Chapter 163: The Middleman
The next morning, Aria did something that made Kelme deeply uncomfortable.
She did nothing.
No investigation.
No confrontation.
No accusations.
No dramatic meeting with the Northern Trade Authority.
She simply sat in the council building with a cup of tea and waited.
Kelme stared at her.
Then at the tea.
Then at her again.
"This is disturbing."
Aria didn’t look up from the papers.
"What?"
"You’re sitting."
"Yes."
"Voluntarily."
"Yes."
"For longer than five minutes."
Aria turned a page.
"Do you have a point?"
"I think you’ve been replaced."
Martha, sitting across the table, hid a smile behind her cup.
Aria sighed.
"I’m thinking."
"You’ve been thinking for twenty minutes."
"Good."
"Normally, after five minutes of thinking, you start walking around and threatening someone’s business model."
"I don’t threaten businesses."
"You threatened the baker."
"He was charging us twice the market price."
"You told him his bread was committing economic crimes."
"It was."
Kelme pointed at her.
"See?"
Aria ignored him.
On the table were four documents.
The Northern Trade Authority notice.
Lucan’s supplier’s letter.
The sample clay from Garrick Vale.
And a list of every supplier New Beginning had dealt with since the pottery business began.
Martha looked at the documents.
"You’ve found something."
"Not enough."
"That usually means you’ve found something."
Aria tapped the list.
"We have three different problems."
Kelme leaned forward.
"I’m listening."
"First, the Northern Trade Authority introduced licensing restrictions."
She tapped the first document.
"Second, several northern suppliers stopped shipping because they weren’t licensed."
Second document.
"Third, a southern trader appeared almost immediately after we learned our supply was threatened."
Third document.
Kelme nodded.
"That’s suspicious."
"Potentially."
"Very suspicious."
"Potentially."
"Extremely—"
"Kelme."
He stopped.
"Fine."
Aria looked at Martha.
"What bothers me isn’t that Garrick appeared."
"What is it?"
"He knew we were running low."
Martha nodded.
"And?"
"He shouldn’t."
Martha considered that.
"He could have guessed."
"He could have."
"Or someone told him."
"Yes."
"Or he was watching the market."
"Yes."
Aria leaned back.
"And there’s another possibility."
Kelme raised a finger.
"I’m going to guess."
Aria looked at him.
"No."
"Someone is buying information."
"Yes."
He lowered his finger.
"That was my second guess."
"No, it wasn’t."
"It was emotionally my second guess."
Martha laughed.
Aria pointed at the fourth document.
"This is what matters."
It was a copy of New Beginning’s recent pottery orders.
Five hundred pieces.
Two hundred plates.
Forty cups.
The dates.
The quantities.
The delivery expectations.
All written neatly.
"Who has access to this information?" Aria asked.
Martha answered immediately.
"The council."
"Lucan."
"Yes."
"Darius."
"Yes."
"Merchants who negotiated with us."
"Yes."
"Workers?"
"Some."
"Inspectors?"
"Tomas knows our production capacity."
Aria nodded.
"Anyone who has visited the workshop could estimate our output."
Kelme looked toward the door.
"So half the region knows."
"Not exactly."
Aria tapped the table.
"They know we’re growing."
She tapped the order sheet.
"They don’t necessarily know we’re down to seven days of clay."
Silence.
Martha’s expression became serious.
"That’s the important part."
"Yes."
---
By noon, Aria had called the council together.
Everyone came.
Duke.
Martha.
Kelme.
Several council members.
The settlement’s senior workers.
Even Tomas, the independent inspector, was invited.
Aria placed the clay sample in the center of the table.
"This is from a southern supplier."
Tomas picked it up.
"Good quality."
"Better than ours?"
"Possibly."
"Worth the price?"
He looked at the merchant’s quoted amount.
"No."
Kelme nodded.
"Finally, someone agrees with Aria."
Aria glanced at him.
"Don’t ruin it."
