"Is it too late to change who's hosting?"
Annan looked at the merchants as though they were gold coins bouncing before his eyes.
"Your 'Banquet Killer' title is just a coincidence. It isn't real," Olmedo reassured him with a smile.
"Really?"
Strictly speaking, "something always goes wrong at a banquet" wasn't very scien... wasn't very magical.
Annan was still a little worried. The Arcane Core had only been taken away earlier that day...
This was probably Free City's most vulnerable moment.
"If you're that worried, why not cancel the banquet?"
"No way!"
Annan would rather take a few risks than drive away his gold coins.
As guests filled the hall, the banquet began.
The merchants came from all over the Allen Continent, drawn to Free City largely by admiration—some admired Annan, while others admired money.
Idelia had arranged a row of long tables along one side of the banquet hall. Instead of the usual food, they displayed products unique to Free City.
There were Magic Muskets and cannons, cement and Magic Stones, wheelchairs and Corsets, and even cheap products like Fast Pants.
Magic Stones were undoubtedly the most popular, but Free City had always refused to sell Eternal Magic Stones. Selling one could earn at least a thousand gold coins, but they wouldn't sell many, and it would open the floodgates. Merchants who got hold of Eternal Magic Stones would certainly open theaters of their own. Losing a share of the profits was a minor concern; the real problem was that pirates would slip into the market...
Sell ten Eternal Magic Stones, and a hundred theaters might spring up. That would be perfectly normal.
Next came cheap, universally loved products like Corsets and Fast Pants. There was no doubt that Free City led the way in "Fashion"—the Voice of Freedom