6 Pallux Alliance

"Easy, easy", Drodosis mumbled to his horse.

Next to him, one could see another teenager, slightly older, with bruises all over his body.

As you might have guessed, this youth was Arnold.

Unlike Drodosis, Arnold wasn't very talented when it came to horsemanship, and learning in general. However, one particular analysis from his biochip was pushing Drodosis forward since the day he met his rival.

[Beep! Name: Arnold (14-years-old, 2 months). Strength – 1.2 | Agility – 1.0 | Physique – 1.4 | Status: Healthy. Perks: Knight Perseverance, beginner swordsman…Probability of winning: Less than 20%, if poison isn't used. Probability of winning with poison: 99%.]

'I still have a long way to go, huh?'

The number of duels the two boys had gone through in the past week exceeded 100. Drodosis only won one out of ten duels at first, but the more they fought, the stronger Drodosis became. In fact, he wasn't exactly getting stronger, but his techniques, which were nearing perfection, were now completely his.

Drodosis realized, albeit lately, that textbook techniques weren't always the best response to an attack. In the past week, his swordsmanship style, which was previously mechanical was becoming more and more simple, efficient and clean.

[Beep! Name: Speedy (4-years-old, 2 months). Strength – 3.1 | Agility – 2.0 | Physique – 3.4 | Status: Healthy. Perks: Drodosis Acknowledgement (Recognizes Drodosis as its master).]

Arnold – "Hey, I don't understand why speedy allows you to ride her! My god damn horse sends me flying as soon as it senses itself mounted…It only allows me to mount it when it's really full of energy…"

Drodosis – "Haha! I don't know…Maybe I'm just better than you!"

Arnold – "TSk…"

As they were slowly returning to the castle, the duo witnessed a cruel scene. A queue of more than one hundred slaves were marching. When a slave fell on the ground, a 200-pounds-big man with overflowing fat on his body beat them up with a whip. Blood was flowing on the ground, and the cries of agonies could be heard from kilometres around.

Arnold – "So this is slavery, huh…I heard that it was cruel, but to inflict such treatment to human beings…"

Drodosis – "Well, as harsh as it is, one cannot deny that slaves are the backbone of our society."

Arnold – "What do you mean?"

Drodosis – "Think about it. How can you eat properly, on a daily basis, if not for slaves farming lands, doing the hard work?"

Arnold – "Because of serfs, and peasants!"

Drodosis – "And what are serfs? Peasants are commoners, but if you look closer, the lands they farm only produce 40 to 60% of the amount that a land of similar size, farmed by serfs, produces."

Arnold – "…"

Drodosis – "Why? Because slaves do not rest. If they work well, they are given food. If not, they are punished. My father controls 1800 acres of the most fertile lands in the Kerrosby Valley, and there are 600 families of serfs, farming 3 acres each. This is the only reason why the 2000-men-big army in the castle and patrolling can be sustained without any food malnourishment."

Arnold – "But…this is still harsh! It is dishonourable!"

Drodosis – "Would you prefer to starve? It might look like we have choice, except we don't. Empathy without power is nothing but wishful thinking. Talk to me about this when you reach the knight realm, and maybe, we would have a say in this. If we don't take advantage of every resource at our disposal, we will only end up as prey for the neighbouring hostile territories, especially the Yale barony and its alliance."

Arnold – "I guess you're right. I never thought of this like this…"

Drodosis – "Trust me, if a noble loses his territory, the fate of slaves like serfs will be worse than this."

Drodosis decided to open up to Arnold. He didn't want to see his friend's delusions go further, as it could lead to some crazy and stupid ideas. While Drodosis definitely felt bitter about the serfs, their lives weren't as bad as it looked like.

For sure, they needed to farm and give away 70% of what they produced, and their houses didn't belong them, but to the lord, but other than that, with the 30% that remained, they weren't starving in a world where famine rampaged in the world. Moreover, they weren't forbidden from marrying and raising families. From a lord's point of view, the more slaves, the better, since the lands would become even more productive. If a serf didn't have enough lands to sustain their children, then the eldest son would usually join the army, and after a few years of service and bounties, the latter would be able to rise to a commoner status, and when he retires, he will be able to purchase his own plot of land, and starts his own family.

Such 'opportunities' were quite unique to the Thornfield Territory. After all, not every region possessed lands as fertile as that of Kerrosby Valley. The reason why Roland managed to reach the rank of Viscount was certainly linked to his battle achievements, winning several wars in a row, increasing his budge through compensations, and expanding his territory through contracts. However, there was also a region factor. The lands were fertile, and Helena's Thornfield Industries was a well-known fur clothes manufacturing business, which was currently blooming. Other than that, there were also other sources of income, such as taxes that were paid by the 150 000 inhabitants.

