CHAPTER 94: A new mayor

I sat in a situational meeting with Elle, Orilay, Sebastien and Mr. Papadopoulos. It was a nice morning, we sat inside the fort with the windows open, the sounds of a bustling, growing camp wafting in from outside.

On their own initiative, the dark elves recently decided to decorate the interior of the fort for some reason. There were no more excuses for us not to use it as an office. I had to say the interior felt very earthy, perhaps because I made the walls out of the ground it inspired the elves to decorate it. Every wooden chair, desk and cupboard felt alive, as if plucked like fruit from some furniture tree. I half expected to open a desk draw and find birds nesting in there. The whole place had a forest feel to it, although it lacked some internal decorations like paintings or tapestries.

Sebastien gave me a brief rundown of the camp’s current lumber situation.

“Since releasing the bandits, our wood production significantly improved. We’ll reach your planned production in a moon cycle, no little thanks to your wood mills and post cutting production machines.”

Avoiding the chaos we experienced after introducing all the dark elves at one time, I decided to release the enslaved bandits one by one into the encampment over a period of weeks. Of course, they were quick to claim they were knights of the Berelli Estate, a claim everyone scoffed at when they heard it more than enough times. No one had sympathy for them after hearing what happened at the village. Word had arrived from the surrounding villages of the slaughter there. In fact, it was probably wiser for the ex-knights to shut up if they wanted to have a decent life there. Mr. Papadopoulos added his report.

“We’re doing so well we had to expand the palisade walls on two occasions to make more room for people. That included extending internal roads and services. Thanks to your wells and the water supply aqueduct system from the river, we now have fresh running water. Sewage systems also seem to be coping. I’m just thankful we’re sitting on a hill, that way we could use gravitation to help us move the waste to treatment areas away from the town.”

He inadvertently called us a town. Camp Endeavour looked more like a large town those days. With its fort, stone paved roads, and the dark elves small forest growing near the entrance, I didn’t know what sort of town it was or what to call it.

“We need to give this town a name.”

Trust Elle to read my mind. Orilay confirmed her thoughts.

“You’re right, I think we need to give this place a name. It’s too big to be a woodcutter’s camp and it certainly is more like a trading town now that the villagers use us as a convenient trading post. Heck I swear I saw trading stalls opening along the entrance, when did those open?”

I was getting daily applications for permanent residencies and since I was owner of the camp, they were asking me as if I ran the place. If the trend continued, Obon would soon become a ghost town, something I wanted to avoid at all costs because I had plans for the town. But I couldn’t blame the people either. Camp Endeavour had something Obon didn’t, hope.

Lured by the possibility of finding a lucrative untapped market, a trickle of Shimmerstal merchants set up shop. The steady influx of people necessitated a new boom in lumber cutting for housing which was another problem I needed to address soon. I certainly didn’t want deforestation of the area.

Sebastien brought my thoughts back to the present.

“What about Endeavour. We’ve been calling it Camp Endeavour, but why not just Endeavour now that it’s no longer a camp?”

I didn’t get any opposition. Judging by everyone’s smiles, they all agreed.

“Elle, I’m sure there must be some application we’ll need to make with the palace or some organisation to apply for a town status?”

She nodded.

“And it will need a mayor, have any suggestions?”

Everyone looked at me.

“No. Sorry, I’m out of the picture for that one. I know what you’re thinking but I have other plans I need to fulfil first.”

“Then who?”

“I’m proposing Sebastien.”

“Me?”

He looked a little perplexed. Even Orilay was smiling.

“Yes, you fit all the requirements, you even have the experience of running a camp, far more than anyone here, including me. Besides, haven’t you just asked me for permanent residency?”

“But you’re responsible for everything we see here.”

“That’s a half truth. I only provided the framework, everything else was done by people who wanted to be a part of it. Besides, I’m not going away, but I need the freedom to move. I can be of more benefit to you and this kingdom if I stay mobile, shackling me to this town will eventually kill me.”

They were quiet after that.

“You say you’ll be available?”

Sebastien asked as if clutching at the last straw.

“I founded this town; it will always be a part of me. I wouldn’t abandon it for any reason.”

Sebastien sighed but followed with a smile.

“Then I accept mayorship of Endeavour.”

