The Merchant’s Gambit: Shadows of the Spice Isles
Elias Voss is a 21st-century economics student trapped in the body of Lorenzo di Civita , a debt-ridden spice trader in the oligarchic republic of Valenzo . In a world where merchant guilds control every aspect of trade—from silk roads to alchemical patents—Lorenzo’s only inheritance is a ramshackle stall and a death threat from the powerful Casa di Ferro guild.
But Lorenzo has a weapon his enemies can’t fathom: modern economics . Using concepts like supply-chain optimization, futures markets, and decentralized networks, he begins smuggling contraband spices through pirate-infested waters, undercutting guild monopolies. As he recruits a ragtag alliance of sailors, alchemists, and disgraced nobles, Lorenzo’s shadow economy ignites a rebellion.
Yet the guilds strike back. Assassins stalk his crew. A rival trader, Seraphina Contarini (heiress to a shipping dynasty), toys with him in a deadly game of romance and sabotage. Worse, Lorenzo’s innovations catch the eye of Duke Aurelio , the ailing republican leader, who sees in him a pawn to destabilize foreign rivals.
When Lorenzo’s closest ally is publicly executed for heresy, he faces a choice: retreat to his newfound wealth or gamble everything to dismantle the guilds’ stranglehold. But as his revolution gains momentum, he realizes the greatest threat isn’t the oligarchs—it’s the vacuum of power he’ll leave behind.