“But listen, dear,” Holo said, clasping Lawrence’s coat tighter around her, taking in its scent. “Should we foil her plans? It may be unfair, but there are a number she is helping by doing so, no? I see no reason to go out of our way to trouble them.”
Eve was not trying to cause another’s downfall. Karlan, Tonneburg, Kerube, and the refugees that could no longer stay in their homes, were all technically gaining something from this project.
But Eve’s profits were almost too good. It felt unfair.
And Lawrence had the words to express the unfairness.
“It’s a fundamental principle of trade.”
“Hmm?”
“Reward is the price for risk. Eve is, in that regard, safer than any other player on the field, and earns too much from this. Of course there should be concessions.”
“I hate to acknowledge that I’m losing out, but if she were to list all her profits, then it would be easier on everyone.”
Tonneburg would be more prominent. If Eve lowered the price of wool, then the amount of lumber offered would dwindle, and the effects on the forest would lessen. If Karlan made even more money with the cheap wool, then it would be easier for them to secure the funds to help the refugees coming into the city. That would be the same as Kerube: If they were able to avoid the harrowing cuts to lumber prices, then they would be able to secure that much more wool and fill this empty wool exchange.
“And so if there is one thing we might be able to get Eve on…”
As Lawrence added the sights of Kerube into his mental map, he examined the path Eve took to get here.
“…it’s her connection with Col.”
It was an extremely powerful weapon that she had in her arsenal. With the backing of the Twilight Cardinal, everyone else danced to her tune.
The Twilight Cardinal, however, was receiving great sympathy for his causes worldwide; in Eve’s case, that meant the responsibility of upholding his just ideals.
“We might be able to manage something if we point out to her that she is making too much profit. Does Kerube’s council have any sway in the Kingdom of Winfiel at all?” Lawrence asked.
Kieman frowned. “That is also complicated. We are told that if we are to join the Twilight Cardinal’s cause, then we will benefit from it later, and it’s not unusual to buy products from the kingdom at a high price now.”
“What?”
“The Twilight Cardinal resides in the Kingdom of Winfiel. Buying their goods is a way of supporting their reformation of the greedy Church. It’s a donation, in a way. It’s regarded as a symbol of doing good, and their goods are much sought after.”
Though it might not have been a part of Col’s intentions, Lawrence was aware that the world could be shallow. Merchants, especially, were the type to squeeze profit out of a situation like this.
Eve had a firm grasp on how the people felt and was leveraging her position for all it was worth.
“The city council does not want to oppose that snake of a woman. No matter how many times I find myself livid over her ways, or how many times help for the impoverished is delayed because of the depleted wool, the council only shrugs their shoulders. It’s almost as though they’re trying to get rid of the knots and stress from the whole incident surrounding the narwhal.”
No one thought Eve would become such a big player in this game. Those who remembered how she once acted would be beside themselves with fear.
On the other hand, Lawrence took note of a surprising fact from the way Kieman spoke.
“Are you in charge of the city’s assistance programs in the council?” Lawrence asked.
Like a child trying their best to put up a brave face after someone touches their frostbitten skin, Kieman gave a lopsided smile.
“I looked into the narwhal situation in my own way and vowed to do better. That was how I came to understand the importance of the beggars’ information network.”
It took Lawrence a few moments to understand.
Col had once pretended to be a wandering student and had collected all sorts of valuable information from the city’s beggars.
“I at first thought about it in terms of loss and profits, knowing I needed to deepen my ties with them.”
But it was likely that as he associated with them, he came to understand their circumstances, could no longer ignore them, and wanted to help them, though uncharacteristic of him as it was.
Their disposition, their desire to be seen as cold and intelligent merchants—Eve was much the same—was strangely quaint to Lawrence, who had taken a step away from that way of life.
Perhaps the reason Kieman was so infuriated with Eve’s methods was that because they were similar.
“If you were evil, or if you figured out that Eve was putting together a corrupt plan, then I would have been able to rest a bit easier,” Lawrence said.
Kieman laughed. “I agree. But all those getting caught up in her project are only trying to get a handle on what they need. She’s manipulated that and made it a part of her own schemes.”
Perhaps even all the things that prevented Karlan from developing until now were understandable reasons, if taking into consideration what the lords who managed the river checkpoints and those who oversaw the land of the roads had to say.
“So… If we have to end up going along with Eve’s intentions, and if there is any sort of favor I could ask of you,” Kieman paused, before continuing lightly. “Could you speak with Col and tell him that the fur from Lenos is perfect for protecting oneself from evil beliefs when worn?”
Fur and lumber traveled down the Roef River from Lenos to arrive in Kerube.
If the price of fur were to go up, then they could make up for the reduced price of lumber and still purchase the wool they needed.
But profiting off faith was the biggest reason why Col was fighting with the Church.
“…We have to take you up on your proposal, since you helped us when your bathhouse ran into trouble.”
Kieman chuckled.
Lawrence said to him, “What we are most interested in is the Tonneburg Woods. Can we expect that the growth in trade that Karlan is planning for after the forest is cut down is not a temporary thing?”
This question would not earn Lawrence a solid answer if Kerube was indeed trying to quash Karlan’s project.
But now that Lawrence understood where Kerube and Kieman stood, he could expect a more meaningful response.
“From what I gather, the plan is to build a road through the forest, then set up smithies and coal-burning huts. Is this correct?”
“Yes,” Kieman replied, his sharp merchant’s eyes resting on the dark of the wool exchange.