In the morning, Thaddeus woke up and left his home to work in the tannery. He wanted to ensure he had plenty of leather to sell to Dustin.
Hunter and Andrea regularly sold Brand the meat and Thaddeus the pelt they hunted. They mostly sold rabbits, beavers, gophers, prairie dogs, squirrels, and foxes. On rare occasions, they bring in larger animals like deer or water buffalo from the other side of the river.
Walking into the tannery, he saw an Oscar hard at work hanging tanned pelts to dry.
"Nice work Oscar!" Thaddeus said after analyzing the pelts.
"Thanks to your help, I became adept last week."
"Congratulations. I came by to let you know I have a good friend coming to town. He's a cobbler. Make sure he gets a good deal on the leather."
"Sire, if he's your friend. I swear to treat him right."
"All right. Take care," Thaddeus said leaving. Next on his agenda was to discuss his expansion plans with Brand, and the village council.
However, as soon as he set foot on the street. Priestess Thera quickly summoned him over for etiquette training.
"Yesterday, I've never seen a more sorrowful display of noble etiquette. Adrianna was a Level 200 mage. She could have destroyed you and your village before you blinked."
Thaddeus listened intently to Priestess Thera's words, feeling a sense of unease at the mention of a Level 200 mage.
"Fine, teach me noble etiquette. Since my villagers care so much about my prestige, I should at least look into it."
"Good. As your city grows you may meet more nobles and court officials from Redwood. Just because you're a frontier noble, doesn't mean you should ignore imperial customs. As residents of this world, we appreciate it when travelers accept and learn our customs and traditions.
Come inside, let's go over the basics etiquette and work our way up from there. You must learn how to conduct yourself in a manner befitting your station, both for your own sake and for the sake of your people."
For the next several hours, Thaddeus worked with Priestess Thera, learning how to properly address his peers, how to hold himself in public, and how to act in the presence of royalty. He did his best to absorb everything she taught him, determined to become a better leader.
When the sun reached its peak, Thaddeus bid farewell to Priestess Thera and set off for Brand's butcher shop.
He wanted to discuss his plans for expanding the settlement with Brand and the Village Council. He knew that they would be able to supply valuable insight into the matter.
When Thaddeus arrived at the butcher shop, Brand was making sausages.
"Good afternoon, Baron Brown, I heard we had some unexpected guests last night."
"News travels fast, I see."
"Sire. In this village, news travels as fast as the wind. Now, did you want to see the mayor or the butcher?" Brand jokingly asked.
"The mayor. I need to schedule a Village Council and village meeting this week."
Putting down his tools, Brand looked at Thaddeus worriedly and asked, "Does this have to do with the mages from last night?"
"No, I want to discuss the settlement expansion plan."
"Oh, okay. I'll talk to the Village Councilors. Would you like some free jerky before you go?" Brand said handing him a packet of new jerky.
Thaddeus accepted the jerky and handed him five coppers.
"Ha-ha, you always overpay." Brand smiled watching Thaddeus leave.
Leaving the butcher, Thaddeus walked to the only building in Woodhaerst he never visited. The bank. When he joined the Mythical Guild as a contractor, the contract allowed the guild to build and operate a trading post and bank in his settlement. Reneau arrived with Travis. The trading post and bank opened at the same time. Travis managed the trading post and bank branch manager. Reneau served as the assistant bank manager and teller.
Thaddeus walked into the Chase Bank. The bank was tucked away off the main road, in near-empty houses. As Thaddeus walked into the Chase Bank, he couldn't help but notice how different it looked from the other buildings in Woodhaerst.
The bank had a modern and sleek design with polished marble floors and shiny metallic surfaces. The walls were adorned with artwork and large posters promoting the bank's services and products.
He was greeted by Reneau, who smiled warmly and welcomed him to the bank. Reneau was dressed in a crisp white shirt and a black suit, giving him an air of professionalism.
"Baron Brown, how may I be of service?" she asked welcomingly.
"I've never been to this bank, nor have we spoken much. I hope you're getting along well in the village?"
"Yes, everyone is courteous. Rosalind and Ms. Molly's daughters are my friends."
"Is the bank popular with the residents?"
"No, the local villagers are wary of the bank. The only villagers with accounts are the travelers and you."
"Can you tell me how much money is in my savings account?"
"You have 78 silvers in your account, and oh, and I see you moved, your investment account to Black Rock. You will need to speak to your Black Rock investment manager for account information. Is there anything else I may help you with today?
"Yes, I need a sizable loan. Can you tell me the estimated value of my settlement?"
"Sire, the bank manager, must approve loans of 10 gold or more. The estimated value of your settlement is 575 gold."
"Alfred, what do you think?"
"Sir, I calculate you need 720 gold to pay for the expansion. However, that amount is for all four phases, 600 gold is enough to pay for phases two and three."
"Reneau, I wish to mortgage my settlement."
"Sire, please wait a moment. Travis should be here shortly."
Soon Travis arrived, he walked briskly into the bank, like there was an emergency. Looking at Thaddeus and Reneau, he asked her, "Why did you summon me?"
"Baron Brown wants to mortgage Woodhaerst."
