"Hmmm…?" Griffin paused, intrigued.
Not now; let's get this food over with first... I can't wait for another discussion lasting an hour or two before I start eating… Liam complained inwardly with a disheartened groan.
Aria noticed his expression and permitted, "You can eat while we discuss... It's not like you're going to add anything of importance to the conversation."
Griffin's eyes flicked between the steaming plate of breakfast and Aria, his stomach growled in protest. He could almost taste the crispy fried fish, golden and flaky, paired with warm, crusty bread that beckoned him to dive in. Yet, his mind was torn, drawn to Aria's words.
"Now, listen closely," Aria began, "We have an opportunity to earn money without resorting to theft or any of our previous plan. I've discovered a new method that could provide us with what we've long yearned for."
Griffin became invested, but he couldn't shake the allure of the breakfast before him. He watched as Liam, Rayden, and Eleanor devoured their meals, the bread tearing easily in their hands, slathered with a hint of butter.
Every bite of the fried fish was a burst of flavour, rich and satisfying, mingling perfectly with the crunch of the bread. They savoured it, eyes lighting up with pleasure, while Kai remained focused on the gear he was assembling at the second workbench, oblivious to the discussion.
Aria continued, her tone became conspiratorial yet clear. "We could delve into trade—specifically, gear construction and sale. With the right materials and craftsmanship, we can create items that are in high demand. Imagine the profits, Griffin! You could earn close to 10,000 Gilas a week. In a month, that's a staggering 100,000 Gilas."
Griffin's stomach rumbled again, but his heart raced at the thought of such wealth. "And how do we acquire these materials?" he asked, trying to keep his focus on Aria.
"I wish to keep the specifics from you for now, but let's just say we obtained our current assets through a similar means," Aria replied, her eyes moved around the room, hinting at the completed gears.
"I can even promise you an advance of four days' worth of earnings for next week—6,000 Gilas."
Liam, Rayden, and Eleanor continued to munch on their breakfast, the fish was oily and tender, filling their mouths with delightful textures. They barely listened to the discussion, too engrossed in their meal. Eleanor's eyes sparkled as she finished her last bite, while Rayden wiped his hands on his trousers, indifferent to the crumbs.
The discussion progressed, Griffin found himself contemplating Aria's proposal.
Deep down, he was certain the idea stemmed from someone older, someone more logical and experienced—someone who knew the streets intimately and had traversed every bad lane.
Who brought this idea to a brighter light? And what was the mysterious 'thing' they were after that had now been found so suddenly...?
Yet, no one of such character came to mind; he didn't know anyone like that. But as for the 'thing', he had no certain thought about that.
After a moment's thought, he agreed to the plan.
Aria sent a smile his way, and gave him the go-ahead to eat; more shall be revealed for a better clarity.
....
Once they had finished their breakfast, Aria decided to show him the gears in the room. Obviously, they had obtained them through theft from the Upper District.
"You and Eleanor could be the traders, selling these gears to other mechanics, while we construct the gears," she suggested.
Griffin considered the implications of this business venture. The notion that their trade could collapse if they were at the Academy seemed quite foolish, looking at it from this new perspective.
The only way it could fail was if they invested too much to gain more for sale, leading to overstock. If they were gone for an extended period, everything might vanish, leaving them facing bankruptcy with no one to manage the operation.
However, from this perspective, it seemed like a trade that could be timed perfectly. Set to operate for a limited period, and if they stopped, there would be no losses on either side.
If Griffin could genuinely profit 100,000 Gilas in a month from this, it meant that each of them might earn a similar amount or more. Gears were a solid point of sale in the Lower District due to the concentration of mechanics in the area, and the gears they had would surely catch the interest of potential buyers.
Thus, their profit was set with a success rate of 76.7% and a failure rate of 24.3%.
Of course, he would agree to this kind of trade. He was interested in gears anyway and loved being in the trade. Though, he wasn't well-delved in its profits when sold.
Aria began to show him the completed gears on the shelves, pointing out their names as she went along.
He recognised some of them and their functions.
"Here we have the Rotary Gear," she said, gesturing to a small, circular component. "It's used to transfer motion between shafts. And over here is the Gearbox, which helps in controlling speed and torque in a machine."
Next, she led him to the second workbench, where Kai was busy assembling a particularly intricate gear. "This is the Precision Gear," she explained. "It's designed for high accuracy in machinery operations."
Griffin used his hands to swipe across his face, activating his eyes in the process. This time, it didn't hurt at all. Maybe there was something causing the pain, or perhaps it was because he was using it for the first time by his own will that it hurt last time.
