“Wait... I did get that letter saying Gilles was planning to show up soon.”
The sudden memory put a stop to his reverie.
There was a room in the tower of Arcus’s home that acted as both a library and a reception area. He sat there now, across from a young man who wore a tulip hat. He was as suspicious as they came, with his narrow, fox-like eyes and a thin smile that never seemed to leave his lips. When he spoke, he did so with sweeping, theatrical gestures, all the while taking a good look at his surroundings. No doubt he was searching for any sort of business opportunity. His name was Gilles, and he was a traveling merchant.
It wasn’t long after Arcus received his letter that Gilles turned up at the estate. His commercial spirit was as robust as ever. No sooner had Arcus shown him in than his eyes sparkled at the pull-cord Sol Glasses, and he came out with a deluge of questions about the items around the boy’s home.
They had only been speaking in the reception room for a short time when Arcus was forced to speak those ruthless words. “No deal. And that’s final.”
“Whoa, whoa, hold up a sec!” Gilles cried, springing up from the couch.
But Arcus wasn’t about to back down. He stayed seated, folding his arms and giving the merchant a hard stare. “Sorry, but I’ve made my decision.”
“Y’said y’were gonna listen to me, Arcus! What’s changed?!”
“Yeah, listen. I didn’t say I was gonna deal with you.”
“Well, sure, but...”
Arcus knew he still ought to be wary of Gilles. The merchant’s background and goals were unclear, and sometimes he said things that mystified Arcus. He doubted this man was setting him up for anything, but he was definitely the type to covertly benefit from any dealings “by accident”—the shameless type, who didn’t consider lying by omission to be dishonest. There was no such thing as being overly cautious around people like that.
“You really want to deal in the stuff I’ve made?”
“You betcha.”
“What sorts of profits would we be looking at?”
“I reckon it’d take a while before we’d find out. But I can promise y’a heckton of new connections!”
“You want me to take a loss initially? Listen, I’m new to all this stuff. You’re gonna have to explain the exact benefits having all these new connections is gonna bring. Otherwise I can’t deal.”
“Yeah, thought not...”
“And what would you gain from selling my stuff?”
“Oh, y’know. A teeny portion of the profits.”
“That’s not all though, is it?”
Gilles chuckled like he thought it constituted an answer.
“You can tell me that much, right?” Arcus pressed.
“Now, Arcus, y’gotta understand that I can’t tell y’everythin’.” The merchant grinned, but that tactic wasn’t about to work.
“All right. Deal’s off, then.”
“Grrk!”
Arcus didn’t have enough experience dealing with merchants—the only technique in his arsenal was to be a stone wall. He had to remain stubborn until his negotiating partner gave in out of frustration. There was no reason to force himself into a contract with Gilles at this very moment. It was almost relaxing to be able to put up a firm front.
“Listen, Arcus. I guarantee this’ll make you a profit.”
“Well yeah, that’s the most basic of my conditions. What kind of merchant is gonna try and offer me a deal where I lose out? I need to know how this is gonna benefit me on top of making money.”
“I can’t tell y’that till the stuff starts to sell big.”
“Forget about how much it sells. Give me some immediate benefits.”
“You’re gonna be makin’ a ton of new acquaintances, that’s for sure. The more folk y’know, the better, right? Least for nobles like yourself. They can help y’out in a pinch and stuff.”
Arcus couldn’t argue with that, especially from a noble point of view. It was quite common for nobles to create a widespread network to help protect their vested interests. The question was whether a single deal with a mere merchant could really help him foster that network. Furthermore, Arcus didn’t need so many connections at this point, so it wasn’t exactly an enticing offer for him.
Man, this is all so complicated...
His lack of experience meant he was really struggling to judge this deal. Not to mention...
I’d have to put a whole lot of trust into Gilles for this one.
When someone came to you guaranteeing a profit, common sense said they were trying to scam you. There was no such thing as a risk-free investment. Arcus could remember an encounter between the man in his dreams and an acquaintance who worked as a salesman. The salesman had offered him guaranteed work, but with the risk of a loss. As he recalled, the offer had come over a drink.
Their experiences in Rustinell meant Arcus didn’t entirely distrust Gilles—but he still wasn’t entirely comfortable with all of this.
“C’mon, you’re lookin’ at me like I’m a crook!” Gilles protested.
“But you know how fishy all of this sounds, right? I feel like you’re making it fishier on purpose.”
“Maybe I am.” Gilles smiled at him thinly.
“And that’s why I’m frowning at you.”
What on earth was this man thinking? Arcus was starting to think that he didn’t want to go through with this deal.
An impish grin rose to the merchant’s face. “Y’know, what I’m hearin’ is y’don’t have anythin’ y’think is actually gonna sell.”
“Now that’s definitely not true.” Arcus produced one of his inventions and placed it on the table. It was the kettle he had made in his workshop, a device that heated up water in an instant that had greatly impressed the group he’d shown it to.
“Whazzat?” Gilles asked.
“It boils water instantly.”
“Instantly? Y’mean...”
“Well, okay, not instantly, but it’s pretty quick. You fill it with water like this and then put it on this stand here...”
It wasn’t long until steam was emitting from the kettle’s spout.
“Wah!”
“Now you can have hot water quickly without the need to start a fire.” As he spoke, Arcus poured the water into a glass pot filled with tea leaves. Steam clouded the top part of the pot as the stream of water sent the leaves dashing this way and that. Soon, the hot water leached the color from them, leaving the liquid a reddish brown. Arcus poured the tea into a cup, from which a puff of steam and a gentle aroma rose.