Chapter 151 - Umbra Mall 2
Chapter 151 - Umbra Mall 2
Although it might sound a bit far-fetched, this player had also been part of the group of serfs who had joined Darkrow in his past life. Draco was certainly surprised to see Money Lover in his guild.
Then again, the majority of the players who had risen to prominence in Sturgehaven Kingdom in his past life had been serfs for Darkrow in one way or another.
In this timeline there was no Darkrow or Hellscape, only Umbra, so they were joining them instead. The difference was significant though. Instead of being treated as just one more little cog in a giant machine, their current starting positions were a lot fairer and closer to their actual talent level.
Darkrow may have been been the number 1 guild of Sturgehaven Kingdom back then, but the current Umbra was unquestionably the number 1 player guild in of all Boundless.
Money Lover himself was a slim and bespectacled guy who had permanently narrowed eyes. His thin lips were flat and his short nose twitched occasionally. With his dark green eyes and blonde hair, he gave off the feel of someone intelligent.
His skin was a bit pale and his height was okay, just slightly shorter than Draco or Riveting Night. He wore a green tweed suit, which made Draco and Riveting Night exchange a look.
Draco could see with the Eyes of Caelo that his suit was originally a Common Rank Robe, so the price to change its aesthetics wasn't too high, only about 10 silver.
Still, to wear a suit in a medieval world…
Apart from Money Lover and Smithson - who was a light-skinned old man with a goatee and mustache in a black robe - the other old woman was quite short and hunched over.
Her gray hair was done into a bun and her lightly tanned face was full of warts and wrinkles. She held a rotten wood walking stick and her eyes were so heavily squinted that one couldn't even see her cornea.
She also wore a baggy robe, and she looked... really ugly and wretched in all honesty.
Yet Draco knew better than to look down on her. Anyone who could afford to rent one of the five shop spaces of the fifth floor, when the ones below were full of Rank 5 and Rank 6 Merchants, would be no simple person and should therefore not be changed by their looks, no matter how heinous they were.
Beside her was a young woman who seemed to be the polar opposite of the previous one. She was extremely pretty, but within a more humane and everyday sort of scale. She wasn't like Zaine, Hikari, Roma, Riveting Night and Rina who were the kind of women who seemed a bit too attractive to be real.
She had fair skin and light blue eyes, as well as reddish-brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached the nape of her neck. Her eyes were shaped quite nicely and her nose was small and cute.
Her lips were like rosebuds and had a nice pink color. Her height was quite normal too, around 5"7 making her shorter than Draco. She wore something similar to a female warrior training attire, which was a 'sports bra' made of cotton and wrapped around her impressive c-cup bust tightly.
She also wore a skirt that reached up to the midpoint of her thigh, which was tight enough to display the shape of each of her perky buns at the back. Still, it had slits on both sides so she would be unrestrained when fighting.
Draco and Rambutt came to the same verdict. That was a B+ booty!
She had long and slender legs with impressive thighs. They weren't like Rina's god-tier thighs or Zaine's extremely thick and soft ones, but they were quite supple.
She wore a slight smirk on her face as if everything under heaven was in the palm of her hands. Even in front of a powerhouse like Draco, and surrounded by other powerhouses, she dared to maintain such a smile.
Then there was the distrustful looking fellow who had a hook nose, sharp hawkish eyes, and a dangerous grin. His black hair was neatly combed and his skin was slightly tanned.
He wore a thin robe that was tailored to fit him. Instead of looking like a common mage or clerk, he looked like a top official of a state.
However, he just exuded this strange aura that made one instinctively feel that his words were sweet nothings. Talking with him too long might result in you willingly giving away all your belongings without being able to explain why.
Draco then gazed at the actual overseer, who was extremely pressured by having to be around such high entities, but did his best to suppress it and remain calm.
The only thing that gave him away was a slight twitching of his eyes every now and then as well as an increased heart rate.
Signs only Control masters were able to easily notice. This led Draco to have a good impression, as this feat wasn't easy, even if it was a one-off thing to impress him.
The overseer was a young man who was quite handsome actually. He had dark skin that gleamed like Roma's and his dark black hair was styled into a slight afro.
He had sharp brown eyes and his nose was quite big. His lips were thick and darker than his skin color, his face being well structured and manly.
His body was an extremely pleasant sight to behold. Not one bit of flab, a lot of packed muscles, coupled with his good height of 6"0 and his upright stance, he was quite the picture of an athletic male that attracted female eyes.
After taking stock of all of them, Draco smiled and greeted them politely. "Hello, seniors and fellow friends, my name is Draco. I'm the current Guildmaster of Umbra. Beside me is my soulmate, Riveting Night who is also the primary Vice-Guildmaster of Umbra."
Draco then went on to introduce every core member of Umbra one by one, even though it wasn't really necessary. This showed that he valued his comrades and felt they were representative of the guild, which made the powerhouses inspect each of them quietly.