The previous occasion at the Minister's mansion, it had activated without his consent and hadn't caused any discomfort. Now, activating it for the second time by himself again, he felt no pain.
He turned his gaze towards the wooden crests and saw a stack of money—Gilas—neatly arranged. He estimated the total to be around 300,000 Gilas. This was surely enough to start one of the biggest businesses in the city, and they had been saving for quite a while; that showed some good determination.
Rayden's eyes were about to meet Griffin's, but fortunately, Griffin had deactivated his eyes. Rayden only caught a faint flicker of purple in Griffin's eyes and shrugged it off, dismissing it as perhaps a hallucination.
While Aria continued discussing their plans, Griffin decided to ask if they had any customers ready for the gears, as building relationships was essential in business; trust between the merchant and the consumer was crucial.
She chuckled. "Of course, didn't that seem odd when you asked?"
"Well, it did! I expected you would have this sorted before even considering this type of trade."
Aria replied in a serious tone, "Actually, we have a booked buyer for the gear Kai is currently assembling..."
Griffin turned a curious gaze back to the gear, noticing that Kai was almost finished.
She continued, "It's going for the price of 24,000 Gilas. No tax included!"
That sounded like tax evasion. Tax evasion refers to the illegal practice of not paying taxes owed, often by not reporting income or inflating deductions. In Aria's case, selling the gear without including tax might be an attempt to avoid the accounting of such goods. Once the tax is paid, the item could be tracked, potentially revealing it as stolen.
Griffin stammered after hearing the price. "24...000 Gi...las!!!?"
She nodded in confirmation.
He looked at the gear once again, judging its small size. If this gear, with so little function, could fetch such a price, then this trade wasn't a bad business at all. Three years ago, an item like that was worth below 200 Gilas; that was why, with 3,000 Gilas, one could open a small gear store. But now, given the current economy and fluctuating prices, it was a different story. To start a small gear store now, one would need around 98,000 to 180,000 Gilas.
Luckily, they had all this expensive gear in stock, 'nicely' stolen from its actual owners.
Griffin began to calculate the profit in his head. Since they weren't purchasing the gear nor spending to maintain it, the profit was full—meaning the whole 24,000 Gilas belonged to them!
That's a significant amount! he thought, feeling a rush of excitement.
"Would you like to begin with us as the assistant sales manager alongside Eleanor?"
Please reject the offer, please, Griffin, I beg you! Reject it! — Liam and Rayden prayed intensely.
Griffin replied to Aria's question instantly, "Yes! For profit, then there's no need to drag decisions further. All we need is to be sensible about each step taken so as not to be pointed out as merchants with... you know."
Oh, shackles! [1]— Rayden and Liam.Aria smiled, undeniably happy.
"Then it's done! You can go rest at home and begin the short gig tomorrow. I will also be paying you the advance by tomorrow, Monday."
Griffin nodded.
"I have a question, Griffin..." Liam inquired. "You actually never told us what your ability was.... What is it?"
....
Griffin stood with a thoughtful expression in his alley. His hands were tucked into his pockets as he prepared to open his door.
When Liam had asked that question, Griffin had already prepared answers for queries like that.
He had replied that he couldn't comprehend his memory; he only received one related to teleportation. So, he didn't know if this was the last, meaning his ability would be teleportation, or if he might still receive more memories, meaning he would know what his magic focused on by then.
Liam responded in a suspicious tone, "Do tell us when you figure out what your magic focuses on..."
Following that, he agreed to it.
Griffin simply hid his ability from them, as he himself didn't know what it actually was, and it was also a strange kind of magic. It couldn't be considered a shadow ability, as it had another set that differed from it—Domain Creation! Shadow magic couldn't do this; whatever it might be, the two types of magic were classified as Dark magic, and that was what he knew.
He opened his door, noticing the gas lamp still on and one of his loaves of bread had been eaten, as if by an animal, with the crumbs scattered around. Water had soaked the ground.
"Uhn? What happened here? My bread is gone! My water is wasted..."
Suddenly, he heard a creaking sound, a chewing noise, and a quick hopping. A heavy weight landed suddenly on his left shoulder. He tried to shake it off, but it was just invisible.
Slowly, darkness began to cover his shoulder, then it cleared slowly, revealing the beast—a rabbit! It held a piece of cheese in its paws.
"Hello, Griffin..." it said in an ominous tone.
[1] Shackles: it is used to express annoyance or frustration, as if feeling trapped by a situation.
Example:
"I can't believe I have to work late again—shackled!"
Origin:
It is Derived from "shackle," meaning to restrain or bind, with roots in Old English sceacla.
Note:
This usage was creatively adapted to convey irritation.