Mikhail didn't know what to expect when he came up with his plan for the Morlocks and he sure as hell didn't know what to expect when he went to Isaac's place. All he knew was that Isaac would have something to help him out, and as for what shape it took… well he was hopeful.
Now with numerous options laid in front of him, he was suddenly faced with the dilemma of what to pick. If he went ahead and purchased a land and Isaac made it disappear from everyone else's eyes, he had the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't last, not in this city.
Sure it would be safe, and the Morlocks, at least those who can, could easily integrate themselves into human society, for a while that is.
However, despite the shortcomings, the purchase of a pocket dimension appealed more to him. The number of Morlocks that went up to the surface weren't that much and they were usually chaperoned by the stronger members in the event of an attack so much wouldn't change even if they got a pocket dimension. The surface world would still be a danger to them but at least they wouldn't have to worry about the danger coming down to where they slept.
There was nothing wrong with staying in the underground city, and that statement would be true if there was nothing for them to hope for.
If anything, the last debacle with Mystique which hadn't escalated, thanks to Callisto, made it all the more prudent. There was little they could do in terms of resistance if Magneto and his Brother decided to match down the sewers for answers.
"So which one are you going for? You can always come back when you have a better idea." Isaac offered sincerely, despite calling himself a Merchant over and over again, which was another reason why Mikhail called him a friend.
Mikhail shook his head. His choice was clear. "Pocket dimension."
"Ah, the Trade does listen." Isaac muttered happily to himself as he walked around and started pulling out scrolls and cradling them in his hands. "You'll have to pick out the size and environment of the dimension, which I have to tell you, greatly affects the cost. Both ways. For some reason a lava dimension is the most sought after but I doubt that's what you'll be needing. It's still in the pile if you change your mind."
"I doubt it," came Mikhail's dry reply. This was also something Isaac did, he thought. He was long enough to give you a lot of options and opinions following those options. But sometimes he just wants to sell you something outrageous just for the sake of it. He supposed that was okay since he kept to the branding image.
"Ahah, but you never know what you'll need. Isn't that the reason why you're here in the first place?"
He set the scrolls down and spread them out on the table in front of Mikhail.
"Now, surveying pocket dimensions is a bit tricky unless you know the exact specifications of what you're looking for. Do you?"
Mikhail took a moment to really think about it before replying, slowly. "Something inhabitable. Good weather if possible. Good enough soil. Enough space, maybe a little extra where the children can play. A flowing water source too, if possible. Maybe a pond or two. I don't know." Slight frustration bled through his thick Russian accent as he listed off the basics of what a livable pocket dimension should contain – except the lava pool which Isaac noted.
"No natural ambient energy hotspot?" Mikhail looked confused so he elaborated. "A bubbling volcano, a lightning valley, an arctic tundra, a mountain of shredding gale. They are a local delight from what I know."
"Da khuy tam! No fucking way." He exclaimed exasperatedly. Isaac meant well, he knew that, but sometimes he went overboard in his eagerness.
Isaac raised his hands placatingly. "No harm done. No harm done."
He pushed apart a few scrolls, stared at the remaining ones for a few seconds and took three more. "No lava spot, got it."
"Since you're going for something normal, just pure land space, no uptick in natural energies, no gold mine, or energy crystal vein, you'll be able to cut the cost quite cheap. I've got a price deal of 100 hectares for just two hundred and fifty million. And it comes with 15 anchor points, as long as they are within city limits."
Mikhail subconsciously gripped the leather seats he was perched on. He knew it would be expensive. Exclusive departure/residence away from the local soil did not tend to come cheap, or should even exist in the first place. He knew that the nonexistent market for it would make it ridiculously expensive, but not to this extent.
That was a sizable amount of money gone for just land. What about the cost of added security?
"Now now friend. Don't look at the price too much. Trust me, this is on the lower end. Don't look at it as just a pitch of land, look at it for what it is: a place that is exclusively for you and yours. Think of how much people would be willing to spend on a piece of land that is not on any map."
He recognized the sales pitch for what it was but he couldn't deny the truth in it. 250 million for a pocket dimension was cheap for those who really had the money.
"To make it easy on you, I'll take three hundred for the land and that will cover all the security packages. Anti-detect, anti-scrying, anti-teleporting, anti-tech, rebuff wards, anti-magic wards — it'll take care of the whole security and it'll also come with 20 portal keys for redistributing access to whoever you want."
Mikhail looked at Isaac, flatfooted for a second before catching himself and berating himself on why he was so surprised.
Here he was worrying about the cost of the land and here Isaac was giving him options for an extra sale, at higher amounts, and he was actively considering it.
Initially he was worrying about the sunk cost of two hundred and fifty million and in the next second, Isaac convinced him that paying three hundred was quite cheap and he agreed with it.
"Are we locking that in?" Isaac looked at him from behind his glinting glasses and when he thought about it one final time, he realized that there was nothing concrete he had against it. Sure he could have consulted with Callisto but he suspected that she would have preferred he did what he wanted by himself.
"Yes." He answered.
"Wonderful." Isaac cheered, ecstatic about the wondrous changes to his ledger. "Then let us move on to the next thing: infrastructure. I doubt you have the time, skill or manpower to start building homes for your people so I'll give you a better alternative."
—Civilian Construction(Brick Composite) (Fortnite): A compressed mineral composite that forms defensive structures almost instantly.
Heard you're looking for a civilian home with military grade defenses? Bob wishes he could build these.
These houses are more stable and durable than timber builds and are also shock resistant, blast resistant and have good thermal insulation.
*Recommended for mercenary camps, battlefield shelter, military checkpoints, survivalist settlement.
Price: $25,000.
"I'll give you a hundred of those for $2.2 million." Isaac offered, but he also wasn't done.
—Fortress Construction(Titanium Alloy Build) (Fortnite): High speed deployable infrastructure that creates near-instant fortification, towers, castles and armored bunkers.
You see titanium and you think shiny metal on a sunny day, right? As if. Even the wood in this building has extra unnatural durability and is capable of supporting, and outright resisting heavy weaponry.
*Titanium wishes it was this durable.
Price: $500,000.
Mikhail took one look at it and discarded it. He didn't need a castle nor did he want one. He was fine with a house like everyone else. Illyana would like one, but she was already living in one.
"The other one."
"Civilian use?"
"Da."
"Splendid." He put something aside, a crystal in a ball, and turned back to Mikhail. "Now one of the most important things, food. Well I guess you already got that one figured out but if you're interested in more options then I hope to be able to interest you in some seeds. Interesting seeds, I tell you."
Mikhail gave a nod, taking him at his words and not really doing much to doubt it. Isaac was many things, eccentric being a good number of them, but not a liar.
This was a start. Yes, he was three hundred million shorter but the Morlocks were safer and to him, that was worth more than any amount of money in the world.
"Now about that pocket dimension." Isaac picked up the scroll and held it towards Mikhail. "Rip it apart in the location you want to set the first focal point of the dimension in, and then you have to do it in 15 other places around the city, which should be easy enough with your abilities. As for the keys," he produced a ring of twenty old iron keys, "just give them to whomever you want. It's more or less a tattoo than anything physical."
Mikhail took the keys and true to Isaac's words, they melded into his hands and left the taboo of a simple black band.
"Can you send the rest to..."
"The dimension? Yes." Isaac replied.
Mikhail thanked him profusely, even drawing him into a hug and giving his back heavy pats, before collecting his scroll and leaving. He was over three hundred million poorer but his heart felt lighter.
"Hmm, I wonder what's going on with Peter." Isaac mused to himself upon remembering the last time the kid came to his shop.
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Patreøn*com/1stDepth
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