Tanera was not too happy at Andrew's decision since, other than the reward he would be getting, she would also get a lot of recognition and maybe even a promotion.
Unfortunately, the human refused to budge, and she had no intention of pressing the matter.
Especially since Andrew was not too happy about the arrangement with the previous reward.
She also knew that if he wanted to, he could have left the market and kicked her out, essentially cutting all ties with the guild, which was the last thing she wanted, not only for professional but also for personal reasons.
With no other choice, she accepted his decision for now, but the moment they reached the battleverse, she intended to have another discussion about it with him.
-Andrew, we have a Moon Elf Empire's ship requesting an audience with you.
Sarill notified him just as he was discussing the potential of the gates with the ladies.
-Tanera, what's this about, and how did your empire's ship get here in the first place?
Andrew turned to the elf after giving his approval to both requests.
-You wanted to open trade relations with the imperial merchants, so I sent a request to the guild, asking for passage rights for them.
The guild agreed, allowing one ship to come for now.
She explained.
Andrew remembered that he did say that, but after all this time, he was not sure if it was even possible to bring the merchants here, since he didn't want to risk opening his jumpgate.
-Let's hope that they brought some things that we will be interested in and that they will be interested in something we can offer for trade.
Aelita said while Andrew was thinking.
-I asked them to bring matter converters and fabricators, since you were interested in acquiring them, as to what else they brought, we will have to find out.
The ship was the size of a frigate; however, it was not nearly as heavily armed.
In the end, it was a merchant ship, not a warship.
While they waited for the ship to arrive, Tanera explained how independent trade worked.
The most common practice was barter trade, but sometimes the independent merchants also accepted credits for their merchandise.
There were no rules regarding what kinds of merchandise could be traded as long as both parties were happy with the deal, and if the independent merchant was scammed or robbed, the client immediately landed on the black list, preventing other traders from suffering the same fate.
When the traders' ship landed in the hangar, Tanera saw its markings and her jaw dropped.
-What's wrong?
Andrew asked, standing next to her, to greet the first independent trader to visit his empire.
-This ship belongs to my uncle's family.
The elf said as if this explained everything.
-And?
Andrew asked.
However, before he received an answer, he heard a squealing voice coming from the ship's cargo hold, which had just opened, and before he knew what happened, someone ran past him, jumping into Tanera's arms.
-I missed you.
The young elf said, hugging the merchant as if she were about to disappear.
-Sani, you know I'm working here now, and you are being rude to your potential client.
Tanera answered, trying to free herself from the hug.
-Sarini let go of her before you strangle her.
An amused male voice came from the direction of the ship, where two elves disembarked and approached them.
-Your majesty, please forgive our sister, she is very attached to her cousin, and they don't have much time to spend together ever since Tanera joined the merchant's guild.
The two elves bowed to Andrew while apologizing.
-That's no problem, I understand how she feels.
Andrew answered with a smile while thinking about Alex, whom he hadn't seen for almost a year.
-What were the Aunt and uncle thinking, sending her here?
Tanera asked, finally prying the young elf off of her.
-It's her first official deal as a trader, and since you are here, they figured that it must be safe.
Additionally, if there is trouble, you could help her solve it.
The older of the two brothers answered.
-If that's the case, then what are the two of you doing here?
She asked.
-We are here escorting our little sister, and we were also curious where you have been sent.
The younger brother explained with a grin.
Tanera was starting to have a headache.
Not that he was not happy to see her cousins, but this was not a deal for the beginning merchant.
-Sani, you might want to introduce yourself to the emperor.
She whispered in her cousin's ear.
This made the young elf blush immediately.
-I'm sorry, your majesty, my name is Sarini, and I'm an independent merchant who accepted Tanera's invitation.
She said while performing a curtsy to Andrew.
-It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.
I'm Andrew Eagle, Emperor of the Lantean Empire, Darkmoon Lord, and the Moon Dragon guard, and I thank you for accepting the invitation.
Andrew introduced himself as well, not that it was required, but he felt that this was the right thing to do.
Additionally, it was amusing to see the young elf beaming with pride when an Emperor introduced himself officially to her.
Her brothers, on the other hand, silently thanked Andrew for this, as this was a huge boost to their sister's self-esteem.
-Now, if you wish to rest, we have prepared quarters for you, or we can start with the trade, if you prefer to take care of business first.
Andrew said with a slight smile.
-I'd like to conduct our business first, Your Majesty.
After which, I'd like to ask your permission to have some time with my cousin.
Sarini said.
-Of course, in that case, please follow me to the conference room.
The human invited them.
In the conference room, Tarina, Jalina, and Aelita were waiting for them.
After some introductions, they immediately proceeded to the negotiations.
-The Invitation specified that you are interested in aquaiering matter converters and fabricators, as well as technology, so we brought some with us.
Unfortunately, the technology and its production method are not for sale as it is banned from trading in them in the Moon Elf empire.
Instead, we brought some other items you might be interested in.
Sarini said, calmly, like a true businesswoman.
-Can you please send us a list of the merchandise you brought with you?
Jalina asked.
-Of course, but we would also like to know what you have to offer in exchange for these items.
The older brother of the merchant asked.
-We are unsure what would pick your fancy, so we prepared a list of items available for this trade, and if it's not enough, we can always add some more.
Tarina said with a charming smile, making the two elves blush a little while Tanera rolled her eyes, seeing how easily her cousins were drawn to the exotic beauty of the diplomat.
Soon, both sides were reading through the list of available items.
A few minutes later, Andrew and the ladies finished reading the whole list, and they were more than interested in acquiring some additional items from the list, mainly the medicinal plants, as well as ready-made medicine, which piqued Iliana's interest, and some technological gadgets, which interested Aelita.
The elves, however, were still going through the long list of items, most of which they had no idea if they were even valuable.
-Your Majesty, this is a very long list, and we would like to see the items specified in it, as we don't recognize most of them.
So, to avoid wasting your precious time, we would like to ask for a pause for a day or two to decide what we would like to acquire.
Sani said, after going through only about ten percent of the list.
-Very well, in that case, we will gather here again in two days, as for the items, I'm sure Tanera will be happy to show them to you.
Andrew smiled, seeing the expression on the merchant's face, like she was accusing him of treason.
As much as she loved her cousins, spending two days with them, showing them all the items was a bit too much for her, especially when Sarini was involved, as she was way too clingy for her liking.
However, before Tanera could protest, Andrew had already gotten up and left, followed by the rest of the ladies.
Sitting there alone with her cousins, who, judging from their faces, had a lot of questions for her already, she could only sigh in resignation, accepting her fate.
Not wanting to spend the rest of the day on this, she quickly answered some of the questions before excusing herself with her work.
In truth, she simply wanted some peace, so she decided to go for a bath, carefully avoiding her cousins by taking the longer route to the Jacuzzi module, which she was sure they hadn't discovered yet.
Seeing the open doors, she simply entered, then stood in place, seeing Andrew relaxing in the bath.
Not that she didn't bathe with him in the past, but then there were more people around, and now it was only the two of them, which made her a bit shy.
-Are you going to just stand there?
Andrew asked with an amused smile.