When Ivan entered the classroom, all the students stood up to honour his presence. They were born to affluent families, so did Ivan, who was about thirty, yet he functioned as a teacher for the time being. He graduated at this school, which had specialized in commerce and politics and was established by his father, a member of the merchant council, Dimitri Bogatstvy, one of the richest merchant in the North.

“Thank you, sit down. We will talk about the customers and the way we should influence them to buy. Do you know anything about it?”

“They’ll buy what they want.”

“Sure, good joke. We have to make them think they can do that. This needs a particular object, a desired necessity. Let me tell you an example. Our nation is based on commercialism, which means we try to get as much money as possible from the population, while making them content. So the first thing we did was incorporating books into the guild and making statues and other junks to sell to the people, who had emotional connection to these items and gladly bought many of them. You can sell useless items as well, just establish a link with your customers. The system’s basic rule is where there is need there is money. You can establish brands to increase your revenue. Prestige and comfort does only good to the merchant.”

“What if I wanted to open a restaurant?”

“You should focus on quality. It is the most important aspect of a restaurant to provide expensive and remarkable exotic food. Do not forget about competition. The guild set a minimum so that nobody could gain a leverage.”

“How can I influence someone without lying?”

“Never lie but do not tell the whole truth.”

“What does that mean?”

“You try not to talk about the bad qualities of your products. You can talk about the good ones, but only if it is true. If I had a house, how could I sell it if rats lived in the cellar? You do not talk about it.

“What if they ask about it?”

“Talk about it a little, then avert the topic. You definitely do not want to show the cellar.”

Someone knocked on the door.

“I am sorry, Ivan, to disturb you in class, but a messenger came from your father. Looks like it is very urgent. I’ll substitute you.”

“Okay. We are at twenty, twenty-nine.” He rushed to the messenger, who was waiting in the garden of the institution.

“Your father wants to have a word with you, sir, about the Convergence.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“He said if you ignore him again, he will marry you off to another family, and you’ll have to pay the cost of the first half of your education as well.”

“Where is that old goatfucker?”

“At his mansion, the one near the Guild House.”

“Do you have other matter to attend to?”

“Yes, sir, but I am not allowed to talk about it.”

“I’ll go now.”

“Thank you, have a nice day.”

The school was located at the outskirts of Pravislota, the capital of the North, so he took up his bicycle and started his journey. On arrival, he asked the guards to let him in, and handed the invitation over. One of his old acquaintances came down the stairs, which led to Ivan’s father.

“Long time, no see. How have you been?” greeted him Ivan.

“Not much. I have been working a lot lately.”

“You were working in a factory, right?”

“Yes, as a carpenter, a welder and a blacksmith.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I asked about the regulations of establishing a private company.”

“Well…”

“I have gathered a fortune over time, and I had enough of my boss. He did not like anything I did, but nobody could do better. The production line of my colleague made a metal stair in a week, I made it under four days.”

“So you want to be a private specialist?”

“No, I wanted to create a company, which produces metal structures. It’s not easy.”

“I know.”

“They wouldn’t let me. They said that I need a certificate about my skills and another about basic economics. Without that I am not allowed to do so. I have been working for twenty years now. I went to a course that supposedly teach you how to be a blacksmith, but it was useless as I have to have two years of work experience with the paper to be valid. I have spent a quarter of my money on the certificate. Then I went to register my company, but they said I need at least two years of experience…”

“That sucks…”

“I have spent all my money on getting the certificates and the headquarters. Now they say I cannot have a company. If they find out that I am doing this illegally, they will take everything from me…”

Ivan has taken a piece of paper out and scratched some word on it. Then he handed it over to his friend.

“Try doing it with this. I have to go now. So long…”

He went to the bathroom, let the steam out, and ventured forward to his father’s office.

He knocked and opened the door. His father, a middle aged man was sitting behind a table. Behind him were several bookshelves full with writings about commerce and politics.

“What do you want?”

“It is good to see you, son.”

“Stop being so courteous. What do you want?”

“Hmm. It’s time you married. It’s time you made some renown. I have high expectations.”

“I do not think that you remember, but I always wanted to be a scientist. You never listened.”

“I’ll give you a task and if you complete it, I will think about it.”

“Yeah, like last time.”

“Don’t be rude. I can still marry you off if you are useless.”

“Do you think I would accept?”

“I can make your life a living hell, you know.”

“Do you remember Sasha?”

“Who?”

“The one you almost beat to death.”

“Oh, him? I was afraid you would change your sexual orientation. So I beat him and made his family lose their company.”

“Yeah, yeah, fuck you old man. He was my only friend. Nobody dared to be close to me after that, not even women.”

“Set that aside, and hear me out. The Merchant Council voted on you to become the next envoy for the Convergence. Declining would be very harmful for our family’s prestige.”

“Did you make me a candidate without my consent? What if I turn you down?”

“Lose everything.”

“I have nothing, you parasite.”

“I have heard about a woman called Anna. I can think she is not of a merchant family.”

“Eh…”

“That is what I thought. I’ll have one of my subordinate give you the details.”

“Stop meddling in my life.”

“Huh? What was that?”

’I’ll accept if I can marry to Anna.’

“If you’ll accept, I’ll spare that girl. I am the one who is in control.”

“You dare. I had enough. If anything happens to her, I’ll rip your old goaty testicles off, and feed it to you. She’ll come with me to the Tower.”

“Heh…” his father had a mixed facial expression of fear and fury. “Understood.”

“Also, I do not want to walk, you do understand, right?”

“Whatever.”

“So what do I have to do at the Convergence?”

“You have to persuade Tyronne not to declare war on us. We need a year or two to prepare. There was an incident at the border, Vadim’s bastard son started to rampage. An assassin killed him and made it look like he killed an officer’s son. The Paragon now has a reason to declare war. We have to be neutral, until we can amass a huge army, and then destroy him, with the help of our eastern neighbours.”

“I think you underestimate him. He could have destroyed us a long ago. His military is twice as strong as ours ever will be. He does not produce useless goods to make money, like you do. He produces weapons, should it be man or equipment. That whole nation is an army: Have you ever thought about what we are? Peddlers, merchants, capitalist, who cannot even aim with a gun. Don’t be ridiculous. Do not wage a war you cannot win. He will leave us alone, if we give him the Economy Hub’s code. That is the same for the South and the East.”

“I know the code by heart.” He wrote some letters to a piece of paper “However this is not the true one. Give this to him and offer peace.”

“He will know whether it is true or false. Do not make a fool out of him, or he will make you one by force. I’d like to see that, but that doesn’t matter as long as he plunders the whole region.”

“You have three days to get there, and do as I say. If I hear you did something else, you will regret it. Now go get your girl and move.”

Ivan stood up and left the building. He sent a message to Anna, got into the carriage and started his journey to reach the Tower.