24 In need of land

Leon decided that it was time for step two. He was full of ideas, but still asked for advice from everyone else in the room. It was really hard for him to come up with a good recruitment plan. Kyus city had a concept of money but it wasn't well developed. He had many resources and also the ability to get more with near no effort. Before entering the city, the Lea brothers took care of all the possible problems that could arise. In several trees they hid all kinds of resources. From precious ores of the highest quality, to medicine and food that would not rot for several weeks or months. They were going to retrieve these things with time, slowly building up their forces. They also located and marked in a map several ore veins, caves and beast nests. These would be useful if the stocked resources dwindled or were not enough.

Leon knew that in Kyus people mainly traded with food or services and he could obtain food, but some people were happy with their situation and not all of them would want food as payment. Others would ask for food but with time, if their situation stabilizes they wouldn't want that as payment anymore and that goes without counting the fact that if they only paid with food, the lives of the people wouldn't improve at all. They would just continue living in the same old shacks where they got sick in winter and dehydrated in summer. In order for the Lea family to grow, a bigger territory was needed.

After talking for several hours, it was decided that they would buy land. It wasn't easy since the land in Kyus was extremely limited but their wealth was not small. In a normal situation where everyone was in the same standing when it cames to the 10 great families, land was priceless but these families were used to peace, and that boosted their greed. They didn't see the bigger picture, they always went for the fastest source of income instead of investing in the long run. Despite the 'contract' the 9 original families had, if one of them had the brains to make the right moves, they would be able to swallow the other 8 families or keep them as vassalls while not breaking the contract.

With the final touches in the plan, they started to move into action. The 9 spies moved and with Leon's letter of recommendation infiltrated the big families. The main problem was the spy that tried to infiltrate the Kriger family. His mission was different from others, she had to find a way to destroy them in one fell swoop. It was the hardest, but Leon knew she was the most capable. She had the brawns and the brains.

Leon called all the family heads to a meeting in Kyus meeting room. He once more offered gifts and exotic food. Once more the Kriger received no treatment at all, which made them leave while huffing their noses in anger.

The family head of the Smid family head rubbed his chin and asked; "What will you use as payment for the land? You know that this is a sensitive issue since we have a small limited amount of land inside the walls. We can not increase it and we can not decrease it. There is a forest that we keep intact in order to obtain wood from and while it is really big, it's a shared property. Even if you're against the Kriger, they also have a part in that so we can't really ignore them"

"I understand that, I am their enemy and I don't expect you to take sides that fast. So, why not do this? You will send people to the forest and divide it in 9 exact portions. We will buy the land from those of you that want to give it to us. The matter of wood is easily solved. We will hire woodcutters and protect them outside the walls. Once a week, we will hire all the civilians to carry the logs inside the city through the gate. The Lea family will take care of all of this. From the guarding of the woodcutters, to the payment of the civilians that will help. The wood will be from different kinds and from stronger and bigger trees. The forest inside Kyus city for some reason has weak trees, they're tall but not strong and sturdy as the ones in the forest. If you are all willing to accept, we will offer you all payment in whatever currency you want. What do you all say?"

The Umbazi family head had an ugly face all the time. He was a family of carpenters and they were the ones that relied on wood the most. Leon noticed it and didn't want the resentment of anyone inside Kyus city. Not yet. He wasn't prepared yet to fight more than one family.

"I, Knii Umbazi spent the most time inside that forest, it may be weak as you say, but it is a big part of my life. How can I dare to sell it, without telling that we are the main wood providers and most of the woodcutters are members of my Umbazi family. What do we do if we have to fight with the Lea family for resources? We are weak already, but this would destroy us. While I understand that you might have your plans laid out and in progress, I can't come up with a solution to these worries of mine"

"Do not worry. We will pay you for your woodcutters, the wood business can be left to the Umbazi family as well. I will be honest with all of you, and in order to face what's to come, we need an army. A strong army, strong enough to face beasts you've never seen and no, it doesn't come down to individual strenght. It's a matter of unity. They have to be like a spear and a shield at the same time. They must strike hard in vital points and be able to enter into a defensive mode fast enough. For that, we need people and to accomodate people we need a big place, so why not do this Knii Umbazi, the Lea family will send one of us to cut trees in a ridiculous quantity in the following days. We will mow down a lot of huge trees and that is where the Umbazi woodcutters will come in. We will leave the Umbazi to take care of the wood market, so we can focus on training the soldiers and heroes that will save Kyus city in the future. We can also adjust the conditions later on as well in private. What do you say?" Leon smiled at the Umbazi family head. Truth is, this was all planned and prepared. It was a shameless script, but it was the only way that he had come up with to accelerate the process of buying land.