Chapter 14: Crop Seeds |
“Let’s go straight to wherever the crop seeds are.” Cal was eager to see if this included crops beneficial for people with activated interfaces. He expected them since Seris mentioned the seeds were sent to the city. The guild wouldn’t bother to do so with mortal crops.
I was planning to convince the Overseer to give me crop seeds. I would love to avoid doing that.
“You don’t want to speak to the sailors? I bet they can tell you about the places they visited. You might even find the map you want.”
If I interact with sailors too much, the interface might offer me a sailing skill. No, thank you.
“I see. I guess that means you are rejecting my job offer? This is something I asked you to do, Seris.”
“Ah! I was just kidding, boss.” Seris turned away from him and speed-walked as if that would help her distance herself from his words.
Cal didn’t mind. He was happy to trail behind and observe the port in near anonymity.
The few he had passed in town were beyond wary of his presence. The people in the bazaar were used to Initiates, so they didn’t react much. The port was another type of experience.
He got a taste of what it felt to be invisible for the first time in his life. There were no wary looks, no respectful glances, no explicit attempt to avoid him. Everyone was too busy doing their own thing.
This is a strange feeling. I can’t think of a time when I was this insignificant to others. It is… unpleasantly pleasant.
Cal put that aside and took in the sheer sprawl of the port. From the top of the cliff, he had seen that it was larger than the town, but a decent portion had been blocked from his view.
The fishing boats were closer to the boardwalk—he could only assume most of the fishermen were people from the town. The merchant vessels were moored on the other end, with more waiting near the shore to get their turn to dock.
Warehouses were plentiful, with the largest in a cluster close to the cliffside. Still, there were smaller ones near the shore, where they were used as temporary storage places for the wares on the ships—for both unloading and loading.
I see the livestock Seris mentioned. They are being herded onto a ship.
“Seris, is the animal you were talking about one of those?” Cal pointed at the animals walking up the large plank.
She squinted for a second before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. Those are grazing animals meant for slaughterhouses. New batches come in all the time, so I’ll keep an eye out for you, boss.”
“Perfect,” Cal praised as they passed an enormous inn with a sign over its entrance.
No Vacancy.
That makes sense. I wouldn’t call the port as ‘packed,’ but there are plenty to fill a single inn.
“There it is, boss. Drex is the guy in charge of the crop seeds. He likes me, so there shouldn’t be a problem if we ask to look at what’s available.”
A shockingly skinny man wearing well-kept clothes hanging off his frame held a clipboard. He was directing porters to place barrels in stacks of three, likely in preparation for moving them to the city, Lumina.
A large elevator powered by a series of pulleys was nearby to the stacked barrels. It was currently carrying hundreds of crates up the cliff without issue, and he could see people waiting at the top of the cliff to unload it.
When Seris mentioned a pulley system, I didn’t think it would be this expansive. Which is my mistake. With a port this large, the elevator will need to match the flow of goods to the guild.
“Drex!” Seris called out as she sped up. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”
Cal watched with interest as she went in for a hug without hesitation. The man, Drex, almost dropped his clipboard. He looked shocked before he realized who was hanging off his body.
“Seris! Didn’t I say you can’t do this? What if I was doing something dangerous?”
… The girl seems to have a fondness for interrupting people without warning. Come to think of it, Orrin isn’t the only other person she did this to. She surprised me this morning.
“But you weren’t,” Seris said pointedly before switching subjects when Drex looked angrier. “And that’s not important! I have a boss now, Drex. He wants to take a look at the crop seeds.”
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“A boss?” Drex frowned when he finally noticed Cal. “An Initiate. What need do you have to hire Seris for anything?”
Not fearful, this one. He doesn’t care for my guild status. Interesting.
“I ran into Seris, and she offered me help,” Cal said casually. “I figured I might as well pay her for it.”
“I see,” Drex’s frown grew more severe. He glanced at Seris, asking her silently if what Cal said was true. Her rapid nodding convinced him. “So, you’re interested in crop seeds.” Drex gently pushed Seris away, having had enough of the hug.
“Well, I am a farmer,” Cal said dryly.
“Hm,” Drex paused for a moment. “It’s not a big deal to let you see what I’m shipping to Lumina, but it’s another to let you take any without logging it.”
The goal is to be independent of the Overseer. He wants me to be a [Mage]. Allowing me to have crop seeds is not conducive to that.
“I don’t need you to hide anything. My goal is to get my crop seeds directly from the source.”
“… I should ask why you don’t want to go through the normal guild procurement process, but I don’t really care. You do realize that the cost won’t be cheaper? The guild doesn’t markup the price when they sell to their members.”
“I’m aware,” Cal nodded.
“Alright then,” Drex waved his hand, directing the porters to shift their stacking to one side. He motioned for Cal to follow. “What types of crop seeds are you interested in?”
“Something that grows in a harsh environment. The place I’m stationed has poor soil and scarce water.”
