10 - Chapter 9 - Day 1751
Adya had spent the previous afternoon and evening preparing. Her retainers had been making sure everything was ready for a long day trip.
The carriage was ready, Philip, Dexter and Sally waited for Adya. 10 mounted guards would be accompanying them to and from the city, however only 2 guards would be permitted into the city itself. This rule was instituted to stop armed militias following every noble and wealthy scion. It also stopped them from causing too much trouble as any one group could be stopped by a coalition of only 2 or 3 others. It was meant as a check on power. Sometimes it worked, but some families were too powerful to be checked.
Adya had prepared a pouch with 100 of her mana stones, about 10 golds worth, she wanted to see the effect of converting the stones to silver and gold. Of course she could take out as much as she wanted from her storage, however she didn't want to risk the ability leaking. It's why she had a small mace under her dress next to her leg, even though she had her longer weapons in storage. There were no such things as storage bags or rings in this world, not that anyone had heard of anyway. When she had asked about it, people had laughed at the notion of it being possible. Her own family's business would change completely if one person could carry everything on their finger!
Adya mounted the carriage with Philip and Sally following behind her. Dexter mounted his own horse and they set off for the city. The city was around an hour from the estate, depending on traffic and road conditions she had been told. As the carriage settled at a good pace, Adya looked out on the road outside her estate for the first time.
They were still technically on part of their own lands. The estate was surrounded by farms that provided food for both the estate and for trade. The farms were managed by hand by people employed for the task, with a few oxen used for the heavier work. It was so strange for her to see farming being done by mortals after her memories of both the technical and more magical farming methods. It was quaint in a way, but Adya thought the rudimentary mentors would reduce yields to 10 to 15%. Something else to think about in the future. After around 10 mins they passed beyond the last of the farms. The road, not much more than a compacted dirt track, ran through a lightly wooded area.
This was the most dangerous part of the route, as bandits could use the trees for cover. Thankfully they didn't have to deal with any bandits on the way out. The woods were cooler and the verdant canopy provided a kaleidoscope of picturesque views, only spoiled by the poor condition of the road.
“Phillipa, please make a note that we need to get this road fixed properly all the way to the city.” said Adya as she watched the scenery go by.
After about 40 mins, they exited the woods and joined up with other trails that eventually led to a road. It was brick and stone, but uneven and not well maintained. The carriage joined the road and had to slow down to avoid damage. Adya really was not impressed. She had been expecting so much more from how the books described things. She just shook her head and continued to watch the scene out of the window. By now the road was quite busy, so they slowed even further.
After another 20 minutes they finally reached the walls of the city. The walls were made of stone and around the height of a 2 story building. The walls were wide enough for 2 men to walk side by side. Adya could see patrols on the walls. The road led to an opening in the walls that had 3 gates set into it. There were two gates for carriages, one for commoners and one for the more affluent, and one gate for people on foot. Guards were checking who was going in and out.
Adyas' group joined the queue for the second gate. Soon they were up to the guard house. 2 guards in armour and carrying swords were checking the carriages and making notes. One of the guards spoke to Dexter briefly, looked into the carriage, then reminded Dexter about the 2 guard rule. Then they were inside the walls.
The outer area near the walls was kept clear of rubbish and seemed to be in good repair. There was a barracks on this side, and her entourage with the horses went towards it. The 2 guards that were accompanying them stood on the back of the carriage and Dexter joined the girls inside the carriage.
“Where are we going first Ms Adya?” asked Dexter.
“Let’s find a money changer. I want to exchange some mana stones and see the process.” replied Adya, "then we can go towards a market.”
Dexter nodded at the instructions then instructed the driver.
“Are there any good book shops or places that sell magical items?” asked Adya.
“I think we can find a few things in Artificers Row.” replied Philippa having been to the city on errands previously.
The traffic in the city was even worse, the carriage crawled along slowly. Once they reached the trading quarter, the driver parked behind a row of carriages and everyone got out.
Adya stepped down into the street, and was not impressed. Though the road was stone, there was too much detritus accumulated on the roads. She was glad she had donned trousers under the dress, and the dress was cut short to keep the hem out of the street.
Adya followed the group towards a paved square that was surrounded by shops. There were the typical mix of shops, from tailors, to household goods, groceries, a few others. On the corner, a largeish store had a sign advertising jewellery, precious metals and currency exchange. They had large armed guards outside. As the group approached the entrance one of the guards stepped up and informed them that armed guards were not permitted inside.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The guards waited outside while the four others entered. The store guards did give them a look over, but decided not to stop them.
