studiobondurri Before the Storm: Act 10, Chapter 4
Before the Storm: Act 10, Chapter 4
Chapter 4
『What are they doing here?』
“This is Master Leeds,” Lady Xoc said, “leader of the local Merchant Guild.”@@@@
『They sold themselves into slavery to infiltrate Rol’en’gorek and thwart your then-unknown future efforts here, obviously.』
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Master Leeds,” Clara said.
The Guildmaster bowed his head repeatedly as Clara introduced each of them in turn. He visibly faltered when Ludmila responded to his greeting with a disgruntled grunt.
“I’m sure you can imagine our surprise upon finding a thriving Human community where we only expected Beastmen,” Clara said.
Master Leeds allowed himself a slight smirk. He had clearly been looking forward to their reaction.
“My people have had quite the adventure, my lady,” he replied. “As you can see, we’ve done quite well for ourselves.”
“So it appears,” Clara pointedly swept her gaze across the bustling marketplace. “We came to open trade negotiations, but I feel that it would be prudent if we heard the tale of this ‘adventure’ first.”
“If it would please my lady,” Master Leeds lowered his head again. “In return, I hope my lady doesn’t mind answering some questions that we ourselves have.”
“That would depend on the question.”
“Of course. We should take our conversation to a more appropriate setting. This way, please.”
Liane tried catching glimpses of the goods on display as they were led around the periphery of the market to a raised stone platform overlooking the square. There, a few carved stone tables awaited them under the shade of a thick cloth canopy. The Guildmaster gestured for them to take a seat at the largest of the tables before seating himself.
“I hope your journey up the Oriculon hasn’t been overly strenuous or unpleasant,” Master Leeds said. “The last I heard, an Undead horde swept down from the Katze Plains and overran the Draconic Kingdom.”
“Have you seen the ships we arrived in?” Liane asked.
“Yes, of course,” the Guildmaster answered with a nod. “I suppose even powerful Monsters would have issues trying to break into those.”
“From the sound of it,” Liane said, “you guys had some pretty uncanny timing. Going by Lady Xoc’s account, we reckon you were shipped off just before the Undead arrived. How did that even happen? The stories we’ve heard about the Draconic Kingdom only involve Beastmen eating your people, not taking them as slaves.”
Master Leeds exchanged a look with Lady Xoc, who made an unintelligible noise in return.
“We were just as surprised when it happened,” the Guildmaster said. “Our only recourse up until that point was to wait for the Theocracy’s forces to liberate the Draconic Kingdom as they usually do, but things were looking grimmer by the day. Lady Xoc here was part of a larger party that had arrived to observe what was going on in the Draconic Kingdom. Their leader was the one who came up with the idea.”
“Why would this leader want Human slaves when Rol’en’gorek hasn’t taken any before?” Clara asked.
“Well, he wasn’t from Rol’en’gorek, for one thing,” Master Leeds answered. “Aside from Lady Xoc, his entire party was from the Beastman Confederacy.”
A long silence fell over the table as they digested the unexpected development. Were they now competing for influence over Rol’en’gorek with one of the great powers of the world? That shouldn’t have been the case. As far as Liane knew, the Beastman Confederacy’s sphere of influence was so distant that only rumours that were decades or generations old ever made it to the Sorcerous Kingdom’s remote corner of the world. ɽÁƝỖBÈꞨ
『Uh, anyone know how much stuff is between us and the Beastman Confederacy?』
『The Sapphire Coast only covers a fraction of the distance, I think.』
No one could come up with anything else. Out of all of their knowledge of foreign trade routes, information about the ones running through the Syrillian Way and beyond to the heart of the continent was the most lacking.
“In that case,” Clara asked, “how did you end up in Lady Xoc’s possession?”
“That was always the intent, my lady,” Master Leeds answered. “Saraca didn’t approve of how the Draconic Kingdom’s citizens were being treated and I believe he was acting as a sort of mentor for Lady Xoc at the time.”
“He suggested that I take them as slaves to keep them from being eaten,” Lady Xoc said. “In return, they would teach my people new things that would give us all sorts of advantages.”
“It was an ingenious idea,” Master Leeds nodded. “We didn’t even realise it was possible until he proposed it. Now, this city is embracing the new industries we’ve introduced and our trade network spans hundreds of kilometres in every direction. At this rate, all of Rol’en’gorek will be ready to integrate with the Merchant Guild within a generation.”
