Chapter 24 — A Life’s Legacy

Leon was still sulking when Bessel entered the room from a side door and placed a balance scale on the desk. The man was short and gray-haired, probably around Leon's height, and with his balding head and beak-like nose, Ria could easily see why he was called a goblin. He smirked at the noticeable tension between herself and Leon.

"I hear you have coins that you want to exchange," Bessel said and motioned to the desk as he took his seat.

"Ah! Yes," Ria blurted out and hefted the coin sack onto the desk, the clinking noise of the coins shifting and settling into place slightly muffled by the cloth of the sack.

"Woah, you were running around while carrying all that?" Leon muttered.

Ria gave him a playful wink.

Bessel raised an eyebrow, probably at the heft of the sack, and carefully emptied the contents onto the desk revealing a pile of shiny gold, silver, and copper coins of different sizes—mostly gold. "Revant currency. Interesting."

Ria watched nervously as Bessel sorted the coins into similar types and weighed the stacks on the scale, periodically making notes on a notepad.

"I'm required by law to ask where you acquired this. To avoid theft and such, you understand," Bessel said disinterestedly. His eyes were sharp though, and he clearly doubted that some kids would acquire such an amount of coin legally.

Ria spoke up, "It's what my father left me—his life savings. So, I came to you because of your reputation for fairness."

Bessel's eyebrow raised again at the remark, but he didn't appear to react unfavorably. That he had a reputation for fairness wasn't a lie as far as she knew, and flattering his ego and sense of professionalism probably couldn't hurt.

Of course, Ria wasn't planning to just rely on his generosity and professionalism. Having had plenty of time to count the coins during her journey, she already knew exactly how much she had of each, and part of bringing Leon along was so she could quiz him on the relative value of common goods here in Crysellia before accepting Bessel's offer.

"There doesn't appear to be any counterfeit or underweight coins. Here's my offer," Bessel announced and slid a piece of paper with a number on it her way.

"Thank you, may I borrow a quill to confirm the math?" Ria asked. A writing set was high on her list of things to buy, now that she wasn't fleeing for her life.

Bessel seemed curious to see what she was up to and readily slid the inkwell and quill into her reach.

Making use of Leon's expertise like planned and performing some calculations of her own, Ria was able to confirm the extent of Bessel's offer.

"Hmm… 80% of fair value is a bit lower than I was hoping for honestly," Ria said, looking hesitant. "Would you say that the metal is worth more, were I to have them melted down?"

"Oh-hoh. That's a very intelligent question. Part of the reason that the denominations differ in physical size is to address that exact issue and reduce the incentive for illegally destroying the coins. The Revant Kingdom has done a good job of adjusting the physical value of the coins using size and mixing with other metals, but with current market conditions, the silver coins are indeed slightly more valuable than their currency value," Bessel explained with engaged eyes and steepled fingers.

Ria nodded. "Ah. Thank you for that. I will have need of silver for a project soon, and I imagine it's illegal to melt down the Crysellian coins as well, so it would probably be better to make use of the Revant ones."

She reached into the partial piles and took back three silver coins and one each of the gold and copper.

"You're welcome. So, can I assume that you want to exchange the rest of the coins?" Bessel asked.

"I do, but I may have something to offer that would make it worth your while to offer 90% of fair value. If you are interested," Ria countered.

Bessel smirked. "Oh? What kind of something are you offering?"

"Knowledge," Ria stated. "I know what's going on in Revant, something that currently only Lord Vorshan and a few others are aware of. I also know that Lord Vorshan intends to profit from this knowledge. Perhaps you can too?"

"Hah! Aren't you full of surprises today," Bessel said with an amused chuckle. "Alright. If the information is indeed worthwhile, I'll honor that—90% of fair value."

Ria took a deep breath and began, "Revant has conscripted every villager from but four spared villages, including women and children, to build a wall at the north border and hold back the flood of monsters from the pending collapse of the Great Barrier Wall. Over half of those enslaved have already died. Bandits have taken root in the south of the kingdom and intend to disrupt the supply of food from Crysellia. By next spring, there will be significant food shortages."

Bessel's face clearly showed shock.

"T-That's terrible! Is that really true, Ria?! Aren't we all in danger? Wait… that money! Your father was one of the ones taken, wasn't he?" Leon asked in stunned disbelief.

Ria nodded. "Yes, I was supposed to be taken as well, but with the help of a hunter, I escaped that fate and survived the highland wilds to arrive here."

"The wilds…," Leon breathed out.

Bessel was carefully watching hers and Leon's conversation before speaking in a deliberate tone, "That's quite the fantastic tale, Miss Ria. I don't suppose you have any way to prove its accuracy?"

"For something of this scale, I doubt that is necessary. I'm sure you have your own ways to verify the information. Even if Lord Vorshan won't tell you specifics, his reaction should be enough, don't you think?" Ria bluffed.

Bessel nodded. "Yes, true enough. Simply offering financing or currency exchange and gauging his interest would speak volumes. If I can't make significant money off the information you have provided, then that's my own failing. Once you get settled, if you're looking for work, I could certainly use an apprentice with your talent for calculations and business sense."

Soon Ria was back outside with a sackful of shiny Crysellian coins and an open-ended job offer. With the exception of spilling all her secrets to bakery boy, the visit to the moneylender had been a complete success.

"Leon. Everything you heard in there is a secret, okay?" Ria reminded Leon, who was following absent-mindedly.

"Ria, how can you be okay with what is happening in Revant and just act like everything is fine?" Leon asked.

The insensitive and judgmental question made Ria want to rage at him, but she took a deep breath and unclenched her fists.

"Look Leon… life isn't fair. Except for Jarrel, who brought me here, everyone I ever knew or cared about is dead. Do I want vengeance? I do. If I could kill the king of Revant with my own hands, I would. And if I get the chance in the future, I will. But right now, I'm just an apprentice. What can I do that isn't just throwing my life away?"

"Shouldn't we be telling people about what's going on?" Leon insisted.

"Who would believe us?" Ria challenged Leon, and he looked away frustrated. "Besides, like I told Bessel, Lord Vorshan already knows. Do you really think that planning to sell grain or whatnot is the only thing he's going to do?"

"No," Leon admitted.

"We're just kids, Leon. Well, you'll be an adult sooner than I will. If you want to do something, become an adventurer or a soldier, or become such an amazing baker that people can enjoy at least a moment of happiness eating the best damn bread, even if everything else goes to shit. Until then, we'll just have to let the adults handle things as best they can. Understand?"

Leon considered what she said and then reluctantly nodded.

"Good. Now all that's settled…" Ria punched Leon in the chest, hard.

"Owww! What was that for?!" Leon complained teary-eyed, rubbing the spot she punched.

"That was for reminding me of all that crap, just when I was having fun after so long. Though, you are my first new friend, and you did help me out with getting my money changed over, so I'll forgive you," Ria announced with a smirk.

Leon stared at her incredulous.

"Now, let's get this show back on the road. I promised Grandma Fana that I would get some respectable clothing, so how about helping this 'looker' pick out some amazing new outfits? Know any good clothing shops?" Ria demanded, her smirk turning into a full grin as she shook the sack of coins.

At first, he seemed like he was going to say something stupid about spending her father's legacy on clothes and get punched again, instead Leon just shook his head in amazement and said, "Alright. But, let me lead the way. If I have to run again like before… I'll die."

"Hahaha, well lead on, tough guy," Ria teased. "Ranger, we're leaving."

"Woof!"

"Your dog really is amazing, you know," Leon muttered.

"Yep, he is," Ria agreed.

"Woof!"