The core members of Umbra, while feeling pressured by the scrutiny, were also pleased by Draco's treatment towards them. So they bore with it and made sure not to disgrace him in the least.
Draco finished his introduction, and quietly waited for the other group to do theirs, although he already knew who they were. The first person to speak was the distrustful looking fellow.
"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Draco. I am Hermon, the patriarch of the Diad family. If you are unfamiliar with us, we are currently the number 1 merchant and manufacturing company in the world. We make everything from potions to vestments, food and even puppets."
Draco nodded to Hermon with respect. He naturally knew of this family, as he and Happy Saint had humbled themselves to learn under them when they had been capped at the Master Rank.
Should Draco not have been assassinated after claiming the Orb of Worlds when he defeated Riveting Night, he would have dedicated himself to fully master the craft under them while the Semi-Legendary item was used to send the members of Hellscape to the different sections of Boundless.
They were a monolithic family and surprisingly one which was quite reasonable too. Of course, everyone in power had dirty deeds executed in order to reach their position, but the Diad family tried to keep it on the minimum.
They were the type to make friends with anyone and be polite to everyone.
After all, everyone was a potential customer. Even those who cursed and swore at them with hate could be turned into customers, so why foster hatred instead of friendship and partnership?
Next was Smithson, who laughed lightly before introducing himself. "Haha, Young Lord Draco is really a talent not seen in a thousand years. To have built this magnificence so early in your journey through our world shows that you are the chosen one of the gods."
After laying down the heavy flattery, Smithson became serious. "I am Smithson, Second Grand Elder of the Tradeskill Association. I am currently managing one of the shop spaces here for our association and would like to thank Young Lord Draco for giving us the opportunity."
"We have many crafters and workers in our roster, more than half of those in the whole world in fact. However, we did not have many avenues to sell their greatest works, fortunately, we do now."
"I and the other two Grand Elders have come to an agreement. We'd like to offer you a position as a temporary Grand Elder of our association!"
His last line stunned everyone in the room, especially the players, who felt their souls leave them. The powerhouses also stared at Smithson with a mixture of respect and shock for having quite a large appetite.
Draco though, smiled slightly. He had expected this sooner or later. After all, his reputation with the Tradeskill Association had already surpassed 20,000 points.
Coupled with his achievements and prowess, it wouldn't even have been too surprising if they offered to make him their leader.
Still, Draco felt like he would need over 50,000 points for such an offer, though he wouldn't accept it. While it might bring him a lot of benefits in the short term, naturally there came detriments with such a choice.
Without the Tradeskill Association, he had climbed this high and achieved so many crafting accolades that every single hidden power of the human race had learned of him.
One should keep in mind Draco was still merely a Rank 1 player, so what would he be capable of once he reached Rank 2? Or Rank 3? His future was limitless, and he probably wouldn't need anyone's help to get there with what he had done so far.
You trying to recruit him was more beneficial to you than him in the long run, so why would he join?
The other powerhouses were stunned. They couldn't believe the audacity of this fellow. That was also why they could gaze at him with respect and awe, because their horizons had been broadened today.
They had thought that they had seen it all, but Smithson's offer had allowed them to discover new horizons in terms of wishful thinking and overestimating oneself.
The players of Umbra though, thought this was an apple falling from the sky. The lofty Tradeskill Association wanted to make their Guildmaster one of their pinnacle leaders, which was an unprecedented glory!
This was the problem with perspective and knowledge. Anyone who had enough knowledge of how the world truly worked would see through the veil and be able to ascertain the objective truth.
Those with little knowledge would be unable to, and were always easily moved when what they considered to be paragons gave them benefits or opportunities.
"I'll have to decline the offer of Grand Elder Smithson, as I plan to focus on my development as a warrior for now."
Draco rejected him with a polite smile, and the powerhouses weren't surprised by this. From Draco's actions, he clearly had enough wisdom to see through the black and white of the situation.
Smithson also smiled bitterly as he had expected this might happen. He had been fishing for a whale with a thin rod and rotten bait. How could he capture his target?
The players of Umbra though were shocked. They believed in their Guildmaster, but they couldn't help but feel like his rejection was unwise. After all, the benefits the Tradeskill Association could bring were mighty.
Riveting Night shook her head. She would have to painfully drill these fools on how to think like a paragon instead of someone who drinks from the palm of another.
Draco didn't blame them either and neither did the powerhouses. These players behaved exactly how they expected typical Immortal Adventurers to at this time.
It was Draco who was the anomaly, more like an old monster who had lived in this world and understood its core very well.
Next to introduce herself was the old woman, who cackled happily while pointing her walking stick at Draco. "You are good! I wish my sons were half as capable as you!"
It was hard to believe that this decrepit old granny actually had kids, and it showed on the faces of the members of Umbra.
Draco and Riveting Night weren't surprised, as they knew who this Granny was and maybe more importantly who she had been.
"My name is Genevieve and I was the last Arch Priestess of Aphrodite. I am here to represent the Church of Light as we have rented out one of your shop spaces. We hope to be able to generate revenue for our activities through it, but what we have gained over the past three weeks has truly been exceeding all our expectations."
