Then Seris came to him, her face serious as if she were very angry.
"Kael, I want to talk to you about something important."
Kael was a little nervous about this.
"What happened?"
"I've heard from some customers that a merchant in the western quarter is reselling your lanterns for triple the price. Another set up his own purified water stand near the east plaza."
Kael read the list silently.
"I knew arbitrage would start happening eventually," he murmured.
"You're not angry?" she asked, brow raised.
He shook his head. "No. They're still buying from us first. That's what matters right now."
"But they're profiting off your ideas."
Kael gave a faint smile. "They're also advertising for me. Every time someone sees one of our lanterns or drinks our water, it builds demand. The more they resell, the more people come to us for the source."
He stretched his arms, glancing around at the shelves—half-empty again.
