Vol. 2 – Chapter 61 - The Stablemaster

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Following the contracting of Edwin's Stonemason Guild, Mathias returned to old Pliny, along with the Guildmaster, who wanted to check with his own eyes what he will work on before starting acquiring materials and starting to hire more people.

While journeying from the Northern District of Titan, and arriving at the Inner City, it made Edwin lower his head as if he wanted to hide from someone, something Mathias didn't have control of, but he tried to find out why he reacted that way.

"So, Leader Edwin, those loans you have taken, could it be from some loan sharks?"

"..." Edwin was silent in the face of this question, which hit spot on with his worries, and began checking his surroundings more alertly before responding with a bitter tone.

"Those were the only guys that could pick me up from the hole I plunged at that time. I thought they were the only choice since the bankers wouldn't even support me from being scammed by that Count."

"Loan sharks. That must be hard to deal with. Are you okay talking me into how you got into this mess as we walk to the project site?"

"I mean … this is unexpected coming from a customer to be interested in my situation. But, I don't mind. It all started with a commission I received from the Count of Como to build his castle, after being granted this right by Duchess Basara. The story is not really complicated, it went pretty smoothly, we used the same business model of placing faith into our customers to pay at the end of the construction, but to this day I didn't get my money, and I also had to pay my men who worked to feed their family. As such, all the funds my family has accumulated to this day was burnt to ash because of a noble with power and without honor."

"Ohhh, a corrupted piece of shit. You say that noble is a retainer of Duchess Basara?"

"To what I am aware, that is correct. This is why it is hard to get justice because that person is a close retainer of the Duchess."

"Sir Edwin , politics is a hard subject for simple people to understand. But for the future stick with this new business model, forget what your ancestors did, and evolve your system of conducting business. Right, what was the name of the noble? So I know who is the guy I will burn out of money in my future endeavors?"

"That bastard's name is Ludwig Como."

Mathias nodded his head and kept moving forward as Edwin started telling him about how he gained the loan sharks, and that coming from some familiar name, the 'Black Spades Gang' making his expression turn cold, pondering on his encounter with Irenaeus and his acolytes.

'Could it be that when I killed Irenaeus and his dogs, shattering that Syndicate, I also washed off the loans Edwin took from him? What do you think, old Hay?'

{Probably, but we can never know what cause and effects your actions did since you had no idea how stained their hands were. Haha, what do you say, lad? Want to become some hero and kill the bad guys?} teased Haycien, while responding to Mathias' question.

Mathias scoffed a bit, which made Edwin glance at him, as if he said something wrong, but seeing how he didn't focus on him, Fayrene told him that Mathias would do this when pondering about all sorts of things.

'You know I don't really care about being some Hero, and extending my hand to help all sorts of random people. The ones I might help are in a way, also by extension helping myself. The only time you will maybe see me turn into a "hero" is if my friends and relatives are picked on by some trash, including my lovers. Got it?'

{Heh, that's also my style of conducting myself. Being realistic with oneself is always the best choice, instead of being clueless of your surroundings. Now go on, show me what you will build with those clothes of yours.}

After ending his brief talk with Haycien, he returned his focus on the outside, and as he strolled toward the Hippodrome, he couldn't resist the temptation, and before he could stop himself from digging for more information, he asked Edwin.

"Do you have a location for this Black Spades Syndicate?"

"I have some contacts, but not their location."

"I see, I might need your help with making some connections for me, but don't stress about it right now, since I don't want to trouble you."

'I should go and check my files for the documents I received from killing Irenaeus, that Journal of his might contain what I am looking for. Right, there is also the map and letter to Clark saved there, for the Clark Syndicate, I really don't lack activities in Titan. So many unturned stones, that it troubles me, old Hay.'

{Lad, you know I am oblivious about the things you mentioned. I can only help you with advice and continue on teaching and training you. That's all}

'Which I am forever grateful.'

