The next day, Zonna was walking through the streets of Raalo. She was looking around for something that would give her inspiration for a business or an opportunity to invest in an already existing business. As always, she was accompanied by Marzee, Sebastios and Ramza. As she strolled around the outskirts of town, she saw a slightly dilapidated building that housed a blacksmith shop.
Zonna decided to go inside and inspect it. While the outside of the forge looked damaged, inside everything looked in good condition, although there were signs of wear and tear. However, the shelves where the goods should have been were empty. The fire in the furnace was not burning. It looked like the local blacksmith was not doing well.
At one point, Zonna heard voices coming from the yard adjacent to the smithy. Curious, she headed in their direction. She heard two men, and when she stepped outside she saw a nervous Sirius talking to a stocky Nord, his appearance and clothing suggested he was a blacksmith.
"Hanes, please, you can't close your forge! You are the best blacksmith in the Republic, your products are of the highest quality. I only use swords that you forged. You can manage to keep the forge," the young Nord begged the blacksmith.
"Sirius I am grateful for the praise from your lips. Every weapons maker wants to be praised for his work by talented warriors. Unfortunately, I can't afford to stay in business." He said with resignation.
"I'll help you, I'll start helping permanently at the forge, and I'll also give you my savings." The young man tried further.
"I'm sorry, but that's not enough, for my site to become fully operational again it needs a lot of investment. Your help alone isn't enough either, as several helpers would have to come to work. Besides, no one in Raalo would donate to me if the greatest fencing talent on the continent wasted his talent by working in my forge." He tried to further explain his plight to Sirius.
"If it weren't for your support over the past three years, I would never have reached my current level in sword fighting. You forged swords for me and sharpened them saying it was for practice. You helped find teachers and supported me financially. In return, you wanted some help in the factory. Now after all this you want me not to try to help you. Don't make me laugh. This forge is the whole meaning of your life, if you lose it you will have nothing. I won't let that happen." The passion with which he said this reached Hanes, but he knew that passion alone would not save the business. For that you need money.
"Sirius understand..."
"Excuse me, but I think I can help with the forge." Finally, Zonna decided to reveal herself. The story she heard was enough to support a good-hearted blacksmith. Plus, investing money here seemed like a pretty good idea. If Hanes was as good as Sirius claimed then after renovating the place and hiring more workers, this forge should make a lot of profit.
"Who are you Miss..." The blacksmith started to ask politely, but when he saw coat of arms he croaked and said: "How many times do I have to tell you nobles and magnates before it gets to you? I'm not going to be chased into slave labor on your terms. If that's all you wanted you can leave."
"Hanes wait, I know her. This is the noblewoman I told you about, the one who helped me after the duel with that snob" Sirius spoke up recognizing Zonna. Now that he heard her again, he was sure that she was the one who had warned him back then about the attack. This only made the guilt about his reaction to her help grow in him. He decided that since he had met her, he had to apologize to this girl who was clearly younger than him, after settling the matter of the forge.
"Huh, you say she's the one? You said that one hit you in the face."
"It was my friend," he said.
"You have a good friend. If I had been in the stadium at the time I would have punched Sirius myself for his words." He looked menacingly in the young man's direction." Alright for helping my employee I will give you a chance. I am Hanes the local blacksmith." He held out his hand toward Zonna watching her closely.
She grasped his hand and said: "I am Zonna Sochi, heir to the throne of Balmaszeglodia."
Hanes smiled widely after this gesture. "You were the first nobleman to shake my hand, you know," he said.
"I treat everyone equally and with respect. Everyone deserves it. At least in the beginning."
"Interesting. Sirius I sympathize with your insult to the princess, I don't know how you'll fix it," he said to the swordsman with a smile. "But let's get back to serious matters. What is your offer princess?" Zonny asked, giving her some credit after the good first impression she made.
"I am ready to invest in the renovation of your forge. I'm talking about buying the necessary equipment and raw materials, renovating the building, and buying space in the main market as a place to sell goods. In addition, all the necessary workers will be hired to operate the forge after the renovation. I will also cover their initial salaries. I believe that what I will have to spend will quickly be more than returned to me through your products. Due to my lack of knowledge of blacksmithing and the need to focus on the Academy, the entire operation of the site will be in your hands," she listed all the things she wanted to do.
"That's a large amount of money for an investment in an establishment by a fresh acquaintance, why do you have faith that my wares will measure up. Unless I'm mistaken you've never seen them." Asked a slightly surprised Hanes.
"I don't have faith in you, because as you pointed out I haven't seen your wares. I believe in Sirius' judgment, someone of his skill and talent shouldn't err much in judging something he knows about." Zonna stated with conviction.
"You have a high rating with her Sirius." The young man only felt worse with each praise from Zonna's lips about his inelegant treatment of her in front of the crowd. "That all sounds really good, but let's move on to the most important thing, profit sharing. What's your offer?"
"60 to 40 for you."
"How much?" Hanes had to make sure he heard correctly.
"60 for you 40 for me. I'm putting up the money to start the forge and buy the tools for production. However, it's your knowledge and skills that will be key. Without them, I wouldn't do anything having only a forge without a talented blacksmith. Hence the division." Zonna patiently explained everything, recalling the days when she did the same for her subjects. She missed her home.
"I didn't expect it, most offered me 20 or 15 percent. " Hanes smiled and extended his hand to Zonna again today. "I accept your offer."
The princess grinned and grasped the hand of the experienced blacksmith. Zonna conveyed to Hanes that the contract would be prepared by her servant Marzee and she would be in charge of the forge's affairs. Of course, if something serious happens Zonna will personally handle the matter. After that, Zonna's group said goodbye and set off to return to her residence.