“It’s not a good option,” Ranic countered. “Look, building the reservoir is just a means to an end. But it is an end that is going to put you deeply in debt. It is also an extensive project that will require a workforce of thousands, so it’s not going to be the only project that takes place.”
I frowned. This was the first I’d heard about this. “What else are we going to do?”
“Build,” Ranic said. “Large farms need infrastructure, and right now, you have none. You’ll need housing for your workers and barns for your produce and equipment. You’ll also need good roads to connect everything. Those can be made from the waste product of the reservoir.”
“That sounds expensive…actually, all of this is expensive. That last part just makes it sound more expensive. How much gold are you planning on spending?”
“Twenty-five to thirty,” Ranic said, far too calmly.
“Thousand!”
“Yes, thousand. Running a farm with 10,000 fields is not cheap.”
“Why is the farm suddenly that big? When we talked in the past, you said you could get me through my thresholds with less than a thousand fields.”
“I can, but you’ve repeatedly said you wanted to get through your thresholds as quickly as possible, and you currently own that much land. It makes sense to use it.”
I figured I was having heart palpitations because that would explain the pounding in my chest. “We can service the debt, right?”
“Yes, after eighteen months. If we need more before then, you will have to gain it through luring monsters.”
The kind of money he was talking about meant a lot of monsters if I needed more money. That was a lot of monsters I wasn’t currently comfortable going after. “Here’s an idea,” I said shakily. “There will be 20,000 crowns leftover after all the infrastructure costs. Why don’t we use that for expenses?”
“Standard loan contracts don’t allow using a loan to service interest or taxes,” Jeric said. “And before you ask, yes, they can tell.”
Damn it.
“You will only be able to use the loan for purchases related to your farm, and again they can tell,” Jeric added.
Damn it.
“Don’t look so upset,” Ranic said, taking over the conversation. “That technically includes your barn traps. You will be able to build anything you want in order to lure the giant.”
“I can already afford to build any of my designs. I was already considering building one of the automated ones.”
Ranic rolled his eyes. “First of all, don’t use your own money. You need that for taxes and interest. And I wasn’t talking about building a single barn. I was referring to your design for a trap-protected village.”
Excitement tore through me, washing away the fear. My design for a trap-protected village was my ultimate end goal when it came to testing out my trapping method. It involved a layer of automated barns larger than my original barn, backed up by a second layer of even larger barns. If my original barn was Kevin McCallister in scale, then this was Rambo. Definitely Rambo.
I turned to Jeric, grinning. “How many fields do I need to claim to control the entire eastern border to The Wild Woods? And where do I need to go to find an actual trapsmith to help me with my designs?”
Chapter Twenty-Four
BIG BUSINESS AND ITS SURPRISES
Beldose, the Bank of Weldon's owner, gave me another casual glance he thought I wouldn’t notice as I sat in his office. He had a small potbelly that stuck out and a large black moustache. Ranic was in the middle of telling him an animated story about an investment he had made in potatoes seventy years ago, using lots of hand gestures and laughter.
It wasn’t a bad story considering it was about potatoes. He’d somehow predicted a southern blight that had killed off their crop for three months straight and doubled the price of potatoes. He’d made an absolute killing.
Apart from introducing myself, I had only said one thing: “I am paying you not to waste my time,” which Ranic used as a weapon to hurry the meeting along.
The Bank of Weldon wasn’t all that different from the bank in Mary Poppins, except every so often, there was a small flash that indicated there was something magical going on in the background.
Auctioning off the experience went better than I hoped. All up, my lot sold for 5,805 crowns. I’d gone straight to the local administrators and paid the advanced taxes that were due on my new property. It had significantly depleted my funds, but I was far from poor. Though at the rate Ranic wanted me to spend money, I soon would be.
He had taken me to a boutique tailor and I’d had to hand over 15 crowns for five sets of clothing. The clothing was required for my appointments with the bank. He didn’t want me appearing in the same outfit twice, or dressing like a pauper, though he had no problem wearing his old scholar’s robe.
Yes, I’d almost choked at the cost.
But I actually choked when he took me to the magic shop and had me spend 55 crowns on a privacy mark which allowed me to hide my name, class, level, attributes, titles, and marks from all but the most potent magical investigations.
I was currently only Landlord Arnold to anyone who looked. Lying to this extreme, where even my name was a lie, made me very uncomfortable, but not so uncomfortable that I rejected the plan.
A woman entered the office and whispered in Beldose's ear for several seconds. The bank owner’s attention turned to me. “Landlord Arnold, your credentials check out. We have verified the value of the assets you wish to put up as collateral. I am, however, interested in why you chose to do business with our particular bank?”
I took a deep breath, turning it into a pause. “Master Scholar Ranic has a long-standing relationship with your bank. He said there are others I might use whose interests rates were more agreeable, but he could not vouch for their service. I went to a lot of trouble to secure his expertise, so it would be foolish of me not to heed his advice. You are the bank he said would work best with me. So, you are the one I have approached.” Not a single word of what I said was a lie. It was all just a twist of the truth. Good enough that the room’s magical lie detections system hadn’t picked up any falsehood.
