<div class="floatright">(https://cdnb.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/019/042/913/large/mateusz-mizak-1merchant-1-art.jpg?1561747317)</div>Cain replied to Alana's question where bring mugs and says; "Just bring them over to Muula and she fills them and anyone interested can take mug then. I would love a mug as well." Once he got the mug he slurped from the mug the milk, smacking his lips as he licked the milk mustache off and with a grin said; "Ah, good as I remember. I have one business that specializes in minotaur milk products, but my mother got regular access to it so grew up with the stuff hehe."<br/><br/>But besides that, he slurps from mug occasion and remains silent...and observes the adventurers as much as Alana's performance and Mephis who sort steals the spotlight. But does not say anything but he smiles quietly.<br/><br/><em>"They seem to develop a good rapport together, good, my instincts were right about them and it's important they have that so I can do my sale pitch."</em><br/><br/>Then finally Lalia entered, he knew already she and Muula had fucked before, the entire camp had heard them fuck and have a great rapport together so he does not need to wait for their interactions to know they get along. Also, Lalia has got good relations with others so far as he knows. So once she is intent and lets her take a seat somewhere as he then takes on his mantle as a merchant, and starts his performance; those in the business call it a<em>trade market stance</em>where the merchant loudly speaks excited and at a fast pace but not fast pace as make clients fall off the track but keep their absolute attention to them when they try to sell anything from snake oils to fresh apples of the day as he claps his hands loudly and makes a bow towards the adventurers and speaks; "Welcome you all to my tent and thank you for accepting my summons! I am also glad I had read all of your characters right that you do not shy away from danger in return for wealth and glory! Excellent, as I have a proposal for you and an opportunity of a lifetime for all of you! Alana, come here beside me and take the stance, just as I taught you."<br/><br/>The stance which he referred to as the stance of how slaves, especially female sex slaves, are displayed. This means they gracefully place hands behind their backs and straighten their backs to expose full bust size naturally and then crouch down, legs spread so the knees point away from their bodies but not towards clients so their sex is displayed as well and face clients and look directly to eyes so their eye color can be clearly seen as well their face. Stance is alluring, it's lewd and that's the entire point of it at all; she needs to present herself as alluring as possible to tempt desires in clients to desire to claim her after all. Mephis would be well aware of the stance and implication of why Alana would be told go for it. For some reason, she is on sale to the adventurers...but even if Mephis is not an expert she knows as a slave Alana would be very expensive to buy. As willing sex slaves, pretty as Alana, would fetch high prizes in auctions. So something else is going on.<br/><br/>Once Alana was in position beside him he places a hand on her head, petting her head and feline ears, and says; "Now you all know, I am by trade merchant lord and I have a finger on many pies and slave trade is one I do as well. However there is certain unique circumstances involving Alana...she offers to be a slave to any of you,<em>for free</em>." He gives brief dramatic silence but quickly raises his hand and then mimics an average fat man's voice; "But sir Cain, nothing in life is free so what's the catch here!" Cain chuckles and continues; "Naturally, there is a catch and I am just about to tell you! She did cover my 20% of the sale herself." He kicks on the sack beside his chair which jingles and clatters, filled with all expensive items and jewelry which Alana had collected from tribute both from herself, her mother, and from the village, she represents, and continues; "And bit over that but now you know when someone willingly offers to be slave they have reason and purpose for that. Cover debts, give money to family, and so forth. In her case she wanted her money to be spent hiring adventurers to handle rather a hairy problem that has wandered to her village."<br/><br/>He takes a sip from his minotaur milk mug to let his words lurk in minds of adventurers and then after slurping a sip he continues; "She had few conditions; preferably a male owner for her, but it's a preference which can be dropped in lack of options. The second is that she will be sold to a person who one way or another contributes to rescuing her village. Thirdly the adventurers if any send immediately out once contractual matters are settled and any preparations adventurers need for the task ahead and she naturally joins them on the task. Now, the tricky part is this...I doubt any of you individually carry eight to ten thousand gold, do you? Either even as an item?" He glances at Lalia's mithril armor she wore, which is perhaps the most expensive item in the group but even that would not fetch the high mark of it and he continues; "The price is based on basic market parameters; she is beautiful, she is healthy, she is virgin. I