But Lawrence was a merchant of experience, so being treated like some third-rate novice peddler was infuriating. He had half a mind to slam the Lumione down right then and there in front of the fool, but forced himself to stop. He really didn’t want to, but if he splurged here the rest of his trip with Holo would suffer.
Lawrence knew his limit. Even the dullest merchant wouldn’t carry all of his cash on his person, and neither did Lawrence. He didn’t have much on-hand. He was mere inches from earning Holo’s genuine smile, but reality wasn’t going to let him. He forced himself to shake his head and decline.
“Hehe.. it’s too much.”
“Oh? Well, if you change your mind, you’re welcome back.”
Lawrence left, with Holo following him. She remained silent, even more horribly so than before. It was like being stalked by a wolf. He remained silent, stewing in his defeat, but knew if he didn’t apologize, the rest of their wagon ride would be marred. The wound might be smaller this way, he thought, as he turned to apologize.
And yet, he didn’t know how to respond to the non-angry face he confronted.
“Mmm? What is it?”
There was no anger there, nor in fact any pressure whatsoever. If her face was pale, he would have suspected she’d fallen ill.
“N-nothing..”
“Alright, then let us hop to it! We will not move unless you drive, nay?”
“Huh.. yes, yes..”
He took his seat on the wagon and she followed. He wouldn’t be surprised if her tail expanded angrily, then shrank back down in disappointment at being denied her much-desired treat. No one could blame her, after all the stale bread and cheap wine she’d endured. Even a hot bowl of soup would be worth more than riches to a starving king. Her disappointment had to be immense.
But all she did was stare ahead of them, unwilling to blame him. She’d seen the price as well. He turned to see her fidgeting in the back of the cart like she was utterly lost. She looked like she wouldn’t notice it if he gave her a hug. And so, he inched their wagon forward. They were going to spend another night outdoors, except this time they didn’t even have the prospect of a nice bed at the end of their journey to look forward to.
He rubbed his chin and shut his eyes, debating whether or not to just turn back and buy the damned peaches. But his hands wouldn’t obey him, one Lumione was just out of reach. They couldn’t survive on what was left if he bought one. Everything cost money, after all, so no matter how many beads of sweat lined up on his brow he had to endure her sadness. But could she endure another long, freezing night? Only the peaches could rejuvenate her. So buying them was the only option.
His mind made up, he pulled the reins.
“?”
She looked up at him in confusion. A Lumione was a lot, but nothing compared to her. And there were only three jars left.. they would sell out while he debated things, at this rate. The bakers would see to that, even if the wealthy clientele of this town didn’t. And yet, the moment he began redirecting their carriage he realized something.
“Wait..”
That’s right.. with such a crowded market conducting such smooth business, this place had to be wealthy enough. An idea was emerging from the fog in his mind. It coalesced into a shape that made him once again pull the reins to turn them back on their original course. Someone walking by them roared at him, but he just flashed them his humblest smile in apology. And, because of those sudden actions that made Holo look at him quizzingly, he opened his mouth to speak.
“Let’s go to that company.”
“..Mmm.. What?”
She barely managed to turn her mumble into an actual question. But he didn’t reply. He just kept moving. Buying peaches took money, and if you didn’t have money, you needed to earn it. They were going to that company the two bakers were talking about.. Ohm’s Company.
Products couldn’t be sold without cash. So where they sold, cash must be flowing. It was a simple thought, but it made everything come into focus for Lawrence. There was no need for any grand schemes, this was the best way to make some money right now. It would make sense to Holo when they arrived.
* * *
It was evening, so most of the workers had already gone home.. and yet it was still crowded here. Bright-eyed people were wandering every-which-way, with managers shouting themselves hoarse to direct them. They weren’t trading wheat. Not meat or fish. Nor furs, gemstones or ironworks. They were selling parts for machinery, and the equipment to maintain those parts. These items were strewn about all over their loading zone.
“..what are these?”
Holo whispered to Lawrence in the din. Such energetic companies were common, yet this was the oddest company in town. While the rest were closing shop for the day, this place had just sprung to life.
“They sell parts for building.. something. Stages? No, that’s..”
He couldn’t quite figure it out just from seeing the raw parts, but he could understand why this place was special and why it ran so smoothly and energetically. Companies earned money from buying and selling products; the bigger the industry, the more profitable. They sent orders to local craftsmen, then brokered the sales to the highest bidder.
Lawrence could understand why the young bakers’ manager wanted to try making a speciality dish out of bread and honeyed peaches; if he sold them at a place like this, it might as well be an endless stream of gold. Surprisingly, Holo was still awake and looking around in curiosity.. why was it that they were so crowded, and why were she and Lawrence here?
He walked into Ohm’s Company, and was promptly overlooked by the busy workers. He needed to keep his cool, and greet the man that seemed to be in charge as politely as possible.
“Hello. I hear your company needs haulers, so I’ve come.”
