Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 32: Ivory (Part 02)

Her night. After completing the extension of the room rental at the receptionist, Odo and Fiola immediately left the lobby and were about to return to the room. But the black hairdresser's footsteps suddenly came to a halt before climbing the stairs, turning towards the merchants who were discussing the seat in the front room of the inn. What attracted Odo was basically not the people, but the contents of a small pouch on their table.

Highlight the eyes of the child narrowed, the look of the face turned flat and his gaze grew sharper as if observing all the way into the men. Fiola's feathers stood up when he felt the air emanating from the Odo, his steps stopped on the third step and turned to look a little panic.

“What is ..., Mr Odo?”

Not listening to the woman's words, Odo's bow turned toward the red-clothed men with quick footsteps. Fiola had wanted to catch the boy's hand and stop him. But the boy dodged as if he knew the woman wanted to stop him, but he did not look at her at all. Sighing lightly, the Shieal eventually followed his Young Master.

Some of the inn servants who were cleaning were astonished to see the boy walking quickly towards the merchants of the Lorian Society, they began to whisper about the child, he said, whether it was about the incident in the hall this morning or something. Disregarding all the gazes directed at him, Odo kept coming up to the men in suits and standing in front of their tables.

Of the four Lorian Union merchants sitting at the lobby waiting table, Aprilo and Igra were among them. Odo did not know the other two, but he knew that they were also merchants from the Lorian Guild after seeing the badge on the chest of their suits. Smiling lightly, the boy greeted, “Goodnight, gentlemen .... Maybe this is disrespectful and self-destructive, but may I join you in your conversation?” Reflexively Aprilo and his servant, Igra, glimpsed at Fiola who was standing behind the boy.

“Please .... Igra, please get me a seat for Mr. O—”

“No need, Mr. Aprilo,” interrupted the boy. Smiling lightly, he said, “I just stand up. After all, I was only interested in what was on that table ...”

The four seated people looked at the center of their round table. There was a cloth bag containing something like grain, looking dry and rough. Back looking at the boy, Aprilo confusedly asked, “On palm oil ore?”

“Hmm, so it really is palm oil ore .... Mr. Aprilo got it from ma—”

“Master,” interrupted one of the men who had been busy talking to Aprilo. The two men looked displeased as their conversation was interrupted by a young child, starting to look at Odo with annoyance and displaying an aura of hostility.

The two people who were talking to the Trade Union Executive were seen as middle-aged men, both aged around 30 years and over. One of them has a berewok and a thin mustache, the other has a short, sparse beard. From the color of the hair of the two people's heads are tanned and the eyes are bright blue, it is clear that both people are native to the Kingdom of Felixia.

“Ah, sorry .... I don't mean to interrupt gentlemen's conversation. If you don't mind, I'll wait until you're done and stay quiet here,” Odo said. He slightly stepped back and understood that he had been carried away by a curious desire earlier.

“You have absolutely no intention to leave, yes .... Although you are the son of the Luke Family, we merchants are not subject to your family. Please remember that,” said the man with the mustache and a thin beaver, Wicead Richard. “Please don't act as pretentious as powerful as that, Mr. Luke,” he continued firmly.

“That's right, please don't big heads like that, O Dragon Killer,” continued his colleague, the man with a short beard is rare, Joe John.

“Mr Wicead, Mr. Joe, take it easy. I did not forget that now I am talking to you guys ..”

Aprilo got up from their seats, persuading them to remain calm and not to be consumed by anger due to self-esteem. The two people had no idea about the true identity of the tanned black-haired little girl behind Odo, they did not know that the girl could stop their career as a merchant in the Kingdom of Felixia with just a word.

Unlike his master, Igra only sighed at the behavior of the two people. The man with the look in his eyes looked at Odo, then smiled lightly with a slightly bewildered expression what to say.

Odo just fell silent getting a smile like that. Closing his eyes, at a glance he activated his calculation magic and took a few things into account. Fiola who had been watching over the contents of the child's head was surprised, he immediately knew Odo was using Perception Speculation magic.

