The Red Lands

Griz ambled over to the counter to the boy wearing a tattered and patched cloak. Given the few dealings with the brat, he knew something was up. Unless it involved coins, this guy would never venture out of his cozy hole. He only wondered what kind of offer this boy planned to deliver during winter.

"What can you have that would interest me in these months? If it's firewood, the price is the same two coppers. Don't feel just because it's cold, you'll worm a better deal!"

"Ha, ha, firewood! This humble one will not waste your time on such trivial matters."

As expected, the boy displayed his trademark bearing and speech that could never be learned in the slums. If the environment of the slums raised children of this standard, then the nobles in the cities would be flocking to get their kids thrown in here.

"I have a proposition, but it's private as usual."

Griz sauntered to the end of the counter away from the chatting assistants. Chu naturally followed. In this type of weather, all that occupied one's mind circled around a hot meal and a warm bed. Nobody paid attention when the two sat down in the far corner of the counter.

"Let me hear this one. You can't hide from me that you feel you got something good."

"I want to make a bulk trade. I want some dry food supplies like flour, butter, and preserves to be delivered to my barn. If possible, I want it done by those you trust. A weak kid like me cannot bear the wrath of greedy men. Agreed?"

"How far is your barn? Maybe you don't know it since you're cooped up in isolation. The Trading Post does a monthly delivery to the outlying farms on better winter days."

"Oh!"

The information and initiative surprised Chu. It seems every winter, the Trading Post made deliveries to the outlying farms around the village. The cost for a winter delivery hovered around one silver. With that price, it guaranteed that once during the winter, a convoy of guards and clerks would pay a visit to deliver prepaid purchases.

The agreed delivery month between both parties occurred at the time of the down payment. This service allowed the farms to keep in contact with the village. The only usual contact between the outlying farms and the village transpired during the routine garrison patrols. Frequent patrols meant the advent of bad news. In times like these, members of the garrison would accompany the guards from the Trading Post.

By keeping a good relationship with the Trading Post, the garrison determined the situation of the outlying farms. Most of the villages at the edge of the forest employed these tactics during the winter months.

Using this method of trade, the Trading Post made money when it should have been like most of the village, hunkering down for the winter. It also made use of its private guards; why pay for loiterers when you can work them for their money's worth? The schedules of the monthly trips ensured the guards and workers completed their tasks and returned before dark.

"My barn is half a day away on foot, but it should be closer using the horses. How soon do you guys set off?"

Griz left him to consult a large, beaten book that obviously appeared like some sort of register.

"Next move is two weeks from now to the farms in the north. Where are you?"

"Straight south. I think I'm the last barn in the south."

"Hmmm, you're gonna have to wait for next month, delivery went out last four days ago."

Chu bit his lip and drummed his little fingers on the table.

"It would be nice to have gotten it today, as the weather is holding up. Even tomorrow might have been ok."

He mumbled as he was thinking.

Griz suddenly realized he missed asking the most important questions. This brat definitely didn't fit the portfolio of the usual farmer.

"Hey, don't tell me you just came to buy supplies? Didn't you say you had something to sell?"

Chu broke out of his thoughts. Waving a hand, as if a minor issue, he muttered a careless answer like just shooting the breeze with a friend.

"Oh yeah... I had some white wolves to sell in bulk... Hmmm, next month, eh? Might be cutting it short... it will be tough trying to get your workers to strip the hide off a frozen carcass..."

"Hey! Hey, what do you mean by wolves in bulk?"

Griz knocked the counter with his palms. The brat seemed lost in his daydreaming. The sudden noise caused the kid to regain his focus,

"Twenty-one white wolves, not in the usual best condition but good all the same. I wanted to get them out of my hands as quickly as possible."

Chu rambled on.

He smirked as his lackadaisical attitude drew Griz's attention.

"I would have given you for the same deal of ten silver as a bonus. Although I know now they are worth more. Hah! I did promise you a deal."

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Griz shook his head and straightened up.

From the statement, he discerned that the other had offered his bottom line.

A seasoned trader knew when and when not to barter.

"Deal. I won't beat you down, since we both know it's slow season. How about I get the convoy to make a trip tomorrow morning? That way gives us enough time to make the trip and back during the day."

"Sounds good to me."

To Chu, this offer felt much better than having to wait for weeks.

"Good! Good, you can rest in one of the vacant merchant rooms until tomorrow. I'll get someone to take care of you till then."

Given Griz's nature, Chu read him like a book. Only by baiting him would he establish himself as the dominant trader. At this point, Chu had definitely passed the level of a trapper and risen to the rank of a merchant in Griz's eyes. The deals he submitted surpassed those of the average hunter.

"I need to purchase a few things, it makes no sense for the wagon to leave the village empty."

Griz only chuckled in response. The simplest fact in any trade was that each participant had to feel they got the best out of it.

A good trade should always be a win-win situation.

After listing his purchases and engaging in another round of trying to best each other in the deal, they finally finished. Chu grabbed Ming, who stood happily chatting with the other clerks at the other end of the counter. The topics ranged from food to women in the village. He knew Ming was not an idiot to give away any of their secrets. Chu garnered from his interactions that this fool simply had a way of integrating himself into any group.

