Book 4: “Alone Into The Underwyrld!” Page 4
I.M. GRUBLEGRAB: MAGICAL, MYSTERY MAN?
or
JUST ANOTHER FAT RICH GUY?
Greetings and salutations, most honored reader!
Welcome to the latest transmission of the Saga of the Terrific Trio. Nikki, disguised as the crime lord, Scrap, has just infiltrated a gang leader meeting. She will no doubt have many questions, but what her primary question should be is: Just who or what is Mr. Grublegrab?
The kids don’t really know where he came from (presumably Khapitaliusm, but do they know that for sure?). He seems to be a businessman, an industrialist in your world’s jargon, but here just a merchant (the concept of industrialists not yet known).
Yet he comes with advanced concepts every bit as worthy as those of your planet’s industrialists: capital, ideas, know-how, and new inventions capable of changing the world. In his case, this would be asphalt. People such as Grublegrab are unheard of on this planet, unless, unless they are sorcerers, wizards! And is it not true that Grublegrab has admitted that his raven carries a “magic light?” Has Old Dragan brought a wizard into his house? A man of great power? He certainly doesn’t seemed alarmed.
The reason is that on the Wyrld, though sorcerers and wizards are indeed people of great power, they (usually!) need to eat just like everyone else. Thus, often, such magic users hire themselves out to even more powerful people–rich people! Dragan assumes that Grublegrab, being an intelligent, wealthy man, just as he is, would do the natural thing and “hire out.” It was quite common place in the Wyrld at this time to have a “house mage,” a “court vizier,” a magical “consultant,” as you would say on your world.
So, the question becomes, does Grublegrab have a a whole team of staff wizards in the background, developing interesting little mystical do-dads like continuous light boxes, or is Grublegrab himself, along with being a powerful merchant, a powerful wizard?
A mystery for another time, honored reader. In the meanwhile, Nikki will have her own mysteries to unravel if she successfully infiltrates the gang leaders’ meeting–and survives.
Please join me next time to find out…
Until then,
With boundless Cognescentii blessings,
~The Traveller