Chapter 167: A Market Worth Traveling For
Kael stared down the main road leading toward Blackwood Central.
A proper market.
The idea had seemed simple when he said it.
Darius’s expression suggested otherwise.
You realize a market isn’t just a few stalls.
Kael glanced at him.
I know.
Do you?
Kael folded his arms.
You’re enjoying this.
A little.
Darius looked toward the unfinished Adventure Guild headquarters.
You wanted a guild. That required a guild master, healers, administration, contracts, housing, and supplies. Now you want a market.
Galahad Charney stood nearby, listening.
The former mercenary had spent the morning reviewing the plans for the guild.
He gave a quiet laugh.
Your First Commander has a point.
Kael looked between them.
I’m surrounded by pessimists.
Realists.
Darius corrected him immediately.
Kael ignored him and walked toward the center of the construction site.
Workers moved around them.
The walls of the Adventure Guild headquarters were rising steadily. Master Rowan had divided his workers into several teams. One worked on the main structure while another prepared lumber and stone.
A third team had begun laying drainage channels.
Kael stopped beside one.
Water flowed through the narrow stone channel toward a larger trench outside the settlement.
It wasn’t impressive.
But it worked.
That mattered.
Blackwood had spent too long surviving with whatever infrastructure previous lords had left behind.
Kael intended to change that.
The market was another piece.
He looked toward Galahad.
Adventurers need equipment.
Yes.
Food.
Obviously.
Medicine.
Yes.
Places to sleep.
Galahad nodded.
Kael continued.
They’ll also bring things back from quests. Monster materials. Herbs. Ore. Anything valuable they discover.
Galahad’s expression changed.
Now I understand.
Kael smiled.
The guild creates work.
The market turns that work into money.
Darius looked toward the road.
And merchants carry that money elsewhere.
Unless we give them a reason to spend it here.
Kael pointed toward him.
Exactly.
Darius sighed.
I shouldn’t have helped.
Too late.
Master Rowan arrived carrying several rolled plans beneath his arm.
Your Highness.
Kael turned.
How bad?
Rowan stopped.
How did you know?
Because every time you approach me carrying that many papers, something is expensive.
Galahad laughed.
Rowan placed the plans on a temporary table.
The guild itself isn’t the problem.
He opened the first plan.
The central settlement is.
Kael leaned closer.
Rowan had sketched the beginnings of an actual town.
The Adventure Guild stood near the center.
A broad road ran past it.
Smaller roads branched outward.
There were spaces for shops, workshops, inns, storage buildings, homes, stables, and public facilities.
Kael studied it.
You planned all this already?
You asked me to build a settlement.
I expected something smaller.
Rowan looked offended.
Then you should have hired a worse carpenter.
Garrick Ironhand approached just in time to hear that.
Careful.
Give him enough praise and he’ll start charging you like a noble.
Rowan looked at him.
At least my buildings don’t explode when I make a mistake.
Garrick grinned.
That’s because you don’t know how to have fun.
Kael shook his head.
Focus.
The two craftsmen looked back at him.
Kael pointed toward the open section near the guild.
Market.
Rowan studied it.
Permanent buildings?
Some.
But not all.
Kael thought for a moment.
Start with an open square.
Merchants can rent spaces.
Local farmers should have access too.
Garrick crossed his arms.
Rent?
Kael nodded.
Low enough that small merchants can afford it.
The money goes toward maintaining the market, roads, sanitation, and security.
Rowan looked impressed.
You’re taxing them already?
Kael shook his head.
Not taxing.
Charging for space and services.
There’s a difference.
Galahad leaned over the plans.
You should keep some spaces free.
Kael looked at him.
Why?
New adventurers.
If someone comes back from a quest with three monster hides and doesn’t know a merchant, let them sell directly.
Kael considered it.
Good.
He pointed toward part of the square.
This section.
Galahad nodded.
A guild trading area.
Garrick rubbed his beard.
That could create problems.
Such as?
Merchants buying materials cheaply from inexperienced adventurers and reselling them for several times the price.
Galahad’s expression hardened.
He’s right.
I’ve seen it happen.
Kael looked between them.
Then the guild publishes average prices.
Silence.
Galahad blinked.
What?
Kael looked toward him.
If the guild regularly deals with monster materials, it should know approximately what they’re worth.
