Interspecies Trader

The next day, I received news that someone wanted to meet with me. Unlike Fuvawi, they didn’t wait for me in the shop, just passing a message asking for a meeting at lunch the following day. I sure was getting popular since the store opened.

More importantly, this evening was about meeting the traders from the Resistance. My mindset about clothing hadn’t changed, so I went there wearing something neat but otherwise normal. The location itself was in one of the mansions close to the city hall, right in the middle of the upper-class district. One needed that much money and influence to buy a house in such a nice location.

The door opened before I could knock on it. A few men and women wearing formal working clothes greeted me.

“Welcome, sir. Tila Urtek, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“We were waiting for your arrival. Let me escort you to the meeting room.”

These people were clearly butlers and maids, and their sheer number said it all. On top of that, everything inside the mansion screamed luxury, from the expensive furniture, the type of stones and wood used, and even the magnificent enchanted chandelier strapped to the ceiling. In a way, the sole person who seemed to be in the wrong place was me, with my casual way of dressing, not that I cared in the least.

I was guided to a large room on the first floor, where several occupants were already chatting quietly. The area itself felt less like a meeting room and more like a banquet one, with a large buffet on one side, a lot of free space in the center, and everyone standing up.

The ten or so merchants present all turned my way as I entered the room, exhibiting various reactions. Some were neutral, some were welcoming, and some were disdainful. I recognized Fuvawi among them, who swiftly excused himself to come meet me.

“Welcome, Tila. I’m glad to have you with us today.”

“Thank you for the invitation. I’m looking forward to our talks tonight.”

“I hope it won’t disappoint you. No need to be too formal either, we’re all between friends here.”

I didn’t know about that. Once again, everyone was wearing their best attire, and I was the only one feeling a bit out of place. As for whether these people would end up being friends or not, I would have to judge it for myself.

“I understand.”

“Come, let me introduce you around while we wait for all the participants to arrive.”

And he did just so. The ratio of men to women was about equal so far, and it was interesting to see what each person was trading in.

“This is Laine. She’s one of the chosen six. Her main focus is spice trading.”

“One of the chosen six?”

“Oh, I forgot you don’t know yet. This is one of the reasons we’re meeting today. Geola has chosen to support six large independent merchants to counterbalance the power of the three great merchant companies. Laine here is one of them.”

The woman looked extremely proud as she was introduced like this. She was one of the few who stared at me with reluctance before. Even right now, she was looking up and down at me, a small twitch at the corner of her lips.

“Excuse me, I’ve never seen someone like you before. Can I ask what species you are?”

“Laine!”

It had been a while since anyone asked. I had learned it was a bit impolite to ask this sort of thing during the first meeting. Generally, species discrimination was poorly seen in Geola, as well as most countries that were made up of more than one subspecies.

I smiled with indulgence. This type of low-level provocation felt like a gentle caress on my head.

“I’m a monkey mutant, ma’am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Hmm, yes, nice to meet you too. What do you trade in?”

“My main products are selnic items.”

A hint of interest rose in her eyes.

“Oh, you’re the one…”

“Laine, you shouldn’t look down on him. He has ties with the city hall.”

“Is that so? I hope you’ll have something interesting to share with us tonight. We can’t be the only ones providing information, can we? Well then.”

She left with her head high, seemingly not very interested in me.

“I’m sorry, Tila, she’s a bit rude, and it’s only gotten worse after she became one of the chosen six.”

“I don’t mind. Her level of contempt felt quite cute.”

“…Cute, you say? Are you into women like that?”

“Haha, no. I mean, I’ve seen way worse.”

No one could reach the level of contempt the Trading Union’s elders held for others back in my world, after all. They even saw leaders of smaller countries as barely more than tramps.

“I see. Let me introduce you to the others. Don’t worry, not everyone is like her.”

We went from person to person, sometimes even intruding on a small group. As we did that, a few others arrived until we were sixteen in the room. At that point, Fuvawi called for the meeting to start.

I was surprised to see the servants installing a long, elegant table in the middle of the room, together with the exact number of chairs for everyone. In a matter of seconds, they transformed a banquet hall into a sort of meeting room, proving how professional they were. I randomly wondered how much they were paid for doing such a good job.

The seating arrangement was far from random, though. The six “chosen ones” were at the top of the table, while the other merchants like me were on both sides, further away. I had learned that Fuvawi was actually one of those chosen six. Since he was also the meeting host, he was sitting in the main seat at the table’s extremity.

“Gentlemen, Ladies, thank you for coming tonight. We’re all here with the same goal, so feel free to share any information that could give us an advantage against the three great merchant companies. Let’s start straight away since we have many matters to discuss. Our first topic is about the new law introduced by the city hall.”

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