The Legendary Caffeine Transcendent

Grey reviewed the workplace accidents scroll sheet while riding a carriage on the way to Count Mourier's territory.

Current workplace accidents totalled about 2 over the last week. For some reason, one of Yulka's employees was caught with no hardhat on, ending up with a concussion due to a falling log. The other incident was a back injury from his own employee using bad form while carrying barrels of pre-mixed Arabelum Refreshers.

The good thing was that workplace accidents had gone down from 6 to 2 on a week over week basis. Regardless, Grey had reprimanded both employees, put them onto a 2 week safety seminar. After which, he told them to stay home for another 2 weeks to reflect on their actions. The Lady called this punishment a 'temporary suspension'.

Much to the employees' dismay, they cried and begged for the lifting of the suspension. But Grey had to remain strict.

He understood the distress of not being able to work for the Lady and had to calm them down, stating, 'She would welcome them back with open arms after they had finished their punishment'.

Grey couldn't help but almost tear up when he saw their devotion. How would he take this kind of punishment if it was him?

Thinking about it, he felt a sudden rush of melancholy at not being able to serve Her for even just a day. Even the limited 10 working hours per day felt so restrictive.

Finding a decent lord was already tough in Nulfrae, yet finding a Goddess was simply impossible, and here he was unable to work 'after work'.

It was still curious as to why General Witch Raven chose to only work for 8 hours per day. However, her tenure trumped all of theirs, he had no right to judge as Raven was Her most loyal subject as well.

The carriage suddenly slowed down as it entered the County of Mourier. Grey pulled back the right-side covers and saw the empty farm fields. Turning to his left and opening the cover, the Grand Plaedis forest blocked the view.

The Count's fields weren't as vast as other territories as he was directly situated between the Hadstead mountain and the grand forest. It was also currently the 10th moon. The cold was right around the corner, and the fields would no longer grow high yield crops such as wheat, potates, and karrots.

Though, Grey didn't care. The Count had incited the Lady's wrath through his unwarranted crusade against the subjects of Baroness Lois. Had the Lady not stopped his advance, meaningless blood would have been spilled.

As expected of the Lady's benevolence.

It was a regret that Grey wasn't there to witness Her grace. He only lived it through Chief Product Officer's words.

The carriage soon came to a halt just in front of the Count's own castle. 2 attendants bowed and greeted the arrival of his carriage outside the front gate.

After exiting the carriage, Grey nodded to the 2 attendants. "I come from a company called 'the Path', representing Lady Alex. My name is Grey, and my title is Chief Operations Officer. Please take us to the Count at once."

"Right away, Sir Grey," the taller of the attendants said, and then ushered him through the gate. "This way."

Grey followed them through the short courtyard. As they kept walking, he glanced at the wilting garden and the trees that had changed colour. Since winter was just around the corner, the less than lively courtyard was expected.

However, even that was already much more than what the Lady had. The bandit town hall could barely even be called a castle, as it was made of logs. Its only insulation was fur.

The Lady deserved a grand castle to live in, not some shabby bandit building. When he proposed a grand castle to the Lady, she rejected it, saying she already had plans for what she called 'the Path Tower', something she described as an 'office skyscraper'.

Once again, the Lady's terminology had gone over Grey's head, though it was to be expected. As more of her vision was built, more and more of Nulfrae would begin to be in the image of the Divine realm.

Oh, how Grey wished it would come sooner to see the glory. But with his ageless talent, he didn't need to be so hurried.

Entering the Count's castle, they walked through the corridor and entered an entry hall with a grand staircase. From there, the attendants took him up the steps into the left wing.

After passing 3 doors on the right, the attendant knocked on the door before pushing it open.

"Sir Grey, please have a seat at the opposite end of the Count."

Grey nodded then walked in. Sitting across from the Count, there were 4 mithril armoured knights behind him with a gem on each of their chests. They didn't matter, though. He was no longer the same weak administrative knight as before.

