Herald of Steel

Looking at the enormous collection of jewelry in front of him, Alexander found it hard to choose just one or two.

There was even a crystal like tiara at one of the tables that he though Alexandria would like- but upon close inspection found it to be only a mock presentation, made of fake glass and cheap jewels.

"My lord, you are here. Hahaha, I was just thinking of visiting your manor! Thousand apologies I was not here to personally receive you. Thousand apologies. I was out a bit with my daughter."

It was while Alexander was viewing the display that this sudden boisterous laughter came behind him, and he turned around to find a large, well built black man giving an immaculate bow.

His name was Morus, and given how well he was dressed in a fine, vibrant purple robe, his identity was left in no doubt. That robe was perhaps as expensive as half the stuff in the whole shop, purple as a dye was that expensive.

This was the richest commoner in Zanzan and he was very different from the image of the stereotypical jewel merchant.

Tall and healthy, he only had a simple gold chain around his neck and two rings on each of his third fingers, one golden ring for decoration, and a silver ring he used to put his business seal on various things.

He appeared very clean with a square, chiseled face and nicely brushed back braided hair.

But perhaps what most stood out about him was his skin color- being quite black.

Clearly, he was not a local.

Which made his current status all the more impressive as people of color were typically looked down upon in Adhania.

Only a very handful like Menes and Gelene were treated honorably.

As for how he got here… well the story was he used to be a pirate, but after making some significant contribution to Pasha Muazz, mostly by harassing and plundering Tibias trade ships, he got a pardon.

Then as a free man, used his ill gotten riches to set up this business here.

Because of this, it was even said the gold and jewels used in all of his jewelry to date were actually all leftovers of his plunder.

A rumor that Alexander only disdainfully scoffed at.

Because never mind how large that stock would have to be for it to be true, even if it was, the first person to wring the poor pirate dry would have been that 'benevolent' Muazz himself.

Thus the far more likely explanation would have been something like the pirate exchanging his loot for gold and silver with the pasha, and then using the man's connections and access to the various small gold and jewel mines in the Cisran Hills to open the jewelry shop.

Also as a side note, Alexander had recently restarted some of those precious mines.

But they were quite limited in scale because although the Cisran hills were rich in resources, they mostly consisted of deposits of iron, limestone, marble, coal, and copper.

These were all very valuable to Alexander and his future plans to industrialize, but when it came to sources such as gold, silver, and other precious stones, they were quite limited in stock.

Even whatever there might have been, was mostly dug up and eaten by the former Pasha.

Thus Alexander was not that interested in using his limited manpower in such a tedious affair. He would much rather have these men work at the foundry or sugar plant- producing goods greatly exceeding in value than any gold mine in the world.

Anyway, back to the present, at Morus's greeting, Alexander turned to lightly smile at the tall man,

"I was just visiting the markets today. And just thought of dropping in. I hope I was not interrupting."

"Haha, joke, joke, the lord sure likes to joke. We are open day and night for you. You could come at midnight and I would still get out of bed to greet you, my lord. Hahaha," As an accomplished businessman, the former pirate definitely knew how to flatter his superior.

Thus immediately after producing the most charming smile, he turned to his army of assistants, and barked in a cool yet strong voice,

"You imbeciles! How dare you make the Pasha stand! Get him my chair. Quickly! Jaya, what are you doing just standing like that girl? Bring the finest drinks we have!"

"And what are these second rate baubles you are showing the Pasha? You think my lord bats even a single eye at these common trinkets? Tsk, I should fire all of you right here."

"Bring the hidden ones, bring those stored in the back. Hurry! Hurry! The lord's time is precious"

As expected of a former pirate captain, he really knew how to manage people. Just one look was enough to make the entire staff run around like their butts were on fire.

And even before Alexander would say anything, not only he but also the four bodyguards he entered the shop with were being served chilled sweet wine, the one Camius sold, the most expensive kind in the whole of Zanzan.

He was personally served by a tiny curly brunette with smoky almond eyes and small but perfectly sculpted breasts, which were very blatantly displayed through the deep, wide V cut robe she wore.

Alexander was sure if he were to reach out and touch them, the slave servant would only let out a squeal of joy.

And if Alexander wanted her, Morus would be over the moon to hand her over.

Alexander did not shy away from the refreshing drink, especially as he was parched from all the walking under the scorching sun.

So he quaffed the whole thing down in one full swing, letting the cold drink moist all his insides, thus once again making him feel alive.

Then, as the small girl was busy refilling the ornate golden cup studded with rubies, a cup that was specially reserved to serve nobles of the highest caliber, Alexander turned to Morus and casually waved his hands,

"No, no, I am not here to stay. Like I said, I was visiting the markets, seeing how the people are. So I am a bit short on time I will have four of those necklaces and two of these earrings."

Alexander's pointing at two of the tables made the entire room freeze, like he had just hit a pause button.

The men who were bringing an ornate chair for him to sit on almost turned into statues, the men who were carrying out intricate crates housing the best ornaments the shop had to offer looked at each other in confusion, a smartly dressed man bringing out a heavy catalog looked inquisitively at Morus, and the slave girl suddenly stopped refilling his drinks.

And as they did all this, Alexander thought he sensed a subtle tinge of horror run across all their eyes, like they were deathly afraid that they had unknowingly done something to offend him.

'Were we not fast enough in our hospitality? They dreaded.

As a matter of fact, they were not as afraid of incurring Alexander's wrath as they were of their employer's.

Because being a former pirate captain, Morus was certainly not the genial and genteel man he was posing in front of Alexander, and every single one of his employees was well aware of it.

They shivered even just at the thought of angering him, let alone actually doing it.

But also in fairness to the man, which amount of strict discipline was also necessary, as without it, it would have been quite impossible for Morus to get where he was.

He would have been betrayed by his men, have had all his fortunes stolen, and then left in the dirt, if not have his throat outright slit.

Thus he was the only one that remained composed at Alexander's demands, and breaking into a kind smile, first guffawed,

"These men, hehehe… forgive me, my lord, I failed to teach them," then turned to send a very stern look at all of them, "What are you doing just standing? Haven't you heard the lord? Pack it quickly!"

Morus's words were like the spell that magically thawed all of them, with each scrambling to submit the new order, although not everyone did it correctly.

"You imbecile, why are you taking the chair back? Is the lord supposed to stand while we pack? Bring it here! Bring it quickly!" Morus's loud and cantankerous voice sounded like the screeching of a devil to these men, who immediately reversed course and at last managed to present Alexander with his highly ornate, velvety chair, before performing a well trained bow and then scurrying off with an extremely frightened face like they had just seen a ghost.

Now normally these men were trained professionals, and having interacted with many nobles, never acted so clumsily.

But Alexander was really in a league of his own. Each of his steps was said to shake the very foundations of this city.

And he had come very suddenly with one prior warning, catching even Morus himself off guard.

In fact, Alexander was not even aware of the kind of panic that had ensued in the back rooms when he had suddenly entered, and how frantically the managers had sent looking for their boss.

Fortunately, Morus was close.

If you are not reading this at webnovel.com, then sorry, the content you're reading is STOLEN!

Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!

Please come Here!

=>Link to the original site:

https://www.webnovel.com/book/herald-of-steel_24388579605084705