When the players of Umbra heard that she was the last Arch Priestess of Aphrodite, their faces froze as they looked at the granny in a new light. After all, Aphrodite was the Goddess of Love and Beauty.
How could one of her arch priestesses have possibly been ugly? It was more likely that in her youth, she was a beauty on par with Hikari and Riveting Night. Alas, the wheel of time does not stop no matter how much of a beauty one might have been.
To buttress that, the granny pointed her walking stick at Hikari and Riveting Night. "You two, consider becoming a priestess of Aphrodite as well. With your beauty, you might become the next Arch Priestess even. The benefits it gives you are immeasurable. Not only will you be genetically compatible with any race, no man you desire will be able to resist you."
"Your children would possess tiny wisps of Divine Energy as well, making them stronger than their peers."
She then slammed the butt of the walking stick into the ground. "Though, think about it first. It's a life-changing opportunity. You can contact me when you have come to a decision."
Riveting Night was grossly uninterested - naturally - but Hikari was slightly tempted. However, she made no moves to join because she wasn't sure if Draco would like such a thing.
Draco nodded to the old lady and turned to the young girl with the ponytail and supple thighs. She smiled lightly and introduced herself.
"My name is Diana. I am the representative of the War Manic Pavilion here. Although I prefer to battle against demons and the enemies of the human race, I do not mind working here since it allowed me to gaze upon such eye candy like you every now and then."
Diana's words made Hikari frown greatly. She hated that this woman was suddenly flirting with her Dragobonded mate, especially right in front of her presence.
Riveting Night also frowned slightly, as she felt that this was a bit much. After all, she had been just introduced as Draco's soulmate, while Hikari had been introduced as his second wife.
For Diana to flirt with him despite that, meant she didn't regard them or even Draco really. If it were Draco making the move, Riveting Night wouldn't mind. In fact, she would be supportive, but Draco hardly ever made the move.
However, it wasn't a big enough deal if she looked and didn't touch.
Draco also put on a very forced smile on his face as he was surprised and slightly displeased by her words. "Lady Diana need not worry, there are many eye candies in my guild for you to ogle at."
Diana smiled slightly, seemingly not caring about Draco's attempt to hint at the fact that he was taken and passing her on to the other fellows.
She had to admit that Cobra and Kiran were also delectable, but she had seen endless handsome men in the War Maniac Pavilion and from among all top groups and families.
It was only Draco who had something about him that made Diana - who usually wasn't moved by looks - interested in him. She usually cared most about talent and potential, which he also had in spades. A perfect target for her.
Besides, why was he angry? A man who had two wives had no right to pretend to be monogamous or loyal to only one. As such, if she were to place her claim, there was nothing wrong with that.
Draco then turned to Money Lover, who had been pushing about an abacus all this time. When he felt the gaze of the Guildmaster on him, he raised his head and smiled.
"Good day, Guildmaster. My name is Money Lover and I am the manager for the fifth-floor shop belonging to Umbra. In there, we sell the best creations of our guild's Tradeskill players, as well as some high-quality items of other players with a 70% commission."
"We'd be really happy if you could make some items to sell in our shop as that would raise our popularity and value."
Money Lover said all this while pushing his abacus about nonstop. One couldn't help but feel that his name was apt since he could continuously make such calculations, along with that hungry smile.
His pupils seemed to be different from others. When one looked into the pupils of normal people, they would see themselves reflected in them, as well as other things in the area.
However, in the eyes of Money Lover, one could only see walking money bags of varying sizes. The fellow clearly saw the world in a much more… direct… way than others.
Draco simply remained quiet and nodded to these powerhouses. After a short chat, they dispersed and went their own way, leaving Draco with the dark-skinned overseer.
"My name is Deep Well, and I am the overseer of this floor. Although the situation is a bit… intense, our clients are pretty reasonable, so I don't have too much of an issue. Also, our own shop makes only 1/5th of the profits compared to theirs because of the differing qualities of goods."
"Money Lover is right; we need some higher quality stuff if we want to earn big time."
Deep Well was respectful, but he was also frank. He spoke his mind honestly, even though it might displease Draco.
However, Draco was rather impressed by this demeanor. He marked this Deep Well fellow as someone who needed to be groomed for bigger positions in the future.
It was a common misconception that villains, VIPs or powerful people only wanted yes men around them who would echo their words.
What they wanted most were vassals who could see the bigger picture, identify problems and suggest viable solutions without fear.
It would also be good if they pointed out the flaws of their superior... as long as they knew where their place was.
Draco nodded to Deep Well. "That is why I brought our core members here today to see the situation on the ground. We'll think up a viable solution and inform you about it soon."
Deep Well nodded and withdrew from the area.
Draco then turned to the core members of Umbra and smiled.
"Now, let's head up to the 6th and 7th floor to see how we can maximize profits. Those two floors will become crucial to our progress."