Of course, that’s when the festivities started, and they only ended three days later. Of course, I insisted on it being partly a music and food festival. I probably handed out more ironwood flutes than I should have, but combined with drums, soon turned the place turned into a cacophony of joyful noise. It wasn’t too bad actually; I could sense talent in some of those players. I certainly wanted to improve musical and artistic talent in our new town called Endeavour. If the sounds of potential talent surprised me, Olivia delivered a bigger one a few days later.

“I’m requesting permission to open an adventurer guild.”

“Huh?”

Olivia’s request came at the end of a busy day.

“Did Sebastien agree to it?”

I confess I found it conveniently easier to pass the buck those days.

“He agrees, but he wanted me to check with you first.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I think it’s a good idea. We need to attract more adventurers and quests. But why do I get the feeling there’s more to it if you’re having to ask me first?”

“Well, it’s the conditions for setting up a guild. It’s the reason why we don’t just have guilds in every town.”

I sensed a big caveat heading my way.

“The town needs to invest five hundred gold as a deposit before the guild will consider opening a branch.”

“Why?”

“It’s a form of guarantee that the town will treat the guild branch seriously. Also, the deposit will never be returned should the guild close for any reason and if it ever reopens, the same amount will be requested.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Flipping heck, they were expensive.

“I’m waiting for the good news?”

“Well, that’s pretty much it. You know most of the rest. I’m sure there will be no problem with your application.”

I didn’t foresee any problems either.

“Oh, there is one benefit. You get all the taxes from the quests and materials sold.”

Bingo. There was my golden fleece. At that moment a flustered looking Mr. Papadopoulos strode into the office. Very unlike him, he skipped all the greeting pleasantries and headed straight to the point.

“Mr. Karosaki. Please consider opening a labour guild branch here.”

I stared bankruptcy in the face, did these people think I just rolled in the money. It turned out he heard about Olivia’s request with Sebastien and realised that he might be too late because I wouldn’t have any money left after considering her request. Opening any guild required money and there was nothing in my pocket. On Schneider’s advice, most of my money was tied up in investment stocks I purchased from the merchant guild when I was in Shimmerstal.

It turned out the labour guild only required one hundred gold, but even then I couldn’t cobble fifty gold together at short notice. I suppose I could make a few kingdom-class weapons or items for sale, but potential buyers purchasing on that scale didn’t grow on trees and it would take time to sell the items. Nonetheless, I would still make a few but then an idea came to mind.

“Elle. When Schneider comes into the office tell him I would like to sell my wood shares to him for the value of starting both guilds.”

“Are you sure you would like to do that? It will push us to the edge of our money reserves.”

“What choice do we have if I want to start the guilds here?”

Eventually I offered the shares to Schneider for the money I needed, it was vitally important that I get the guilds going as soon as possible. Of course, I sold the shares for a future value, more than their present value. I certainly didn’t worry about selling the shares, it had a better future value for me in the form of the guilds.

A few days later Karato walked into my office having just arrived at Endeavour. He came with disturbing news and cut to the chase.

“The king commands you return all the knights you captured from the village back to the Berelli Estate.”

I stared blankly at Karato. In the few weeks I had returned from Shimmerstal something had radically changed.

“That’s a large turnaround. May I ask why, especially since you were captured by them?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, other than it was a command from the king.”

Karato’s wording was loud and clear. If I didn’t know King Leopold better I would say it was totally unlike him, and not how he usually treated me. There was a piece of the puzzle missing but if I ignored him, there would no doubt be a big price to pay. Losing all that manpower at short notice meant our wood production would suffer, and I would need to quickly find a way to recuperate the lost production, especially since I received word that operation pandora moth was proceeding better than planned.

“Very well. I’ll release them at once.”

Karato visibly relaxed. He didn’t look his sunny-side-up self. I felt concerned for him.

“How are you doing Karato?”

“Much better but tired. I haven’t had a lot of sleep since I spoke with the king.”

I guessed his concern about how I would take releasing the slaves got to him.

“You need to trust me more.”

“Then don’t ask me why I can’t sleep well.”

“I tell you what. You can have my booking of the hot bath tonight all to yourself.”

“Hah, now you know how to make a man happy. I think there’s a dark elf lady that fancies me, perhaps she would like to scrub my back and…”

“La, la, la, la, I don’t want to hear it. You’re ruining my bathing experience.”

