6. Baron of Nowhere


    It had taken approximately two days and the magistrates of Balna offered lucrative wasteland as a present to the merchant. Mercurius had spent one whole day trading with Hunur nomads, selling them wood and iron in exchange for their various kinds of gold. They had their own coins, but often they had Uruq gold; whether it be mercenary work or raiding, the Hunur nomads were awash with Uruq gold coins. Mercurius had gathered that the Duke of northern stretches of Balna had considered independence, enticed with offers from various Northern Kingdom polities he had switched to the Church of Order and rebelled against the King of Balna Balar had to Marshall his troops and other nobles to try and fight this threat. Mercurius was given a small piece of worthless territory next to the Hunur nomads.


    “So this is the land I’m getting?”


    “Correct, be glad you’re getting anything. Like I said, I think you are the only merchant lord in our country, I doubt other countries have merchant lords. In fact I said Zhong and Raja, it turns out both states have even higher sums of money if you wish to become nobility. See how crazy it is?” The clerk kept blabbering about how lucky Mercurius was, but Mercurius’s temper had not subsided.


    The land apart from being worthless bit of ice, cold and desolate, is also located right next to presumably hostile nomads who will very likely raid my territory even if I do develop it. Well at least the mountains make it difficult for Uruq to attack me, but even so, what a place?


    Mercurius had to attempt politeness at being given terrible land, but he struggled with it, stomping off with his note, the other copy kept by the clerk in the Busur magistrate’s office.


    King Balar is an asshole, and I will enact my vengeance on him one day.


    His two friends joined him in his frontier piece of property. He chose a green flag with a golden cart, perhaps to signify his mercantile ways; his sigil and flag recorded in the Balnan official documents as he established a small outpost in the middle of nowhere.


    “Well, we built a shed, I guess,” Salutius said, “I suppose when we build a temple no one will be any wiser.”


    “They do expect a certain amount of taxes paid each year,” Mardonius said, “temple or no temple.”


    “Really?” Mercurius said, his blood pressure rising with each passing moment.


    “30% I believe.”


    Mercurius outright turned around in disgust.


    These pricks, I swear. They’d charge me a fee for bleeding on them.


    Mercurius shook his head violently, but Mardonius calmed him down with the words:


    “We can always lie about how much money we’re earning, besides it’s hardly like they can inspect.”


    “We are too close to Uruq, and of course these nomads, and even mountain tribes of questionable friendliness.”


    “These lands are ours to develop as we please,” Salutius said, “you should be happy about it, we won’t have too many watchful eyes. We can prepare.”


    “We certainly can. I hear the eastern realms have tea and spices, I’m sure I can sell them in Peria and Asur for quite a lot, even some of the Church of Light territories will appreciate it,” Mercurius said.


    “Wood and iron getting tiresome for you?” Salutius said.


    “Well I have to carry them, it requires a lot of teleportations,” Mercurius said, “granted the money is not bad.”This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    “Give us some money for construction,” Mardonius said, “I’m sure you want a proper house to sleep in, “our smith is ready, but we will need beds, quilts, a well and what not. You can import water and wine right?”


    “I suppose,” Mercurius said. Although that is expensive of course.


    He sold spices,; peppercorn and cloves and aniseed in Peria and Asur, buying crates of wine and water, the selling of spices earned him quite generous amounts of gold coins, some 400 gold coins, covering Asur, Peria and the Northern Kingdoms. Exporting wood and iron to Zhong and the Raja states whose appetite for said products did not lessen while selling spices of various varieties to Church of Order and Church of Light polities. By the evening he rested in his territory, completely spent.


    “We made ten more statues, in fact we are commissioning a life sized one.”


    “That generates 10 Trade Points per second.”


    Only Mercurius heard the voice of the God of Trade who informed him of this marvellous fact. 20 or some builders had come, enticed by coin. Mercurius had made 1000 gold coins, having been lazy for two days had paid off, as he could teleport rather flagrantly. He was also annoyed to have found out that talking to the God of Trade cost 1000 Trade Points.


    Burning my Trade Points for such nonsense is annoying though.


    “Be quiet.” It said in his head.


    50 gold coins immediately, with promise of more upon completion, some started building structures, a house for each of the three. Wine was distributed which cost some extra 10 silvers, as well as food, which totalled a few gold coins. The statue makers made the life sized statue out of granite. Mercurius tapped the small ones, enjoying 30 Trade Points a second.


    “We keep the information of our religion a secret to them until later,” Mardonius whispered to his confidants, “it is best that way, they think we are Church of Truth.”


    “Gather money Mercurius, and I’m sure we can use this little piece of forgotten land to our advantage,” Salutius said, “they will be confused as to where the money comes from, but they will accept it with time.”


    “For sure.”


    Mercurius took a few gold coins and enjoyed the loins of two tavern women.


    Perhaps I should introduce some female company to that lot. There are too many men. They’ll get bored.


    Meanwhile the night was spent getting slobbered on and ejaculating inside warm and tight bodies.


    “Baron Mercurius,” Lara said, putting her hand on his chest.


    He was merciless that evening, touching two rears and combing his thumb on the vulva’s glistening with his sperm. Proud of himself as he grabbed both rears


    “Oh Lord Mercurius, I hear your Barony is on the border with those barbarous Hunur.”


    “It is,” Mercurius replied.


    Sitting on the bed while they cleaned his penis and then slept next to him. His cum rolling out of them.


    “Baron, I will give birth to your children,” Lara hummed, “as will Vulcana, just send us money.”


    “Come here!” Mercurius said, provoked by her lasciviousness.


    Mounting Lara on his lap, she squeezed his progeny out of his balls, huffing and puffing, the two of them licking his penis clean.


    Well I suppose even this expensive Baron title has its perks.


    And so he slept.


    The next day, Mercurius visited his compatriots in his Barony. They had successfully built simple wooden houses and the life sized statue, which he tapped. 40 Trade Points flowed into him a second, which he used most dutifully. Selling spices and tea, iron and wood he made 800 in a mere few hours. Returning to his territory, confused builders looked at the suddenly appearing man with suspicion.


    “At some point you will have to induct them into the religion,” Mercurius said, “they look at me with obvious suspicion, wouldn’t you? They don’t see me shooting lightning bolts, fire or earth, so they don’t realise it’s God Power, but they will work it out soon.”


    Mercurius distributed another 50 gold coins, mainly to shut them up, but also to buy their loyalty.


    It is not the right time to evangelise to them. When our temple is built.


    He sold iron and wood to the Chenep and Hunur nomads as well as eastern nomads far away, they lapped up the products with great enthusiasm. Wood was like gold for they could make arrows. The steppes were becoming more barren, and wood was highly valuable.


    “We have 1700 Gold coins,” Mardonius said to Salutius, “do you think it’s possible to commission something a bit more ambitious?”


    Salutius looked at the old man with a hint of fear.


    “If and when we do, we will have essentially committed sedition, there will be a timer on all our heads,” Mercurius said, “but sure, we should do it.”


    “The God of Trade knows best,” Mardonius said wistfully,


    Both prayed to it, filling the Trade Points Mercurius got just that little bit more. Mercurius arrived at the base camp and Mardonius and Salutius were a mixture of excited and terrified.


    “Let us build the temple, the temple to the God of Trade!” Mardonius and Salutius said almost too loud.


    “Really?” Mercurius said, “I thought you’d never ask.”


    “But we’ll need more builders, afterwards we’ll proposition them.”


    “Things are advancing along…” Salutius salivated, “it won’t be long now.”