Ki nodded and then continued as she showed various items within the box she was carrying. "I am quite proficient with herbs so I am adept with making various medicines, teas and wines but also brandy so I have a wide variety of high quality goods which would be popular in the capital or within this city."
In fact the brandy had yet to be a big thing in the central lands yet but that did not mean that there were not places where others would not appreciate it for its worth.
She continued as she adjusted the mask on her face. "Several of the wines, tea leaves and medicinal solutions have different effects that would be beneficial for the cold environment of the north but also help to fight off many diseases that catch many people by surprise. The central lands are more advanced and have a high supply of herbs, farms and other resources that it should be possible to improve your lives if there is a way to build a cooperative relationship."
The man who spoke up previously nodded and then responded. "Enough mystery, what are the products?"
Ki smirked and then no longer bothered to stop talking about the items. "This is the wine I have developed for the cold environment. It is a fire or heat based wine that helps to warm up your body when consumed but also is able to fight off minor signs of frostbite until you can find a way to get dried and get treated. Another more expensive wine is the qi replenishing wine which can help refresh a warriors energy that may be running out during battle. I have tea leaves that have been properly prepared and preserved that have various healthy properties and effects which also include ones for improving the heart and lungs overall health or dealing with woman's pains and troubles during pregnancy. As for the rest of my goods there are some creams, tonics and pills that will help fight off disease, deal with internal or external wounds or help with other problems…. Including things like libido or other ailments found in men and women. We also have many types of thick clothing suited for the cold weather that have been produced by skilled crafters so while some may be more practical and look the same they would be more suited for the masses to wear while other customised or higher quality goods could be made for the nobles or rich to wear."
She had many things to put forward but right now she wished to make connections and get things moving so instead of rushing into business right away and making waves within the north she would rather approach it another way.
First was introducing the products and the possibilities to those who were able to notice the positive influence and money that comes from forming a partnership.
Then next was to establish a partnership with the northern influences and begin to use their connections to move onto her next round of plans.
Alf readily raised his hand. "Like I said I am in."
As for whether everyone else within his group would agree with him then it was his problem to solve when the time came.
All he knew was that he smelled the incoming profits and benefits gained from working with Ki.
The half blooded man who spoke before seemed to be the leader of some of the other groups like himself so when he raised his hand they followed. "If the snowflake group is so eager to join then the ice pick group, ice lance group and water drop group wish to offer you our assistance, would wish to form a partnership and trade with you for any goods you have on hand for whatever you need."
However Ki caught an odd and hostile look in the eyes of one or two of the men within those that were half bloods.
As she looked at them calmly she memorised their faces and kept them noted as someone who would be difficult to work with and may behave rashly.
Just because the borders were there did not mean that others did not try to make their own trading group within the north or tried to insert an influence into the north behind the scenes.
All that was needed was to have someone enter the border and build up something there for sometime until they could be of use to the backer who remains within the central lands and has a cooperative relationship with them.
For those types of people them having another person enter into their business would be threatening and they could not just abandon their supporter to join the newcomer even if they seemed to have high potential.
They had no choice to view Ki with hostility and may even make some rash decisions because they have judged her as a threat.
Even if they were harmless Ki would still remember their faces and the place they represent so if something did go wrong she knew who was behind it.
The other half of northern pure bloods were hesitant for a while but in the end their pride did not stand in the way of the good of the northern lands as a whole so the leader spoke up. "The spotted leopard group will help assist you and we can talk and cooperate further on many other issues in the future if you can offer your assistance. So I am sure there are many others that would wish to offer their support or join with your partnership."
Although he had his arrogance and pride he still had to care about the well being of the masses above all else and he was not dumb.
He could tell from her display that Ki was a capable person who could sway people to her side and also had her own backing and abilities.
After seeing the others readily jump forward to cooperate he could not sit by and miss out on the benefits.
Ki thought for a moment and then decided. "There may be times when I may not be able to appear personally so for now I will appoint Alf as my intermediary. I will request various things through him and request various trades also but you may contact him if you have any concerns or problems you wish to voice out."
Alf was a pure blood northerner, he had some connections to the family, he was smart enough to join first and also there were no issues with him that Ki had noticed so far so he was the obvious choice to choose from that would not cause friction within the group.
If she chose someone directly from the half bloods she may have been excluded by the pure bloods but it may have been the same with the other party however Alf had already been introduced as someone she knew so nobody could fault her for that.
The leader of the group of pure blood northerners looked over at Ki and then spoke in a warmer tone of voice. "I will get in contact about the further plans you have to assist the north and also the matter of the jewellery and relics I will also hope to see a way to open up trade between us."
Ki nodded calmly. "No problem."
The room was quiet for some time until the leader stroked his long braided beard with his hand in thought and then tapped the table with his other hands finger. "It seems that this is all that we need to discuss for now so let us end the meeting here and Alf thank you for introducing this interesting guest."
Alf nodded as he looked over at Ki with glowing eyes.
The leader once more looked at Ki and then spoke in a warning tone. "It's all good to have the proposals and the products ready but we will have to wait for the end results to show themselves. I hope you do not let me down."
Ki raised her hand calmly. "Once a deal is formed between a party the deal will be followed through according to the spoken or written words of the contract. You have my word as the heir to my family which have long been known as respectable merchants. Even if you do not know of us yet you can use various means to investigate our family history."
The leader nodded and then waved his hand. "Alright everyone is dismissed for now."
After everyone had left the leader slumped back in his chair looking tired and also a little relieved at the same time.
Like most meetings that were held between the leaders of each group most of what they discussed were not very productive and nothing much came from their talks as they continued to lose out on trade and suffer more financially.
Many were on the verge of abandoning their trade and looking elsewhere to make a living while some were struggling to hold on because they held too many responsibilities.
Today was just another one of those meetings to complain, argue and despair over the current situation and nobody expected such an outcome or a helping hand from an outside influence.
Although there had been many people who held sinister intentions in the past and things did not end well the leader did not wish to let this stop them from finding someone that could be worthy of their trust.
If Ki does not disappoint them then they would gladly offer their assistance to help her grow her influence if she proves to be a positive force in the northern lands.
As for how other influences would treat her and how those with sinister intentions who were hiding their claws would act would be Ki's problem.
If she could not handle the trouble then she should not try to mix into the norths power struggles from the beginning.
He could tell from her eyes that she was not one to be easily influenced by others and scared off by threats or even death so he had no choice but to rely on her more.
Slate city had long been known as the merchant city so the merchants held the most influence within the city even above that of most of the nobles unlike how things work in the northern capital where they value one's pedigree over anything else.
All he could do now was wait and see how things play out.