Chapter 29

  Dabun

  *Guire*

  Normally, I'd never go on one of these long-distance supply runs, myself. Part of the point of being in charge is that you have employees to do that sort of grunt work for you. Paid at just enough of a wage that they think it's worth it not to stab you in the back, and not a bit more, of course.

  When the average worker hears competitive wages, he thinks we're competing for him, like he's some sort of product we're desperate to get our hands on. No, the competition is in keeping them as low as possible, with the companies most willing to play with that line between loyalty and uprising making the biggest gains. The biggest expenditure in any business, of course, is the employee, after all.

  But this trip is special, and not just because it's on behalf of a Hero that's going to make our entire circle a lot of money. That's a big part of it, of course, but Hero Lee dined on the finest cakes and meats at a noble's table and had still insisted on goods from this tiniest of villages. She's barely out of childhood, though. It's entirely possible that it's out of childish attachment and nothing more.

  If it's not, however, if there really is something of such value hidden in some backwater, it must belong to Guirecraft before anyone else can get it into the broader market. I've made my wealth chasing the scent of money, and I'm not about to stop when the aroma is this strong.

  We're beating a path there, too. The girl didn't ask for it, but she's paying for expedited service. Or rather, the Throne is. I can't believe they set up such a gullible scheme! They're just begging for it to be taken advantage of like this!

  It's expensive traveling with four horses to a wagon, and rough enough with the wagons so lightly loaded that we tie ourselves to the seats, but only the imperial messengers running mail between outposts are faster than us. It would be even worse if the wagons were completely empty. Every bump would put us at risk of losing an axle.

  The load is necessary to prevent this, but it's also not its only purpose. Guirecraft Mercantile isn't active in the Serazin province, but that could change if the locals got a taste of a higher class of goods. While we're in the province, we'll be doing a bit of trading of our own, all the better to come away with a bigger profit.

  Even so, I was bewildered when the yellow girl provided her list. I can only conclude that she has some Heroic form of goods transportation. I brought three wagons on this trip, two I expect to load up completely. The third holds parts for the wagons and our own provisions. This kind of riding is rough on the wagons, and a hard break without spare parts could cost us days.

  "Time is money," the girl had cheerfully said when I informed her I was heading out as soon as I received her list. I've never heard the saying before, but I have to say I like it. I've suspected it since first meeting her in Oshu's tea room, but I'm more certain than ever that she's from a merchant family, herself.

  Thank Essence she's so young and naive, or she'd be dangerous to pull this sort of stunt on.

  When we finally come in sight of Dabun, I'm disgusted. It's worse than I could have ever imagined. Giri Village is so close to a proper city that it's barely more than a matter of semantics. This place, on the other hand, only differs from a hamlet by the presence of full-sized walls, if the wooden spikes can be called as much. It's more than the bodily-high walls one sees around smaller settlements, but it still looks barbaric to my senses.

  The whole village spans perhaps a couple districts worth of Giri Village, even counting the surrounding farms outside the walls. I can make out a road heading up into the forest on the other side that I can only assume leads to the mayor's estate. I can't imagine him living down in the thick of the village. Were I mayor, I'd definitely claim an estate in that forest, with all of its game for myself.

  As we get closer, I see it's even worse than I'd imagined. Vermin run rampant through the fields and everyone acts as if it's perfectly normal. They even seem to be playing with the filthy things! I understand it's their crop, but cattle belong behind fences. This is just unsightly.

  The final blow comes when we pull into what constitutes their village square. I'm immediately grateful for the foresight to finish selling our goods at the last outpost when the opportunity arose, as this place clearly has no money. People wear simple fabrics in plain colors, with none of the vibrancy of urban couture. I find myself dreading spending the night at the village inn, a two-floor affair with likely more space given to the bar than to available rooms. Images fill my mind of splintered, old beds with moldy, flea-infested tatami.

  I resolve myself to gather my order as quickly as possible and leave this place the same day.

  Once the wagons come to a stop, I hop off and leave the wagons and their horses to my teamsters. I am too long out of the practice, and it's what I pay them for, anyway. I'm better plied putting my best face forward and tracking down our contact. I adjust my robes and ask the nearest layman the direction of the local temple.

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  I am repeatedly surprised at just how backwater this place truly is. So small and insignificant is it that the Holy Temple only recently deemed it worth a resident temple at all. In fact, while it has a forward section open for service, the larger portion of the facility is still under construction.

  Temples are notoriously slow to go up, each stage needing its own blessings and each load of supplies requiring sanctification. It wouldn't surprise me to find out it's been under construction for months.

  What does surprise me is that there is only one priest for the entire premises, the Sacred Priestess I've been sent to make contact with. She seems young, relatively speaking given that she's an elf. It's possible that she was only made a Sacred Priest within the last year, and this temple and the Hero Remmi Lee were her first charges.

  Essence blesses me with so many gullible steps in my path.

  I put on my brightest smile and approach the white-haired priestess with a bow. "Sacred Yorin, I presume?"

  "You presume correctly," she answers properly. "How may I be of assistance, child?"

