"Why should we pay you for something that we can employ our disciples to do ourselves?"
As expected, considering that the whole idea was backed by heavenly sword sect, an elder from the Draconic Sabre sect had to protest. Even if that was just a small advantage that I would get from it, as long as it translated to the positive income or growth for their rival, there was no way they would agree!
"I really wish you especially would come. This way, you could at least start to dream about catching up to us in terms of supporting your outer disciples!"
Seeing the chance to get rid of her enemy, Venna instantly countered back. Instead of lashing at them and trying to get them to leave, she actually adopted reverse psychology and actually invited them while insulting them at the same time! That's what I call a business spirit!
"Hmph! We will see who will end up better then! I won't believe that such a weak somebody like this guy could direct something that could profit us a bit!"
With a childish pout, this rude elder made his way outside and left the premises. Just like I hoped he would! After all, this entire speech about selling your everyday cultivation resources was just a big, fat lie!
"If anyone else is opposed to the idea, honourable elders are free to leave. Unless you have any questions for me, I would like to go back to settling my matters. While it was rude, the draconic sect elder had a point. It won't be easy to start this business up, so I need to make sure that everything is taken care of before the first auction will start!"
I was forced to come here in the first place, so seeing that the only person that I didn't wish to see on the auction already placed its bet against the whole idea, I wanted to finish this discussion and have a private talk with Venna. Talking to them made me realise one important aspect that prevented me from using those handles that I obtained from the smithy back in the market area of the city, so I had to at least attempt to make her take care of this trouble for me!
"I don't really see a point in this entire enterprise, but as a major sect, we should show some support for the youngsters. I can't claim that I believe this whole idea of yours will bring any benefits to anyone, but I will nevertheless attend your first auction. For the sake of making this city a little more lively, I honestly hope that you will prove me wrong. With that said, I will excuse myself. Brothers, Sister Venna."
Nodding to the other elders and my backer in succession, this man with a strange air to him suddenly spoke up and left the building. While I couldn't feel any enmity or scorn from his attitude, I really couldn't wrap my head around this strange aura that he exuded with every word and action that he made.
As soon as this specific elder left, literally, everyone else followed his steps. While every and each of them paid their respect to Venna, it didn't come at any surprise that they didn't pay any attention to me. After all, in their eyes, I was just a simple pawn of Venna's faction, so I didn't qualify with anything, position, influence or strength, to make them acknowledge my existence.
"There is something that I might need your help with, but I need to speak about it in private."
With all the elders vacating the place, I could finally address the problem with the handles.
"Okay then."
Instead of just creating the soundproof barrier as she did back in the lodge of the arena, Venna leads me all the way down to the basement, which apparently was the only place that was already finished.
"Don't look so surprised. We couldn't really renovate it, so after reinforcing the supporting pillars and setting a powerful lock, this place can already serve as the storage."
While the room was far greater than what one required to store several spatial rings, most of it was used for special protective formations and vault walls made with a metal unknown to me. With just a single line of shelves set up against the innermost wall of the room, one could hide the entire wealth of this city in here!
"I need you to organise craftsmen that will prepare handles for the weapons that I'm making. As a blacksmith, I can create great weapons, but so far I simply used premade assets that were stored in the smithy that I was using back in the sect. While I already secured more than enough materials that are great for making handles, I think they are a local product, and using them would betray that all those weapons were made in this city as well."
With our ruse of obtaining all the weapons from a chanced meeting with a master blacksmith, if I were to use those bones as the handles, everyone would understand that this mystical figure either resided in the city or at least obtained those handles in it. Considering how they were ordered from the parties adventuring to the forest, it wouldn't be any trouble for any influential organisation to comb through the city and find enough clues to pinpoint my identity!
"Don't tell me you made those swords already!"
Initially ignoring my request, Venna found something far more important in my words. If I already need the handles, that obviously meant that I was at the stage where they blocked me from future progress!
My bad. Why it's not to the point of saying that I fucked up, it's still not good that I didn't think about it beforehand. While making a simple sword is just a matter of few hours of hard work for a common smith, creating a masterpiece of the level of my Utopy, would require a blacksmith to work relentlessly for days! If that wasn't the case, just a single crafting master would be more than enough to flood the entire market with his franchise!
With a deep sigh, I rummaged through my storage ring only to pick one of the blades made of those fairly better materials and a single bone-handle. Not even bothering to lit any fire, I simply cast a small fireball on the bone while holding it against my chest. Despite how powerful the blast seemed to be, with my resistances I hardly felt anything when the fire erupted against my body.
As soon as the bone turned squishy, I pushed the pin of my craft against it. Seeing that it firmly lodged itself inside, I took out a simple knife to model the handle a bit, before blowing at it for a while to kill the heat inside.
"Here, this is the sample that I promised."
While the sword didn't have any handguard or decorations embedded into it, it already could serve its function as a weapon. Passing it handle-first to my backer, I couldn't help but smile.
"This one is a weapon of a slightly higher grade. I have a few worse blades on me, but I have yet to create the masterpiece that will serve as the highlight of the auction. Does that satisfy you?"
With the weapon now in her hand, Venna inspected the outer rim of the sword, infused her energy into it and even took out some kind of rod, only to try to cut it with her new possession!
"I couldn't be any happier!"
With the metallic stick split in half with a lazy slash executed by the beautiful woman, her face brightened up instantly. I could only guess what kind of treasures did she imagine while thinking about the masterpiece that I mentioned!
"Anyway, with that, we can consider the deal to be settled. As for the handles, I will ask some of our craftsmen to help you out. We can't let the others find out that you are the one making those swords. Oh, before I forget, how do you intend to hold back the rage of other sects when they find out that we lied to them? While I can protect you, this business of yours wouldn't be able to operate if they join their hands against us!"
That's sadly a valid point. I guess I will need to figure something out to prevent this from happening! But wait, since the problem lays in the possibility that all the major sects would gang on me...
"The elder that wished me luck... He was from the natural edge sect, am I right? If that's the case, can you give me some kind of a shortcut to secretly met with him? If I manage to bribe him with something, we would have two most powerful sects in the city on our side! With that, even if they wanted to do something, they wouldn't be able to! No matter how much they would hate it, they would have to swallow their pride to get their hands on those weapons!"
Chapter end
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