"This really is my first time seeing spirit stones like those," Kremy muttered under his nose, leaning in close over Theo's wares while he inspected them through a tiny magnifying glass in the form of a monocle.
To anyone else, something like this would be an extremely small, insignificant detail.
But for Theo?
While the man continued to mutter various ohs and ahs about his spirit stone, Theo tried not to make his stare too obvious.
All because of this damned piece of glass.
'How the hell does he have something like this?!'
This wasn't just about the existence of an object magnifying vision—those existed since way before Theo was even born in either of his lifetimes… But they were all crude versions of the invention he could still remember taking the markets by storm back in his original life.
And the monocle in Kremy's hand?
This was no crystal adapted to be used as a magnifying lens, nor some sort of contraption making use of various different elements or even water.
No.
This was the kind of glass no mere craftsman could produce, but something that was produced on a small… but still, massed scale!
'If it was a collector's piece, it would be a lot more elaborate. They wouldn't use simple copper for the frame either,' Theo thought, struggling really hard not to make his stare too obvious.
This arguably simple item effectively stole all of Theo's attention to the point he nearly jumped in his seat when Kremy looked up and happened to meet his eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I can see as many good qualities to it as there are imperfections," he stated with a shake of his head, opting not to comment on Theo's intense stare. "As such, I can only offer a price from the middle of the usual range, meaning…"
Kremy held his voice back for a moment, skillfully building up anticipation to make the actual number appear all the sweeter.
"Fifty gold coins a piece," he finally revealed while leaning back against his chair. "And I will only be able to pay a hundred and fifty in coin right now, so you would have to wait for tomorrow, or…" at this point the man grew openly anxious, "or I could issue a promissory note…"
Theo gritted his teeth.
'Again and again, this world is turning out to be more than I expected it to be. First that seeing glass, now what's pretty much a check…'
The worst part about it all?
Not even scouring through the memories of his new lifetime could Theo find any sense in the discoveries of today!
A magnifying glass of the kind Kremy casually pulled out implied the existence of a relatively modern industry… Or rather, a whole network of industries, from glassworks through metallurgy all the way to fine crafts that combined the materials provided by the two.
A promissory note was just an early name for a banking check, implying the existence of… well, banks.
And yet, no matter how hard Theo searched through his past memories, he couldn't recall ever noticing the existence of either!
"This might come as a surprise, but I don't really mind such an arrangement," Theo sighed as he spoke, his eyes locked in on the man's face. "Or we could do it a bit differently."
Sitting up on his chair a bit, Theo leaned over the table in the office Kremy arranged for the meeting. He then cupped his hands together while openly pinning his eyes on the man's face.
"First, you will pay for all the things I came here to buy, along with all the fees for the monster transportation guild to have those goods transported back to the Slevian sect posthaste."
Not wanting to come off as too oppressive, Theo paused for a bit, giving Kremy some room to digest the news and then prepare himself for the next part.
"That's quite the pricey task to open the proposal with, isn't it?" Kremy commented with a slight smile on his face and no signs of distress.
In the face of the total of five hundred and fifty gold coins that he offered for the stone, the few coins he would have to spend in the cooperative or at the monster transportation guild were but spare change within the scope of the ongoing transaction.
"Second, you will actually keep most of the money and continue to send over more salt and sugar as they arrive. Additionally, you will look into the process of purifying the sugar into its pure, white form."
Realizing that the scope of Theo's request was even bigger than just the spirit stones on the tables implied, Kremy held back from dropping another small joke.
With just his second point, Theo managed to elevate the negotiation from one where a casual joke would serve well to relax the air a bit, to a level where it simply felt inappropriate to utter it.
"And lastly, I want you to gather some… unusual information for me, one you will deliver along with the salt and sugar mentioned before."
At this point, Kremy's face tensed up.
"You want me to be a… spy?" for a moment, a hint of doubt flashed through the man's eyes, only for the man to steel the look on his face as he pressed his lips together and slowly shook his head. "With all due respect, your highness, but…"
"No, that's not it. Nowhere even close," Theo interrupted the merchant before he could go any further down the path of his delusions. "I don't know you anywhere near long enough to entrust you with a task that critical, so don't flatter yourself."
Theo's face grew cold as did his voice.
Given the scale of the investment he was suggesting, it was high time for him to offer a stick beyond just the carrots he did thus far.
"What I want to know is, where did you get this seeing glass? Where is it manufactured? What's the process behind it? Who did craft it?" Theo shot out a series of questions, this time not giving the man any time to think them through. "Then, what kind of institution would back the promissory note you spoke about? Why were you so hesitant to offer it in the first place? How widespread is the use of notes like those?"
Finally, Theo paused for a moment. He took his time to regain the proper pacing for his breath and even wiped a single tear of sweat that slithered down his cheek.
"In all honesty, you don't seem like good spy material. And I have means of obtaining information that you can't even fathom. That's why, I want to learn more about the things you clearly seem to be involved in," Theo finally relaxed his voice a bit. "Rather than making you work in areas you have no clue about, I would much rather push you to make the best out of what you appear to be actually talented at."