( Cervantez’s POV )
In an unexpected turn of events, West Duke James’s son, Jerome, reached the gates of Silver-Pine Barony unannounced, with a large army of soldiers behind him.
When informed about this phenomenon, Cervantez as the acting baron, instantly rode towards the town gate on his mount, to receive Jerome at the gates.
Upon his arrival, the Dark Sky guild members manning the gates, quickly swung open the heavy iron gates, allowing Cervantez to see Jerome at the forefront of his men, his face looking stern and determined.
As he approached, Jerome dismounted from his horse with a fluid motion and strode towards Cervantez.
“Young Duke Jerome,” Cervantez greeted, his tone polite but edged with curiosity. “What brings you to Silver-Pine without any prior notice?”
Jerome’s expression was grave as he began to speak. “Baron DarkEmperor, as you must have realized from the Emperor’s letter of caution, the demons have been making rapid progress along the western boundary.
My father, Arch-Duke James, has determined that securing the silver mines of Silver-Pine Barony is now a matter of
Although the demons are still a hundred kilometers away, we anticipate that they will reach this Barony within a couple of months’ time.
The strategic positioning of this place makes it easy to defend and hence, we have decided to block the rapid advance of the demons here and try and hold them off for as long as possible.
So when they do eventually arrive here, expect a long and arduous siege to begin.”
Cervantez felt a jolt of shock at Jerome’s words. ‘The demons are advancing this quickly?’ he thought, trying to grasp the full implications. ‘This changes everything. If they reach us in two months, we have to speed up our preparations’.
“The men following me here today are not just soldiers, but also miners.
My father intends to empty out the silver mines in the next 6 months, mining 6 years worth of silver, through employing ten times the labor, and even if we can’t refine all that silver in a short time, we intend to secure the ore at the minimum, so that even if this Barony is eventually over-run, the losses we suffer are minimal” Jerome said, as his words caused Cervantez’s heart to sink slightly.
The last week had seen silver prices shoot up significantly, helping Cervantez earn a pretty buck, however, if he pumped out 10x the usual supply then prices would go down sharply.
“Is the Young Duke intending to exploit all the profits of the mines alone?” Cervantez asked, rather nervously as Jerome nodded his head gravely.
“This is a time of war, so please understand that it’s not our intention to exploit you unnecessarily. But we must.
The West Arch-Duke has a vast area of land to protect and a large amount of salary to pay every month to soldiers.
However, in return the Arch-Duke is willing to fore-go tax collection in Silver-Pine Barony for 10 years, and is willing to pay you, the full price for refining the ore which will still come out at over a million gold coins a month, which is a good sum” Jerome said, as he informed Cervantez that the state would be taking over the profits of the silver mines within Silver-Pine Barony for now, but in-return, they would give some other forms of concessions to Silver-Pine administration to make-up for the losses.
Without having to pay taxes, Cervantez understood that all the other revenue collected by him in terms of trade tax and tariffs would become pure profit, however, all that could still not compare to the revenue lost from the silver-mines, as in the short-term the Barony would suffer a strong financial deficit.
As Jerome continued outlining the situation, Cervantez’s mind raced about the steps he needed to take next–
‘First, we need to bolster our defenses. Double the patrols and ensure the walls are reinforced. We must also stockpile enough supplies to withstand a prolonged siege.
Although I have already completed 70% of these preparations already, the rest must be completed within the next two weeks, so that we can focus fully on the war.
Finally, I also need financing. Even if I need to take on debt, I need to somehow finance the ongoing projects of my guild which will grind to a halt without the cash-flow from the mines’ Cervantez thought as he drew his conclusions from Jerome’s speech.
Despite the dire news about the Duchy taking over his mines, a spark of excitement flickered within him as he felt excited about the upcoming war.
‘A war in two months’ time… This is my chance to level up and gain merits. It’s an opportunity to build a legacy for myself and my guild, and with the help of additional soldiers it will only get better’ Cervantez thought, feeling a surge of determination.
Jerome finished speaking and looked at Cervantez expectantly. “We need your full support in these dangerous times, My father’s orders are clear, and we must be prepared for the worst.”
Cervantez nodded, masking his internal conflict. “Thank you for the warning, Young Duke Jerome. Naturally we will cooperate with you to the best of our abilities.
You please focus on your duties, my men will be prepared to face the demons alongside you when necessary.”
As Jerome mounted his horse to enter the town, Cervantez moved to a side and watched him go.
Behind him, a whole procession of soldiers and miners entered his land and it immediately caused a small wave of panic to emerge within the commoners.
Up-till now, the news about the demon attack had not broken out to the masses, however with a large army now camping within Silver-Pine Barony it was only a matter of time before the news spread throughout town like wild-fire.
As with the arrival of the Duke’s men, in a way, the war had already begun.