Reincarnated As A Peasant - Book 1 Chapter 36: Peasant Economics, And Escalating Tensions

Sakura

A few weeks later, I stood with Gamera and Rayce in the middle of the town square. The entire city, really all of the settlements on Gamera’s shell and inside him, were abuzz with activity and celebration.

“It’s disappointing the guild decided to schedule this hearing on an Emergence Day, young mis.” Barka, the legal scholar and clerk that Uncle Raif had procured for me, said as we walked through the square towards the far end. Where several large buildings made of immaculate stone, and that stood several stories tall in the open air of the cavern stood. One of those buildings, the largest one crawling with clerks and officiants if I had to guess, held the guildhouses.

“Normally such days are reserved for celebration and festivals. But with business having been backed up due to your parents absence,” Barka pointedly did not look in Gamera’s direction. “All of the guilds have been forced to remain open in order to catch up.”

“I understand.” I did understand, but something in my tone must have been off as the man flinched. I put on a smile, and his visible tension eased a bit. “Hopefully this will be quick, and the guild masters will see the benefit in my proposal for the entire realm swiftly. Then we can join our parents for the festivities. I hear they’re overseeing another tournament.”

Gamera grumbled good naturedly. “Sad that it was only for the Kindred refugees. I’d love to have seen the two of you go up against real opponents. Both of you have improved dramatically since your last performances.”

“It’s okay. Rocky is still learning my commands. And not to trust people.” Rayce said as he shot me a suspicious glance.

I couldn’t help but smile, at least a little. “He’s a good dog.” And I can’t help it if he likes the treats I slip him behind your back. “He’s started to figure out that when we spar, it’s okay to fight me. He’ll get it.” And then I’ll have to figure something else out.

“Your two smaller companions are also growing. They’re nearly at the Iron stage, where Rocky is.” Gamera said. “When they do go up a stage, you need to think of a proper way to celebrate with them.”

Rayce thought about it for a moment. “They’ve been wanting to go visit the peaks again. Don’t know why, but it seems important to them for some reason.”

“Then you should take them. This time, with parental approval and a guide.” Rayce winced, as Gamera glared down at him.

“My companions are not the only ones growing.” Rayce deflected. “Sakura’s turtle is nearly at Iron too. How big is he now anyway? I haven’t seen him in a few days.”

“He’s been in his den for nearly two days molting again.” The staff had helped me dig a burrow for Little King made of special mana and chie infused sand, and then stuff it full of all his favorite treats. Which largely now included certain types of coal. “He’s really taken to the fire element. I wonder what that means for him.”

Gamera, the Kame, scratched his chin in thought. “Hmm. Usually King Gamera are able to use multiple elements. Though none very well. They focus almost exclusively on chie cultivation, growing their body to rival that of a young, but mature Kame in their elder ages. In the wild this is to protect their families from attack from large beasts. Rarely, a King Gamera will show particular interest in a set of mana types.”

“What do you mean by set?” I asked, as we got to the stone steps of the guildhouse.

“A discussion for later, I am sure young mis.” Barka said as he took the steps ahead of the rest of us. “For now, let us focus on the task at hand. Do you remember what I suggested earlier?”

I nodded. “Yes. For me to stay quiet no matter what is said, and let you do the work.”

“Right. The dynamics between high born and low born are already fraught, even given the best of circumstances. People like myself help smooth out such contract negotiations. It is our function and role. Thank you for respecting that.”

***

The tailors guild hall was near the back of the building, and consisted of a small waiting room, and an only marginally larger meeting room with seats around a circular desk that ran around its outer edges. We took our seats in the center of the room at a small desk. The Kagya family did the same, and both Mr. and Miss Kagya smiled and waved at me.

I returned the smile, and nodded politely. “It is a pleasure to see you and your family again master Kagya. Thank you for entertaining my proposal.”

“You’re more than welcome young mis.” He scratched the back of his head for a moment as if embarrassed. “I have to say, the fact we have to go through this process is frustrating.”

I nodded. “I agree. But rules, and laws, are built much like walls. For a purpose. Without them our society would collapse down on itself like a roof with no walls to uphold it. So we must endure.”

The Genji in me squirmed at that idea. Laws and rules had been used to oppress me my entire life. While Sakura understood their need. At least in this case. They protected the weaker and lower class people from the abusive whims of the nobility.

