Mike shook his head. "Gold won't do, especially since now we know it can be mass produced. That means that trade can't be done fairly with it as the base. Since I run the town, I can convert everyone's gold to something else, but its going to be items that can't be produced with magic. Otherwise, you could just own everything with a wave of your hand. That's not very sporting or what I intended with this outpost during my arrival." Mike stood up and blew out the remainder of his smoke, a deep cloud filled the room and leaked through the curtains like a fire was taking place.
"I get that, so.. you got plants?" Habrick was thirsty to get his hands on one.
"If you got hold of a plant, what use am I to you?" Mike smiled.
'Bastard.' Habrick's expression turned bored. "If you change your mind, I'll be at the port. What do you want for that bowl worth right there?"
"Seeing how you can make metals, what other metals can you make?" It was a good question, Mike stared at Habrick.
"Whatever you want really, its pretty easy to make metals." Habrick pointed his finger and started to produce metals of various colors, dozens of ingots fell to the floor. "Metals, I got a friend who can make muds, another who controls air, Tobawn controls Electricity and Jasmine, she's been able to fly or create objects that float.. mages are versatile like that, just depends on who you meet."
Feeling Habrick's sincerity, Mike passed the bowl over in exchange. "These will do for today. I will have to think about what you have said."
"Its okay, I think I understand.. sort of. In the Empire, we use bartering and contribution points. Anything cool or powerful can be traded either to the Empire for Contribution points or to fellow traders, there really is a lot that is unobtainable. You probably did the right thing by denying my purchase of a plant, you're right, once I had it in my possession, what use would I have for outside prospective or concern. Damn. Its a little bit sad, but I get it. If you don't control it, what's the point." Habrick looked at mike with a bit of humility but Mike's attitude took a sharp left turn.
"I don't want to control it, no one should control it. However, I am not ready to release it to the world. Not until I know they won't 'EVER' contain it, will I let it come out. I won't let it happen in this world, manipulation and lies, I'm so sick of it. This plant belongs to everyone, its a cure, a damned good one too now that we're here. This world, something is strange about it. Ever since I arrived, I've gone through changes myself." Mike rotated his wrist and showed the color of his skin. "Not that I mind, but its definitely mysterious. Speaking of which, How did you get here?! I was driving and then found myself here a few years ago."
"Wait, so you.." Habrick smiled and laughed, it became a bit loud and offensive. "You.." He kept laughing until Mike's expression got serious. "Okay, Okay... So.. You don't know. Now It all makes sense. You didn't come with us. The Esper Emperor.. he.. He fucking rocked Earth, you don't remember any of that?"
Mike shook his head no, "I wasn't even aware there was an Emperor. Wait, What?" As if caught further off Guard, Mike lit the dab rig again. "Okay, tell me everything." He fumbled through the storage ring and brought out a small jar, there were about three ounces of Concentrate inside, he passed it over to Habrick.
"Okay, I'll tell you...So its like this..." Habrick was the only one who hadn't passed out in the VIP room while Mike listened to what he had to say.
The evening turned late and it was too late for the others to return to their ship, none of the ferry services would drag them into the boats either. Mike was forced to leave them in Vella's Care. She brought them to the extra bedrooms and had the guard lean against the door, when morning came they wouldn't have to look for answers.
"Habrick, you tell me such wonderful news. This means that I've gotten a head start, I'm way ahead of the Espers? Am I saying that right?" Habrick nodded to confirm and Mike couldn't conceal his excitement. His wing's burst out of his shirt. "Shit. Sorry."
Habrick laughed again and took another shot. "No problem, I haven't seen that happen in a while." his comment helped alleviate Mike's inner torture and then he asked, "So What are you really doing here? I've told you mine."
'Is he charmed?' Mike wondered if he was doing it by accident and stood up. "Honestly, The details of how are a mystery. I was driving and found myself surrounded by trees, almost wrecked my truck. Ahh, my truck.. I miss my truck."
"Did you wreck it or something?" ..
"Nope, its in my Ring but we don't have any roads outside of the City and I don't have replacement parts." Mike frowned while he reminisced.
"I like this song." Habrick heard the radio kick on for the cleaning crew during the night.
"Yeah, my Alternator is in use too. To tell you the truth, I'm just holding on to it as a keepsake. Now that I can fly there is little use for a ground vehicle. Anyways, the prince loved my Cannabis so he made me into the State Alchemist, I was second only to the Royal Family and the ruling Prince himself. Someone outside the country conspired and tried to kill me, for my plants.."