"Count Mourier, it's a pleasure to meet you. I come from my Lady's company, the Path."

"Nice to meet you too, Sir Grey. But may I ask what a company is?"

"It's best to think of it as something similar to a merchant guild, except in a different league of its own." Grey smiled. "Now, about the ores we requested."

"Ah, yes. You've requested adamantite ore for 10 silver per load?" Count Mourier asked.

"I believe that was not what the letter discussed. Just a moment, let me pull it out." Grey reached into his jacket's pocket causing the knights to tense up and pulled out a scroll. "Ah, here we go. 1 silver per load of Adamantite, 50 copper per load of Mithril, 5 copper per load of Cinders, and 1 copper per load of Yin ores."

Count Mourier leaned forward and took a second to respond. "I believe the prices you have set are below the market price of such ores, are they not, Sir Grey? Unless your intention is to insult me, then let us proceed with the real discussion."

"Count, I assure you this is not an insult, in fact, I believe we are helping your subjects with this deal. Are we not?" Grey asked.

"My subjects would be more elated if you had presented an even deal, which you have not."

"And what is an even deal to you?"

"I've already discounted the price of Adamantite ore to 10 silver per load from 25 silver per load. The rest do not even need to be stated. Is that not enough of a statement of my goodwill?"

"Goodwill only comes so far, and your pricing does not account for bulk pricing." Grey looked out the window.

The Lady specifically told him not to mention Her intervention in the Count's crusade. It was to be expected. Even though the Count had felt Her wrath, it did not mean that he was not allowed to feel Her grace.

He continued, "I see winter is coming. How do your miners fare?"

"They fare well." Count Mourier shifted in his seat.

"I see. And how do your serfs fare in the field?"

"They also fare well... enough."

"Then I see the Count is all and well. Shall I take it-"

"2 silver per load of Adamantite," Count Mourier said. "Please."

"I understand your plea, Count. I too would also want a better deal for the subjects of your land." Grey looked at the sheathed swords of the knights. "What do the other territories think of your attempt to take over Baroness Lois by force?"

"But the flock of dark birds-"

Grey held up his hand. "The birds could just be migratory birds. Remember, Count. All birds look dark from below."

"Then what about the sudden flourishing fishing industry of her territory after the birds arrived at her land?"

"Do you not know of the dragon moving away?" Grey said. Technically, the Lady did move the dragon by force, now stuck at a facility filling barrels with acid.

Count Mourier rubbed his eyes. "May I know what caused the dragon to move?"

"Does it matter to this trade?"

"It does not..."

"Then you must know of the surrounding territories' opinion of your crusade, do you not?"

"1.5 silver... that is the lowest I could go. For my subjects, and even I will starve through the winter moons."

The Lady had not told Grey of a specific price at which to buy the ores, but the Count still had not met his initial 'low-ball' offer. Considering this was 6% of the original market price of 25 silver per load, this could still be considered an adequate trade for the Lady.

Surely, the Lady would not mind a 50 copper difference from the low ball's strike price. Grey's eyes widened suddenly. It seemed the Lady had already seen through his soft heart. Such a discrepancy would have already been in her All-Seeing Plan.

There was no longer any reason to hesitate. Grey smiled and extended his hand for a shake. "We have a deal for 1.5 silver per load for the Adamantite ores."

Count Mourier met his hand, trembling, but still shook it. After one shake, they both let go.

"Then let us discuss the next ores, shall we?" Grey asked.

The Count cleared his throat. "Yes, let us discuss further."

Grey smiled. The Lady's benevolence truly knew no bounds.

☕︎ ☼ ☕︎ ☽ ☕︎

Alex was on her casual walk in the air, observing her workers on the ground as they worked. The interstate stop was just below her as Yulka's employees laid down an aesthetic brick path that led from the bricked road. They set up tables outside the store while others swept the leaves away from the entrance.