The group arrived at the Hippodrome area, where Edwin could see the Grand Building of the Titan, which he mentioned was built by his ancestors in the time of the First Emperor along with the Walls of the City, and other old monuments that still stand tall, and that he still has the heirlooms from that era, which took Haycien aback, telling Mathias to ask him about the heirloom so he could verify the authenticity of his story.

"That heirloom, is a small One-Handed Sword, with decorations on the hilt, where on the back of the hilt is written, [Laudable Opus]"

Edwin when hearing that question, turned his head with shock, which confirmed to Mathias and Haycien the authenticity of this person's Ancestral Line, and the old man began reminiscienting about the past, while Mathias had to try to create an explanation for his remarks.

{Stone Cleef Tribe, a small village from the outskirts of Dragonspine Mountain, that I picked up in my dream of unifying the Humans and start preparing for the Hegemon Wars. Their craftsmanship in stonework was as masterful as the Dwarfs, which left me impressed since they worked shoulder to shoulder with the Dwarven Clans I had under my command.}

{Hah, the descendants of those Stone Cleef's have been left to starve under my Empire? Them who have built my City when the times were most harsh, without complaints. Them who saved my ass by fortifying the city when the Elves were attacking me with all their might. WHY?}

'Now, now, don't get angry old Hay. I understand your frustration, but once again I can't do much about it, just to offer them work for me, in the case my project develops well and I start making money.'

{Thanks to the Stars, I have chosen the right person to be my successor.}

'Damn, don't make this too wholesome, you want me to break character as I am talking to this person?'

{Fine, I'll keep quiet.}

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Edwin, felt some strange emotions seeing a customer who didn't look down or believed he was lying about his ancestral tree, which was filled with stonemasons, in fact, all of his stories were treated by the couple as if they were genuine, being left impressed.

With each minute he was spending with Mathias, he turned even more curious to see what was the place he wanted to rebuild, and as they walked past the Hippodrome Area, and entered into a nearby district, he stepped into a decent looking place, that couldn't be comparable at all with the Northern Parts of the Titan.

Step by step, the dogs barking when approaching the rundown walls of the property not too far, was an almost destroyed stable, and not too long, the voice of an old man was heard, scolding the dogs.

"Keep quiet, I was sleeping for God's Sake. It's been a while since I ate so well, and I couldn't contain my laziness."

The dogs kept on barking, but when they saw Mathias looking at them past the gate, they immediately calmed down and started shaking her tail in excitement.

"What is it, little guys? Did the old man ignore to give you food?" asked Mathias in a friendly tone, at the three dogs, who barked in a happy way, starting to spin a bit, and pounce around.

Opening the gate, Mathias stepped inside the courtyard, followed by Fayrene, Vek and Edwin, which made the dogs alerted on the new visitors, but they got immediately friendly with Fayrene who handed them some jerky, starting licking her hands and dropping on the snow, for a belly rub.

"Those little jerks, they didn't do this with me at all, and I took great care of them." said old Pliny who stepped outside from his rundown house, to greet the newcomers.

Pliny could see Mathias walk toward him, and give him a side hug, patting his back, and glance at the others who visited him, with Fayrene he met last night that was playing with his dogs, followed by a creature that was the size of an 11 years old boy, along with Edwin that was holding a briefcase containing god knows what.

"Good to see you back, lad. Are the other two also your friends?"

"Old Pliny, the small one is my kobold friend, Vek, and the other is the Stonemason Guildmaster, Edwin Van Cleef. He came with us today to take some measurements of the stable, and also verify how sound the structure is before starting the reconstruction."

"Ohh, a professional. You hired them?"

"I did. If everything goes well, we will also rebuild your house, and make you feel like a rich person."

"Bah, I could care less. Lad, don't disappoint me, I placed my trust in you about the stable."

"I know, I know, don't worry. You will be satisfied at the end of the reconstruction. Fay, Vek, can you walk inside old Pliny's house and see what he might need for the winter?"

