A Black Tide[Making Waves Chain]

Job Name: Reaching Out
Job Rank: D
Job Location: Balbadd
Job Rewards: 50xp | 3,000 Huang
Job Prerequisites: Yakuroro
Job Overview:
Having just arrived in Balbadd, Yakuroro needs to make a swift effort to sell the jewels he received from Rashim. Locate some shady individuals and learn where the local black market can be found. After all, you can probably find a buyer with deeper pockets on the illegal market.

The journey west had been a long one, but now it was finally coming to an end. The grassy scent of the plains air was kissed with salt and the ocean breeze as the caravan Yakuroro accompanied made its approach to Balbadd. This was not Yakuroro's first time coming to the sea side country, but it was the first time he did so by land rather than sea. Something about the city silhouette was less impressive from the road, perhaps it was the tall walls casting a comparatively dull sight than the bustling docks. Or maybe it was just due to the fact that Yakuroro had seen so many other countries and cities that were much larger in size since then. Regardless of the cause, the Imuchakk felt underwhelmed. It was a good thing he had not come here to sightsee or else the trip would have been for naught.

The free city of free men and women opened it's gates to the caravan with ease and Yakuroro entered on business of selling the gems he had kept with him all the while. Unfortunately, the blue haired magician would find a complication getting in the way of his money making venture. Yakuroro could sell the gems to a local merchant but the deals being presented to the Imuchakk were found unacceptable. The merchants of Balbadd wished to purchase the gems for a fraction of their market value and then upmark the prices to net a large profit margin. It wasn't exactly a practice Yakuroro could scorn the men and women for, however he hadn't just spent the last few months travelling here just to get ripped off.

Selling the gems himself was certainly an option that Yakuroro considered. That method had its own related bile to swallow however. First Yakuroro needed a license to do business and jump through a number of hoops with the local jewlers guild. Needless to say, the Imuchakk wasn't feeling the patience to deal with such bureaucracy, let alone register his identity as a public figure here. This left one other path for the magician to follow...illegal markets. If his dealings with the Brotherhood of Ash had taught Yakuroro anything it was that no matter where you went there was always a shadow world. A market that exists in back alleys and secret meet ups where men of questionable morals exchange goods and services on their own terms. Laws of the country hosting them be damned.

Pushing the gems in the black market was perhaps the best way to make the largest profit possible for Yakuroro. With that in mind, he stalked the dark corners of the city listening for unsavory types whispering about deals or exchanges of interests. One pair of men he eavesdropped on seemed to be having a promising conversation. The Imuchakk approached them with a faux friendly face and showed them his gems before asking where he could find an "unofficial" market to sell them. Yakuroro offered the men a finders fee of sorts in the event that he could make a good sale. At first, one of the men began to refuse but the other cut him off and began to eagerly spill the beans on a meeting taking place two nights from then. He asked for the address of Yakuroro's inn and then gave directions of which back paths to take in order to find the midnight gathering.

Yakuroro thanked the man and took his leave with a bow. The Imuchakk could not see their eyes staring at him as he walked away, but he could feel them burning a hole into his back. The second man was a  bit too eager to share the location of the black market. Yaku would have to be weary of the directions given to him. At least, for now, Yakuroro had succeeded in finding a lead on where to sell his gems. He returned to an inn near the harbour for a good night's rest after having completed his mission for the day.

672/500 WC