Post those values publicly.
Galahad slowly smiled.
That will make some merchants very unhappy.
Good.
Kael looked back toward the plans.
They can make profit.
They just can’t build that profit entirely on ignorance.
A blue window appeared.
Commercial Development Detected
Proposed Facility
Central Market
Potential Benefits
Trade Activity Increased
Local Production Increased
Merchant Traffic Increased
Population Attraction Increased
Tax Potential Increased
Kael continued reading.
Warning
Commercial growth without sufficient food production may increase local prices.
Kael’s smile disappeared.
There it was.
Every solution created another problem.
Darius noticed.
What now?
Food.
What about it?
If more people come faster than our farms can produce food, prices will rise.
Darius nodded.
Naturally.
Kael looked toward Blackwood’s surrounding villages.
Then the market waits.
Rowan frowned.
You’re canceling it?
No.
Kael shook his head.
We’re changing the order.
Before the market opens fully, we increase food production.
Garrick laughed.
Another project.
Kael looked at him.
You too?
I’ve been around Darius too much.
That afternoon, Kael rode toward one of Blackwood’s farming villages.
Darius came with him.
Bram rode ahead with Walter, the elderly farmer who had previously represented one of the villages.
Kael had asked both men to show him the problems directly.
He didn’t want reports.
He wanted to see the fields.
The road became narrower as they traveled.
Construction crews had already begun clearing sections for future improvements, but most of the route remained dirt.
Eventually, the farmland appeared.
Fields stretched across the valley.
Wheat moved beneath the wind.
Livestock grazed behind wooden fences.
Farmers worked beneath the afternoon sun.
Kael dismounted.
Walter joined him.
This is one of our better harvest villages.
Kael looked around.
Better?
Walter nodded.
The soil here is good.
Then what’s the problem?
Walter pointed toward the fields farther away.
Water.
Kael followed his finger.
A river ran beyond the farmland.
It wasn’t far.
But it wasn’t close either.
During heavy rain, we have more water than we need.
During dry periods, we don’t have enough.
Bram crouched and picked up some soil.
And they’re planting the same crops in the same fields year after year.
Walter frowned.
That’s how our fathers did it.
Bram looked at him.
And their fathers.
Walter crossed his arms.
It works.
Bram let the soil fall between his fingers.
Until it doesn’t.
Kael listened.
Bram had been a soldier once.
Now he served as Blackwood Manor’s gardener.
Kael had initially thought that was all he wanted.
But Bram understood land.
Perhaps better than Kael had realized.
Kael looked toward him.
What would you change?
Bram pointed toward several fields.
Rotate crops.
Let some sections recover.
Use animal waste properly.
Build irrigation channels from the river.
Create shared storage instead of every family storing everything separately.
Walter looked skeptical.
Shared storage?
Bram nodded.
A bad harvest destroys a family.
A proper granary protects a village.
Kael’s eyes narrowed.
Granaries.
The System appeared.
Agricultural Development Opportunity
Village Granary Network
Effect
Reduces food loss.
Improves emergency reserves.
Stabilizes market supply.
Reduces famine risk.
Kael dismissed the window.
Do it.
Walter stared at him.
Your Highness?
Kael looked at Bram.
I want plans for irrigation and a central granary for every village that needs one.
Bram blinked.
Every village?
Eventually.
Kael looked toward Walter.
But we start here.
Walter looked uncertain.
How much will this cost the farmers?
Nothing initially.
Walter’s eyes widened.
Kael continued.
Blackwood will provide the first construction materials.
The villages provide workers where possible.
Once the system is working, we’ll decide how maintenance is handled.
Walter remained quiet.
Kael studied him.
Something wrong?
Walter looked toward the fields.
No lord has ever asked us how we grow food before.
Kael frowned.
They should have.
Walter gave a tired smile.
Most only ask how much grain we owe.
Kael said nothing for a moment.
That sentence stayed with him.
He looked across the farmland again.
Thousands of decisions made in Aurelia depended on places like this.
Armies needed food.
Cities needed food.
Nobles needed food.
Yet the people producing it were often treated like numbers written beside a tax ledger.
Kael didn’t want Blackwood to become that.
Not while he ruled it.
They spent the rest of the afternoon walking through the village.
Kael inspected wells.
Storage sheds.
Livestock pens.
Homes.
