“Boy, move out of the way!” The driver yelled as he navigated the carriage around the increasingly dense crowd.
Cal had become accustomed to the crude way the driver spoke since they hired him from Mariner’s Rest. He had been ready to run to Purple Vale when Bran had suggested to get a carriage, reminding him that running was impossible unless he was willing to carry Bran. Which he was not.
Several hours wasted, doing nothing but sitting in a carriage. Hopefully, this auction will be worth it.
Cal ignored the driver’s frequent cursing and took in the scenery outside. He could see lavender fields lining the sides of the road, with hills beyond blanketed in purple flora. He understood why the town was called Purple Vale. It was a stunning sight.
He glanced at Bran, who impatiently bounced his leg as he stared at the driver like it would make him go faster.
“Relax, Bran. If you want, we can make a quick detour to Purple Vale if it calms your nerves.” Cal wouldn’t mind visiting the town, since he could use it as an excuse to spend some time with Oleg. Of course, he was planning to do that anyway on his return trip.
“No… but thank you, apprentice Cal. That’ll waste more time. Anyway, Purple Vale is mostly for mortal farmers to accommodate traders from the Harvest Union.”
Cal replied with a small shrug before looking out the window again. He thought that was shortsighted, but Bran’s response reminded him that even though the Initiate was exuberant around him, he still looked at mortals in the usual dismissive manner that other people with activated interfaces did.
There was nothing terrible about that, but Cal had gained another view, perhaps from his more relaxed way of going through this life. He was willing to appreciate the simpler things while avoiding the need to always put strength and status as a priority, within reason. Understandably, Bran, and most others, were not the same.
It didn’t take long to pass the checkpoint at the border. The guards at the checkpoint glanced inside at him before waving the driver across.
There was a short wall that acted as a token barrier that separated the border, and it also blocked how different the Harvest Union’s territory was. The change in landscape was sudden.
Brilliant hues of green, brown, red, and other assorted colors, depending on the planted crop, replaced the lavender fields and purple flora.
Cal knew the Harvest Union was famous for its unending farms, but he didn’t know how literal that was. The orderly and efficient operation surprised him. Not a bit of land was unused.
… Maybe I get more from this trip than just draft beasts.
“Apprentice Cal, this is as far as I’m allowed to go,” the driver said as he hopped down from his seat. He opened the door while frowning at the uninterested guards manning a flimsy barrier.
Cal stepped down from the carriage and patted the irritated driver on the shoulder.
“There’s no need to wait for us,” Bran said dismissively before rushing to stand beside Cal.
Hm, Bran’s disregard for mortals shows up again. He’ll need to fix that when he speaks to Seris when I put her in charge of the hires.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
Bran whispered. “Apprentice Cal, the town we’re going to is called Harvest’s End. It’s a little quaint, but please bear with it until the auction’s finished. They’re a little proud of themselves.”
Cal shot Bran a warning glance in the middle of his sentence. Whispering did not prevent the guards from hearing the conversation. Not when they were all at the Apprentice tier.
Bran, of course, chose a terrible time to be oblivious to his warning. The guards’ faces turned dark as they glowered at him, which finally got his attention and shut him up. One of them narrowed his eyes before turning to Cal. “What’s the reason for your visit?”
“I’m here for the auction.” Cal kept his response short, though respectful, hoping to deescalate the situation.
The guard grunted. “One gold for you. Five for him.”
“What?” Bran blurted out. “The toll has always been a silver!”
“Oh, really? Is that what you’ve paid in the past?”
Cal shot a furious glare at Bran, one that couldn’t be missed, to keep him from answering. He smiled at the guard and said, “Six gold? That’s not an issue. I hope you forgive my friend for his rudeness.”
The guard replied with another grunt, but moved slightly to allow them to pass. Cal let the silence dominate until they were well out of the guards’ hearing range. “What was that?”
Bran looked startled at the question. He hesitated and said, “Maybe the toll increased for the auction?”
Cal gave Bran a closer look after his continued… obliviousness, to put it politely. He didn’t know the slightly older man well enough to tell if this was a common thing with him or not, but the severity of the situation that he created with unnecessary words forced him to lean towards this being the usual.
On one hand, it would mean that Bran couldn’t hold a secret to save his life, but it would also force Cal to leave Bran with tasks that didn’t involve tact.
“Those guards were stronger than me.” Cal saw Bran do a double take. “Yes, every single one. I’m not sure what your assumption was of this place, but from now on, pretend everyone that belongs to the Harvest Union is a superior.”
“… But how? Isn’t the Harvest Union known for being the weakest region? They should barely have Initiates, let alone Apprentices.”
I thought the same. Perhaps the rumors of their weakness were overblown on purpose.
Cal could see how such rumors would propagate. Most of the traffic between the Celestial Order and the Harvest Union was traders, and the guild members who visited would likely be [Farmers] or some other similar [Class]. It was unlikely any of them could sense the strength of the Harvest Union’s members.
The higher-ups of the Celestial Order would likely know any ‘hidden’ powers of the Harvest Union, but even if they did, they apparently kept it quiet.
“Like I said, pretend everyone is stronger than me. And I’ll be deducting the increased toll from your future wages since you were the reason for it,” Cal said. They could have turned back and skipped the auction, but it was better to solve the issue right then by accepting the harsh toll. Apprentices, no matter which guild they belonged to, were best assumed to be arrogant, prideful, and held long grudges. Sure, he could be wrong, but he wasn’t about to gamble on that for a mere six gold.
Bran’s stunned nod satisfied Cal. Just in time, since he detected another powerful presence ahead.
It wasn’t like they were alone, since a good number of foot traffic surrounded them, including animals and the rare beast, but none of the humans had an activated interface. That meant it was easy to conceal their conversation, and notice anyone with a smidgen of strength because of [Mana Sense].
Cal searched for the person he detected, but couldn’t get a direct line of sight because of the frequent blocks caused by the extensive warehouse districts. A simple glance at this town revealed its purpose: supplying the Celestial Order. There wasn’t much in the way of permanent residency established other than accommodations for traveling traders.
Still, Cal could see what most others couldn’t. The closer they got to this town, the more powerful presences he sensed scattered throughout. They built this town for trade, but that didn’t make it defenseless.
I sense a few Masters. Either the Harvest Union distrusts the Celestial Order to reinforce this place with their best, or its strength is underestimated.
“What’s this place called again?” Cal asked.
“Harvest’s End,” Bran replied. “It serves as the primary gateway between the Harvest Union and our territory.” He hesitated before asking in a low voice, “Apprentice Cal, does the Harvest Union have someone powerful stationed here too?”
“Not just one someone,” Cal said without changing his expression. “Several someones are stationed here. Some at a Master tier.”
Bran’s mouth clamped shut as he paled significantly.
Cal almost felt bad and did the minimum thing of patting him awkwardly on the shoulder. “It really doesn’t matter as long as we don’t act like idiots. We are here for the auction and nothing else.”
“Now, show me where these draft beasts are.”