Chapter 153: The First Customer

By sunrise, Aria had discovered that building a settlement was much harder than committing a crime.

Crime had been simple.

Find something valuable.

Sell it.

Don’t get caught.

Simple.

This was different.

People needed food.

Tools needed repairing.

Shelters needed finishing.

Someone had to organize the water supply.

Someone had to decide where the fields should go.

And, apparently, someone had to answer the question that had become the most annoying question in the settlement.

"What are we calling this place?"

Aria stared at the man asking.

"No."

"But we need a name."

"No, we don’t."

"How will people know where we live?"

"They’ll see the houses."

The man looked around.

"They’re not really houses yet."

"Then they’ll see the almost-houses."

He frowned.

"That doesn’t sound very official."

Aria pointed toward the forest.

"Fine. Call it ’The Place With The Almost-Houses.’"

Kelme, who was carrying a bucket behind her, stopped.

"That actually sounds terrible."

"Thank you."

"I wasn’t complimenting you."

"I know."

The man sighed.

"We need something people can remember."

Aria opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

She hated that he was right.

Before she could answer, a soldier approached.

"Aria."

"What?"

"Your first visitors have arrived."

She frowned.

"Visitors?"

The soldier nodded.

"Merchants."

Aria looked toward the road.

Three wagons were approaching.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Already?"

"They said they were sent by Vincent."

Aria sighed.

"Of course they were."

Kelme walked beside her.

"What did you expect?"

"I expected one day of peace."

"You’ve never had one."

"Exactly. That’s why I wanted one."

The wagons stopped near the settlement.

Several merchants climbed down.

One of them was a middle-aged woman carrying a ledger.

She looked around.

Her eyes moved from the unfinished shelters to the soldiers.

Then to the former slaves.

Then to Aria.

Finally, she looked at Kelme.

"Which one of you is in charge?"

Aria pointed at Kelme.

Kelme pointed at Aria.

They stared at each other.

The merchant sighed.

"I see."

Aria stepped forward.

"I’m Aria."

The woman nodded.

"I’m Martha."

She opened her ledger.

"Vincent told me you need supplies."

"Yes."

"Food?"

"Yes."

"Tools?"

"Yes."

"Clothing?"

"Yes."

"Medicine?"

"Yes."

Martha began writing.

"How many people?"

Aria looked around.

She hesitated.

"I don’t know."

Martha stopped writing.

"You don’t know?"

"I haven’t counted."

"How do you run a settlement without knowing how many people live here?"

Aria pointed toward the group.

"They keep appearing."

Kelme nodded.

"That’s true."

Martha stared at them.

"You two are serious."

"Unfortunately."

Martha sighed.

"Fine. We’ll count them."

Aria immediately objected.

"Why?"

"Because I need to know how much food to deliver."

"Oh."

"Also clothing."

"Right."

"Medicine."

"Yes."

"Tools."

"Yes."

"Then we’ll need a proper record."

Aria’s face fell.

"A record?"

"Yes."

"Like paperwork?"

"Yes."

She turned around.

"Kelme."

"No."

"You’re doing it."

"Why me?"

"Because you’re responsible."

"I’ve been promoted against my will."

Martha looked between them.

"You two are strange."

Kelme nodded.

"You have no idea."

The counting took almost an hour.

By the end, Aria had discovered there were far more people than she had thought.

Forty-seven.

Forty-seven people.

She stared at the number written on Martha’s ledger.

"That many?"

Martha nodded.

"Forty-seven."

Aria looked around.

She had thought there were maybe thirty.

Kelme leaned over.

"You were off by seventeen."

"I wasn’t counting."

"That’s usually when counting happens."

Aria ignored him.

Martha continued.

"Forty-seven people. How many children?"

"Six."

"How many elderly?"

"Three."

"How many trained fighters?"

Aria looked at the group.

Several hands went up.

She counted.

"Eight."

Martha nodded.

