Battle Harem of the Heavenly Sword

Alan Srayver believed he came into this world to become a merchant. On top of earning, what drove him was the feeling of finding out what a person valued and being the one to supply that need.

He felt like a transcendent when people worship him for his ability to provide what they wanted. It mattered not if the customer needed weapons and armor for war or jewelry and garment for the dinner parties.

The greed of people could be sensed and used to sway them to do your bidding like a game. And being extremely gifted in this game Alan loved to play it very much.

Of course, being from a family of merchants gave him a head start but what set him apart came from his emphasis on reading people. Alan's favorite mantra originated from the Dominii.

"The devil in the details" this profound saying essentially meant, if you want to understand anything and everything, the ability to acquire more information than most would be your advantage.

The merchant initially thought the Wolfen butcher was nothing more than a bloodthirsty brute. But contrary to that the man knew both how to be civil and the law of equal exchange.

Alan's loved these kinds of people, because as long as they followed such a rule. They knew nothing in the world came for free. Perhaps the most predictable people in the world were the ones enslaved to their desires.

Once a person places value on something that something becomes their desire, and when a person has a desire then he has a weak point that can be exploited.

Alan's way of battle in negotiation started with finding out the person's desire in the shortest way possible and then using it against the opponent. From his short interaction with the butcher Alan already found this monster's weakness.

"It is expensive but I know where these three are. Although I am surprised why you are searching for them."

The moment he let the information slip, like a junkie the butcher had no other choice but to place himself in Alan's grasp. The only unfortunate thing was that this brute had power beyond that of mortals.

"Where."

As Alan's intentionally shared small bits and pieces of info about the women he saw the immense desire in his customer's eyes.

(Got him, he seems to place extreme importance on those girls. Are they his lovers or something? Does he wish to NTR the trash swordsman? Well, not that it matters to me anyway)

He then tried to determine how much in value were the women to this brute, were they worth more than his safety? Would he risk going against the powers that shape this country?

"They are in the Prince's Castle!"

Unfortunately, the problem with dealing with junkies stemmed from their desperation. While it could be used as a hook, It also could just as easily bite your hand if left unchecked.

Even though Alan knew how to deal with junkies, when said junkie had enough power to slice 10-meter-tall monsters in half, it became difficult to manage.

"Why? Since when? How do you know? Are they safe?"

"They are safe..I… Need to be alive to tell you. Please calm down…"

With just short exchange blackmail and coercion by force could not be used. Not unless you wanted to die, so what else could be leveraged then? Of course, the most basic form of commerce! Equivalent exchange.

Alan had much to gain from having such a powerful card by his side. Unfortunately when the merchant explained the situation negotiations seem to break down.

The man called forth a hurricane of Calibers, expressing his murderous intent to the prince of Valorious.

'This… there is not a trace of fear just rage. Dammit, this is becoming dangerous. Aura, Mana, and Spirit? Then the butcher is a transmigrator? How? When? Who summoned him here?'

"WAIT! If you wish to reclaim them, I can help you! I am the only one who can! I guarantee to you that the prince has not laid his hands on them yet!"

Alan expected only two types of players as they negotiated, a calm calculating person who used logic, or a passionate emotional person who thrived on intuition. Unfortunately what he got defied all known understanding.

Cold, It was the only description that came to mind. Lacking any emotion or trace of humanity, it looked like the gaze of a statue. An unnerving silence that screamed danger.

'What the hell is that?! Why am I trembling more than when he cut apart the monster? It's like the feeling of having a sword pressed on your neck.' Shit! Calm down! Calm down!

Trying his best to stay calm, Alan peed himself in fear. The feeling of death lingered at the butcher's gaze. His simple look contained something evil, something sinister, something inhuman.

"Please let me help you. I can give you information on his Majesty's most powerful Submissives, their formations, skills, and personalities. Even if you are powerful as they hold hostages, we need to reclaim them safely first before engaging in battle.

"I can give you that chance! I am scheduled to deliver cargo to the prince! I can get you inside the castle so we can save your women! All I ask in return is for you to guard my caravan till we arrive in Partisan. I will even give me three of my products as payment!"

By highlighting the benefits of partnership, and fanning the flames of desire, the human value system became extremely malleable. Add in a couple of we's and the customer would subconsciously count you as part of their side.

Alan attempted to mask his terror with sales talk. The simple action also helped calm him down greatly. It reminded him that his conversation partner still has some semblance of humanity.

So long as the focus lay on giving the customer what they want, the players normally cared little about the other details. Give a good enough deal and most wouldn't even mind taking a bit of a loss.

In this particular instance that manifested as digging up clues to the butcher's identity. In all worlds, Information held a very high price. Customers have been pestering him to figure out the situation of the butcher of Frozen dew. As he was one of the best at doing so.

That was one of the goals of this errand. The more they interacted the more Alan's character profile of the butcher got filled with information. In typical merchant fashion, even just talking to someone gave him wares to sell.

"Products?"

Alan steeled himself as he began business negotiations. 'Alright, let's see how this gamble goes.'

"I am a slave trader, my dear butcher. I will gift you three of my products of your choice for free as payment for your escort."

Merchants were looked down on in some circles due to not really caring what they sell or to who they sold their wares. Yet it is this same quality that allows them to reach the heights of status other people could only dream of.

And the future generations would know this meeting as the day the most powerful merchant in Valorious was born. Midas, the man who turns anything he touches into gold.