The last place on a long list of places to gain support for. The pier itself was expansive and reports had come in about some concern from the citizens, especially because the guild had been gaining so much traction recently.

The dock itself was a much more calm atmosphere. Nothing crazy was going on and people just moved through the day.

The wind mage noticed the large number of restaurants that lined the pier. it seemed to be the man hub of business here. He strolled down the walkway until a couple of men approached him.

"Our boss would like to talk to you," the passive man said. Kaz nodded back and asked them to lead the way. During the walk, the man explained that it was the restaurant owners that ruled this part of the port. That things were going good and they didn't need a guild. He pointed out all the families in the area. There weren't many boats or fishermen slinging work. It was only a place of harmony and commerce. but he wondered for how long that would last.

He didn't make a big fuss yet, he chose instead to walk with them and hear their point of view first. And then he would speak to the owners directly.

They walked him around down the seafront and pointed out a few of the main places to eat. "Those are the people that run this place. You wanna do anything here. You need to talk to them first."

"I will then. Thank you for the tour," Kaz replied and he left them to enter the first building. It was a family-style restaurant and Kaz approached the woman that was standing and ready to seat people.

"Pardon me miss, I'm here to speak to the owner. I'm with the guild." He said in a calm manner.

The woman's eyes widened, "I see. Please give me one moment," she replied, and hastily went to the back to talk to the manager. Not long after, she returned, "This way." and she led Kaz to the second floor and to the woman sitting alone at her large wooden desk.

The woman gestured for the mage to come in and sit down. Kaz obliged and made his way to the lounge chair on the opposite side of her desk. She offered him something to drink and Kaz happily accepted, if nothing else it was a show of good faith.

"I've been waiting for you to make your way here. So what do you have to say? As you know we have a way of life here that we tend to keep the same," the woman opened up the dialogue and sat back in her large chair. The desk between them was neat and clean, nothing personal on it.

"We do not intend to change things around here. We only want peace. With the fall of the knights, it may seem like things are okay but they won't stay that way with bandits and monsters on the rise. We will offer protection, education, and training. And in times of need, the guildhall will act as a safe haven."

He stated his case just as he had with all the others and took a swig of the sweet drink she had prepared for him. he could see the thoughts swirling in her mind as if she played out a dozen scenarios all at once. The woman was a calculating individual to be sure. Something that probably came in handy running a business. The woman leaned across the table, "Is that all you want. Just support?" He question was unsure about how much she could trust the mage.

Kaz set the drink down and leaned a little closer to her. "I have seen war and strife. And the pain it causes those who aren't ready or can't face it. I don't want that to happen anymore." The woman nodded and leaned back again. She clapped her hands once, for a group of servers to enter the room. She told them to prepare a meal.

"In that case. Let's see where this alliance takes us. A meal to honor the occasion." She said and made two orders of the house special. A few moments went by and the food was brought in. They began eating and discusses all the possibilities of this newfound agreement. Kaz was just thankful that it was over with, without fighting.

Once the wind mage was done with his meal with the first owner, he was off to the next one. The night was still young and he had a lot of work to take care of still. The wind mage walked down the road past the next set of restaurants. The woman had told him all the ones he needed to talk to in order to get the plan going. Her main information was to stop in at the family-owned one. It was run by three siblings and they all owned various businesses in the area.

The building was lit up with red and orange lanterns in the entrance. It was a two-story building that was open late. There was a small garden in front of the building with a fountain on each side of a stone path. It led to the main doorway where Kaz now stood, ready to enter and get this done.

Just like the last one, he walked in and asked to speak to the owners. He was met by a receptionist and she agreed to set up the meeting. He waited in the lobby and noticed the high-class clientele that ate here. There was plenty of candlelight seating and room for groups as well.

The woman returned and led him to the next floor. It was still covered with seating for guests and the three siblings were all seated in the back table. Two guards were at their side. Kaz looked back and forth between the two men. This was the first person to bring guards. They had a seat already open for him to take.

"Thanks for meeting me," Kaz began to speak first and took the seat that was offered to him.

Two of the siblings looked at the one in the center who responded for the rest of them. "Thank you for coming. I take it you've already talked to others if you have made it to us."

Kaz nodded and one of the other siblings ordered some food to be brought to the table. "Yes. They gave me their support and I want yours too." Kaz jumped straight to walk as he often did. The siblings began to fire off questions for him. None of them were something he wasn't ready for.

He gave them all the answers just as he had told the woman in the first restaurant. "Protection, safety, and prosperity is what I'm talking about. They seemed open to the idea but wanted to iron out more of the details than the first meeting. The wind mage spent the rest of the night with the three of them to think about how they would proceed together and finally, they all came to an agreement they could support. A simple one, which had to do with guiding people to the restaurant to eat. But the people of the pier came to the conclusion that's was best to work together than against each other.

And at last all of Astera stood unified and more secure than it was before.