Enlightened Empire

Autumn had always been the best time for merchants. In autumn, the farmers had their biggest harvest season. As a result, the villagers would stream into the cities and flood the markets with their sudden, new wealth, spreading it to the local population, who in turn would also look for ways to waste tjheir income. This was true everywhere in Medala, but it was even more true in Saniya. With the fertilizers and the growth of their fields, the farmers of the Chawir marches were richer than ever, and Saniya offered them ample opportunity to part with their coin in exchange for the many goods the city had developed over two years.

Thus, merchants from all over the kingdom had flocked into the city, in search of their own big deals. Although the copper crisis was still ongoing, it hadn’t changed people’s enthusiasm for purchase. Ever since the introduction of the certificate notes, people had quickly warmed to them, which had reduced the impact the cheap copper had on everyone’s lives. As a result, the economy had stabilized and the money market had flourished. As such, this was a hot business season for Sawo and Tawo more than it was for most.

\"Good man, do you wish to unload your burden?\" Sawo called out to a group on the busy street. The man who walked in the group’s front position wore simple clothes, but they appeared clean and new, and were made from enough cloth to throw folds. From his way of dress, he would either be a poor merchant or a rich farmer, but at this time of year there was little difference between either.

Both groups had more money than they could spend, and it showed in the heavy sheets of copper all people in the group had strapped to their backs. At this point, the copper in the south was so cheap that even normal people would carry it around in the open without worry. What pickpocket would steal a copper sheet the size of a man’s torso and resell it for only a days’ worth of food?

\"Are you offering porter services?\" the group’s elderly leader asked back from across the street as he led his people towards Sawo.

*They are traders then.*

Sawo drew a conclusion on their identities since they seemed familiar with recent procedures inside the city. Ever since the start of the copper crisis, clever day laborers in Saniya had begun to offer porter services. For a small fee, they would carry the worthless copper for others, everywhere they went. Some of the richer families even had their dedicated porters who would follow them all day, their bodies covered in gleaming sheets like a warrior’s armor.

While this would be common knowledge to anyone who had visited Saniya at any point throughout the year, villagers would only travel to the city once a year during harvest season. Thus, they would not be informed about these changes.

\"I offer something even better.\" Sawo grinned, and held up a stack of Sila notes. As soon as he knew that he was dealing with merchants, everything became a whole lot easier. Just as the former city lord predicted, the old man’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw the money. However, he restrained himself right away and pretended indifference.

*Good. He is a good merchant. That just means he has more copper to trade.*

\"We were just on our way to the castle to exchange our copper for some blue notes,\" the old man replied in a cautious tone. Although he implied that they were not interested in Sawo’s certificates, the entire group had stopped and waited for his sales pitch.

\"Then why not just exchange them here?\" Sawo asked. \"That way, there is no need to labor your copper sheets all the way through the city and onto Rapra Island. You will save coin on porters and it is safer as well.\"

\"Excuse me, but who are you?\" the leader asked. Still vigilant, he glanced around, maybe in search of nearby guards or Sawo’s criminal accomplices. However, the former city lord was undeterred and put on his best merchant’s mask.

\"Greeting, fellow trader. My name is Sawo, former warrior and now owner of the Sata bank of Saniya.\" He pointed at the elaborate wooden sign behind him. With its flourished writing and the inlaid copper letters, it was something no ordinary merchant would ever dare show off in public. While his guests were still stricken by the sign, Sawo pressed on.

