“The establishment has the capacity for it,” Rashid assured me. “And with Melissa there, we can leave all administrative concerns in her capable hands.”
“Right, but how are we supposed to move everyone? It would take us several days, at least.”
“By my estimate,” Rigel interjected, “the number of travelers should fall within the acceptable requirements for commissioning a large-scale caravan from one of Sarenza’s major transportation companies. Here’s a written proposal I drafted with the details.”
“‘Large-scale caravan’? ‘Written proposal’?” I was already bewildered as Rigel dropped a thick stack of papers into my arms. They were bound with a cover, and a quick look through them revealed neat diagrams beside dense, precisely written lines of text. “You put this together in a single afternoon?”
“I did, yes. Please excuse how haphazard it must seem. Oh, and—here are my estimates of the expenses associated with such a venture.”
“Estimates...?”
As if determined to push the limits of my amazement, Rigel handed me another thick sheaf of documents. There were pages upon pages of sums and other calculations.
“From the guard detail to daily expenses, these cover all the costs involved in setting up a caravan bound for the City Forgotten by Time,” the boy explained.
“This is getting a bit too complicated for me...” I muttered. “Does this mean we can actually do it?”
“Yes. We can fund the entire operation using roughly half of the profits earned today.”
“Come again? So it won’t even make a dent in them?”
“Correct. Even with the caravan, you’ve managed to turn a profit.”
“Oh...”
As good as it was to know we could move everyone, it was rather unfortunate that even such an expensive endeavor wouldn’t solve my surplus money issue. Just how much did I have left, exactly?
“Noor,” Rashid said. “If you’re amenable, might I suggest appending several instructors to the caravan?”
“Instructors?”
“When it comes to human resources, education is the best investment one can make. Ah, and while we’re at it, it might be prudent to hire cooks and doctors as well, to ensure the others’ continued good health. Here in the capital, one can buy expertise in any field with enough coin. I suppose golem engineers would be the sole exception, as they cannot travel elsewhere.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“Here,” Rigel said. “A list of experts in all relevant fields.”
“R-Right... Thanks?”
“The figure to the right of each name is the going rate for a five-year contract. Beneath it is the rate for a ten-year contract, and beneath that—”
“Uh-huh... Right. I didn’t know that was a thing.” I nodded along to the boy’s upbeat explanation, scanning the dizzying array of numbers covering the papers he’d given me.
Yep. I don’t understand any of this.
Still, there was one thing I knew for sure: This kid was a dyed-in-the-wool genius.
“And that’s the gist of it,” Rigel concluded, smiling enthusiastically. “May we have your permission to proceed?”
“Definitely. In fact, I entrust everything to you.”
While I couldn’t claim to have understood a single part of what Rigel had conveyed to me, his energetic demeanor assured me he would manage just fine. I would only hamper his work with my constant questions and clueless ideas.
“Huh? A-Are you sure, Mister Noor?”
“Yeah. It seems like there’s a lot to do, so it probably won’t be easy, but I trust you to get it done.” I paused. “By the way, I know you’ve done all the calculations, but just tell me if you’re short on coin. However much you need—it’s yours.”
“Y-Yes, sir! Thank you, Mister Noor! I’ll strive to ensure that won’t be necessary!”
Deep down, I hoped he wouldn’t try that hard; I was in desperate need of a way to spend my money, and I would take any opportunity I could get. I couldn’t bring myself to say that, though—not when I saw the sparkle in his eyes as he hugged the documents he’d put together.
In any case, I resolved not to get in Rigel’s way from now on.
“Now,” Rashid said, “as for how we’ll explain this to Melissa... Shall I send her a letter by avian golem? I can’t imagine she would appreciate a swarm of new residents showing up without warning. Would you care to pen her a message as well, Noor?”
“Me?”
“You are the City Forgotten by Time’s owner and highest authority, are you not? Melissa takes your orders, not mine.”
“Oh, right. I guess so. I’ll write her something, then.”
“Excellent. Use this paper here, if you would. I’ve already written mine, so we can send them as soon as you finish.”
“Got it.”
There was a bird-shaped golem waiting by the window. Idly, I wondered if it counted as sentient or if it was just an object.
