Rose Empire

Chapter 45 - Mountain Folk and Price Gouging

Celine lay face down on her narrow wooden bed, her face buried in the pillow.

"The Viscount asked you to stand guard at the castle, and here you are, sleeping at home!" Her father, Ed Adkins's, disgruntled voice scolded from beyond the door.

"Leave me alone!" Celine shouted back, muffled by the pillow.

"What do you mean, leave you alone? The Viscount values you so highly..."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Ed Adkins was about to say more, but Celine clapped her hands over her ears and yelled, cutting off her father's nagging.

Ed Adkins sighed, giving up on persuading his daughter to return to her duties. "Forget it, I can't be bothered with you. I'm going to the guard."

"Just go! It's all your fault! You're the one to blame!" His daughter's voice followed him from the bedroom, shooing him away.

Ed Adkins didn't understand what Celine meant, assuming it was just a phase of teenage rebellion. He shook his head and left, defeated.

Once her father was gone, Celine, having stayed in bed for too long, grew restless and decided to get up for a change of scene. As soon as she sat up, her gaze fell upon the magnificent ice-gem steel armor hanging on the rack.

"Will you protect me, my knight?" Celine murmured, Charlotte's image flashing in her mind. "Ahhh..."

Celine collapsed back onto the bed, burying her face in her hands and rolling around in frustration.

Charlotte had asked Celine to stand guard at the castle. It wasn't that Celine was unwilling; she just didn't know how to face Charlotte. What if Charlotte locked her up again for another seven days, confined to bed? Even more unsettling was the realization that Celine wasn't as opposed to the idea as she once was. Another seven days…

"Miss." The voice of the Adkins household's old servant came from outside the door.

"No! Not even for a single day!" Celine blurted out, an inexplicable shout escaping her lips.

The old servant was startled by Celine's outburst, pausing before speaking again, "Miss…"

Hearing the old servant's voice, Celine realized her overreaction and quickly coughed twice, asking, "What is it?"

"Some villagers have just arrived, reporting that many people are coming down from the northern mountains," the old servant said.

North, mountains, people… These words struck a chord with Celine, as they would with any young person raised in the northern knight's territory. To the north lay the Canpei Mountains. They had all grown up hearing terrifying tales from the village elders of tribal raids and slaughters, and some had even lived through them.

"Send someone to inform my father at the guard immediately. I'll go and check the north myself." Celine sprang out of bed, pulling on her armor as she instructed the old servant.

"Yes, Miss." The old servant hurried to carry out her order.

Celine, fully armored, grabbed her greatsword, mounted her horse, and rode in the direction the villagers had indicated.

It didn't take long for Celine to encounter a group of people, scantily clothed and barefoot, emerging from the Canpei Mountains. Seeing them, Celine breathed a sigh of relief. Most of them looked quite human. Although mainstream belief in the Eagle Continent still classified tribal people as human, many tribes included beings that looked far from human, such as dwarves, giants, werewolves, winged people, and snake people, all with bizarre appearances. While standard humans existed amongst the tribes, they were usually few in number.

This group before her was almost entirely composed of standard humans, and Celine quickly recognized their origin: mountain folk. In the Orlan Empire, the Lesare Kingdom, and the Edisa Empire, people who had lost their land, gone bankrupt, were burdened by insurmountable debts, or had committed serious crimes and sought refuge often fled into the Canpei Mountains to survive.

Some were absorbed into the tribal alliance, becoming part of the tribal people. Others, unwilling to join the tribes, banded together in the mountains, forming villages for self-protection and gradually creating their own communities. These were known as mountain folk. Although the mountain folk claimed no affiliation with the tribal alliance, every winter, when the tribes descended to raid, the mountain folk followed in their wake. After the tribal people had sacked a village or town, slaughtering and looting, the mountain folk arrived to scavenge and loot a second time, like carrion-eating maggots.

Celine reined in her horse in front of the mountain folk, shouting, "Halt!"

Seeing a fully armed cavalryman on a tall horse, the mountain folk stopped, but noticing Celine was alone, they began to shift restlessly, wanting to advance.

Celine drew a javelin from her saddle and hurled it. The javelin landed accurately two or three steps in front of the mountain folk's line. "Cross this javelin at your own peril."

