Chương 20: Ambitious Merchant

Boris drove his wagon down the well-trodden path to Orevogorsk. His eyes remained locked on the massive palace that truly didn't belong here. He couldn't believe that such a walled structure would suddenly spring up in the village out of nowhere. Nothing about it was explainable with common logic. Surely, no remote village would be able to construct such a magnificent work of art out of nowhere in just a few cold months, no? But then, he noticed how busy the village was.

On the outskirts of Orevogorsk, mid-sized houses made out of processed lumber were being built by groups of men. All of them worked with well-polished steel axes, saws, hammers, and other construction tools. The houses being built were done in neat, organized rows too. The laborers had proper jackets, clothing, boots, and all.

The merchant couldn't believe how such lowly people, who were clueless farmers and hunters last time he visited, could even afford to brave the cold with new clothing, all of them seemingly brand new. He could see how fine they were, almost similar to the quality of 'mass-produced' human textiles that were sometimes smuggled into Vael's black markets. Then, there was the number of houses being built. There were so many of them that it almost seemed like the village doubled in size during winter!

While the new houses were mostly empty, they were most likely planned to house an anticipated increase in population, with roads connecting them to the rest of the village being constructed meticulously. In fact, that was when he was stopped. A group of laborers at the edge of town told him to halt his wagon because they were pouring a liquid sludge on the road.

The merchant looked into it, realizing that the grey sludge must be aggregate of some kind, but what kind of a madman would even use precious concrete to pave a road when cobblestone or gravel existed? He had enough.

"What in Vael's name is happening here?" The merchant loudly asked.

"Why are you lot paving roads in the middle of winter? Isn't it still a bit too cold?" The four laborers in front of Boris just stared at him cluelessly, lowering their tools on the ground.

"I don't know," the youngest laborer said before smiling.

"But we have a new lord in town! She told us to do this, and one day we'll become rich!"

"A new lord?" Boris frowned.

"Is she the one residing in the palace over there?"

"Yes. Her Grace must be the kindest vampire I've seen. She doesn't ask for taxes and gives us work and food. Oh, and she's the same woman who saved us from the wyvern attack months ago!"

"... What?" Boris had heard of that wyvern attack earlier. In fact, he was one of the first traders who heard of an attack on Orevogorsk. But he presumed that the talk about a 'heroic vampire' descending on a peasant village to save it was pure nonsense. He thought that the wyverns just got bored of the village and didn't finish destroying it, or that the village was just attacked by weaker flying monsters, and the clueless peasantfolk here mistook them for wyverns. But, clearly, he was mistaken.

In any case, now he had some kind of a lead to explain these anomalies. Considering the sudden appearance of a grand palace and these ambitious construction projects, he was convinced that something of great import must be happening here. He therefore needed to look further into it.

"Alright, I'm going to find another route to enter," Boris said.

"Apologies for interrupting your work. Carry on."

"No problem! Go to the road on the eastern side of the village. She already heated and dried the concrete there, so you should be able to move through it without issue," the youngest laborer advised as Boris turned back.

"... She dried concrete?" Boris was even more bewildered by that comment, but he didn't bother asking further. Instead, he continued driving away from the roads being worked on by the laborers and entered through the finished road on the eastern side of the village. It was such a strange transition from an unpaved road to a road paved with concrete. His wagon began moving much easier and faster almost immediately, and it was much less bumpy than the roads in other towns in Vael.

He also began to notice that all of the roads that were finished or under construction were connected with a strange group of large buildings being constructed at the eastern outskirts of the village. It was fully made with concrete, bricks, glass, and other hard materials. The structural frame that was still exposed was also made of iron or steel. Most surprising of all were the two strange machines with large wheels that had long cranes attached to them, both parked near the construction site.

How the hell did such creations even reach Vael?! He was starting to think that they were one of those rumored great machines being built by faraway wealthy human countries. Did the new lord of Vael somehow bring them here? As for his business, when he reached the village's center to begin selling his wares, he realized the worst possible scenario. None of his usual buyers were desperate at all. The children, the elderly, and all of them were well-clothed and in good health.

