Chapter 23: 23: TBT

Tim’s nap lasted quite a bit until he was promptly woken by Sophia who entered the bathroom carrying a dry towel and a nightshirt. She placed it near the sink and left.

And soon he got out of the bath, dried himself with the towel and exited the room wearing the nightshirt.

The eating session went by in no time as Sophia served the food and he ate, with no complaints. Tim was never a picky eater anyway.

So, after finishing all the remaining rituals, Tim got ready to hit the sack but stopped, as Sophia interrupted him.

“Your schedule for tomorrow, Lord?”

“Is it necessary?” Tim responded with a little yawn before sitting on the bed.

“Not necessarily, but it helps.” She answered with a slight smile on her face.

“Well… I want to visit the town in the morning. Hear all the complaints of the people in this area and if possible, do some training in the evening.”

“You interacting with locals is a good idea. Most people have heard about you but don’t know how you look. Your arrival here is already a secret to most people. So, I will suggest you to be a little discrete and listen to what they say. Or else they will say nothing in fear.” Sophia added, standing beside the bed.

Leon’s hell bending reputation was like a double edged sword. It both helped and ruined him at the same time. He could get things done in a matter of minutes but there was no guarantee of the result.

If no one questioned his decisions, or found any flaws in his ideas, then how would he know what was right or wrong.

Tim nodded with a thoughtful expression on his face. Sophia’s words were indeed correct. If people won't open up about their common problems, his entire plan would be pointless. He needed to have a good first impression.

“You are right! Act accordingly then.”

“Very well Lord. I will inform the butler about it.” She bowed one last time and went on her way with quick steps.

Seeing the door closing, Tim fell back on the overly comfortable bed with a long sigh. The schedule was ready and the only thing left for him to do was act accordingly.

***

Tim was standing in the middle of the town square near a fountain. Practically there was no significant difference between this town and the capital Orsier, except a lot smaller.

Various shops were lined on each side of the road, selling items ranging from foods to medicinal herbs to weapons like axes, swords, shields and many more. Road was filled with crowds buying, and selling stuff.

Carriages carrying goods were running here and there followed by merchants shouting to attract buyers.

“This is Nortion, huh…” Tim mumbled, looking around, with a faint smile on his face.

“Yes Lord!” answered a man probably in late forties, with a wide grin on his face. He was the Lord of this town and already had information about Leon's arrival. He was prepared for everything to come as his face was oozing out of confidence.

“How much taxes you are collecting a day from this market?” Tim asked, folding his hands.

“Probably two thousand dalers excluding the port as it is under direct control of Count Rosenwood. Do you wish to see the ledgers, Lord?”

“It’s fine Jabal. I don’t need them. Just lower the fees by thirty percent from tomorrow.” Tim's tone was  casual as if it was the most obvious thing. And in his guidebook, it was the most basic thing to begin with.

There were many markets in the nearby towns where everyone had to pay to enter. Merchants had to pay tolls, rents for the stalls and if caught doing something illegal they had to pay fines. The money collected was going directly to the Lord in charge.

And by lowering these taxes, Tim was creating an issue for the Lord, but for the people it would be an opportunity. If more people came to this town for business, by paying less tax, there would be more turnover of goods, hence more income. It would take time but success was guaranteed.

“But Lord…” Jabal pleaded. “I have to submit taxes to Count. He won’t be happy, seeing this sudden change. It is one of the primary ways of income for our county. Apart from that it can also impact our payment environment. Prices will fall rapidly. Merchants won’t make enough profits and…”

“And that is my plan.” Tim smirked, but in a little evil way. “You see, I am here to fix a problem and I will fix it no matter what it takes. If the count is not happy with my ways, then he is free to oppose me. If the merchants are not happy, tell them to go somewhere else but trust me nothing like that would ever happen. They are too greedy to ignore Nortion.”

Saying nothing Jabal nodded. He was unqualified to counter the arguments of a duke’s son and mainly the words of the infamous man named Leonhart. He might disappear right here, right now for objecting and no one would dare to raise any question. Thus, the best option was to accept everything and let the events unfold by themselves.

“Write a letter to the count that I am taking control of Nortion port. If he has any objection, go argue with the duke.”

Jabal shook his head frantically, and Leon turned towards the young squire named Mark, assigned to him. He was a man in his early twenties with light brown hair mixed with deep brown eyes and sharp facial features, getting most ladies’ attention.

“Mark, you grew up here, right?” 

“Yes Lord. I have spent most of my childhood here, before leaving for the academy ten years ago.”

“Good. Show me around then.”

"As you wish but I don't remember much about this town. Things have changed so much." Mark responded with a ceaseless smile on his face. It had been so long since he left but now was here again babysitting his master’s son.

"I can help." Jabal added from behind, trying to help the duo and Tim accepted, asking no further question, but added a clause at the end. And that was to not to introduce him to anyone, without his consent.

