Only the traveler and the certificate moved, and the cash stayed behind. Hildir had been careless. If he treated it for what it was, he wouldn’t have missed this outcome. It had nothing to do with profit, it was simply about safety. It was easy to forget that while looking over account books all day.
In the end, the world could be changed with the vast amount of money that these exchange certificates could represent. That was in fact what had happened here. All the conversations that Lawrence had with boatmen and Cole about exchange certificates were coming back to him.
Everyone had been mystified by these strange certificates. They weren’t being exchanged in Gerube, but were instead being forwarded directly to Lesco. If so, then Gerube was issuing useless certificates, so the actual amount of cash wasn’t changing. That meant the branch that was paying would eventually run out of money, which was precisely what Lawrence had told Lou Loah to take advantage of in order to win the banned book.
But what about the other end of the order? Lesco’s currency market was bizarre, with cheap gold coins and expensive silver ones. Many people were taking advantage of this situation by taking exchange certificates from Diva that they bought for the gold coins, and exchanging them for silver in Gerube. It was just the natural thing to do; it was far too attractive a prospect to pass up. It also explained why Diva company in Lesco had so much coin.
Lawrence once again rose to his feet, completely ignoring Holo. Yanerkin was throwing those very coins right now. Hildir was still trying to convince the people to not accept them. Why was Lawrence staying silent? He had to act! He’d seen through Diva’s little game, and knew the meaning behind this stunt that Yanerkin was pulling. Could he find a way to calm the people down? After all, their scheme was hardly something the people of the north would denounce.
But he had to do something. He had to find a flaw in their plan, something he could exploit that he hadn’t thought of yet. He had to stab back at Yanerkin, using his own certificates against him. What was the answer to this riddle? Exchange certificates.. market differences.. market values of currency.. topics such as these were flitting through his mind, and the answer was right on the tip of his tongue..
He looked at Holo with pleading eyes, but she only stared back sadly. She was his responsibility now. He’d accepted that when they reunited, and told her he would end their adventure.. but here he was, making her so angry that all that was left was sadness. But he couldn’t help his nature; he reached out for her shoulder, like a man begging to be saved.
“You..”
She swallowed the rest of her words and gave up, looking down at the ground. She only wanted to live a quiet life with him in a shop, not shoot for the stars. She didn’t want to risk life on some ridiculously flimsy dream. Lawrence knew that, and wanted to give up. He desperately wanted to give up. He was just too damn stupid to do that without regretting it for the rest of his life.
Holo finally continued.
“Oh very well. Let us end this with a howl.”
“!”
Lawrence couldn’t even breathe. Holo simply smiled back at him.
“I cannot just watch them lose, either..”
She placed her hand on his.
“You will pay me what you owe me, will you not?”
Of course he would. He would pay anything now that she had melted the ice that was freezing his heart.
“Then please do what only you can do.”
She smiled again at his response before placing her other hand on the windowsill. She then began sucking in air, even bending back to gather as much as she could. Her howl would be one to remember. It would be her screaming “all males are stupid!” in the language of wolves.
“AWWWWOOOOOOOOO!!”
Even when they were in a walled town, those who lived near forests and mountains had to be wary of wolves. Everyone froze at Holo’s howl as though a bucket of freezing water was pouring on them.
“Diva company’s deceit cannot be hidden!”
Everyone looked up as Lawrence spoke.
“Diva company’s deceit cannot be hidden!”
This time Hildir looked up as well, in a daze.
“Diva company’s deceit cannot be hidden!”
Yanerkin finally responded when he heard Lawrence repeat himself a second time.
“What? What are you talking about? You’d better have evidence for your accusation!”
Of course.. evidence.. without that, Lawrence was just conjecturing. Having no real case, his mind suddenly went blank. He felt ready to vomit. When Holo smacked him with her tail, he looked back only to have the hair on his chin yanked.
“Where did your confidence go? Show them the evidence.”
