Chapter 159: The Contract
Aria stood at the entrance of New Beginning.
Twenty guards.
That was the first thing she noticed.
Not twenty merchants.
Not twenty workers.
Twenty guards.
Behind them stood six wagons, each covered with dark canvas.
A large merchant caravan.
And at its center was a man who looked completely out of place.
He wore expensive clothes, but not the extravagant kind nobles favored.
His coat was practical.
His boots were clean.
His gloves were made for riding.
Nothing about him screamed wealth.
Everything about him suggested it.
Kelme leaned toward Aria.
"Do you know him?"
"No."
"Do you think he’s dangerous?"
"Twenty guards."
"Right."
Kelme nodded.
"Very dangerous."
The man stepped forward.
"Aria?"
"Yes."
"My name is Lucan Veyr."
He extended his hand.
Aria looked at it.
Then at him.
She shook it.
"What do you want?"
Lucan smiled.
"Business."
Aria glanced at the guards.
"You brought twenty guards to discuss pottery?"
"They’re caravan guards."
"They’re holding weapons."
"They usually do."
"That’s not reassuring."
Lucan laughed.
"I understand."
He gestured toward the settlement.
"May we speak somewhere private?"
Aria looked at Kelme.
He shrugged.
She looked at the Duke.
The Duke had arrived only moments earlier after hearing about the caravan.
He gave her a small nod.
Aria turned back.
"Fine."
---
They sat inside the settlement’s largest building.
It wasn’t really an office.
It was a room with a table.
Aria sat at one end.
Kelme sat beside her.
The Duke stood behind them.
Martha sat across from them.
Lucan placed a leather case on the table.
He opened it.
Inside were documents.
Aria immediately frowned.
"More paperwork."
Lucan smiled.
"Quite a lot."
"I don’t like you already."
Kelme coughed to hide a laugh.
Lucan didn’t seem offended.
"I was warned you were direct."
"Who warned you?"
"Several people."
Aria sighed.
"Of course."
Lucan pulled out a document.
"You have accepted an order for five hundred pottery pieces."
"Yes."
"You’ve also been approached about another two hundred plates and forty cups."
"Yes."
"And the Southern Crafts Guild has spoken with you."
"Yes."
Lucan folded his hands.
"Then you have a problem."
Aria leaned back.
"Which one?"
"You have more demand than production capacity."
"We’re fixing that."
"Slowly."
"Yes."
"You also lack established distribution."
"Martha helps."
"She’s a merchant."
Aria glanced at Martha.
"Yes."
"And she cannot reach every market."
Martha smiled.
"I’ll admit that."
Lucan continued.
"You have limited access to raw materials."
"We’re working on that."
"Limited transportation."
"We’re working on that too."
"Limited storage."
Aria sighed.
"Are you going to list everything wrong with us?"
"No."
Lucan smiled.
"I’m going to offer solutions."
That caught her attention.
"What solutions?"
Lucan opened another document.
"My company can provide clay."
Aria looked at him.
"How much?"
"Enough."
"That isn’t a number."
"Enough for your current orders and future expansion."
Aria narrowed her eyes.
𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚
"What do you want?"
"Distribution rights."
There it was.
Aria leaned back.
"How much?"
"Thirty percent of your external sales."
Martha raised an eyebrow.
Kelme looked confused.
The Duke remained silent.
Aria stared at Lucan.
"Thirty percent."
"Yes."
"For what?"
"Transportation, market access, storage, merchant contacts, and protection for your shipments."
Aria tapped the table.
"You’re asking for thirty percent of the money we earn."
"Of external sales."
"That distinction doesn’t make it better."
Lucan smiled.
"You’ll make more money even after my percentage."
"That’s what everyone says when they want a percentage."
Martha nodded.
"He has a point."
Lucan looked at her.
"Do you believe the offer is unreasonable?"
Martha considered it.
"No."
Aria looked at her.
Martha continued.
"But whether it is worthwhile depends on what he actually provides."
Lucan smiled.
"Exactly."
Aria looked back at him.
"What do you provide?"
Lucan began counting.
"Reliable clay deliveries."
One finger.
"Transportation."
Two.
"Warehouse space."
Three.
"Access to three major markets."
Four.
"Merchant introductions."
Five.
"And protection for high-value shipments."
Six.
Aria thought.
"That is useful."
"Yes."
"But thirty percent is too much."
Lucan nodded.
"I expected that."
"Twenty."
"Twenty-five."
"Fifteen."
Lucan smiled.
"You’re negotiating like a merchant."
"I’ve been around too many merchants."