The owner nodded. “I will present your application to the partners. I apologise in advance, but it may take us a few days to get back to you.”
“That’s fine,” Ranic said, chuckling. “Landlord Arnold is my guest, and you know where I live if you need to contact him.”
Of course the bank owner knew where Ranic lived. They were neighbours.
A few days later, with my loan secured, Ranic and I sat in a different office. This one belonged to Sadri, the head of Weldon’s mining guild. The city had a small quarry operation, not big enough for our project, but it was connected to the other mining guilds in the north.
“I’m not saying we can’t do it,” Sadri said, nervously fiddling with the papers in front of her. “I’m just not willing to talk price until the representatives of the other guilds have arrived.”
I rolled my eyes.
Ranic snorted. “You mean you’re waiting for the head of Backfill’s guild to arrive since she is a merchant and you’re hoping she will haggle up the price. My employer is willing to pay for a rushed job. The idea of a rushed job is to move quickly. Holding up this project to squeeze a bit more out of him is the exact opposite of what he wants. You are already getting 50% above the base rate.”
She raised her hands as if it was something that couldn’t be helped. “I’m sorry, but I’m not authorised to speak on the other guild’s behalf.”
Ranic glance at me, expression unsteady.
I gave him a gruff theatrical nod. We’d practiced this conversation dozens of times while travelling, just like we had the one at the bank. So far it was going to plan.
Ranic took a deep breath. “Here is our final offer and it will only last until we leave the room. My employer will pay you twice your standard rate for this job, and let you negotiate directly with the other guilds f
or their assistance, but in return, you will make two concessions. Your people will head to the village within the week and any future projects with your guild and those you contract will cost no more than 25% above base.”
Her eyelids fluttered. “There could be future projects?”
“Yes; now you have heard his proposal, so you have until my employer finishes his drink to decide.”
I picked up my half-drunk cup of tea and took a sip.
There had been meetings with the smithies and other meetings with the constructors’ guild, a subsidiary branch of the builders’ guild. The second meeting had gone late into the night as they tried to get me drunk enough to haggle up the price. All they ended up achieving was a 6% reduction on their end. So you could say I was more than a little grouchy when Ranic’s servant woke me up an hour after sunrise.
“Sir, you need to wake up and dress. The city guard is here for you.”
I let out a groan as I looked around for the source of the voice. An elderly man, one of Ranic’s servants I hadn’t spoken with yet, who had remained in Weldon, stood in the doorway to my suite—calling it a bedroom was a disservice. “Who’s at the what now?” It came out as a grumble.
“The city guard is here to see you. They intend to escort you to the regent’s palace.”
“That’s not even in this city,” I muttered before rolling over. A few more seconds passed as I tried to go back to sleep. However, the situation slowly crept up on me. I turned back, the words finally sinking in. Because of his calm tone, I hadn’t immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. “The city guard wants to escort me to the regent? Am I under arrest?”
“I do not believe so. From what I overheard, she’s invited you to visit—though the invitation does not seem to be optional. However, I had little time to gather any information before the master sent me here to wake you.” The servant walked to the wardrobe and began removing my clothes. “I will set out your attire for the day and begin to pack up your other belongings just in case. I am not sure how quickly they will force you to depart, but you should hurry. A city guard’s captain is here and it seems like he is not in a patient mood.”
I rolled out of bed and started pulling on the clothes he laid out. I grabbed my brush from where it sat beside the mirror dresser thingy I didn’t know the name of but knew my grandmother had had one. I quickly brushed through and straightened out my hair in the mirror. “Where are they?”
“The master is having the captain and his guards wait in the front entrance as a sign of his displeasure. I’ll only be a few minutes with your belongings, sir.”
I stifled a yawn and put down the brush. “Thank you.”
I exited my expensively-furnished suite into a hallway that was no less lavish. Until we’d arrived at Ranic’s manor, I’d been entirely ignorant of how wealthy he was. I’d taken him as a well-to-do upper-middle-class kind of guy with a large portfolio of retirement investments, a lower 1% kind of gentleman who had achieved his success through age and savings.
I’d been wrong.
Ranic was more like the middle of the 1%. If this had been home, Ranic could live in Beverly Hills on a six-acre property. He’d be driving the latest model of whatever car he preferred and have a Ferrari he occasionally played with in the garage next to a dozen other cars that were just as expensive. He wouldn’t be a billionaire, but there would be few luxuries he couldn’t afford.
The most telling part of his wealth was the view from my room. It showed the manor of the governor of the city. It was across the street and so big it could almost be classified as a palace.
I made my way down two flights of stairs and through a manor several times the size of Jeric’s, only slowing my step when I heard Beldose’s raised voice.
What is he doing here?
“Captain, I have politely asked you out of courtesy; now I demand to know what you are doing here,” the bank owner said heatedly.
“I have told you,” replied a deep baritone, “I am here to collect Landlord Arnold and that is all I can say on the subject.”