It was almost winter, which made Alex feel a sort of melancholy. The subjects of Lois's barony and Mourier's County would have such a short time enjoying the patio of Star Cubs. But there was the Fish-Fil-A just beside it, the interstate restaurant, granting access to affordable fish burgers to everyone with plenty of indoor seating.

Descending onto the ground just by the entrance of the aesthetically pleasing brick path that led to the door, the workers all looked towards Alex. She smiled at them softly, as a CEO should when the workers are working their hardest.

Having touched down on the ground, she began to walk at a slow stride through the path and then pushed the door open of the Star Cubs interstate rest stop. A chime rang above her as she entered the store.

Taking a deep breath, she noticed the aroma of coffee in the air that Elador had made. It was slightly fruity, but she deluded herself into believing that it was just the beans' profile.

Once again, the perfumers struck. Those black magic devil bastards always made things that smelled exactly as they should by just mixing chemicals. And truthfully, Elador did know magic. Gotta keep a watch on that guy specifically, just in case.

Alex walked to the front counter of the store, taking in the view of the muted brown interiors and wooden designs.

"My Lady, what shall I—"

"Treat me as a normal customer." Alex wagged her finger. Somehow, the line made the girl behind the counter tear up.

"I understand..." she sniffled, then wiped away a tear. "Welcome to Star Cubs. How are you doing today?"

"I'm doing good, thank you for asking. How about you?"

"I'm doing good too. What can I get for you today?"

"Give me a Cafe Mocha with extra shots of Lenar milk, please."

"Coming right up, my Lady!" the girl behind the counter shouted. She wrote down the order on the scroll sheet and proceeded to work on Alex's order.

Lenar milk was milk made from beans and was a good subsitute to oat milk. It was one of Alex's favourite substitutes for whole milk, as it had a unique taste that other milk alternatives didn't have.

Soy milk was also a good alternative, but it had a slightly off taste when mixed with drip coffee. It was better for dessert-type drinks.

Once the girl behind the counter, the barista, finished making the drink, she turned around and gave Alex her cup. "Here you go, my Lady. One Cafe Mocha and a double shot of Lenar milk."

"Thank you," Alex said as she took the cup from the counter. It was hot, currently sitting at 65.6 C (150F). Taking a sip, the creamy chocolately refreshing nostalgic soothing intoxicating stimulating coffee entered her mouth. Though it wasn't perfect, as there was still no white gold in this world, it was good enough. About 90% of the original Cafe Mocha from Earth.

Simply put, it was goddamn good.

"It's good. Good job," Alex said.

"Thank you, my Lady!!" The girl began tearing up again.

Quality control was good. It had the exact same taste profile as the North Star location. No difference in consistency, and it came out at precisely the same temperature of 65.6C which would need a bit of time to cool down to 54.5C (the ideal temperature for coffee).

Alex took out two copper coins from her pocket and put them on the counter. Before she tried to leave the store, the barista called for her.

"My Lady, you forgot your copper!"

"It's a tip. Keep it," Alex said.

"A tip?"

"Think of it as a reward for your service."

"I understand, my Lady!"

Alex walked out of the store and flew back up while sipping on her goddamn good cafe mocha. Pulling out her phone, it was 15:58, 2 minutes before the executive meeting that she had set. If she started the meeting 1 minute too late, some b(w)itch was about to have a hissy fit over her 9 to 5.

Gotta go.

A sonic boom followed behind her as she flew back to Path H.Q. As the bandit camp came into view, she slowed down just before and landed in the square. Alex entered city hall exactly at 16:00 as Witch Raven visibly sighed.

Walking to the fur covered bandit throne, she sat on it and looked at each of her executives with a smile.

"Welcome to the now biweekly executive meeting, everyone." Alex clapped.

Everyone clapped with her, especially Aurora and Grey.

"Today, there's a couple of things on the agenda." Alex turned her head to Grey. "Please, go ahead."