He asked questions.
Sometimes the answers embarrassed him.
One family had lost almost a quarter of its stored grain the previous winter because moisture entered their storage building.
Another farmer had stopped using part of his land because moving water there required too much labor.
Several families shared farming tools because they couldn’t afford replacements.
Kael stopped beside an old plow.
The metal edge was badly worn.
Garrick needs to see this.
Walter looked surprised.
The master blacksmith?
Yes.
Kael crouched beside the plow.
We keep talking about swords and armor.
But a better farming tool might help Blackwood more than another sword.
Darius smiled faintly.
That’s not something many princes would say.
Kael stood.
Maybe that’s part of the problem.
As they prepared to leave, shouting came from the village entrance.
Several Black Dragon soldiers approached.
One of them rode quickly toward Darius.
Commander.
Darius turned.
Report.
The soldier dismounted.
A group has arrived at Blackwood’s western border.
How many?
Nearly forty.
Kael stepped closer.
Soldiers?
No, Your Highness.
Families.
Kael paused.
Families?
The soldier nodded.
Men.
Women.
Children.
Several wagons.
They say they heard Blackwood was accepting settlers.
Kael and Darius looked at each other.
The announcement.
It had traveled farther than expected.
Where are they from?
A neighboring territory.
Why did they leave?
The soldier hesitated.
They claim their village was abandoned by its lord after repeated monster attacks.
Kael’s expression hardened.
Casualties?
Some.
Galahad needs to hear about this.
Darius nodded.
Kael mounted his horse.
We’re going to the border.
Walter looked toward him.
What about the farm plans?
Kael looked back.
Start gathering the village elders tomorrow.
Bram will coordinate with you.
Walter bowed.
Yes, Your Highness.
Kael turned his horse toward the road.
Darius followed.
For weeks, Kael had been talking about attracting people.
Now people were actually coming.
But as he rode toward Blackwood’s western border, he realized something.
Population growth wasn’t merely numbers appearing on a System screen.
Every person arriving had a reason.
A story.
A problem.
And sometimes...
Enemies following behind them.
By sunset, Kael reached the western checkpoint.
The soldiers had told the truth.
Wagons filled the roadside.
Children slept beneath blankets.
Adults sat around small fires.
Several people were injured.
Their clothes were dirty from travel.
Kael counted quickly.
Thirty-eight.
Maybe thirty-nine.
An elderly man noticed Kael approaching.
He immediately stood.
Others followed.
Kael dismounted.
You came here seeking settlement?
The elderly man nodded.
We heard Blackwood was accepting workers.
What happened to your village?
The man’s expression darkened.
Monsters.
What kind?
We don’t know.
They came at night.
Took livestock first.
Then people.
Darius stepped closer.
How many attacks?
Four.
And your lord?
The man’s jaw tightened.
His soldiers stopped coming after the second attack.
Kael felt anger rise.
Galahad’s words returned to him.
Villages died because nobody came when they asked for help.
Kael looked at the families.
Then at the children.
The Adventure Guild wasn’t even finished.
Yet its first real purpose had already appeared.
Kael turned toward the Black Dragon soldier.
Give them food.
Find temporary shelter.
Treat the injured.
The soldier bowed.
Yes, Your Highness.
The elderly man stared at Kael.
Does that mean we can stay?
Kael looked at him.
For tonight, you’re guests of Blackwood.
Tomorrow, we’ll discuss settlement.
Relief spread across several faces.
Kael turned toward Darius.
Send someone for Galahad.
Darius understood immediately.
You want him here tonight?
Yes.
Kael looked west.
Toward the territory these families had fled.
And tell Grom to prepare a scouting team.
Darius’s expression sharpened.
Kael continued.
If monsters destroyed their village, I want to know what kind.
The System appeared.
Emergency Territorial Event Detected
Displaced Civilians: 39
Origin: Western Frontier
Cause: Unknown Monster Activity
New Quest Available
Investigate the Abandoned Village
Difficulty: Unknown
Potential Rewards
Population Growth
Regional Reputation
Guild Development
Unknown
Kael stared at the final word.
Unknown.
He dismissed the window.
This wouldn’t simply be the first test of Blackwood’s growing territory.
It would be the first test of the organization Kael was trying to create.
Before the Adventure Guild had walls...
It already had its first quest.