A female attendant walked up to them, accessed all four then spoke to Dexter. “How may we serve you today Sir.”
“I am accompanying my charge.” replied Dexter pointing at Adya.
Seeing him point to a little girl, the attendant changed her focus. After noting the mark of a merchant family on the retainers, the girl asked Adya “How may we help today Miss?”
Adya looked up at the attendant, a little annoyed at being ignored at first. “I need to exchange some mana stones for coins.” stated Adya. “Can you facilitate?”
The attendant, surprised at how Adya sounded, took a moment to collect herself. “Of…Of Course Miss. How many stones were you looking to exchange today? Please be aware that we charge a small fee on transactions below 10 stones.”
“Not an issue. I am looking to exchange 100 stones today. I would like a mix of coin in exchange.” replied Adya.
The attendant was truly shocked. This young girl had 100 mana stones!
“I think 8 gold, 195 silver and 500 copper would be a good mix of coinage,” said Adya, getting impatient at how the attendant was acting.
The attendant visibly pulled herself together, and went off to a counter. She then explained the situation to the male attendant, whispering it to him. The mans’ eyes rose in surprise.
The man came out from behind the counter. “Greetings Miss, I understand you have a significant number of stones to exchange. May I inspect a few to ensure they are genuine. It’s not often we get such a number exchanged at once”
“Well that depends, can you actually complete the exchange. Do you have the coinage in stock?” demanded Adya.
“Of course, of course, this way please.” he led Adya to a seating area. Area produced 2 stones from her pouch and handed them to Philipa to place on the counter.
The man took a strange looking scale, similar to a digital scale from the modern world, from behind the counter and placed each stone on it one at a time. The result must have been satisfactory as his face split into a wide smile.
“ You asked for 8 gold, 195 silver and 500 copper, correct?” asked the man.
“Yes, that is correct. Also what volume of stones can you exchange and at what frequency.” replied Adya.
The man was taken aback by the question. The store would do maybe 10 to 20 stones in a day on a busy day. This girl was already exchanging more than he would do in half a month, and she was asking how much he could do and how often. Just who was she, where could she get so many stones.
“Just how many stones do you have access to?” he breathed out.
“I believe I asked you a question?” turning to Dexter she said, “I thought you said this was the biggest money exchanger in this city?”
The man was not happy at Adya talking down to him, but held his tongue.
“I can manage around 100 stones a week, however that would be to gold. Generally we don't carry that much silver or copper.” replied the man.
“Please make arrangements for today's transaction and I will think about the rest.” said Adya.
While the man went off to make the arrangements, Adya sat there thinking. That was a disappointment. The shop could hardly exchange any stones for her. She would need to make arrangements to sell directly to a sect or magic guild. That would come with complications, like explaining where the stones came from and how they were all so uniform in size. This would require some thinking and planning.
At least she could make arrangements for Phillipa to regularly exchange for 10 gold every week from this shop. By splitting the exchange between several shops she should be able to start to build up some liquid capital. Why couldn't this be easier? As they waited for the exchange to happen, the female attendant offered some refreshments which they all refused.
Finally the man came back with pouches. Adya asked Phillipa to check the coins, and once she was happy with the count, Adya handed over her pouch of mana stones.
The man checked each stone on the scale and was only satisfied when they had all passed.
“What is your name?” asked Adya.
“Greg Miss.” replied the now very happy man.
“Can we speak in private Greg?” asked Adya.
“Sure.” he replied and led them to a small office in the back of the shop.
“Can you be discreet Greg? I am looking for someone to regularly exchange stones.” said a very serious Adya. “However, I am looking for someone who can be discreet and keep their mouth shut. Is that you?”
Greg gulped. He wanted the deal, but something about this little girl was scaring him. “I can..I can keep quiet.” he said eventually.
“Dexter will come and see you, with my guards. He won't be coming to your shop as I don't want him to be noticed. She will meet you at the inn for a drink.” said Adya. “The transaction will be for 10 gold once a week. If there are any issues, or if anyone finds out what we are doing, I will place the blame at your feet and expect you to make good. Is that acceptable to you?” Adya let out a little bit of killing intent at the man, and watched him go pale.
“Yes..yes, I can do that.” replied a shaken Greg. Just who the hell was this girl and what was that feeling just now.
“When can you make the first exchange?” asked Adya.
“In 2 days,” replied the man.
Adya looked at Dexter. He also had questions about how the little Miss could get so many stones. He nodded at her unasked question.
Adya stood and walked out. Now to see what was available in this city!