Me, My Spirit, And I [Book 1 Complete]

How do you go about marketing a new product as a spirit? That was Shada's current conundrum. After his successful experiments he had worked with Vanestra and Alexzandrous to design a steel production ritual device. Though device might be a generous word. It consisted of a few parts sure, but there wasn't anything mechanical in his creation. It took a few days and multiple prototypes to complete, but he was satisfied with the end result. He couldn't have done it without his grandparents' centuries of expertise, but then again they couldn't have done it without his input either so they considered it a family project.

The initial design was rather small and compact. It could be scaled up of course, but this was a proof of concept design. The details of the ritual and how it worked were completely hidden inside the box under heavy wards. If anyone tried to tamper with the box it had a self destruct mechanism that sent the entire box into the Etheric Plane. Shada did not want his perfect duplication system released into the world without safeguards.

He had learned a lot about duplication, and the many techniques involved in the process, from a book called "Duplicity, Duplicating, and Duplicators", which was ironically was not alliterative outside of the English translation. The book described the known limits of Duplication spells and rituals and even described the Duplicator Profession. Shada had already discovered that there was a purposeful flaw in the core spell form for Duplication, but further study revealed a ton of other limits and qualifiers. It turned out that Duplicated items weren't imperfect as he had first thought, but they had a hidden design in their microstructure that prevented them from being used to create another perfect Duplicate. When you tried to use a Duplication spell on a normal Duplicated item the spell created a severely flawed copy, which was essentially useless for most purposes. Take it one step further and try to Duplicate a flawed Duplicate and the spell simply failed.

He also learned other things about the related spells such as that there were specialized versions of the Duplication spell specifically for copying text into blank books, versions that conjured the items from the Etheric Plane, and versions that transmuted raw matter into something new. However, the most common versions took something that was as close to the finished product and changed it to match. For example, using molds to create sword blanks that are then transformed to match the highly forged structure of a masterwork sword was the preferred method of mass production. If raw materials were used like ore, untreated hide, and unseasoned wood the Essence cost increased greatly.

Functionally Shada's device was simple. There was a hopper for raw materials on top, a basket in front where the steel would be expelled, a second basket on the back where the slag dust was expelled, and finally a slot for inserting the Essence Crystals, which were needed to power the entire thing. Combining rituals and enchantments essentially created automated magic. It wasn't a completely unknown idea on Sierrallas, but using it for an industrial process probably was. Shada already had vague designs for water wheel powered conveyor belts to feed materials into a factory sized Steel Duplicator, but those plans would potentially take years to realize.

Right now his Steel Duplicator was designed to take iron ingots and charcoal to produce steel. He had ideas for designs that used raw ore and unburnt wood, but those designs were rather inefficient in terms of Essence used.

—

Carsan, as a merchant's son, had been recruited, or more accurately bribed, into helping Shada make contact with the local crafting guilds. His plan was to bring a bunch of steel samples to be provided to metal crafters for testing and things like that had to be run through the guilds. In fact very little got done in Westlin without the input of one guild or another.

"So explain what we are doing again?" Carsan asked as he approached the Smith's Guild with Shada's ghostly form perched on his shoulder.

"I have a new type of metal I have been working on and I want to see what the crafters think of it. I mean, I can make things out of it myself, but my craftsmanship is shoddy compared to what high ranked smiths can do," Shada replied.

"You know that you need a company charter to sell goods in Westlin, or really anywhere within the Imperium, right?" Carsan asked next.

"No, but I am not selling anything yet. I am doing market testing to see if this is a viable project. I know my family funds me and our team, but I want my independence. Financial independence is always key," Shada replied.

"I suggest we start with the Smith's Guild Appraiser then. They will examine your samples then tell you if they are worth anything. They have special Skills for that sort of thing after all," Carsan said while nodding to the odd passerby as they entered the Guild hall.

"Good afternoon sir, how may the Smith's Guild be of service today?" asked a bored looking worker.

"Ah yes, we…I mean I am seeking the service of an Appraiser. I have some metal samples I would like examined," Carsan responded.

"Of course, just down the hall, third door on the right. Is there anything else I can help you with?" asked the worker.

"No, that will be all, thank you," Carsan replied, his voice stiffer and more formal than Shada had heard it before.

The third door on the right had a set of bronze scales embossed on the front with the words: 'Devin Shaw Master Appraiser' on the front and a smaller sign that said 'Do Not Knock'. Carsan glanced at Shada who just looked back, before they both shrugged and Carsan opened the door.

The room was small and relatively cramped for someone with Master in their title, but it was meticulously clean and organized. In the back a man sat behind a counter going over something at his desk.

"Master Shaw I presume?" Carsan asked the focused man who hadn't looked up from his work when they entered.

"One moment, I will be right with you, just let me ah…finish this," Master Shaw replied.

