Chapter 9: Partnership
After about half an hour of back and forth "negotiations," Eoghan could be seen breathing heavily, as if he had just done some strenuous exercise. Rowan had little to no experience in trading or negotiations, but he knew one thing: he was probably the only person with this skillset, thanks to his experience as a confectioner in his previous world. It was exclusive to himself, and only himself, so you could say he had a monopoly in it.
He ended up selling it for 50 silver coins, and entered into a written agreement with Eoghan, who was the representative of one of the biggest trading groups in the city. When Eoghan found out that Rowan could make the confections in large amounts, he immediately jumped forward to make the agreement, informing Rowan of all the benefits and information of the group he represented to build his credibility. They even had ties in other cities, and the branch here was just a side branch, recently made as well, and yet they have significant influence in the city.
Of course, Rowan knew not to trade with just any entity without first being informed, but he was only in it for the profits and only that. The agreement stated that Rowan would only provide a certain amount of his confections to them, on a monthly basis, something that could easily be done. And Rowan would be getting the lion's share of the profit, he was getting 80% of whatever was made, free of tax, truly a vicious demand on his part. That means he would be getting everything of the promised 80%, with the tax being paid for by Eoghan's group.
Rowan knew his confections would be a massive hit, Eoghan knew it. And he was no economics major, but he thought that no matter how much better of a deal he could have had, he would still be making a killing. Rowan initially wanted 90%, but brought it down to 80% to have Eoghan's group cover the taxes. He took a step back, to take several more forward. All Rowan had to do was spend mana to make the confection, and Eoghan's side would take care of the selling, the advertising, and everything else considered tedious.
Besides the deals going on under the table, pretty much every transaction and such had a tax imposed upon them. His transaction with the company would was included as well.
While all of this was going on, it was finally Rowan's turn in line.
"Next!" the guard said.
Walking forward, the jingling of his bag drew much attention.
"10 copper coins." to which Rowan handed him a silver coin, which was all he had in his bag. A moment later, the guard who left to grab some change, handed Rowan 90 copper coins.
Rowan walked into the city, it was very crowded, many people were moving quickly, going about their business. Stalls, shops, restaurants, and more lined the streets. Rowan noticed this city seemed to be a lot better than the previous one he was in, the economy here seemed to be thriving. The quality of life here was better, as well as the sanitation. Especially the sanitation.
He opened a piece of paper that mapped the entire city, it was given to him by Eoghan to be able to find where his group, which Rowan would just label as a some sort of trading firm, was located. Rowan was looking for a house, since he may be in this city for a while, and Eoghan told him he could get a relatively good house with the money he had.
Rowan entered a large shop, with a wooden sign outside that had a house carved on it. After talking with the workers and receiving a list of the houses and their descriptions, Rowan narrowed his choices down to 2. It appeared that the style of all of the houses, were vastly similar to what were called "old world" houses back in his world, they had a traditional design made up of mostly wood and certain rocks or stone.
The first house taken into consideration is one that the one that in the outer parts of the city, with the wall behind it, while the second house was much closer to the center of the city. The houses were both of similar quality, but the location significantly affected the price, making the second house more expensive because it was closer to the noble's district. The noble's district, similar to the city of Duloc, was at the center surrounded by a tall wall.
Rowan decided on the first house, which was 15 silver coins and permanent, as opposed to the second which was a whopping 35, which he would have to rent. Being closer to the center usually meant one would have a higher chance to mingle with the higher class members of society, and with that came many, many connections and opportunities. However, Rowan felt that with the ever-increasing influence of the powers and magic, that things like money, connections, and all else would be insignificant.
Though, the city seemed peaceful and thriving, Rowan could still feel a certain tension in the air. He knew that the changes brought by the system could, in no way, be insignificant. The biggest factor was that one would have to kill others to get stronger, who wouldn't be tempted in this cutthroat world? Rowan already knew that there were constant conflicts and intrigue happening, both in the dark and in the light. There was a storm coming, and Rowan didn't want to be caught unprepared.
Half an hour later...
After signing some papers, and claiming ownership of the house, Rowan was now down to 34 silver and 90 copper coins.
'I should probably eat first.' He walked down the streets, towards his house, but was attracted to the smell of food.
There was a pub nearby, with a sign that had a fork and knife carved onto it. It seemed that the establishments here preferred to have their name known and said, but not written. From the mouth of someone else, Rowan found out that this place was called Niall's Black Horse.
After finding an empty table, Rowan sat down, and ordered a dish that had sausages, ham, and mashed potatoes. He chose water for his drink, he wasn't a beer guy, though he would have some wine every now and then in his past life. Overall, the meal was quite nice, the sausages had everything you would want; the signature snap sound upon biting into it, and the spicy taste. The ham was savory and rich, but a little bit dry.
The meal itself cost 3 copper coins, Rowan could see why the place was so crowded, the food was good and affordable. At this point he couldn't be bothered to count his money anymore, he would place most of it in the bank later or store it in a chest in his house later.
He thought about the bits and pieces of conversations that he had heard in the pub, most of the conversations boiled down to the growing tensions between the nobility and the poor, it seemed that the situation here wasn't as good as Rowan thought. Everything wasn't what it seemed to be.
A couple minutes later, Rowan was at his house, it was quite busy around this area as well. The house looked well maintained, and from the description of the house, it should already be furnished. He entered the house, and saw bookshelves, several chairs and tables, carpets, and other furnishings. He found a room with several chests, and threw the bag full of coins in and closed it.
Rowan felt pretty tired at this point, he had been traveling for hours, until he arrived in this city.
'It should be here somewhere.' he found what he was looking for a moment later, the bathroom. He went into the room, which to his dismay, had no running water. He slapped his forehead, for the second time, he realized that he would have to go to a bathhouse, the place in the city where everyone went to shower. Showers were considered a luxury, so he would have to pay a couple of silvers, at the very least.
'Oh, well.' Rowan would go tomorrow, the bathhouse was located near the center of the city, it would be a long trek. A distance he could easily fly, if not for the new rules implemented by the city lord, forbidding people from using their powers in the city without permission nor warrant. Rowan had no reason to cause trouble, he had just settled down. He also didn't want potential enemies knowing he could fly anyways, it was a powerful trump card.
He found the bedroom a later, and immediately crashed on the bed. He had a lot of things to do tomorrow.