Chapter 291 - 286: Deposit
The port district outside Light City was quiet and languid.
A few old sailing ships were docked at the pier, their hulls covered in dense clusters of barnacles.
Sailors leaned against barrels in twos and threes, letting the sun bake their skin as they stared blankly out at the sea.
A lone crane stood idle, with no cargo to move and no workers waiting to load or unload.
Velin looked away.
It was only early spring, so it was normal for the shipping lanes to be quiet, but this was far too desolate.
The Golden Sail Commerce Association’s nautical charts clearly showed that the deep-water port here was far superior to the one in the Grey Marsh Territory.
He followed the dirt road toward the white city wall.
At the city gate, two guards in chainmail leaned against the battlements, boredly tapping their scabbards against the stone, making a monotonous "TAP... TAP..." sound.
When they saw Velin approach, they merely shifted their bodies lazily, not even bothering to stand up straight.
"Where are you from? What’s your business in the city?" one of the guards asked, his eyes scanning Velin.
His clothes were simple, bearing no family crest. He had no entourage, only a traveler’s pack on his back.
"Velin Klein. I’m here at the invitation of Countess Diana," Velin replied, his voice calm and even.
Hearing the Countess’s name, the guard’s attitude softened slightly. He offered a Knight’s salute, but the disdain in his bones didn’t vanish.
’A Baron who has to walk into the city by himself can’t be that important.’
"Please wait a moment."
He turned and shuffled into the gatehouse.
A long while later, an old man in a steward’s uniform came out with him.
It was Hubert, the steward and treasurer.
"You must be Baron Klein of the Grey Marsh Territory?" Hubert bowed, his posture perfect, but he made no effort to hide his appraising gaze.
"I am."
"The Countess is waiting for you at the castle. Please, follow me." Hubert stepped aside, gesturing for him to proceed.
Velin followed behind him, stepping onto the stone-paved roads of Light City.
The streets were wide and lined with exquisitely carved buildings, yet they felt deserted.
The shop doors were all open, but there was hardly anyone inside. The few pedestrians on the road shuffled along with their heads down.
The entire city was like a faded oil painting.
Following the undulating terrain, one could see the castle at the highest point, its white stone glaring in the sunlight.
The closer he got, the more the castle’s sorry state became impossible to ignore.
Weeds half a foot tall grew along the edges of the courtyard lawn. The central fountain, carved with Water Nymphs, was dry, its basin coated in a layer of withered, yellow moss.
Diana stood alone before the castle gate.
She wore a pale blue dress. The young woman kept her back perfectly straight, doing her utmost to maintain the dignity of the Dawn family.
When Velin’s figure appeared at the end of the courtyard path, her clasped hands tightened.
She saw Velin.
And she saw that there was no one behind him.
Diana had thought he would at least bring a retinue of Knights. That was basic etiquette for a noble’s visit, as well as a declaration of strength.
But he hadn’t.
"Baron Velin, welcome to the Dawn Territory."
"Countess." Velin walked up to her and gave a slight nod, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.
’She’s thinner than when we met last year.’
The two of them entered the castle.
Hubert pushed open the study door for them, then bowed and retreated, leaving the two of them alone.
"Sit." Diana pointed to the chair opposite her desk.
She took her seat in the high-backed chair behind the desk, folding her hands on its surface in a negotiating posture.
"My letter was very clear. The Sea Race is a common threat. The Dawn Territory is willing to send troops, but we have our own troubles."
She decided to get straight to the point.
"The territory’s finances are in trouble. My vassals’ manors had poor harvests, and they’re all pleading poverty to me. Even if they have soldiers and land, I don’t have the money to mobilize them."
Diana paused, looking directly at Velin.
"However, I have a personal guard of one hundred men that I can still deploy. They will return with you. This is the only help I can offer at the moment."
After she finished, she looked up at Velin, awaiting his reaction.
This was all something Velin would discover soon enough after arriving. She couldn’t hide it, nor did she need to, so she simply laid her most embarrassing truths bare before him.
"What is the total financial deficit?" Velin asked.
An unnatural flush appeared on Diana’s cheeks.
"To fill the gap and hold out until the summer tax collection, we need at least two thousand Golden Suns."
For an Earl’s Domain, this number shouldn’t have been a problem.
But right now, it was like a mountain.
After listening, Velin simply reached into his coat, took out a folded piece of heavy paper, spread it open on the desk, and pushed it toward Diana.
It was a promissory note from the Mithril Vault.
Diana’s eyes fell upon it, and she clearly saw the number written in anti-counterfeit ink.
Three thousand Golden Suns.
Her breath hitched.
This amount was enough to solve all her pressing problems, with some to spare!
She snapped her head up, a wave of heat rushing to her cheeks, leaving her feeling both ashamed and angry.
"I’m not begging you for charity!"
She shoved the note back forcefully. The movement was so abrupt that the paper slid to the edge of the desk, teetering precariously.
Velin reached out, picked the note back up, and tapped it gently on the desktop, holding it between two fingers.
"This isn’t a handout."
"It’s a deposit."
Diana froze.
"The Dawn Territory will dispatch troops to help fight the Sea Race, and I will bear all military expenses. In addition, after the war, I require ten years of priority usage rights for the Dawn Territory’s port, as well as a partial reduction in tariffs for certain goods. These three thousand Golden Suns are an advance payment for military funds and rent."
A partnership agreement.
A commercial transaction between equals, one that pulled her out of her predicament.
This wasn’t aid, but a transaction.
She provides the troops, he provides the money, and on that basis, he secures future commercial interests.
Diana looked into his wine-red eyes. There was no sympathy or pity in them, only calculation and certainty.
But it was precisely this impersonal attitude that miraculously allowed her to relax.
Silence spread through the study.
The firewood in the hearth let out a soft crackle.
Finally, Diana reached out and took the promissory note back.
"Done," she said in a low voice.
The atmosphere in the study eased.
"The money problem is solved for now," Diana said, carefully putting the note away before looking at Velin again. "But Valerius and Philippe, those two wolves, are still waiting at the gates."
"One wants control of the army, the other wants land," Velin finished.
"Exactly. I can’t give them what they want, but I can’t get rid of them either." A hint of exhaustion crept into Diana’s voice.
"Since they’re both nobles," Velin said, leaning forward slightly and lowering his voice, "then let’s solve this the noble way."
Diana looked at him, confused.
Velin stood up, walked over to her side, and leaned down close to her ear.
The clean scent of cedar enveloped her.
Velin explained his plan in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Diana listened quietly.
A series of changes flickered across her expression.
First, her eyes widened in disbelief.
Then she abruptly pulled back, turning her head to look at him as if trying to confirm whether he was insane.
Finally, the tension and astonishment crumbled, replaced by a short, exasperated gasp that was somewhere between a laugh and a cry.
She raised a hand to her forehead and shook her head, but the corners of her mouth twitched upward uncontrollably.
"Velin..." Her voice held a trace of resignation and indulgence she herself didn’t notice. "You... since when did you stop playing by the rules?"
She lowered her hand, and the light returned to her lake-blue eyes.
She looked at Velin.
"Will they take the bait?"