Drex froze and gave him a puzzled look. “The guild only puts farmers on fertile land. Either this is a lie, or you’re being punished.”
“It’s not a lie,” Cal said a half-truth. It wasn’t a punishment either, but explaining that was unnecessary.
“This is making more sense. Where are you stationed?”
‘The Northern Wastes.” The moment the words left Cal’s mouth, he saw the immediate change in expression.
“You’re joking.” Drex shook his head when Cal didn’t say anything. “You don’t have ‘poor’ soil there. You have no soil! There’s a reason it’s called the wastes.”
“I plan to fix that issue,” Cal said confidently.
My ‘plan’ might be based on the skills the interface will offer me in the future, but I believe I can do it. After all, I’m a [Farmer].
Drex scoffed. “Look, anything I have in stock won’t grow there. Even if you miraculously solve the soil issue, I still have nothing in stock. I’ll have to special order Sunfire Grains, which will cost you an arm and a leg.”
“What’s so special about Sunfire Grains?” Cal ignored Drex’s pessimism.
“They’re designed to be grown in terrible environments. They grow in bunches close to the ground and have roots that extend deep below to tap into any water reserves. You can find them thriving in deserts… but the Northern Wastes is worse than a desert.” Drex couldn’t help but add the last part when he saw Cal’s eyes gleam.
“That sounds promising. How much would this cost me?” Cal asked eagerly.
Drex stared at him for a moment before looking at Seris. “This is your new boss? Are you sure you want that?”
“Hey! Boss knows what he’s doing!” Seris glanced at Cal before muttering quietly, “I mean, I think he does.”
Cal chuckled at that. “You heard her. So, how much?”
Drex sighed. “Give me a moment. Let me check the current prices.” He immediately left them to head to the shore toward a massive ship that looked like it was about to disembark to sail off. He waved to get someone's attention and sped up his walking speed.
Cal looked away from Drex’s retreating figure and focused on Seris. “How do you know all these people?”
I’ve been too distracted to find out Seris’s background. Now, I’m too curious not to learn more.
“I told you, I grew up in town. It’s hard to not know the people in them,” Seris said with a shrug.
Cal doubted that was the reason. He didn’t think she was lying, but more so that she was unaware. “I see. I never asked, but what do your parents do? You never mentioned them before.”
“Oh! They’re sailors!”
What? A simple roundtrip trip to a nearby port will take a few months, while a more likely destination will take close to a year.
“How often do you see them?” Cal wondered who raised her if she had lived in town the entire time.
“Uh, maybe once or twice a year?” Seris quickly added more when she saw Cal’s confused expression. “They love me. It’s just their job.”
“So, the townspeople raised you then?” Cal made the obvious guess.
“Yes,” Seris nodded. “We’re like one big family!”
Cal’s lips twitched in amusement. “That’s nice… but that leads me to another question. Why do you not like the blacksmith if the town is your family?”
Seris’s face twisted with displeasure. “Oh, that guy moved into town last year. He acts like he’s blessing everyone with his presence, and he refuses to let Orrin train under him. He’s terrible.”
That makes sense. I feel that anyone who wrongs Orrin in Seris’s eyes is immediately considered terrible.
“Boss, Drex is back.”
Cal looked in the direction she pointed to see Drex a few strides away.
“Five gold per barrel. This is without the twenty percent bulk discount the guild usually gets. But you will need to order a minimum of twenty barrels for the discount.” Drex was blunt, clearly expecting Cal to shy away after he heard the price.
Twenty barrels will cost eighty gold. Or eight guildmarks. That’s out of the question.
“How large of a field will one barrel cover?” Cal thought about the space he was clearing around his shed.
“… You’re stubborn.” Drex sighed. “Look, if you’re serious about this, I’m willing to visit your station. I can give you exact quantities if I see it for myself.”
Cal’s raised his eyebrows in surprise. “That would be amazing, but didn’t you say there’s no hope of me growing anything?”
“I did, and I still think that. But Seris is working for you.” Drex said that as if it explained everything.
Is this a warning to treat Seris well? Someone like Drex must have some pull in the guild if they trust him to deal with crop grains worth this much.
“Then I’ll thank you beforehand,” Cal gave him a slight nod. “Could you come in a few days? Seris can lead you there.”
The Overseer should arrive tomorrow with my personal effects. I don’t want Drex or Seris to meet him.
“Sure, that works,” Drex agreed readily. “Now, if you can excuse me. I have work to do.” He clapped his hands and motioned for the porters to resume stacking the side avoided by his earlier instruction.
Seris tugged at Cal’s sleeve. “Let’s go. He’ll get cranky if we disturb him anymore.”
I didn’t expect to find what I needed so quickly. It’s been less than an hour, and Orrin likely hasn’t had a chance to study the sledgehammer too closely.
“Show me around. I have a few hours to kill, so I might as well see why you like the port so much.”
Seris gave him a blinding smile in response.