NOVEL NEXT BECMI Chapter 178 – All Accounted For
"We were going to be testing your Assessors to see if they were as able as you profess, and we still are. You shall not mention this before them, but this is Earth Gold. It has twice its value if sacrificed to empower the base magical toughness and strength of metallic Armor and Weaponry," the Catcher informed Senior Bank Manager Colbin.
Manager Colbin's eyes flashed to the polished ingot in his hands, which seemed to have a glow that was brighter and harder, more severe than normal gold did, suddenly. Then his eyes drifted over to the Life Diamonds.
"Ahhh…" he murmured, making the mental leap. "I have seen the diamonds used in place of Life Diamonds, and they are significantly larger than these are…"
"Yes, they would need to have twice the base goldweight value of a Life Diamond," the polished voice of the Sidhe elfin merchant interposed. "There is enough goldweight in Earth Gold there to empower over twelve hundred of the lowest-tier magical Weapons or suits of Armor. It would take twice as much pure gold to do the same."
Worth twice its weight in normal gold for a specific but very easily addressed usage. Manager Colbin shook his head slightly as he realized just how much wealth these clients commanded.
He didn't ask where they got it from. The fact they were offering it for trade meant that there was enough to satisfy their needs, and more besides.
There was only to wait a few moments peacefully before the door was open and a thin, bespectacled man with a long nose and incredibly arrogant posture burst in, his face outraged, his manner overbearing. "Colbins! You overstep your authority! How dare you interrupt, rupt, ptttt…"
He became abruptly aware of a single pair of eyes staring at him. His words strangled in his throat, and the air, the air was too heavy, his soul seemed ready to pull out of him and fall into those ruby orbs in pits of darkness.
Master Colbin watched the Senior Assessor of Jewelry and Gemcraft Harold Omas crash down to his knees, followed by Senior Assessor of Metals and Smithwork Jaime Thond and all their eager juniors rushing in to witness the verbal tear-down hitting the floor at the same time.
With a gesture, the Disk of force carrying more gold than was in the vaults of the Royal Bank of Federyn and an array of gemstones greater than had ever graced this building floated off to the side, and they could only watch it out of the corner of their eyes, their gazes firmly locked upon one set of eyes.
She said absolutely nothing, but her will was obviously bearing down on them, because they were contorting as they bent further down, unable to break their gazes from hers, bending further and further back.
"Who," Alamos Esquire muttered in a morbidly deep and dark accent, "is this utter fool, to so intrude on the Lady Edge and her peers?"
Master Colbin sighed aloud. "These are our Master Assessors. As you can tell by their arrogance, they are very skilled and confident at their jobs, my lords. Please do not inconvenience the bank and their heirs by making us replace them on short notice."
Just the tiniest distasteful turn of a lip, and she glanced away.
Trying really, really hard not to gasp, all of the assessors coming in almost slammed their faces to the ground as they were released. Trembling, keeping their faces flat, they dared say nothing and did not dare to raise their heads.
"Master Omas, Master Thond, you have been called in here to assess and affirm as rapidly as possible the value of the metal and gemstones on the Disk floating there to the side of you. Be up and about your jobs now, like some good chaps?" Manager Colbin said in a completely neutral voice, not a hint of smugness in it about breaking their attitude problems.
Gingerly, keeping their eyes averted, the Senior Assessors rose to their feet, helped by their juniors. Master Omas seemed unable to speak, and Master Thond intervened, "Of course, Senior Manager Colbins. We will get right to it."
They turned and finally looked at what they were meant to deal with, and all of them gawked in shock as they suddenly realized the task in front of them. Master Omas looked at the spread of Life Diamonds in utter incomprehension as to how so many gemstones of such value could suddenly appear in front of them!
Master Thond managed to clear his throat. "We, we need to take random tests of the bars from different areas…" he managed to get out. "They will be difficult to…"
The entire cube of gleaming gold seemed to expand and drift apart. Then, with a single metallic clang, they all slammed down to the surface of the Disk, broken up into smaller stacks only six bars high spread across the majority of the Disk's surface.
"...access…" Master Thond finished, blinking his eyes. A bit woodenly, he turned around to the juniors. "What are you waiting for? Make your selections and get this material assessed immediately!"
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"Sir!" the two men, one woman, and one dwarf managed to squeak, spreading out around the Disk, raising and restacking the bars somewhat irregularly as they stretched out to take random samples. Every one of them departed with four of the bars in their hands, hurrying away, even as Master Omas mutely assigned a simple number of stones to each of his own aides with trembling fingers, then followed them out the door backwards, bowing deeply as he closed it behind himself and Master Thond, not uttering another word.
Manager Colbin managed to sigh deeply after the door closed quietly. "I do apologize for that. We didn't hire them for their outstanding social acumen. I will have some words with them over their behavior.
