Re: Level 100 Farmer

Chapter 178 - Guild II

Sindra, as Master of Coin, was responsible for the monumentally important task of maintaining the guild's finances that at first Li, as someone familiar with working with numbers, did.

She had joined the guild almost a month after it was formed, quitting her job at the City Hall as a receptionist and file organizer. 

When she knocked on Li's cottage door one morning, he had recognized her, knowing her to be the standout Feli that worked in the city hall amid humans, the one that had talked to him when he was filing out paperwork to obtain a herbalist's license, but never would he have expected her to have become such an important part of this guild.

"Our finances have reached a new peak, though, if my calculation of its trajectory is to be correct, I should assume it shall be the first of many peaks." Sindra's voice was formal and she clearly enunciated every syllable of her words – the mark of someone who had been taught the language as opposed to having grown up with it. 

She reached down to her seat to withdraw a stack of papers from a satchel which she then neatly placed atop the table, smoothing out the paper before reading through it. 

"As expected, the sale of elixirs has yet to break even with the costs of constructing and maintaining the equipment necessary for it. Of course, the entire purpose was to simply introduce the concept of elixir making at a larger scale to the Rivieran populace, so I do not consider this a true loss. 

In terms of gains, however, the first harvest of the much coveted Goldwheat and its distribution throughout the city completely wiped out any debt accrued from starting the guild. The contracts with the restaurants in the upper end of Riviera, in particular, have netted us many high-profile funders, of which Lakeside Bounty is still our largest contributor. 

The second harvest has provided a surplus of wheat, and to prevent the market from collapsing, Black Securities and their various contractors have begun the process of exporting the wheat last week. The profits from that I project will be monumental, setting us at a gold base worthy of sitting upon the Trade Circle."

Sindra nodded to herself, indicating she had finished reading her notes. 

"We should get an invitation soon, then, and when it does come, let's hold another meeting," said Li. The Guild Circle was a council comprised of the largest and most influential guilds in Riviera whose votes influenced the flow and goods throughout the whole city.

With the farmers and the old faith revitalized and backed by Li's goldwheat grain and other blessed seeds, they were quickly set to dominate the entire market for agricultural goods. This in turn set the farmer's guild off on a bad foot with the merchant's guild, for Riviera, once an importer of farmed goods from Duvin, now was quickly on track to becoming easily self-sufficient.

Of course, farmed goods were but one of many types of goods that the merchant's guild shipped, but they did not like that they were losing any ounce of control. 

"You will not check my numbers?" asked Sindra to Li, her head cocked just a little. 

Li shook his head.

When Sindra had first appeared, Li had been a little doubtful about her ability to handle numbers and had checked them over. From the jumpy and curious Feli he had seen, they were not at all suited to sitting down and crunching numbers, but Sindra was completely different.

She did not like to talk much about her past, but it was evident she had been educated, and highly at that, having studied in the university at Riviera. She used the lightning fast thought processing of her species, usually adapted to the high intensity environment of combat, to excel in academia, but due likely much to her appearance, she was denied any job of real significance in the city hall. 

When she heard that her own kin had been liberated here and were to form their own community, she had stepped in to help.

"Very well then," said Sindra coolly, though once again, her ears twitched, proud of herself that Li no longer checked her work anymore.

"My turn, then," said Ven'thur with a light clap of his hands. "The contracts with the restaurant owners and Black Securities have gone along splendidly. This month, however, I am to meet a few representatives of both the Temple of Light and the Merchant's guild, no doubt to hear them voice their own respective complaints."

"And those are?" said Li.

"The matter of healing for the temples. There is a tentative and unspoken agreement that the temple of light treats the common people for they are far more comfortable with its familiar presence, but the adventurers and villagers from outside the city prefer our elixirs, favoring portable healing.

It is likely I am to make this agreement official. To put it on paper, so to say."

"Try not to let the temple have a complete monopoly over healing for the regular citizens," said Li. "They are not yet fully comfortable with us, but in time, they will be."

"I shall keep that in the back of my skull," said Ven'thur with a sly smile. "And as to the matter of the merchant's guild, well, I expect some standard thinly veiled threats to begin with."

"Really now? Even when they know that a high priest of the light got smote down by us?" said Li. "I thought that would be threat enough. I really do not have the time and effort to be wasting on intimidating more fools."

"Oh, I assure you that I can handle that," said Ven'thur. "But when the threats fail to come to pass, I am sure the merchants will be more willing to negotiate with clearer heads. Until then, I shall do my best to limit harm to them or the rogues they hire."

"Nobody better to do that than you," said Li.

When it came to subduing without harming, Ven'thur was a master with his expertise in mind manipulating magic. Plus, the lich was quite good with his words and had been a good Lawspeaker when he was yet human.

All he had to do was brush up on laws he was a few centuries behind on, but when he did so, he made an incredibly competent Master of Commerce that was not only good at negotiating, but also immune to brazen threats. 

It also helped that the temple of Light was still being monitored by Swift, and it was evident even further measures had been made as the Head Priest of the temple had stepped down and been replaced. 

A few weeks after Li had almost melted the high priest into mush, he had heard tell of some of the priests drumming up outrage against the old faith, but before that could lead to anything, the Head Priest of the entire temple retired. 

More likely, the duchess had ordered the head priest to retire, and with that, things became quiet again, leaving just the Merchant's Guild to contend with. 

Ven'thur leaned back into his chair, indicating he was done reporting 

"Then Ivo, I already know what's going on in your end," said Li. "So, as usual, let's plan for the future."

Ivo, as Master of Ceremonies, was responsible for everything related to the old faith. Management of the priesthood, procession of faith based ceremonies, and the like. But as Li's comfortability with his divinity had increased, so had his range of powers.

He could inherently sense where Ivo was at any time. To a lesser degree, he could also focus to know where the other priests were and what they were generally doing, and the less advanced in their faith someone was to Li, the less he could perceive them innately. 

This allowed Li to have a general sense of what his priests were doing, so he had no real reason to ask for reports from Ivo in the same manner as he did with the others. 

"Yes, Good Seer," said Ivo with a deep nod.

"I have heard tell from the harpies that they have scouted almost an army of orcs nearing the Winterwoods and headed straight to Riviera.

What do you propose we do about this?"