The mountain folk quieted for a moment, but then a young mountain man stepped forward. He not only crossed the javelin but also unbuttoned his pants and urinated on it, then spat provocatively at Celine.

Celine tugged on the reins, turning her horse towards the young mountain man. The young man quickly turned and ducked behind the crowd. Celine spurred her horse into a trot. The mountain folk, showing a semblance of unity, let the young man slip through and then closed ranks, attempting to block Celine.

However, Celine showed no intention of stopping. Her horse accelerated, and as she rode, she scooped up the javelin.

Boom! The human wall shattered. Those who tried to impede Celine were trampled, their bones audibly breaking. The young mountain man who had mocked her was now exposed, his face a mask of panic and fear. Several burly mountain men raised wooden shields and clubs, attempting to protect him. Celine tightened the reins, her horse neighing and rearing up before crashing down, its hooves, the size of bowls, crushing the wooden shields. The mountain folk wailed, collapsing to the ground, including the young mountain man.

Celine slowly rode her horse to the front of the young mountain man. No one dared to stand in her way any longer. The javelin descended again, piercing the young man's chest and pinning him to the ground, his agonized wails filling the air.

"Cross this javelin at your own peril," Celine repeated.

The mountain folk exchanged uneasy glances, unsure what to do.

"Everyone, retreat behind the javelin," an elderly voice called from the back of the mountain folk's line.

Viscount's Castle.

"Mountain folk?" Charlotte was surprised to hear the report from the territory's guard. Winter had arrived, and the temperature was dropping. Charlotte had been cautiously preparing for tribal invasions, but they hadn't materialized. Instead, the mountain folk had arrived early. Mountain folk daring to break away from the tribal people and raid independently was unheard of to Charlotte.

What surprised Charlotte even more was… "You're saying Celine alone held off nearly a thousand mountain folk?"

"Not exactly," Ed Adkins admitted, though tempted to exaggerate his daughter's bravery, the numerous witnesses forced him to be truthful. "The mountain folk leader seemed inclined to parley; Celine simply gave them a firm warning. The mountain folk leader wishes to meet with you and has been brought here."

"Oh, then I shall see him," Charlotte nodded, then casually asked, "Where is Celine?"

"My daughter is just outside the study." Ed Adkins left the room.

Soon, a ragged old mountain man with a deeply wrinkled face was ushered into the study, escorted by Celine.

"Viscount," Celine saluted Charlotte.

Hearing Celine's address, the old mountain man immediately knelt, exclaiming, "Greetings, Viscount!"

Charlotte initially paid little attention to the old man, beckoning Celine closer instead. Celine reluctantly moved to Charlotte's side, as if proximity to Charlotte was more dangerous than facing a thousand mountain folk. Charlotte leaned against the armrest of her chair, casually taking Celine's small hand in hers, then addressed the old mountain man, "What should I call you?"

"Your Lordship can call me Black Wolf," the old man replied.

"Black Wolf?" Charlotte chuckled. "But you're already gray-haired."

"Your Lordship speaks truly," the old man flattered. "No matter the wolf, age catches up to us all. Perhaps Black Wolf is no longer fitting. I shall be called, called…"

Charlotte waved her hand dismissively, "Forget it. I don't care what your name is. I simply want to know why you mountain folk have decided to seek refuge here?"

"The mountains are barren, and snow has begun to fall on the northwest slopes. Our village descended seeking survival," the old man, Black Wolf, explained. "If Your Lordship can offer us shelter and food, we will do anything for you."

"This is… unusual," Charlotte mused, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Your mountain folk have always been allied with the tribes, haven't you? Why beg the Orlan people for sanctuary now?"

The old man's head hung even lower. "Your Lordship may not be aware, but a tribe named Bone Mountain has risen to power in the Canpei Mountains. Their leader, Basha, is brave and a skilled warrior. In recent years, he has used his strength to force most of the mountain tribes into submission or alliance."

"And what does that have to do with your reluctance to join the tribal people?" Charlotte asked, puzzled.

"Leader Basha is a mixed-blood giant, and his close subordinates also possess giant blood. Giants… they are known to eat people," the old man said grimly.

Understanding dawned on Charlotte. She nodded, then frowned, asking, "How powerful have Basha and his Bone Mountain tribe become?"