So, the sightseeing began with Jabal leading the way, with an excited smile plastered on his face. Leon and Mark walked closely behind, followed by dozens of guards mixed in the crowd.

It was Leon's order to not stand out too much and they came up with the idea to just blend in the mob. Mark had to stay beside Leon as he was the one responsible for his security. And because of this guy’s infamous attitude, getting into trouble had been easier than ever.

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Mark had to stay vigilant, but today Leon was acting differently. He did not carry his usual young master demeanor with him, which was a bit too unusual. Still, it was a good sign for Mark as he would have to worry less and things would go smoothly, or that’s what he thought.

“This is our town’s merchant guild.” Jabal pointed at a two-story building, a couple of blocks away from him, where a large board was hanging on the outside, with Merchant Guild written on it in block letters. “But… It is just a branch of the main guild, from the capital.”

Many people were going in and out of the building. Some were with happy faces, some with dejected looks in their eyes. 

As the group drew closer to the building, a man probably in his late fifties, wearing some lavish clothing came into view. He was standing outside the guild, lighting a cigar, with a content expression on his face.

“Mello!” Shouted the town lord, waving at the man and he responded equally, taking hurried steps towards them.

“Jabal… how you doing man.” Mello extended his hands and Jabal returned the handshake with a nod.

“Good! How are you doing? You look happy today.”  

“Yeah, buddy!” Mello the merchant answered, swaying his light grey hair to the side, completely ignoring the existence of two-man staring at him. “I am getting something good tonight.”

Both talked to each other like they were some intimate friends despite their age difference being more than ten years.

“Yeah…” Jabal smiled awkwardly, flicking his gaze between the duo behind him and his friend in front. “What is that… wanna share some.”

“Of course… but I will take the first bite, then sharing comes.”

“Yeah, yeah… but what is that anyway.” Jabal curiosity grew mixed with his fake smile as he knew something was up with this guy.

“You gentlemen wanna join…” Mello shifted his attention towards the duo, standing behind Jabal.

“Listen Mello, you…” Jabal panicked as he knew the consequences of blabbering nonsense to a Duke’s son. But before he could do anything, Leon spoke.

“Sure. But please do tell us about your little surprise.” Tim replied courteously, emitting an overly amiable air around him.

“Why not!” The old merchant’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the noble man before him. This guy with black hair definitely looked like fish from a big pond, and Mello could never let go of this opportunity.

 “But let’s introduce ourselves first. I am Mellanion, the head of Nortion merchant guild.” He again extended his hand and Tim accepted it thankfully.  

“I am Leo, son of Baron Felix and this is my guard, Mark.” Tim introduced himself and the squire with a beaming smile on his face.

“Baron Felix… from the east of the empire.”

“Yes, yes.”

“Then I presume, you must have good taste in women, just like your father.” Mello let out a toothy smile as he had met the baron times and knew about his fondness for women and his countless children.

“Of course.” Tim already had information about the Baron as he was a very close ally of the Rosenwoods and shared the same bullshit traits. It was all just a front for Tim to get into the merchant’s good graces as he came under a list of people he needed to deal with.

“Exactly. I mean despite being a baron, your father’s collection of exotic women never ceases to amaze me. How did he even do that?”

“It is in our blood, Sir.”

Mello shook, his head in agreement. “But I think your family has grey hair. Your hair is black and you know that is too infrequent except our duchess. Or the baron literally went that far…”

“I dyed it.”

“To get some attention huh…” Mello grinned, moving closer to Tim as he wrapped his hand around Tim’s shoulder.

“Exactly.” Tim winked and the merchant laughed hysterically.

“Then, let’s be acquaintances, Lord. We are both men, chasing the same skirt.” The merchant raised his tone with immeasurable joy.

He was just a mere merchant and this young man was a noble. There was no comparison between them. But if the ranks were taken into consideration, they were on common ground.

Mello knew Leo wasn't the first son to inherit the barony as he had already met the future baron. It was abundantly clear that Leo won’t get any penny from his father. He would be sent to some high lord, to become a knight or a mage, which was never a good fate.

Either he would die fighting or stay like a loyal dog till the end of his life.

A little sympathy made its way into Mello’s heart but was soon overpowered by greed. If he played his cards right, he could clear a road for the future. After becoming a knight or a mage, Leo could come in handy for him.

For a merchant like him, making connections was always the goal.

“Sure, friend. But now, please relieve me from my anticipation.” Tim added with an innocent chuckle, as it seemed he had successfully baited the fish.

“Of course, of course. This is the reason I am here.” Mello laughed, tightening his grip around Tim’s shoulder. “You see Lord…” He began his story but stopped the next moment. “How about we all just go and witness the scene by ourselves. I guarantee you will like it.”

“Lead the way, then.”