"In my experience, it's going to take them roughly an hour to do all the tests to the different objects to their proper level of quality. While we wait, perhaps a round of refreshments, and we can begin discussing the proper fee and compensation structures for the Bank's services?" he asked smoothly.
Eyes just barely flicked to Lady Edge, whose incline of her head was so slight he wasn't sure he'd seen it. "That would be quite appropriate," their lawyer Alamos replied gravely. A sheaf of papers was somehow in his hand, matched by Ketcher Kociba, the other older human, and surprisingly enough, an odd stiff folder with large rings within it, holding many documents with holes punched in them, was in the hands of the green-tinted Danielle.
Manager Colbin called for the Senior Counsel of the Royal Bank, who arrived in a remarkably short period of time, warned his services would be needed by one of Colbin's aides. The balding old man sat down across from his opposite number, the two lawyers looking equally grumpy, and the negotiations began.
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The assessors filed back into the room with considerably more decorum than they had entered previously, subdued and proper in conduct.
Neither of the Masters stepped forward, content to let their underlings do so for themselves.
It was the dwarf who stepped proudly forward as the stacks of golden bars were neatly stacked up on the edge of the floating Disk there. He was about to say something when the numbered bars floated up, flicked into position, and fit themselves back into the places they'd been taken from, those once-buried having the removed bars also neatly fall back onto them, leaving all of the stacks unbroken and gleaming level.
The dwarf cleared his throat at the casual and efficient use of magic, realizing that all of the bars were now back in numeric order. "Manager Colbin, honored clients, we have completed our assessment of the metal before us.
"This material is undoubtedly the purest example of what is called erstgeld among my people, or sometimes steel gold, or irongold among humans.
"Erstgeld is hugely in demand among artisans, as it is far harder and more resistant to weathering than normal gold, while maintaining its ductility under sufficient heat and pressure. It is sought after by jewelers, makers of ceremonial regalia, and makers of objects like candlesticks, dinnerware, golden filigree or chasing.
"Erstgeld commands twice its weight in gold in exchange whenever offered for trade due to its superior properties and scarcity compared to rote gold."
Manager Colbin kept his face unmoved at the lack of mention of the use of it in enchanting magical Arms and Armor. Twice as valuable as gold for the purpose…
He would mention it later. "Thank you, Master Dendalkyr," he said. "Master Cubblingbend?" he asked the pink-haired gnome on the other side.
Pleased to be singled out, the gnome stepped forward, and Master Omas said not a bloody thing. "The offered jewels for assessment are undoubtedly and completely Life Diamonds of surpassing clarity and cut. Those slightly below weight of standard were found to be superior in cut and form, mitigating any deviation in size or empowerment.
"The primary use of Life Diamonds is used as a material component and sacrifice in powerful Divine magic that returns souls from the dead and welcomes them back among the living. A simple ceremony to Raise the Dead normally requires optimally a diamond worth five thousand or more gold coins, while a full Resurrection ceremony for those long dead could require five of them or more.
"Life Diamonds are known and famous for only needing to be half the size of such diamonds when used in such Divine Rituals, or when employed in the construction of magical items related to life and healing.
"All such Life Diamonds we assessed are completely able to satisfy the standard of serving as the component of the lesser spells I have mentioned, although naturally we will measure the weight and cut of each before passing them on to those seeking to purchase them.
"In our estimation, there will be absolutely no difficulty in selling off such remarkable stones. The churches are always seeking such stones, paid for by the offerings of those receiving such benisons from the Immortals, and, well, the wealthy are always seeking to ensure that they have such stones on hand in case the magic is needed and the churches are bereft of their own… or allows them to lessen the amount of their own offerings."
She paused for a moment, her cheeks bulging as if words wanted to erupt from her throat and were only being held back by force.
She could not restrain them enough. Her small hand darted one, seized one of the glittering stones laid respectfully on the Disk there, and held it up to the light.
It fractured and glimmered with prismatic halos, the light shattering into almost liquid sparkles of glory, fed by the soft white light within it.
"What is the name of this cut of stone, and can we meet the one who cut it?" she burst out passionately.
A single eyebrow arched just so, and the gnome had to fight to keep breathing at the ruby eyes in black staring at her.
Yet scarlet lips parted, and the frightening and strange elfin responded. "That cut is known as the Illumination Cut. It is used specifically for Life Diamonds, as there are subtle alterations in the optical properties of Life-Energized stones which enable some more profound modifications to the traditional cuts for such stones. The subsurface scattering and fractal resonance effects form a natural formation that draws in and holds more Life energy than is typical for Energized Materials. That stone is slightly underweight as needs the demands of a standard quickening spell, so the Cut was required to get it up to proper measure."
No name was given to the gemcutter who had invented it or made the cut, and the assessors could only be satisfied with what they had been given…