The Asshai's Bloodmage

 After everyone had had their first glass, two more bottles were left in the center of the table, along with the third one opened, and then several servants arrived with an exquisite box and handed it to each of the masters at the table. When the box was opened, they could see another bottle inside, this was a gift from the store to them. Everyone was pleased with the gift, so the servants continued to come and go bringing various items that were sold in the store, all the while Rafael explained what each item was and its origins, from the luxurious meats to the desserts made with milk, pies, cakes, and even a pudding.

Then he showed milk powder as the ingredient in some of these desserts presented and the various protein bars were presented in metal tins with several units and everyone was given several samples to try later. The delicious premium steak similar to Wagyu roasted on the coals Valyrian style and the smoked version were also served, and the freshness and juiciness of the meat pleased many of the 5 VIP guests. Such fresh, high-quality food was rare in the city, and Rafael didn't know if any of these animals survived the perdition. All he had on Aisha's island were pigs, chickens, goats, and some modified pheasants that laid lots of eggs. It would take time to raise more pigs and goats to supply the store. And he would have to wait until Henry brought some quality red meat when he returned, but the next time they wouldn't arrive as fresh. The two bottles didn't last long in the Masters' hands, and then they were taken to the second floor.

On this floor, people could only enter two at a time accompanied by staff, so it wasn't as crowded as the first. Rafael guided the Masters through several common and exquisite items. Today, on the first day, all the items would be sold through a silent auction. You would bid, and at the end of the night, the buyers would be revealed. But I warned them that the items on the second floor weren't the best, and that there were exclusive and better items on the third. We took the elevator and I took them to a luxurious hall on the third floor. There were some of the foods they had tasted, including the sweets made with powdered milk. These recipes were from my world and I managed to replicate them all with the help of our Chef. There were also several milk-based drinks, fruity and cold in glass bottles and even an attempt to recreate the fizzy drink I had on the Sleeping Dragon, "dragon's blood". It was made by one of the ship's passengers who now worked for me. Maybe I would get the recipe when Black Cat and her crew arrived in Asshai.

Everything on this floor was either limited stock from the Golden Dragon's cargo or something that was still produced in small quantities. There were also Valyrian armor and several items from my personal stock of paintings, sculptures and even some tapestries. Everything was for sale through the silent auction, but our VIP guests only bid on a few pieces. I said that if anything here was not purchased by the VIPs, it would be moved to the second floor over time. Finally, I finally took them to a room made of steel. It looked like a giant, bedroom-sized vault, small, with a bed to sleep in, a table with a chair, and a bathroom. In the middle of the room was a painting covered with a red cloth.

When everyone entered the room, they thought the place was strange, as if it were a luxurious prison. But when the Red Sage removed the cloth revealing the painting, there was a momentary silence as everyone appreciated it. In the painting was a woman with long silver hair, a violet dress, and eyes the same color as the dress, she was sitting on a rock as if looking at the people outside the painting. It took almost a minute before everyone finished appreciating the beautiful lady in the painting. I then introduced them to the details of the Valyrian Lady. Everyone squeezed in to take a closer look at the painting and Grym was the first to speak:

"This is a work of art that was personally admired by our Lord R'hllor, which is why it has remained intact to this day without aging."

Madam Zirya retorted: "Don't involve your god in these matters, it is clearly an effect of the paint."1

The Master of Beasts and Master Blood Armor claimed that it was a rare preservation spell. And Master White Shadow claimed that the skin used in the painting is what produces such an effect. Soon they spent more than 30 minutes arguing with each other, rebutting their arguments and extolling their own theories. When there was finally a break, I said that they, as VIPs of the shop, can reserve and come to this room alone to study the painting whenever they want as long as they reserve the day in advance. And everyone finally understood why there was a bathroom and a bed inside such a cramped space. Rafael then explained the rules of never touching the painting or trying to remove samples, as this could ruin its special effect. The painting was inside an extremely thick glass enclosure to prevent it from being damaged. The room was locked from the inside to ensure the Master's peace and privacy. When there was no one inside, the painting would be taken away to a safer location.

It wasn't long before everyone began to reserve about 2 days in a row to study the effects of the painting. Despite the strict rules of not touching it, these Masters had several strange methods to evaluate such a unique work of art. Madame Zirya and Master White Shadow even reserved more days for the next month. They were both truly fascinated by the magic of the painting, and this made me satisfied with the intended effect. I had already tried to study the painting and not even the system found anything. The same thing happened in Valyria, where the Bloodmages studied such a painting for hundreds or even thousands of years without success.

So instead of selling it or leaving it gathering dust in my tower, it was better to create a use that would bring benefits to me. And this was the best result I could think of. With that, the opening of the shop was a complete success, the gross profit on the opening day reached thousands of gold coins and in the following days it continued to bring in even more coins. But I knew that this initial absurd profit was due to the various works of art, premium food items and the sales of the 10 bottles of our precious wine. I sold 4, Omar and Zhang sold 3 bottles each. I left all the calculations of our profit to Aisha and Ted who was now back to work as my assistant, and I started helping the new members of the Order go through their first free alteration. They would then be able to have a better position on the last day of the test that was already approaching. As for the employees and common people, I gave them all some enhancements to their physiques and senses. Some would be good scouts and spies helping me obtain information in the city or doing other more mundane jobs.

When I finished everything there was only 1 day left until the end of the Garden of Beasts selection. I went to the port very early and waited for a ship to arrive, inside it were some men from the island of Aisha, they were bringing supplies for the tower and the store, but this time my blacksmith and my raven were on board too. Salim helped me by covering the animal with a cloth full of strange paintings that would keep it safe for a while and I returned to the Tower of Sages with it. On the way the blacksmith narrated all the details about the island, his assistant was already good enough to make simple tools since he trained with him for more than 6 months at sea, the village wall was reinforced, the cultivation method I gave to They were also proving to be quite useful and soon they would have fresh fruits and vegetables not only for consumption but even for sale as well. I was pleased with the arrangements of the island which has now been renamed Isle of the Wise in our honor. I left Ted to take care of the blacksmith's quarters and show him around, and I went to the deepest floor of my tower, left the red raven's cage in a quiet spot, and made several preparations for something I was quite afraid of. So I finally took an egg out of my inventory, it was time to finally hatch the Fire Worm…

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