If only those laws protected me back on Earth. Things would have been a lot different. At the thought, a knott of sadness seemed to settle in my chest. If only those in power had taken their responsibilities as seriously as they did their privileges.

Gamera chuckled. “You sound like an old sage. Quiet it. You’re too young to be so reasonable.” He leaned in close so only I could hear. “Do not let that darkness grow child. It will swallow you whole if you let it. No matter what caused it.”

I nodded, and began to turn back towards the Kagya family, only for the doors on the far side to open and six well dressed men and women, most Steel ranked or lower to file into the room. Once they had taken their seats, the oldest of them sitting in the central part of the semi-circular desk knocked a stone against a piece of wood on the desk specifically for the purpose.

“The Tailors and Weavers Guild of the Western Province of the Southern Kingdom is brought to order.” The others took their seats and sat quietly waiting for her direction. “Thank you all for coming. Let us recognize our noble sion Lady Sakura Gamra whose proposal we are here to determine the efficacy of on behalf of the Kagya family.”

“Her Ladyship has retained my services to represent her in these negotiations, Chairwoman.” Bakra stood and bowed at the waist. “If it pleases the chair.”

The elderly woman nodded acknowledging my lawyer. “Bakra. You’re welcome to these proceedings as the lady’s representative.” The slight scowl on the chair woman’s face didn’t budge, but her gaze felt softer for some reason. “That being said, don’t think we didn’t hear about the incident with the Smiths guild. You’re still banned from their proceedings I hear.”

“There was an, incident, chairwoman. Yes. However chairman Da’caw and I have come to an understanding about our mutual professional demeanor moving forward. I trust this will not impact your view of my client?”

The chairwoman glared at Bakra for a hard long moment, before finally relenting and nodding once as if she had made some grand pronouncement. “Da’caw is a rude, stubborn old goat anyway. If you hadn’t at least ruffled his beard hairs a little, you wouldn’t be worth your coin as a solicitor.”

“As the chairwoman says.”

“We’ve read the request. But we want to hear it from you directly. What does your client want with the Kagya family? Mr. Kagya in particular? They’re newly minted full members. Able to craft, harvest, infuse, inscribe, enchant, and sell their own clothes without need for handholding throughout the entire Duchy. They’re members in good standing, even if they are as of yet not very successful at the trade having come from another part of the duchy, and we would be loath to part with them.” The woman had hard eyes as she glared daggers down at Bakra. “So?”

“Ah yes. My client wishes to, on a very temporary basis, recruit the Kagya family into an effort to restore a lost art. An art that had been taken from the Duchy because of the early border skirmishes with the Elves. The Ra’dra clan was wiped out, and their ancient and extremely effective arts were lost. Until recently, when a sion of that ancient and nearly extinct house was discovered.”

Bakra continued, explaining exactly what I wanted, and why. He went into painstaking detail, and the Sakura side of my mind recognized his skill with public speaking as impeccable. Uncle Raif’s coin was well spent on this one.

“I hope this Council might see the universal benefit, to the noble house of Gamra, to the Western Duchy, the Southern kingdom, The Realm as a whole, as well as to the Kagya family who will of course be offered a generous stipend, first purchase rights for a year of producing the new silk in bulk, and first franchise rights should the newly minted Ta’wen family, the owners of this knowledge and lore, should seek to expand operations beyond their own household.”

Gamera leaned in again, and whispered loud enough for both Rayce and I to hear. “And so, the real fight begins. Negotiation. Study closely children, it is a subtle art. But no less useful than being able to disable an opponent, throw a Chie strike, or cast a spell.”

The Council passed notes between them, a conversation on paper none of the rest of us were privy to. Until finally, the chairwoman grunted and nodded. “Fine. The guild council is open to the possibility. But the price you offer is far too low. The stipend from your proposal was listed as only one gold piece a month. For a single craftsman at his age, with his talents, that would be a fair bargain. But you are not only getting Mr. Kagya are you? But his entire family, which includes a seamstress of no small skill, street criers, and a sales staff three people strong all of whom have at least three years experience at the task.”

She considered her counter proposal for a moment, reading slips of paper being handed to her by the others. Eventually she nodded and looked back at us. “Up the stipend to 3 gold a month. First purchase rights for a year after production begins is acceptable. However, Franchize rights must be executable at the end of the first ten years, to last for at least fifty years. Are these terms acceptable?”

