The king of the Kingdom, Gespard Caderousse, had just received a message spell from his favorite baron. Baron Herbert held the king’s place as favorite baron for one reason. He ran a trading town. Products from the neighboring countries constantly flowed into his city, with those products came taxes. Taxes paid to the king. King Caderousse double checked the message.

“I would like you to meet the governor of a small village that had appeared on our border. It is recommended that the church doesn’t attend the meeting. We can teleport over whenever you can afford the time.”

The king took out his 'thinking gold'. Two large gold coins that he clicked together. The metallic click of gold on gold had the same effect for him as tapping a pencil on a desk does to high school students. Villages don’t suddenly appear, but anything can happen. Afterall it was just months ago when five of god’s chosen were dropped into his castle. One went officially rogue, but is unofficially paying the taxes on his dirty products to the king. The king is a wise and greedy king. He can tolerate some crime as long as they pay him. One was the only chosen loyal to the king. That is to say he lacked a god. He was a teen of superior morals. The chosen one in the king’s hands only sought riches. Riches the king supplied. The church got to the other two of them quickly. The god they worshipped was similar enough to the god the church worships that they became paladins. There was also some vague noble idea of clearing away monsters from the land for the good of humanity. The king couldn’t tell where the kids’ enthusiasm for this world started and the church’s anti-monster rhetoric began. That damn church, stealing away two promising earners from the kingdom.

“Why do I even tolerate them? Every church in my kingdom is just another node in the spy network of the Theocracy.”

He tolerates them because they are powerful and he serves as a buffer between them and his neighbors to the east. If he were to renounce their religion then he would just be a stepping stone on their way to purge the world of demi-humans. Like Belgium in WWII.

For the baron to not want the church to attend this meeting, and for a village to pop-up out of nowhere. The king clicked his gold and pondered.

“It must be another chosen. One who the baron doesn’t want the church getting to.”

The king sent off a message to the baron. He would receive them in his throne room. He called to a knight to get a wizard to start powering the teleportation circle.

This was not what the King expected. A demi-human, in his throne room? If the church heard about this they would shave his ears off with their harsh words.

I followed the baron’s lead. He bowed, I bowed. The king looked surprised. The two gold coins in his hand that he used like castanets were working overtime. “My lord, this is Anon, he has created a village of kobolds on the border of our lands. Where the green dragon previously resided.”

Click clack click clack click clack. I bowed again to be respectful. The air was thick. “What happened to the dragon? Did it move on?”

I open my mouth to speak, but the baron shots me a sideways glance that gives me pause. Only nobles can talk to kings without permission.

“He slayed it. He even offers the scales as tribute to you.”

The king’s eyes widen. “Horns and teeth too?” The baron looks to me. I nod. “If it pleases you, my lord.” The king smiles at me. “Speak, Anon the… Umm.. What are you?”

“I’m a dragonborn.”

“Anon the dragonborn. You seek to join the kingdom?”

“Correct, your majesty.” I chose your majesty instead of my lord. Calling someone my lord feels icky. Like I’m admitting he’s over me. No one is above me because I am the center of my universe. Whereas calling him ‘your majesty’ is just an admission of his royal status.

“Do you have any ties to the Republic of Demi-human tribes? I do presume you are a demi-human.”

“No ties whatsoever. I haven't even met them yet.”

“You would hold no qualms defending the border from an attacking force?”

“If they attacked my village I would crush them. If I saw a passing force cross over. Then I would alert the baron. My village is small. It would be suicide for my people to attack an army head on.”

Click, clack, at a medium tempo. The king takes a second to think about my words. I only speak the truth. Telling him that I would die for his cause is stupid, it’ll net me brownie points in the short term but will fuck me as soon as an army does appear.

“Your people?”

I gulp. “They are kobolds.”

The click clacking of his gold coins speeds up. It’s the only noise in the room.

“Officially I can not support you. I have ties with the Theocracy that stop me from associating with demihumans.”

I hang my head. It was like that, I can’t just waltz my way into human society. I was foolish to be so optimistic.

“Thank you for your time then, your majesty.”

I turn back to the teleportation circle.

“However, unofficially we can form a deal. Your kobolds, they work, yes? Produce goods, I mean.”

“Very much, we are starting all kinds of public works projects. We have a farm set up and are working on mining the ores in the mountain.”

“The dragon’s horde, you’re the owner of it now, yes?”

I nod, not quite getting where he is going with this.

“How about a deal. The kingdom will overlook some of our land in exchange for monthly payments. What happens in that land is your business, we won’t send any men in. All for the cost of one hundred gold coins a month?”

One hundred gold coins. I could skate by siphoning off gold from the dragon’s horde for years, but what about when it runs out? It would be like a bucket with a hole in it. Continuing with that analogy, I would need a source to fill that bucket with more water coming in than what is going out.

“Will we be allowed to trade in the baron’s city?”

The king chuckles. “Of course, the Baron’s city is full of demi-humans who come to hock their wares. You’ll just need a merchant’s pass. Your friend Baron Herbert can set you up with one easily.”

So there is a way to get water flowing in, but our treasury only has a few thousand coins.

“Is there a way we can reduce the monthly tribute. It seems steep, I have no reference for the land to gold costs.”

“How much would you be willing to pay each month?”

He’s haggling me. I should cut his number low then we can meet in the middle. With that method if I swing very low then in the end I will only be charged fifty gold per month.

“I can do twenty.”

“Twenty it is!”

What?

“Of course this being unofficial I can not write up a contract, just send the gold to me through the Baron.”

He didn’t haggle. That is strange to me. It wasn’t until I took the teleporter back to the baron’s house that I found out why. The baron complimented me on my intelligence then quickly undercut it “For all the land I control I only pay ten gold a month.”

I had been out merchanted by the king, but whatever the price the safety from humans was ensured. From humans.