Chapter 17: Larry and Barry
Sigmund's clones were crafted to near perfection. With his God-rank level, he could create clones with varied physical attributes. But the consciousness of each clone was interlinked with his.
Thus, whatever the clones perceived with their senses, Sigmund could also cognize them with precision.
It would be fitting to say that each of the five clones was a reflection of his personality.
Harry, with his black-haired and dark blue eyes, projected the flirtatious personality of the celestial mage. He was tasked to be the negotiator of deals and other transactions concerning the company.
The manager for the teashop, Barry, emanated a pleasing personality whose charm extended to convey cordiality and subtle persuasiveness without the need to employ seduction. That seductive persona was reserved for Harry.
In the shop for the tools and weaponry, a blonde, tall man with emerald-green eyes was busily dealing with a middle-aged guy, whose cunning personality was easily detected by the shop attendant.
"Mr. Larry, how about giving me another 50% discount for that weapon? Your shop is still new here. It's better if you send this weapon as a gift to me as one of your first customers." The middle-aged man's eyes glinted as he exposed a sly smile.
That glint never escaped Larry's perception.
"You must know that the materials of this axe include palladium and celestial iron. And this is a mid-grade weapon suitable for rank 5 mage. But of course, you can still utilize it in combat but you must be at that rank to unlock its abilities and have a better chance at besting your opponent."
Larry retained his disposition, projecting a stern yet level-headed transactor. He intended to gauge the personality of the other as well as inform his customers that the prices of the items justifiably matched the source materials.
That middle-aged mage with average height exemplified the arrogance of an attack mage, who condescendingly looked down at anyone he believed to be lower than him.
As he was transacting with the attendant, he did not detect any aura or mana from the latter, an assumption that prompted him to ask for a bigger discount on a weapon he fell in love with at first glance inside the shelf display of the shop.
The weapon in highlight was an axe made of mid-grade celestial iron alloyed with palladium. The middle-aged guy could easily scan the grade and quality of an object. This time, he wanted to have that weapon at a bargain.
While the adventurer kept on negotiating the price, one of his companions became annoyed as he listened to the negotiation. He was a mage that wielded a spear and he happened to have gone through a better deal with Larry as both parties were on equal benefits after finalizing the transaction.
He also happened to gain better deals with the shop attendant after he commissioned the selling of the looted materials and gains from their recent adventures in the primeval forest. After the deal, another group of mage adventurers became satisfied customers of the new shop in Greston.
Except within that group, a haughty member reared his horns.
"Bomer, how about you decide immediately to finish the transaction? Boss is already inside the teashop while we are still waiting for you to get your ass done here." Sergey commented as he tried to even his tone, masking his annoyance. He is a tall, young mage with a lanky muscular build, carrying a black bow at his back.
With the middle-aged mage who was constantly asking for a lower price for a prized item, the aura of annoyance within the shop became palpable.
It must be reiterated that Larry was one of Sigmund's clones. Every movement inside the tools and weaponry shop, despite the main body of the boss of the company chilling outside the teashop while taking a sip of his favorite spirit tea, was under his watch.
Inside the shop, another companion of the middle-aged mage became more annoyed at his friend's sly method of obtaining benefits while the other party was at a disadvantage.
He did not want to leave a wrong impression on his group. As he observed and scanned the shop, he suddenly realized that many tools and weapons were made from precious materials. These could not be found in any shop in Greston.
"Hey, Bo! How about I lend you some? Mr. Larry is a good person. But with you constantly begging for a discount, he might get more annoyed and get us banned here." Ricky, another middle-aged adventurer with dark features, did not hide his irritation.
"Rick, you know I am a family man. I need to get home with more dough for the family. But this axe is too precious to be left here on display. So Mr. Larry, how about my offer to make this your gift?" Bomer winked at Larry while the attendant seemed indifferent.
The other adventurers wanted the deal to get done as soon as possible as they gradually sensed danger.
"Mr. Larry, this bag has the right amount of crystals for that weapon." Ricky suddenly handed the shop attendant a magic storage bag, which Larry received. The latter then confirmed the finality of the deal by giving the weapon to the group. He didn't even watch the group leave the shop as he turned to the other corner to make it seem that he was taking another weapon from the inventory.
The group of four adventurers left the shop rapidly while Ricky dragged Bomer, who seemed reluctant to leave.
As they finally left, Saiko, a young-looking man with average build and height, turned to Bomer whose face immediately frowned after he was dragged outside.
"Asshole! I know you look down on people lower than you. But did you not detect that immortal inside?" Saiko angrily shouted at the offending middle-aged mage.
