While the Ghosts were preoccupied in the Tower, quite an exciting scene was developing on Earth. The vampires and the werewolves were face to face with the wealthiest group of merchants operating in the galaxy for the first time in their lifetime, and it wasn't anything they had expected.
Otiga and Ricochet immediately recognised them by the massive logo on their ships. The symbol represented the solar system the merchants were based in. It was also a precautionary measure against being attacked by rogue organisations and to signify their power.
Upon realising a crowd had gathered in front, a group of people disembarked from the spaceship, led by a seven-foot tall cannonball-lookalike alien. The merchants wore expensive clothing, unlike anything the earthlings had seen before.
One could say the grandiose clothes made them appear as if they were angels sent to Earth by god to serve them and make the planet a better place.
While calling them angels would be off the mark, the latter part was genuine. The Illuminary Merchants were there to make the Earth a better place, but for their benefit.
Ricochet and Otiga approached the visitors without wasting any time. After all, the sooner they stated their business, the sooner everyone would return to their usual tasks.
"How can we be of assistance, gentlemen?" Ricochet extended his hand to greet them, only to have a tentacle wrapped around it.
"Ah, you must be this planet's representatives! How good it is to meet you!" The alien spoke in his squeaky voice, "The name's Conkruid, and I'm here on behalf of the Illuminary merchant association to discuss the development prospects of your beautiful homeworld!"
"Huh, that was awfully quick of you," Otiga said with a friendly smile, but her mind was running in overdrive.
It hadn't been that long since the news of Ashton's success had spread across the Orion system. Although she had expected some merchants to arrive, these people arrived much sooner than they could have.
It could only mean one thing, the Illuminary merchants were already en route to Earth before Ashton achieved 'greatness'. The question was, why?
As far as she knew it, Earth should not have any resources other civilisation could be interested in. Yet, for the most influential financial group to arrive there meant they knew something she wasn't aware of yet.
"I would expect nothing less from Lady Shadow!" Conkruid heartily laughed, "Your intuition hit right in the mark, but what I said remains true. The Illuminary merchants are here for our mutual benefit, and we bear no ill intention towards Earth or its people."
Otiga decided no matter the merchant's intentions, it would be unwise to push someone like them away. To be honest, she felt confident that pushing them away would send the wrong message to the rest of the community.
Such a scenario might portray Earth as an unfriendly planet for business, which was the opposite of what Ashton desired. Despite Ashton's accomplishments, his planet was still viewed as a backward planet.
Hence there were limits to how much Otiga could counter the merchant's offers. That would have been the case had it not been for Ashton's close relationship with the Orion Empire and being the next Tower Master.
Conkruid might not admit it, but establishing close ties with Ashton would make their reputation go up by leaps and bounds. As they helped Ashton, the Empire and the Tower would look favourably on them and might even make them official partners.
Otiga smiled on the inside. At the moment, Earth was more important to the merchants than it was to its people, and she planned on exploiting that knowledge to the full extent.
"We all know how this goes, so let's get down to business, shall we?" Otiga boldly suggested, crossing one leg over the other sensually.
Her experience as an ONI's director had taught her quite a few things, including the power of seduction. Be it negotiation or interrogation, feminine charms rarely fail to pay off.
Another benefit was that she knew all about Conkruid's species' common fetishes. Fetishes, which Otiga planned on carefully exploiting for the duration of their meeting to get a preferable deal for the Earthlings.
Conkruid chuckled while gawking at her legs, "Getting straight to business is a quality all merchants appreciate. Ahem, we suggest starting with the five-step terraforming technique to establish control over the unchartered territory of the planet-"
"Why not use the Six-step? It'll be more stable and easier to administer and oversee. Don't you think?" Otiga smacked her lips.
Ricochet, who happened to be sitting next to her, was getting increasingly uncomfortable. In the entire time he had known Otiga, he had never seen her behave so brazenly before.
He knew first-hand what Otiga was doing, but that didn't mean he was immune to her charms. Thanks to Otiga, he felt something rising between his legs even though her words and actions were not directed at him.
'If Nora saw me like this, she'd rip little Rico off and shove him in my mouth-'
Thankfully the painful thought was enough for his blood to rush back to his brain and save him some pain. Little Rico lived to see another glory-filled day on Earth.
"Of course, the six-step process would be more efficient, but considering the logistics-" Conkruid tried interjecting, but the words escaped his mind when confronted with Otiga's charms.
In the end, not only did he agree to terraform the secluded parts of Earth using Otiga's preferred method, but he settled to do it for half its price. The remainder of the meeting went similarly.
Conkruid would pitch an idea, and Otiga would suggest an upgrade and get him to agree on ridiculous demands. In exchange, Earth would have to give trading rights and preferential treatment to the Illuminary Merchant organisation.
In a gist, before one could do business with Earth, they would need to get approval from the Illuminary Merchants first. In a way, Conkruid would become the finance minister of Earth.
At the end of the day, both parties were pleased with the agreement and made it official! Although Terraforming would take up years to complete, Earth was officially no longer a backward planet from that moment onwards.
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