Tomas continued.
"The clay is good, but the price is inflated."
"How much?"
"Perhaps thirty to forty percent above what I’d consider reasonable."
Aria nodded.
"That confirms one thing."
Duke leaned forward.
"What?"
"The shortage has created an opportunity."
"For whom?"
"That is what we need to discover."
Tomas looked at the sample again.
"There is something else."
Aria looked at him.
"The clay is processed."
"What does that mean?"
"It has already been cleaned and prepared."
"Is that unusual?"
"For raw clay?"
"Yes."
"How much work does that save?"
"Quite a lot."
Tomas rubbed the sample between his fingers.
"If the price is high because of processing, that’s one thing."
He looked toward Aria.
"But if the supplier is charging this much simply because northern supply has been restricted..."
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t need to.
Martha did.
"Then someone is profiting from the restriction."
Duke shook his head.
"Not necessarily the Authority."
Everyone looked at him.
He continued.
"Prices rise when supply falls. That’s normal."
Aria nodded.
"I know."
"Then don’t confuse a market reaction with manipulation."
"I won’t."
Duke studied her.
"Good."
Aria looked at the sample.
"But there’s still one question."
"What?"
"How did Garrick know exactly when to arrive?"
---
They started with the easiest answer.
They asked Garrick.
Unfortunately, Garrick wasn’t there.
He had already left.
That was annoying.
Very annoying.
Aria stood at the road watching his wagon disappear in the distance.
Kelme stood beside her.
"You know what I think?"
"No."
"He knew we’d ask."
"Maybe."
"And he left before we could."
"Maybe."
Kelme looked at her.
"You’re really committed to not jumping to conclusions."
"It’s becoming a lifestyle."
They watched the wagon vanish behind a hill.
Then Martha approached.
"He wasn’t the only one."
Aria turned.
"What?"
"Two other merchants passed through this morning."
"What were they selling?"
"Metal tools."
"Anything else?"
"Information."
Aria’s eyes narrowed.
"What kind?"
Martha handed her a note.
"Prices."
Aria read it.
"Clay."
"Yes."
"How many merchants asked about clay?"
"Three."
"When?"
"Since yesterday."
Kelme’s expression changed.
"That’s not normal."
"No," Aria said.
"It isn’t."
---
That afternoon, Aria went to the market.
Not as the leader of New Beginning.
Not as a negotiator.
Just as a customer.
Martha came with her.
Kelme came because Aria refused to let him wander around alone.
Duke stayed behind.
The market had become busier since construction on the road began.
That was already changing things.
More carts.
More merchants.
More travelers.
More opportunities.
More information.
Aria stopped at a spice stall.
"What’s the price of northern clay?"
The merchant shrugged.
"Depends."
"On what?"
"Supplier."
"Average?"
He gave her a number.
Aria thanked him and moved on.
Next stall.
Same question.
Different answer.
Third.
Different again.
Fourth.
Much higher.
She noticed something.
The prices weren’t random.
They were spreading.
Merchants weren’t simply responding to shortage.
They were responding to what other merchants were charging.
That meant information was moving quickly.
Very quickly.
Aria stopped walking.
"Martha."
"Yes?"
"Where did these merchants get their prices?"
"From other merchants."
"Exactly."
She looked around the market.
Everyone was talking.
Not loudly.
Just enough.
A trader discussing road fees.
Another discussing transport licenses.
Someone complaining about northern restrictions.
Another announcing that a supplier had stopped shipping.
Information was flowing through the market like water.
Aria smiled.
Kelme noticed.
"That smile worries me."
"I know where to look."
"Where?"
"Not the supplier."
She turned around.
"The middleman."
---
That evening, Aria returned to the council building with a list.
Not of suppliers.
Of traders.
People who bought from producers and sold to settlements.
People who knew what was available.
People who knew what was scarce.
People who knew which businesses were desperate.
People who knew exactly when to raise prices.
Martha read the list.
