Sindri's black market

The next morning, Dreufey went through her regular morning routine to keep up her Dark Elf appearance. She soaked in the bathtub for a good ten minutes. Then she got up, dried herself off, and donned a green robe that Freyr had been good enough to get for her before her arrival.

She found Freyr in the kitchen, dressed in a red robe and slippers. He had just finished preparing breakfast for the two of them. The table by the window was set for two, with bacon and eggs, toast and marmalade, and orange juice and tea.

"Perfect timing as usual," Dreufey commented.
"Seidr magic has many uses," Freyr replied with a smile. "Why don't you sit down and have a bite. We have a busy day ahead of us."

Dreufey sat down next to the window where she took in the view of the city. The rising sun bathed the city in a deep orange glow which made everything look dark and forbidden, yet rich and golden.

"I was thinking we should go shopping for clothes for you, have a look at the area around Ivadi's headquarters, and buy some groceries before returning here," Freyr said. "I suggest you take a gold coin with you."
"Same procedure as in Munich?" Dreufey asked.
"Not really. Ivaldi doesn't allow people to exchange gold for local currency, except against exorbitant rates in one of his banks, so we have to use coins directly in trade."
"Like we do in Folkvangr?"
"Yes, and prices are much the same as well. One gold coin will be enough for the day, unless you're planning to buy something big."

Freyr took a sip of his tea.

"The big difference with Folkvangr is that trade with gold and silver is illegal. Ivaldi doesn't want people to use anything but his own currency."
"Why?"
"Ivaldi´s currency is electronic, so every transaction is registered. This gives Ivaldi power to regulate and control trade. There's also the obvious advantage to him in that he can create his currency by typing numbers into accounts while everyone else has to work for it."

Dreufey shook her head. "Makes you wonder how people put up with it."

"Many don't. The untagged engage in unregulated trade. They accept nothing but gold or silver, and Ivaldi himself preferers gold to his own currency."
"But Ivaldi & Sons can produce rings that drip with gold. They can just make a bunch of rings for themselves and have as much gold as they please."
"You're thinking of Odin's ring, Dreupnir, right?"
"Yes."
"But how often do you see Odin wearing that ring?"

Dreufey hadn't seen Odin that many times, and she wasn't sure what Draupnir looked like, so she couldn't tell if she had seen the ring or not.

"I can assure you that you've never seen Odin wear Draupnir," Freyr said. "Because the ring drains the wearer of energy and spirit. That's why Odin only uses Draupnir when in dire need of gold, and that hardly ever happens."

"For this same reason, Ivaldi and his sons don't rely on rings to produce gold. They engage in trade in order to get hold of it, and they cannot use their own currency in trade because no-one outside Ivaldi city accepts it. Only gold is universally accepted, so Ivaldi has to get hold of gold in order to import raw materials for his factories."

"Gold is also an important ingredient in the elixir of life that is keeping Ivaldi and his sons from aging. Dark Elves live for about 120 years. But Ivaldi and his sons are thousands of years old, thanks to their elixir of life, which works the same way as Idun's apples."

"So, Idun doesn't share her apples with her own father?" Dreufey asked.
"No. Ivaldi is convinced that Idun is taking his elixir of life, and that's why she is keeping as young as she is."
"That's weird."
"It gets weirder. You see, Idun shares her apples with Sindri, her father's opponent. Sindri imports a crate of Idun's apples every year, which keeps him and his top men eternally young."
"So, Idun is taking Sindri's side?"
"Yes, but not for free. She's being paid handsomely for her apples."

The two finished their breakfast with more talk about the intricate relationships and power games among gods and elves. Then they took care of the dishes together before preparing to go out.

Ready dressed and ready to go, Dreufey went out on the balcony to pick out a gold coin from one of her two purses at the bottom of her toolbox. 

Back in the living room, Dreufey found Freyr dressed in a loose fitting and comfortable looking brown suit. Dreufey walked up next to him, turned to a mirror on the wall, and saw with satisfaction that the two looked very much like a pair of Dark Elves, ready to hit the town.

