“I accept.” Lord Black said, standing up and extending his hand.
“Good. Then would everyone here like some lasagna?” Lawrence said, standing up, clapping his hands.
“Ooh! I would love that!” Jacob said loudly, pounding his fist on the end table to signal hid approval while Roland nodded sagely, “A lasagna after a tough negotiation is always good.”
“What is a lasagna?” Kaisenberg asked loudly, echoing the sentiments of Lord Black and Johannes.
“Just a cuisine from Singapore. Will you stay for dinner?” Lawrence asked, beaming. His cooking skill was not pumped to the maximum for nothing.
“Very well, I always loved food anyway,” Johannes said happily and Lord Black allowed himself the first sip of wine for the night. He had leapt past a hurdle at last.
However, even as the guests feasted on the traditional dish from Italy, Johannes and Roland continued to talk out the terms of the agreement.
To sum it up simply, it was as follows:
1. A trading tax of 5% (to coincide with any raises and falls from Ludium, subject to the approval of Lord Edward Black and Lawrence Carstein) will be levied on traders bearing goods to trade within Tears/Black Bay Village valued at 1500 Gold Coins and above.
2. A Bread & Butter tax of 10% will be levied on the value of sales of dairy products from The Guardians’ Bakery, which will increase gradually over the next 5 years to reach 25%.
3. Lawrence will inject 50,000 gold coins as a loan into Edward Black’s treasury and the gold will be escorted by a legion of heavy knights and footmen.
4. The investment of 50,000 gold coins will carry a three percent interest yearly at a compounded rate, to be paid back over a period of ten years.
5. Lord Black will formally anoint Lawrence as a knight and make him a member of the House of Black. However, Lawrence shall not be bound to:
1. Lawrence is not bound to take part in knightly missions that would otherwise be considered necessary to take part in
2. Lawrence will not be paid a stipend from the Black treasury. His pay will come from the management of Tears as he sees fit as long as all tax obligations are met
3. Lawrence will be allowed to withdraw from the House of Black if he deems that what they do is against his teachings and morals without prior notice
The fifth point was a massive contention between Kaisenberg and Roland, with the former arguing that knights had a sacred duty in these lands and the latter answering that Lawrence was already bound to his order as a Guardian and was merely, in his own words, ‘doing them a favour’
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
As the rest made merry inside Lawrence’s cabin, the man from another world, well, Lawrence, stepped out, bathing himself in the moonlight which glowed through the gaps of branches and leaves. Sitting in the rocking chair outside, he sighed as he watched Tears from where he sat.
He breathed in deeply. As a marketing executive by profession, he had no idea what he could or could not do properly in this world.
He has been aided by the body of David Brood, his character from the game. In all parts, he looked exactly as David Brood has, Lawrence had wondered what if he had died from the surge while creating a new character to play in. He would start from level 5 and be lacking in skills of any form.
Taking a deep breath, Lawrence gazed at the owl that hooted happily atop a branch.
“I hope that one day, we can converse with two honest men.”
Lawrence turned his head slightly to see Lord Black standing there, closing the door behind him to mute out the din.
“I’m always honest. It is all up to you.” Lawrence replied and there was no reply from Edward.
“That is good. Perhaps we can after all.” Edward replied.
“I will personally escort the gold as well. I wanted to see how Everett is like.” Lawrence said after a moment of silence and there was an appreciative nod from Edward, who sat down on the ground beside Lawrence.
“This world is so full of tyranny, blood and the sadness of the people. I hope to be a lord like my father who wished to change all that.”
Edward’s father, Lord Roderick Black was known for his kindness and benevolent rule, as was Edward’s grandfather, Lord Ivan Black.
However, as the King in his high castle seats atop mountains of gold extorted from his subjects, the nobles increased their taxation in order to keep up with the king’s preposterous demands for gold.
“I’m sure if you really wanted to be a good man, no one can stop you, Lord Black. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself.” Lawrence replied, borrowing a quote from Roosevelt, which he felt quite apt in this situation. Roosevelt took over the reins of leadership in the midst of the Great Depression, which he felt was similar to Lord Black’s position, where he is struggling to revitalize the local economy amidst heavy tax burdens.
“What are you?”
Lawrence turned to look at Edward Black who was staring at him.
“Lawrence Carstein, the first of his name, do you guys say that here? Yeah. What else do you want?” Lawrence asked, suddenly weary.
“No. Not particularly.” Edward said as a silence fell between the two.
“Tell me, Lord Black, what do you want? What do you really want? That is the important thing.” Lawrence said, mimicking a particularly short character in one of his favourite TV shows.
“Would it be too naïve to say that I want every family to go on a full stomach in winter? Bandits fear to harass my land? Intellectuals educating my citizens?”
“No. No, it is not. Perhaps you may even see it happen if you try enough.”