"You’ve identified six."
"Six major ones."
"Which one?"
Aria pointed.
"This one."
Edric Hall.
Martha frowned.
"I know him."
"From where?"
"He’s been trading through this region for years."
"Reputation?"
"Complicated."
Kelme leaned over the paper.
"That’s merchant language for ’I don’t trust him but I can’t prove anything.’"
Martha smiled.
"Exactly."
Aria circled his name.
"What does he sell?"
"Anything."
"That’s not useful."
"Metal. Cloth. Grain. Tools. Clay. Medicine. Whatever the market needs."
Aria stared at the name.
"That’s useful."
"How?"
"He doesn’t need to control one product."
Martha understood.
"He controls information."
"Exactly."
Kelme looked confused.
"So he’s a gossip?"
Aria shook her head.
"No."
She pointed at the list.
"A merchant who trades everything can learn what everyone needs."
Martha nodded.
"And who is desperate."
"And who has stock."
"And who is running out."
"And who is willing to pay more."
Kelme’s eyes widened.
"Oh."
Aria smiled.
"Exactly."
---
The next morning, they visited Edric Hall.
His shop was located near the new road.
It was larger than Aria expected.
Not beautiful.
Not luxurious.
Efficient.
Shelves covered nearly every wall.
Cloth.
Rope.
Tools.
Metal.
Containers.
Seeds.
Dried food.
Small sacks of raw materials.
Everything arranged neatly.
Edric himself stood behind the counter.
He was a broad man in his fifties with gray hair and the relaxed expression of someone who had spent decades watching people negotiate against themselves.
When Aria entered, he smiled.
"New Beginning."
Aria stopped.
"You know me."
"Everyone knows you."
Kelme muttered.
"That sentence is becoming annoying."
Edric laughed.
"I’ve heard about you."
"What have you heard?"
"That you built a settlement from nothing."
Aria didn’t react.
"And?"
"That you are stubborn."
Kelme nodded.
"Accurate."
"That you don’t like investors."
"Also accurate."
"That you negotiate every contract."
"Usually."
"And that you ask too many questions."
Aria smiled.
"Definitely accurate."
Edric laughed.
"Sit."
They did.
Martha remained standing.
Aria preferred it that way.
"What can I do for you?"
"Clay."
Edric’s smile remained.
"I have some."
"How much?"
"Enough."
"Price?"
He named one.
Aria immediately knew it was inflated.
"You’ve raised your price."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Supply."
"You haven’t purchased new clay."
"No."
"You already had it."
"Yes."
"So your cost didn’t increase."
Edric smiled.
"My opportunity did."
Aria stared at him.
That was honest.
Annoyingly honest.
Martha spoke.
"Do you have a license to transport it?"
"Yes."
"Where did you obtain it?"
"Southern authority."
"Recently?"
"Yes."
Aria leaned forward.
"When?"
Edric gave the date.
Aria’s eyes narrowed.
That date was two days before Garrick had appeared.
Interesting.
"Who told you New Beginning needed clay?"
Edric laughed.
"Everyone."
"That’s not an answer."
"It’s the truth."
"Who specifically?"
Edric looked at her for a long moment.
Then he smiled.
"You’re trying to find a villain."
"No."
Aria’s voice was calm.
"I’m trying to find a reason."
That made him pause.
She continued.
"If the Northern Trade Authority changes the rules, suppliers suffer."
"Yes."
"If suppliers suffer, merchants adjust."
"Yes."
"If merchants adjust, prices rise."
"Yes."
"If prices rise, settlements like mine have three choices."
She held up three fingers.
"Pay."
"Stop production."
"Or find alternatives."
Edric nodded.
"You understand the market."
"I’m learning."
"And you’re afraid."
Aria frowned.
"Of what?"
"That your settlement is becoming dependent."
Silence.
That sentence hit harder than she expected.
Edric leaned back.
"You’re building pottery."
"Yes."
"You’re building roads."