Worst of all, they quickly swarmed him to check for his wares when he set up shop. Normally, barely anyone had coin to pay for his goods, but they were all ready to buy from him. It was at this point that Boris realized that the new vampiric lord must have intervened deeply in this village and supplied them well. That meant none of the people checking on his wares would pay for greatly increased prices. And so, reluctantly, Boris spent the next few hours of the morning selling his goods at normal market prices.

A merchant such as him knew when price gouging wouldn't work, and his reputation was more important to protect than short-term profiteering. He didn't want a single customer loudly complaining that his prices were too high, so he waved the white flag and began selling with much lower profit margins. He was actually almost selling at a loss, given how far he had traveled, but he knew better than to try for more. That was when a pretty, innocent-looking young woman with rosy pink hair approached him.

She was well-dressed, wearing a long, white fur jacket alongside a white scarf, which made her all the more adorable to the eyes. Strangely, her horns were shaped differently compared to imps like Boris. Instead of an angular form like his horns, they were curvy near the root, protruding sideways then upwards in a spiral instead of protruding forward then upwards with a solid body. They were both light pink, which was unusual since all Vaelrin he had ever seen featured obsidian black horns.

In any case, her horns were unique and eye-catching. She also had an elegant pair of wings that protruded out of her waist and a thin tail with an arrowhead tip. An exceedingly gorgeous Vaelrin with features like hers was completely alien to Boris, and he had seen noble vampires, alongside high-ranking dracos, asuras, wendigoes, and gargoyles, yet none of them was similar. He was pretty sure that even dracos had no wings, contrary to their draconic heritage. So what was she?

Never before had Boris seen a winged Vaelrin. Was she not Vaelrin then? But she had horns like him, so wouldn't she be one of his kind? Maybe she's one of those succubi people I read about in history books, though no one really knows what happened to them, so she might not be one of them since they might be gone already. Ah, damn it, I wish the stupid books I read detailed how they look.

Realizing that he was dwelling too much on these extraneous thoughts, he immediately ended his musings and adopted a more confident pose as she approached him, clearing his throat so he could speak with more suave.

"Hello!" The unknown woman cheerfully greeted him when she reached his hastily assembled stall, her wings and tail fluttering excitedly.

"Welcome to Orevogorsk! I hope it isn't too terribly cold for you. May I know your name?"

"Yes," Boris replied with a quick nod.

"The name's Boris. Are you here to buy from me? If you are, you're in luck, because I still have a lot of good cheese that you may like. I'll give you a special discount if you want them—""Oh, not at all. I'm just here to deliver you a message from the new lord of Orevogorsk."

"A message?"

"Yes. She wishes to meet you in her palace when you're done selling here. This is a voluntary invitation, though, and if you're uncomfortable, you can refuse." What? Boris felt his blood turning cold. So the new lord of Orevogorsk already took interest in him? That was both concerning and exciting. It was concerning because a noble taking 'interest' in a small-time merchant usually meant that they might have unknowingly committed something that offended said noble.

Exciting because there was a chance that it was the opposite of that, and the noble truly took positive interest in him. This single piece of information quickly made Boris forget about his earlier efforts of impressing this unknown woman, his mind's gears turning rapidly as he considered the invitation. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. She says that I have the right to refuse and that this is voluntary.

Based on how she's being praised by everyone as someone benevolent, I probably shouldn't be so fearful. After all, this could be a great opportunity for him. But, as any merchant would know, all opportunities may come with risks as well. But I may not have a choice. Even if the new lord says that the invitation is 'voluntary,' I shouldn't risk offending her by not going. I should go.

"Then I will gratefully accept her invitation," Boris said to the pink-haired woman.

"I should be finished in an hour or so."

"Wonderful." The woman in front of him seemed pleased, smiling widely.

"We're looking forward to seeing you in the palace. Good luck at selling well today!"

"Wait, before you leave, may I ask for your name too?"

"My name? Uhm, why so?"