The old man's eyes clouded with confusion. He pondered for a long moment before replying, "That… I cannot say for certain, but I have heard smaller tribes refer to Leader Basha as 'King Basha.'"

"King Basha?" Charlotte murmured, lost in thought. For a thousand years, the notoriously fractured and leaderless tribal alliance had produced a king! This undoubtedly spoke to Basha's strength and that of his tribe. But was the rise of such a powerful king and a unified tribal alliance under a strong leader a positive or negative development?

Ambratu.

Recently, the residents of Ambratu found life becoming increasingly difficult. Not just the slaves and freemen, but even the citizens, the supposed masters of the city-state, felt the pinch. Since the Citizen Assembly rejected the tariff agreement with the Bay Viscountcy, prices in Ambratu had begun to skyrocket. Silk, paper, medicinal herbs, spices, slaves, and other commodities had all become significantly more expensive, with the cheapest rising by at least fifty percent.

While the increased cost of these goods was painful for Ambratu's citizens, it was the price of grain that truly caused distress.

"Are you certain this isn't an error? Why has the price risen again?" A citizen questioned, pointing at the price list displayed at the entrance of the grain store.

"Isn't it normal for prices to rise?" The grain store clerk, also a citizen, picked his nose and retorted, "The Bay Isthmus remains blocked, and grain from the Orlan Empire cannot pass through. The store's stock is limited; we must sell it sparingly."

"If prices keep climbing, we won't even be able to afford black bread!" another citizen lamented.

"If you can't afford it, that's your own fault," the clerk sneered. "Who told you to vote against paying tariffs to the Bay Viscountcy? When you cast your votes, did you not consider where our wheat would come from if the Bay Isthmus remained closed?"

The complaining citizens fell silent, unable to argue. The grain store clerk's words were harsh, but undeniably true. The Sokya Peninsula had limited grain-producing regions. Ambratu traditionally sourced its grain primarily from the Green Plains Duchy and the Lesare Kingdom, with imports split roughly seventy to thirty percent between the two. Losing access to the Bay Isthmus meant Ambratu had lost its largest grain supplier. Even with the sea route from the Lesare Kingdom temporarily mitigating a complete grain shortage, it was inevitable that grain would become increasingly scarce, as the Lesare Kingdom was not a major grain-producing nation.

Why hadn't they considered this when they voted? Faced with soaring grain prices, the citizens of Ambratu likely couldn't answer that question. They had been swept up in the moment, buoyed by Pand's declaration, "Don't come for our wallets!" and fueled by the fervor of standing up and shouting, "Well said!" before cheering and rejecting the democratic faction's proposal.

Just as the citizens of Ambratu began to worry about their next meal, Olivier Capino, leader of the populist faction, stood in the square once more, delivering a speech: "The blockade of the Bay Isthmus has brought considerable hardship to the residents of our city-state. For the sake of ensuring the continued access to basic necessities like food, clothing, housing, and transportation for our citizens, I propose that the Citizen Assembly authorize the Council of Elders to renegotiate the tariff agreement with the Bay Viscountcy…"

"You are resorting to despicable tactics to coerce the citizens into accepting your proposal!" Pand angrily accused Olivier Capino.

"Citizen, you cannot falsely accuse the elders without proof. What despicable tactics are you referring to?" Jurgen Woller countered, feigning offense.

"You, you…" Pand stammered, unable to articulate a coherent accusation. The other citizens offered Pand little support. While they were also unhappy with the situation, reversing a decision made so recently filled them with shame and resentment. Yet, life had to go on.

Olivier's proposal was easily approved by the Citizen Assembly.

At the edge of the square, the oligarchic faction elders, Antanas and Sallus, watched with grim expressions. Pand might not understand the democratic faction's manipulations, but they were acutely aware. The first to raise prices in the city were shops owned by these very democratic faction elders. Under their influence and the panic they instigated, other merchants followed suit, perhaps even under their direction and in collusion, leading to this orchestrated price surge.

Antanas had believed that after the democratic faction's setback in the Citizen Assembly, they would seek cooperation with him, leveraging the oligarchic faction's influence to sway the Citizen Assembly. Antanas had even contemplated the exorbitant demands he would make of the democratic faction. He had never anticipated such underhanded tactics.

________________________________________________

Sorry for the delay.

Hope you enjoy the chapters!