MTLNOVEL Chapter 143: Opportunity
[August 22nd DxD/April 11th DBT]
While tending to his crops with Xenovia helping out in a dark red flannel shirt tied in the front to expose her belly and lower back, blue jean short-shorts, and beige-brown work boots, Vahn raised his gaze to the hole in the cave's ceiling at the precise moment what appeared to be an orange tabby cat with yellow-green eyes peered over the edge.
"You looking for me...?" asked Vahn, recognizing the expressive-looking cat as Teo, one of the central characters within The Top Dungeon Farmer.
'I can see why he's so popular on social media...he's adorable...' thought Vahn, watching as Teo flipped down from the entrance and landed nimbly on just his hind paws, allowing him to stand upright with a green mantle fastened by a bronze badge, denoting his status as a Novice Peddler, and a dark purple bag, worn like a backpack with ropes for straps.
"Are you my customer, Vahn Mason, nya?" asked the roughly 80cm-tall cat, his voice boyish with a cute, cat-like inflection, known colloquially as a Granier accent.
"I'm Vahn Mason," confirmed Vahn, nodding affirmatively before raising his right brow and asking, "And you are?"
Puffing out and thumping his chest with his right paw, the orange cat confirmed what Vahn already knew, proclaiming, "My name is Teo, a Novice Peddler from the 75th Floor's Granier Village! I look forward to doing business with you, nya~!"
"I can at least hear you out," affirmed Vahn, shifting his gaze to the picnic table perched along the periphery of light cascading down from the hole above, stating, "Seul-bi. Please prepare something to eat and drink for our enterprising friend here."
"Okaaaaay~!" responded Seul-bi, hopping up from her perch and skipping to Vahn's cottage in a way that caused her breasts to bounce and sway as she excitedly went to prepare tea and snacks.
Following Seul-bi with his gaze, Teo's non-existent brows perked as he asked, "Is that a Service Bunny? I've never seen one wearing an outfit like that. Doesn't she know her butt is hanging out, nya...?"
"She's well aware..." responded Vahn, smiling wryly as he gestured to the picnic table with his right hand, asking, "Shall we sit down and chat...?" as Xenovia made her way over to get a closer look at their newest arrival.
"A talking cat that walks on two legs...this place is just full of surprises..." remarked Xenovia, her expression impassive but her eyes glistening with a tell-tale gleam as she repressed the urge to pick up, nuzzle, and pet Teo like an ordinary house cat.
"What are you talking about?" asked Teo, staring up at Xenovia as if there were something wrong with her head as he pointed out, "I'm not a kid or a cripple. Of course, I can stand up, nya."
"Go ensure that Seul-bi isn't making too big a mess," said Vahn, prompting Xenovia to nod and respond with a curt, "Of course..." before leaving to do as she was told.
"There are a surprising number of Rabbits here. Are they refugees from the 55th Floor...?" asked Teo, looking around and walking ahead of Vahn as they made their way to the picnic table.
"Let's keep things strictly business for the time being. After all, even intel is a precious commodity," suggested Vahn, raising his hand and smiling at the hardworking White Farming Rabbits observing Teo with suspicion and curiosity.
"Ah! You're right, nya!" exclaimed Teo, covering his mouth with both paws and looking up at Vahn with an embarrassed, slightly anxious expression.
"Everyone makes mistakes. It's no big deal," assured Vahn, taking a seat on the side of the table designed for humans. The other side had raised stair-step seating, allowing the rabbits and now Teo to sit comfortably as he placed his purple sack on the table's surface and exclaimed, "Well, it's all fresh salmon and caviar from here! Get a look at these super rare and amazing wares, nya! Each is a super exclusive magic item acquired from outside the Tower, so if you miss this opportunity, you might never have a second chance to acquire them!"
Seeing Teo produce an ordinary thermos, a cheap-looking electric desk fan, and a reusable pocket hand warmer, each listed at 5 Tower Coins via the tiny notification windows that appeared, Vahn flatly remarked, "These are not magical items."
"Nya!? Are you calling me a liar...!?" exclaimed Teo, slapping the picnic table's surface with his paws, barely producing a sound due to his thick and squishy pink toe beans and padding.
[He's telling the truth, you unscrupulous cat] asserted Aileen, sounding slightly annoyed as she believed Teo was intentionally trying to scam or rip Vahn off.
"T-T-That voice and this notification window...c-c-c-c-could you be the Great Black Dragon-nim?" stammered Teo, his entire body trembling as if he had just emerged from an ice bath.
[That's right] responded Aileen, adding [And Vahn happens to be very important to me, so if you try to trick or deceive him, don't blame me for what happens to you.]
"Hey, now..." said Vahn, smiling wryly as he pointed out, "Our new friend here is very clearly a novice, and he wouldn't have traveled to such a precarious place on the off-chance he might be able to pawn off some junk items. It's more likely he was tricked and convinced to come here by the person who scammed him, presumably believing the perils of the 99th Floor would get rid of the evidence."
"That...that can't be..." muttered Teo, his eyes swirling confusedly within their sockets as he searched his memories and attempted to make sense of the situation.
[If Vahn says so, it must be true] stated Aileen, causing Teo to startle as she added [Just remember my warning, Peddler Cat, because there won't be a second.]
"U-Understood..." responded Teo, his tail curling between his legs as he shrunk in on himself as much as his body would allow.
"Lucky for you..." appended Vahn, offering a kind smile as he produced a pre-prepared contract and revealed, "I happen to require the services of a Peddler. And since you're already aware of my affiliation with the Great Black Dragons, including our exceptional Tower Administrator, I'm certain that someone as enterprising as yourself can understand there are many benefits to be had from forming a partnership with me."
