<div class="floatright">(https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/042/913/large/mateusz-mizak-1merchant-1-art.jpg?1561747317)</div>Cain listens, then deeply sighs and then replies to Josephine's arguments; "You have a keen mind, I do I admit I have played an old school merchant trick called<em>plenty hungry bees make honey look sweeter</em>in inviting and offering Alana to you all. True that I had lord Balebrook firstmost in mind to purchase Alana, but buying her is still a huge risk for him and thus unlikely to do a purchase unless there was evidence she was highly desirable first and there was a competition to acquire her.  I Added an incentive for the purchase by my offer better potions and gear to the group to increase the chances of success which incentives lord Balebrook even further. But the offer was genuine to give Alana for free if Mephis, who presents lord Balebrook's interest, thought Alana was not worthy to purchase and give whatever I could with 20% and partly own pocket additional service incentives to lord Balebrook be lured with the promise of loot, treasure, and bounty from bugbears. Company idea as incentive as well as he is trying to expand the business and gain connections in Azure City and thus being a sponsor to adventuring company which succeeds would be an incentive as well. Also, I did not threaten to pull out of the agreement, I do not understand how you view my words.<br/><br/>"I only told you if no one purchases Alana, then Alana will not be sold as a slave. She gets the 20% she offered for her sale back to her and you do not get my healing potions, items, or service of my battle slave skilled in tracking. Those elements combined, lord Balebrook will not lend the assistance to his concubine in fear of losing her and thus a group of eight becomes a seven which means you have an even lower chance to succeed on the task, in my opinion and experience. Also, my experience is when a group of strangers first gather for a dangerous mission and if their chances go down, meaning one person is left out, can easily lead one or two more to leave in fear of the mission itself. Then in end, your group going to try to rescue Alana's people is the same number and thus as strong, or even weaker, as adventurers before you who tried to deal with Buga. At that point, you're seeking a miracle to win against the odds and as a merchant, I do my livelihood measuring the odds and chances in a business where you can win fortunes or lose them in single coin toss chances.<br/><br/>"Of course things can be different if you manage convince lord Balebrook lend assistance of Mephis without any gain nor assistance of my battle slave tracker. In addition my caravan only camps here two days max before I continue onwards to Azure City, which means lord Balebrook demands Mephis return before time is up.<br/><br/>"Now before you ask, the 20% given to me covers only the lesser healing potions if think Alana should use the items to purchase gear and services. Me giving service to my battle slave is more business practice of mine part of purchase done, as I upkeep reputation as a slave seller who ensures clients get their slaves safely and able to enjoy them. The same principle I do not apply to a group of adventurers going to take a daredevil risk.<br/><br/>"Also if you're asking I should give Alana to you but without not made a slave? Every slave sale is by demand of the Guild registered and if they later find I sold a slave, without using the proper process which is involved, it breaks Guild's rules and process which is mandated every slave sell to follow. It would mean I lose my license, membership and top off may end up slave myself breaking Guilds laws! So no, I will not sell Alana without proper procedure. I don't make the rules, the Guild does, so if want argue about selling slaves without turning them into slaves with present process, you need do argument towards highest council. But the biggest reason why the process exists is ensure the safety of the owners, at least that has been used in the past when similar arguments were raised up.<br/><br/>"The only exception was made for feral monsters and monster races in the past but that's slowly eroded away and is already illegal to enslave or sell feral monster or monstrous-raced slaves in the Azure City region. Only civil monster races and monsters who have character sheets can be sold but by the same principle as before; criminals who face a penalty of death or life sentence, those with immense huge debts which they never can't repay, or those willing to become slaves."