48 Deal with the Devil (1/2)

Yu - ...So that's the earth element spirit Gnome.

Grant simply nodded at my statement before he turned around and cupped his fist towards the Gnome.

Grant - Please watch over our conference oh guardian spirit.

Gnome - Very well young Dwarf, but remember your actions represent that of the whole faction.

After giving a short nod Grant turned towards us and raised his hand. Following the movement of his hand the ground below him moved as well and in seconds a table and 2 chairs made of earth appeared, and both Grant and I sat down. The guards that came with Grant stood behind him, and my people stood before me.

Yu - You guys seem oddly prepared for this aren't you?

Grant - Along time ago before the colonization of the American Colonies we would get constant contract offers from multiple factions. Unfortunately, with the start of the industrial era, factions stopped relying on our faction and used their own means to get construction done. To be honest you are the first faction leader to come into our compound in the past 200 years.

Yu - It's an honor. *whisper* I guess.

Grant - Now what type of contract would you like to commission with us?

Yu - [Why'd he suddenly start talking like a businessman?]

Yu - Well...

----

After that, we had a roughly 3-hour discussion on the scale of what we wanted as well as the duration of how long we'd have them work. I even showed them a 3-Dimensional optical view map of Haven's territory I prepared a while back. This baffled both Grant and the Dwarves behind him. Even Gro... I mean Gnome showed some slight interest in the layout of Haven's territory.

Grant - This doesn't seem like any territory found on Earth, Heaven, or the Underworld could it be that your faction is in a pocket realm.

Yu - Um... something like that.

Different from pocket dimensions that has very limited space of around a few cubic meters, pocket realms were gigantic space pockets that could hold hundreds if not thousands of people. From the pocket realms that I knew of there were some independent factions that control a single pocket realm while bigger factions controlled maybe 2 or 3. Even the Yokai Faction also control a small pocket realm before I took it over.

Grant - It may take us a day or 2 to finalize the blueprints for construction but, I'd also have to see the designated area first.

If I were to hear someone tell me this 1 week ago I'd probably slap them until they bled, but one our way here I read a lot of past reports about the Dwarves. Besides the surface knowledge everyone knew they were involved in a lot of major construction jobs for multiple factions, and while they did work for a lot of faction they never once revealed any information on the specific details of what they did. All that was known was the feedback they got once they were done. I was already able to accept this request but I first needed to know one thing.

Yu - Before that happens I want to know how much you'll charge us for this job. Depending on the price will determine whether I decide to use your guy's services or look for another alternative.

Grant - Ah! That's true... it's been so long I forgot about that part of the deal.

Yu - It's fine, so what'll it be. We can arrange things from money, supplies, or even protection.

When I said this Grant pulled a small vial from his sleeve and placed it on the table. The vial was clear, but the contents inside were gold. It was the same earth essence that was found in the pond right behind him.

Grant- What we ask as compensation is this. It is earth essence something produced through natural means or even artificial ones. Depending on the size of your territory I'm certain you have a couple of earth mages that can complete the job. I know that creating this kind of substance takes a lot of time and effort but around 36 vials would be the right price for the job.

*gulp*

I couldn't tell who it was but I could hear some people behind me swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Yu - [Is it that expensive?]

Yu - Is this enough?

Saying this I pulled out a 5-gallon container full of compressed earth essence. It contained about 1 years worth of earth essence because I'd empty out my reserves once a month into this container. I wanted to know if it'd evaporate or something but it never did and I just continued to fill it for a year. I had similar containers for other elements to sitting in m inventory, so if this was valuable maybe I could make some extra revenue with those.

Yu - [Hm? Why did everyone go quiet?]

The moment the container entered this room the amount of earth energy in the air got denser, and everyone became quiet. Grant who sat in front of me had his mouth wide open, and the guardian spirit in the pond was looking at the container with great interest. Seriously what was wrong.

*Ding* [The purity within Host's earth essence and the earth essence produced by the planet a vastly different in grade level. The earth essence produced by the planet may be a valuable item but it is produced by the earth vein within the planet which has been polluted by the actions of the inhabitants. Compared with the earth vein within Haven which was produced through Host's earth essence it is like comparing pure water to murky water.]