- Are these your serious customers? - He angrily snorted, quickly looking at us from head to toe.

- Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Sadros, these are very respected people, I checked. - My zombie shook his head warmly.

- Dear people at night are not hanging around. - Quietly muttered to himself the head of the construction cooperative, dissatisfied with the interrupted sleep, and finally turned to us.

- Well, hello, what came from? Consider, if you decide to just spend my time, you will not leave the whole. - Obviously not fully believing his man, the head of the artel frowned stronger. He seemed to be about fifty years old, looking sternly, unkindly. On a broad face, thick bushy eyebrows stand out strongly, and this is in the complete absence of a beard, only a small inconspicuous bristle.

- Hello, I apologize for such a late visit, so there were circumstances. - Rejecting the fleeting desire to mock the master of the house, I smiled as benevolently as possible.

- What came from, I say? - He didn’t follow my smile and crossed his arms over his chest, and his uncle, though not an athlete, but from the category of strong fat men, wondered how the shape of his hands changed when he was tensed.

- I want to hire your people, I’m ready to pay as much as you say. - Realizing that my interlocutor does not like to rant on trifles, I immediately got down to business.

- Well, once ready, let's pokekukaem. - Sadros did not aristocratically grunted at all and gestured us to the numerous chairs around the empty oval table.

Obeying the silent nod of the head of the artel, my zombie ran off somewhere, and the owner of the house, yawning, sat down and looked at me with a heavy look.

- Building plan, material, where and when? - A little thinking about something his, he finally spoke.

- There is no plan yet, we will build from wood, we need to start tomorrow, I’ll say a little bit later about the place. - Not responding to his unfriendly tone, I calmly replied.

- So there is no plan ... Hmm ... And you know ... - Chewing on his lips and clearly holding back the curses coming from his mouth, he hesitated.

“Lucas, call me just Lucas.”

- And do you know, Lucas, that the services of our artel are not cheap, and the work plan of my people is scheduled for the year ahead?

- I did not know, but believe me - money is not a problem. - I confidently shook my head.

- Something I can not believe. Sadros narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Eve in her chair jerked as if from a slap in the face, the Servant’s eyes flashed angrily.

- I understand what an impression our appearance makes, but this is explained by the fact that it is much safer to travel without expensive suits and brilliant trinkets. - I decided to explain our really not the most presentable I am.

- Travel? - expressively singled out a man in a voice, I immediately realized my puncture.

- My wife likes to travel like in the good old days, when they have not yet instructed these magical things. - Bearing in mind the teleporters and trying to create the impression of a young man not versed in these matters, I confessed and looked at Eve with a light reproach.

- Ok, wait and see. What did you say about the lack of a plan? - Deciding to leave a slippery topic, Sadros turned to the case.

- There is no plan, but I think you will have knowledgeable people.

- There will be, but, the services of engineers will be paid separately. - Do not tolerate a tone of objection, said the man. The door closed behind him, Scher entered and laid a stack of gorgeous white paper and a pencil in front of Sadros.

- Well, let's count. - Once again, looking intently at me, I twisted Sadros pencil in my fingers.

- The plan of the future building and all the accompanying drawings will cost you forty-five gold coins. - With obvious pleasure I wrote down the first figure a man, and I just blinked my eyes.

- What is this for? - Cope with surprise, I asked the question that the head of the artel, judging by his appearance, was waiting.

- Planning and calculations will be carried out by two engineers, twenty-five coins each, our specialists are the best in the Empire, I warned in advance. And if you think that making a plan of the building and drawing all the blueprints for the builders is an easy thing, I hurry to disappoint you. - With obvious pleasure Sadros printed on his lips for the first time there was a smile, like that of a heartyly-eaten predator.

- OK, no problem. - In time I reminded myself that the gold in the vault was tons and it just lay dead cargo, I nodded, which caused surprise to the owner. No, he perfectly hid it, without expressing it in any way, but I caught the echo of the emotion.

- Now the material, if the house is made of wood, means a bar, board, finishing material, cement or stone for the foundation. The price is higher than the market, but you pay for excellent quality, our suppliers are also the best in the Empire. - Having circled the previous figure in a circle, Sadros continued.

- We have our own material, there is everything you need. “This time I was already smiling, the head of the artel only shrugged his shoulders and began to calculate something in his mind.

- So you need to decide with the workers, an ordinary house builds two full brigades of twelve people each, by the way, are you planning to build a big house?

- So far, yes, two is enough. - Deciding to start small, I nodded.

- It will cost you seventy-two gold coins a week, turnkey construction takes at least a couple of months, for a total of about five hundred coins, and this is only a worker, plus ten percent of the total amount of the gang, six hundred coins are already obtained. - I counted this rogue out loud, but I didn’t write down the number, I see in my eyes that I have shamelessly raised the price, I thought and nodded, to my surprise a wave of suspicion was added.

- This is the price of our work in the usual case, but you want to start construction without a queue, so you can safely multiply everything by three. - He said with a smirk and wrote down on paper one thousand two hundred, with large such figures, defiantly circled in a circle.

I see this businessman through and through, and he doesn’t hide his gloating, he probably thinks that I’ll faint. Yes, if I were a native of this world in my place, he would have done so, twelve thousand gold coins, this is such great wealth, with this money you can buy a house, and more than one house, and then still live happily ever after, putting the rest in interest-bearing bank. And I ... And what am I? I don’t feel the values ​​of the local denyuzhku, apparently, since never since my relocation, I didn’t have a particular shortage in them, if I don’t have any finances, I can just take them away from the first person I meet and there’s nothing for me, I don’t have too much so one thousand two hundred, I have at my disposal all the precious metals of the Empire, only I’m too brazen to take them away, but yes, yes, everything is mine.

- And you, as I can see, do not build barracks in poor areas. - I thoughtfully stretched out, tearing my eyes off the total amount.

“Well, Lucas, our clients are the most respected people in the country, half of the capital mansions of the highest aristocracy are our work, from the foundation to the roof. - Sadros's voice has become very helpful and at the same time mockingly acrid.

- Well, if so, then we are in good company. - Having stopped portraying the confusion, I grinned and nodded confidently.

“Which was what was required of the proof ...” The man clapped his hands with enough palms on the table, began to rise menacingly, but he stopped himself and stood in such an awkward pose.

- Excuse me, what have you just said? - Not really believing in what he heard, he asked incredulously.

- I say that everything suits me, the price is reasonable. - Smiling, I nodded again.

- Money up front. - Once hindered, with irrational hope in a slightly quivering voice, demanded the head of the artel.

- Everything will be now.- Not holding myself, I winked at him and nodded to Horial. The Baron silently rose from his chair, walked out the door. Sadros sat back and looked at me in bewilderment.

- I went for the money. - As if apologizing, I shrugged. Less than two minutes later, as Horial returned, he opened the door with his back and, with obvious effort, dragged the tight leather pouch into the weak arms of an impressive sight, puffed. Well, yes, the local ... Read more →