Bakra smiled and bowed again. “Of course. However, there are a few more details that must be ironed out. Such as, for instance, renewal rights?”

I fought a sigh, and settled in for a long negotiation.

***

The outcome of the negotiations was exactly what I had been hoping for, though Bakra seemed downhearted. “We gave up too much, my lady. I am sorry. I would offer you a refund for my services, if I had not spent nearly an entire week on this proposal.”

“I don’t understand why you’re upset.” Gamera complained good naturedly as we walked down the steps of the guildhouse. “The girl got everything she wanted.”

“That might be true Master Gamera. However, it is not my profession to only get for my client what my client has asked for. But rather to get as much for my client as they need, and then more if possible. Those negotiations were a disaster!”

“You sound greedy.” I tried to soften my words as I spoke them, but it was true. Like an American. “What you achieved for me today was more than enough for my purposes. I seek the betterment of the entire duchy. Not just my own pocket book.”

Bakra looked shocked at my words as we got to the bottom of the stairs. He turned towards me, and bowed. “Of course my lady. The young miss speaks truthfully of course. Perhaps it is my own pride I found wounded by this experience. I had hoped to, well, win. I suppose.”

I smiled, trying to calm his nerves. “I understand, a man must take pride in his work. There is nothing wrong with that.” I pulled on Sakura’s past to diffuse the situation. When he bowed again, this time lower, I felt I might have made a mistake.

“Thank you for your kind words my lady. I will leave you and your family to enjoy the festival, while I finish filing the proper forms.” His face was red with embarrassment, or broken pride. I wasn’t sure which, and he walked stiffly away.

“Did I say something?” I asked, looking back at Gamera.

The tortoise man chuckled and pushed both Rayce and myself towards the still growing festival. “You speak like a judge near retirement, rather than a child of twelve years. It is . . . unnerving for some. But I suppose it has always been so with you, delving into projects far more complex than someone your rank and age should have interest in. But to those who only know of you and have yet to meet you, it can be unnerving.”

So even before I came here, Sakura was always kind of peculiar. I felt a tension begin to unravel that I hadn’t known I was holding onto. A stress that I would be discovered, ease slightly at that realization. I was sure I was at least partially Sakura still, I had her memories, her experiences, and her thoughts that contributed to my own. But I also knew that the core of my personality was still, and always would be, Genji.

It’s an odd feeling, I thought as we walked through the festival, exploring shops and speaking to merchants. Not knowing if I am who I was back on earth, only with new memories and ideas, or if I’m actually two people stitched together. Even now I’m not entirely sure.

As I examined a necklace made from the discarded remnants of colored turtle shells that shined oddly in the artificial magical sun above people began shouting down the road from us.

“Sakura, Rayce, come close to me. There is trouble brewing up the street.” Gamera pulled his staff from thin air, and the light around him shimmered slightly as he activated some kind of defensive technique or enchantment on it. Rayce pulled his sword-spear as he got close to Gamera, and two of my daggers were in my hands, and the necklace back on its display before Gamera could blink.

I was much faster now, and growing used to my body’s much quicker reaction time. Steel stage really gives you a major boost, I thought as I watched the people around us barely begin to scramble out of the street as we were already in position.

Down the street as people finished parting and getting to safety I saw a cloud of dust with a dark green tint to it filling the air at the far street intersection. Three black clad men lay on the ground unmoving, as the green haze rose from censors filled with smoke at their belts. Several other black covered men stood on roofs with bows. Their arrows zipped through the air down at the one target at the center of their attack.

A white robed man, with blue livery of a tall tower and curtain wall kicked arrows out of the air, or brushed them away as if they were nothing but leaves on the wind. “Your attacks are as pathetic as your mewling masters! Come and fight me like true cultivators, cowards!”

“Assassins!” Gamera shouted as he stepped forward and brought his staff down in the direction of the green mist. A powerful gust of wind erupted around us, a moment later it slammed into the growing smoke cloud, diluting it. After just a moment of the two mixing, the green was quickly smothered by sparks of pure white light that purified the wind.

“The Celestial wind will keep the poison at bay. But this body can only do one technique at a time at the moment. Sakura, destroy the censors trying to poison the northern ambassador. Rayce, send your companions for aid, and protect me from retaliation. Those sensors will not stop until they are destroyed. Go children, now!”

