Chapter 18: Ambassador (Part 2)

The meal wound down pleasantly enough. Roland did not raise the ore trade, which made Petrov feel the way a man feels when he expects a door to open and it doesn’t — a slightly off-balance sensation, as though the floor had shifted an inch.

When the maid brought the dessert, he decided to raise it himself.

“Your Highness — by the old schedule, today should be the day of ore delivery. The terminal yard was empty when we arrived.”

Roland set down his wooden sticks and nodded. “I’m afraid so. The North Slope Mine suffered a collapse some weeks ago. This month is still recovery work — clearing the rubble, shoring the tunnels. We expect to resume proper extraction at the start of next year.”

A collapse. Petrov turned this over quickly. The prince had no reason to invent one; the mine could be checked. If it was a lie it would be immediately visible and immediately ruinous. It was therefore probably true.

“The ore mined before the collapse—”

“Was within convention limits. No more than the agreed amount.” Roland’s tone was precise in a way that suggested he had rehearsed this. “Mr. Ambassador, you’ll remember the last time Border Town’s food situation went critical. Two years ago. The Months of the Demons.”

Petrov remembered. Nearly half the town had starved. The governor at the time — Reynold, the Duke’s son-in-law — had been openly blamed by at least two of the investing families. Nothing had come of it, because nothing with Reynold ever did. But the memory was uncomfortable.

“This winter will be worse,” Roland said. He didn’t dramatize it; he said it the way one says a thing that is simply true. “What was mined before the collapse is enough food for perhaps two months. My people cannot survive on that alone. The old trading arrangement has to change.”

Petrov opened his mouth. He could not find the objection. The prince had presented a real problem with a real number behind it, and there was no procedural answer to a food shortage. He fell back on delay: “Your Highness, I express my deepest regrets. This need not become a tragedy — I can arrange a loan of one month’s food from the stronghold. When production resumes next year, you repay gradually.”

“That is very generous. Unfortunately, I’ve already sold the pre-collapse ore to Willow Town. The payment in gold royals will cover the gap.”

“But—”

“Willow Town is buying at market price. Gold royals, which I’m using to purchase wheat, cheese, bread, and honey — also at market price.” Roland tilted his head slightly. “Mr. Ambassador, even if you were willing to make this loan, would all six families agree? In my experience, the Duke himself struggles to reach consensus with the other five. I wouldn’t want to put you in a position you can’t deliver on.”

Petrov was quiet. The prince was right, and they both knew it. He was called an ambassador but functioned as a spokesperson — he had no authority to commit the families to anything. The Duke rotated different men through this post specifically so that no individual would accumulate that kind of standing. In all likelihood the Duke hadn’t even wanted anyone to reach a private arrangement with Border Town; he’d sent Petrov to assess the situation, not to negotiate it.

He laid down his cards.

“Thirty.” He held up three fingers. “Longsong Stronghold will purchase ore and rough gems at thirty percent below market price. I believe that compares favorably to what Willow Town is offering.”

“It does,” Roland said. “But we’re back to the same question. Can you guarantee agreement from all six families?”

“I would return to the stronghold tomorrow and begin negotiations. Once an agreement is reached, I’ll return with a contract.”

“My people can’t wait for aristocratic consensus to be reached. You know better than I do how long that takes.”

A silence. Petrov felt something shifting in his chest, some professional instinct firing at the wrong moment. He said: “Your Highness, cooperation with Longsong Stronghold is in your best interest. Willow Town is far. And during the Months of the Demons — the road between there and here…” He stopped. He heard what he was saying.

“…is quite dangerous,” he finished, almost inaudibly.

He had just threatened a member of the royal family.

Roland laughed. It was a full and genuine laugh, not the controlled amusement of a prince managing an insult but something that sounded almost like relief. “Mr. Ambassador, I think you may have misunderstood something. I am not planning to retreat to Willow Town.”

“Then — to Longsong Stronghold—?”

“I’m not going to Longsong Stronghold either.” Roland was still smiling. “I’m not going anywhere. I am staying in Border Town through the Months of the Demons. Border Town will become the new defensive line of the kingdom.”

Petrov stared at him.

“I know it sounds implausible. Let me show you something.” Roland stood. “There is a stone wall under construction at the North Slope, connecting the mountain to the Chishui River. Twelve feet high. Four feet wide. When it is complete, we can stop the demon beasts here, not at the stronghold.”