Hearing that from the Wisewolf, Lawrence looked back outside and prominently displayed an exchange certificate.
“Here is an exchange certificate from Diva company! It is all the evidence we need!”
He was lying. Even if it was really Diva’s certificate, it wasn’t proper evidence. But it was still a highly effective accusation.
“What..!? How could that be evidence of anything?!”
Yanerkin’s voice wavered ever so slightly. It seemed Lawrence wasn’t incorrect after all. He breathed in deeply and roared as loudly as he could.
“They have issued these certificates for others, and are now throwing the money at you! But it’s not their money, it’s other people’s deposits!!”
Hildir wasn’t wrong; Diva was broke, and couldn’t afford a war. They couldn’t take over a town that had shut its gate to them. If they did, they would have trouble spreading their new currency. All they had was the money others had given them in exchange for certificates. It wasn’t their money - they would have to repay it eventually.
But in the short term, they could still use that borrowed money. All the coins they were flinging now would have to be returned eventually. If Sovereign kept its gate shut, Diva wouldn’t be able to repay their dues. Once their scheme was exposed, no one would trust the certificates they issued anymore. Their flow of capital would slowly grind to a halt.
“Just send a fast horse to Lesco to see for yourselves! There’s no hurry here! Or would you rather take money from thieves?!”
Everyone lowered their head, then looked at one another. They were probably feeling ashamed about their eagerness to pick up the coins. Their self-esteem was shattered, so Lawrence had his chance to deliver the killing blow. But in the end, he couldn’t. He was exhausted. His head was spinning. Yanerkin saw that, and smiled. This was it: if Lawrence couldn’t speak up now, his attack would be parried.
“Liar! We couldn’t use the deposits in this way! The Church would condemn us! Besides, the Church was the one who guaranteed these documents! We’re trusted by the Church and the barons because we’re righteous traders!”
Thankfully, Yankerin’s shameless attempt to leverage the Church’s power was meaningless in the north. He was scared. Lawrence still had a chance..
“Then..!”
The moment Lawrence spoke, his vision blurred. He was badly wounded, and still had a fever, so it was no surprise that he would pass out. He’d over-extended himself. As he hyperventilated and stepped back, his eyes went dark. He knew what to say, but couldn’t say it. In fact, he would probably fall to the ground. What could he do now? The moment he sighed, he saw what looked like an angel slap him in the face.
“Fool.”
He clutched the windowsill, remembering that he wasn’t alone.
“You are not alone anymore.”
Two people could accomplish what one could not. He had access to that truth now, with Holo beside him.
“Tell me what to say.”
Her abruptness helped clear his mind. She could do it. She looked like a nun. In fact, she would be even more convincing than a merchant like him. He was collapsing, despite his efforts to remain standing, but for the first time in his life he actually felt safe in that kind of situation.
“..then I ask you this..”
“Then I ask you this!”
Her voice was tremendous. Even a girl’s voice sounded more commanding than his. He wondered if that’s why she was so happy right now, but didn’t care: her voice was still his weapon to wield.
“..those coins you are throwing..”
“Those coins you are throwing!”
“..you plan to use them to create your own currency..”
“You plan to use them to create your own currency!”
Lawrence couldn’t keep standing any longer, and put his weight on the wall as he slid down to the floor.
“But you have not told the Church that, have you? You have kept quiet because coins are just coins! They serve only one purpose to them!”
Holo continued to shout as Lawrence whispered to her. She would be a fine proprietress for their shop.
“Profit! The Church only cares about profit! You are using the Church’s name to justify stealing! That is what this is! The Church will not look kindly on this! Your own sins will be your undoing!”
Holo wasn’t just saying what Lawrence whispered to her; she had read Cole’s bible and experienced much in her life. She knew exactly what words would have the most power, and perfectly delivered her sermon like a preacher. By the time she finished, she was panting. She had to calm herself and wipe the spit from her mouth. When she turned back to Lawrence, he was looking up at her.