“Who is your superior officer? I want to know the name of the man I should complain to about your lack of civility. I am an important member of this city, and I need answers to these simple questions for this city's continued prosperity. Tell me what I want to know now.”
“I know who you are and have answered your question, sir,” replied the unfamiliar deep voice.
I walk around the corner and into the entrance. Four guards stood against the wall trying to make themselves look small while their captain stood in the middle of the room staring down at the bank owner and Ranic. He was six and a half feet tall and heavily muscled.
I cleared my throat as I joined them. “Captain, I apologise for keeping you waiting. What is this about?”
The captain didn’t smile, but he didn’t look upset either. “You are to come with me to the governor’s manor. From there you will be escorted to the regent's palace in Melgrim.”
“Is he under arrest?” the bank owner asked. His moustache was quivering. There was a fearful edge to his tone.
“Am I, captain?”
“You are not. However, the regent demands your presence. She wishes you to explain your exploitation of the laws.”
The bank owner frowned, suddenly seeming less agitated. “Why would she need to see him for something so trivial? Surely she could use a communication station to talk rather than drag the man south to speak with her in person.”
I suppressed a grin, sensing an opportunity. “She wants me to tell her how I helped a mayor gain 22 levels worth of noble experience in less than two days,” I said to the bank owner.
Beldose tried to speak several times before words finally came out. “You’re an exploitationist.” He turned to Ranic. “How good is he?”
“He’s the reason I’m a master scholar,” Ranic said with a smile. “He has an exceptional mind when it comes to twisting the laws to his benefit—though he could use a little refinement to maximise his potential.”
The bank owner began to grin as he turned to us and bowed. “I apologise for my intrusion, Landlord Arnold and Master Scholar Ranic. When the city guard appeared in such force, I jumped to conclusions. It shames me to admit that I thought ill of you and your reputation. I should not have. I understand now why they are here, and as your banker, I strongly suggest you do not tell the regent anything of your exploit, no matter how much she harasses you. Our bank has an exceptionally skilled lawyer in the regent’s city that we do all our business through. His name is Arba and he works for Son and Sons. I will try to have him meet you when you arrive, and I will tell him to send his bill to me personally as my way of apologising.”
I shrugged, uncomfortable with his apology as I had outright lied to him to get access to his money. My charisma was likely the only reason I didn’t flub the whole thing when I began speaking. “You were just protecting your interests. Our business relationship is new and I do not hold your actions against you; in fact, I think they are a credit to the depth of your professionalism. Reacting to threats before they have appeared is a sure sign of someone who will survive surprises that would cripple others. I would, however, be grateful if you could organise the lawyer for me, but I won’t hear of you paying. You owe me nothing.”
“You are too generous and kind, Landlord Arnold. I will contact him immediately.” The bank owner nodded his head, more to himself than anyone else, and power-walked to the door, tugging at his moustache.
I turned to the Captain. “Sorry about that. Now, about your intentions: I have business here in Weldon. I’m in the process of organising several large contracts with different guilds and I cannot be dragged away from it just because the regent wants to talk. Would it be at all possible to postpone this kidnapping for—” I looked at Ranic.
“A day,” he supplied.
The captain shook his head. “No.”
Ranic cleared his throat and adopted what could only be described as a gran
dfatherly expression. “Captain, these contracts are worth almost 25,000 crowns. That’s 25,000 crowns that could find their way into the city’s coffers. That is 25,000 crowns that might find their way into another city’s coffers depending on how you handle this situation right here and now.”
The captain inhaled sharply.
I fought the urge to smile and won. Of course we weren’t going to change cities just to spite someone, we were in too much of a hurry, but the captain didn’t know that, and we really did only need another day to finish sorting everything out.
Our request wasn’t unreasonable since I wasn’t under arrest. And 24 hours to track someone down was quite fast, in my opinion.
I wasn’t excited to meet this regent, mainly because it sounded like I would get grilled, but I wasn’t really in a position to stop anything, only postpone it. The four guards and the captain were more than enough to make me do anything they wanted, so I didn’t even consider physically resisting.
The captain scratched his chin and then turned to his subordinates. “Sergeant, politely go and inform the governor that I need his assistance. Tell him something has come up that demands his immediate personal attention.”
The man closest to the door nodded and left.
Ranic smiled at the captain, relaxing. “Why don’t you join us for breakfast?” He stepped forward and patted the man’s shoulder. “Would I be correct in assuming that you are related to Scholar Ferlip? You look like him.”
The captain frowned. “You knew my grandfather?”
“He was my apprentice, an absolutely terrible scholar. He wanted to specialise in the warrior classes, so I introduced him to your grandmother. She was guarding one of my trade caravans. Boy, did she put him through a trial when he tried to win her affection. Did he ever tell you how he got the scar above his right eye?”
The captain grinned and let Ranic direct him towards the smaller dining room. “No, he always just glared at my grandmother when anyone brought it up. It was quite a lot of fun.”
Oh Great! I was Reincarnated as a Farmer Page 27