"Letté me heré you say a few wordé in the local dialecté," Freyr said.
"I amé deligted to beé with you heré in Ivaldí's city," Dreufey replied.

Freyr told Dreufey to keep up the effort. "The more genuine your dialect, the easier it will be," he explained. "But if anyone asks, you simply tell them you're from out of town."
"Like I did with Iceland back in Munich?"
"Exactly."

The two headed for the elevators which brought them down to a large entrance hall with several doors set in a glass wall facing a busy street. Dreufey's initial impression on leaving the building was that of activity and noise, but she wasn't struck by any sense of danger. The street and the sidewalks were too wide and busy to make her feel unsafe.

"This doesn't seem very dangerous to me," she said as they headed towards the nearest intersection.
"And it isn't if you stay clear of narrow alleys. The problem is that we can't avoid such places if we are to use your metal. I hope you have your stun gun with you."

Dreufey patted her purse. "It's right here with me."

They walked north, along a wide street that crossed a river in the distance. Tall buildings were all around.

"You can't see it from here, but Ivaldi's tower is down there by the river," Freyr explained. "There's a big park that goes along the river in front of it. That's where we're heading. But first off, we'll find some clothes for you."

On their way, along the main street, they came to an underdeveloped city block with several alleys leading into it. The buildings looked dated compared to the shiny office towers and commercial buildings across the street.

"Hold onto your purse," Freyr said as they headed into one of the alleys.

But the alley didn't feel very dangerous either. It was full of people, and none of them seemed threatening. There were also guards in blue uniforms patrolling the street.

"I think you've overstated the danger of this place," Dreufey said.
"Maybe I have. But it's better to be safe than sorry."

They didn't have to walk far before they came to an old fashion department store similar to those Dreufey had frequented in Munich.

"I feel positively at home here," she said. "I've come across worse places in Munich, and I didn't need a stun gun to defend me."
"Okay. But don't get too confident. There's plenty of crime in this city, and you don't want to get yourself into any trouble, do you?"

Dreufey had expected something much seedier, and more run down than the department store they entered, which was bustling with life. No-one seemed concerned or worried.

"It must be the guards," Freyr said when Dreufey once again commented on the relaxed atmosphere of the place. "They must be Sindri's men. This is a great improvement on how things used to be."
"When was your last time here?"
"Seven years ago."
"I thought you had been here only days ago. Where did you get yesterday's groceries if not here in the area? And the robe I was wearing this morning?"
"I had it delivered."
"So, all of this is kind of new to you too?"
"Things change. What can I say?"

Completely at ease with the place, Dreufey went on to shop for clothes with Freyr drifting around, sometimes next to her and sometimes at a distance.

Dreufey found a talkative young sales assistant in one of the stores, a tall and skinny girl in a green dress.

The girl's eagerness to talk gave Dreufey an opportunity to practice her skills with the local dialect, but the results proved disappointing.

"You must be from Lavoy," the girl said after having heard Dreufey speak for only a short while.

Dreufey wasn't happy about the way she had been found out, but she decided to play along with the girl's suggestion, curious to hear what more the girl might say.

"Yes. I'm from Lavoy. How did you know?" she asked.
"I was there on holiday with my parents and two brothers a few weeks ago. We loved it. Beautiful beaches. A tropical island paradise."
"Where did you go while there?" Dreufey asked.
"The opera by the sea, of course. We also hiked in the mountains. It's such a wonderful place. Everyone is so friendly; and they're all a little chubby, like you."

Dreufey didn't like the overbearing tone of the girl, but it was informative, so she let it pass.

Dreufey paid for the clothes she had chosen. She put her gold coin on the counter, which prompted the assistance to once again start talking.

"What an unusual coin!" she said. "I need to have this checked by my manager."
"It's not a problem, I hope?" Dreufey asked.
"No. Not at all. We may even give you some extra silver coins."

Freyr, who had been wandering around at a distance, came over to Dreufey to check on what was going on. But the assistant was back with the manager before Dreufey had time to explain anything.