Holding the boy's shoulder from behind, Fiola said, “Master, don't use that just yet. Your condition is still not fully recovered ...”

“Hmm?” Odo turned his head, blood flowing from his nose but his face looked as if he did not care about it. “What's up?” he rubbed the blood flowing with his arm.

“Not ...what.”

Fiola was silent to see it. Although he already knew that in his mind had these feelings for his master, but such a thing in Odo still could not be accepted by him. The child was indeed very kind and always thought about others when acting, Fiola knew that very well. But, because of that, Odo's actions that do not care about the minds of the people around him make Fiola do not like the part of him.

Looking back at Aprilo and the others, the boy smiled lightly. Looking at the little traces of blood left around the child's nose, Wicead and Joe looked a little reluctant. They realized that the boy was not normal. Recalling the cooking match that was held suddenly by the inn Owner and won by the boy, the two men from the Trade Union gulped slightly heavily.

The gaze that is on the child is unnatural, instinctively they understand it. The two men slightly changed the perception, giving a look that was worth giving to a child from the Luke Family who was known for his ferocity on the battlefield, a gaze worthy of being given to the ruler.

“Mr Odo, you said you had a fever? Have you done it?” aprilo's question broke the fleeting tension. He sat back down, breathing a sigh of relief because he understood the two men understood the situation despite not knowing the facts about the girl behind the child.

“Hmm, more or less I've been listening ...” Odo looked flat in the eyes of the Trade Union Executive, deeply and as if he had seen the man in his head. Smiling lightly to all of them, the boy said, “I don't want to interrupt your conversation about the Southeast Sea Line or the land yield of the Kritasil Bascal Islands, so may I get straight to the point?”

The four men sitting in their respective places gasped in shock at that. Since Odo came there should have been nothing to say about either, but lightly the boy uttered both components of their trade project.

Smiling lightly with a hint of fear in his eyes, the man named Joe asked, “Hmm ..., what do you want to talk about?”

“Please sell me that palm ore .... How much?”

“Alright, we are willing to sell it. How much to bid?”

Odo looked back, looked at Fiola and hoped that the woman would give him money. With an annoyed face, the Huli Jing stared back sharply and said, “No .... Know for yourself what was used for, ‘kan?” The boy smiled lightly and actually knew from the beginning that he no longer had any money for transactions.

Back facing the four men, Odo slightly raised both shoulders. The child wearing the tunic shirt smiled lightly, then said, “Sorry, gentlemen .., it looks like I've run out of money. If possible, can we just use the barter system?”

“Barter?” wicead asked confusedly. “What item do you want to offer?”

Odo stuffed his right arm into his pants pocket until his Dimension Bracelet was invisible to them, then took something from the storage dimension. Taking out something like himself taking it out of his pocket, the boy said, “How about this?” They were shocked to see the item in Odo's hands. Indeed, none of the four men had seen it directly before, but clearly they knew that it was genuine given the boy's reputation.

“Do not say ... The Black Dragon Scales?” ask Aprilo to panic. Looking at the black scales as wide as the boy's palm, the man was a little incredulous feeling the mystical aura emanating from the thing.

“Ya, here are the scales.”

“What is original?” joe asked doubtfully.

“I guarantee it. Anyway, gentlemen know that I beat that thing, don't you?”

They gulped heavily. Looking at what was offered, a bag of palm oil ore and a single Black Dragon Scales was nothing compared to its value. But because of the difference in value that is too big, the doubt in themselves strengthened and made them difficult to make decisions.

“Mr Odo, I think ... isn't this barter unequal? A Black Dragon Scales swapped for palm head ore ..., it was too ...” Aprilo put on an anxious face. As a trader, getting such a lucrative offer for no apparent reason does make him anxious.

“Hmm, just answer my three questions, Mr. Aprilo. That thing, the palm ore is yours, isn't it?”

“Ya ..., it's mine ...”

