After two day's long journey, Mike finally arrived at the Uveno outskirts. Exactly as he expected, no crowds were pilling up at the gates, military swarming every possible place or small thieves lurking around. While it was pleasant to see it, this also indicated that the new tide of merchants didn't really hit this city yet.

In the end, only about a week passed since the announcement of the truce conditions so most of the big traders either was still in Burgen or already passed Uveno, chasing the highest price for their wares. One could explain it by the relative proximity of this City to the border which indicated that the situation wasn't as bad as in Latavia, two to three day's worth of journey deeper into the Altarcia.

While it sounded ridiculous at first, venturing even farther away could only bring more losses! While it was obvious even at the first look at the map, only a small portion of locals knew that this city was perfectly in the middle between kingdom's capital and border, making it the hardest to supply in the extended periods of time.

The price rises along with the severity of the good's demand. This is just a basic rule of pricing own wares, putting Uveno at the really hard spot. There just weren't enough merchants interested in making their business here, subverting young trader's initial expectations!

Not wasting any time, Mike quickly arrived at and passed the gates, unbothered by guards at all. Contrary to his expectations here, they were looking at him as he was some kind of hero!

"Excuse me for suddenly asking about this, but did the local balance of powers change in recent years? I was thinking about making a prolonged investment with the help of Nuaren faction, but I'm simply not sure if they still hold as much manpower in the villages around as they used to."

Seeing the emotions caused by his arrival in the guards, Mike didn't need to be a genius to figure out the reasons behind them. Leaving such an opportunity would simply be a waste!

"It looks like you are rather well informed about these city affairs!"

As if hearing those words was equivalent to offending their mothers, initially friendly guards immediately turned hostile. They even dared to ostentatiously put their hands on their weapons!

"Oh, forgive me if I said something unnecessary. I used to live in Burgen for a while a few years ago and I was told that they were the ones maintaining the daily operation of the common folk. Hence my interest in them! Who am I to be making business with the town hall after all!"

Shrugging his previous question off with a small bit of self-deprecation, Mike placated guards emotion a bit, making their faces ease a bit.

"You should be careful about what you are announcing out loud then!"

Just as one of the guards that previously rebuked them tried to reply, Mike heard another voice from behind the guards. After pushing two soldiers to the side, a fancy dressed officer stepped up and replied in their stead.

"Would you mind telling me what kind of rumours did you hear about the Nuarens?"

"Of course! My pitiful knowledge comes from a few discussions that I hear while resting at my aunt Inn in the Burgen. From what I heard, powers in the Uveno were split up between City Hall and noble faction called Nuarens. While there was supposed to be a small conflict going on between those two, what interested me the most was the division of the influence, delegating the city matters to the Hall stead and leaving the countryside villages in the Nobles hands. Did I get that information wrong, sir?"

At this point, Xyenna wasn't sure whether Mike was playing dumb or if he was really clueless about the current affairs in the City. In the end, he didn't get to spend much time alone to gather intel beforehand, so she was more inclined to believe in the second option, but the number of surprises this young merchant had in store made her curious about the truth. Left with no other choice, she could only regret that there was no one to bet about the eventual outcome of this conversation!

What she noticed but didn't pay any heed for, was the changing expression of the guard's officer. It looked like he was constantly weighing two options in his mind, not sure which one to choose. While he looked like he was uncertain about something, suddenly his face brightened up as if he came up with a great idea!

"And why is that you want to deal with the serfs instead of the City merchants? Won't you be able to get more profits this way?"

With an expression of pure pride, the officer probably thought he managed to corner Mike with this question! Xyenna couldn't help but break out a small giggle!

"What the hell are you laughing at!"

Instantly, the officer's pride got shattered when a young woman reacted with a giggle to the great point he brought up. He instantly flared up enough to raise his hand to call for his subordinates, when another voice suddenly resounded.

"I wouldn't do that if I were in your place."

Not even a hint of anxiousness in this voice! Mike instantly turned his head around, only to see a relaxed man sitting on top of the wall and eating some kind of round fruit. His legs were freely swinging from the edge of the fortifications only showcasing his laid back attitude. He looked like he didn't say anything at all!

"What the hell are you doing here!"

Turning absolutely serious, the officer instantly placed his hand at the hilt of his sword and lowered his centre of weight. While his intellectual capabilities didn't seem to amount to much, simply from the way he positioned himself against the owner of the calm voice indicated that he wasn't a stranger to the fight!

"What a funny question to ask someone who just does his job!"