"Farmers?"

"Five."

"Builders?"

"Seven."

"Cooks?"

"Four."

"Tailors?"

"Two."

"People who can read?"

Aria looked around.

Three hands went up.

Martha wrote it down.

Then she looked at Aria.

"You need a school."

Aria blinked.

"What?"

"A school."

"We need houses."

"You need both."

Aria stared at the ledger.

This was getting expensive.

"How much?"

Martha named a number.

Aria’s face went pale.

Kelme whistled.

"That’s a lot."

Aria glared at him.

"Do you have money?"

"No."

"Then stop whistling."

Martha closed the ledger.

"You don’t have enough."

Aria sighed.

"I know."

"You need a source of income."

"I know."

"You can’t rely on Vincent forever."

"I know."

Martha smiled.

"Good."

Aria frowned.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Because you understand the problem."

"What problem?"

"You’re trying to build an economy without producing anything."

Aria looked around.

The unfinished shelters.

The fields.

The people.

Then she looked at Kelme.

He had the exact same realization.

"We need something to sell."

Aria nodded.

"Exactly."

Martha smiled.

"Now you’re thinking like a merchant."

Aria didn’t like how good that sounded.

She looked toward the settlement.

"What can we make?"

Martha shrugged.

"Whatever your people know how to make."

Aria started asking.

"Food?"

"Yes."

"Clothes?"

"Yes."

"Furniture?"

"Yes."

"Tools?"

"Possibly."

"Pottery?"

One woman raised her hand.

"I can."

Aria looked at her.

"How good?"

"Very."

Aria smiled.

"Excellent."

She turned toward the others.

"What else?"

A man stepped forward.

"I know leatherworking."

Another:

"I can carve wood."

Another:

"I can make rope."

Another:

"I know herbs."

Aria’s eyes widened.

"Herbs?"

The woman nodded.

"I learned from my mother."

"Do you know which ones are medicinal?"

"Yes."

Aria looked at Kelme.

He smiled.

"Medicine."

Aria nodded.

"Medicine."

Martha watched her.

"Now you’re getting somewhere."

Aria began pacing.

"Food. Pottery. Leather. Rope. Woodwork. Medicine."

She stopped.

"We can sell all of it."

Kelme looked impressed.

"And suddenly we’re merchants."

Aria smiled.

"No."

She looked toward the settlement.

"We’re manufacturers."

Kelme blinked.

"What?"

Aria smiled wider.

"I learned something from Milo."

Kelme groaned.

"Oh no."

"He was always talking about systems."

"Please don’t give me a lecture."

"I’m not."

Aria pointed toward the settlement.

"Instead of selling one thing, we make different things."

Kelme nodded slowly.

"Diversification."

Aria snapped her fingers.

"Yes."

Martha smiled.

"That’s a good start."

Aria turned to her.

"You can sell our goods?"

Martha nodded.

"If they’re good enough."

Aria smiled.

"Then we have a deal."

Martha held out her hand.

"Not yet."

Aria stopped.

"What?"

"I need to see what you can produce."

Aria smiled.

"Fair."

Martha pointed toward the road.

"I’ll return tomorrow."

She climbed into her wagon.

"Bring me something worth buying."

The wagons departed.

Aria watched them disappear.

Kelme stood beside her.

"So."

"So."

"We need to produce things by tomorrow."

"Yes."

"How many?"

Aria looked at the empty workspace.

"A lot."

Kelme sighed.

"I miss the sugar."

Aria immediately turned.

"No."

"I knew you’d say that."

"You’re never mentioning it again."

"Fine."

He paused.

"What about honey?"

Aria stared.

Kelme smiled innocently.

"Just exploring options."

"You’re banned from business ideas for the next hour."

"That seems excessive."

"It isn’t."

They spent the rest of the day working.

The former slaves organized themselves into groups.

The farmers began preparing land.

The potter built a small kiln.

