Chương 60: Chapter 1.60: Hiring an Accountant in a Fantasy World

"Just hire one," Favius murmured. He looked down the cobbled streets and noticed a woman pouring a bucket of refuse down a gutter. He looked up, and over the rooftops could make out a section of one of the city's many aqueducts. I should remember that this is a sophisticated urban state, not some feudal warlord's fiefdom where the guy with the largest contingent of heavy cavalry claims he is the state. No, they have the Magisterium, and an entire system of civic administration.

Favius nodded as he gestured at Brutus.

"Lead the way." They set off down the road. Favius ruminated while studying the people on the streets. The different fashions of Cindrathi, Rhexioni, Lireni, and unidentified foreigners were still present, yet had been adapted for winter. The rich near universally wore fur coats. The Lireni and a surprising number of the Cindrathi wore coats of cloth and the woven reed that the Lireni favored as overcoats.

Others seemed simply to endure the cold, which Favius, shifting his head from side to side, guessed was only a few degrees below zero. Dirty water sloshed alongside muddy snow in the street. Favius paused at an intersection where he could study an aqueduct going over the roofs. Well, the aqueducts are certainly made from stone, but their pipes? He groaned. Who am I even kidding? They're using lead pipes. He shook his head and sniffed the air.

Following the smell, they found a small plaza with a street merchant's stand. The man was frying pieces of fruit over a fire.

"Let's get some." He gestured, and Brutus nodded. They continued down the street, both busy with their thoughts. Favius chewed on the skewer. The fruits had been preserved in wine and were the perfect winter snack: sweet, warm, and fruity. As they closed in on one of the bigger plazas, Favius felt Brutus's hand on his shoulder, and the warrior's aura surrounded him.

"What you intend to do with the accountant, this tracking of prices..." Brutus looked from side to side and leaned in closer, his beard brushing against Favius's ear.

"Is it one of those things the thinking machines of your world excelled at?" Favius swallowed and couldn't help his eyes shifting from side to side. He gave the man a curt nod. Brutus grumbled, and they continued down the streets. Favius's thoughts again turned to the state of civilization here. Cindrath. It's a big city. I'm not sure, but... He ran a few quick numbers, using his numeracy insight. What I've seen of the city with the four-story housing and based on our travel times...

Maybe a quarter of a million people. Don't think there were any cities in medieval Europe even close to this. Maybe Paris or London? They dodged around a cart that was unloading in the street, the members of the Collegium of Loaders working along with the cadence of a song. Favius smiled. Well, it's a good thing. At least I don't have to reinvent bureaucracy for them. Though a bureaucratic civilization is also one that is resistant to change unless it is imposed. But all things being equal... He bit his lip.

Cultural and institutional sophistication is gonna be an advantage for me in the long run. They walked onwards, and Favius wrinkled his nose as they dodged onto the sidewalk from a gutter that was overflowing with sewage. He studied three pigs rooting through the mess. Well, they have sanitation, but I guess keeping it running smoothly is still a challenge. He sniffed. The city is impressive, but I can't say I'm going to miss the smell once I'm back at the estate.

Soon they reached one of the larger plazas wrought from marble and decorated with statues. Brutus gestured towards the building that spanned one side of the square. Between its temple-like columns, dressed and painted statues of young women engaging in various domestic tasks could be seen.

"The Temple of the Daughter. It's where one of Tiber's colleagues, the Pontifica of the Daughter, resides." Favius nodded.

"They are the ones that run schools and hospitals, right?" Brutus hummed an agreement, and soon they found themselves in front of another richly appointed building. White marble statues and reliefs decorated the building, showing ornate letters and scribes engaged in their craft. People were bustling in and out of the building, and they entered a reception hall. Favius walked towards one of the queues, but Brutus snorted and grabbed him by the arm.

"That's a line for freedmen." Brutus gestured at the dozen of them.

"Slaves, freedmen, and citizens all have their own lines. And for us..." He gestured towards two counters that were empty.

"We may go directly to the ones reserved for the nobility." Favius shook his head and walked over. Avoiding queues is certainly one of the perks of being a noble that I'm not going to complain about. They reached the counter, and an elderly man with a stern countenance greeted them with a professional smile. He addressed Brutus with a nod.