The manager, who was wearing a black suit and white shirt, but no tie, introduced himself as Torvald.

"Have you by any chance been in contact with any Aesirs or Vanirs?" he asked.
"Not that we know," Freyr replied.
"We usually only see this kind of coins from them, you see."
"Really?"
"The odd Jotun will carry one of these too."
"And?"
"These coins are very rare, so let me know if you come across any more of them. I'll give you a good price for them."

Torvald handed Dreufey and Freyr each a business card. Then he told his assistant to hand over a few extra silver coins to Dreufey.

"I expect these coins to become even more rare now that Aesirs and Vanirs no longer are welcome her in our city," Torvald continued. "Anyway... if you need anything, be it big or small, just give me a call and I'll see what I can do for you guys."

Torvald gave the two each a hearty handshake. Then he excused himself before going back to his office.

"What was that all about?" Dreufey asked as she walked out of the department store together with Freyr. "Do you think my gold coin gave us away?"
"I don't think so. He may simply know from experience that people that pay with coins from Earth have a tendency to also ask for other, more extravagant products and services."

Dreufey and Freyr went across the street to a small diner where they sat down for a burger and a soft drink.

Dreufey told Freyr about her conversation with the sales assistant in Torvald's department store.

"So, you're from Lavoy," Freyr said with a smile. "That's an excellent suggestion. I'll make a note of that, and you should look that place up on the web when we're back in your apartment. Then you can tell people you're from Lavoy, and you'll have all sorts of things you can say to make it all the more believable."
"I didn't like the way she belittled me, though."
"No. That wasn't nice, but she didn't for a moment think you weren't from Nidavellir, and that's the most important part."
"But how am I to get close to Ivaldi and his sons with that kind of mentality?"

Freyr didn't have a ready answer for Dreufey, so they remained silent for a while, watching people walk by on the street outside.

"They're not all tall and skinny, though," Dreufey said thoughtfully. "That guy over there is neither tall, nor dark, and that woman over there doesn't have green eyes. I'm sure I saw a guy with round pupils on our way down here. Makes me wonder why we're making such an effort to look the way we do."
"The idea is to be as much like their ideal as possible. I don't think my sister ever thought she'd turn you into a Dark Elf supermodel."
"Yet she chose me for this mission, nevertheless."
"Exactly. Because there's more to this than just looking pretty in the eyes of Ivaldi and his sons."

Dreufey had no idea what Freyr had in mind, if anything at all, but his optimistic statement had a good ring to it, and that was enough to lift her spirit.

The two finishing their meal on an upbeat note, and Freyr paid for it with a silver coin. The lady behind the counter took the coin and gave Freyr two copper coins in return.

"Paying with metal isn't quite as convenient as Ivaldi's electronic payment system," he said to Dreufey as they left the diner. "But it has the advantage that all transactions are secret, and there's something real being transacted, not merely digits typed into one of Ivaldi's computers."

They walked back out to the main road and headed once again towards the river. Freyr offered to carry Dreufey's shopping bags; an offer that Dreufey was happy to accept.

"So, who exactly owns the black-market area?" Dreufey asked.
"Ivaldi owns everything in this city. That includes the black market."
"But Sindri is running it. Isn't that contrary to Ivaldi's interests?"
"Sindri is paying good money to rent that place from Ivaldi, so Ivaldi is turning a blind eye to what's going on in there."

"It wasn't always like that, though. Ivaldi didn't like what was going on back when Sindri just started, so Ivaldi sent in SWAT teams from time to time to clean out the place. They would come in with their clubs and their shields, and they would beat up the vendors. But that came to an end when Sindri's engineers came up with the stun guns. Ivaldi's thugs were powerless to suppress the market, and Ivaldi had to choose between either flattening the place or enter some kind of deal with Sindri."

"Sindri offered to pay a lot of gold to rent the area, and Ivaldi decided to go with the deal. That happened seven years ago, and the transformation of the place has been remarkable."

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