Luca shook Theanore’s hand and the exchange between them, a ton of golden and silver trinkets on his end and a million golden coins on hers, was complete.

“Would you be against selling any weapons and armor I made as well?” Asked Luca. People discriminated against goods that originated from No Man’s Land.

They always tried to underprice them, and he wouldn’t get a fair deal with just any merchant. Theanore hesitated and bit her lip.

“I don’t know Luca. Weapons and armor sound like something used to hurt people.” Said Theanore. She wanted to avoid hurting people, not even indirectly.

“Wouldn’t you like the forest of fireflies’ guardians to be outfitted in titanium and wield the hardest and most flexible weapons? Made of pure iron glass.” Asked Luca, trying to angle towards her love for her friends.

“Well, Mirstone does have an adventurer’s guild, so I suppose there is a demand for such things.” Said Theanore. She extended a pinky towards Luca and spoke gravely. “But you have to promise to have only good thoughts while making the items. That way they will go to good people.”

Luca smiled, but decided to humor Theanore and did the pinky swear. If she wanted to have some assurances, then he was going to give them to her. Honestly, he couldn’t be held responsible for what his goblins and Timothy thought while making the weapons and armor.

But now he had a million gold coins. With this money, he could hire ogre tutors to educate his goblins. Once he did so, they would be able to make more complex things and would make fewer mistakes.

Luca teleported out of the grotto and into the ogre village. The ogres looked at him and greeted him, many remembering him as the one who teleported children on their shopping trips.

“Dear Ogres.” Addressed Luca, the now gathered crowd. “I come here with a request. I have two tribes of goblins who live in my Canyon Rush dungeon. But they are illiterate, as most goblins are. Can I perhaps interest a few of you into coming to my dungeon and educating them? I can pay.”

The crowd began to disperse, disgusted mutterings about goblins being the only thing that Luca heard. His head bowed, and then an elf woman stepped forward.

She had brown hair and brown eyes and looked rather pain. Forgettable even. But for the big book strapped to her back. Luca bowed at her as it was the custom when meeting an elven lady and offered his hand, so he can take hers and kiss it.

The woman offered her hand and Luca gave it a slight peck. Then he raised his eyes up and addressed her.

“Are you perhaps interested in teaching some goblins? Once you teach at least twenty of them, they can teach the rest. I only need them to learn some basic math and their letters, nothing complex.” Said Luca.

“I suppose I can, but I am seeking employment. If you make me your personal assistant and steward, dungeon core, I will teach as many goblins as you need.” Said the elf woman.

“My name is Luca, my lady. What may be your name?” Asked Luca. If he was going to be entering negotiations for having a second in command, then he needed to know with whom.

“Aleria Gloe. I am a graduate of the forest of plenty very own Engineering Collage of Farwood district. If that speaks nothing to you, then I can tell you I can fix almost any machine you put before me. I can work a forge. Not only that, but I have my very own invention. The seed drill.” Said Aleria and she untied the book.

There were no pages in it, but a false bottom. When Aleria pulled out a small wood carving of a strange machine, Luca looked at it from all angles.

“And how is this supposed to improve crop yield?” Asked Luca. “And how does one go about building it? On what does it run?”

“The crop yield will be improved eight times. The drill makes holes in the soil and spreads the seeds. No longer will farmers have to plant manually. I suggest the machine is built from steel, apart from the wheels. I have found a new type of plant in the Badlands that I call rubber tree. The sap is the important material for production, but it is hard to gather it, what with the Badlands being surrounded by volcanos and being filled with poisonous gasses.” Said Aleria with more than a little regret in her voice.

“That won’t be a problem.” Said Luca, and he pulled out his crystal. He made a bucket with rubber tree sap appear. Now that he knew what he was looking for and where to find it, getting it was child’s play.

“I am impressed.” Said Aleria in an even tone. Something told Luca that you can do ten flips before her and she still won’t bat an eye. “I take it you can produce the steel the same way?”

“Sure can. In how long can the first seed drill be done?” Asked Luca.

“A month, given that I have access to a second and very skilled blacksmith. Then another month to learn how to operate the machine. I want to keep 50% of the winnings as royalties.” Said Aleria.

Well, Luca was going to suggest a solid sum out of each sale, but he supposed he could still stand to make quite the profit once his goblins were educated enough to man the seed drills and the cliffs above his canyon were planted.

“I don’t see why not. But you will also make a machine that hoes the soil. I don’t see why you can’t repurpose the seed drill part as a sort of giant hoe.” Said Luca.

His goblins had been complaining that gardening was though work and that they want to plunder instead. He was not going to get on the bad side of his neighbors, the fairies.

“Deal. But I will have to design it first. It will take me many trials and errors. But I feel confident that I can make a…let us say a rolling hoe in about three months after the seed drill is completed.”

They shook each other’s hands and Luca teleported them to the Canyon Rush dungeon to begin working on the seed drill.