“Wonderful..”
The crowd was up in arms. Lawrence couldn’t see anything, but he could tell that Yanerkin was looking around nervously.
“Shut up! Those are lies! Trust me, we’ll be able to pay it all back!”
He was so nervous he couldn’t even tell what to say anymore. When Holo helped Lawrence back to his feet, he watched Yanerkin fight to salvage the situation, looking around at the people who were stepping back from him and his coins. His trembling hands were still flinging more coins out, but only met the same kind of stares that a bird would shoot back if a pebble was tossed to it: only briefly interested, but not reaching out to take it.
Lawrence and Holo had succeeded. They had bested those who shamelessly tried to win the people over with money. Hildir looked at Lawrence, and their eyes met for a moment before Lawrence looked back at the crowd.
“Now you see how righteous they really are! Close the gate before their army advances!”
Hildir’s voice wasn’t ignored this time. Even the frightened soldiers loved their town enough to know what they had to do. Everyone was finally working together to prepare for a possible attack. Yanerkin walked over to Hildir in a terrified stupor.
“Don’t do this! It’s stupid! I’ll be killed if you close the gate!”
Yanerkin was down to begging. In that instant, any anger one might have for him would evaporate; he had clearly not realized that he was gambling with his own life.
Yankerkin was grabbing Hildir’s clothes, but Hildir didn’t react. Moid finally pulled him away. Hildir’s silence was practically like a death sentence for Yanerkin, who gave up and stared at the ground in defeat.
Hildir then stared at Milicky, who was watching the people from the back of his horse. He wasn’t wrong, but he wasn’t right either. People weren’t quite as stupid as he thought, even if they weren’t especially smart. When Milicky noticed Hildir’s stare, he stared back. He then called for his soldiers to retreat, and Moid released Yanerkin to follow them.
It seemed everything was over. Hildir and Moid looked up at Lawrence and greeted him. Lawrence stared back, leaning on Holo for support, then waved at them. Moid then called for his men to head back into the inn, and Hildir joined them. Lawrence felt a great weight removed from his shoulders, and stole a glance at Holo before his vision blurred.
He wasn’t sure what happened next, because the next thing he saw was the ceiling. Ah, he had fainted.. that must be Holo sitting on his chest, and that must be her tail brushing his face.
“Now if you can finally just open a shop, maybe my dream can come true..”
She was staring at him with a tired look, her elbows on her knees. Lawrence knew he had promised her to be responsible and end this adventure. He took her hand, knowing he’d have to make up for this. He’d have to work extra hard to become trustworthy again after today, and if she ever left him it was just what he deserved.
She knew how hard-headed this fool was, but she still helped him. He still wanted to explain himself to her, and show her why he had to do it. Things worked out, didn’t they? Of course, by the time he realized his face was betraying those thoughts, her tail swatted him.
“You truly cannot learn from your mistakes. Such a typical male.”
“But you do still love me, right?”
Holo was left speechless. She could only give up and turn away. It seemed like she was still trying to work off the rest of the rage she had used a moment ago to win the crowd over. Her tail trembled for a moment, then she sighed.
”Damnation. The truth is so vexing.”
Of course, when she turned back to him there was a smile on her face.
Chapter 12
Two of the Myuri mercenaries fearlessly dragged Yanerkin (who looked like a man waiting to die) and his group back out of town. As they headed out toward the thousands of encamped soldiers, Hildir went to see Milicky about their ultimate response to Diva. Holo seemed confused; what was there to talk about? But Sovereign was an important place, a hub of sorts for the north, so Hildir was doing what he felt was necessary.
It might have been fine to just thwart Yanerkin’s plan and have the townsfolk close their gate, since Diva would have no choice but to retreat. And yet, this wouldn’t solve all of the remaining problems. Milicky was still in control of Sovereign, after all, and so Hildir had to build a rapport with him. This was his town in the end, so if he wasn’t appeased he might just burn the inn to the ground, taking Hildir and the others with it.
