A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor

"Anyway – I didn't mention those two simply to brag. I mentioned that because of the businesses that they hold," Oliver said.

"You're planning something that needs coin?" Verdant guessed.

It was Oliver's turn to be surprised. "…That's a little discomforting that you saw through it that easily, but yes. Their coin will be useful for it. Greeves is currently engaged – or at least, I hope he is, for he said he would be – in finding a contractor to help us build a wall around the village.

He's having all the merchants in the village contribute a little to its cost, so that it will not dent my wallet too much."

"Oh! My Lord!" Verdant said. "I simply must invest then!"

To Oliver, it seemed like he was more excited at the opportunity to be able to use some of the weighty coin that he had in the assistance of his Lord, rather than the idea itself.

"Verdant… the wall. Do you not have any thoughts on that?" Continue reading on My Virtual Library Empire

"Needless to say, it's a thoroughly cunning idea, with innumerable benefits. I wager that you will wish to send your men to be stationed there, when the time is right, no? But it also serves to put Solgrim on the map. As a fortified settlement, naturally, its trade will be bolstered. With the Yarmdon attacks so prevalent, that's only natural," Verdant said. "Cunning, indeed.

The merchants have all the incentive to invest, because it's their own profits that they'll be protecting. They get first picks on their positions, so when trade naturally blossoms, so too will their own storefronts," Verdant said. "For that reason too, I have a very sensible business reason for which to invest.

My father no doubt would pry open the family coffers for it – but even if he did not, I have my own coin that I will be happy to use."

"As expected, I guess I should say…" Oliver said, almost a little disappointed that Verdant was able to see through it all so easily, without any explanation necessary from him.

"Do not look so disappointed, my Lord," Verdant said. "The talk of a wall did indeed surprise me – it is a bold move that only you would dare to try. Though, as soon as you said it, it made all the sense in the world."

"I suppose so…" Again, the priest had even seen through Oliver's disappointment. He comforted himself with a good helping of beef from his plate. "Anyway, do you really think your father would want to invest in the likes of Solgrim, given what it stands for?"

"It's a village, my Lord. Even if you own it, the High King can't fault a man for taking a business opportunity that presents itself," Verdant said.

"I thought that too, Verdant – that it was just a village. I was wrong. More than anywhere in the country, that place feels Dominus' Patrick's touch. There's a statue there of him being built, and it towers over Claudia's statue right next to it," Oliver said, mentioning that specifically, curious what the priest's reaction might be.

Verdant's fork paused, and his eyes widened. "Towers over Claudia's statue you say… By all the Gods if that doesn't sound like an omen…"

"Right?"

"Well… I think you might be starting to paint some sort of picture here for me, my Lord."

"The statue too, was cleared of snow, from the villagers that tended to it."

"They know their gratitude, enough to tend to that statue themselves…" Verdant murmured.

"And the way they welcomed me, Verdant," Oliver said. "That isn't a mere village. That's… I'm not sure. I just know, if the High King saw it, he wouldn't like it. He'd saddle them with the same guilt as me, and there's no defending that any peasant population can do."

"That's… A salient warning. You're right that my father probably would not wish to be involved in it, not yet, but regardless, I shall send my own coin for the purpose of investment," Verdant said. "You do not dispute that, do you?"

"Not if you work it out properly with Greeves to ensure that you're profiting from the arrangement," Oliver said.

"Good," Verdant nodded. "Then you shall be free to raise an army with your coin. From the sounds of it, you're in dire need of one."

"In that area too, Greeves presents me with something of a solution. Slaves, and peasants wanting to fight. They can bolster our numbers, rather than relying too heavily on the Serving Class men.

Besides – I've only just recently considered this – but if the High King were to find out that we were attempting to gather men, would he not put measures in place to make the process more difficult for us?" Oliver said.

"Slaves?" Verdant said, incredulous. "My Lord… I do not know how this Greeves man is, aside from what you've told me of him, but for him to be bold enough to try to talk you into tarring your reputation with slaves… I do not think I like him."

"They'd be free men by the time we made use of them, of course," Oliver said. "I've no intention of hiring slaves. We'd be liberating them. If I were a slave, and someone offered me freedom, as well as a job for two or so years provided I worked for it, I would be more than happy with that arrangement.

The difficulty for a freed slave, after all, is finding some way to support himself, and somewhere to live. If they are branded too, those brands do not easily fade."

Here, Oliver spoke from experience. If someone had found him, in the depths of his time as a slave, with the prospect of years and years of toil for any chance at buying his freedom – and even then, it was dubious, depending on the goodwill of his master – he'd jump at the opportunity.

"…I suppose so," Verdant said, reluctantly. "When you put it like that, it does seem like benevolence. The slaves, undoubtedly, will benefit more than anyone from the arrangement – but what of you, my Lord? Your reputation is only just beginning to recover. If you associate yourself even in small measure with slaves, then the nobility will seize on that, and rumour will spread."