My Servant System

"So these are the Magic Pens that you got? Seem... simple enough. Rather common too. You said that the Hawkkin woman you visited sent them for free, as a sort of... gift to lure you back to her Emporium?"

I nodded, spinning the golden cylinder around and inspecting the small, uncut crystal that rested on one end of it, roughly about the size of a corn kernel, which would be where my mana would reside as I used the Magic Pen to enchant whatever item or weapon was in my hands.

"They don't look to bad, and if I was reading the attached letter correctly, the price of these are around 3 Gold each, so she was really~ trying to lure me back. I guess spending 30 Gold on the first visit would do that to a merchant though."

"Yes, I think that would do it... Besides that, I have to say these were all very worth the money spent. This book especially! Getting something this in depth and detailed on all the metals known to be found inside Zhu'Rong Caverns and other Dungeons nearby is quite the catch and well worth the Gold spent on it. Even more so since its about the metal's ability to retain and accept mana for enchanting. Quite rare... or my family doesn't care about enchanting enough to have books like this? I don't know exactly."

"No, compendiums like this are quite rare, which is why I have to say I was surprised to hear you had bought it for a singular Gold, Kat. Even though I have little interest in enchanting myself, I would consider spending a dozen Gold to just add it to my personal collection back home. Perhaps this Horusa isn't as smart as she likes to make herself out to be?"

The Countess studied the other Magic Pen, inspecting the crystal before picking up the loose chunk that I had purchased as well, comparing the two closely and nodding to herself before stretching her hand out just a bit further, preventing Alessandra from reaching her tiny little hands out to grab the crystal.

"Well, that's nice to hear then. Glad to know my intuition didn't fail me this time. Did it fail with the rest of these, or..?"

Getting a second opinion on pricing from the woman who has been alive for a LOT longer than myself and was partially responsible for managing a large swathe of land and the Noble House that resided there.

The Elf looked over the rest of the items I had bought and inspected each of them, while Leone and I finished eating the leftovers that Mother had hidden away from the Marquess and Jahi, enjoying the bite sized quiches laden with cheese and filled with small bits of bacon that tasted just oh so good.

Munching on them alongside some regular old bacon without needing to worry if they'd disappear from my hands if I was too slow was nice, and what was even better was the scent of fried dough coming from the kitchen, where Mother and Bessie were preparing a nice sweet treat for us as well.

"The Lux Gold is a bit of a stretch on the pricing, but the Empyrean Silver and Umor Titanium were a bit of a steal with the other materials we have on hand. As for the garnets and this peridot, they're about normal price. These un attuned Mana Crystals are quite nice as well for the price. All in all, you probably saved around 3 or 4 Gold on everything else, but again the book is the real steal. It could easily go for 10 Gold on its own, so... yes, your intuition was great Kat."

The confirmation made me smile happily, the words from someone I had come to respect and partially view as a parental figure making me proud, though that happiness was swiftly redirected as the violet skinned Demoness on my lap babbled joyously as she snatched the quiche from my hands and shoveled it into her mouth, surprising me.

Everyone looked at the small Demoness who was chomping down on the quiche, before Leone let out a snicker as she noticed my frozen posture, while the Countess just smiled from the side.

"You thought you were safe now that Jahi was gone, didn't you~?"

Leone giggled beside me as she reached over and poked Lakshmi's pudgy cheek, the baby hungrily devouring the quiche and staring at Leone for more, only to sigh and lean back into my stomach when she noticed that the hand touching her had no food.

"Oh hush... Really Lakshmi..? I was going to eat that y'know? That was my quiche, not yours..."

Poking the baby's cheek, I earned myself a babble and a blank stare, the Demoness basically asking 'So what?' as she occupied my lap.

Letting out a sigh, I continued to poke the Demoness until she grabbed my fingers, babbling some more at me and giving me a pout, like I was the one in the wrong.

"Well, to get us back on track, you plan on eventually creating your own set of Magic Pens with this Lux Gold and the un attuned Mana Crystals, right? What was it... something about enchanting the crystals themselves to store different types of mana, correct? I remember Kolia telling me about it when you returned."

"Yes, that is what the crystals are for... the problem is that I have no idea where to start currently, so for now they're just going to be stored away for later. As for the Lux Gold, if I can find a better alternative, then I'll use that instead, but for now the Lux Gold is the best mana conductive material we have that isn't the Fiend materials."

The Countess nodded again as she allowed Alessandra to take the remainder of her own quiche from her hands, the baby Elf happily biting into the flaky crust and fluffy egg with a delighted expression on her face.