It only took a moment for Master Shaw to put his unknown project away. He then stood and approached the counter. "Well what can I do for you today young man?"

"Ah yes, my name is Carsan Brambleberry," Shada snickered silently in his head as he knew that Carsan hated his last name. "My benefactor asked me to bring some metal samples to be appraised."

"Very well, I assume you have them with you?" Shaw asked while looking for a bag or other storage item.

Carsan stepped up to the counter and Shada hopped down before pulling the Steel samples from his inventory. He had actually made a few variations with different carbon content for appraisal. Master Shaw only blinked a few times at the display of a familiar with an inventory ability before looking at the metal samples before him.

"Some form of iron, yes? Let's see what my Skills have to say," Master Shaw said while picking up one of the small ingots. He got the distracted look on his face that many people did when interacting with their Guide before his eyes grew round in surprise. "Mr. Brambleberry, do you have any idea what this is or where your benefactor got it?"

Carsan glanced at Shada before replying, "I was told it is called steel, though not where it came from, nor how it was made. What do your Skills have to say about it?"

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"This is Ferrum Argentum, er Silver Iron, it is an exceedingly rare byproduct of iron refining and only produced in quantity by the Dwarves of the Ice Fang Peaks far to the East beyond the Imperial borders. What is it doing this far West? Do you have any idea what this is worth to a smith?" Master Shaw seemed to be somewhat flustered by the information his Skills were giving him. "This is incredibly impossibly pure Silver Iron. I have never seen anything like it, I have only read about it actually. Does your benefactor have more and are they planning to sell?" Shaw asked while practically gushing over the samples.

"Ask him how much it is worth please? Also, ask him if you had access to a steady supply if the Guild would be interested," Shada said via Spirit Speech.

"How much is it worth Master Shaw? If I could secure a steady supply from my benefactor would the Smith's Guild be interested in purchasing it?" Carsan asked.

"Mr. Brambleberry, I see that you do not have any idea what you are carrying. Pound for pound Ferrum Argentum is worth four times the value of iron, but that is in the East where rare shipments of the metal can be procured from the Dwarves, but here in Westlin? I imagine you could get up to twice that. May I go fetch a few people? This is something I know other Master's would be interested in," Master Shaw practically pleaded.

"Of course, I don't mind waiting, but please leave the samples here," Carsan said as Master Shaw was already heading out the door with the sample in hand.

"Never fear the Smith's Guild aren't thieves by boy, I will be right back," Master Shaw said before rushing out the door.

A few minutes later Master Shaw returned with three other people. One of which Shada was surprised to note was an actual Dwarf, the first he had seen on Sierrallas.

"Ah, Mr. Brambleberry, may I introduce Master Ironhammer," Shaw pointed to the bald and beardless Dwarf with the incredibly broad shoulders and short stature that gave his body a square shape. "Also with me are Masters Musa and Master Cartanius," Shaw pointed to a broad shouldered Wylderfolk woman and then an Imperial man. "These are the top three Master Smith's available to the Guild at this time."

"Greetings Masters," Carsan said with a slight bow.

"Young man, Master Shaw says you have Ferrum Argentum for sale? Where did you steal it from?" Master Ironhammer asked in a gruff accusing manner.

"Master Ironhammer, I assure you that these are not stolen goods. I work for the Aseralis family if you have doubts about my sources," Carsan replied in a snooty voice.

"The Aseralis family? As in Archmage Aseralis?" Master Shaw said in surprise.

"Yes," Carsan replied without elaboration.

"Ok, fine. Let me see these samples. I know you are good at your job Master Shaw, but Ferrum Argentum is rare and I wouldn't expect to see it in Westlin of all places," Master Ironhammer said before climbing on a stool behind the counter where the other Masters had gathered to examine the steel samples.

"I'll be damned, these are Ferrum Argentum ingots!" Master Ironhammer exclaimed. "Mr. Brambleberry, I apologize for my rudeness earlier, but you have no idea how rare this material is out here along the frontier. I will buy these samples for 5 green chips right now."

Five green chips were the equivalent of 5,000 red chips or 50,000 Essence. They only cost a fraction of that to produce with the device Shada had created. "Carsan, ask how much per lb if they had a steady supply," Shada said silently.

"Good sirs and madam, if you had a steady supply of this material how much would it be worth?" Carsan asked as instructed.

The Masters discussed this question amongst themselves for several minutes before replying.

"I think we can provide a green chip per pound easily depending on the rate of supply. I offered 5 for the samples just due to rarity," Master Ironhammer explained.

"I see," Carsan said while conferring silently with Shada. "I was instructed to offer to supply a pound of steel, as my benefactors call it, for no less than 3 green chips. Right now they can only supply a few pounds a day, but will be able to expand production significantly with a steady income source."

"Expand production? By how much?" Master Ironhammer asked in surprise.

