing.
"The last shipment was a massive success, but I have not sold off all of the product yet. I'm sure that they will continue to sell, but this increase in value for the new shipment is sure to increase our rate of sales. I've taken the liberty of preparing my ledger for the last week involving any products sold by the Cats Costumery Clothing Brand, as well as the costs of running this business. Please take a look." [Clive] finished while passing a set of pages to Nero.
Looking at the pages, thankfully [Language Comprehension] is in full swing. Okay~ It seems that of the 128 pieces of clothes supplied last time, 67 have sold. Each piece sold for 30 Silver, making up a total of 2010 Silver. Deducting the costs of managing the establishment brings us down to 1435 Silver Coins, leaving me with a total of 717 Silver Coins as profit. Clive has 7 workers if I count correctly, so it feels somewhat unreasonable to think that in a week he would pay them all a total of 575 Silver Coins. I think he might be underpaying his workers. I agreed previously to handle any and all expenses for running this establishment if he accepted my endorsement, and I honestly don't mind paying more.
"On a weekly basis, you pay all of your staff a total of 575 Silver Coins? That's all?" [Nero] asked, perplexed.
"Yes. My employees live within this establishment, so their pay is reduced based on that aspect." [Clive] explained matter of factly.
"Even so, a measly 82 Silver Coins per person to survive a full 7 days with a full stomach does not seem appropriate. Are you certain that they are all properly fed and happy?" [Nero] asked.
"I can assure you that 82 Silver is adequate for procuring low end food within the Beastkin Kingdom. While it is lower quality, they can procure more of it for the price." [Clive] admitted.
"I'm not convinced. You there, yes. How do you feel surviving off of 82 Silver per week? Do you ever feel hungry during the day?" [Nero] stated before beginning to talk to one of the employees.
"I'm happy with my pay, but I get hungry between breakfast and dinner..." [Clive's Staff #1] said as if embarrassed.
"As I thought. Clive, I would like to raise the pay of the workers in this establishment. I want each of them being paid no less than 120 Silver Coins per week, and I'm willing to readjust the ledgers in lieu of that. Not only that, but I would also like to formally request that the workers receive time in the middle of the day to go off and have an additional meal. They need three meals a day, not two. The shipment coming in tonight will no doubt be capable of earning this establishment much more than quadruple what it is currently bringing in, as the best product coming in now is 10 times better than the product previously sold. Happier workers will result in more encouraged workers, willing to work harder to earn more money for the company. I think it's a worthwhile investment. What do you think?" [Nero] asked while laying it all out.
"I'm fine with giving time to allow an additional meal per day, but what you're proposing is paying the workers more than the actual profits. After the actual profits are given, we still need to split them two ways. Are you sure that you're willing to earn less than half of the 7 combined workers?" [Clive] asked as if the entire idea were preposterous.
"I'm absolutely certain. Honestly speaking, the profits from last week are nothing to me. They were just child's play. This week is much more important, and will actually result in way more Coin to throw around. Even if you think that the drastic raise in wages now is extremely expensive, I can assure you that the numbers will re-balance into our favor over time. Last time, we were serving the market of commoners who wanted to wear nicely made clothes or nobles looking for the latest trend in fashion. This week, we're catering more to adventurers of varying calibers who want lightweight yet effective armor. We can also now serve wealthy nobles aiming to have the best in hopes of one day attaining vaster power. We no longer only serve fashion. Believe me when I say, these clothes can't be obtained anywhere else. You can decide the price of them. The level 3 clothes can be regarded as three times more valuable than the previous wares, so it makes sense to raise the price accordingly." [Nero] stated while looking determined.
"Very well. I'll adjust the ledgers while you prepare the next trip of cargo." [Clive] sighed while resigning.
Well, during my conversation with Clive; it would seem that the staff had finished unloading the cargo. They're all looking at me as if I'm some kind of god to be worshiped. I promise that I'm just a travelling Cat! Returning to my carriage, I had Mr Scarecrow bring it back to the Beach. Returning only took half the time compared to reaching Clive's, so it must be related to weight.
After getting to the Beach, I had my Clansmen carry the level 5 clothes and store them into the front half of the carriage. The back half was saved for level 6 clothes. Thankfully, the two piles fit well, and loading them only required around 5 minutes. With this, we began to carry them to Clive's store. Once again, the journey took us around 45 minutes. At this rate, this whole shipment will have taken around 5~6 hours by the time that we're finished. That's if you count meeting with Roy, and travelling to and from the Beastkin Kingdom in the first place. Now that I think about it, I can totally just travel back to the Lost Kingdom instantaneously with my Hallowed Gate and close it behind me. That should save some time. Woah. I'm starting to feel like some kind of badass. Look at me, leaving via portal~
After arriving at Clive's, I walked in and immediately told the staff that level 6 clothes are in the back half while level 5 clothes are in the front half. They understood the task and promptly carried it out. It only took around 10 minutes, and I didn't need to talk to Clive this time. Returning back with the Carriage took 20 minutes, and we did it all over again. This time, level 7 clothes are in the front half while level 8 clothes are in the back half. It's starting to feel tedious, but I signed up for this. It's worth it! I wish I could just have Mr Scarecrow walk the Carriage by himself to be honest. It would look too suspicious to see a master-less Scarecrow walking a Carriage though. What would the people think?! What would they say?!
