We reach the farmstead not much later, where the oxen carts pull up behind one of the barns. Judging by the farmhands waiting for us we are obviously expected. I let Wiktor do the talking and just nod in greeting to the few I have seen before. A gesture they gladly return. It seems getting to know them beforehand is already paying off.
It turns out that Wiktor''s mention of unloading and loading the carts wasn''t just idle talk either. The farmhands help, but I end up doing plenty of heavy lifting anyway. It''s a little surprising that it doesn''t unlock of skill of some kind. Although, maybe that is for the better.
A real surprise though is the actual nature of the cargo. Sure, it''s spirits, that much I already knew. I haven''t forgotten the mention of crates with bottles either. That the carts'' cargo consists entirely of rough wooden crates containing plenty of crude bottles and straw stuffing is a little unusual though. Wouldn''t it be easier to ship large quantities of the stuff in barrels? I decide to ask the question, since there are people around that might be able to actually answer it.
“Why ship it in bottles? Why not something bigger, like barrels? Wouldn''t that be easier overall?”
The two farmhands closest to me look at each other for a moment. Finally one of them speaks up, taking a break in the process, while the other keeps going.
“Several reasons actually. First off, barrels are actually not really easier to transport than bottles. They are harder to secure and protect too.”
He pulls some of the straw from a crate before stuffing it back in, as he makes the last point. And he isn''t wrong about the handling either. The crates with bottles are pretty easy to handle.
I nod in under standing.
“And the other reason?”
He flashes me a big smile.
“Well that one is even more important! The taste of the spirits would keep changing, maybe for the better, but possibly for the worse too, if we were to keep them in wooden barrels for shipping. With bottles there is no such problem. We can be sure that what our customers receive tastes exactly the same as it did when we bottled it here.”
Oh! Well, that is an important point for sure. I nod again and grab another crate to haul it to the cart we are loading, while he does too.
There is one other thing bothering me. I don''t take that one up with the farmhands though. Instead I approach Wiktor once we are mostly done with the loading.
“Aren''t we loading these carts a little high? Won''t they be too heavy for the oxen?”
He waves my concerns away casually.
“You aren''t wrong. We load more than usual. It''ll be alright though. Don''t worry.”
Then he winks at me.
“We still need to deliver the official number of crates to the warehouse at the upstream waterfront despite some crates falling off the back along the way after all.”
I groan at first. Then I snort.
“Of course. We have to make sure everything looks nice and proper on paper. To keep people from asking questions. Is that it?”
He nods pleased.
“Yes. Very much so.”
It might not be much, but I can feel my [Gather Information] skill improve. A moment later I''m even rewarded with a divine whisper.
[*Ding!* Your skill Gather Information has leveled up to level 6!]
Very good. Every little bit helps! And who knows, if I ever become a full time rum runner or moonshiner knowledge like this might come in pretty handy.
Eventually we are done loading. I see some money change hands, but that is Wiktor''s part of the show this time around. I take note that no last moment negotiations are happening though. It seems everything has been agreed on beforehand. That too is an important tidbit to keep in mind should I ever have to do a delivery run like this on my own.
Then we are off, at an even more sedate pace this time around. The oxen carts are really loaded down now after all. And both Wiktor and I are still riding on top of our respective wagons too. Wiktor on the front most one, I on the one in the rear.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
It seems that everything is well planned, but I''m nervous anyway. It gets worse too as we make our way back to town. It isn''t my [Danger Sense] either. No it is a more general unease I''m feeling. I just can''t help it. Well, there isn''t much I can do right now, but I certainly can keep my eyes open, thus this is what I do.
I take note of everyone working on the nearby fields. I observe the animals on the paddocks. I most certainly keep a close eye on everyone else on the path we are taking. Overall I don''t notice anything out of the ordinary, but my efforts are certainly good enough to push my [Perception] a little further along towards the next level up.
Finally I realize why I''m nervous. I haven''t received any detailed instructions on how this will happen. So far I have only some vague hints to go by. Essentially I have to be ready to be surprised. I nod to myself. In this case it''s only right to be a little nervous.
It is getting a little late as we get back to the outskirts of Riverrun. It isn''t getting dark yet, but the sun is sinking already, casting longer shadows. There aren''t as many people about, at least out here, either.
I can imagine that the city gate is still quite busy though. Everyone who needs to get in or out, and who isn''t willing to climb over the wall, will have to make sure they pass through before the gate is closed for the night after all.
The more I think about it, the more I think that the trip is carefully timed. Well, obviously! With two overloaded oxen carts of strong spirits, and not the cheap kind either, this operation probably represents a considerable fortune by the standards of just about anyone out here on the frontier.
By that logic it would be only reasonable to assume that more than just a few guild members are involved. Certainly more than just me and Wiktor for sure. Some might just be providing a distraction elsewhere. Something I''ll only learn of in hindsight, if ever.
