As soon as he was formally inducted, Davis changed his visible title.
{Davis} Chief Appraiser of the Darklight Host Drodh Branch
That was a pretty cool option.
The others had accepted his invitation and changed their titles as well, and now Karl could see that all of their names had a faint gold outline, marking them as Guild Members, though none of them showed a secondary title with their names, only {Darklight Host} as a guild tag.
No, there was one who had rejected the application. Caretaker Jo did not join. Her name looked the same as always, and when Karl gave her a curious look, she just shook her head. It seemed she was happy as an employee of the house. Then, it occurred to Karl that there were actual drawbacks to being a Guild Member. He was a War Champion, but how had he gotten that title? During a Guild on Guild war for control of a city. The membership would also paint a target on their backs if the Guild Members were out and about in the city, where someone might have a grudge against them as a group.
They also didn't currently have an Overlord Rank leader, as most powerful groups in Drodh City would. There were hundreds, or possibly over a thousand, Overlords in the city. With Karl only being a Monarch, they were the most minor of minor powers in the city.
But with a whole house full of valuables.
They did have the advantage of being right next to a guard station, but that didn't mean much if the guards didn't intervene in Guild Battles.
In Bunga, the guards had sheltered in place, protecting civilians while the battle raged.
The city of Drodh appeared to be mostly stable, as far as Karl could tell. There were some issues between the various factions, but no wide scale battles between them, thanks to the presence of the Governor and his forces.
Karl was thinking about the repercussions of his actions when a soft chime sounded, notifying them that someone had entered the yard.
A pair of elderly Demons, both Overlords with powerful builds, and near three metres tall, came down the stone path and through the open front doors of the shop.
"Oh, now this is interesting. It appears that the sign wasn't overstating their inventory." One of the old men chuckled.
Davis smiled and made a welcoming gesture.
"Please, do come in and take a look around. We've just finished setting up for our first day." He explained.
The ladies retreated to the kitchen, leaving only Karl and Davis to deal with customers.
They looked briefly at the assorted items in the case by the door, then one of the two froze in place as he looked at the staff in the long case on the right of the door.
"That is magnificent. It's everything that a fire mage could wish for in one spot, and Royal Rank as well.
But that's a bit more than I was planning to spend this year."
That made both Karl and the Demon's friend laugh. "That's more than you were planning to spend this decade, you miser. But look at these. There are Mana Jade rings for mages, very similar to the ones that Royal Jeweller is selling for warriors." The other man joked.
They came over and looked at the small selection of green jade rings, then the one who had been called a Miser by his friend clicked his tongue.
"If they were a bit higher quality, perhaps." He sighed.
"Sir, on your left, we have a selection of Monarch Ranked items of similar enchantments." Davis offered.
Both rushed over, and let out a longing sigh as they saw the white and red Mana Jade accessories, including a matching pair of bracelets with mana storage and skill power on them.
Then above that were matching rings with agility and skill damage on them, the combat half of the set.
Skill Damage was specific, but stronger, while Skill Power was comprehensive, but a much smaller percentage.
"When do these go to auction?" The Demon asked.
"They're not being auctioned, good sir. They are available for direct purchase here. If you would like them, we can offer a discount on the matched pair. Only twenty-four hundred gold coins."
That was a generous twenty percent above what Davis had put on the sheet, but this was part of the negotiation process as well.
The elderly Demon gave him a shrewd look, then returned a longing gaze to the jewellery.
"Are there more items ?" He asked.
Davis nodded, and took out one of the more interesting items Karl had made.
It was similar in function, but it had an inscription for mana regeneration, skill activation speed and skill damage instead. It was a purely combat oriented piece of Jewellery, and the mage simply stared at it for a full minute without speaking.
"These were all created by the same person. Carved by one, imbued with power by another. That means you should know who the creator is, right?" The shrewd Demon asked Davis.
"That is confidential, Sir. But if you would like to place a custom order, we should be able to obtain it within a month's time, if the crafter is able to fill your request." The Appraiser agreed.
The demon shook his head. "No, this should be more than sufficient. I will give you five thousand gold for all five pieces."
Davis winced as if the offer caused him actual pain. "Sir, that is very near our wholesale price. Perhaps a little leeway could be found?"
The Demon sighed, then reluctantly nodded. "And two hundred for the house commission."
Davis smiled and shook the man's hand, then took the five pieces of Jade jewellery out of the case.
"Thank you very much for your patronage."
The demon beamed in pride, while his more miserly partner frowned at him.
"A little hesitation, and he just snaps up everything in the shop." The demon grumbled, then paused when Davis put another ring and bracelet pair in the display case, identical to the last one.
Davis nodded. "Yes, Sir. They simply didn't fit in the display."
More like he didn't want to crowd the display and give an appearance of abundance, which would drive down the price.
"I will take the pair." He insisted, then placed a bag of coins on the counter.
"Thank you for your patronage. Should you have any custom orders, please do return."