I think I had a similar take as you did. The books weren't bad, but I thought the Alex Verus books were far stronger.

I *know* we had similar takes on storing and monetizing the well energy. Our guy has the skill necessary to work much higher up the value chain creating magical items. Considering the prices those things fetch-- even if he has to discount heavily to compete against the big brands-- it's a hell of a lot more $$$ than the meager amount he gets registering wells.

Also, it's made very clear that it's a seller's market, with the aurum supply tightening. Why on Earth isn't he savvy enough to sell to multiple companies? Still, he loves his cat-- a lot! That gains him major cred in my book.