“A… wall.” Petrov’s voice came out flat. “In three months.”

“In three months.”

The former ambassador, on his last visit, had mentioned nothing of the kind. Because there had been nothing. The previous lord had spent his rotation in the stronghold, like every lord before him. The wall had been built from nothing, in the three months since Roland had arrived.

Which was impossible. Walls like that took three years minimum, required qualified stonemasons in quantity, required surveying tools, required financing— and yet the prince was sitting across from him with the untroubled expression of a man discussing the weather.

“As for the ore trade,” Roland continued, “starting next year I will reduce prices by half for the stronghold. But I won’t sell exclusively to you — you have more ore than you need at present. I think what you’d prefer is processed metal goods: tools, spades, shovels. The margin is better.” He paused, watching Petrov’s face. “Rough gems will go to auction. Highest bidder takes them. I’d prefer to sell polished stones, but I don’t currently have the craftspeople for it.”

But you have the craftspeople to build a twelve-foot wall in three months, Petrov thought, and felt a headache beginning behind his eyes.

He forced his voice level. “I have heard everything Your Highness has said. I will take it back to the families immediately.” He paused. “But the wall — I would like to see it first.”

“Of course.” Roland smiled. “Finish your dessert. There’s no rush.”

Chapter 18 Ambassador (Part 2)

The banquet went on.

There was a fairly harmonious atmosphere during the dinner. The 4th prince didn’t talk about ore trade as he found it inconvenient to say anything.

When the prince told the maid to deliver the dessert, Petrov tentatively mentioned the trade.

“Your Highness, according to the previous procedure, today should be the day when you deliver the ore, but I don’t see any ore in the terminal yard.”

Roland put down his small wood sticks and nodded, “Unfortunately, the northern slope mine collapsed a while back, this month my people can only try to resume production. However, the gravel from the collapse has not been cleared yet. According to the schedule, we will be able to start mining again at the beginning of next year.”

The mine collapsed? For a moment, Petrov was stunned, was that a coincidence? However, he quickly realized that the prince did not have the need to lie. Otherwise, if he himself went to the North Slope Mine, everything would be clear, so it was obvious that with a lie Roland would only beat his own face.

“Then… what happened to the ore from before the collapse?“

“That wasn’t much, the amount mined was according to the convention, my people were unable to mine more than the amount set by the convention..” Roland emphasized the words in a practiced manner, “Mr. Ambassador, you should also remember what happened during the Months of the Demons two years ago, right?”

Of course Petrov remembered it, the cold lasted for four months and in Border Town nearly one out of every two people starved to death. The cause of this was municipal Administrative Governor Reynold’s avaricious and insatiable greed. Between the aristocracy there was naturally internal opposition, some nobles even wanted to punish governor Reynold afterwards. But at the end of this incident nothing happened, only because he was the husband of the Duke’s second daughter.

Now when this was mentioned by the prince, Petrov got a bad feeling.

“This time it will be even worse,” Roland sighed, ” with what we could mine before, it was probably only enough for two months of food. I will try to support my people,but I’m afraid they won’t survive the winter, sir. The old ways of trade must be abolished!”

Petrov opened his mouth, but he didn’t know how to refute. He wasn’t a professional diplomat. In face of such a good reason, he really couldn’t point out any problems, so he could only delay the matter for the time being, “Your Highness, I have to express my regret. This time will not be a repeat of the tragedy before, I can afford to loan you a month of food, and when your people are able to resume production next year, they can slowly repay the debt. “

“I already sold the ore to Willow Town, we can slowly repay you with their money.”

“But…”

“There is no ‘but’, however,” Roland immediately interrupted him, “they are willing to buy the ore with gold royals, and at the same time they sell wheat, cheese, bread, honey and more at market price… which we can buy with the royals we got from the former transaction. But,Mr. Ambassador, even if you are willing to lend us a month of food, would the other five factions agree with your decision? As far as I know, it isn’t even easy for Duke Ryan to reach an agreement with the other families.”

