With two kids on the way I really need to start a business to create steady work and income for the girls. I want a better life for my family than just subsistence farming. Luckily Pia told me about a shop owner who might be interested in selling his shop in town. Seems like her former shady owner was trying to push him out of business. He managed to hang on by getting into debt, which he is now unable to service.

For this trip Pia is my assistant and guide, but as we approach the shop she hides her face. The shop owner must know her from before if she is worried about her presence influencing my negotiation. I am a bit nervous about this as well as I am fully expecting to be spending the waste majority of my earning on buying the shop. A month's work could easily be spent on this.

As I enter the shop Pia stays behind me with her head lowered. At the counter I see an old man. Clearly in the twilight of his years. The shop itself looks tidy and clean, but there aren't too many items on sale. Lack of capital must be hurting his ability to restock. As I approach the owner I push Pia forward, and introduce myself.

"I have heard from my recently acquired slave that you are thinking of selling the shop." The old man looks weary, but offers to take us to a backroom to discuss. An old lady appears to look after the shop. She must have overheard the conversation. In a small backroom that clearly should double as an office and a storage if he had stock, we are offered some uncomfortable seats. The negotiation starts.

I have a number of skills I could use to push for a better deal with even though the owner is quoting a very steep price I would feel horrible taking advantage of this old man. "That price is a bit too steep for me." The old man explains that the shop is his last asset, and he needs that price to pay off the debts he has acquired. "Do you mind telling me how you go into debt?" Surprisingly the old man tells me the whole story.

"I got into debt after having my business ruined by the shop owner down the road. You should be familiar with him as you have acquired his slave." He looks at Pia, but he harbors no malice towards her. In his eyes she was clearly just a pawn in her previous owners hands. "Yeah, I met him. He is currently being investigated by the guild for scamming hunters." The old man looks up surprised. "That is good news, but too late for me. My debts are with an even more shady character in town."

"Could you tell me more about the terms of the debt?" I am surprised by the willingness of this man to tell me the details of his personal tragedy. Based on the interest terms, I can tell that his lender is clearly taking advantage of the old man. The rates are worse than payday loans, and the terms seems to have changed without warning at least at one point.

"So pretty much all that you would earn from selling the shop would go towards your debt, but even after selling there is no guarantee that he would let the debt be cancelled." The old man looks uncomfortable. He must have known that he is completely at the mercy of this loan shark. There seems to be no protection for people without strong backers like the guild or nobles. Explains why Lawra's father was so keen on forming a connection with the guild through me.

"If you can put me in contact with the loan shark, I will try to take over your debt and give you some good terms from its release. My main purpose is to have a shop selling various things I make like potions, weapons and armor." The old man looks genuinely interested and give me directions to his lender.

After leaving Pia with the shop owner I find myself in a richer part of time outside the crook's house. When I say I am here regarding the old man's debt I am let in. Mindful of the type of character I am dealing with, I make a mental note of every person I pass, using analyze to assess their danger. I am left in a waiting room by the old servant who answered the door.

After waiting long enough to make me impatient I am joined by another slimy character and his two very large bodyguards. Neither would offer much of a challenge in a fight, and seem to be mostly for show. Besides his money dealings this guy seems to be all bark no bite. If he was a genuine shady character he would have hired some better goons.

"I understand you are here about the debt of one of my clients. How can I help you?" I decide to air my grievance of how the old man has been treated without clarifying my connection to the old man. Let him guess and think he has mistreated someone with a connection to the guild. I also highlight how the old man has already paid back his debt in the interest he has paid.

"I am surprised that a strong hunter like yourself is able to understand such complex calculations." Am I supposed to take that as a compliment or an insult. The lender is clearly becoming more defensive. No reason to point out that the math he is referring to as complex is basic high school math as far as I am concerned. Instead I apply every intimidation skill I have and make it clear that I am walking out with the old man's debt papers and that he will not have any further dealings with the old man again as he is under my protection.

As I leave the house with the old mans paperwork, I wonder if I will get in trouble with the guild for this. Without paying a thing I took over the old man's debt, and considering how scared that lender was he is likely to stay far away from me. His bodyguards didn't fare much better.

Back at the shop I show the papers to the old man. He offers me the shop, but politely asks for some concessions. I explain that so far this hasn't cost me anything, and it feels wrong to just take the shop as payment. "As you told me yourself, with the way this debt was set up, I would have not just lost my shop but spent the rest of my life a debtor to that man if you had not taken care of this. I only ask that my wife can keep living in the small living space in the loft and work in the shop for basic subsistence. I will go back to being a travelling peddler. I have no sons to pass a shop to and as you can see I don't have many years left."

I am reminded that in this world people who start to age, only do so when they approach the last few years of their life as their lifeforce starts to leak. The old man just wants to spend the last few years of his life not worrying too much. "Then please allow me to take responsibility for both you and your wife's futures. I will make sure you have at least some starting capital and if you can help supplying my shop as part of your peddling work, I am sure we can both benefit."

With that I have acquired a shop and still have enough savings to make sure it is fully stocked and possibly extend my potion research. I still feel like I need to provide an explanation of the events to the guild. Should probably drop by on my way back to the farm.