"So, are we leaving for Veridia tomorrow, my Lord?" Anya asked.
"I really wish so," Lorian said, shaking his head, "Solara is suffocating me. I want to go back home."
Anya smiled softly. The way he said it made him sound less like a city lord and more like a homesick boy wanting his family, "Well, why don't we go shopping? We haven't done any since we got here."
"What special thing are we going to find in this boring af city that we don't have at home?" Lorian sighed, sounding annoyed, "The food is meh, and the ale is yuck. The only thing I actually want to buy are magic scrolls, and there's an embargo on those. You can't even get them on the open market."
As soon as he said it, he felt a bit guilty. He assumed she just wanted a normal shopping trip and had brushed her off.
Then a thought hit him. He hadn't checked out Solara's market yet. He decided to use a few of his stored boons to get a feel for the local trade. Azal'Gul had warned him not to waste his boons on whims, but Lorian figured a few low-level tricks wouldn't hurt. He manifested his stored boons, preserved with help of his Potion of Preserve. To his disappointment, most of them had expired and dissipated into air as soon as they appeared . The potion could only keep them fresh for a month, and most were older than that.
Only a handful of Tier 1 and Tier 2 boons were left, and they were fading fast. Lorian pulled out a Tier 1 boon called Market Whisper, just to satisfy his curiosity. It would let him track sudden shifts in prices, demand, and goods across the Solarian markets for the next two hours.
He asked Anya to join him, with six Throne Guards following close behind.
Just as Lorian expected, Solara's market was as dull as the rest of the city. There was no real noise, no haggling, no life- just people trading like clockwork dolls.
Anya, however, wasn't looking to buy trinkets. She was scanning the stalls for real trade opportunities, looking for goods Veridia could import to get rich. Lorian watched her and felt a bit foolish. He had misread her entirely, assuming she just wanted a standard shopping spree while she was actually scouting business.
Thanks to Market Whisper, Lorian picked up on a few hidden trends, like a rising demand for animal hides that Veridia could easily supply. When he pointed it out, Anya looked at him with clear respect.
After a while, Lorian wanted to check out the black market. Anya didn't object. While it was hidden from ordinary visitors, someone as resourceful as Anya Vespar had no trouble sniffing it out.
The black market was a sharp contrast to the rest of the city- as it was actually bustling with life. Lorian kept an eye out for magic scrolls, but instead, his market sense tingled as the lingering effect of Market Whisper kicked in. He caught a distinct economic tremor- a massive, sudden wave of orders was about to hit for high-grade binding salts and blank vellum.
Lorian stopped dead in his tracks. This wasn't normal.
Under normal rules, those specific items were heavily restricted. Solara rationed every single sheet of pristine vellum and every ounce of pure binding salt through strict guild channels and university labs. Every drop was logged, taxed, and handed only to licensed scribes.
The sheer volume being bought up meant someone wasn't just casually practicing magic in their basement. They were setting up for mass production. And because these exact components were the core ingredients for high-tier combat scrolls, whoever was buying them was operating entirely outside the law, hiding from state watchdogs. To take a risk that big meant they were desperate.
Lorian thought for a moment and put a plan together.
He turned back toward the Velvet Astrolabe. Anya assumed he was just tired of the market and wanted a drink at his favorite tavern. When they walked in, the manager automatically moved to clear the other patrons out, following the usual rule for Lord Lorian Thorne. But Lorian waved him off.
"No need to bother them," Lorian said, "Just find us a private room. We need to talk business."
The manager's eyes lit up at the chance to deal with the Lord of Veridia. He personally led Lorian and his guards to a VIP lounge hidden deep in the back. These rooms were usually used by wealthy elites for late-night vices, and several young women were waiting inside to entertain guests.
Lorian wasn't in the mood for distractions. He looked at his guards, who respectfully shook their heads in denial- they were on duty and wouldn't indulge while guarding their lord. Lorian tossed a generous pouch of coin to the women instead.
"Take the night off," Lorian told them, "Go use the next lounge over and enjoy yourselves as regular guests for once."
The women stared at him in disbelief, bowing repeatedly before hurrying off to the adjoining rooms. Lorian didn't do it just out of kindness; it cleared the area so no one else could hang around to eavesdrop. Anya watched quietly, trying to find the logic behind his moves.
A moment later, the manager came back carrying drinks and food by himself.
Lorian smiled and motioned for him to sit down across the table. In a calm, casual voice, he asked, "Do you want to get rich?"
The question was so sudden that the men in the room forgot to blink for a while.
The manager took a second to process it, then grinned, "Yes, of course, my lord."
Lorian leaned in, his eyes locked onto the man's, "Let me warn you man. It is going to be a dangerous one. It could not only cost you everything you have built and but also ruin your future."
"I wouldn't be sitting here talking to the Lord of Veridia if I hadn't taken risks," the manager replied firmly, "I built everything from scratch. I can do it again, and again, and…. again. Tell me how I can help, my lord."
"Buy up every single sheet of blank vellum and every ounce of binding salt on the black market right now," Lorian said coldly, shocking everyone in the room, "I will buy the whole lot from you at a twenty-five percent markup, and I will cover all shipping costs back to Veridia."
Both materials were already expensive, and black-market prices were worse. A twenty-five percent markup on a bulk order like that meant a massive flow of cash. Anya still couldn't figure out where Lorian was going with this.
The manager didn't flinch. He narrowed his eyes, running the numbers in back of his mind, "A twenty-five percent profit is huge, but it's going to take a heavy line of credit to pull off. Don't worry, I can manage it." He muttered half to himself, "I'll have to split the purchases across different people in small batches so we don't draw attention, and secure a warehouse to stash it all... It'll be done, my lord. When do you need delivery?"
"As soon as possible," Lorian said, "Anya will write you a note of credit so you get paid the moment the goods hit Veridia."
Lorian looked at Anya. Taken by surprise, she just nodded slowly.
"Done," the manager stood up to get to work.
"Wait," Lorian stopped him, "That's only the first part."
Lorian picked up his goblet, took a sip, and watched the confusion on their faces, "The people trying to buy those supplies in bulk are going to come looking for answers sooner or later. I want to meet them- especially the desperate ones. Vet them, bring them to me safely, and I'll pay you a separate bonus before I leave Solara."
The man nodded, a sharp grin crossing his face, "Consider it done, my lord."
"Your name?" Lorian asked, "Since we are partners now, I should know who I am working with."
"Blanche," the man gave a low bow, "Blanche de Vergy."