Once she received the jade plaque, essentially Andariel’s credit card, Alice went straight to the East Side to visit the Assets and Property General Office to purchase the store building.
The office was quiet. Most Succubi and Incubi rarely sought new properties due to the village’s slow development and low birth rate. Still, the place was spotless, well-maintained, and carried a faint citrus scent.
Alice rang the bell on the front counter. A blue-skinned succubus emerged from a side room, licking her lips while adjusting her wrinkled dress. It was obvious what she had been doing moments ago.
"Oh my... Young Lady Alice. What a pleasant surprise. I'm Daria, at your service."
"Uh... sorry. Were you in the middle of your... meal?"
"No need to worry. I just finished, though I'm still craving some dessert," Daria said with a teasing smile.
Alice leaned away, her nose wrinkling as a heavy mix of pheromones and aphrodisiacs wafted out from the room.
"I hope he is still able to walk later," she muttered under her breath. Sincerely concerned about the incubus who had just wrung dry by Daria.
"So, how may I help you today?"
"I’d like to buy a store building on the East Side. Could I see the catalogue?"
"Of course, young lady. Right this way."
The process went smoothly. Alice placed a medium-sized leather pouch on the table, and within fifteen minutes, she received the building certificate and trading permit.
"How much for everything?"
Daria worked her abacus with fluid movements, the stones clicking rapidly as she calculated.
"That will be 1,500 gold coins, including tax."
Alice stacked the coins neatly and signed the certificate.
"Great. Momo can move to the new store right away," she said, her voice full of excitement.
Daria handed over everything in an ornate box.
"Here are the keys and the paperwork, young lady. Would you like a tour of your new property?"
"Sure. An escort or two would be nice."
Alice was flanked by two Incubi Sentinels as Daria led the way. While most villagers recognized her as the Chieftess’ daughter, the Beastkind and humans didn’t. It would be risky for a small succubus to walk through the merchant district alone with a pouch full of gold.
On the way, she asked one of the Sentinels to summon Momo who was currently at the Market Square to meet her. Alice wanted to surprise the fox girl. Another reason was, the distance was too much for her to cover on foot. Despite being called a village, Tusa Village's urban and market area was as large as a mid-sized satellite city.
Everything went according to plan. As she arrived at the store’s location, Momo appeared with the Sentinel shortly after.
"Miss Momo! I missed you so much!" Alice ran to her and hugged her waist like a clingy little sister, brushing and stroking the fox spirit’s tail affectionately.
"I missed you too, Alice," Momo replied with a soft smile, giving her head a few gentle pats. "What happened? The Sentinel said it was urgent."
"It is," Alice said, raising the key and the documents. "Look! I bought my own store. Just like I promised, now you can sell your products here."
But Momo’s smile faltered.
"Well... about that. There's a dispute going on about which company we should sell our products to. The Chieftains are divided into two sides as we speak. I tried convincing them, but the other company offered very appealing deals too."
Alice sighed. She remembered Catharina’s warning about human merchants from outside the village. Ruthless, always aiming to dominate small artisans with fast money and cutthroat tactics.
She turned to Daria.
"Miss Daria, may I ask for one more favor?"
"Of course, young lady." Daria placed a hand over her chest and bowed politely. As Andariel’s daughter, Alice couldn’t be refused.
"I want the store renovated and furnished by the day after tomorrow. I’ll cover any additional costs."
"There’s no need. I’ll see to it personally."
"Thank you. I’ll leave it in your hands."
"You can count on me."
Momo glanced at her. "You’re going to speak with the Chieftains now? I’m not sure that’s a good idea."
"It’ll be fine," Alice said as she began walking west. Momo followed, a few steps behind. "I figured this would happen once my products were sold at ridiculous prices during the auction."
"I heard. Noble ladies couldn’t stop talking about them. A few craftsmen from my clan tried to copy them, but they couldn’t even make them vibrate. They had no idea how you managed to embed elemental mana stones into the cores and draw the exact Runes Formation."
Alice chuckled. "That’s my trade secret. I’m not sharing it anytime soon."
"But how do you plan to convince the chieftains to let us sell through your store? They're still unsure about your market’s credibility."
"You’ll see soon enough."
Eventually, they reached the West Side, where the Beastkind resided. What used to be a vast, frozen field had become a settlement packed with tents of all shapes and sizes. The differences reflected the many subspecies within the Beastkind race. Some tents were large enough to host a family, others were just enough for one person.
Momo led Alice toward the top of the hill where the largest dome-shaped tent stood. This was the temporary Chieftains Hall, where the Ten Chieftains held their meetings. It was large enough to house dozens of beastfolk at once.
"We’re here," Alice said. She could hear voices from within the tent. "Sounds like they already knew I was coming."
"I’m ready. Let’s go inside."