The leatherworker started preparing hides.

The woodworkers began carving bowls and handles.

The herbalists sorted plants.

Aria moved between everyone.

Checking.

Asking questions.

Fixing problems.

Learning.

She quickly realized something.

She didn’t actually know how to do most of these things.

She knew how to make sugar.

She knew basic medicine.

She knew how to survive.

She knew how to run.

She knew how to lie.

But this?

This was different.

She wasn’t the expert.

She was the organizer.

And somehow, that felt more difficult.

That evening, Aria sat outside the cave.

Kelme dropped beside her.

"You’re thinking too loudly."

"I don’t know how to do this."

"Neither do I."

"You’re supposed to say something reassuring."

"I thought honesty was better."

Aria sighed.

"Fine."

Kelme looked toward the settlement.

"You know what’s strange?"

"What?"

"A month ago, we were hiding in a cave."

"We still are."

"Yes, but now there’s a village outside."

"It’s not a village."

"Whatever you want to call it."

Aria smiled faintly.

Then she looked serious again.

"What if it fails?"

Kelme shrugged.

"Then we try again."

"What if people lose everything?"

"They already lost everything."

Aria looked at him.

Kelme continued.

"You’re not taking something away from them."

"You’re giving them somewhere to start."

Aria was silent.

"That’s different."

She looked toward the settlement.

Lights flickered between the shelters.

People were eating.

Talking.

Working.

Laughing.

For the first time, the clearing felt alive.

Aria smiled.

"Yeah."

Then—

CRASH!

A loud noise came from the workshop.

Aria jumped to her feet.

"What was that?"

Kelme stood.

"I don’t know."

Another crash.

Then shouting.

"THE KILN!"

Aria and Kelme ran.

Smoke was pouring from the pottery workshop.

People were rushing around.

The potter was standing outside, covered in soot.

Aria stared.

"What happened?"

The woman coughed.

"The kiln exploded."

Aria blinked.

"Why?"

"I don’t know!"

Kelme looked at Aria.

"Still want to become manufacturers?"

Aria glared.

"Shut up."

The Duke arrived moments later.

He looked at the smoking workshop.

Then at Aria.

"Do I even want to ask?"

"No."

"Fair."

Aria looked at the destroyed kiln.

Tomorrow’s merchant visit suddenly seemed much more difficult.

Then a soldier came running toward them.

"Aria!"

"What now?"

"There is someone approaching."

"Vincent?"

"No."

The soldier looked nervous.

"A noble."

Aria froze.

"A noble?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The soldier swallowed.

"He heard about the settlement."

Aria’s expression hardened.

"Who?"

The soldier hesitated.

"Lord Valen."

Kelme’s face changed.

Aria noticed immediately.

"You know him?"

Kelme nodded slowly.

"I’ve heard the name."

"And?"

Kelme looked toward the road.

"He isn’t a merchant."

"What is he?"

Kelme’s voice dropped.

"A collector."

Aria frowned.

"Collector of what?"

Kelme stared at her.

"People."

Silence.

The smoke continued rising behind them.

Aria’s expression went cold.

She looked toward the settlement.

Then toward the road.

A carriage appeared in the distance.

Black.

Expensive.

Surrounded by armed guards.

Aria slowly reached for her mask.

Kelme caught her wrist.

"No."

She looked at him.

"I’m not changing forms."

"Then what?"

Aria smiled.

Not her usual playful smile.

Not nervous.

Not uncertain.

A cold, determined smile.

"We’re going to find out exactly what he wants."

The carriage stopped.

The door opened.

A finely dressed man stepped out.

Lord Valen looked across the settlement.

His eyes passed over the buildings.

The workers.

The soldiers.

Then stopped on Aria.

He smiled.

"I’ve heard you have quite an interesting collection here."

Aria’s smile disappeared.

Behind her, forty-seven people went silent.

And suddenly—

The settlement had its first real enemy.