Chapter 355: Amenities Approved
"We shouldn’t bother them while they’re working. I see that they have a significant stockpile already prepared for shipment, and is that a gantry crane?" Claudius asked.
"Indeed it is. We thought that it would help move the items in bulk, but it’s also available to lift steam tractors that need large parts removed, or work on the underside.
A crane is just all around useful to have.
That pile there is enough for two carriages in a merchant caravan. In theory, they could buy many more of them from us, but even six hundred at a time is going to be an extremely expensive shipment, and it might not all go in one convoy.
The merchants are happy to buy what they can, but the Guild Members are still independent merchants, and not all of them can afford such luxury."
Claudius nodded. "Better than the non Guild members. I believe you were involved in an incident with one when you first arrived in Cygnia, were you not? The fellow whose convoy was lost to Goblins.
I remember the petition from his employees to liquidate his assets to pay back wages."
Dominic laughed. "Oh? How did that go?"
Claudius shrugged. "I have no idea. We approved the petition, but that goes to the bureaucrats, it doesn’t concern me how much he had for them to actually collect from."
Collecting from a dead man would never be easy, but there was no guarantee that the merchant was even from Cygnia, or that he owned a home.
Most would, merchant caravans weren’t a cheap endeavour. But there was no security to the job.
Much of the job was knowing what to buy, and at what price. You had to pay for it in advance, which meant that you had to find a buyer willing to pay more than what you bought it for.
It wasn’t a job that Dominic would want.
"Let’s go see the rest of the city before we head to the Manor. I will assume that there will be rooms ready for me by then." Claudius suggested.
Dominic smiled. "Indeed. We added secondary courtyards for visiting guests, all equal and equal distances to the entrance to the main manor. But given your identity, Alexis might find a different spot for you."
Claudius smirked. "Good call. If there was one tucked in the back of the compound, or visible over the walls, she might just stuff me there. Is Russel still here as well?"
Dominic nodded. "Indeed. He’s come to clear the area with his reservists, and they’re currently at the Manor, taking up the job of representing Cygnia."
"Perfect. I think that I will let him keep the position. I will inspect the area for suitability, and then let him do the negotiations. I assume you have no objections?"
Dominic shook his head. "Not at all. How about we go see the convention centre? We’ve still got furniture coming for it, but it’s functional for basic events now, and they’ve built cots in the upper level rooms for the officers."
Claudius smiled, a genuine expression of amusement. "You do have good advisors, don’t you? Most don’t think of the secondary Officers who aren’t staying with their Noble leader. Leaving them with the enlisted men all the time makes them cranky, but you can’t put them all in one Inn with a gathering this size."
Dominic winked at him. "We’ve covered most things now, I think. The Adventurer’s Guild is going to come take residence in the convention centre soon, I am told. Then they will take over operations when it’s not in use for formal functions."
The Crown Prince narrowed his eyes. "There is something shady going on there, isn’t there? I don’t see you running a brothel, so I’m guessing a casino?"
"You’re good. It’s all on the up and up. Nothing out of the ordinary, and it’s out of sight, where it won’t cause issues for anyone in town.
We also set up deliveries to the armies every morning, with both a market cart from the farmers and a witch to deliver potions." Dominic explained.
"A witch? What could they need?"
Dominic smirked at him. "Are you not familiar with travelling soldiers? If they haven’t caught something, they haven’t left home yet. The coven here stocked up medicine ever since they arrived, and now they can make their returns."
The Crown Prince sighed. "You have a point. Two weeks after we left Cygnia, my whole regiment seemed to come down with the same stomach bug. We checked every supply wagon for rot, and then realized it was from a bad batch of home-brewed liquor."
"Then you understand. There is always a need for medicine. Especially if they’ve brought camp followers."
"You are too realistic, you know that?"
The Crown Prince looked around the town, and then paused just before they reached the Convention Centre.
"I see nearly everything that a town could need. Techno Wizards, Pops’ forge, a carriage maker, tailor, baker, butcher shop, open market, and a few who didn’t see fit to put up signs. But what is that building? Some sort of memorial? Or is it a security bunker?" He asked.
"Ah, that is a memorial crypt. You see, the whole area was cursed, and it chased people away. In order to break the curse, I had to do some cleaning. So, I put all the bones in a pile and built a crypt for them.
I will do some other Barony Manors in the area soon, I’ve just been busy.
It’s probably better than when settlers start to arrive that the aftermath of the war isn’t scattered all over their new yard." Dominic explained.
Prince Claudius did the mental math on how many bones would be needed to fill a crypt that size.
It was an impressive battle, for certain.
"Alright, let’s see the convention centre, and that should just leave the Manor grounds. I think that everything else that the King put on the checklist is already here.
Our Royal Father was quite concerned that the Princess might be struggling to adapt to rural living, but this doesn’t look nearly as rural as expected, despite being incredibly remote."