  "Ah, I'm afraid I didn't come for spiritual needs," I admit. "I've come on business for one Hero Remmi Lee, and have been told you are in charge of her affairs."

  Sacred Yorin smiles. "Ah, yes, how is Remmi?"

  As she asks this, she guides me toward a small temporary house where she must be staying while construction continues. Immediately inside is a low table and tea set as if she'd been expecting company. Perhaps she keeps it ready just in case; she must see many people throughout her day, both overseeing the construction and being the only priest for the village.

  At least it's gloriously free of all of the overgrown, long-eared rats running rampant over the rest of the village.

  "She is well," I answer as I accept the priestess's guidance and take the opposite side of the table when bidden. "She is currently staying at the Lord Mayor's estate in Giri Village as his guest. I apologize, I am not privy to most of her travels, I'm simply the deliveryman."

  "You are well-dressed for a simple deliveryman," she keenly observes.

  "Yes, well, I understate myself, Sacred Mother," I confess with a wry grin. "I am Master Guire, owner of Guirecraft Mercantile, one of the largest good traders in this area of the empire. I am on good terms with the Lord Mayor, and he trusts me so that he asked I personally see to the Hero's needs."

  "Oh my," she intones as one would expect her to do at such a reveal as she pours us cups of tea. "What an important man has come into our humble little village."

  There is something revitalizing at someone finally recognizing that, and I find myself relaxing in her presence. "Yes, well, I thought it only appropriate, with such trust placed in me, that I should oversee it personally. Do you know from whence she prefers her goods?"

  "I do," she confirms. "Do you have a list?"

  "I do," I say in turn and cheerfully pull out a scroll from within my robes. "Ah, it's quite a long list, however. I wouldn't burden you to memorize it on the spot. If we could go to the place of business, I can arrange pick-up and have my men begin loading the wagons."

  "Oh my," she says again, her fingertips covering her mouth. "Wagons? Plural?

  I chuckle and nod. "Oh, yes. I did mention it's a very long list. The young Hero has quite the appetite, I'd wager."

  At that, she chuckles, too, a pleasant, bell-like sound. "Ah, yes, she certainly does. But we have some time. Please, tell me, how did you come to head one of the largest trading companies in this area of the empire?"

  The tea break turns out to be a more than welcome break from all of the travel and the stress that I hadn't even realized I'd accumulated. I sit there chatting with the priestess until the tea pot runs empty, all without thinking for a moment about the passage of time. And when it does go empty, I find myself saddened that the break has come to an end.

  Sacred Yorin may be new to her position, but she's talented in it. Indeed, I fear she's wasted in such a backwater as Dabun.

  She stands and leads me back outside, then across town - a shorter trip than it sounds - to the Independent Exploration Service Guild's local branch office. She stops when I do as I try to figure out what we're doing here.

  It is, apparently, a simple guess to the thought in my head, as she doesn't hesitate to answer it. "The goods in question are handled by the Adventurer's Guild."

  The list I'd been given is all foodstuffs. Grains, flours, hard fruits, long-storage vegetables. Some of it is high-end stuff, like the sugar, and some of the seasonings, even I don't recognize. But all of it is goods that we should be picking up from a warehouse after arranging it with a store clerk. Why, by the name of the emperor, would it be handled by the Guild?

  I'm certain my confusion is evident on my face when Sacred Yorin chuckles again, but this time she gives no answer and simply pushes the doors open.

  I'm a little slower to follow. I'm no coward, and brand the man that would say so, but I've never cared for the loud, rowdy company of adventurers. I've always much preferred to hire professional security. More predictable, less disorderly, and far better groomed.

  Oh, lovely, they have their own tavern in here. At least it keeps them out of the main one. Just the local yokels to deal with, then.

  Sacred Yorin returns a wave to the barmaid, a loud, red-headed woman, and leads the way to the front desk, where a tanned young woman is already grinning.

  "This the bloke?" she asks as if they'd been expecting us.

  Sacred Yorin motions calmly to me and introduces me. "This is Master Guire of Guirecraft Mercantile. He is here to pick up Remmi's order, yes."

  Alarm bells start going off in my mind, but I do my best to silence them. "Ahem, yes, I've got quite the list here ..."

  I'm halfway through pulling it out, but the receptionist just waves me off. "You sure do! Took us all morning to get it boxed up and ready for you!"

  There's those alarm bells again, and they're getting louder. "I ... excuse me, how is that possible? We've only just arrived."

  "Yeah, that Yellow, she thinks ahead! Sent a missive with the list ahead of you, we got it," she looks to Sacred Yorin, "what, yesterday morning?"

  ... I've been played. That's the only explanation. I've underestimated the Hero, and possibly everyone involved with her. But I'm not out of cards to play yet.

  "You may find my list has some last-minute changes to it," I insist, eager to get samples of this mysterious product for myself. "I urge you to review it."

  "I am certain that you do, Master Guire," Sacred Yorin tells me, smiling that gentle, comforting smile. "She told us that might be the case. However, she insisted that any changes would be by personal missive. She was very clear."

  The receptionist leans over the counter far too casually. "You'll find everything around back if you bring your wagons around, Master. If you have any issues with the count, you can take it up with the guildmaster."

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