Chapter 65: Wayfarer Merchant Guild
The Wayfarer Merchant Guild was surprisingly difficult to find.
Roderic had expected that someone in Ravenport would at least recognize the name.
Instead, the first three merchants they asked had never even heard of it.
It wasn’t until they approached an older shopkeeper that they finally got an answer.
And even then...
’’Wayfarer?’’ the old man repeated, scratching his beard. ’’I think there’s a small guild by that name near the eastern warehouses.’’
Roderic’s eyes lit up for a moment.
’’Thanks,’’ he said, flicking a gold coin towards the man. ’’Now the directions, please.’’
After getting directions, they continued through the busy streets.
Barely twenty minutes later, Roderic finally spotted a wooden sign hanging from one of the buildings ahead.
’’Wayfarer Merchant Guild’’
Roderic raised his hand as he came to a stop.
’This is it?’ he thought, raising an eyebrow.
Behind him, Edmund and his two knights couldn’t help but stare ahead strangely.
The building wasn’t terrible by any means.
But compared to the enormous merchant companies they’d passed along the way, it was laughably small.
It was only two floors tall, with a single carriage standing outside and several crates stacked beside the entrance.
Roderic let out a quiet breath.
’Ten years sure makes one hell of a difference.’
His eyes swept over the shabby building, instantly inspecting it.
That’s when he noticed two relatively young men standing outside.
One of them immediately caught his attention.
He had short brown hair, wore simple clothes, and had a small pair of glasses resting on his nose.
Nothing seemed particularly remarkable about him.
Even so, Roderic’s grin widened as he rapidly rubbed his hands together.
’Victor Fenwick,’ he thought. ’Oh, am I glad to see you here.’
The twenty-two-year-old looked considerably younger and scrawnier than the image in the Archive.
Victor was speaking with another young man beside him, occasionally pointing to different wooden crates.
Roderic was about to approach when his gaze landed on the second man.
He froze in place for a moment.
’Wait...’
There was something familiar about him.
Roderic quickly searched through his memories of everything he’d read about Victor.
Then it clicked.
’That’s him,’ he thought. ’Victor’s best friend.’
According to the Archive, this was the man who’d helped Victor establish and grow his merchant guild for two years.
And then... ended up betraying him.
Roderic’s expression immediately became strange.
’Well, speak of the fucking devil.’
He couldn’t remember every detail surrounding the betrayal, but he remembered the important parts.
Victor trusted the man more than almost anyone else.
And that came back to bite him in the ass after his friend was offered a bribe by a competitor.
That very betrayal played a major role in turning Victor into the ruthless merchant who came to control the kingdom’s economy.
Roderic watched the two of them laughing together.
’They’re still so close,’ he thought. ’I almost feel bad for them.’
’Almost...’
Roderic just kept on watching, patiently waiting.
Several minutes passed before their conversation finally ended.
Victor returned to the building while his friend began walking in the opposite direction.
Roderic waited until Victor’s friend disappeared among the crowd before finally turning to Edmund.
’’See that young man?’’
Edmund followed his gaze toward Victor.
’’The merchant?’’ he asked, squinting his eyes.
Nodding once, Roderic pointed towards Victor.
’’Go ask whether he’d be interested in working under someone.’’
Edmund slowly looked back at him.
But instead of questioning, he nodded lightly.
’’Of course, young master,’’ he replied. ’’Should I mention your name?’’
Roderic immediately shook his head.
’’Don’t mention me or my family. Hell, don’t even point in my direction.’’
He paused for a moment.
’’Just tell him there’s someone willing to offer him good pay and plenty of opportunities.’’
This time, Edmund raised his eyebrow slightly.
’’That sounds rather suspicious, young master,’’ he replied. ’’I doubt he’ll respond positively.’’
Roderic remained silent for a moment.
Randomly offering such benefits did seem a bit suspicious.
Just then, Edmund let out a soft sigh.
’’Do you wish for me to make a believable story?’’ he asked respectfully.
Roderic glanced at the chubby man in surprise.
After a moment, he immediately nodded.
’’Do as you wish,’’ he said. ’’Just make sure my intentions of recruiting him are clear.’’
Edmund bowed slightly.
’’I’ll be off now.’’
With that, he turned around and made his way to the shabby building.
Roderic remained where he was with the two knights, watching from a distance.
Victor had already started moving several of the crates when Edmund approached him.
The two quickly began talking.
At first, Victor looked confused.
Then he stopped what he was doing altogether.
Roderic couldn’t hear what was being said, but judging from Victor’s expression, Edmund sure had gotten the message across.
’Come on,’ he thought, staring ahead. ’Just do this the easy way.’
’The hard way won’t be fun for either of us... but mostly you.’
A minute slowly passed.
Eventually, Victor smiled politely before shaking his head.
Roderic’s expression immediately fell.
’Seriously?’
Edmund continued speaking for a few moments, but Victor shook his head once more.
Not long afterward, Edmund turned around and began walking back.
Roderic waited until he reached them.
’’He refused?’’ he asked.
Edmund nodded.
’’Without much hesitation.’’
Roderic pressed his lips together for a moment.
He glanced at Victor briefly before turning back again.
’’Did he say why?’’
’’Apparently, the Wayfarer Merchant Guild is something he and his best friend have dreamed of building for years,’’ Edmund explained. ’’He said he has no interest in abandoning it to work under someone else.’’
For a moment, Roderic said nothing.
His eyes slowly drifted to the street where Victor’s friend had disappeared earlier.
Slowly, a small smile began appearing on his face.
’His best friend, huh?’
’That’s fine. I’ll just have to show you how good of a friend you have.’
Roderic spun around immediately.
’’My plans have changed,’’ he said. ’’Find us an inn for the night.’’
Edmund couldn’t help but glance up in confusion, clearly wondering what kind of strange plans his young master was up to now.