"Yes."
"You’re attracting merchants."
"Yes."
"You’ve accepted contracts larger than some established workshops."
Aria didn’t respond.
Edric continued.
"And now you need raw materials."
He spread his hands.
"That’s not a conspiracy."
"No."
"It’s business."
Aria looked at him.
"Then tell me something."
"What?"
"Why did three merchants ask about our clay supply before we asked anyone for help?"
Edric’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Martha noticed.
So did Kelme.
Aria leaned forward.
"You know something."
Edric sighed.
"Not what you think."
"Then tell me."
He looked toward the window.
"Someone has been asking about New Beginning."
"Who?"
"I don’t know."
"That’s not good enough."
"I don’t know their name."
"Then describe them."
Edric hesitated.
"Two people."
"Men?"
"One man."
"And?"
"A woman."
Aria’s expression tightened.
"What did they ask?"
"Your production."
"Why?"
"Whether you could fulfill your contracts."
"Anything else?"
"They asked how much clay you had."
There it was.
Aria’s face became still.
"Why?"
Edric shook his head.
"I don’t know."
"Did they mention the Northern Trade Authority?"
"No."
"The Southern Crafts Guild?"
"No."
"Lord Valen?"
"No."
"Lucan?"
Edric paused.
Aria noticed.
"Lucan?"
"I said no."
"You hesitated."
"Because I was thinking."
"About Lucan?"
Edric looked annoyed.
"You’re very difficult."
"So I’ve been told."
He sighed.
"Lucan’s name came up."
Aria’s eyes hardened.
"What did they say?"
"They asked whether he was still supplying you."
"Why?"
"I don’t know."
"Did they ask when he would return?"
"Yes."
"When?"
"Yesterday."
Kelme exchanged a glance with Martha.
Aria stood.
"Thank you."
Edric blinked.
"That’s it?"
"For now."
"You’re not buying the clay?"
"No."
He smiled.
"Good."
Aria stopped.
"Why?"
"Because I think you’ll find another source."
She studied him.
"And if I don’t?"
"Then you’ll come back."
Aria smiled.
"Maybe."
She walked toward the door.
Edric called after her.
"Aria."
She turned.
"Be careful who you blame."
She nodded.
"I don’t blame people."
She opened the door.
"I verify them."
---
They didn’t speak until they were several streets away.
Kelme finally broke the silence.
"So."
Aria continued walking.
"Lucan."
"Maybe."
"He knew about the supply issue."
"Probably."
"He left before the merchants arrived."
"Yes."
"People asked about him."
"Yes."
"And he was involved in the information chain."
"Possibly."
Kelme frowned.
"That’s a lot of possibly."
"Because we don’t have proof."
Martha looked at Aria.
"What happens now?"
Aria stopped.
For the first time since the clay problem began, she smiled.
"Now we stop asking everyone what they know."
Kelme looked confused.
"What do we ask?"
Aria pointed toward the road.
"We ask where Lucan went."
---
They found him two days later.
Not at the eastern market.
Not at a supplier.
Not at a merchant house.
At a small roadside inn nearly half a day’s travel from New Beginning.
Lucan was sitting alone at a table.
When he saw Aria enter, he stood immediately.
His expression told her everything.
He had been expecting them.
Aria walked toward him.
"Lucan."
"Aria."
Martha stood behind her.
Kelme stayed near the door.
Aria sat.
"You left without telling us."
Lucan slowly sat down.
"I had business."
"With whom?"
"Suppliers."
"Which suppliers?"
He didn’t answer.
Aria leaned forward.
"You told us your northern supplier suspended shipments."
"Yes."
"You didn’t tell us you were negotiating with another supplier."
Lucan’s expression tightened.
"I wasn’t."
"Then why are you here?"
Silence.
Finally, Lucan sighed.
"Because I was trying to solve the problem."
"What problem?"
"The clay shortage."
"By doing what?"
Lucan looked at her.
"Buying stock before the price rose."