"Twenty-two."
"Eighteen."
"Twenty."
"Done."
Kelme looked at Aria.
"That was fast."
Aria nodded.
"It was."
Lucan looked amused.
"Then we have the percentage."
"No."
His eyebrow rose.
"We have a percentage."
"Then what remains?"
"Everything else."
Lucan leaned back.
"Of course."
Aria pulled the contract toward herself.
"No exclusivity."
Lucan nodded.
"Agreed."
"We can sell directly to merchants."
"Yes."
"We can refuse orders."
"Yes."
"We control our own workers."
"Obviously."
"Workers keep their wages."
"Yes."
"No debt contracts."
"Yes."
"No forced production quotas."
Lucan paused.
Then nodded.
"Agreed."
Aria looked at him.
"Why did you hesitate?"
"I was considering the wording."
"That’s exactly the kind of answer I don’t trust."
Lucan smiled.
"Then write your own wording."
Aria took the pen.
She did.
---
The negotiation lasted another hour.
By the end, Lucan had agreed to most of Aria’s conditions.
But Aria had learned something.
Lucan wasn’t trying to trick her.
At least, not obviously.
He was trying to build a long-term business relationship.
That was more dangerous in its own way.
A criminal could be escaped.
A contract could follow you for years.
When they finally signed, Lucan closed the folder.
"We have an agreement."
Aria nodded.
"For six months."
Lucan looked at the contract.
"You added a six-month review."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I don’t know you."
Lucan smiled.
"Fair."
"If either side wants to terminate, thirty days’ notice."
"Agreed."
"No penalties for ending the relationship."
"Agreed."
"And if you fail to provide materials for thirty consecutive days, the distribution agreement ends automatically."
Lucan nodded.
"Reasonable."
Aria looked at him suspiciously.
"You’re agreeing too easily."
"I came here to make a deal."
"People usually make things difficult."
"Only when they want something more than the deal."
Aria stared at him.
That answer was too smooth.
She didn’t like it.
---
After Lucan left, Aria sat at the table.
Kelme was the first to speak.
"I like him."
Aria looked at him.
"Why?"
"He’s polite."
"So?"
"He doesn’t shout."
"So?"
"He gives us money."
Aria stared.
"You’ve established a very low standard."
Kelme shrugged.
"I’ve met nobles."
The Duke spoke from behind them.
"He appears legitimate."
Aria looked at him.
"You’re sure?"
"No."
She frowned.
"You just said—"
"I said he appears legitimate."
The Duke folded his arms.
"That’s different."
Aria nodded slowly.
That was true.
Appearances weren’t proof.
Martha gathered the papers.
"You’ll need to monitor the relationship carefully."
"I will."
"And keep records."
Aria groaned.
"More records."
Martha smiled.
"Business."
Aria looked toward the sky.
"I hate that word."
---
The next morning, the first delivery arrived.
Ten carts.
Clay.
Fuel.
Wood.
Tools.
And several barrels of materials Aria hadn’t expected.
She examined everything carefully.
The clay was good.
Very good.
Better than what they had been using.
Aria looked at the supplier.
"Where did you get this?"
"Lucan’s northern supplier."
"How much?"
The supplier gave her the price.
Aria calculated.
It was cheaper than buying locally.
She looked at Martha.
"This is actually good."
Martha smiled.
"You sound disappointed."
"I was prepared to discover a trap."
"Give it time."
Aria glared.
"Don’t say things like that."
---
The new materials changed everything.
The pottery became easier to shape.
Fewer pieces cracked.
The workers became faster.
The new kilns operated more efficiently.
Within a week, production increased dramatically.
Day after day, the numbers rose.
31.
36.
42.
47.
The settlement was becoming a real production center.
But something else happened too.
People began arriving.
Workers.
Travelers.
Merchants.
Farmers looking for trade.
People who had heard about New Beginning.
Some wanted jobs.
Others wanted to sell materials.
Some wanted to buy pottery.
Aria became overwhelmed.
Every morning brought new questions.
"Can I work here?"
"Do you buy leather?"
"Can you sell me twenty bowls?"
"Do you have medicine?"
"Can we build a shop?"
"Who handles wages?"
"Where do I register?"
"Can my family settle here?"
Aria eventually created a sign.
She placed it outside the main building.
BUSINESS QUESTIONS
8:00–12:00
NO EXCEPTIONS
Kelme read it.
"That’s cruel."
"No."
"What if someone has a question at twelve-thirty?"
"They wait until tomorrow."
"What if it’s urgent?"