Eric – "Drodosis, Arnold! Good thing you are here! An itinerary merchant from the Pallux Alliance has arrived. They only come once a decade in such a rural area, so you have to carefully buy the things you want to, since you might not manage to find another opportunity to do so."

[Beep! The Pallux Alliance is a merchant organization, which is linked to the royal prince Jon Phuinem, from the Phuinem Kingdom. The Pallux Alliance also has dealings with mysterious entities, humans who possess the talent to use the mana in the air to cast spells: adepts. Because of these connections, the Pallux Alliance gets access to various incredible goods with a market solely reserved for nobles. For the royal family, it is a way to reward a lord's merits. Hence, their passage might vary from once a century to once a week, depending on your rank. Since Roland recently rose to the Viscount rank, they are definitely a gift from the royal family.]

Eric pursued, "Your father gifted you 300 gold coins for this particular event, saying that it was a way to reward your hard work since you were a little boy."

Drodosis was really thankful at this moment. After running to his room, Drodosis took out his belongings. Along with the sum his father gifted him, Drodosis had always saved up his pocket money for an opportunity to spend it. And this opportunity had finally arrived.

Drodosis had 554 gold coins on him, along with 820 silver coins. Ten silver coins equals a gold coin. And ten copper coins equal a silver coin.

When Drodosis approached the merchant, he was intrigued by the sheer size of the caravan. There wasn't just a merchant, but a group of bodyguards as well! When Drodosis scanned them, he almost fainted from the shock!

[Beep! Name: Unknown. Strength – 1.9 | Agility – 1.3 | Physique – 1.8 | Status: Healthy. Perks: (?)]

[Beep! Name: Unknown. Strength – 1.7 | Agility – 1.4 | Physique – 2.0 | Status: Healthy. Perks: (?)]

[Beep! Name: Unknown. Strength – 2.9 | Agility – 0.9 | Physique – 1.8 | Status: Healthy. Perks: (?)]

[Beep! Name: Merchant Iker. Strength – 4.9 | Agility – 2.2 | Physique – 3.8 | Status: Healthy. Perks: (?)]

Drodosis was shocked. The three bodyguards were fully armored with top-tier gear, and their cross swords seemed to be as sharp as his own cross sword, except that Drodosis had been gifted a family treasure, and they were mere bodyguards. Moreover, they were all preparatory knights. As for the merchant Iker himself, he was a knight, and probably one as strong as Roland himself.

Drodosis – "Hi, merchant Iker!"

Iker – "You can call me, Iker, young noble. As you can see, we have quite the big collection of goods. May I know what you are seeking to buy?"

Drodosis – "Well, I don't know yet. But may I see your collection?"

Iker – "Of course, feel free to check whatever you want. Don't break anything though, you would have to pay for it otherwise."

Drodosis – "Thank you!"

On the shelves, there were a few hundred different kind of potions, displayed on purpose. Judging from the inscriptions, the numerous boxes at the back of the caravan were probably full of potions as well. Quantity and quality, this shop was filled with treasures.

Drodosis was astounded by the beauty of the paintings, sculptures, but he unfortunately held no love towards art. However, when it came to beasts, he was dumbfounded.

[Beep! Name: Baby flaming bear. A creature extremely feared in rural areas. A single flaming bear of adult size can easily take on a few dozen preparatory knight with ease, and can definitely fight a knight on an equal footing. If the knight is not fast, then the bear might even win in less than two minutes. Difficulty to tame: High.]

[Beep! Name: Death Leaper baby. Once an almost extinct species of feline, and now a repopulated wild beast roaming in the desert, death leapers are the bane of merchants. Hunting in small packs of four to five individuals, death leapers can jump with explosiveness exceeding imagination, hence their names. Difficulty to tame: High.]

[Beep! Name: Nightmare Wolf Cub. Not very much different from the Nebula-fur wolf species, nightmare wolves are creatures who are mentioned in Fauna and Flora of Sage Epicuren. Possessing the magical ability to put to sleep most of beings with a single bite, a nightmare wolf deserves its name. Difficulty to tame: Extremely High (Reduced to medium if tamed during childhood).]

Drodosis – 'God! A nightmare wolf cub. I never expected to encounter one here. Why would this guy sell a magical beast for such a low price…Don't tell me the merchant didn't recognize it, and instead mistook it for a nebula-fur wolf cub?'

[Beep! Nebula-fur wolves are an eccentric yet common pets used as hunting dogs for nobles. Possessing piercing fangs, nebula wolves can smell and track their prey from long distances.]