"Dominus, how may this humble scribe assist you today?" The cultivator laughed and pushed Favius forwards.

"I am merely accompanying the Young Master. It is he with whom you shall conduct business." The man nodded, his impression unchanged.

"Very well then. So how may I aid the young Dominus?"

"Well," Favius began, "I'd like to hire a scribe." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"In that case, you have come to the correct place. May I inquire as to what kind of scribe or what kind of task you intend them to perform?"

"It's a bit complicated. I want them to, well, record prices." The man nodded.

"I believe I have someone in mind for such a task. Please, if you would wait in one of our private chambers, refreshments shall be brought up. Someone suitable and experienced with mercantile affairs will be with you shortly." Favius nodded and thanked the man, and they were led by an attractive woman deeper into the building. They settled into the room, and soon the woman returned, holding a carafe of steaming wine alongside a selection of warm pastries.

"Refreshments, if it pleases the Lords." She filled copper cups for them, and both Brutus and Favius sipped the wine. Favius pursed his lips. It was rich with spices, and the taste brought a pang of nostalgia and memories to him. I remember Christmas markets. How I... His jaw tightened at the absent faces marring the experience of light, Christmas trees, and delicious treats. He let out a breath and looked at the attendant.

"If you would be so kind as to provide me with a wax tablet and stylus, I could..."

"Of course, Dominus." She walked over to a shelf, and soon Favius began writing a list of products. He kept consulting Brutus as they waited for a few minutes. By the time the door opened, they had a list of several dozen common wares. Two people, one an elderly, tall, and spindly man who was squinting over his nose, the other a plump and rather mousy woman, walked in and bowed at the hip.

"Young Master," said the woman, "I am Accountant Luaria Messini, and this is Master Bookkeeper Vulron Turias."

"A pleasure to meet you," smiled Favius, and gestured to the couch opposite the one he and Brutus had settled on. The mousy woman continued after receiving a nod from the man. So she's an apprentice, and the Master Bookkeeper is letting her take the lead in negotiations for experience? Favius noticed the tension in her shoulders and leaned back, his cup of spiced wine in hand.

"Indeed, the service I require is rather unconventional. The crux of the matter is this. I need you to send out runners every third day to various merchants all over the city." He gestured at Brutus, who handed the wax tablet they had inscribed over to the pair of scribes. The two of them nodded, utterly unperturbed by his request.

"You will see that some goods on this list are marked with an X. For those, you are to inquire about the prices from five merchants, for the others from ten. You shouldn't ask the same merchants all the time. You are to record each of the prices for me." The woman's head twitched slightly to the side, but she didn't look at her elder.

"Very well, Young Master. I believe that can be done. It will require the sending of several runners, but yes." She nodded to herself.

"It's nothing unusual. Many merchants have us gather information on various things. Where might we send the reports each day?"

"Oh." Favius raised a hand and waved them off.

"Just store them until I pick them up. No need to send them anywhere." The elder scribe raised a single eyebrow, but the young woman did not react at all.

"Very well, Young Master," she said slowly.

"Oh," Brutus interjected, "I believe it might also be prudent to have the runners ask the merchants if there were significant changes to their business in recent times and potentially leave a one-sentence comment if any such event occurred." Favius snapped his fingers.

"That's a good point. Let us do that as well." The two scribes nodded, and the elder one spoke for the first time.

"With this number of wares and the runners, there will be a substantial fee involved." Favius smiled with more confidence than he felt.

"That shall not be a problem."

"Very well," said the old man, his voice dry as reeds. The woman straightened her robes and continued.

"How would the Young Master like the information to be recorded?"

"What is the cheapest option?" asked Favius.

"The cheapest would be unfired clay tablets." Favius made a sour expression, then chuckled. Well, it would certainly be cheap, but with this being a longitudinal market study, needing an ox cart to move my data set about is as impractical as it would be amusing.