Hildir had to resolve the remaining issues, namely that if he ever regained his position in the Diva company he would become a threat to Milicky and Sovereign again. Milicky wasn’t exactly a bad ruler, he just had his own set of beliefs. Diva wanted to build trust between them, so Hildir had to show his sincerity by adjourning to discuss things with Milicky.
Of course, that didn’t mean anyone believed he would actually be able to do that on his own. Even if Hildir could promise Diva would stay out of Sovereign’s affairs, Milicky wouldn’t find that a good enough offer. Lawrence couldn’t help but be nervous in spite of Hildir’s confidence. In fact, Lawrence was getting quite antsy that Milicky was going to kill Hildir out of rash anger.
Later that evening, however, Hildir returned. Everyone finally relaxed for a while before they began inevitably asking Hildir what had happened. Apparently, after having dinner they discussed the situation and came to a startlingly quick agreement.
Hildir was quite satisfied by everyone’s shocked reaction as he reported what that agreement was. It turned out that he had offered to make Sovereign a second mint for issuing Diva’s new currency. Of course that might cause further problems related to the profits that said currency would bring, so Hildir couldn’t just leave his explanation at that.
“The great furnace in this town hasn’t been used for years. Now it will finally be re-lit.”
In fact there were barely any active furnaces in Sovereign. Diva had started off as an ore hauling firm, and Sovereign as a refinery, but Milicky had banned all such activity to keep Sovereign safe. That was what made them the independent town they were. Milicky’s subsequent efforts had kept Sovereign from becoming just another dot on the northern map, and now he was coming full circle and accepting Hildir’s proposal to rekindle their great furnace.
“Alright then! Let’s do this! After all, we’re the hard workers here! Hey, you guys! Let’s get going!”
Sovereign’s furnace was presently repurposed as a depot for the amber and fur trades. Myuri leaned on his cane as he stood next to it. He felt he had to make it up to Hildir and Lawrence for
having slept through all of their trials, so he was the one shouting out now.
Knowing he would regret it later, Moid had asked Lawrence and Hildir to help find something for him to do, something important that would salvage his reputation. Hildir gave Myuri command of the furnace’s restoration. The townsfolk also joined in, wanting to help out after all of their earlier mistakes, so the Myuri mercenaries were suddenly back in the limelight busily helping out where it counted.
“They’ll be gone until tomorrow morning at the earliest.”
Messengers had been sent to discuss matters with Diva, but wouldn’t be able to bring any news until midnight. The final results of the negotiations wouldn’t be known until dawn. Lawrence was still suspicious about the whole thing, but Hildir was his usual optimistic self.
“Come now, we’ll be fine.”
“You’re pretty amazing. How’d you even think of this?”
Lawrence was also standing near the entrance of the furnace-turned-depot.
“I mean, you told me you’d solve things with money, but this is way beyond my expectations.”
Workers were inspecting every inch of the furnace, and Lawrence could only watch them and talk with Hildir. Hildir simply smiled, like any great merchant should. Lawrence couldn’t bring himself to point that out so he just swallowed his pride and kept talking.
“Using that hammer to re-mint every Lumione coin in the world.. that’s just not something a normal person could come up with.”
That was basically what Hildir had in mind. Lumione coins were the most pure gold coins around. They wouldn’t lose their value if they were re-minted. All that would effectively change was the image minted onto them, but now it would be the image that Diva company had chosen. Diva already had copper and silver coins that were popular, but not gold ones.
Gold coins were simply too expensive and it was impossibly difficult to challenge the Lumione’s popularity and trust. Diva also didn’t have the ability to mint enough coins to really compete with the Lumione, so having Sovereign do it for them was a masterstroke. They couldn’t issue so many that Diva company would be undercut, but the symbolic importance of this event was vital and Diva no longer had to mint more coins than they could afford.