Tycoon May: Chapter 43

Chapter 43

The next two days were a struggle in patience for Grant.  For once, both Sarge and Grant were wrong.  There were no huge monsters to fight, and no hidden assassins to battle.  Instead, traveling along the road was incredibly boring.  On the upside, it allowed him to heal, and get his armor and equipment put back together.

Another bonus was the chance for their group to make plans based on what they found in the next city.  If everything went perfectly, Grant was going to go straight to the nearest contribution point center and turn in his Metallica, while Sam and Aria sold off the wagons and their loads as quickly as possible.  Then, during Grant’s process of getting his badge leveled up to Tier Three and Four, the others were going to gather as many people as they could to assist with the assault on Forteresse Mere, which was two cities away from here.  If everything didn’t go perfectly, they would do as best as they could, and meet up at the next city, and push on to Forteresse Mere with what they had, hoping that Chug had enough forces to make up the difference.

<It’s too bad no one can tell you how long it’s going to take to get your badges back from House Thursday.  I don’t understand why it isn’t instantaneous, like it was from Tier One to Tier Two.>

“You heard what Sam said, Sarge.”  Grant was back on his customary place in the rear of the convoy, riding on the pile of goods as he watched their trail.  “They always have some kind of celebration to commemorate the achievement.  We just have to get through it, and then it will be time to go after Tycoon May.”

<Celebrating making it to a made-up tier by people only in power because they lied about what kind of food is safe to eat.  That’s a new level of ridiculousness that hurts me in places I didn’t know I could feel pain.  I can’t wait for you to overthrow this place.>

Grant felt his wagon start to slow, so he turned around and saw they were finally within sight of the city.  On first glance, it looked like all the others he had visited up to this point.  But, when they traveled for a few more minutes and the city didn’t seem to get any closer, Grant started to realize the scale he was seeing seemed completely different from the other cities he had been to so far.

<This one is at least five times the size of the last one we were at.  And look, the inner walls have an extra layer here.  This place must have enough Tier Three and Four citizens to warrant a whole additional layer of city.>

“Well, that will make it easier to blend in, right?”  Grant tried to stand up to get a better view, but the rough roads made the struggle seem like it wasn’t worth the strain.  “There must be a lot of people who come through here, for the roads to be this bad.”

<Look at the fields around the outer walls.  There aren’t nearly enough to feed everyone inside.  This looks as if it's another garden and greenhouse city, which means they have to be subsidized by the cities around them for the bulk of their grains.  They probably focus on fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices, which isn’t going to keep their bellies full, even if it does taste good.  So yes, their roads most definitely see a lot of traffic.  Without it, the city would starve.>

“I wonder why there aren’t more cities focused on grains?  Sure, farming outside the walls would be hard, and the one with the fields inside the walls meant there weren’t a lot of people, but it’s still better than starving to death.”  Grant squinted against the glare of the sun glinting off of all the glass in the greenhouses spread throughout the city.  “It just doesn’t make any sense.”

<Sure it does.  I bet grains don’t earn as much in contribution points, so they focus on the crops that will earn them the most as a citizen.  That’s all there is to it.  Most people’s priorities aren’t on survival, especially this close to the capital.  It’s on promotion, and wealth.>

“That seems to be a recurring theme throughout this District.”  Grant couldn’t help but feel frustrated about everything he’d seen since leaving the farm in District January.  “I guess you could say that’s something we’ve seen over and over again for months now.”

<Don’t be surprised if you keep seeing it.  That’s just human nature, Grant.  You could call it greed, or ambition.  Some might even call it hope for a better future.  In any case, the two of us judging these people harshly isn’t going to solve the problem.>

“Right.  Well, I guess there’s no time like the present to get things started.”  Pushing aside his thoughts, Grant hopped down off his wagon and started jogging toward the front.  He gave Sam and the others a wave as he ran past, but didn’t stop to speak with them.  They had already made their plans, and there was nothing left to say.  Either things would work like they wanted and everyone would meet in the next city, or Grant would see them in Forteresse Mere at the end of the road in a desperate last run.

Entering the city only took waving his badge at the busy guards, and Grant pushed his way through the heavy foot traffic in search of a contribution point center.  He noticed a tension in the city that had become common since word had started to spread about monster meat being edible.  It felt like a cauldron ready to boil over at any moment.  Even the work crew of ‘Vassals’ being forced to head out the gate to gather manure that Grant passed eyed their guards with a kind of hostility that hadn’t been present before.

<The whole District must be like this.  It’s on the tipping point.  Things must have been close to the edge for a long time for the people at the bottom Tiers, and your revelation might be the push they need.  All you have to worry about is timing it so you are the one to challenge Tycoon May, and not some other Wielder or powerful cultivator looking to make a name for themselves.>

“It’s never that easy, Sarge.”  Grant weaved his way through a group waiting to buy some kind of grilled vegetables on skewers that made his stomach groan in protest.  “There’s always going to be something that keeps us from a painless victory.”

Sarge stayed silent, which Grant took as quiet agreement.  Finally, Grant spotted a contribution window near a smaller building in the colors of House Wednesday.  It wasn’t a House Monday building, but it wasn’t House Thursday, either.  Good enough for his purposes.

“How may I help you today, sir?”  The woman behind the window was wearing the armor of a monster hunter, like all House Wednesday members were.  “Do you have contribution points to turn in?”

Grant shifted the ridiculously heavy belt pouch on his waist and dropped it on the corner of the granite counter, where it immediately snapped off and fell to the ground.  “Oh, sorry about that.  I have a lot of ore to turn in.  And I do mean a lot of ore.”

She looked at Grant with wide eyes before turning around and waving for someone out of sight.  “We can certainly help you update your contribution points, but large amounts require the signature of more than one certifying official.  Please wait here while I get my supervisor.”

A heavy frown creased Grant’s features as the House Wednesday representative rushed off.  Nowhere else had used two people, meaning Grant had probably been ripped off by the other Houses.  Deep down, he wasn’t even surprised.  Maybe this time, he wouldn’t have to bribe anyone to get credit for what he had earned.