145 A Merchant Permission (1/2)
”My name is Der..”
Daniel looked at Der with confused eyes, almost as if he had forgotten about something of extreme importance..
Unable to single out that thought in his mind, he threw it to the back of his head, and said ”You can call me Daniel.” as a polite smile formed on his face. He then added ”What can I help you with?”
”I would like to know how you arrived here.. I have been trying to go home for many years.. I still have a family to go back to.” Responded Der with a near Melancholic voice.
Daniel became pensive for a few seconds, then responded ”Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I actually haven't arrived directly from that world.. A year ago I ended up in a second world, and was only teleported back here earlier this morning.”
A look of disappointment appeared on Der's face, as he said ”There is no chance then..”
”I'm going to acquire the permission for interplanetary travel.” Responded Daniel confidently after seeing Der's clear disappointment, which for some reason, made him feel bad.
”That's impossible.. I've been to the capital, and learned that the rights for interplanetary travel aren't something that anyone can obtain.” Said Der, which then proceeded to explain the requirements to obtain the permission that Daniel aimed was aiming to obtain.
Basically, three things were required to obtain a permission. The first one, was a certain level of power. The second one, was a significant level of influence. The third and last requirement, was a reason that could justify the need to travel through space.
The majority of these permissions were given to explorers, high ranking members of the various factions, and extremely wealthy and high-end merchants.
The Emissaries and Acolytes of the Spiritual Emperor, just like the Herald of the Sovereign of Corruption, belonged to the second type.
The only types of permission Daniel could obtain without joining a faction, was either the permission for exploration, which would grant him the rights to scout uncharted space, and sell the information to the various factions, or a merchant permission, which would require him to have a business large enough to motivate his need for interplanetary travel.
Der paused for a few moments after finishing his explanation.
He could see that Daniel was considering his choices, so, he waited quietly while brushing his black hair with his hand.
It didn't take long for Daniel to make his decision about what path to thread.
He didn't want to join a faction, nor did he want to explore uncharted parts of the universe.. What he wanted to do, was to become a merchant. What was taking a bit longer to decide, was what kind of items he could trade in.
The ideal would be to produce items that required time to make, and that he could quickly produce thanks to the advantage granted by the karmic system.
Suddenly, an idea ran through his mind as quickly as a flash.
He turned to look at Der's brown eyes, vivid yet covered by a dispirited expression, and said ”What's the value of essence treasures here?”
”Surprisingly low. There aren't many people which delve deeply into the profundity of essences, so, the ones who do, are overpaid, and focus mainly in higher level treasures.”
Responded Der casually. He then added ”I know what you want to do, but forget it.. Even if you can make a spatial sphere in a week, it will take you hundreds of years to reach a level of wealth necessary to become a merchant.. And that's despite the fact that spatial essence is considered one of the most useful spheres around.”
Daniel's smile appeared once again, as he looked at Der and said ”How about we make a deal?.. You've been here for twelve years, and Zack was born here.. You two help me get my hands on each and every essence treasure you can find, and I'll get you back home.”
Der looked cautiously at Daniel's confident face, and saw no doubt in it. It almost convinced him that Daniel could pull it off. So, he said ”I truly have no hope in you managing to do that.. But after twelve years.. I have no place else to turn to.”
”Excellent!” Responded Daniel with enthusiasm. He then waved his hand, and made Lucious appear next to them. ”Can you take care of the ring for a few minutes? Just sit here, eat anything you want, and when a man approaches the table, give him these.” Said Daniel to the old man in the wasteland world's language, while giving him a few low-level crystal he had exchanged with gold the first time Zack had explained the monetary change to him.
After Lucious agreed, Daniel turned to look back at Zack and Der, and said ”I'm taking you into a pocket dimension.. Don't fight it.”
Zack had absolutely no idea of what Daniel was talking about. After all, seeing someone experienced enough with spatial essence to be able to create a pocket dimension, was extremely rare in his world.
On the other hand, Der showed a surprised expression, and nodded slightly.
The three of them suddenly disappeared from their chairs, and reappeared in what looked like a cliff.
From this cliff, a large city could be seen.
Der was a powerful cultivator even when he was still in his world of origin, so, after seeing the stage of Daniel's pocket dimension, his face reached a state that was way past what one would call surprise.
The first time he had met Daniel, he had thought that he probably was a disciple, or a servant of a much more powerful cultivator, to which this pocket dimension belonged.. But then, after sensing the size of the dimension itself, he confirmed that it had actually been created by Daniel.
”What is this?” He asked with curiosity.
”This is my group's base.. I guess that for you, this is a small piece of home away from home. The majority of these individuals come from our world.” Responded Daniel calmly.