Grey nodded and then turned to the group. "The agenda here today is about the Interstate Rest Stop, the ore acquisition, and the northern plantation. If anyone has any questions during the meeting, please ask and the corresponding executive will answer you."

"Cool," Alex said. "Yulka, how's the interstate rest stop?"

Yulka stepped forward and turned to the rest of the group. "I'm proud to announce that the Interstate Rest Stop officially finished as of today at noon. Grey's managers have just finished training the employees over at the rest stop, and Star Cubs should finish tomorrow morning."

"What about Fish-Fil-A?" Alex asked.

"I can answer that," Grey said. "Fish-Fil-A looks to be opening in two to four weeks instead, as Reynald and Therese finish preparations of the kitchen and get their first batch of fishes."

Damn, too bad. Alex did want a juicy fried fish burger. "Ok, that's fine."

"My Lady, there is one issue," Rand spoke up.

"Go for it."

"The location of the Interstate Rest Stop is just below the Grand Plaedis Forest. As such, beasts will venture out from the forest and might affect our customers and employees."

"Sure. And?"

"I've deployed a heavier presence of our security personnel to the area to clean up beasts and monsters should they get too close to our retail store, my Lady."

"Good job," Alex nodded. "Make sure your security personnel use the buddy system."

"I understand, my Lady."

Did he really understand? Well, whatever. Let him figure it out. "Next agenda item."

"The next discussion item is the ore acquisition contract." Grey took a big gulp. "My Lady, he has given us a price of 1.5 silver per load of Adamantite, 65 copper per load of Mithril, 7 copper per load of Cinders, and 4 copper per load of Yin ores."

As soon as he finished speaking, Grey handed over the scroll sheets to Alex with trembling hands. Opening the scroll sheet, Alex saw the contract in all its glory as her eyes slightly widened in surprise.

Oh hell the fuck yes. There was one thing to lowball and then there's another to scam the bastard.

Adamantite's market price was 25 silver per load, Mithril at 5 silver per load, Cinders at 35 copper per load, and Yin at 9 copper per load.

What Grey did was no longer just 'scamming'. It was highway robbery at this point. Sheesh. Note to self, never cross that Grey guy on a negotiating table.

"Very good, Grey," Alex chuckled to herself, suppressing a full blown maniacal laugh. "Pennies on the fuckin dollar!"

"Thank you, my Lady, for giving me this opportunity!" Grey shouted as he almost teared up.

"What's a load, though?"

"May I ask what the Lady means by a load?"

"I mean, like, what the hell does per load mean? How much is a load in this world?"

"A load is simply how much an average person can carry. A person with 50 tenacity in their spirit sign is used as a measurement of what a load is."

"And I take it, it's just a big bag of ores this person can carry?"

"Yes, my Lady."

Now the nagging question of how this medieval fantasy world calculated their ore pricing was clear. But it needed to be better. She somehow needed to reinstate the measurement of a kilogram, as she similarly had done for liquid measurements.

"Cool. Ok," Alex said.

Yulka raised her hand. "Goddess of Might, us barbarians can carry many more loads than those puny small shouldered men. We can get more ores for our money if we send my employees."

"Good idea, but not a good use of resources since I'll need to change what 'per load' means anyways," Alex said. "Your employees are more useful expanding our company."

"Yes, my Lady! We shall conquer this world!" Yulka shouted.

That was exactly what Alex liked to hear. For the expansion of Star Cubs, and also now, Fish-Fil-A!

"My Lady, the next agenda point will be the northern plantation. Might you grant us a glimpse of your All-Seeing Plan for this part?"

"Uhhh, yeah, my plan," Alex cleared her throat. "Before I commit to the plan, though, let me ask something. Aurora, do Hadstead stalks really like growing in the mountain or not?"

The reason for her question was simply because the speed at which the Hadstead Stalks grew was relatively slower compared to even the other flowers. Even though it was similar to a bamboo, and it still grew at a remarkable rate, there was still an issue that it was not optimal.