"Nothing, I'm just curious. That's all." Shit, I sound suspicious. Boris felt himself turning flustered. Even if he was a seasoned merchant of North Vael, Boris was still a young man. Part of why he traveled around was to find new and interesting people, and the woman in front of him was someone he was truly interested in. He couldn't just leave this place without knowing her name. Luckily for him, the pink-haired woman seemed clueless of his intentions and freely gave him her name.

"I'm Lyra. Just Lyra," the woman answered with a bright smile.

"Sorry, I really need to go, since I still have much work to do."

"Do you work at the palace?" Boris asked.

"Yes."

"Okay. Goodbye then. Have a nice day!"

"Have a nice day too! Bye!" And with that, Boris watched as Lyra walked away from him, his heart pounding. He was definitely going to the new lord's palace, risks be damned. It was already early afternoon when Boris finally managed to gather his courage and go to the palace, known to the locals as 'Wintervale Palace.' He thought the name was too on the nose, generic, and uncreative, but he would never say that to a vampire. A merchant nitpicking a noble was a stupid way to die, after all. But, in any case… Damn.

Wintervale Palace was truly gorgeous now that he got a closer look. The building materials were of the finest quality, and even his untrained eye could tell that it was structurally impeccable. When he entered the gate, two guardsmen wearing steel plate armor greeted him, escorting him inside the palace. Surprisingly, they were rather friendly and talked with Boris freely. One of them even said that he wanted to buy cheese if he were to visit next time.

Truly, to hear that from someone that might have been wearing rags for clothing months ago was beyond the point of reason, but at this point, Boris already accepted that many more strange things were to happen. Inside, the palace seemed lively. Maids and servants in beautifully woven uniforms greeted and escorted him.

They were all clean, and they walked in a dignified manner, though Boris's trained eyes, which had seen many servants in other noble households, noticed they were still a little bit clumsy and inexperienced, making minor mistakes here and there. But he couldn't deny that their clothing was top-notch, much better than what a Duke's average maid would wear.

Even the interior of the palace was well-decorated, with chandeliers, paintings, and polished floors that he could swear would be able to reflect his unkempt face. This palace seemed like it would one day be the epitome of class and splendor if the new staff were trained further, its atmosphere almost comparable already to the standards of royalty. He should have probably taken a bath first before coming here, since he was truly out of place. I hope I'm not too smelly…

He kept his head down, waiting until they finally reached the dining hall where the lord of Orevogorsk was waiting for him. When Boris saw her, he was so transfixed that he immediately lowered his head to avoid eye contact. After exchanging pleasantries and greetings, Boris went for his designated seat at the table, where he was served proper steak and red wine. Naturally, this was all too much for Boris, not to mention he could see a clearly powerful draco sitting opposite to him, which made him feel smaller.

He was the only one present in the dining hall beside the new vampiric lord of the town, who was making small talk with Boris. Unfortunately for him, he was so nervous that he could only answer in brief one- or two-word responses. He looked down as he silently chewed the steak, unable to fully enjoy its flavors due to how uncomfortable this was. I wish Lyra was here. She seemed so much easier to talk to. Now that he thought about it, she worked at Wintervale, didn't she? Then why hadn't Boris seen her once?

"Anyway, let's talk business." Alicia, the vampire lord, suddenly cut Boris's musings again. Naturally, Boris immediately sat straight, recomposed himself, and wiped his lips with a towel.

"What is it about, Your Grace?" Boris asked, resting his arm on the table to appear more confident.

"Since you're going to leave Orevogorsk to go to other towns, I wonder if it's possible for you to buy and sell a bunch of steel items for me." A smile grew on the vampire's face as she talked.

"You see, while the new steel mill I'm talking about isn't finished yet, I actually managed to produce an assortment of axes, pickaxes, hammers, and swords using my magic and pig iron. I've already tested its durability and quality, but I am terribly curious about how it will perform in the market."

"Ah, I see. How many of these items are we talking about?"

"I have around a hundred and sixty of them."

"And what's the price?"

"Hmm…let's see." The vampire held her chin, thinking deeply to herself for a few seconds, before grinning.