Petrov kept silent, the 4th prince had put it right. Not just the remaining five, he even feared his own father wouldn’t agree. If they wanted to maintain the

monopoly, it would be necessary to modify the trading scheme, but he did not know how he could have the last word. He was called an ambassador, but in reality, he was just the spokesperson. Perhaps the Duke did not want someone to come to any private agreements with Border Town, right? Whether it was during the time of the former governor or now with the 4th prince, he assigned a different candidate every season, and these people were never the rulers of their families.

Regardless of the outcome, he had to try, so when he thought up to this point, Petrov spread out his last cards.

“Thirty.” he held up three fingers, “Longsong Stronghold will buy the ore and rough gems for less than thirty percent of the market price. I think this price should be higher than the price of Willow Town, Your Highness.”

Roland responded, “Indeed it is higher, but there is still the old question, can you guarantee the agreement of all 6 families?”

“I will immediately go back to Longsong Stronghold tomorrow. After I get an agreement, I will come back with a new contract.”

“But my people are unable to wait that long. You should know, that if you want to reach an agreement between the aristocracy, it is usually very time consuming.”

“Your Highness, the cooperation with Longsong Stronghold would be a better choice for you and your people. Willow Town is too far away, so you and your people can also escape to them during the Months of the Demons,” when speaking up to this point Petrov felt that his throat became dry, “but the road isn’t easy… it is quite dangerous.”

Good God, what the hell am I doing? Petrov’s heart pounded madly, did he really threaten the prince?

“Ha ha ha ha!” surprisingly, Roland did not fly into a rage, but instead laughed, “Mr. Ambassador, you seem to have mistaken something, I never thought of retreating to Willow Town.”

“What do you mean…”

“Of course, I didn’t intend to go to Longsong Stronghold either.”

Roland watched the ambassador’s expression with interest, “I’m not going anywhere.”

Petrov momentary doubted whether his ears got it right or wrong.

Fortunately, the prince didn’t let this awkward silence continue for long, and he then explained, “This winter, I will always stay in Border Town. Border Town will become the new border of our kingdom. Do not be so surprised, my friend, I’m not spouting nonsense, I can show you the new masonry walls at the Northern Mountain Slope . “

“City… Wall?”

“Yes, connecting the North Slope Mountain and Chinshui River is a twelve foot high and four foot wide stone wall. With this, we can defeat the demonic beasts here at Border Town.”

Petrov felt his brain power wasn’t enough, when the former ambassador got back last season, he did not mention any city walls. No, at that time the lord of Border Town and the people were at Longsong Stronghold, how could they build the wall with the limited manpower they had? In other words, when the 4th prince arrived, he immediately began to build the city walls? Even so, until now it had only been only three months, so how could they have built something in this short amount of time?

Also… What was it His Highness just said? Twelve feet high and four feet wide, connecting the North Slope Mountain and Shishui River? Petrov estimated this in his heart, building a wall of this size wasn’t something possible to be done in less than 3 to 5 years, and first of all he did not even have enough stone masons for cutting and grinding so many stones! Even more, Border Town was only a mining town, most of the people living here were only common people.

When he hadn’t even digested this news, Roland’s next sentence also shocked him incomparably.

“As for the ore sales, starting next year, I will be willing to reduce the price by half, sir, but we will not only sell to Longsong Stronghold, because you don’t really need that much ore. I think compared to the low profits of ore, you would prefer some more metal products, such as spades, shovels and the like.” Here again he paused, waiting until it seemed like Petrov understood the meaning of his words,” As for rough gems, we will sell them in the form of an auction, the businessman with the highest bid will be able to buy them. I would prefer to polish the stones myself, but unfortunately in the current Border Town there is no one with such an ability. “

But you’re saying you have the ability to build the wall in this few months! Petrov’s heart nearly burst from anger, and what does he mean, that Longsong Stronghold doesn’t require so much ore? It’s a mere output of one thousand gold royals, even if the production would be increased, Longsong Stronghold could double it! Two thousand gold royals cannot be handled by Longsong Stronghold? That is a bit too arrogant!

He forced back the grievances of his heart, and tried to maintain a composed look, “Everything you said I have remembered, Your Highness. I will immediately go back and negotiate with the six families. But, the city walls you mentioned before… I first want to have a look. “

“Of course,” Roland smiled, “but do not be into too much of a rush, let us first enjoy and finish these kingly flavored pastries. After that, it wouldn’t be too late to start, right Mr. Ambassador?”