A tense silence had followed after Drake had pointed at the cart of steel almost accusingly. The steel was covered with a tarp so that no one could see what was inside, but that wasn’t to say that this was a particular secret. They had guarded the journey, but if anyone wanted to get rich robbing steel, they’d be better off stealing the shipments after they were turned into swords and armor. That’s when they started to gain real value.
The shipment was guarded because of convenience, and the cart was covered to keep things from falling on and into the shipment, as well as to keep the shipment from accidentally bouncing out of the cart. No one would think that metal ore would be worth stealing, and no one would treat a metal ore shipment like it was something hidden.
“Yes, this is steel ordered by Lord Reign!” The man announced, feeling no reason to keep such a fact secret.
He used the name Lord Reign not because he knew the man, but because he reckoned the name would deter anyone who was bothering them. Lord Reign may be the noble of this city, but he was notoriously fickle and had punished or enslaved countless people for upsetting him. No one wanted to end up being the next person to fight for their lives in his coliseum. Therefore, his name was enough to cow just about anyone. It seemed like Drake wasn’t as easily moved by the name as others would be.
“Then, I’m in need of purchasing some steel! It’s kind of an emergency, you see?” Drake announced in a loud voice that could be heard by everyone.
The man’s brow furrowed. After all, it was pretty bold to buy something that was reserved for Lord Reign. However, the transporter also knew that this particular shipment was twice what Lord Reign wanted. Lord Reign was a stingy man, and any amount they dug over his quota, rather than being bought at a marked-up price as one would think, was marked down. That is to say that Lord Reign wouldn’t take extra produced steel except on a discount.
“This steel is for Lord Reign, apologies!” The guard answered this way anyway.
Lord Reign was feared.
“I need some steel! Not a lot. Just a ton or so. I’ll pay you five times the going rate!”
“F-five!” This caused the guard’s eyes to nearly bulge.
The guard was probably thinking that this guy must be desperate. It was true that Lord Reign had a monopoly over the iron mine and the steel mill. Anything extra, he’d purchase at a discount, only to then sell that to the people at the same price. This meant that like everything else, there was always a high demand for steel. It was a rotten deal that only benefited Lord Reign, and the millers that these transporters worked for had become extremely bitter because of the injustice of it all.
On the other hand, no one had explicitly told them that they couldn’t sell extra material on the side. If they set up a merchant kiosk, they’d be under the same massive taxation that brutalized everyone else, and at that point, they should have just sold directly to Lord Reign, but this was a different case. This guy approached them wanting to buy some of their surplus. In short, they had the opportunity to make quite a bit of extra money on the side!
Drake only gave an innocent smile.