"What? Thaddeus, is this true?"
Thaddeus nodded affirmatively.
"Reneau send me the loan details. Excuse me, Thaddeus, I must make a call," Travis said walking into Renea's office.
Ten minutes later, a tired Travis appeared. "Chase agreed to the mortgage since you're using Woodhaerst as collateral. According to them, this has never been done in-game. The terms are 625 gold over 15 in-game years, with a 3.4% fixed interest rate. But, if you mortgage Ironwood instead, the terms are 1,500 gold over 30 in-game years, with a 5.8% interest rate."
"I'm only going to mortgage Woodhaerst."
"That's what I told them. Sign, here and list the purpose of the mortgage," Travis explained.
"Okay, the paperwork is all done. Oh, you're planning to expand the town. That must be the reason for the village meeting. Phoebe told me about the meeting, in the Trading Post, when I received Renea's message."
"So, what happens next?"
"I'll send your application to Redwood, where the headquarters will decide. Since you're with the guild and consortium, you'll receive VIP status. You should expect to hear something back today or tomorrow," explained Travis shaking Thaddeus' hand.
"Keep the expansion a secret for now?" Thaddeus said, as his screen lit up with a phone call from Nestoris, his Black Rock financial adviser and investment manager.
"Why did I receive a message, you mortgaged your settlement?" She said as soon as he answered.
"I needed gold, and I invested all my gold in my Black Rock account."
"You should have spoken to me first. I could've helped you to work something out. At least you had enough sense not to mortgage Ironwood. You should not make life-altering financial decisions, in real life or in-game, without speaking to me first. Got it!" she said frustratedly.
"All right, I understand," Thaddeus apologized.
"Good. The rumor is the consortium wants to take care of your dragon problem. They want their guilds to have the press of killing a dragon first. It looks like the quest will happen near New Year's. I'll come to find you then. I'm looking forward to seeing your settlement. Will, Sabrina be there?"
"Yes, she's coming in September."
"Good, I'll finally get to meet your girlfriend. I'll let you know whether I approve or not," she chuckled, before hanging up the phone.
The rest of Thaddeus' afternoon flew by. He ate lunch, met with the Village Council, expanded his grove, crafted, and planned for his meeting with the village meeting.
When he met Brand and the council members for lunch, he shared his expansion plans. The first thing that struck them was the scale. The second, thing was the cost."
"Sire, isn't this too large a project?" Arthur asked.
Jameson asked, "How much shall tax increase?"
"No, this isn't too large. It's better to have a strategic plan, which maps out the settlement's growth. Remember, this will also be done in phases. It will take anywhere from 6 months to a year, to complete the expansion."
"You may fool the others, but I know novices, apprentices, and adepts cannot complete this expansion in that time frame. To do that, you'd have to hire outside builders from the cities. That requires a large out of money. Where's the money coming from?" Priestess Thera asked.
Thaddeus told them the truth about the mortgage, the number of builders, and their ranks to finish the expansion.
"That's an unfair burden. Baron, you should raise the rent and taxes," Brand suggested.
"Many of the villagers are too poor to pay more taxes. Most of the villagers get their salary working for Baron. Instead of charging raising taxes on the villagers, we should raise the rent for the shopkeepers. Brand, you, Cassian, Lidia, Sean, Molly, Phillip, and Phoebe could easily afford to pay more," Jameson advised.
"It's fine. I don't need to raise taxes now. Remember as the city's population grows, so do my accounts," Thaddeus stopping the debate.
"Fine. It's settled. We won't raise taxes but should explore future tax increases at our next meeting."
Hours later, Thaddeus stood in front of his villagers, in the church, explaining his expansion plans.
He spoke with enthusiasm and clarity, outlining the benefits of the expansion and how it would positively affect the growth and prosperity of the village. He also addressed the concerns raised by the council members earlier about the cost and timeline.
"I understand some of you may be worried about the size and cost of this project. But please understand that it is a long-term investment in our community's growth and success. We will be completing the expansion in phases, and it will take some time, but I believe it will be worth it in the end."
He went on to explain how the expansion would create more job opportunities for the villagers and attract more people to the settlement. He also reassured them that he would not be raising their taxes or rent to pay for the project, but instead, the burden would fall on the shopkeepers in the village who could afford to pay more.
The villagers listened intently and asked questions about the specifics of the expansion. Thaddeus answered their questions with patience and honesty, and by the end of the meeting, the villagers seemed excited about the project.
Thaddeus left the church feeling satisfied with how the meeting had gone. He knew that the expansion would not be easy, but he was confident that with the support of the villagers and the hard work of the builders, they could make it a reality.
Sometime during the meeting, he got a message saying his loan was approved and the funds were deposited in his saving account.
"Alfred, move the loan to the settlement account and hire the builders."
"Yes, sir."
With the project announced all that was left, was to begin phase 1. Unfortunately, phase 1 was scheduled to begin the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow Heaven's Gate planned to announce a settlement update. And updates and patches are needed for everyone in the office in case something went wrong.
System Message: Announcement
Heaven's Gates needs to perform an update. Please exit the game in 4 hours. The update last 24 hours real hours.