Drodosis decided not to raise the merchant's attention, and decided to buy a few other items, to look like an eccentric and wasteful young master, just in case.

Of course, Drodosis would spend his money well.

The first item he bought was a special crossbow.

[Beep! Heavy Knight Crossbow. Requirements: 2.5 points of strength. Piercing power: 4.]

Even though he couldn't use it, yet, he knew that he wouldn't come across such a wonderful item anytime soon, hence his purchase. It had cost him 125 gold coins, and adding to this sum the price of the 'Nebula-fur wolf', Drodosis already spent 200 gold coins.

However, he was just getting started.

A few minutes later, Drodosis had gotten his hands on several items, some quite bizarre, others more conventional.

[Beep! Alchemical Vials x50. Sturdiness: 8.]

[Beep! Alchemical Mask. Effects: Filter the air in order to avoid getting poisoned when brewing special and dangerous mixtures.]

[Silver Cross Sword. Sharpness: 4. Piercing power: 2. Weight: 8 Kg.]

[Unknown rock. Effects: Release radiations stimulating one's body. Expected beneficial effects: +0.001 physique after 12 hours of exposure. Time limit: none.]

Iker – "You want to buy a lot…"

Even Iker, a veteran merchant, was quite surprised.

Iker – "A total of 423 gold coins. I'm afraid you're the biggest customer I had today! You even bought a nebula-fur wolf!"

Drodosis – "I was wondering whether you could give me a few advices, since I know little about taming!"

Iker – "Haha! Yet you bought a wolf as your first pet, is that it?"

Drodosis – "Indeed…You must live your life to the fullest, right?"

Iker – "Oh? I didn't know this philosophy of life. Makes sense. Since you expanded my knowledge, and even bought such a large arsenal, I shall give you the opportunity to ask me 3 questions of any kind."

Drodosis – "Really? Then, please tell me how I can raise wild beasts like this first!"

Iker – "Alright! First of all, although it is quite logical, you must make sure to feed your pet adequate food and water. By adequate food, I don't mean your average meat. It needs strong nutrition. Bulls, bears, this kind of meat will increase your affinity with your pet. If it is a cub, there is a chance for it to take you for its parent.

Secondly, you must spend large amount of time with it. If you don't take care of it, it will just feel abandoned. Such feelings are the worst thing that can happen to a beast. Remember to always stay with it.

Thirdly, play. It might seem like silly, but I've gone to a barbarian tribe which saved me when I was injured. To repay the favor, I served as a guard there for 10 years, but when I look back, I feel like I earned more than I lost. Anyway, I got to witness barbarian beast tamers, and they specifically raised this kind of wild beasts when they were young, and they played with them. Playing creates bonds. Playing leads to loyalty. Remember this advice, as you will probably not find it in any beast taming book."

Drodosis – "Oh…Impressive. You're so knowledgeable!"

Iker – "Haha! Good thing you understand this. I didn't expect much from such a young client, but you surprise me more and more!"

Drodosis – "Then, my father once talked about mysterious entities. In libraries, I also often encounter the Pallux Alliance mention along with that of 'magicians'. Does magic really exist. What are mysterious entities?"

Iker – "Well, it's uncommon knowledge, but it's not highly restricted either. Your father probably doesn't want you to deal with them, something that I understand…Mysterious entities are indeed magicians, but they are more like psychopaths. They value knowledge and follow the law of equivalent exchange, a law that they must abide by unless they want to be hunted by their own kind. This is why mysterious entities rarely come out to the outer world, instead staying in libraries, expanding their knowledge, or staying in their towers, in order to continue them researches. I have encountered a few acolytes, apprentices of these magicians, and they are…tricky. Never think of taking advantage of them, since you would be the one being fooled."

Drodosis – "Oh…I understand it better now! Then, my last question. How can I join the Pallux Alliance?"

Iker – "…"

Drodosis – "I don't mean it right now. But…the more I hear about the Pallux Alliance, the more it feels like a powerful organization, which membership provides a mountain of benefits. Of course, travelling must be tiring, and dealing with thieves and beast tides must be difficult. But if you are strong enough, it is a good way to explore the world and get stronger, right? Or else, you wouldn't be here, but contributing to the kingdom army in order to construct a castle and finish your life in peace, right?"

Iker – "Haha! What a weird kid you are! But yes, you are right. Joining the Pallux Alliance is definitely a good opportunity for whoever manages to enter. However, only knights qualify. Become a knight, get a recommendation from a two-stars member, and you will be able to join. I will come back in ten years. If, by then, you reach the knight realm, I will agree to give you my recommendation. How is it?"

Drodosis – "Deal!"

And just like that, Drodosis earned a new companion, and most importantly, a bet that would forever change his destiny.