After scribbling down a quick message for Melissa, I rolled up the paper Rashid had given me and popped it into the metal canister the bird golem was carrying. When I turned back to the others, I saw that Rigel had already moved on to whatever task was next on his to-do list.
“He’s very talented, isn’t he?” Rashid mused. “So much so that I’d like to hire him personally.”
“He really is,” I agreed. “I get the feeling that as long as they’re together, he and Mina will be standing on their own feet in no time—even without my help.”
“Most certainly. Had the boy been alone, he would never have been able to earn enough to buy out his own contract from his master.” Rashid seemed to consider something, then continued, “One moment, Noor. You’re not planning on releasing him from his contract for free, are you? Even knowing how talented he is?”
“Would there be a problem with that?”
After a moment of silence, Rashid chuckled. “No, not at all. I’d consider it very true to your nature.”
Mina stood to one side, contentedly watching her little brother work. I’d expected to provide for them for a while, since I’d taken them into my care, but now I was convinced that Rigel could earn more for them than I ever could, especially with his elder sister’s help. They’d do just fine without me.
“Even in my eyes, they have a lot of value,” Rashid said. “They’re naturally gifted, of course, but it seems they’ve been hiding their talents their entire lives.”
“Hiding them?” I repeated.
“Indeed. Ordinarily, their talents would fetch much greater prices. Perhaps they wanted to restrict their individual worth, lest they become too expensive to be purchased together. I suspect they knew someone who warned them.”
“I...see?”
“Take Rigel’s achievements today, for example. I gave him a few words of advice, certainly, but the rest was his innate talent. Yet, rather than grow conceited by his own capabilities, he fully understands to whom his life is owed. He’ll live long, and he has more than what it takes to do well in the world of commerce. Quite fitting for one named after Rigel the Hero.” Rashid turned a smile toward his subordinate standing behind him. “Don’t you think, Shawza?”
For some reason, the one-armed beastfolk looked exceedingly displeased. Mina took it upon herself to agree in his place.
“That’s right! My little brother’s amazing! Don’t you think so, Mister Shawza? Don’t you? Huh? He’s amazing, right? Isn’t he? Right?”
Faced with Mina’s urging and the pressure from Rashid’s silent smile, Shawza graced the girl with a muttered “Yes, he is.”
“Sorry for the wait, Mister Noor,” Rigel said as he returned. “I’ve completed all the necessary arrangements.”
“What? Already?”
“Yes. I finalized agreements with each service we’ll be hiring earlier today, pending only your approval. The fees we’ll be paying are above market value, given the sudden nature of the endeavor, but I was able to secure an exclusive contract with a major, reputable transportation company. The caravan will arrive at the City Forgotten by Time tomorrow morning, carrying everyone under your name from the trading houses.”
“Wow. Tomorrow morning?”
“Sarenza’s capital would not have its reputation as the city of commerce if the flow of goods stopped at night,” Rashid explained. “Incidentally, Noor, I assume you have no interest in the trading houses aside from their ‘contents’? If that’s the case, may I proceed to sell them?”
“Sure. I don’t mind.”
“I am ever appreciative of your swift decision-making. The market won’t reopen until tomorrow morning, but I can place a sell order to ensure the trading houses are out of our hands shortly after it does.”
“That’s quite a turnaround,” I noted. “You only just bought them.”
“When it comes to trading, speed and timing are everything. I would trade away sleep to spend more time enjoying the wonders of commerce. Still, I suppose I should be well rested for tomorrow. And it would be rude not to make use of the accommodations Galen will so graciously provide. Isn’t that right, Galen?”
“Y-Yes, of course!” the plump man exclaimed. “Nothing but the most luxurious suites for you and your companions, Young Master Rashid! And your meals will be prepared by the finest chefs available. My company will gladly shoulder the expenses!”
“Well, I hate to impose, but if you insist...” Rashid wore a slightly mischievous smile as he spoke, the deeds to the slave trading houses in hand. “Thank you, Galen. You’ve saved us the trouble of finding a place to stay.”
And so, we spent the night in the accommodations Galen was kind enough to provide.