157. Luxury: Tabitha.

It was only two days. How could that idiot noble have left to catch the boat for Kirghiz already? He must have just kept running. He had a two-day head start and will be aboard the boat before I get to the port. This is going to cause problems in Kirghiz. Theoretically, the few people with Monster bonds should not be hunted, and the cores should be left alone. Theory and greed do not go together. Tāoke and Nyx are not obvious. Težka will be obvious to everyone. They will be targeted in every city. I remember Koza and his Dire Wolf bond Velikan, and I now realize why Velikan never entered the city. The land around Jern was wild, with pockets of farming, but Kirgiz was too populated for Težka to hide outside the city. There are no wilds. Težka will be fully grown then as well.

We are going to have to obey the law to register all monster bonds with the Guard. Wiremu and I usually ignore that, and we still may. I think we will have to go into Kirghiz loud and armed. That is going to cause some problems, especially with Modrica’s tendency to hit first and never bother with questions.

Tāttā has been busy while I was gone. He was glad to see his Son-in-law, Appā, and grandson, Mutalil, back. Their bonds were excited as well. Tāttā has been a real boon for the Elemental Traders. He has basically been keeping it trading while I have been split between all sorts of different things. Our contract is supposed to end when we get to Kirghiz, but I am going to have to find a way to get him on board permanently. We initially connected with the Catkin because his granddaughter Mayakku was an enchanter, but he was the real find. He initially had a Merchant Class with a specialization in Spiritual Materials as he used to buy supplies for Mayakku. He is now a Master Merchant with additional specialisations as a Weapon and Armour Vender, Spiritual Weapon Assessor, Spiritual Armour Assessor, Enchanted Goods Dealer and Real Estate Broker. He got that last one when he negotiated the fast purchase of the Quarry just outside Obalno. I will talk to Wiremu about offering them a part ownership deal. We could merge their enchanting business with our general trading business, and they might go for it as co-owners.

I unloaded the nonperishable goods at the small office/warehouse we rented close to the caravan yard. Then went and sold the perishable goods with the Mercenary Guild traders. That brought in a tidy sum. I kept the Monster Core and found out who could perform the ritual for Ört. Duhovno had two Ritualists in residence. Other people could do it, but these were the specialists. Ört and Kryddor need the best.

When I got back, Tāttā was going through the pelts, feathers and associated material. “There is some good stuff here,” he said.

I nodded, “Wiremu will be spending the week camping out there trapping and hunting, so expect a lot more soon.”

“I enquired, and this place could be for sale at the right price. All you would need is a Merchant to run it, and we could have a steady supply of goods.”

“Do you have anyone in mind?” I asked.

“Well, these hot pools are doing wonders for my old bones. Maybe I could settle down here.”

I laughed, “You would be bored in the first month.”

“It is rather exciting being around you,” he said. “There are a couple of promising merchants we might be able to entice into our employ. I will set up a couple of interviews.”

I nodded. Tāttā had good judgement.

“When I was at the Real-estate Agent, there was another property that suddenly came up for sale,” he continued.

“Oh?”

“The Razkošje,” he said.

“What? I thought you just said the Razkošje?”

“Indeed. The most luxurious and expensive Inn in Duhovno is suddenly up for sale.”

I narrowed my eyes at him, “That is suspicious.”

“I thought so too, so I made enquiries,” he said. “The Duke of Kirghiz currently owns it. One of his sons was here and used it as collateral on a large purchase. One on which he was seriously ripped off in, as well. He has skipped town, and the Merchant wants his coins. The Duke's agent here is tearing his hair out, as this will ruin him for life once the Duke hears about it.”

“There must be a lot of people wanting it,” I said.

“Not so much. Nobody with that much money wants to get on the wrong side of the Duke of Kirghiz. The Duke's agent is playing that up and pushing the Merchant to wait till he can get the coin from the Duke.”

“There has got to be politics behind it,” I said.

“Absolutely. The Duchess of Duhovno, Duchess Mojca, is pushing for the sale behind the scenes. The rumour is she is sick of the Kirghiz Duke visiting and sticking his nose into her business.”

“So we would gain a friend here and an enemy in Kirghiz,” I mused. “As you pointed out, this is a lovely spot, and the hot pools make your worries melt away.”

Tāttā grinned at me.

“We have probably already made an enemy of the Duke of Kirghiz. What is his name?” I asked.

“Terrance .“

“Terrance. Terry. Being the Duke of the capital city, he must get on well with the king.”

“Maybe, maybe not. King Thorbjørn is a fairly blunt-talking old dwarf. When we passed through five years ago, there were rumours of dissension. With the king set to retire in the next few years, I am sure he is setting up his own candidate or going for the throne himself,” Tāttā replied.

“What do you know about our potential ally/”

“Duchess Mojca is an ex-army Captain. She has ruled here for over sixty years. She is a typical taciturn orc but from a large, influential clan. With the Steam Lands here, she, and by extension, her clan, are very rich.”

“Why doesn’t she want to buy the Razkošje?” I asked.

“Not sure. Probably doesn’t want a direct conflict. You might have to ask her.”

“She might yet buy it. If we want it, we will have to move with purpose. Do you think it will be worth the trouble?” I asked.

“I don’t know. What I do know is it will be an excellent long-term investment, especially if we can keep most of the current staff.”

“We do have a lot of coin sitting around doing nothing. Why don’t you set up a visit so we can inspect the place.”

Tāttā nodded, “I will contact the agent.”

The Razkošje wasn’t just a luxurious Inn. There was a side business of a beauty Spa complete with specialised beauticians and masseuses. It had a top-quality restaurant with a high-level chef specialising in preparing spiritually enhanced food and wine. If I was to buy this, I seriously might just move in. Forget going to Kirghiz.

The trouble is I am worse than Tāttā. I would be bored in days. Well, maybe weeks in this place. I did almost let out a giggle at the image of Modrica in the beautician’s chair.

I talked to the key staff. The Inn Manager, the Chef and the Spa Manager. The Inn Manager is definitely the Duke's woman and would have to go. The others seemed fine.

I went to the local branch of the Kirghiz Treasury and set the wheels in motion for the purchase.

We were definitely going to be going into Kirghiz loud and proud. And well-armed.