Man on the wall giggled for a second before throwing half-eaten fruit behind and sliding himself down from the edge. Like if he had weighed a lot more than he looked like, his body almost instantly appeared on the ground, with just a hint of force lingering around his bent knees.

"Forgive me my late introduction, I'm Damash. Serving under the orders of the lord of these lands, appointed as the overseer of this gate affairs. Why this kid here is rather stupid, his question actually holds some value, would you mind answering to it, Sir?"

Unbothered by clearly hostile attitude that the 'guards officer' had, agile soldier stood up straight and directed the question back at the Mike with a gentle smile.

"Merchants earn the most during unstable times. With varying prices, they can make the killing at the cost of the small folks. To even think about joining the fray, one needs enough assets to either compete or work with them. Since I'm no one worthy of their attention, just by trying to nip off a tiny amount of their cake would draw their wrath onto my humble self."

Mike shrugged slightly as if the sole idea of dealing with those big merchants prompted him to puke.

"That's might be true, but if we extend your line of thought, what you intend to do would…"

The noble officer was stroking his cleanly cut beard as he was speaking, with every word spoken slower than before. Just as he was about to say what struck him, Mike swiftly interjected with a wide smile.

"Yes, it seems that sir Damash is witty enough to comprehend my small ploy!"

Looking at the young merchant in a daze for a while, Damash suddenly opened his eyes as wide as his eye socket allowed him, unable to add two to two. Only after seeing the resolute look on Mike's face hidden behind a fake smile did his facial expression returned to the usual small smile. After another short while of figuring out some stuff in his mind, he finally smiled wide and laughed openly.

"It seems that it's not me who should be called witty! If that's your reason for looking for Nuarens, you should look for the long sword and shield signboard, at the third turn to the left from the main road. From what I know, some influential figures of the nobles heritage like to dine there. Just tell them that Damash sent you and they should spare you some time to listen to your requests!"

As the situation evolved into an unexpected direction, the city guards officer couldn't take it any longer. He would be severely punished if he allowed any kind of opportunity to fall into those damn nobles hands!

Pulling his sword in one swift motion, he jumped at the Mike carriage and pointed its tip at the lying Xyenna.

"Don't you ever think about leaving this place with my consent! With the authority of the City hall orders, I arrest those two people and confiscate their belongings for further…"

Before he even finished his part, someone knocked his sword to the side. Surprised, he instinctively tried to follow his weapon movement with his eyes, only to feel a cold and surprisingly hot touch on the front of his neck. When he looked back to his front, all he could see was devilish, red eyes, enveloped by the fiery storm, completely blocking his vision.

"Don't you dare to point your weapons at me"

"Resisting lawful arrest, threatening the officer, attacking city guards… Don't you fear death, little girl?"

Despite the critical situation, he was in, the officer almost burst out with joy! What was a slight overuse of his authority turned into a situation where the other party gave him all the cards he needed! Even with no call from him, the soldiers all around were ready to assault and kill them when the first opportunity arises!

"Using a forceful approach on the Altarcia citizen guard without stating her laws first. Unsheathing the weapon with no imminent threat… And I'm not even speaking about violating the peace treaty! Sir Damash, my memory is a bit foggy at this moment, could you remind me what was the punishment for those crimes?"

Rather than letting Xyenn finish the matters in her own way, Mike decided to interject. While he could try to ease the situation, the hostile officer tried to use him as a pawn in the fight in his petty, factional infighting! There was also the dissatisfaction that Xyenna built up about her own performance. Considering those two points, the best he could do was to guide the events to the least bloody end.

"You appear to be well versed in the Altarcian laws, young sir! Those crimes are punishable either by the merciful death sentence, any kind of lesser punishment satisfying the offended person or the lethal duel between offended and offender if that's the victim wish"

Noble officer recounted with a light voice, granting his town's counterpart a rare, beautiful smile. In Mike's eyes, Damash was just a bit too happy about the situation where it was his presence that turned it from small talk into a fully-fledged conflict.

It could be disputed whether the current situation was better or worse than the neutral stance that Mike wanted to take before. Doing business with nobles while maintaining a positive relationship with the town hall? Seeing their relationship on his own eyes was necessary to realise that it was nothing but a pipe dream!

"So duel that is. As the offended party, I have the right to designate a time and place. I think plain fields right outside the town look like a proper place for your burial, so let's settle on them!"

Mike calmly moved to Xyenna side and placed his hand on her arm to make her lower her weapon. Not daring to look into the eyes of the huntress in heat, he happily looked at now free guard and continued.

"As for time, let's settle for two days from now. Obviously, since I'm not a combat type of person, my interests will be represented by this lovely girl! here!"