The man clearly hadn’t slept for days, and only his eyes moved in response. He still held a pen in his hand, as though wanting to write in the ledger in front of him. His eyes were half-closed, so Lawrence smiled and patiently waited for time to un-freeze around the man. When he came to, he responded.
“Oh? Well, then we’ll gladly take you. Head on down to the dock right away; which wagon’s yours?”
It was difficult to make out the words from the man’s hoarse voice, but Lawrence pointed at his wagon.
“What, that’s it?”
The man seemed impatient, but Lawrence didn’t feel nervous.
“Well, I don’t have much in there right now, so..”
“But your horse seems pretty old.. who sent you to us? Well, anyway, just haul as much as you can. Get going.”
It was alright; someone as busy as he was wouldn’t realize how rude they were being.
There was a northern myth of a village where the man had eagle eyes and could shoot down birds in mid-flight like it was nothing, and the women could smile and thread needles while sleeping in the frigid air.
After a traveler earned his keep there, by teaching them to read and write, they thanked him; now they didn’t have to worry about their history fading as their memories did. But after he had left, the men’s vision became normal and the women found themselves tiring more easily.. only the children that couldn’t read or write yet retained those qualities.
Lawrence recalled the myth now, as the young merchant struggled to stay awake and fought with his words.. it was like he was being chained to that desk, but not even the Devil would be so cruel.
“Excuse me..”
The man was here because he wanted to earn. As Lawrence continued speaking, he lumbered around like a bear. At times like these, no one would help you, assuming they even knew how. His keen awareness of that fact was why Lawrence continued pestering the man.
“I’ve never been here before, so how do I get paid, and where do I make my deliveries?”
The man seemed to swallow whatever words he wanted to say, despite wanting to brush him off. And yet, he knew he needed the help, so he did what came naturally. He pointed at another man who was furiously
writing something down.
“Ask him.”
Lawrence scratched his head as he looked at the man he was pointing to.
“Thanks..”
It seemed that the tired man had already forgotten about him, so Lawrence made his way to the other man to be filled in on the details.
“..Hmm?”
“That guy over there says you’ll tell me what to deliver, and how I’ll get paid.”
He felt it was unnecessary to mention the rest. This man looked back at the other man, then back at Lawrence. Despite saying nothing, his pen was moving frantically. He was good.
“Well well well.”
As they spoke, the pile of pages he wrote kept growing. It appeared to be a catalog, but it was hard to believe it would need to be that large.
“They’re headed to Lowia village.. you know it? Well.. there’s signs on the way so you should be fine.. take those.. they’re all heading there.. deliver as many as you can..”
And yet, it seemed that Lawrence’s distraction was sending the man off to slumberland.
“..And my pay?”
Lawrence tapped the man’s shoulder, jolting him back to life.
“Pay..? Well.. it’s tagged on the goods.. so just bring the tags back.. each of ’em ought to pay out.. about a Trenni..”
Having murmured so, the man fell asleep. He’d probably get in trouble for it, but Lawrence didn’t feel like rousing him. Still, he thought twice after only taking a few steps. He returned and shook the man’s shoulders, remembering his other goal.
“Hey, wake up. You’ll get your sleep later.”
“O-okay..”
“I was called here suddenly, so I have no place to stay.. is there a free room in the company I might borrow?”
Such firms usually had a couple of spare rooms for workers to sleep in. The man, who wasn’t quite awake, simply pointed off into the company.
“Talk to the maids.. in there.. if you’re lucky they’ll still have some food, too..”
“Thanks.”
Lawrence smacked him on the back, but the man was soundly asleep. It was hopeless, so Lawrence returned to his wagon.
“I’ve found a place to stay.”
Holo’s eyes were full of surprised gratitude, but quickly narrowed as if to ask “what exactly are you planning?”
“I’m going to be working for them.”
“Working? Just you?”
She frowned as soon as she heard his answer, but he was quite anxious to get started.. so he asked her to climb down from the wagon.
“It’s going to be noisy like this the whole night; think you can tolerate it?”
He held the reins in his left hand as he walked them through the loading dock. It really was noisy, and far too busy for anyone to help them find their way. But once they made it inside, someone would probably figure it out. And sure enough, the moment his wagon was spotted some workers ran up to it and loaded it full. Holo’s eyes went round, and her expression soured even further. She stared at him, motionlessly.
“This way I’ll earn us some money, and a place to stay..”
He’d done this before. He knew they’d be sleeping outdoors if he didn’t do this, and felt he had to give Holo a proper place to rest with a roof over her head.. at least for one night.
“Just look forward to tomorrow. We’ll- hey!”
She barged indoors before he could even finish talking, ever the more daring of the both of them. But she had a way with words, so she wouldn’t have any trouble convincing them to give her a room.
“Huh..”
Lawrence sighed, watching her peek at him as she spoke to a maid. She seemed to have things to say to him (probably all negative), but forced herself to remain silent. She was always so stubborn.. but then, her stubbornness generally proved quite useful.