\"We can exchange your copper for notes just the same as the people in the castle will, but at a much better rate. At the same time, as former warriors we can guarantee the absolute safety of your deposited metals. On top of that, we also offer loans to anyone who wishes to make something of themselves, in service of Saniya’s community. And of course, if you deposit your money with us instead of the castle, you will get a return on your investment for every single month we hold your precious metals for. Those are profits for free, so why not take us up on the chance?\"

\"Oh? How much?\" As soon as he heard ’profits for free’, the old merchant looked much more open. \"One part in twenty.\"

\"So if I leave twenty Sila worth of copper with you, next month I can take twenty-one Sila back from here?\"

\"That is correct. We are so generous, you may as well consider it a public service at this point! Even if you are not quite convinced by our offer yet, at least you could take a short break in our shop, and I can send for a porter to carry your copper sheets. If you still want to trade with the castle by the time the porter shows up, I will not complain when you leave.\"

For a while, the group’s leader gave Sawo a critical look again. All this time, the old merchant’s eyes had bounced around between narrowed suspicion and glittering greed, but one of Saniya’s first bank owners wasn’t worried. As a former noble, he had a far better sense of dress than most people, so the customers would always be impressed by his sophistication, even before they spoke their first words.

Further, the former city lord was also well-nourished, sturdy and had a posture a man could only achieve if he had never bent his knee. Those lowly commoners had never seen anything like it, and his unique aura had served him well during negotiations. In the half year since the cousins had begun operations as coin exchangers and money lenders, they had found more success than they would have ever managed as traveling merchants.

Indeed, after only a short wait, greed won out. The group’s leader turned to his followers who were already gasping under the weight of their wealth, before he readjusted his own weights with a shrug of his shoulder.

\"In that case, we may impose on you, master.\"

After a light bow, Sawo stepped to the side and gestured towards his business entrance. As soon as the merchants went inside, Sawo followed, a sly smile on his face. This was how him and his cousin had made much of their business over the past three months. They had set up their shop in their old house, near the southern entrance of the outer city walls.

While many of the wealthier traders would come by boat and dock right on NAME Island to have their copper replaced with certificate notes on Rapra, the smaller fish would swim through here. As they passed by, Sawo could provide those burdened with wealth convenience and ease them of their property.

Their entire strategy was built around comfort and luxury, and it worked this time just as well as it had before. As soon as the merchants had taken a seat on the benches inside, they seemed much more open and comfortable right away.

\"These are some very nice seats,\" the elder merchant stated while he stroked the furniture

\"Thank you very much,\" Sawo replied. \"They are acacia wood benches created by a local master of woodworking. Although these days, most workers are employed in the king’s manufactories to mass-produce cheap goods, a few great masters of high repute still remain to work their craft if one knows which alleys to search.\"

\"Quite impressive,\" the merchant said, while his eyes continued to scan around the interior decorations. As former nobles, both Sawo and Tawo had a sense of taste and fashion a lowly merchant could never hope to match. Although the costs for the furniture, carpets and artwork had been quite high, it had proven to be worth every Silo. More than one commoner had been convinced to leave them their money based on their luxurious reception area alone.

\"So if we exchange our copper with you, how would that work?\"

\"It is, in fact, a very simple process,\" Sawo began to explain. \"You hand me your copper, and you get the equivalent value in redeemable notes from our bank.\"

To demonstrate, Sawo picked up a stack of the pretty new notes the Sata bank had printed for its customers. Without a care for their value, he dropped the stack on the counter, right in front of the customers. Since storing a few ten thousand Sila worth of paper behind the counter was easy and since the printer had offered them a cheaper price for mass production, they had printed an exorbitant amount to start with. At the current rate, they would never run out of certificates.

\"And on top of that, you also receive an additional Silo for every one hundred you leave with us.\" With those words, Sawo added another bank note on top of the earlier stack. \"Who would not take such an enticing offer? Is this not simply free money for you?\"

\"These are not Saniya’s official notes,\" the merchant realized after he had picked up Sawo’s light-yellow notes and inspected them in the light of the open door. Of course he was right. The best way for the Sata bank to trade shiny copper for dull paper like the greedy king had done was to print their own notes. Yet Sawo had neither the ignorance nor the ability to create illegal copies of the blue notes the crown was handing out. Thus, he had simply worked with a printer and made his own. While fake copies of the blue notes were illegal, his own certificate decidedly was not.