know, some men and women prefer experienced women, but most markets value virginity on their own merit. She is untrained as sexual slaves go, but she's a cleric and those arts are valued high. She has reached her limit though, so she is not useful in breaking your own limits if any and if want her to grow stronger you need to find someone to help break and raise her limit. Albeit pretty and healthy she is, however, mongrelfolk, which sadly means she is sterile and unable to bear children which gives a negative trait to her. Albeit some buyers actually like that feature in their sex slaves if they have no plans for having children. The most important factor though is that she is willing to submit herself to slavery and devoted to serving her future owner with all absolute devotion. That pushes her price close to ten thousand if not for her negative traits."<br/><br/>Cain sighs as if facing tragedy; "So, the problem is getting buyer immediately...albeit there is one potential client but it all depends what said potential client's slave thinks and is he really willing go such big gamble. As he would not just send Alana into danger but his prized concubine as well." He glances to Mephis, who knows her master may not carry ten thousand gold in person but he owns more than that in invested businesses on paper...so a business or two traded over could cover the entire purchase of Alana.<br/><br/>Cain continues; "So the dilemma is answered simply, you don't have gold but I can pretend you had the gold buy her and I also pretend I pay the 'full salary' for the task to all of you and mark it records being done so, even if the truth is all I can give you such task is hundred gold piece and lesser healing potion to each, including Alana and naturally any income slaves, get goes to said slave's owner. There is, however, the actual great profit gained in dealing with the problem itself if the initial payment is so lousy most adventurers would turn up and leave now so please wait as I tell you more about the task ahead!"<br/><br/>Cain raised his hands bit defensive gesture as if preparing for out roar from the crowd of voicing out their disgust for such as pretend give proper salary for hard work and is readying tell a compromise as he continues; "Alana's village has been attacked by bugbears, three of them plus a bugbear chieftain with a single intact eye which glows purple in darkness and has crimson tattooed scars on his body. The chieftain is notorious and is named Buga the Backdoor Marauder. A backdoor is from his practice raiding the backcountry and always striking at night through vulnerable spots in any community he raids and his preference to destroying women's anuses. Don't ask me how we know the last part.<br/><br/>"Anyways, Buga struck tonight at Alana's village and deftly dealt with any defenders who happened to try to stop his raid which came as a brutal surprise attack, some spoils but mostly spoils being young women of the village. Now Buga and his gang have history; they have years lurked in the region and three earlier adventuring bands have been sent after him; all three were defeated. But wait; there's a reason I believe why they lost, even if the third group had gold-ranked adventurers. The first group had only four silver ranked adventurers, the second had single iron ranked and six, and the third one had four adventurers with three irons and one gold ranked. I solidly believe all three were over their heads, as from my experience against such a gang you need two adventurers per bugbear and they were thus greatly outnumbered by the threat scale! The reason, why he hadn't been defeated, is because of this reputation and that whenever he strikes he does not linger long in the area, so thus why you need immediately depart to track down Buga before he moves on and disappears deeper into the region enjoy his spoils further. I will send my battle slave, Katrina, she's a skilled tracker and will help you track Buga's gang down but she will not partake in any fighting at all. That's the extent of my aid I can provide besides a hundred gold and lesser healing potions for you.<br/><br/>"But I won't say it would not be hard work and job for eight of you so why you would risk your necks for poor pay and only one of you having Alana as a slave? Why risk death or worse going there deal Buga? Well, Buga has been fed three times adventurers...and thus means he has gained loot from them. Also, he has raided plenty of communities, naturally, any items Alana recognizes will be returned back to her village as she is the one doing the job request here, but the rest items and goods by right for adventurers to raid and pillage on feral monster dens are yours by right to hold." Cain then grins widely, displaying his golden teeth as he adds; "The best part, if you bring all four heads of the feral bugbears as we go to Azure City, the Azure Knights who have placed a bounty for the gang for five thousand by the city and communities, is all yours to take and split as well. Not to mention gratitude of the said parties."