“Yes master.” I jumped towards the rooftop, the street was still filled with people running for their lives, and I didn’t need for someone to get in the way of one of my knives and get hurt. My feet landed on the tiles with a clack, I had left my shoes below. The tiles were cold, kept cool by some kind of enchantment I was sure as the sun above gave off a steady drum beat of heat.

The roofs were slanted towards the streets, with a central walkway atop them where people usually went to hang their laundry, or do other outdoor chores not easily done on the city streets. Not exactly clear, but clear of people.

If I damage a bedsheet, no one will bat an eye. If I killed some stupid kid because he jumped in front of an already flying knife, well, that would be an entirely different story.

I ran along the slanted roof, clear of clothes lines and people. When I got within shouting range the assassin furthest back from the fighting, turned his bow at me.

“Leave child. This doesn’t concern you.”

I shrugged, then launched a dagger at the nearest censor. It impacted in the dirt sending a small dust cloud up from the hard packed road.

“You’ve signed your own death warrant child.” The assassin let loose his arrow, and it honestly felt like it was moving through mud. I dodged it easily, and tossed another knife even as the first reappeared in its sheath.

“Steel cultivator!” The assassin shouted, and I grinned at the acknowledgement. These were common born assassins most likely, most of them were barely low iron if I had to guess.

But why would someone hire iron assassins to take out a Barron level cultivator?

That was when I got another glimpse at the ambassador. Another censor lay at his feet, billowing the green poisonous smoke directly into his face as the arrows launched by the half a dozen assassins kept him pinned. He was slow, sluggish even.

As slow as the assassins.

The poison is suppressing his cultivation. But how?

My second dagger landed home, shattering the first censor to pieces and stopping the smoke. Dogs howled, and Rocky, my brother’s Steel stage spirit companion charged forward baying for all he was worth. He reached the second censor, gripped it in his jaws, and shattered it into fine dust with a single bite.

“Good dog!” I shouted, as I dodged another arrow, and took aim at the censor directly under the ambassador’s feet.

Rayce was right behind Rocky, and I heard his two smaller companions howling in the far distance. Raising the alarm and shouting for help. Rayce slid towards the third censor, dodging several lazily aimed arrows. When he got within arms reach, his movements began to slow, though not to the same effect as what was happening with the Ambassador. He reached down, grabbed the smoke releasing mana and chie construct, and shattered it between his hands with a flex of his fingers.

Maybe it affects higher ranked cultivators more?

I didn’t have time to contemplate on it, as an arrow clipped my ear, and caused it to bleed. “Ay!” I shouted, and I decided I had had enough of the rude assassin. “I’m a kid!”

“You were warned, brat! Now die!” He raised his bow, and launched another arrow at me. This one infused with mana and probably chie. It blazed with red fire as it leapt from his string, but it still moved far too slowly.

I threw myself up onto the flat platform on the roof, and rolled to a crouch. Then let loose a dagger of my own.

The knife glowed a bright white, as I let it go, I shaped the Imbued Strike to be concussive, hoping to disable and capture, rather than kill the man.

The knife struck his knee, and the concussive blast had disastrous effects. Both his knees shattered, bending the wrong direction in an eye blink. The man’s screams of pain were cut short as he fell and his head hit the corner of the platform. He went limp, and fell off the roof.

Did, did I just kill him?

I stood there in a daze as several more arrows whizzed by me unnoticed. I just killed a man.

“The watch! We’ve failed, run!” one of the assassins yelled as he disappeared off his roof.

The sounds of heavy feet stomping on cobbled stone reverberated through the courtyard as the market watch responded to the fighting. Dozens of warriors charged into the square, and several skirmishers among their ranks lept atop roofs to intercept the attackers.

The fighting stopped, and the assassins broke ranks and ran. Scattering like rice before a whirlwind.

“Young miss. Are you alright?” A guard, one of the skirmishers who had stayed rather than join his brothers and sisters in the chase for the assassins, asked. She lowered her face covering and revealed glittering blue eyes. Her face was pale white, and her hair was golden blond.

She looks American, or European I thought. And the oddity of it stirred me out of my stupor.

“Young miss. Can you hear me?”

“I . . . I killed him.” I pointed towards where the man’s body lay on the street below.

“Yes. It appears you did. It was a brave thing, helping the ambassador like that. Well done. Come, let’s get off this roof.”