\"No, they are not the crown’s notes,\" he admitted. \"However, they are in no way inferior to the official certificates of the king. After all, these are the exclusive notes of the Sata bank of commerce. Our name is well-known and highly respected throughout the entire city. So purchasing products within Saniya will be just as easy and just as convenient as it would be with blue notes. If you want to travel and use the notes outside the city walls, I am sure you will find many locals willing to exchange these for the king’s notes at equal value. Though even the king’s notes are not yet accepted beyond the Chawir marches, so in practice there is little difference between both.\"

\"True enough,\" the merchant mumbled and lowered hi head, lost in thought for a while. When he looked back up, his eyes had firmed up, and his jaw was clenched, as if he was about to take a great risk. \"Master Sawo, I have indeed heard your name, as most men of the south have. After all, the former lord of Saniya is hard to forget.\"

Sawo only smiled in response to the merchant’s revelation. Although he didn’t like to be reminded of his past identity, his former status proved valuable once again. While the former city lord wasn’t the most popular man in the city, most people were creatures of habit. Decades of submission from the lower classes had instilled respect for Sawo’s superior status into the commoners. His combat ability also helped him a great deal in this respect.

While some of the shops in the southern part of the city had been harassed by local gangs, no one had dared to touch the fat sheep that was their bank, even though it lay in the heart of the most dangerous part of the city. Since their strength was so well known and warriors were so feared among the commoner population, the merchants didn’t even ask him about issues of security. Instead, they had different concerns. A younger trader within the group spoke up for the first time. At first his voice was small, but he gained confidence as he continued.

\"Master, not to be rude, but if you give us these notes in exchange for less copper than they are worth. And then you store all the copper for us and everyone else at your own cost. And you even pay us extra if we leave our copper with you. Where is your benefit in this business?\"

In response to the question, the group’s leader looked satisfied and gave the young man a nod of encouragement. Sawo was convinced that the old man would have asked the same question eventually. After all, these old merchants had gone through many winters and knew what questions to ask to distinguish good deals from scams. Even so, Sawo wasn’t worried, since the question was one he had already answered many times over the past months.

\"As I have mentioned before, we are not only a coin exchange. We also operate a money lending business.\"

\"So you use our money to lend to others, and then in return they give you even more money later,\" the young man summarized. \"Why would we let you get rich with our money? Why would we not simply do the same ourselves?\"

Although Sawo was starting to get annoyed by the rude youngster, he did his best to keep his calm. After a deep breath, he responded in a dry tone.

\"You are free to try if you are dissatisfied with our offer. However, there are only so many hours in a day, and one needs to choose what one wishes to do with them. In the end, our business is money lending, while merchant work is yours. If you believe you could make better coin as a bank than you could as a merchant, you are free to do so. In that case, keep your copper sheets and switch to the money lending business yourself.\"

\"Not to worry, we believe you are far better equipped for this line of work than we are,\" the old man mediated before matters got too heated. \"However, what if you lose our money as you conduct your business? If you lend money and the recipients fail to return it, what do we do then? Would our money not be gone in that case? We will not leave our copper with you unless you can offer us additional security.\"

\"Well, we have our methods to make sure clients pay up. No more needs to be said on the issue,\" Sawo replied as he stood up straight to show off his height. Once again, he reminded his customers of his former warrior status.

\"Unless they cannot. Sometimes the money is just gone,\" the old man fought back. At this point, Sawo was sure that the merchant was already convinced by the offer and only tried to fish for more benefits. However, Sawo would not budge unless it was necessary.

\"Even in case of a bankruptcy from our customers, we still have enough metal hoarded here to guarantee you your money.\"

\"That is easy to say, yet hard to prove.\"

Sawo stared at the stubborn merchant, before he sighed and pretended to give up. Things ended up like this almost every time he talked to merchants, but he still had his final trump card left.

\"Normally, I am not supposed to show this to you, but I will make an exception because of your astute mind and patient manner. Please follow me.\"