<br/><br/>He lets now words sink in and let adventurers think as he then looks directly to Mephis now and says; "Your master is the only person in this caravan who could purchase Alana legitimately full price, this gives your group much greater advantages. I could give you flatly thousand gold each and healing potion, not a lesser healing potion. However, I do not have that much gold with me though. Instead, I have goods and what I would offer, assuming lord Balebrook purchases her, I can give you healing potions and every one an uncommon quality magical item from my stock. Alternatively, everyone gets a healing potion and then two rare magic items, two of the four I have in my possession. Naturally, if lord Balebrook purchases Alana, his slave gets the first to pick on the rare magic items, and the second pick you need to decide who does it and who gets the item. Still, it's a huge risk for lord Balebrook to send out his priced slaves even if he would gain either uncommon or rare magic items as well in the deal as well as Alana. So I have a proposal which may interest him and the rest of you."<br/><br/>Cain grins as he continues; "You could establish an adventuring company, I would help in registering it and if lord Balebrook purchases Alana he could become a sponsor of said company. Around half of the adventuring, companies are sponsored by the adventuring guild. Now, benefits of the establishing company are threefold; first, any reputation you gain is not split into a group of individuals, the social impact you gain from doing this task is less if you do it as a bunch of individuals, but if you acted under a single name of the company, then your names will be tied to company and company as the name would gain greater social impact and thus benefits for you gaining jobs from Guild and Adventurer's Guild easier, gain recommendations and recognition better. The second benefit is only with sponsors; you gain greater discounts in Guild businesses and through your sponsor gain better connections. Lord Balebrook is not a great mover or shaker yet, but he has connections. His benefit of being a sponsor is he gains more doors to use in the future business-wise and any quests he offers to you take priority over any other quests which you may receive in the future. So he can do favors to other merchants and businesses by employing his adventuring company to do a task for them, naturally, your sponsor must properly reward you as well.<br/><br/>"Third benefit is whenever you do jobs, your accomplishments done, whether as a group or an individual, are stacked to the company name and thus everyone can progress quicker in guild ranks than you individually would. Also, there is a large culture of following the progress of adventuring companies and they get to go on some unique quests and events which only adventuring companies are invited to. Including tournaments that adventure guilds run yearly where only adventuring companies compete for grand prizes, not individuals."<br/><br/>Cain shrugs and adds; "Of course, you can found a company without a sponsor, but the cost of doing so would be five hundred gold to me do a registry for you. But even if you start with a sponsor, you may later part ways with lord Balebrook if your relations either go sour or you decide to part ways for other reasons. Even if the sponsor funds and names the company he does not gain ownership of the company or its name; the adventurers who form the company have the ownership always. Some companies have disbanded overtime in the internal conflict between adventurers and the company is no longer listed in Adventurer's logs, some disband just happen once members of the company fall below the company founding limit which is five. There is a grace period of two months to recruit new members to the company before the Guild reinforces the disband rule in case of company members leaving or dying as the course of the adventure. So just saying even if you found company now, it's not binding to you nor lord Balebrook."<br/><br/>But Cain then grins; "But, I have to mention this is one rare opportunities though. If lord Balebrook would purchase Alana, then as sponsor gear you up with my goods, you go beat Buga the Backdoor Marauder, you then after rescuing Alana's people and restore goods from her village, you with rich from spoils from Buga enter Azure City and lord Balebrook hand over the bounties of the bugbears and thus your company gets immediately reputation dealing an old but annoying local menace and gain thus immediate recognition and gratitude of locals and Azure City itself, which is growing hotpot of potential not seen since centuries in neither Atlantica and Free Nations. Even if I would become merely a footnote in your perhaps far future published legacy book on how your company got started in the first place, I would gladly have played my role in it. Albeit I in past did many risks, since becoming merchant lord I avoid taking risks now, and thus why I do not purchase Alana to myself. But lord Balebrook is young, he is new and he knows if he wants to become big and successful before he is gray and too old to enjoy spoils, he has to take risks to progress!"<br/><br/>Then Cain spreads his hands and more and less looks at the group and says; "So what say you all? Interest in the job? If so, who will claim Alana? I say default's highest offer to her is from lord Balebrook, but if her slave decides he is not willing to gamble so much...then any of you can claim her. The ones who match her preference take priority naturally."