"Then they go to the Duke."
The Duke, passing behind them, stopped.
"Why me?"
Aria pointed toward the sign.
"Because you’re important."
The Duke stared at her.
"You’ve discovered delegation."
Aria smiled.
"Exactly."
He sighed.
---
Two weeks later, something unexpected happened.
The first shipment left New Beginning.
One hundred pottery pieces.
Packed carefully.
Loaded into Lucan’s wagons.
Martha came to see them off.
Aria stood beside her.
"Do you think they’ll sell?"
Martha smiled.
"I think so."
"How do you know?"
"I don’t."
Aria frowned.
"That isn’t reassuring."
"A merchant never knows."
"Then how do you make decisions?"
"You make the best decision you can with the information you have."
Aria thought about that.
It sounded strangely familiar.
Not because someone had told her before.
Because she was finally beginning to understand it herself.
The wagon started moving.
The workers watched.
Some waved.
Others smiled.
One of the children ran alongside it until his mother pulled him back.
Aria watched until the caravan disappeared.
Kelme stood beside her.
"We’re officially merchants."
Aria sighed.
"Apparently."
---
That afternoon, the settlement held a meeting.
The Duke had something to announce.
"The government has approved an expansion of New Beginning."
Everyone cheered.
Aria blinked.
"Expansion?"
The Duke nodded.
"Your population has increased."
Aria looked around.
He was right.
There were new workers.
Families had arrived.
Some former slaves had chosen to stay.
Others had left after finding employment elsewhere.
New Beginning was no longer just forty-seven people.
There were now sixty-three.
Aria stared.
"When did that happen?"
Kelme shrugged.
"People like it here."
Aria looked around.
That made her smile.
Then the Duke continued.
"The government has also approved a market road."
Aria’s smile widened.
"A road?"
"Yes."
"That would make transportation easier."
"Yes."
"That’s good."
The Duke nodded.
"But there is a condition."
Aria’s smile disappeared.
"What?"
"The road requires funding."
She stared.
"Of course it does."
Kelme laughed.
"Everything requires money."
Aria looked at him.
"Stop laughing."
"I can’t."
She pointed at him.
"I’m serious."
"So am I."
Aria sighed.
"Fine."
She turned toward the settlement.
"We’ll figure it out."
---
That night, Aria returned to the pottery workshop.
Most people had gone home.
The kilns still glowed.
The shelves were filled with finished pieces.
Bowls.
Cups.
Plates.
Jars.
Decorated pottery.
Things that hadn’t existed a month ago.
She picked up one of the bowls.
It wasn’t perfect.
But it was good.
She remembered the first one.
The crooked bottom.
The uneven walls.
The desperate attempt to sell twenty-three.
Now they were producing hundreds.
She smiled.
Then she heard footsteps.
"Aria?"
She turned.
A young worker stood at the doorway.
"What?"
"There is someone here to see you."
"Who?"
The worker hesitated.
"He says he’s from Lord Valen."
Aria’s smile vanished.
"Why?"
"He wouldn’t say."
Aria placed the bowl down.
"Where is he?"
"Outside."
Aria walked toward the entrance.
A man in dark clothing stood waiting.
He bowed.
"Lady Aria."
"I’m not a lady."
"My apologies."
"What does Valen want?"
The man handed her a sealed letter.
"Lord Valen has heard about the expansion of New Beginning."
Aria broke the seal.
She read.
Her expression slowly changed.
Kelme appeared behind her.
"What does it say?"
Aria handed him the letter.
He read it.
Then looked at her.
"That’s..."
"Yes."
"That’s a lot of money."
"Yes."
"And he wants to invest in the settlement?"
"Yes."
Kelme looked suspicious.
"Why?"
Aria stared at the letter.
That was the question.
Why would Lord Valen want to invest in New Beginning?
He had already tried to recruit their workers.
He had already taken an interest in talented people.
Now he wanted to invest in their growing business.
Aria folded the letter.
"No."
Kelme blinked.
"No?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because we’re finally becoming independent."
She looked toward the settlement.
"We don’t need someone owning part of it."
Kelme nodded.
"Good."
Aria looked back at the messenger.
"Tell Lord Valen thank you."
The messenger bowed.
"And?"
Aria smiled.
"Tell him New Beginning isn’t for sale."
The messenger left.
Kelme smiled.
"That was a good answer."
Aria nodded.
Then she looked toward the road.
Because she knew something now.
Success didn’t just bring money.
It brought people who wanted a piece of it.
And New Beginning had just become valuable enough for powerful people to start asking how much of it they could own.