The First Legendary Beast Master

Having been directly addressed by the Lord made Karl and Dana immensely popular at the party, and within minutes they had met dozens of new people from all over the Dragon Isles.

The locals seemed to have mostly retreated, as they could meet him again later. Nobody wanted to make some foreign Prince or Princess wait to meet the celebrity of the hour, and Karl's popularity also dragged the most obnoxious away from them.

But the effect soon faded, as the Lord was still making his rounds, meeting new people who had done something noteworthy during the last year while he was distracted.

Butlers wandered the gardens, and once the crowd had dispersed a little, a second group of well-wishers gathered around Karl.

"Lord Karl, I don't believe that we have met. But Midwife Musa informed us that you were the source of the fertility charm that has been so effective for the local Nobility. We have to thank you." An Oni Demon woman greeted Karl with a reverent look that put Dana on edge.

"No need to thank me, I was paid quite well for my services. Congratulations on the upcoming arrivals to your family." Karl replied with a faint smile.

The Demoness smiled. "Yes, it will be good to have children around the house again. I'm afraid all of my others are long since grown and moved out. The downsides of excessive longevity."

The man beside her chuckled. "It will be somewhat awkward at family gatherings for the next few years, I suspect. Our daughter-in-law and granddaughter are also customers of the Midwife."

Dana couldn't help but laugh a little at the thought, and the handsome Demon smirked at her. "Yes, I am certain that it will only get worse once they are teens and getting closer to the Triplet Princes' choosing year. But that is still a few years in the future, and it's not the first time we've been through this in the last hundred years.

The Lord and his wife are quite amorous, even after four centuries."

That made most of the nearby demons laugh. Every twenty or thirty years, the Lord's wife would begin demanding more children, as she had gone too long without any in her home. Most men would suggest that she volunteer at an Orphanage, or other place that works with children. But the Lord has preferred to simply give her more of her own.

During the first century, they had dozens. Then it began to slow down, and many had assumed that would be the end of things, but since then, it has become a reliable event for new Royals to be born to every generation.

The garden party began to wind down late into the evening, though many couples had left early to enjoy a romantic dinner together either in the Castle or elsewhere.

Dana had opted to eat on one of the patios overlooking the garden, where she could see so much of the crowd's social interaction. The dynamics between factions fascinated her, as many of them clearly despised each other, but none of them would dare to start trouble here.

The Lord's butler came as they were finishing dessert, and waited to escort them inside for whatever meeting the Lord had required. Karl suspected that it had something to do with the Guild War, as Hawk had damaged the city's public property. But that seemed like a small matter, as restitution had been paid and the damage repaired the same day.
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They were led directly to the Lord's home wing, not to an office, which Karl hoped was a good sign. Nobody wanted to get blood on their carpets with kids in the house. It would end up everywhere.

Before the butler could even introduce them, the Lord was motioning for them to take a seat across from him and his wife.

"Welcome, Overlord Karl. And you must be the one known as the Dana Mage." He greeted them.

Dana stared at him in confusion, while Karl laughed quietly to himself.

"Is that not right? I listened in on the thoughts of the Thunderbird called Hawk, and that was how he referred to you. Never mind. Your name is Dana anyhow, so it's close enough."

[Hahaha, they probably think we're all clerics because they got their intelligence from Hawk, and he calls everyone brother and sister, except for you, Dana and Ophelia.] Cara laughed in Karl's mind as the Lord continued.

"Shortly after you arrived in Drodh, I was made aware that you would be coming to my territory, and warned that you were exiled for becoming quite the troublemaker. But it appears that my old friend from the Dragon Church misunderstood your nature.

Now, it would have been courteous if they had asked, or perhaps not dropped you in my capital city. But that is an issue between me and the Totems of your home Continent.

I actually called you here today for a much more mundane matter. Namely, to inform you that I will not tolerate a disruption of trade agreements between Drodh and foreign powers.

The guards did not stop you because there is no law about selling powerful magical items. However, there are agreements in place about exporting said items that the merchants have been conveniently overlooking.

Now, a war over trade would be a significant drain on resources, so I am hoping that we can come to a peaceful agreement that doesn't involve shutting down the most lovely shop near the gates.

You have been the talk of the City Guard for weeks now, after all."

Karl nodded in understanding. "The merchants that have been coming once a week to buy out my entire stock. I can understand the concern. If you wish, I would be happy to put a purchase limit on everything, unless there is an approved domestic vendor token I can check."

The Lord considered that for a moment. "That sounds like a hassle. It is far too easy to forge, steal or sell such a token. Instead, I propose that the city will bulk purchase everything Royal Rank and above that you wish to sell, apart from noncombat potions and items, which are not regulated as military goods.

I will order them to give a fair market price for them, and in exchange, I expect to hear of no more problems from the Darklight Host Guild House.

No loading ships up with magical rings and calling Pirates to ambush them, no having Overlord Ranked fire skills used to raze civilian residences to the ground, and if possible, prevent the Guards from purchasing mind-altering drugs from the Nature Cleric while they are on duty."

Karl chuckled at that last bit, and Dana looked horrified.

The Lord's wife thumped him on the shoulder. "We haven't heard that they were, but it's best to put it out there in advance. I am well aware of how the Green Dragon and her Disciples are."