"How about five florins?" Alicia asked.

"I think that's a steal for a hundred and sixty assorted steel weapons and tools, no?"

"That's…" The merchant stared blankly at Alicia. While he had money, he didn't have nearly enough to match that. Right now, the only profit he made from his sales earlier was two florins, equivalent to 1920 pence total. It would be risky to touch the rest of his money, which was reserved for buying feed for his horses and another batch of goods he could reliably sell. Of course, he also had to feed himself, save money, and keep some leftovers for emergencies.

If he were to buy Alicia's steel items for more than two florins, he would be at a bit of a risk. This was a great opportunity, yes, but unfortunately, for now, Boris wouldn't be able to buy it unless he was suicidal. While Boris liked risks, he also knew when to be risk-averse. Thus, he thought about trying to find an arrangement where he could acquire these items without compromising his emergency funds.

"Indeed, it's a steal, Your Grace. But I'm afraid I don't have enough gold in my pockets to buy your inventory," Boris cautiously said.

"Though, if you would trust me, can I perhaps indebt myself to you to acquire them? If the items you sell me are truly of good quality, I can sell them twice their current value, and I will pay you back five florins when I return here." And Boris intended to return here! This was where Lyra worked, after all. Even if Alicia didn't agree to give it to him for a future promise of payment, Boris was going to come back here once he had enough money to do regular business with Orevogorsk.

This wasn't just because he could see massive potential for profits here, but also because he saw someone that piqued his interest. Luckily for him, Alicia was generous.

"Sure." Alicia smiled.

"I did say that I wanted to test this in the real market. Just learning how much they sell in the rest of Northern Vael is valuable enough for me. Though, I would like to request something while you sell these items."

"What is it?" Boris asked.

"Simple. Spread the word about Orevogorsk: that there's a new lord in charge and that she's looking for laborers and farmhands. That's all, really."

"Of course, Your Grace. I'll naturally do this anyway while I sell your wares. Stories about the origin of an item always help at getting people interested."

"Wonderful. Would you like to inspect the items I'm selling now?"

"Yes, please."

"Very well. Vittorio, lead him to the new warehouse."

"As you wish, Lady Alicia." Vittorio stood up after nodding. Boris followed soon after, leaving the vampire's dining hall with the draco beside him. While they walked back out of the palace, Boris's eyes wandered everywhere, searching for any hint of the woman he'd seen earlier. He didn't like that he was getting distracted, but he was hoping that he could talk more with her. Unfortunately for him, his luck was bad.

By the time they left Wintervale and moved to a building nearby that was made out of concrete, only business awaited him. One by one, he inspected the swords, axes, pickaxes, hammers, and other tools placed neatly inside many wooden crates. Each one of them was cleanly made, the steel practically glinting like gemstones when he tried to see his reflection on the swords presented to him. They were all standardized designs, though, not a single difference between the samples of each type available.

The blacksmith who produced this must be a truly masterful one, Boris thought, and his hopes surged as he imagined that he could easily triple the prices of these items if he was creative enough with his pitch.

"Are you done?" Vittorio asked from behind.

"Yes sir," Boris meekly replied, lowering his head as he closed a crate containing hammers.

"I'll take all of them."

"Alright. Bring your wagon here."

"Yes sir." Before Boris knew it, dozens of crates carrying steel weapons and tools were loaded into his wagon. He could already imagine earning fifteen florins in total once he was done with this, minus five florins since he had to return that to Alicia at all costs, lest he appear like an unreliable merchant to her. However, as he drove out of Orevogorsk, his heart felt somewhat heavy. He truly didn't see Lyra again. He tried to glance back at the palace, hoping to catch her at the balconies, but nothing.

Whatever. He sighed, focusing on the horses in front of him. The first order of business must be to ensure that I can sell all of this. Then I'll buy better clothes so I can proudly return here. I can't look like a bum next time I see her. With that goal planted in his mind, he sped up the pace of his wagon. To Orevogorsk, Boris the merchant would return soon.