"How much do you want? That is the real question. The manufacturing process created by the Aseralis family can be scaled up to meet demand from what I have been told," Carsan replied.

Once more the Master's conferred amongst themselves for several minutes in what sounded like a heated argument.

"We can accept a deal for 3 green chips per pound initially until production is scaled up. However, for bulk purchase we can offer only 1 green chip per pound," Master Ironhammer replied for the group.

"Please don't be insulting Master Ironhammer. You offered 5 green chips for a few samples, then reduced that to 3 for a pound, and then all the way down to 1? I think not. I can accept 3 per pound until production is scaled up, but I must insist on at least 2 greens for bulk purchases," Carsan said as they began negotiating in earnest.

Shada watched the proceedings in mild amusement. Steel production, now that he had figured out the right combination of magics, was relatively cheap and easy. He could produce as much as he had the supplies to make. He was about to become a rather rich little spirit.

—

Becoming a hidden partner in a steel manufacturing company proved somewhat more difficult than Shada had expected. He had to lean heavily on his family for initial support and for hiring staff. With the wealth his grandparents had gathered over their generations long lives, financial investment wasn't hard to secure, but land was at a premium in Westlin. Luckily for Shada property values in a certain part of the Shelves had fallen drastically when a city block had been banished from this plane of reality.

They would need to purchase a large amount of stone to fill in the gaping hole the banishment ritual had left in the merchant district of the Shelves, but it was the most readily available spot in the city at this time and a large basement area would be useful. Shada's family had to hire a full time manager for the enterprise in part just to navigate the local bureaucracy. Buying property, establishing a new company, and securing a steady supply of materials was not a fast or easy process. However, despite several setbacks Shadow Steel Industries emerged as a new merchant power in Westlin over the course of a year.

In the meantime Shada focused his attention on training with his team and recreating a few more useful items from Earth. They still needed to polish their teamwork and Skills before Delving and with their financial backing they were in no hurry to risk their lives in the Dungeon beneath Westlin just yet.

—

"Master Shada, are you sure that creating a better writing implement is the best use of your time?" Raelis asked. "We still have plenty of material to cover from Mistress Vanestra's study plan after all."

"Raelis, if you had ever had the simple pleasure of using a basic ballpoint pen you wouldn't be asking that question. I can't believe that people still use quills here. I would have thought some frustrated scribe would have improved them ages ago," Shada complained as he sketched ideas with a quill and ink.

"Master Shada, do remember that most people have Skills that make writing easier. Your current state of being prevents you from accessing such a physical Skill, but I must admit to being curious about your ideas. Could you explain how this, ballpeen, works again?" Raelis asked.

"Ballpoint pen, not ballpeen, but sure I can explain. The concept isn't complex, most inventions from my world aren't complex, it is the process of building them that causes most of the complexity. A ballpoint pen is exactly what it sounds like. There is a small metal ball embedded in the tip of a metal stylus that in turn connects to a reservoir of fast drying ink. As you move the stylus across the paper the ball rolls in its socket collecting and then spreading ink in a smooth, even manner," Shada said as he used Material Mastery to Shape some bronze.

Shada knew that the internal shape was important and had actually studied designs in college during his engineering classes. Getting the socket just right would take some trial and error, but with the magic of Sierrallas he only had to get it right once before he could mass produce them with magic.

The first step was a simple ball bearing. He could have used steel, but without chromium stainless steel wasn't available so bronze was his best choice for a corrosion resistant metal. One small bronze ball bearing later and Shada was ready to move on to making the pen tip. The internal shape had to be just the right size for the ball bearing and allow for the smooth flow of ink. Compared to the rest the grip and ink reservoir were child's play. That is not to say the process was easy. There was plenty of trial and error, lots of mistakes, and some outright failures before Shada had a basic unembellished ballpoint pen for Raelis to test.

"Master Shada, this is quite the fascinating little tool you have created. It is much smoother than a quill and far less messy with the fast drying ink you helped Shinobin create. I must apologize for any doubts. The scholars and scribes will love you for this!"

Shada knew that unlike the Steel Duplicator, his version of a ballpoint pen would be easy to recreate by any halfway decent Shaper. After all it wasn't complex, but it was useful. So Shada planned to take a page from the printer industry from Earth and sell his specialized ink refills while pricing the pens themselves at cost from his new store called Shaown Scribe Supplies.

However, before that took shape Shada wanted to do one more experiment. "Raelis I will need to move to the Holy workroom for this next experiment. I want to see what something as mundane as a pen becomes when made from Holy Materials."

"Of course, master Shada. I will busy myself elsewhere until I am needed," Raelis responded while cringing.

Despite being smaller than a dagger the Holy Materials needed for Shada's bronze pen were actually more expensive due to the rarity of bronze and because Conjuring Holy items was also more expensive. With a firm idea of what he was doing it didn't take as long to craft a Holy Ballpoint Pen, but the prompt was a bit surprising.