Arriving at Clive's, I repeated the monotonous task of explaining the new sets of piles and was able to recommence the shipment after around 8 minutes. They might have been faster, or maybe there was just less product. It's fine. After finally returning to the Beach and having my Clansmen load up the carriage having level 9 clothes in the front half and level 10 clothes in the back half, I was successfully able to complete the shipment without needing to make an additional trip. Yosh! While here, I quickly stopped in at the Wailing Keep through the Hollowed Gate combo portal. I went to drop off my excess Silver Coins so that I could carry the payment from Clive. I also made sure to take a few extra empty Candy Buckets, so I have 7 with me now. I've been collecting them in a corner of the Treasure Room. They're kind of handy, okay?!
When I returned to Clive's for my final time, after explaining the final shipment to the Staff; I went to go see Clive regarding my payment. Receiving the payment went off without any hitches, and I received 585 Silver Coins from the ordeal. Afterwards, I had one of his staff lead me to where all of the supplies had been stored so that I could figure out which pieces were thrown into the mystery pile. On arrival, there were around 20 pieces in the mystery pile. I needed to strip down and check their stats. I was still wearing my swim shorts the entire time, so none of the staff got to see too much skin. This is not that kind of establishment!
Taking my leave from Clive's, I feel incredibly exhausted. This was a long night for me, I feel. Even though the night is still only about halfway over, it felt like a lot of work. Cetilla looks just about as exhausted as I do. Yeah, this adventure wasn't very fun to be frank. I'm currently riding in the carriage with Cetilla while having Mr Scarecrow pull it back to Roy's ranch. Reaching Roy's took around 15 minutes via carriage. When we arrived, I made sure to greet Roy and inform him that we had returned his carriage, but according to a maid… He has already resigned for the night. I suppose just leaving the carriage here will need to suffice. I told the maid to inform him that I gave him my best regards and left toward the Beach.
Flying to the Beach only took me a few minutes because I sped through it. I'm fed up with the slow pace of travelling via carriage. Even if I fly slowly to conserve MP, I still dont mind it because the view and comfortability of smoothly soaring through the air. I don't know how Cetilla was dealing with it up until I met her. That was torment. The bumps on the roads paired with the overall slow movement of the carriage is just unbearable. A rolling nightmare.
After walking through my Hallowed Gate, Cetilla looked as if she were happy to be home. Oi! We aren't even at the Wailing Keep yet! Returning through the Combo Gate in the Wailing Keep with the reluctant Cetilla, I closed off my Hallowed Gate in the Beastkin Kingdom and made my way towards the fireplace. On arrival, Cyclozard and Cloaked Hunk #wassup are having a deep conversation. Apparently Cloaked Hunk #wassup has a thing for one of the local Goblinas but can't work the courage up to talk to her. I'm steadily munching on Fish while I watch the conversation go on. Seeing as how Cyclozard confronted Cetilla and is still happy even without Cetilla, I guess Cloaked Hunk #wassup is thinking that Cyclozard might have some encouraging words to help him work up the nerve.
Cyclozard's not necessarily a ladies man or anything, but if I think about it; I haven't met a ladies man yet in this world. Maybe TempCat counted as a ladies man? Definitely. There are probably plenty of ladies men in the Goblin Village among the Tier 2 Goblins, so why ask the One-Eyed Lizard who is the only one of his kind? Does Cloaked Hunk #wassup not have very many friends among the Goblins? He's always helping out the Mobbin Village Keef Sama, so maybe that's why? He just doesn't have time to socialize with other Goblins, and Cyclozard happens to be stationed around the same area?
Actually, Cloaked Hunk #wassup and Goblin Hunk both don't really seem to have much to do in order to protect the Mobbin Village Keef Sama, but they claim that they're producing haki to protect the Village and that's why they can't just leave the Village to get stronger. They say that, but can't they totally just go and leave the Village during the night to train? I mean, I'm here and awake at night. My Clansmen produce way more haki than the Goblin trio. It should be fine at night, no? They should be trying to gain strength, no? I guess I'll lose if I think about it.
I decided to leave those two to their conversation and get an early night sleep. I want to go spend my Coins on Candy, but the Candy Store in the Beastkin Kingdom is only ever open during the daytime. I need to wake up early, for once. After making my way back to my Treasure Room, I realized that I would need to give up on attaining my [Daily Candy] the next night if I hoped to happily gain real Candy tomorrow morning. This sucks! I can't just show up to the Candy man while dead tired because I stayed up all night, can I?! Ughhh!!! I want my visit to the Candy man to be a special occasion where I go while not physically exhausted; but I also can't play around with [Daily Candy]. It's my lifeline ability, more than anything else! Steeling my resolve, I decided to ask a Crow to come wake me up before dawn. Yosh! Goodnight!