"Understood, darling." remarked Fayrene who stopped playing with the dogs, later moving toward the old man, greeting him with a smile, and taking him back to his home, while Mathias and Edwin were touring the stable.

As they were walking around the rundown building, Edwin, who took some measurements and checked the resistance aspect of the building, told Mathias in a professional way.

"There's actually no mistake in the draft you showed us. There's no problem in rebuilding this stable in the way you envision. You will also use the stable as a warehouse, and a transportation station, which will be what the old gentleman might be wanting, with the actual workshop being an extension."

"Pretty much that's what I want. I promised the old man I will not destroy his stable, so in this way, I keep to my word."

"If I may ask? The prices for properties and terrain inside Titan should be exorbitant. How much did it cost you to acquire the whole property?"

"Ahh, don't mistake this, I'm renting this place."

"Then wouldn't you be at a loss spending such money for rebuilding and extending this place? The old man might have some children which will try to extort you, and throw you away."

Mathias, who heard the stonemason mention this, put on an interested expression later on after they stopped in front of the stable, with the snow constantly dropping.

"Leader, if I want to tie the knot to this endeavor of mine, I can legally bind this new building to my name, which I will probably do because I have no idea what the family of old Pliny will want to do, even though I might lift them up from the dirt. If I really want to a spineless piece of shit, I can fool the old man and make this entire property mine, but I don't because I have consciousness and something called honor which is rare nowadays."

"Good to know you have it sorted out. I just reminded you, since the amount you are spending isn't a joke."

"Indeed, it is no joke, so I hope the name of your ancestors who built Titan from nothing, holds strong and my Workshop shines bright inside Titan. I will inform the old man about the contract, so he doesn't block your job. Besides, how long do you estimate it will take to acquire the materials and complete the construction?"

"About 3-6 months if everything goes smoothly. Since winter is at our tails, the orders I might take for material will lag behind, and we might pause the constructions."

"Okay, it sounds good to me, Leader Edwin. I hope our partnership will be a smooth one, so whenever you encounter struggles when it comes to the cost, you can find me here each three days maybe? At least one week since I will check with the old man."

"Much appreciated your participation in this side of things, instead of being passive and just let me deal with the hard part."

"That would be stupid of me. Anyway, do you want me to accompany you back?"

"It is fine, I will not keep you more than required. I have the light shining for the project, now let's pick up my old crew."

The two ended their talk there, with Mathias followed by the three dogs accompanying Edwin until the gate of the property, where he remained there watching the Stonemason depart safely without any incidents. Yet, as he was watching Edwins back, from the opposite side, a person wearing a black cloak where white hair strands could be seen escaping while his face was slightly veiled, with only a pair of crimson eyes being visible.

When the man stepped inside the courtyard of the house in question, he smiled to himself with a knowing tint, before returning back with the three dogs, entering the rundown house, to be meet Pliny standing on a chair while Fayrene was cutting his messy long hair along with trimming his beard.

"Ohh, you finished looking at the stable with that person? How is it?"

"You'll see your stable in a better shape than you ever dreamed. But enough of your stable, isn't your expression slightly dissatisfied?"

"Am I dissatisfied? Not at all. Having my hair trimmed by such a graceful young lady, it's my pleasure to comply."

"Stay quiet, old Pliny, what if I cut your eyebrows?" mentioned Fayrene while she was moving her scissors in a fast, professional way as if she was born for being a hairstylist.

"Okay, little girl. Sorry for troubling you."

Afterward, Pliny turned quiet while Fayrene continued trimming the old man's hair, and later on also work on his beard, making slowly his appearance to finally be of a respectable person. One couldn't tell by appearance what Pliny's status was, thanks to Fayrene's skillful hands, which Mathias admired fully in those moments.

Bringing a mirror from her inventory, Fayrene showed Pliny how his new appearance was, compared to his older self, which made the latter curse like a sailor.

"Damn, who is this guy in the mirror? Did I get sick in my head or what?"

*Giggling* "That's you, sir. How is it, do you like it, or should I cut the hair shorter?"