"That's why you're so guarded about them. I get it, I won't ask again but I want to get in on the ground floor. We make this trade route every few years, its been five years since we came through but Now that this port is here, we can have a ship come by every three months." Habrick picked up two shot glasses and poured some whiskey. "So, what do you say? Can I secure your stockpile quarterly? We can trade in precious herbs and materials if you're worried about counterfeit gold and metals. Though, the strength and consistency of conjured metals is somewhat variant on the Mage or Esper, its not like they aren't the actual thing. It just doesn't require effort." Habrick shrugged, having been called a cheat at a Casino in another World. He had dealt with plenty of strange occurrences and his adventures were bound to continue.
Mike thought about it for a few seconds and raised the glass. "I can promise only that which I have on hand and if the season isn't fruitful, I won't have a lot to sell. Additionally, I will never sell the seeds, my methods or the plants. If you can agree to those terms.." Mike was about to continue when Habrick clanked his glass against Mike's.
"Then its a deal." Habrick swallowed the shot and slammed the glass against the countertop. 'Whooe' "I've got lots of goods you can mull over to trade this time, but I will have all our ships head to this port during regular routes from now on. This should make up for the trade earlier."
"That's agreeable, however, you should also realize that possession of high value items is what started my exile to this place. The region to the Northwest around the continent, its ruled by several different kingdoms and all of them have problems with each other." Mike had words of caution.
Habrick wasn't willing to reveal national secrets but he did respond. "We know of the other kingdoms to varying degrees. I will take your advisement but we don't have to worry, the Emperor has given us all solace while fighting against enemies, if they threaten us, we will not be hesitant. If war comes, the dispatch of the Empire's forces could very quickly level a nation. Warfare is easy, its public image that's hard to change.. that's the huge lesson from our past lives. Murder, its just a pretext, that and slavery is outlawed within the Empire's reach. Almost everything else does go but Rapists are publicly executed for their crimes."
'I'm starting to like this Emperor' Mike thought. Shrugging and nodding his head, Mike realized the time. "I have an early morning, send your attache to the offices here, they will have a means to contact me."
"Don't worry about it, here." Habrick handed Mike a communication stone. "These work like burner phones, a few words and they get broken. Its fast and we can always reach you if its not stuffed into a storage ring.
Mike looked at it and stuffed it into his pocket.
"You can sleep in that other room, its open. When your men awaken, please make sure they don't cause problems with the girls. Vella won't allow it.
"That chick is hot, like.. fires of hell hot, where did you meet her?" Habrick smiled and hinted at being aroused.
Mike Shook his head. "Its a much longer story and I don't have all the Details, but yea.. I know right, smokin." Closing the door, he headed to the room. The girls were passed out on the bed, Vella was at the center with her wings curled around them all. 'Not much has really changed, but everything's changed.' His hands radiated a strange energy, it was green like the Titan's power conduit. "I wonder what I'll become in the future... a King, a Killer?" Vella stirred as he spoke and Mike calmed down, stripped of his clothes and crawled into bed.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
The three months went by very quickly and soon, ships were arriving regularly from Greensong and the Dragon Nation. Mike could see the differences in the residents very quickly. Most of those who lived in town rented via contract, the rent was determined individually and commerce had taken a plunge since the Esper's had arrived. With the absolute and abundance of materials that could be conjured, a lot of trade in heavy and smaller materials was wiped out. The good news for Mike, was that the trade of rare herbs and medicines had reached an all time high.
Plants and materials that couldn't be replicated became the new currency but determining values was delicate and frustrating for many. Trade sometimes came down to who could yell the most, it was always a contest. The Casino was forced to become a pawn shop, where items could be traded for gambling chips or redeemed with winnings. The games never ceased, just the nature of the stakes.
Mike enjoyed his heavy rake for a time and then, when his garden received its second payment during the six month exchange, he handed 90% of the control to Rissa. The remaining would be put aside for him to collect later.
The Orneans had entered into a trading agreement with the Empire but kept their national allegiance only to the King and Church. The Poocha Capital of Rawlf, seated by the Queen and Prince Troeg had also come to a tacit agreement with the Orneans, who had managed to gain control of the lands surrounding their small kingdom. Of course, Mike didn't get this information from Habrick but the many drunk officers who frequented the Casino. A large stockpile of objects from the other kingdoms started to fill the storage rings in Mike's collection.
The farmland outside of town had several dozen rows of cannabis plants growing underneath a sonic shield and isolation formation. It was mostly invisible from above and the average intruder would find it hard to enter. Mike posted guards and hoped for a bountiful crop. The average plant height in the Mother Plants inside the Titan throne room were several meters tall, cloning became easy.
Mike enlisted Vella and the Poocha troop to help, in his eyes, they needed to learn the business of farming large scale.
"Okay, I'm going to teach you how to grow.. From start to finish.. Don't disappoint me." Mike's look gave them all goosebumps and they all stood at attention.
"Okay. First step, you will learn how to sex a seed." Mike spoke and the girls giggled, he facepalmed.