A guard escorted the boys to the merchant quarters. Most of these rooms became vacant for the winter season as the merchant convoys departed.

A clerk shooed them into a room and prepared the fire and basic amenities. A tray of bread and roasted shank followed soon after. Now they simply waited until tomorrow. Then they would have a free escort on the way home and could purchase ten times more than they could carry.

Chu felt determined to milk this deal as much as possible. He would consider himself a fool if he did not take advantage.

"Holy crap Chu! This little room is better than my old house, this bed is sooo soft. What is it made of? Oh my god! Look at those slabs of meat and that fresh soft bread. Mmmmm.... It's even softer than what Sue makes!"

Ignoring the fawning expression, coupled with the wows and ahhs of his companion, Chu settled down. For a village outpost, the small room was within reasonable expectations. It was just that Ming was making it out to be like they just stepped into the royal palace. The room had a simple, neat desk and chair, a fireplace, and a feather-filled mattress. The meal consisted of a simple roast as cooked in the barn oven, but the bread was made with more butter.

Slap!

"Settle down, you idiot, it's not like you're not accustomed to such a normal feast. Remind me tomorrow to buy some more butter, Sue will be able to make bread just as soft as this."

"He he, Chu make me a bed like this, I want one just as soft."

From the conversations, Chu realized that this fool was under the impression that he could do anything. But wasn't he too demanding? Where was he going to get a bed in winter like this? Did he think all he had to do was pull it out of his backside?

Why didn't I bring Lucy instead?

The night passed uneventfully, and in the morning, a guard came to escort them to the readied convoy. Chu added some more goods that he remembered last night and paid for his purchases with gold. Griz sent the old man who had helped before with the Snow bear. He also had the money to be paid on delivery of the wolves.

This was the silent understanding between these two traders. Money is paid on delivery of items. Chu paid for his purchases, the old man would pay for Griz once satisfied. Chu didn't want to waste the building of this relationship by demanding money up front.

It was generous of Griz when he trusted them enough to send his guards into the forest for the Snow bear.

In the early morning, the convoy set out. The cargo on the two sleds filled them both, but the travelers had ample room to ride. With everyone riding, their journey proceeded much faster than walking. As they left the village behind them, Chu made out a lone horseman dashing across the snow-blocked roads to the village. Even from a distance, you could see the frantic and desperate actions of the rider.

The hairs on his back involuntarily rose but settled back down. For some unknown reason, he had a strange feeling that something was off.

'Maybe some wolf pack sighting or something, once we make our way home, I would be happy,' he muttered.

With this purchase, they were well stocked until spring.

The convoy reached the barn long before the midday sun. It might have been shorter if they had a road and not traveled over the snowbound grassland. Chu had them stop at the old ruins along the way to collect the remaining bundles of firewood. Since he had access to transport, he thought he might as well use it.

On arrival, only the cloaked figure of Clod received them at the door. Long before the horse trotted up the nearby hill, Lucy had already sighted the approaching convoy and led the gang down into the cellar.

Giving the relieved Clod a pat on the shoulder, Chu led the guards into the barn.

The old man quickly hustled them to work after breaking them out of their stupor. Without time to even gaze around, he had them loading the wolf carcasses onto the sleds. By the time everyone caught their breaths, the surprising cargo lay stacked and secured on the sleds. Chu gave the elderly guard an expression of gratitude. This man had helped in persuading Griz on the fateful night, and he understood their concerns as children.

As for the guards, none of them wanted to stay out in this winter cold for long, especially during this unexpected trip.

Chu collected the money from the smiling elder and saw them off. Only when the sleds appeared as dots in the distance did he enter the barn. By then, Miki had already manned the tower, and the girls busied themselves in packing the supplies. Ming followed Sue, hounding her about the soft bread and meat he had eaten the previous day.

In the evening, they gathered on the decking as usual. Lucy sat up on the platform while Miki rested. Even though Chu informed them he might have to spend a sleepover in the village, the consciousness and fear kept them under pressure. Only on his return did the mountain-like weight lift off their shoulders.

"Well, it can be said we were very successful on this trip."

Chu continued beaming with a smile all around to cheer them up.

"We should be all set to rally out the winter in the food line. Right, Sue?"

"Y..yes, even if we cut the soup days down by half, I think our food is more than enough."

The little girl replied. Since working at the farmhouse Inn, she had never seen so many supplies. The cellar stocked practically all types of ingredients, meats, preserves, butter, and basic provisions. All placed under her control.

"Clod, how is it on your end?"

"Very good. I got enough nails and supplies to do any odds and ends fixing. The supply of lumber is what I wanted since we were short."

Chu nodded as he glanced at the slinking culprit who wasted the extra planks and rounded posts.

"I think with that wolf pack gone and us having enough supplies for the winter, we should be good for the rest of the months. No need to worry about anything until spring."

Only when the words came out of his mouth did Chu realize what he said and where he was.

That statement was definitely, undoubtedly a FLAG!