Aria’s eyes narrowed.
"For whom?"
Lucan didn’t answer.
Martha’s face changed.
"For yourself?"
"Yes."
Kelme muttered:
"That is usually the part people should mention before the mysterious disappearance."
Lucan ignored him.
Aria sat very still.
"How much?"
"What?"
"How much clay did you buy?"
Lucan hesitated.
"Enough."
Aria smiled.
"That’s a word I am beginning to hate."
Lucan finally answered.
"Enough to cover several months of your production."
The room went silent.
Aria stared at him.
"You bought our clay."
"I bought clay."
"Because you knew we would need it."
"Yes."
"You planned to sell it to us."
Lucan didn’t answer.
Aria stood.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then:
"How much were you going to charge?"
Lucan looked away.
That was answer enough.
Aria slowly nodded.
"So that’s the game."
"No."
Lucan stood.
"You’re misunderstanding."
"Then explain."
"The restrictions created uncertainty."
"Yes."
"I saw an opportunity."
"Yes."
"I bought stock."
"Yes."
"And I intended to sell it."
"To us."
"Yes."
"At a higher price."
"Yes."
Aria’s voice remained calm.
"You weren’t trying to destroy New Beginning."
"No."
"You weren’t working with the Authority."
"No."
"You weren’t secretly trying to control the settlement."
"No."
"You were trying to profit from our shortage."
Lucan looked at her.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then Aria laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because suddenly the entire situation made sense.
The restrictions.
The sudden merchants.
The inflated prices.
The information.
The supplier.
Lucan.
It wasn’t one giant conspiracy.
It was something much more ordinary.
A market opportunity.
And everyone was trying to decide how much of New Beginning’s growth they could capture.
Aria sat again.
"Show me your contract."
Lucan blinked.
"What?"
"The purchase contract."
He slowly reached into his coat.
Aria read it.
Then she smiled.
"Interesting."
Martha leaned over.
"What?"
Aria pointed at a paragraph.
"Your supplier included a resale restriction."
Lucan’s expression changed.
"They can’t sell directly to our settlement for ninety days."
Aria looked up.
"But they can sell through approved intermediaries."
Lucan nodded.
"That’s why I bought it."
Aria tapped the contract.
"And the Authority approved the route?"
"Yes."
"Then we have our answer."
Martha frowned.
"Which is?"
Aria folded the contract.
"The restrictions aren’t targeting us."
She looked at Lucan.
"But they created a system where people with capital can buy scarce supplies and resell them through approved channels."
Lucan said nothing.
Aria stood.
"And you thought we would have no choice but to pay."
Lucan sighed.
"I thought you would understand."
Aria smiled.
"Oh, I understand."
She handed the contract back.
"That’s why we’re not buying your clay."
Lucan stared at her.
"What?"
"We’ll find another source."
"You have seven days."
"Then we’ll use seven days."
"Your contracts—"
"We’ll fulfill them."
"You can’t produce five hundred pieces without clay."
Aria walked toward the door.
"Then we’ll change how we produce them."
Lucan looked confused.
"How?"
Aria stopped.
She looked back at him.
"That is no longer your problem."
And she walked out.
Kelme followed.
Martha came last.
Outside, Kelme stared at Aria.
"You have absolutely no idea how you’re going to solve this."
"No."
He nodded.
"Good."
She looked at him.
"Why is that good?"
"Because for a moment I thought you’d become one of those terrifying people who always have a plan."
Aria smiled.
"I have a plan."
Kelme’s smile disappeared.
"Oh no."
Aria looked toward the distant hills.
"We’re going to find our own clay."
Martha nodded.
"And if we can’t?"
Aria looked back at New Beginning.
"Then we’ll find something else to make."
Kelme blinked.
"We’re a pottery settlement."
"Not anymore."
She began walking.
"We’re a settlement."
The road stretched before them.
The unfinished road.
The new road.
The road that had started all of this.
And for the first