“Then, answer my question. Think of it as your extra pay to me.”

Odo placed the Black Dragon Scales onto the Table. When the object was placed, a loud enough sound like heavy metal was heard and it showed that the scales were not as light as they seemed. They gasped focused on the scales, at which point Odo gave a quick grin at the sight of their reaction.

“Not far about this ore, kok.” The boy took one ore, observed it and smelled the scent emanating from it. Glancing flatly at the Executive, he asked, “This ore is often used for the manufacture of cooking oil, right? In addition to olive oil that is often imported from the Kingdom of Ungea, another great oil source is the ore that is in the Kritasil Bascal Islands in the southeast of the Kingdom of Felixia, right?”

“Yes .... I myself do not understand exactly what the difference between the two oils, but Porzan said the two oils are different functions for cooking. Therefore the two types of oil that the price is not too often clashed when on the market.”

Aprilo took the scales. As he lifted it up, he was a little surprised because it was lighter than what he had expected. Tapping, he was again surprised because the sound released was not loud and it was a sign that the hardness of the object was very high. But when flipped and knocked on the other side of the dragon's scales, the texture was slightly soft and still did not make a sound.

“Do you process it into oil here? Or processed from the archipelago, then brought here?” ask Odo.

Aprilo lowered the dragon's scales, then looked towards Odo and said, “Collected from the archipelago .... They used special magic for the process, it was the secret of the people there it seemed. We bring this just want to try whether or not to cultivate it on the main island.”

“It won't grow here, loh.”

“Eh?” Aprilo was surprised to hear that. Not much different from the man, the other three men also showed similar expressions hearing the expression.

“The head of the palm is a tropical plant. Although it can grow, winter will die because it cannot adjust to the climate.”

“Well, we also know that possibility. There were also some farmers there who said the same thing .... We are talking like this because we have failed. It ... has been planted on land around this city and does not grow at all during the two-season season, loh.”

“Oh, so.” Odo wore a flat expression and understood that it was something that should have happened. A little grinning, he said, “Obviously there is a smell of soil and the color there are some that are rather black.”

“Hmm ...” Looking back at the Executive kindly, Odo smiled knotfully and said, “This is the last question. From the inquiry, more tepanya offer, sih.”

“Offer?” Aprilo smiled lightly, showing a little interest he also in a spirit tone asked, “Affers about what it is, Mr Odo?”

Tilting his head slightly and putting on a smile like a proud and arrogant ruler, he said, “I will find a way so that the ores of this tree can grow around the city. Instead, can Trade Unions get a method of processing ore to become oil?”

“Ah? Not that you said earlier that ore can not grow, ‘kan?” Aprilo smiled, even though she said as if in disbelief. Looking at the expressions of the two people, Igra and the others felt something unpleasant from the two of them. Such an expression strongly indicates one's greedy nature when finding things that can bring great benefits.

“Plant Manipulation,” said the boy. Upholding his standing position and taking a deep breath, he began to explain, “With the adjustment, this ore might just grow. The requirements for this plant to grow are areas with high rainfall, planted in Latosol soil or can be Alluvial, peat soil can also but that is sometimes not guaranteed. Well, the point is very suitable to grow in coastal areas of rivers and tropical rainforests with high nutrient elements ..”

“What can ... set the condition of the soil until such so that it can be planted with palm trees? Indeed around this coastal area there are several rivers, but this place is sub-tropical climate. Is that possible?”

“Hmm?” Odo was at first glance surprised because the man misinterpreted his meaning.

“What's up?”

“Tak what ...”

Slightly looking away, the boy thought, “I mean genetically manipulating the ore, anyway .... If the genetic map is altered, by copying the genetic map of sub-tropical plants and overlapping them into these ores while maintaining their fertilization properties, it may be possible.”

Looking back at the man, Odo smiled lightly and did not say it because it was thought to be useful later. Poking out to the man, he said, “What do you want, Mr Aprlilo?”

