5. A Foothold

Mercurius left his morning residence, confident and relaxed. The thought of placing his cum inside two women, tantalising to him as it was to them. He nonetheless focused on the logistics of his operations.

I have slightly less than 700 gold coins, enough to do a lot of things. Those old men spent some of it, I know that much.

He teleported to his God of Trade sympathisers, taking a significant amount of coin.

“I need to do some trading,” he told them.

“We need to get out of the city, some are saying there might be a siege soon,” Mardonius kindly informed Mercurius.

“Really? How do you know?”

“I’m not 100% sure, but people are whispering about it,” Mardonius said.

“Oh, here by the way,” Salutius said, showing a few iron and bronze statuettes.

Salutius grinned at the creations.

“Thank you, this will make my life easier,” Mercurius said.

He now had a total of 12 statues, producing 12 Trade Points a second, this made teleportation much simpler. The God Power

“It’s…” never mind, it’s best I don’t say. Mercurius thought. It’s not quite enough.

“It’s what?” Salutius asked.

“Nothing. Thank you my friend, I appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” Salutius nodded, “so where are you going to trade now?”

“Zong and the Raja states are my best clients,” Mercurius said, “they have deep pockets and endless desire for goods.”

Mercurius disappeared in the heart of the blacksmith.

“It’s still freaky he can do that,” Salutius said.

“It’s part of the power,” Mardonius said, “but yeah I agree.”

Mercurius spent the morning circulating between the Balna mines, Zhong state’s markets and the money changers of both, and then of course the smithy where he deposited his coin. At some point he ran out of trade points, having accumulated some 500 Zhong gold coins. He bought a coffee in Zhong. The language of Zhong was difficult, but thankfully he merely concerned himself with numbers, coins and commerce. Drinking a coffee, a man approached him, wondering about Mercurius’s story.

“Who are you?”

“Just a trader,”

“I recognise the accent, you are from Byz aren’t you? Me too!”

“Right,” Mercurius said, “what are you doing here?”

The abrupt nature of the question made the man smile in mirth at the brazenness, the man was friendly to Mercurius.

“I am a Church of Order missionary, Zhong has enormous amount of people, I am evangelising to them.”

“Church of Order? Do they exist in Byz?”

“They have a small quarter in the city,” the man said.

“Really?”

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“10% of the city, Church of Light has 20% the rest are Church of Truth,” the missionary explained.

“Goodness, the more you know.”

“You know it’s the year 570 and yet Byz likes to pretend that they’re still an imperial power. The Church of Light is growing too powerful, Asur, Peria and the Northern Kingdoms want me to evangelise to the Zhong, hopefully keep the Church of Light countries busy. A counter balance,” the missionary explained.

Although what the missionary was saying was interesting, he was talking too much, both in a literal sense, but also arousing the suspicion of local Zhong officials. Spies looked at the missionary with great suspicion and distrust.

“I am but a mere trader,” Mercurius said, “but thank you for the run down on global events.”

“I hear Moru might try invade Peria. It all looks rather bleak. The Raja states look like they’re turning toward the Church of Light, very few pagans left there.”

“Right…” Mercurius said, again cautious of saying too much.

He sipped his coffee, the black haired, thin eyed Zhong people were bustling everywhere, people eating street food, and shouting for wares. The missionary nodded a goodbye.

“Thank you, it is nice to see some of my own nationality.”

“Likewise,” Mercurius said, although I do not share your politics. Nonetheless Church of Order Byz man. Fascinating.

He disappeared down a street before heading to the Northern Kingdom’s timber yards, he bought a lot of timber and disappeared to one of the Raja states. Prothu was a pagan Raja state, he sold them wood, which were soon fletched into arrows, much of it going to shipbuilding. One of their cities that was under siege greatly appreciated the wood that could be made into arrows. Mercurius sold his wood to other Raja states, collecting gold coins throughout the early afternoon. 500 Raja gold coins. He sat in the smithy with his friends, discussing what should be his next movements.

“I have made 1000 gold coins, I still need to exchange them for Balna coins.”

“Does the King even have that amount of coins?” Salutius asked with full curiosity.

“Probably, he collects taxes right?” Mercurius mused.

“I made 8 more statues for you,” we have hidden them in the back, no need to invite unnecessary attention,” Salutius said.

“Sure, any news on politics?”

“Emperor Basil is going to give more coins, the crisis is averted, but maybe only for a year.”

“I hear Asur might wage war on Balna,” Mardonius said.

How does he get this information? I do wonder about that, what a wily old man.

“There’s a bar in town where men talk a bit too much,” Salutius said, I hear Poltu is going to invade Locus, you know the little Church of Order island nation.”

“Goodness me, war is abound.”

“That is how most make their fortunes…” Mardonius mused wistfully.

“May the God Of Trade protect us,” Mercurius said.

He tapped the statues and continued his trading. He went to various Balna money changers, 20 Trade Points a second was a great boon and allowed him to trade more frequently.

I have good allies. Wood or iron, what else could I possibly trade?

He bought abundant Lori fish and sold it in the markets of the Prothu city under siege, it made him a few coins, but he soon reverted to selling wood to the Raja states, and increasingly Zhong, who in fact in some cities offered him better prices. Construction was endless in Zhong, their Emperor wanting to create more forts to prevent nomadic polities from invading and raiding. There again Mercurius found very willing clients. Nomadic people offered him gold aplenty for wood and iron which he dutifully provided. The nomadic peoples’ became his best clients, but he noticed he had already 600 gold coins, putting him well within the 2000 gold requirement. 690, 1000 and now a further 600. He exchanged them for Balnan currency and went to the office to propose the same offer he had said before.

“Don’t joke with me, I am too old to fall for pranks,” was the clerks honest response.

“Where should I put the coins?” Mercurius honestly brokered.

The man raised his glasses off his nose, looking at Mercurius with astonishment and incredulity.

“Are you…” for real. It was obvious what he wanted to say, and Mercurius could read the thoughts off his head.

All the coins were collected into large bags put onto wheelbarrows in the smithy.

“You haven’t stolen too much I hope?” Mercurius said, eyes totally filled with prepared rage.

“I didn’t take anything,” Salutius said, “we know how important it is.”

“A bit,” Mardonius admitted, “but only to make the statues.”

Mercurius went from annoyed to nodding his head in understanding. He could not fault the logic, and soon he came to the clerk with the required coin. Putting the coins near the clerk’s desk.

“I want it in writing,” Mercurius demanded.

“Of, of, of course,” the clerk stuttered, “but just know it is up to a king’s magistrate to decide where your land will be.”

“What?” Mercurius said, “that’s outrageous.”

“I don’t make the rules kid, I just tell you them.”

Mercurius grasped his nasal bridge and sighed.

“Fine,” Mercurius finally said, “so how long will this take?”

“A day or two,”

“A day or two?” Mercurius whispered breathlessly.

“Then you will be a Baron of Balna. Tcht, be grateful, I don’t know how you did it, but buying your own title, that’s the first I’ve heard of it. The King made it basically impossible, even if you were some merchant lord or something, they prefer bigger countries. Zhong, maybe one of the Raja states. Anyway, good day fine sir.” S

“Good day.”

Mercurius rested with his remaining 290 gold coins at the smithy, he ate a meal in a local Byz tavern with his friends, waiting for bureaucracy to give him his land he had bought and paid for.