"I believe papyrus would be best, though there is no need for it to be of high quality." The scribes nodded, and soon the negotiations turned to details. Brutus kept interjecting and pushing the scribes, but soon the price was clear. His protector hadn't lied to him that a silver wedge would buy the labor of a professional for several seasons. Favius opened his pouch and put first one, then, with a swallow, a second silver wedge onto the table.

"I'll leave this as an advance. Inform me should any changes in price occur. If the money runs low, I will top off the account. I intend for this to be a long-term arrangement."

"As the Young Lord wishes," replied the woman with a smile. The elder bookkeeper was already scratching away at a parchment, drawing up a contract. Favius read it over, and they signed it. After less than half an hour, they stepped back onto the square. Favius let out a hesitant laugh.

"Well, that was surprisingly normal." Brutus snorted.

"What do you mean, Favius? You were hiring an accountant, not a warmage. Have your previous experiences with hiring someone to take care of your books been more adventurous?" Favius snorted.

"Well, I guess not. But still." He shrugged and looked back over his shoulder at the statue-decorated building.

"The only difference is that the accountants in..." He paused briefly, but decided that continuing was safe.

"This city have a far fancier office than I'm used to."

"Well," murmured Brutus, "I'll have to take your word that edifices of crystalline glass and liquid stone are indeed lesser than Cindrath's humble architecture." Favius waved the conversation away with his hand.

"This was only the first step of this project. We'll start tracking the weather at the estate soon." Brutus narrowed his eyebrows, and he hummed.

"Are you looking to relate the prices with changes in the seasons and similar patterns?" Favius grinned and lowered his voice.

"Exactly. If we can predict prices, we have an advantage over anyone just reacting to them." They shared a wolfish grin before Brutus nodded and looked around the plaza.

"Where to next? We could—" Favius smiled at the man.

"Next," he did his very best to suppress a mischievous smile, not meeting Brutus's eyes, "I want to buy some flowers." Brutus cleared his throat.

"Favius, I know I have not yet trained you in the art of maintaining situational awareness to the highest standards of a warrior, yet you might notice that that undertaking could face some... seasonal challenges." Favius let out a laugh.

"Oh no. I saw wreaths of various berries and winter-hardy plants at Valeria's estate yesterday." Brutus hummed.

"Well, that might work. Still an odd idea. But then again, it's you..." He trailed off, and they walked down to the markets and soon found a girl selling a collection of evergreens and berry-carrying branches. Favius settled on a collection of pine, mistletoe, and two red and black berries that he couldn't name. He handed the bouquet to Brutus.

"Please carry it for me." Brutus frowned, and his eyes narrowed. He studied the berries, sniffed them, then looked at Favius before shrugging.

"Very well, as my Dominus commands," he said with a certain resignation in his voice. Favius turned around to hide his smile. He briefly considered their position relative to Marcus's estate and recalled the path that one of the estate servants had given him to the market where he had been with Brutus the first time he visited the city.

"This way. We'll arrange some purchases for the workshop." Brutus grinned and slapped the tornister on his back with one hand.

"I guessed as much, and have wisely prepared. But may I ask the Young Master to be merciful? After all, unlike your sisters, you have not brought a Decurii of strong guardsmen, but merely this poor single warrior." Favius snorted.

"Oh, trust me, it won't be an issue. Worst case, I'll just arrange the purchase and set things up for later delivery." They walked down the main street and soon reached the market. Favius carefully avoided looking at Brutus. I can't give anything away, otherwise... Soon they turned down an alley, and Favius recognized the familiar sign of the alchemist. He briefly glanced over his shoulder and was happy with what he saw.

The Magnicultor was dressed in his black iron chestpiece, bronze adorning his calves and forearms. The axe was held casually in one hand, the flower bouquet in the other hand. Perfect. It's all going as planned. Favius opened the shop's door, and the air was flooded by the earthy and sharp tangs of alchemical ingredients. He took a step inside and turned to Brutus. The Magnicultor put one foot through the door, then his nose twitched as he took in the smells of the place.

He glanced at Favius, then down at the flowers in his hands. The man tensed as if to jump away, but a woman's voice rang out from the dark depths of the alchemist shop.

"I'll be right with you."