Road to the Crown

"Two and a half silver when buying, three silvers when selling for a single garn (about 4 litres)"

After taking his time to at first smell the content of his cup lightly wet his lips with it and only then taking a hearty gulp of my beer, the innkeeper I was talking with replied to my question. Just like I thought, the professional had good enough knowledge about the market to see the value of such a great liquid, that only the best royal liquors could compare in terms of taste, not to speak about the fact that there was simply no beer with such high alcoholic content in the entire country at this time!

"Okay then, now let's try the other one and tell me your opinion about it. Just like before, the estimated price for selling and buying."

This time, I pointed at the other cup, with the clear but lighter beer that I was so proud off. Despite it being way harder to produce with the additional requirement for brewing the cider in the first place, it wasn't at the level where it would make any real difference for my plans.

While I was quite sure about the quality of my products, I couldn't help but feel anxious when the man raised the other mug to his lips. But even before he could express his own opinion, just the changes on his face told me more than his words could ever do.

With his eyes opening wide as he continued to inhale the lightly fruity aroma of the drink, with his facial muscles relaxing as he took just a small sip, even the fact that he didn't dare to just take a big gulp for the sake of tasting… It all proved that I assumed the worth of the other barrel correctly.

"My lord… This drink is insane!"

Unable to hold back his excitement, the man even forgot to answer my question, finally losing the composture he held so strongly to during the meeting so far. Seeing my encouraging gesture and pleased smile, he took another sip, this time somehow managing to keep it in his mouth instead of swallowing it right away.

After flushing it around his jaws, checking how it would react after being kept in the mouth for a long while and finally letting it flow down his throat, the innkeeper finally put his cup back on the table.

"My lord… I never had such a good drink! Six silvers per garn, and I will never sell even a single barrel to anyone else!"

Hearing his words, I felt the corners of my lips involuntarily raise upwards, as I almost burst out with laughter. The reactions of everyone else at the table, Elia included were at least similar, if not to say identical!

"Okay then, let me break the reality to you guys. I never intended to force you to distribute this beer. What I came here to offer, is the first kind of beer for a single silver per garn, while the other one for two silvers per garn. (about 4 litres) But as you might suspect, this offer is too good to be true."

Spreading my arms wide, I made sure to signal to everyone that it wasn't the end of my explanation. With the seeds properly sown in the heart of those people, I took the cup that contained the better kind of beer and took my time gulping it slowly down. If I were to just tell them everything right away, this dramatic moment of tense silence as they waited for my explanation would be as big as it was now!

"As you guys might've guessed, nothing good comes free. While I can offer you those prices at which you would buy the drinks… There will also be the upper price, at which you will be forced to sell. In short words, you can make half silver per garn on the worse kind, and a single silver on the better one. Meaning, you can sell them for one and a half, and three silvers respectively."

Limiting the upper price was something completely new at this time. While there were occurrences where the crown or the nobles decided on the price for certain important products like breed, wheat or later on vodka when the country would already be in the state of collapse, doing so for the beer was never seen before!

"Okay, okay. Before you will all pout and leave this place in a hurry, I need to add two more things. First, the price of buying the beer might lower with time, as we will perfect the method of brewing it. And the other thing I wanted to tell, is who this cute maiden on my side is. Elia, would you be so kind?"

Since I promised her to let her play an important role during those negotiations, I could either wait for her to butt in at any given moment or just give her a slight push to use her point at the most suited time.

"Hello everyone. I'm Elia Pekta, the lawful owner of the city of Pilzno. Also, I'm this industrious and handsome man's fiancee. It's nice to meet you all."

Contrary to my expectations, she didn't say a single word more but sat back down on her chair with a smut smile plastered on her face instead. While I initially felt puzzled by her action, when I saw the changes happening on the faces of everyone around the table, I realised that they might be from times I considered ancient, but that didn't mean they were fucking stupid!

The times where one could freely trade around the entire country or even around the entire continent with the founding of the Schengen Area, were vastly different from the reality of the current era. Right now, if I were to lose my status of a noble, if I were to travel to Bochnia with the intention of trading, I would have to not only pay additional taxes set up by the lord of the town but as that town still had the right of staple, all merchants travelling through were forced to set the wares they were transporting for a sale, forced to pay yet another tax from selling, once again, set by the local lord!

In this regard, connecting two neighbouring towns with a marriage of its owners, or even the way in which that topic was brough up to this meeting had an obvious meaning!

Soon enough, all the tax limitations that chipped away at the profits from selling the wares in other cities would soon be gone!

"Speaking of which… I forgot to mention one rule."

Once again, I stopped before explaining my points, making sure that everyone listening would start making its own assumptions what kind of limitations I would place on them after giving them such an incentive.

"Those who decide to cooperate with me, won't be able to open new shops without my consent… But the pricing limitation only works on my own lands! In other words… As long as you move this liquor to other cities…"

Stopping mid-sentence, I gave my previous discussion partner a meaningful look.

"... we will be able to sell it for as much as we want? Is that what you mean, my lord?!"