"Your stupid move almost led us to be killed there!!!" Sergey nonchalantly informed the Bomer but it was also addressed to the group.
By this time, Bomer bugged his eyes out. "What do you mean, huh?"
"You were only concerned about having that weapon. But did you not really detect the aura of that person?" Saiko muttered but with a hint of threat.
"Right, Saiko. You are the only one in our group that can detect and scan soul force with almost perfect precision. Are you sure he is immortal? I haven't even detected any aura from him." Ricky inquired with concern.
"A being with no aura does not mean he is not a mage or a being without magic. Didn't you see and analyze the way he can handle high-ranked magic cores and even high-grade weapons without the pain, burn, or any after-effects? Mortals can't do that. I even detected him adjusting the magic force of that axe so Bomer could handle it without the burning pain." Saiko informed his companions with a slight sense of concern believing that they almost had a brush with death.
"Thankfully, you drag him out there, or else…" Saiko stopped his comment after he noticed a youthful-looking man with sophisticated stature seated in the al fresco area of the teashop.
As his gaze met with the young man, the young mage witnessed the smile as if saying the other knew his precious secret. The other man's appearance made Saiko feel slight inferiority as a man of average look until he adjusted his mindset and told his colleagues to get inside the teashop.
"Damn! These people are extremely powerful! Why are they in Greston of all places?" Saiko secretly thought as he turned his head and took another glance at the young man in the al fresco. The other still did not leave his gaze.
To Saiko's surprise, the handsome man even nodded.
As they entered the shop, the adventurers immediately searched for their leader, who got inside the teashop before they did.
At a certain corner of the teashop with a large rectangular table, a long-haired man with greying crown forked a small slice of the cake while carefully bringing the pastry to his mouth to enjoy. After relishing the pastry, he turned to his colleagues, now seated at their table.
"Boys, how was everything there?" With a commanding tone, Jameson asked his comrades while his attention did not leave the pastry with only a few bites left for him to consume.
"We hit it big this time, Boss! The shop gave us a better deal after they bought those materials." Sergey replied to their leader. After that, he sent the amount telepathically.
After hearing the amount in his head, Jameson glanced at Sergey, "Not bad!"
"Indeed! We also managed to get good weapons." Saiko's remark masked an ominous tone, which did not escape the leader's curiosity.
"Whatever it is, I am glad that everything is done." The leader glanced at Bomer's presence, while the latter seemed to feel his back drenched in sweat. "How about you try this pastry? I bought a whole for this. Barry told me it's called strawberry cheesecake. It looks fancy but tastes heavenly."
"Barry?" Saiko asked. "The Cheetahs are also here."
The group of adventurers did not fail to notice the famous adventurer group of Greston.
"We exchanged a few pleasantries. Nothing much. Bryan seems to dote on his concubines." Jameson replied with a bitter tone, not forgetting to highlight the word 'concubines'.
"So Barry is the name of the teashop manager here," Sergey answered for his companions.
"The tools and weapons shop has Larry. Hmm…" Saiko again commented.
"Didn't you see the signage on this building? It's Chua, Sons, and Co." Ricky rhetorically stated.
"So, they are brothers. But the one in the al fresco?" Saiko's remark trailed as he noticed an extremely-attractive brown-haired man approaching their table.
"Good day, gentlemen! As our first customers, we offer these drinks for you to try. They're on the house." Barry smiled as he carefully placed the tray of bottles of alcoholic ale on the table.
"What is this?" Bomer asked with curiosity but not forgetting to integrate it with a condescending tone.
"This is our specialty here. A bottle of ginger ale with 5% alcoholic content. We can only give you one bottle each as we don't want you to get drunk just yet."
"Thanks, Barry!" Jameson accepted the offer with a friendly attitude. "By the way, if I may ask, are you all brothers working here?"
"Yes, we are," Barry replied. "For now, we can manage as we are opening the shops. But we are looking for additional employees."
"Oh! Can I get my daughter to work here?' Bomer excitedly asked while aiming for the possibility of getting another deal for weapons.
"We will send an announcement this week. When we think they are qualified, we can hire them." Barry's response was filled with a saccharine tone.
"How about the guy outside seated in the outdoor area?" Saiko attempted to probe.
Barry responded, "Oh! That's our father."
Not wanting to see their reaction, Barry immediately said, "Please enjoy your pastry and the bottles of ale."
The adventurers saw the shop attendant slightly bowed as the latter turned to go back to the counter.
"Their father?" Saiko's face painted a bewildered look. Seconds later, his look changed to a frown.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone