Chp.33: Merchants in the capital

During the war against the Baudonia City Alliance, the absence of soldiers and concern for their fate weren't the only problems that afflicted the people. As always happened in all wars, the conflict had required very high costs, and as a result most of the cities of the kingdom had become impoverished. Not to the point of turning what used to be thriving cities into slums, but wealth had dwindled nonetheless. You could easily see this as you strolled through the streets: not only did many people have dark and worried faces, but several shops had been closed and the markets had emptied. This, sadly, was unavoidable during a war. Hoping to conduct a conflict without harming the population was a mere fantasy.

But luckily, all wars had to end. It didn't matter if they lasted one year or a hundred, every conflict had to stop sooner or later. And with the end of the war, economic regrowth was often rapid and fruitful, and the people could finally breathe a sigh of relief and resume their former lives. The war against the Baudonia City Alliance had lasted barely a year, and now, some six months after its end, the Jurao Kingdom was recovering rapidly.

In the capital, this change was especially noticeable. During the war Akirana had remained a thriving city, but it had faded somewhat; now that peace had returned, it had become hotter than ever. Merchants had returned to visit the capital regularly, giving the people plenty of work and plenty of money to spend; new shops had been opened, new taverns, new inns. Many people took advantage of the fact that several old establishments had closed to buy them cheap and open new ones. After six months of peace, the capital of the Jurao Kingdom was once again sunny and flourishing; it wasn't yet at pre-war levels, but it sure wouldn't take long to reach them again and maybe even surpass them. Money was flowing and people were happy again, and that could only be good.

Bertold was a civil officer of Akirana; his job was to welcome the new merchants into the city, give them a license to sell their products, and, if any of them wanted it, allow them to buy one of the buildings left without an owner and confiscated by the state. In practice, he could see the recovery of the city's economy live. And every day, despite the enormous amount of work to which he was subjected, he was happy to see that the number of merchants who came to the capital increased continuously. As a lover of his country and his city, this filled his heart with joy. Therefore he always greeted the merchants with a smile on his face and welcoming words. All of them, including the woman sitting across from his desk at the time. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Sisna Drachià, right?"

"The pleasure is all mine, sir. But my surname is pronounced Dráchia" the woman replied with a tone of slight reproach, although she didn't seem to mind.

Bertold scratched his head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. Forgive me, your surname isn't very common around here"

"Don't worry, you're not the first to get it wrong. It doesn't matter" the woman laughed. Her laughter was crystal clear, and it almost sounded like the song of a nightingale. Bertold couldn't help but blush.

He couldn't remember ever seeing such a beautiful woman. Sisna was quite short, and didn't seem to exceed one meter and twenty centimeters tall, but that only made her prettier. Her skin was snow-white and flawless, and it seemed as soft and velvety as a sheet. Her face was a perfect oval and was framed by a shock of beautiful auburn hair held together with a red ribbon. Her eyes were yellow, so much they looked like gold, and her mouth had full, red lips that when opened showed teeth that were perfectly aligned and so white they could almost reflect the light. She had on a yellow and green dress that fell from her shoulders to her ankles, and she wore two shoes that showed off her small, delicate feet. From Bertold's point of view, if a goddess had decided to come down to earth and become mortal, she would certainly have been identical to the woman before him.

He let out a cough and tried to compose himself. Even if the one in front of him was a beautiful woman, he was still a public official and he had to act like one. "So, where are you from, what business do you plan to start here, and how long do you want to stay?"

"I was born in Rhimili, a small village in the Ivor Kingdom" Sisna replied. The Ivor Kingdom was an allied nation of the Jurao Kingdom, and was located quite a distance from it. To get there it was necessary to go through the entire Prettania Kingdom and then yet another kingdom. "However, I never lived there. My parents were wandering merchants, so I've spent my entire life in a wagon, being transported from town to town with my sisters. Now both my parents are dead, so the my sisters are my responsibility now. I don't want them to spend their lives traveling like I did, so I decided to settle here. I know there are many shops for sale around here, and the capital is a good place to do business, so I wanted to buy one. As for the business I want to start… my family has always specialized in selling potions, so I intend to continue it here as well"

What a responsible and caring person. Bertold appreciated Sisna more and more: normally the children after their parents had died each went their own way, instead this woman was working hard to give her sisters stability. She was truly a rare flower. "If that is your intention, then there is no problem in providing you with a license to sell. Once you do, however, you will have to pay the tax..."

"... every month, equivalent to 5% of all my earnings. And if I won't be able to pay at least 500 gold coins my license will be withdrawn and my shop will be confiscated" Sisna anticipated. "I know the law, sir. A merchant like me is always aware of what she is getting into"

Bertold was not surprised by this manifestation of knowledge. It was normal for merchants to inquire about the laws and rules of the place where they intended to settle, since they too would have to respect them, and it was therefore essential to know them in order to calculate whether they would be able to pay the amount due. "I see you are expert. In this case, I assume you already know that since you are not a citizen of the kingdom, but a foreigner, you will have more limitations than other merchants"

"Obviously" Sisna replied. "Until I get citizenship, my tax will be 40% higher than the normal tax. Also, if I ever go into debt, the interest rate will be 10% higher than the normal. I also won't be able to object if the authorities will want to inspect my shop even without an official warrant, and I will not be able to join a guild such as the merchants' guild. All this of course only until I obtain citizenship, which will be in exactly three years if I start working today"

Berthold nodded. "Very well, I'd say you already know everything. At this point I assume you already know which shop to buy"

It was a rhetorical question: it was obvious that Sisna already knew which building to buy. All the merchants, before coming to ask for a licence, inspected the city and inquired about everything to be sure of choosing the best place for their business. And indeed Sisna took a deed of sale from his pocket; the deeds of sale were advertisements placed in front of the buildings for sale highlighting the price and the various qualities, and anyone could take them to explain to the public office which building they wished to buy. "I want this" she said.

When he read the deed, Bertold was a little surprised. "Do you want this? Are you sure?"

"Of course. It's a two-story building in perfect condition, so I'll be able to use the ground floor for the shop and the upstairs as accommodation for my sisters and I. It's spacious and has lots of windows, so it's perfect for customers" Sisna replied. "Also, it's right in the middle with the adventurers guild, the merchants guild, the arena, the barracks, and a bunch of other places where potions sell well. It looks right onto a street that is constantly and incredibly busy. It's perfect for starting a business"

"Yes, but it will cost you 10,000 gold coins" Bertold pointed out. The merchants who had just arrived in the city usually preferred to buy less expensive shops. What Sisna wanted was a luxury building and surely it could have become a magnificent shop, but it didn't come cheap.

But Sisna didn't seem the least bit perturbed. "My parents didn't leave me little. I don't lack money" she said, taking out a bag full of coins and placing it on the desk. "And before you ask, yes, I also have all the money I need to buy what I need to start my business properly. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing"

Berthold nodded. That woman really seemed to know what she was doing, so she had no reason to contradict her. Very quickly he filled out the title deed and handed it to her. "Now that building is yours. I hope your business will be fruitful"

"Oh, I'm sure of it. Thank you, sir. If you come to my shop in the future, I'll give you a discount as a token of gratitude" Sisna said satisfied, then stood up and left the office. Bertold was sorry that that magnificent woman was gone, but he knew she had much to think about, and he too had his duties; so he took the bag of coins, put it in the safe and then waited for the next customer.

Meanwhile, Sisna came out of the building with her merchant's license and the title deed of her new shop in hand. There were nine other girls waiting for her outside. They looked younger than her, but all of them were beautiful and dressed in very flashy clothes. "How did it go, sister?" one of them asked.

"Very well, Finiar. We have what we need" Sisna said showing the documents in her hands. "Now all we have to do is make a lot of money and attract attention, and who we are looking for will come to us by his own will"

That group of girls were obviously the dragons in disguise. Sisna, Finiar, Maleficent, Malchia, Tikka, Teramon, Keita, Kialandì, Glausar and Jatara: they were using avatars to appear as normal human beings. The bodies they were using belonged to fairies, which is why they seemed so small and short, but thanks to the rune of invisibility they had created the illusion that they were human in all respects.

It had taken them two months to prepare properly and another two to reach the capital (walking on two legs really was a slow way to move!). Their goal, of course, was to get in touch with the city's organized crime so that they could create a false identity for one of them as a qualified mage to enter the Academy of Magic and study a way to steal the portable gate. Since they didn't know which people to talk to, and trying to find criminals could get them arrested, they had decided to let the criminals come to them. They were a bunch of seemingly frail and helpless girls, and they were soon to have an extremely lucrative business; it was impossible for organized crime not to try to take advantage of them. Just as they wanted.

As they walked, all of their eyes fixed on a building in the distance, one so imposing that it was visible even from a distance. This was the arena, and most likely a match was being held at the time. "Should we go and see?" Glausar murmured. "Maybe we could see Haku..."

The girls looked a little uncertain. All of them were looking forward to seeing their brother again, but… "Better not. If I saw him, I might not be able to help myself and would rush to help him. Let's get busy, we'll see him again once we will have saved him" Sisna said.

Lie. It was a lie. The reason was another. Sisna was scared to see what was left of her brother after all this time. Six months had passed since his capture; what had they done to him?

Would he be covered in scars?

Without horns?

Maybe without the tail or a leg?

But above all… would he still be the brother they remembered?

Sisna wanted to believe that nothing could break her brother's mind, but she remembered that after all they had been through in the first six months of their lives he had changed so much that it struck Rhaegal. Now he had been a prisoner for other six months, alone, surrounded by enemies: what effect would this have on his psyche? Sisna wasn't sure she wanted to know, and she didn't dare step foot into the arena because of it. She didn't want to know if Haku was still her brother, or if he had become something that neither she nor the others would be able to recognize. 'I'm sorry, Haku... but I don't have the courage. I know, I'm a coward' she thought as she walked back down the street, followed by her sisters.