Chương 191: Chapter 189 [Talks Of Trade]

Mike finished going over the trade plan he'd be sending to the elders with the rest of the council, he wanted to make sure they hadn't missed anything before he sent word to Jeff.

"So that's the plan," Mike said, tapping the spot marking Stonehall without looking up.

"First batch can be sent tomorrow, if the elders are agreeable." Gary leaned over the table, tracing the route with one finger.

"What are we actually sending?"

"Knives, mostly. Maybe some other tools anyone can use that they won't have here or that won't be as high quality," Diane slid a folding blade across the table for him to look at, still in its sheath.

"The ones from the camping store should work well. Nothing that'll be missed, and to anyone who's never seen modern steel, it'll look like nothing they've got here." Gary picked it up, turning it over once, testing the weight.

"Don't they have magic metal here? Won't normal steel be worth less than we're expecting?"

"Those metals are mainly used by nobles and the upper crust. A basic, steel knife is always going to be useful to loads of people out here I'd imagine," said Mike, leaning back in his chair.

"Anything else?" asked Gary.

"Jewellery." Terry, by the window, didn't turn from whatever he'd been watching outside.

"Couple of rings, maybe a finer piece if the trader thinks he can sell it without drawing the wrong sort of eyes. That's the real money long term. Not something you put on a stall, though. That'd be asking for trouble."

"Which is the tricky part," Mike said.

"We want him carrying it, not selling it in the open. If he has someone he already trusts, then it'll be a lot easier. Koss has told me the guy running the city closest to us, Ebonreach, is a bit of a prick so there's definitely some risk involved. We're hoping the only thing that gets noticed is the knives."

"The elders got a trader in mind?" Gary asked, setting the knife back down.

"Merin says he knows a guy. Runs the border regularly, been at it for years. Has his own guards, some of whom are family. Means little to no risk from his own." Mike straightened up from the table properly now.

"If anyone can handle this carefully, it's him. Or so says Merin." Diane's frown had been building for a while before she said anything.

"And this merchant lord? What if he finds the jewelry? What are the chances he traces it back here and becomes a problem? From what we've heard of the Empire so far, as well as the man's reputation, he's not someone we want sniffing around." Nobody answered straight away.

"That's the real risk," Mike admitted eventually.

"Nearest place with money like that is Ebonreach. It's a few days travel on horseback, the next closest one is something like three weeks away. It's the only real option this far north."

"Well fingers crossed our guy goes unnoticed," Gary said.

"Yeah. We need the materials and supplies he can bring back from that city but the jewelry leading back to us is a real worry. Especially after everything we just dealt with." Mike rubbed his temples.

"If this works and we can get everything we need quickly, then it shouldn't matter if he finds out later. We know that's inevitable at this point. No point in rushing the discovery if we can help it though."

Jeff stood near the table, eyes distant for a moment, working through the last reply back to Mike.

"That's the lot," he said, focus returning to the room.

"He'll have everything ready by morning. He'll be sending someone via portal with everything in their storage." Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Merin nodded slowly, already reaching for a fresh sheet of his own.

"Fantastic. Those portals really are amazing. They're already showing their worth. Once more of them are up and running in the other villages I get the feeling we'll be seeing a lot more visitors." Jeff grinned.

"It's a little like when trains were first introduced in my country. People being able to move around a lot easier changed everything. I wouldn't be shocked if that was similar here once the lads get to travelling."

"I know Torren is planning on taking them to the Ironwood," Koss said.

"If they can get portals set up around places with quarries or mines, it's going to change the North for good." She smiled at the young man.

"Thank you for your help in this matter again, Jeff."

"No worries." He stood, rolling one shoulder with a wince. He really needed to stop hunching as much when he helped the elders out with these messages. Maybe he'd take the offered chair next time, even if the idea of sitting with them felt disrespectful.

"Anything else you need from me today?"

"Not at the moment," Merin said.

"Go and enjoy the rest of your day." Jeff's mouth twitched toward a grin as he gathered his things.

"Thanks. I'm heading to the tavern. Gwen and a few of the others are already down there."

"That's not surprising," Koss said, smirking.

"That girl is never far from you whenever I see you around the village."

"What can I say? She takes showing me around very seriously."

"That might have been the case a month ago. I'm sure you know your way round by now."

"Can never be too careful. I'm in a magical village. Best not to risk it." He winked and turned for the door. Koss waited until his footsteps had faded, then looked between the other two.

"So. The trade."

"Camdon's the best choice," Merin said.

"Shouldn't be too hard for him to sell the rings without notice."

"Will space be an issue?" Koss asked.

"For everything Monkhaven's sending, on top of what he usually takes."

"Shouldn't be," Merin said.

"He normally carries on west to Pinehollow and beyond from here. But if he sees what we're offering and turns straight back south instead, like I expect he will, he'll have more than enough room to spare." Koss raised an eyebrow.

"That confident?"

"Man's got a nose for a good deal," Merin said.

"Knives alone should be enough to put most smithwork he's seen out of the Core to shame. Once he gets a proper look, I doubt Pinehollow will even cross his mind."

"My worry is simpler," Yara said, arms folded.

"If he finds the rings, he won't ask questions outright. He'll send men to snoop around instead, same as he always does. If any of his people hear so much as a whisper about Monkhaven, that's the town revealed a lot sooner than we'd like, and he won't let it lie. He'll march north and try to take the place for himself."

"That would have been a real problem before everything they went through recently," Koss said.

"They've proven they can look after themselves since, though. I'd love to see the poor souls he sends try shaking the town down against Sam's fog, or Leo running circles round them before they've even drawn a blade."

"It's not that simple," Merin said.

"They come, they fail, they leave. Fine. It's what happens after that worries me. Word gets back to him that Monkhaven won't bow the knee, and the man's vindictive enough that there's no telling what he tries next." Koss was quiet for a moment.

"Well. Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

The company moved at a steady pace along the northern road, seven riders and two empty carts, dust kicking up thin behind the wheels in the mid-morning light. Camdon rode at the head of it, an older man, grey threading through a beard that had seen better decades, though his hands on the reins were as steady as they'd ever been. Behind him, spread loose along the line, rode the rest of his company.

Two of them, Orin and young Petra, were his sister's boy and girl, taken on properly the moment they were old enough to hold a blade without embarrassing themselves. The rest had been with him near as long, some longer, faces he trusted the same way he trusted his own hands.

"Quiet stretch, this," Orin said, riding up alongside him, eyes on the treeline rather than his uncle.

"For now." Camdon didn't take his own eyes off the road either.

"Quiet's exactly when you stop watching properly. That's when something decides to remind you why you should've kept at it."

"You always say that."

"Because it's always true." He glanced back once at the empty carts, rattling loose and light behind them.

"Won't ride this easy on the way back, mind. Fully loaded, same as always this time of year." Petra, further back, kept one hand resting near her bow the entire ride, the way she'd taken to doing since the last trip out this way had ended with an unpleasant surprise involving something with too many legs and considerably more teeth than expected.

"Reckon we find anything good? I know Torren sometimes has strange herbs you can't find in the core," Orin asked.

"Maybe." Camdon shrugged.

"That stuff Merin's always smoking is a good seller. Marcus's enchantments are also good for how cheap he sells them."

"Exciting stuff."

"It pays," Camdon said.

"Eyes up regardless. Couple more hours before we arrive yet."