Some more though are bound to be waiting somewhere along our route. The ones that will help unload the share of the cargo that will go through guild channels rather than the official ones. Some of those I might be able to spot. If it is someone I''m familiar with anyway. Except, of course, if they do their job right I won''t notice them until the very last moment.
Thus it really shouldn''t surprise me, that it is quite a surprise when things go down.
My first clue is a much smaller cart pulled by donkey standing in the middle of an intersection right ahead. Or, well, there is a cart with a donkey in front of it which does not pull said cart in the least, while Jerzy and his brother put on a show of trying to get it moving again. It isn''t a very spectacular show of course, but good enough to draw the attention of what few bystanders there are.
The driver of Wiktors cart stops his oxen well away from the obstacle and the attention it draws in a spot where the alley is particularly narrow. A moment later the driver of the cart I''m riding does too.
That is when the real spectacle starts. The spectacle hardly anyone, if anyone at all, will notice. One of the windows besides Wiktor''s cart opens and so does one in the building besides mine. I can''t tell for sure what is happening ahead of me, because my attention is drawn by the face grinning out through the open window right next to me.
It is Sylwia. In the darkness of the empty workshop behind her I can make out some of the others of her gang.
She doesn''t waste any time talking and neither do I. I just grab the first crate and lower it onto the windowsill where she grabs it. The moment she vacates the window one of the others steps forward and I repeat the process. I repeat it again and again, without a break until a third of the cart''s load has disappeared.
Without anyone ever speaking a word the window closes again, and I take a moment to make sure the remaining crates are evenly distributed in the back of the cart, like they should be.
For some reason I get the feeling that my [Sleight of Hand] skill just improved a little.
It seems Wiktor is done too. He too is sitting on his cart once more, chewing on a straw, as if nothing ever happened.
Finally the helpful advice from one of the onlookers seems to get the donkey blocking the road ahead moving again too. I have to wonder if that one is with the guild too. I can''t be sure, but it would make sense. Either way, it means we can get rolling too, without anyone being the wiser.
As far as I can tell anyway. I don''t exactly look around after all, giving my best to act inconspicuous instead. It doesn''t take a whole lot of effort, but it earns me a partial increase of [Bluff] anyway. I won''t complain. I''ll take whatever I can.
My day isn''t done yet though. Thankfully the rest of the trip doesn''t take too long. Before long the carts draw to a stop once more in front of one of the warehouses by the upstream waterfront.
Wiktor talks with the clerk at the entrance. The man looks impatient. He wants to close the place up for the day already in all likelihood, so he can have a nice evening and we inconvenience him in this regard. Ha, like I care.
Wiktor doesn''t give him much of a choice though. Even from a few paces away I can feel the menacing aura he is emanating as he cows the clerk. He doesn''t even have to get loud or violent. This is entirely different from his negotiation with the farmers. Maybe there is some bad blood in between the two?
Well, whatever. I''m only here to help unloading the carts. And that is what I do once Wiktor is done talking. I''m even nice enough not to drag my feet doing it, so the clerk can still enjoy his evening once we are done.
I can''t help but take note of the way the clerk checks on every crate we bring in, going so far as to count the bottles in each one. He does so surprisingly fast though. He most certainly has some skills that help with the job. And he dutifully notes everything down in the storehouse''s ledger.
I take it that he has to be one of those people who do everything by the book, as long as it inconveniences someone else and not themselves. An asshole, but a useful one. I can feel my [Streetwise] skill improve a little, as I take note of the fact.
Despite not taking our time, we are done pretty quick. Not as quick, as on our stop on the way here, but still quick enough. Wiktor receives a receipt. That leaves me wondering how this works. Luckily Wiktor catches my curious glance as we leave once the carts have departed as well.
“The crates will be on display here for a few days. During that time people from the city will be able to buy them at a predetermined price set by the guild of brewers and distillers. Everything that is left afterwards we move to the downstream waterfront where it will then be sold to merchants coming in from the other frontier cities.”
I scratch the back of my head.
“And once that is all taken care off everyone gets their share of the proceedings?”
He shrugs.
“Essentially. Except we, or rather the farmers, have to cover the storage and handling fees too. Storage here and later at the downstream warehouse. Handling fees for the carts just now and for moving what will be left here to the other warehouse later on. And everyone''s share includes the lord''s tithes and the share for the guild of brewers and distillers too.”
For a moment he falls silent. Then he speaks up once more.
“I kind of hope that everything will be sold off here already so we can save us and our partners at the farm some trouble.”
I nod.
“Speaking of trouble, shipments like this one won''t go unnoticed forever. Sooner or later someone will catch on. Maybe someone hoping for a bribe. Maybe someone who''ll try to rob us blind along the way. One way or another, sooner or later there will be trouble.”
He shrugs once more.
“Sooner or later. Not today though.”