Though he was confused and more than a little overwhelmed by what was transpiring, Teo tentatively accepted the contract and reviewed it carefully. To his surprise, Vahn was offering a 7-3 split on all profits with an additional 20% commission on any long-term contracts and deals he managed to broker himself. There were provisions prohibiting him from disclosing the source of his goods and revealing Vahn's affiliation with the Tower Administrator, but that was a given.
"What does this clause mean?" asked Teo, setting the contract down and pointing to paragraph nine, subsection three, detailing that he would need to undergo vocational and self-defense training.
"It's exactly as it says," answered Vahn, clarifying, "The goods you will be selling guarantee tremendous returns. Other Peddlers, Investigators, and Mercenaries are bound to notice how much profit you're accumulating and want a piece of the pie. As such, you will receive lessons in business, self-defense, and concealment from seasoned and highly adept professionals. And before you apply to become an Intermediate Peddler, you will also be assigned one or more guards as an escort."
"Isn't this a bit much...?" asked Teo, his ears flattening and a look of doubt marring his face as he slumped and muttered, "I was scammed and nearly sent to my death at the very start of my career as a Peddler. Offering an opportunity like this to someone like me...you would be better off finding a replacement, nya..."
"But you're the one who's here right now," remarked Vahn, maintaining his smile as he asserted, "And that means considerably more than you think, as most Peddlers, especially new ones, wouldn't have the courage or the ambition to travel to the 99th Floor for their very first sale. In other words, while you may have been tricked, you possess the most important trait of a would-be world-class Peddler: an enterprising spirit."
"Enterprising spirit..." muttered Teo, staring at Vahn with wide eyes that glistened with golden Tower Coins. He didn't really understand what the words meant, but the promise of tremendous returns was too tantalizing for him to pass on. His skepticism returned when Vahn revealed that most of what he would be peddling was produce, but as he had already signed the contract by then, he had no choice but to set out for the lower Floors after a bit of rest and filling his belly with delicious food...
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Returning to the Crimson Palace after his daily cuddle and anime-viewing session with Aileen, Vahn couldn't help smiling when he spotted Venelana seated at the same table Robin had awaited him at days prior. Better still, she wasn't alone.
Noticing Vahn's arrival, Venelana and her companion, the blonde-haired, extraordinarily buxom, and incredibly tantalizing Yasaka, adopted smiles, the former saying, "Welcome back," while the latter narrowed her golden eyes and tacked on, "I hope you don't mind my dropping in~" in a sensual tone.
"I will leave first..." stated Xenovia, offering Vahn a bow before promptly departing the room, understanding that she would only be in the way with Venelana, of all Vahn's women, present.
After briefly following Xenovia with his gaze, Vahn turned his attention to the two mature beauties, his eyes narrowing into a confident smile as he approached and remarked, "If I had known that two of the most beautiful women in all of Creation were waiting for me, I would have shattered time and torn through the dimensions to reach here sooner..."
"Oh, my..." hummed Yasaka, covering her mouth with her right sleeve and narrowing her eyes into vulpine slits. At the same time, Venelana got up from her seat, surprising her fluffy-eared, nine-tailed counterpart by stepping forward, allowing Vahn to embrace her, and unabashedly making out with him.
Seeing Vahn's hands explore Venelana's body and firmly fondle her butt as they spent several straight minutes making out, Yasaka's nine golden-blonde, beige-tipped tails bristled and swayed behind her. It didn't take a politically-minded genius to understand why she was there, so she was a little annoyed and slightly envious that Venelana was monopolizing Vahn's attention.
What Yasaka didn't know was that while they were making out, Vahn and Venelana were also telepathically communicating. Thus, after nearly three unbroken minutes of kissing, he and Venelana separated but not fully, the flaxen-haired woman standing on his left side with his hand on her bottom as he met Yasaka's gaze and asked, "Would you prefer to talk about your reason for being here, or should we skip straight to the end? Because I'm more than willing to cooperate with the Western Youkai Faction if it means having a world-class beauty like yourself join my harem..."
"Mmn...I see..." hummed Yasaka, rising slowly and gracefully to her feet and approaching within a few centimeters of Vahn to stare up at his face with crossed arms and narrowed eyes, revealing, "But I'm a package deal. My daughter, Kunou, is too young to produce offspring without difficulties, but that will change within a few short years. Given your relationship with Venelana-sama and her daughter, I trust this will not be an issue?"
Shaking his head, Vahn answered, "I'm not going to agree to enter into a relationship with someone I've never met, especially if they're currently a child. I will gladly help care for her, but it would be better to let her make such decisions for herself. I know that was a thing in the past, but I won't raise a bride..."
"Very well..." responded Yasaka, her tails undulating gracefully behind her as she uncrossed her arms and freed her fair and miraculous breasts from her low-cut kimono, her golden eyes narrowing seductively as she added, "But my daughter is intelligent and wise beyond her years. Unless a better prospect appears, you won't be able to escape her..."
"Well...as long as you don't implant the idea in her head or pressure her into it, we'll see how things play out..." conceded Vahn, taking advantage of Yasaka's closeness to draw her close enough for a kiss. Learning that she was a mother helped explain why she left such a deep impression on him during their first meeting, so while he was moderately concerned with the warning she had given regarding her daughter, Vahn decided to place such concerns on the back burner as he investigated how Yasaka's many fluffy tails coiled and connected to her body without interfering with one another...
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