Specifically, Aurora mentioned that the Hadstead Stalks were actually still not at full height at 2 and a half months of planting them. It usually took 2-4 months for bamboo to grow to full maturity. Since the stalks were not at their full height, then the growing condition was not the plant's ideal.

It made Alex even more curious why they were named 'Hadstead stalk'.

"No, my Lady. Although the plant originated from the Hadstead mountain, I have observed that it grew at a much faster pace when placed in sand with constant irrigation and in a temperate region such as the southern islands of Tsuba."

Witch Raven snapped her head right at Aurora, earning a glance from Alex. The witch's eyes clearly grew terrified of something, but Alex couldn't bother to make a guess.

Whatever.

"Hmm," Alex muttered. "That's fine. I want you to allocate half of the northern plantation to the Piker Bean trees, 25% to Arabelum bushes, and 25% to Hadstead stalks."

"Yes, my Lady. Would you not want the Star Seeking Flowers to bloom in the northern plantation?" Aurora asked.

"Right now, we have too much of a surplus of caffeine. There's no need to create more flower patches. We also have the small western field and the eastern field," Alex said. There's also an issue with bulk transportation.

Currently, carriages carried by horse was inefficient. But since she would be making the mana engine for the Hadstead Stalk crushers anyway, she would need to create land and sea based engines and somehow connect them to a carriage. Leave the mechanics of that to Elador or something.

Yup, that's the plan.

"And these Tsuba Islands, is there a nation that controls it or natives?"

"Yes, there are natives on the islands who call themselves the Tsuba tribe, hence the islands are called Tsuba islands. Pandor also has a presence in the area to grow their own plantations of specific fruits."

"What kind of fruits?"

"Crescent fruits, my Lady. They are yellow and look like the moon. After peeling them, you may eat the soft fruit with a creamy texture."

"Sounds like a banana. Right, Raven?" Alex asked.

"Boss, I think we can definitely look for a different place other than the islands."

"Really?" Alex rubbed her chin. "Aurora, are there any other places we can grow the Hadstead stalk?"

"I'm afraid not, my Lady. There are islands south of Yumiya with a temperate climate, but the land is too rocky to sustain life."

"What about southern Dragus parts?" Raven asked.

"General Witch Raven, I'm afraid that area would still be too cold for the desires of the Hadstead stalks."

Witch Raven sighed.

"What's wrong with you?" Alex asked.

"Nothing, boss. It's nothing."

“One more thing, Grey. Send Princess Richie a letter saying I’m visiting their castle.”

“Princess Richie?” Grey asked.

“The Princess of Lyra.”

“I shall send it right away, my Lady. For your reference, her name is May Lallemant.”

“Sure, whatever. Richie rich,” Alex said.

Sanders did mention Terry, the diplomat dude, routed towards Lyra instead of going straight north back to his territory. Whatever happened there, Princess Richie Rich might’ve gotten involved. Use that as precedent to leap over the Duke’s authority and sell directly to the top honcho.

"Any other questions?" she asked.

Everyone shook their heads. Alex pulled out her phone. It was exactly 16:57, just in time before the bitch started bitching.

"Everyone, dismissed."

The executives all filed out, leaving Alex in her fur covered bandit throne. The plan was set: continue I-10 and I-15 expansion, create a mana engine for a sugar factory and multiple other uses, map out new road construction, then create a port for the eventual Tsuba Island acquisition.

Expanding I-10 towards Duke Tanison would allow access to northern ports. The Duke would become an issue, but pulling a favour from Lyra or a mutually positive trade would soften that resistance.

The second item of creating a mana engine would be something new to Alex. She hadn't really needed to make an engine that ran off mana before, as internal combustion engines were a thing back on Earth that provided much simpler utility for uses such as transportation, crushing, or milling.

The third item in the plan was Tsuba Island colonization. This time, the French might just be the Pandorians. If they were, they'd definitely earn a lot of hate from Alex herself. Damn you, Pandorians.