“Ya, if you can of course want,” said the Executive while shaking Odo's hand. “After seeing the tree grow later, I will immediately persuade the people there to tell you how to process their oil.”

“Oke.”

The deal is also intertwined. Odo took the bag containing the palm tree ore, then put it in his pocket and stored it using the Dimensional Bracelet without the traders knowing. The reason Odo hid his bracelet was so simple, it would definitely make the traders before him herd to the mass loading talk of the item for trading. Odo did not want it, basically a magic tool like a bracelet that he used it was also a terrible weapon depending on how it was used.

“Then, I say goodbye first, gentlemen ...”

Odo turned around, then left the place. Fiola bowed respectfully to the merchants of the Trade Union, Aprilo and Igra got up from their seats and paid the woman's respects. Wicead and Joe were surprised that the executive and his servant saluted a little girl.

After Odo and Fiola went up to the second floor, Wecead curiously asked, “Tuan Aprilo, who is the girl with Mr Luke? Why are you bending?”

“Ah, you .... Good thing he's not offended, you guys are so lucky .... He is Fiola, Shieal with the highest authority in the region,” explained Aprilo.

The man was wide-eyed to hear that, as well as the fellow sitting next to him. They were really sweating knowing this, only to realize that from earlier they were in front of the mouth of a lion that could easily destroy their lives as a trader.

In the leadership chain of the Luke Region, there are some things that are unique because the Landlord or Marquess is not always absolute in some aspect in its own territory. A branch family named Shieal also known as the Shield or also as the Sword Sheath became the companion of the main family as the leader of the region. In that case, there are several categories of authority that Shieal has but not owned by the landlord.

The authority is to carry out the Absolute Order in place to all institutions in Luke Region without a warrant or official, or, after that, it was processed what the contents of the order were by the central government and Landlords. If the order is justified, then the result of the Absolute Commandment will be left. But if it is considered incorrect, then the results of the command will be eliminated or corrected to its original condition.

It was indeed reversed in terms of normal procedures, but it was indeed real within Luke County as the Shieals themselves were actually the original family that used to rule the territory that the Luke Family now occupied. The pure Shieal descendants whose lineage was depleted when the Great War ceded their territory to the Luke Family at the beginning of the kingdom's founding, thus creating such a system.

The reason for the surrender was very simple, the Luke Family at that time was simply selling their skills to the Kingdom of Felixia in the early days of its formation and becoming the Three Great Royal Families, they had no territory at all like royalty in general. Since Family Head Shieal used to feel a great debt to the first Head of the Luke Family, they willingly gave their territory to the Luke Family who at that time had no territory at all.

But as of today, the Shieal Family had officially exhausted its lineage and held Shieal's selection about thirteen years ago. Even so, the existing system is still in effect today and there are absolutely no signs of change for it.

“Not just that, loh .... Mr. Joe, Mr. Wicead, the boy already knows that this Mylta City Branch Trade Union is using that method to facilitate trade routes,” Igra said with a little sense of satire in it.

“A—!! She was?! That kid knows our secret?!” Wicead got up from his seat and kicked down the table, he actually heard that fact after knowing Shieal was with the boy.

“Don't be hard, Wicead,” Joe said.

“Sorry ...” Wicead sat back, looking right and left in agitation.

“Mr Aprilo, did you tell the boy?” ask Joe.

Smiling lightly, the Executive replied, “No .... He knew it himself, guessed it and honestly I felt like I was being raided. Uh, it feels helpless anyway.”

“What .... is he really still a child? If not wrong, the age is not even ten years, ‘kan?” ask Joe. Unlike his partner who is often carried away by emotions, the man is calmer, thinks and acts to understand the situation.

“Hmm ..., scary, yes’kan? Makes the heart beat fast and feel shivering, right? Child named Odo it ..” Aprilo stared with a radiant face, his youthful spirit seemed to appear on the middle-aged man's face and stared with passionate ambition.

“You ... enjoy this, yes ...”

“Hmm, passable ...”