The Guildmaster’s proud smile melted off of his face, the faces of him and his assistants turning ashen grey. Their Beastman counterparts crouched low, fur standing on end as they turned their eyes warily in every direction. Beyond the observation platform, the din of the crowd went silent and the entire jungle seemed to turn deathly still.
Liane kicked Ludmila under the table. The Guildmaster sucked in a huge breath as if he had just been released from being held underwater.
“Wh...What was that?”
“Ilyshn’ish did it,” Liane said.
“I did not.”
“So you’ve impressed Lady Xoc enough to represent her people in our negotiations,” Liane fixed Master Leeds with her gaze. “I trust you’ve already taken an inventory of everything they have to offer?”
“We have, my lady,” the Guildmaster nodded in response. “I’m sure most anyone outside of Rol’en’gorek will be interested in the raw materials that can be obtained here. Honestly, that’s probably the only thing that they’d be interested in, but I guarantee that you won’t be disappointed with the quality or quantity.”
Master Leeds raised a hand and two of his aides came forward to place a leather folder in front of each person seated at the table. Liane opened hers to reveal a stack of carefully penned vellum sheets.
“Fancy,” she said.
“It’s actually the only suitable material we have,” Master Leeds let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “We ran out of paper long ago and the herds seem to eat any and all vegetation.”
“That so? Then it would interest you to know that we have plenty of straw to get rid of.”
“That would indeed be of great help, my lady,” the Guildmaster said. “Before coming here, we never imagined we could ever be so desperate for the stuff.”
Everyone settled in to peruse the contents of the distributed documents. Liane silently nodded to herself as she found almost exactly what she thought she would find written upon them.
『Well, at least trade in bulk won’t be a problem.』
『Negotiating a fair exchange will still be a challenge. I overheard some of the haggling in the market and the prices were ridiculously cheap.』
“I believe they will continue to test combinations of fodder until they come up with portions they’re satisfied with,” Clara replied. “We’re unfamiliar with the animals ourselves, so it’s entirely up to the ranchers to determine what’s best for their herds.”
Several of the Guildmaster’s aides leaned in curiously, looking over his shoulder at the Sorcerous Kingdom’s list of offerings. After several moments, Master Leeds rose to his feet.
“If you don’t mind, my lady,” he said, “I’d like to review what you have to offer with my people.”
“By all means,” Clara said. “I’m sure you have many parties to confer with.”
“Your understanding is greatly appreciated,” Master Leeds lowered his head. “Please feel free to take a look around the market. My people have gone to great lengths to draw out the potential in Rol’en’gorek’s natural wealth.”
Once the Guildmaster and his associates made themselves scarce, Liane got up from their table and hopped off of the viewing platform. Not a step later, she was knocked over and held down by a massive paw.
『Haaaaaalp! They’re eating meeee!!!』
Some snatched her up by the collar. She tried curling up protectively until she noticed it was Ludmila who was holding her.
『You saved me! I wuv yo–!』
Clara grabbed her by the arm and cast her back down to the pavement.
『It was just a Nar bumping into you. Watch where you’re going.』
Another Nar ‘bumped into’ Liane, kicking her hard enough to send her rolling under a nearby stand. She checked her dress for holes before cautiously sticking her head out from beneath a heavy tablecloth.
“What are you doing?” Ludmila asked.
“Doing my best not to get ‘bumped into’,” Liane answered as she rose to her feet. “Why is this happening all of a sudden?”
She scanned the crowd, searching for the remains of squished Humans. The closest thing she could find, however, was a set of detached streamers that had fallen to the street. Maybe all of the ones who were most likely to fall victim had long been run down and eaten.
“Perhaps it was because Lady Xoc was with us,” Florine said.
“We’re just not accustomed to the flow of this city,” Ludmila said. “It looks like Beastmen aren’t used to giving way to anyone smaller than them.”
As Ludmila said so, an Urmah walked straight into her. The towering Beastman recoiled as if it had smashed into a fortress wall, taking down several other Beastmen behind it as it fell sprawling to the street.
『Maybe they should rethink how their ‘flow’ works.』
『That may be problematic to implement. Many Beastmen have issues focusing on more than one target at a time, so it’s easier for individuals to react to immediate personal threats than it is to continually keep track of everything that’s going on around them.』
They walked around the pile of confused Beastmen, forming into a single file behind their newly appointed traffic shield. Ludmila looked over her shoulder with a frown.