He left my office laughing at his brilliant idea. Heck, I didn’t even know that the dark elves were romantically interested humans.

I called the guard stationed at my office door. Elle insisted I keep him there for security reasons, I simply found them convenient for running messages so I ended up with two guards in case I sent one out on an errand. Those days guard duty was a dedicated role, no longer relegated to the woodcutters who were better off sticking to their day job, and far more lucrative staying there too. I recognised the guard; I had seen him often enough. He like many others, were normally either retired adventurers or soldiers looking to make some money. We didn’t have the time to train soldiers or the facilities, so retired ones were just fine for the moment. I would make changes later, a decision that would come to haunt me.

“Please assemble all the bandit slaves together at the town square. I want to address them.”

I had an unpleasant job to do, but I wasn't planning to turn them into enemies if they weren't already. I sighed as I headed to the town square. I addressed all the bandit slaves, telling them that they were free to leave and would have their slave collars removed. I kept it short and assured them they would not be harmed. They were to leave immediately, carry three days provisions with them and the items they came to possess while working in Endeavour.

Between themselves, I allowed them to choose a few men I would arm so that they could protect themselves from any monster attacks or for hunting. I warned them if anyone of them attacked or committed a crime before they left the Obon estate there would be subject to lawful action. I didn't explain any further and gave them a short while to gather their things. Soon afterwards a string of men marched out the gates, headed towards the eastern road. It might take them a few days to get home, but I knew they would make back just fine. The town watched them like a parade as they all marched out, except there was no band procession or clapping. The camp suddenly felt empty, I missed them even if they were the scum of the earth only deserving of slavery. Argh, I was too much of a softy.

“Call Orilay and Sebastien to my office, I want to meet with them.”

I said to the guard still staring at the empty road as if expecting the ex-slaves to return for some reason. In my office I spoke to the two of them.

“We are at a critical junction point of project pandora moth and for some reason the king just kicked the chair from underneath us. All it means is that I need to behave a little differently.”

“But how will we cut enough timber?”

“Don’t worry about that, just do your best. In the meanwhile, send word out to the surrounding villages that we’ll pay anyone who can swing an axe or cut planks, five silvers a day if they’re here in fourteen days to cut wood for a minimum of two moon cycles. I don’t care where they come from but tell the chancers they’ll end up worse off if they come here, I’m not in the mood for slackers.”

“I’ll send out riders. How many people do we want?”

“As many that can make it.”

“I’ll arrange some carts to help pick up people from designated spots. It might help them get here faster.”

“I like that spirit!”

I chuckled.

A few days later people started streaming in. Folks from all walks of life stepped through the front gates, gawking at the strange town. If the huge palisade fence with the large name board labelled, Endeavour, didn’t indicate something big, the dark elves and their strange tree houses added some spiciness. Then the paved road leading to the fort on the hill might also have indicated something unusual. Even I had to admit, the exotic atmosphere in Endeavour felt invigorating, as if hope and life collided there. I’m not sure who made the nameboard at the gate, but I thought they did a pretty good job.

From the gate records, where we monitored all people’s movements we determined that we had about a hundred and thirty-two able bodied men, some of them with their families, arrived in Endeavour. The families were quickly offered work with the logistics, but what puzzled them most were the music instruments each had to choose. Despite our recent labour boost, reality quickly visited me in the form of Schneider his presence forewarned by the sudden appearance of Hana who bouncing through the door like a doe in the spring, ran into my arms, embracing me.

“Ho, that’s a pleasant surprise. Did you miss me by any chance?”

I teased her while laughing pleasantly. She softly spoke a few personal words into my ear.

“I missed you. Don’t send me away for so long again.”

I nodded and hugged her back. I missed her.

“Would you like a hug?”

I looked at Schneider who smiled at our warm reunion.

“No, I’ll skip that, although you might not want to hug me when you hear the news I have for you.”

Like the king’s palace I had a set of leather couches in front of my desk. I pointed to the opposite couch as we all sat down. I offered them a cold iced tea, that camp was one of the few that had freezing facilities, something that excited the merchants. Schneider soon explained the situation.

“Lord Berelli complained to the king that you are being under taxed.”

“What?”

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