Pliny admired his new appearance, and as Fayrene asked him that, he quickly shook his head, declined the offer, remarking with a wide smile.

"This is more than enough, sweety. How can this old man pay you back for this treatment?"

"No need, I am fine without anything."

"Old Pliny, we brought you more food, but we didn't think about wood for fire."

"Is fine, thanks the Gods, I have plenty of wood around my estate, I just have to cut them, and they'll be good for the fireplace."

"So, I take it you didn't have anything prepared for the winter?"

"..."

The silence was enough for an answer, which made Mathias sigh.

"You really were readying yourself to get into the Goddess Embrace or something? You can't remain hopeless like this, I will go out to cut some wood from around the estate, to get you to the winter. Let's go little Vek."

Ending that, he took Vek with him and walked toward the zone where Pliny had trees in his estate, where he picked the dried ones, which he began cutting, and along the way also taught Vek how to cut trees.

Meanwhile, Pliny who remained silent while Mathias was mentioning his lack of wood, looked at Fayrene who was beside him, placing some wood on the fireplace, and asked her in a curious tone.

"Is that boy always that strong-minded in helping out people, even those he doesn't know that well?"

"Hmm? It depends, you are slightly special for Mathias, because you remind him of his grandfather, thus he treats you like a nagging daughter, more than you could experience from your closed ones."

"That boy views me as his grandfather?"

"From what he told me, yes."

"You guys aren't interested in taking my property by taking care of me? I heard it is a common method of scamming those old ones of their homes and property."

"Haha, no. Let me show you something, and you will understand, that you really are a random person, that made Mathias want to help you." saying that, she took from her inventory the note the couple took when searching for places to buy or rent for their shops.

The old man was still able to see without glasses even though he lost some sight in them, and when reading the sheet of paper in the notebook, he could see the detailed take on the locations, size, and prices.

"I understand now. So it wasn't that stupid worry of mine. Another curiosity of mine, little Fayrene, how much will it cost you two to rebuild the stable and fit it to your tastes?"

"About 135.000 gold, maybe a bit more."

*Whistle* "That's about the entire value of some places on this list."

"Indeed, which means that either if we choose another place, or by rebuilding the stable and creating the workshop, the price would be the same. If not the price will be higher at the end of construction, taking into account all the equipment we have to buy to suit the building."

"I have to talk with little Mathias about this. I can't just leave him bleed out, while when Haykal returns, he might see this differently and throw you from using the building you made here."

"That's between you two, he is the CEO, while I am the Managing Director, as he likes to call those roles."

"Hah, a really weird way of assigning roles to this endeavor. Can I also get a piece of the pie?"

"Ohh my, do you know anything about tailoring?" asked Fayrene with a curious expression after doing an 'Ara'.

Old Pliny scratched his trimmed beard, and doing a small laugh, he told the young lady in a serious way.

"Tell me, little Fayrene, how one can distribute his goods around in an efficient way from different locations?"

"Either by using the Sea, in this case we have the Grand Saharan River, that connects the major trade routes from the South to the North of the World. Another way is by using land transportation methods."

"And what is the most efficient land transportation method?" asked Pliny in a direct way, as if to get a quick answer.

"Carriages … Horses."

"Exactly, little girl. I might have lost my touch in communicating with horses, but a lifetime of craft isn't lost all overnight. I want to help you, little ones."

"That would be a really interesting proposition, old Pliny, but I have to discuss it with Mathias."

"Little girl, you two can discuss it, I just mentioned something I am good and might be of help, I don't want to be that type of old beggar to have his hand extended and do nothing, after being showered with help."

"Don't stress about it, this isn't the case for you sir, at all. However, knowing that you are willing to help us, makes me a little happy. Horses, who would think we could have stumbled on a key component?"

"Likewise, for me. Who would have thought that in my worst time, a couple of youngsters would extend their young hands, full of vitality, and impart some of their strength to my dying fire?"

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