He watched the maid lead her into the building, chuckling at her immense pride. But he knew he wasn’t any better, and that he wasn’t much less tired than she was. He was only doing this to buy her those honey-pickled peaches, even if he didn’t have to. She would forgive him, after all. But she wasn’t the only stubborn one.
This was all rather stupid, he thought. And as he led his wagon back to the road, he turned back and saw Holo looking down on him from a third floor window, obviously feeling the same way as she chewed on some honeyed-ginger. With the words “dumb male” practically written on her face, he felt no compunction to greet her.. so he just moved on.
* * *
Lawrence soon understood why he was told he’d have no trouble finding Lowia village. There was even a wooden sign greeting him in front of the village, with lanterns at either side of the road to keep shipments coming in steadily. Half the reason for the sign seemed to be intimidating people into not stealing.
The red sky was gradually sinking into a dark blue, and the people passing Lawrence seemed more and more tired. Some of the horsemen even seemed to be asleep. Lawrence could see a line of people behind him all heading to the same place, some of them carrying goods on their backs, others on horses, and some on wagons like him. If was clear they were all called in just as suddenly as he was, given their disparate styles of clothing.
It turned out that Ohm’s company was mostly building the parts for a watermill. Which made sense, given how fertile the land in the area was they would need a mill to handle abundant harvests. Many people would want to settle here, and so a mill would be in demand. And that wasn’t even considering industries that could use a mill, like the dye industry.
Of course it would be costly to maintain a mill, and the nobility first had to agree on whose section of the river it would built upon. Despite being a necessary service, it would be stressful for them to come to a consensus. And yet, the company was making it happen, so they had to have finally made their choice.
It was good timing. If they’d waited for the spring thaw, it would be that much more difficult to build a mill. The necessary dams had to be planned and built while the water levels were low, and besides that the mill would be at peak efficiency when the rivers burgeoned during the thaw. So even if it was a gamble, everyone knew it had to be built quickly. And that was precisely why Lawrence had been so eagerly accepted.
This was his first time driving his cart alone for quite a while, and it felt great. He wouldn’t have been so eager to experience this in the past, but nostalgia made everything look better. As he watched the sun set it struck him how carefree he’d become about such concerns as wolves. Regardless, he carefully made his way to his destination.
After a steep slope that led into the northern forest, he came to a stream. During sunset it would normally be too dark to see in the forest, so an elongated fire had been lit along the stream like some wayward dragon had breathed out next to it. People were napping everywhere, but the craftsmen who were still at it were working furiously.
It was a larger-than-life scene that painted the picture that they were likely building more than one water mill, to capitalize on their situation. After unloading the goods he’d hauled, Lawrence received the wooden tags he’d need for compensation, and climbed right back onto his wagon. His horse turned to him, as if pleading for him to halt, but Lawrence spurred it on.
This was the kind of business that didn’t last; they could rest afterward. He was experiencing a rush right now, remembering past highs of fighting tooth and claw for every possible coin while he could. His horse might regret being asked to do such hard work again, but Lawrence just rubbed its back and smiled.
So then.. how many trips would he need to make to earn the honey-pickled peaches? As he considered this, he unconsciously sped up. The road to Lowia was a mess. Ohm’s had called for so many workers that it was crowded. They weren’t even all peddlers: farmers, shepherds, even monks and craftsmen were on the task. It was as if the entire city was doing it.
But with so many people unaccustomed to slinging goods over their shoulders, things became that much more dangerous. And that was just the start of the pr
oblems. Wolves and dogs were heard in the forests around them, likely salivating over the endless course of runners. And people everywhere were arguing over things, and fetching water from the nearby river.
Not all of the bundles being hauled made it intact, and since the women who were traveling with their husbands were dutifully keeping their men hydrated with water from the river, the road was fast becoming a swampy obstacle course. In fact, things were so tense that fully-equipped soldiers had been called out from the villages to patrol the road and keep the peace.
Earlier in the day, such things were less important to people than the wages they could be earning. But as the day dragged on, more and more people were crouching at the side of the road in exhaustion. That caused shipping bottlenecks, and emboldened the wild dogs. After seven trips, Lawrence himself was quite taxed. It wasn’t physical labor, but it was mentally exhausting to find a route through the crowds and avoid all the obstacles.
Seven trips meant seven Trenni silvers. It was a fair exchange. But still.. at this rate, he would need four or five days to earn the peaches. His growing anxiety made him want to redouble his efforts, but he knew his limits. With a heavy breath, he considered his options and chose to rest until the night deepened and there would be fewer people on the road. He left the loading bay, drove his wagon to a manger, then trudged back to Ohm’s company.
He didn’t know how she’d done it, but Holo hadn’t simply been thrown out, or even forced to bunk with others. In fact, she was the only one in their room. She was perched on a chair next to the window, casually tending to her tail, so Lawrence casually tossed his dagger and wallet on the table as if they meant nothing to him. At first he wanted to vent his frustration at her indifference, but he thought better of it and sat down on the bed instead.
“There were two left.”
He looked at her in annoyance, but she wasn’t even looking his way.