“What are you doing?” She asked.
“Letting you blaze a trail for us,” Liane answered. “Ooh, stop at that stand up ahead with the bolts of fabric.”
Their little column snaked through the crowd, quickly arriving at the fabric stall. A man dressed in Merchant’s garb commonly found in the Draconic Kingdom smiled at them as they browsed his inventory. Liane rubbed the coarse fabric of a diamond-patterned rug between her fingers.
“What’s this made out of?” She asked.
“The fibres are derived from a plant known as jute in much of the world, my lady,” the Merchant answered. “It was known to us in the Draconic Kingdom, but the plants grow too tall and thus could provide places from which Beastmen could ambush us. Here in Rol’en’gorek, it goes between being a grazing crop for Nug and a source of coarse thread for various goods. We have, of course, expanded upon its use with what we’ve been able to harvest.”
The Merchant picked up a bolt of bright yellow cloth in both hands and held it out for them to examine.
“With our superior tools and craftsmanship,” he said, “we’ve been able to produce a much finer variant of thread compared to what the Beastmen use.”
“What’s jute mostly used for around here?” Liane asked.
“Logistical applications,” the Merchant said with a drawn-out sigh. “Rope and sackcloth, mostly. As you can see, the Beastmen don’t wear much. But worry not! The cloth woven from it is suitable for even the finest work.”
“I would mind taking some back with me,” Clara said. “I’m sure the Tailors in Corelyn Harbour would be delighted to have a new material to work with.”
Yeah, them and everyone else.
The Sorcerous Kingdom had what Liane liked to call an ‘everything problem’. When it was a part of Re-Estize, the Duchy of E-Rantel was a fringe territory that bordered potentially – or just outright – hostile neighbours. Thus, the vast majority of its economy was made up of low-risk, low-investment industries like agriculture and forestry. While the city itself was known as a centre of trade, it amounted to little more than a minor crossroads between Re-Estize, the Empire, and the Theocracy. Customs revenues were passable as far as a city went, but they were a pittance when weighed against the needs of the duchy.
So far, they managed to get by because agriculture and forestry just so happened to be what the duchy’s Human population needed to survive. Now that they were well past that point, all they could do was try to distract the people by funding renovation projects and promoting food culture. However, it wouldn’t be long before a not insignificant number of citizens realised that places like the Empire and even Re-Estize were more abundant in what civilised folks considered the hallmarks of societal advancement. The Royal Court railed at the very idea that they might be seen as behind anyone else in that regard, but they couldn’t seem to come up with any ideas that didn’t involve taking other people’s stuff by force or coercion.
Importing manufactured goods was hit and miss. Mostly miss. The Azerlisian Mountain Dwarves were the only nation that the Sorcerous Kingdom could count on for reliable trade in that regard. Unfortunately, their nation was tiny so it wouldn’t be long before the Sorcerous Kingdom’s appetite for Dwarven goods outgrew the Dwarves’ capacity to provide them. The inroads that they made with the imperial aristocracy dealt entirely with raw materials and the Sorcerous Kingdom didn’t represent a large or lucrative enough market to pull the flow of finished goods away from places like Arwintar.
In the end, it looked like they would just have to do everything themselves. Textiles was a field of manufacturing that she and her friends had taken a particular interest in. Not only would they always be in demand, but the industry itself promised to expand the horizons of their technological development.
“I’ll take a dozen bolts, as well,” Florine said.
“Hey, me too,” Liane added. “Could I also get some of the raw material you make this from?”
They walked away from the stall with armfuls of cloth plus a basket of plants. Ludmila wandered around a bit before finding an open spot where they could put their spoils away.
“That was cheap,” Liane said. “We barely broke a silver each.”
“It was consistent with the prices at most of the stands we’ve passed,” Clara said, “the cost of labour must be equally low.”
“Do you think Master Leeds will try to negotiate using prices from when he was last in the Draconic Kingdom?” Florine asked.
“I don’t see why he wouldn’t at least try,” Liane shrugged.
“Then letting us loose in this market may have been a mistake on his part,” Florine said.
“Then we should keep looking around to get a handle on the economy here,” Liane said. “I ain’t giving the guy any more than he should get.”