The caravan of merchants journeyed along the trail to the city of Bathsheba.
In addition to Merchant Henrik, several other traders were eager to barter their loaded wagons in Bathsheba's bustling market...
They were particularly excited about conducting business with the city's officials and the esteemed elders of Bathsheba.
Before long, the silhouette of the city gate came into view—far from majestic, showing signs of wear and neglect.
As they drew closer, the merchants and adventurers noticed only a few people passing through the gate, each of them handing over entry fees.
The merchants had already instructed their drivers to proceed directly through the gate without stopping to pay any entry fees.
Similarly, Henrik leaned out of his carriage and called out to Martin, "Make sure the new drivers know that we don't need to pay any entry fees to get into the city. We can just go straight in."
Martin, Henrik's seasoned coachman, nodded and passed the message along to the rookie drivers under his guidance.
Tomas, Henrik's son, witnessed this exchange and asked, "Father, did I just hear you say we don't need to pay entry fees? How come? Didn't you always tell me that we must pay entry fees when entering cities other than our hometown?"
Henrik, hearing his son's question, simply patted Tomas on the head and replied, "That's not the case with the city of Bathsheba, my son. Here, merchant caravans are allowed to enter without paying any fees."
As Henrik spoke, he couldn't suppress a chuckle. Thanks to an agreement with the city officials and elders of Bathsheba, merchant caravans, including theirs, were exempt from entry fees. As a result, the gate guards never charged them.
Tomas, puzzled, then asked, "But then, how can the adventurers who serve as our guards enter the city?"
Henrik laughed softly and explained, "They're part of our merchant caravan, so they too are exempt from paying."
Tomas looked genuinely puzzled, and just as Henrik was about to clarify things for him, their carriage, along with the entire caravan of merchants, ground to a halt.
Henrik's brow furrowed in concern. He leaned out of the carriage and called out to Martin, "What's the hold-up?"
Martin, his expression tight with concern, replied, "The gate guards have stopped us from going any further. It's not just us, sire, but all the merchants traveling with us have been halted as well."
Hearing this, Henrik's frown deepened, and he turned to Tomas, "Stay here."
With that, Henrik stepped out of the carriage to investigate the situation. As he approached the city gate, he recognized a familiar merchant in the midst of a heated argument with the gate guards.
"What's going on here? Don't you realize what you're doing? You're blocking our entry!" exclaimed the chubby merchant, his frustration palpable.
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. One of them spoke up, "I'm sorry, sir. We can't allow you to enter without paying the entry fees imposed on merchants..."
The chubby merchant, known as Fuego, bristled with anger, "What? Are you seriously demanding payment just for us to enter your city?"
"That's the rule, sir," another soldier responded.
Sean, a slender merchant, warned the guards with a threatening tone, "You better let us through unless you fancy losing your jobs!"
The soldiers, firm in their stance, replied apologetically, "We're truly sorry, sir, but we have orders we can't ignore."
Observing the standoff, Henrik intervened, addressing the gate guards with disbelief, "Are all of you new here? Is that why you seem unaware of the local customs?"
The soldiers exchanged uncertain looks, confusion apparent in their eyes. "We're very sorry, sir, but we're not familiar with the custom you're referring to..."
At this, a wave of frustration and varying emotions swept through the merchants, while Henrik scanned the area, hoping to spot a more experienced gate guard who could clarify the situation, but to no avail.
Sensing something amiss, Henrik addressed the gate guards, "Could one of you please notify the city officials or the elders about our arrival? That should help clear up any misunderstanding..."
Fuego, visibly annoyed, chimed in with Henrik's request, "Exactly! Summon your officials or someone like Elder Slyff who understands how to handle these situations!" He glared at the guards, imagining their embarrassment once the city's leaders corrected them.
The other merchants nodded in agreement, sharing Fuego's sentiment.
Upon hearing the merchants' demands, the soldiers looked at each other and nearly let out a laugh, which only added to the tension.
Henrik, growing impatient, insisted, "Well? What are you waiting for? Go call your superiors!" The rest of the merchants echoed his demand, their annoyance palpable.
Yet, the gate guards simply laughed in response.
"What's so funny?" Merchant Sean demanded, his brow furrowed in confusion and irritation.
The gate guards chuckled among themselves, amused by the merchants' attempts to leverage the city officials or elders.
The merchants, baffled by their laughter, awaited an explanation. Finally, one of the soldiers, taking a moment to compose himself, revealed, "You all seem unaware, but..." He paused dramatically before delivering the shocking news, "The city officials and the elders have been removed from power and imprisoned for good!"
The merchants exchanged stunned glances, disbelief etched on their faces. Henrik, eyes wide with shock, managed to stammer, "Are you serious?"
Fuego, equally astounded, demanded confirmation, "Is what you're saying actually true?"
Sean, still trying to grasp the situation, turned to the gate guards, "Why were they stripped of their positions and imprisoned?"
One of the guards responded to Sean's inquiry, "They were found guilty of corruption..."
The revelation left the merchants reeling, exchanging looks of disbelief and concern.
Henrik, trying to understand the new power structure, inquired, "So, who are the new city officials and elders now?"
The gate guards exchanged meaningful looks as one of them, shaking his head, admitted, "We're just soldiers, so our knowledge is limited. But as far as we know, there haven't been any new city officials or elders appointed yet."
The merchants were stunned by this revelation. Fuego, unable to hide his shock, blurted out, "Then who is managing the city if there are no officials or elders?"
The guards seemed almost incredulous at the merchants' lack of awareness. One of them explained, "Who else but the lord himself?"
---
Meanwhile, within the castle, Ryan had been overseeing the city's affairs for a few days. Truthfully, he had begun to develop a fondness for the quaint city of Bathsheba, with its modest population. This small scale made the city's governance somewhat more manageable for him.
As the only individual with even a slight grasp on governance and a touch of political knowledge from his past life, Ryan found himself as the sole figure steering the city's affairs. With the city officials and elders imprisoned in the castle dungeons due to corruption charges, there was no one left to assist Ryan in managing the city.
Despite encountering numerous challenges that he was unable to resolve immediately, Ryan still managed to keep the city running, albeit not without difficulties.