CHAPTER 5: BUSINESS PITCH

**Kuro**

“We can’t allow the repeat of what happened last time.”

“Hmm?” The celebrations nearly died down when the dwarves heard me. Think of it like a vinyl record getting interrupted suddenly, and everyone was looking at me as if I just said the most ridiculous thing they heard. The miner queen and her ministers quickly pulled me aside, and they asked the others to continue their party.

“Milord,” she kept her voice low, “isn’t it we already defeated the northerner? Why would they come back for more defeats?”

“I doubt that’s the last of their attempts, no matter how much we defeated them,” I pointed out, casting an air bubble spell so to avoid anyone uninvolved from hearing our conversation. “For one, we still haven’t removed their capability to wage war, primary of which is their motivated population, and the industrial means to produce equipment and armaments. If they still have the materials to create weapons and armor, you can be sure they will reappear at the foot of your mountain. Worst, they thirst for vengeance for their humiliating defeat, so it’s going to be bloody.”

“Not to mention,” the Dwarf Saint entered the air bubble and our conversation. “Their commander, Farah Koh of the Church of the Golden Hammer, is a stubborn dwarf…perhaps, the most annoying bitch—”

“B-Bitch?” Queen Paula blurted out.

“I-I mean, snitch…ahem,” the Lady Helgath quickly changed her words. “A-Any case, yes, the Lord Kuro and I share the same opinion that the crusaders will return. And it is going to be bloody the second time around. It’ll be harder to defeat them as the crusaders will never let their guards down, leading to a bloody fight, and the strengthening of the Seductress.”

“Milord,” the miner queen began. “You say they will return and that we have to prevent it from happening to avoid bloodshed. But how can we do so? They won’t take the same path again, and we won’t let ourselves be defeated without a fight, either.”

“And the only way to stop their return is to remove their war-making capabilities, which we already did, or decimate their populations through war,” a minister added.

“We actually have an idea how to destroy the northerners’ ability to wage wars,” Lily, who also came inside the air bubble, revealed to the dwarves. “But,” her eyes fell on me, “it’s, uh, a complicated process.”

The Head Maid’s focus on me caused the dwarves to do the same. Of course, I took it as an opportunity to explain to them the concept of a holdings company. However, when I finished, the miner queen asked…

“From what I understood, a group of people we call ‘investors’ will buy the rights to own our guild, in exchange for investments from them. Then, this same ‘investors’ will buy the rights of the northern guilds as well, thereby unifying everyone under one ‘company’ and eliminating competition. Am I correct in this one, Your Holy Majesty?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” I confirmed.

Queen Paula and her ministers exchanged anxious looks before she sighed. Then, she continued, “It certainly is plausible to take over the northern guilds without bloodshed. But, I got some questions, milord, if you don’t mind…”

“Go ahead.”

“First, you said earlier we took away the crusaders’ ability to fight in war, which are their weapons, armor and other equipment; vehicles and artillery items. If we aim to take over these guilds through the holdings company, how can we achieve it? We dwarves are known to be stubborn when it comes to selling our products and services, how much more if it’s our guilds itself?”

“We’ll have to create a need. Cause an artificial shortage to force them to come to us.”

“Artificial shortage? Your Holy Majesty, you don’t mean to say…”

“It is what you think, Your Majesty,” the Lady Helgath said, peeking through the miner queen’s mind. “The northern guilds’ attempt to march against Montserrant is proof they are about to experience a shortage of their necessities, which under the system of the Golden Hammer, is provided by the city of Hemelin. Yes, religion also plays a big part in their motivation to fight; however, dwarves would always prefer a bad trade than a good battle. And, look at the vast armies of the crusaders invading the western regions. It is impossible to muster such huge forces by faith alone; one has to convince the other cities of the profitability of their bid to control Montserrant and the west.”

Well, listening to the Lady Helgath’s explanation of a ‘dwarf crusader’s’ motivation fitted my image for the ‘money-greedy halflings’ prevalent in my world’s fantasy works. And really, one of the reasons people go to ‘holy war’ was not only because of adventurism, and religious salvation; there was also the thought of finding ‘luck’ and fortune elsewhere.

I presented them my plan. “We’ll use the god-powers of the Dwarf Saint to create a shortage: food, which is the popular from the north, and tools, which are needed to work on the land.”

“Wouldn’t that create hardships? We’re trying to avoid negative events, right?”

“I guess this is one bitter pill to swallow. Rather than killing people, we’ll give them the opportunity to come to our side, and I guess the resulting positive effect will cover the negatives. Besides, we can always stop before someone dies, and the situation goes out of hand. Nevertheless, it’s something we have to do so we can pressure the northerners to give up on their crusade against us.”

The dwarves discussed my plans to themselves, though I could see them starting to get convinced. Yet, I wasn’t finished with my ideas…

“Once we create an artificial shortage in the north, we will ask our allies in the south to buy the northern guilds. They will come to our hands in no time!”

“Wait, milord…” the miner queen’s surprise spoiled our joyous mood. “What do you mean by ‘southern allies?’”

Lily and the Lady Helgath held their breath, as I realized I got too carried away with my explanations, I inadvertently revealed the other parts of the plan. With no other choice than to tell them the truth, I admitted my dealings with Lord Gabriel Rodirrim. I still hid some important details I wished to tell them at a later time, but I guess the damage had already been done.

“…”

Naturally, Queen Paula never liked what she heard. While I did say I would defer to her for the final decision, the Lady Helgath told me last time that for dwarves, ‘double dealings’ was a sign of disrespect. Nevertheless, she remained calm and composed, perhaps she was afraid to anger me, seeing that I had the support of the Dwarf Saint, and I possessed the god-powers myself, not to mention, they see me as their ‘god.’ But, the Lady Helgath was subtly gesturing to me that the miner queen was, indeed, deeply-offended.

“Y-Your Holy Ma-Majesty,” her voice quivered. “M-My apologies, but l-let me think about the Lord Rodirrim’s proposal for a moment.” With that, she stormed out of air bubble and the communal cafeteria.

It was a good thing the other dwarves—except for her ministers, didn’t see what happened. It would surely stop the celebrations and dampen everyone’s mood.

----------

The thought of offending my benefactor trouble me to no end. Contrary to most depictions of deities, I didn’t want to have my people to be afraid or angry at me, unless it couldn’t be helped. Plus, this ‘Church of the Black God’ was something that was pushed unto me, even if I say I’d do my best in performing my duties. I mean, these dwarves would be living the best of their lives under the prosperous system of the Golden Hammer if not for me coming here and wreaking havoc—ow!

“!!!”

My train of thoughts were interrupted when I felt someone hit me in the head, while I was looking into the vast plains below Montserrant. Upon turning around, I saw it was the Lady Helgath.

“You’re worrying too much again,” she chuckled, joining me in my quiet spot. “So, you see now why the gods and goddesses keep their distance to mortals? Not only will they be susceptible to abuses, the emotional connection between them and their close friends and allies will become a burden and often clouds their judgment.”

I said nothing. The Dwarf Saint was on point.

“Your ‘holdings company’ and the planned ownership of the Cole Miners’ Guild is necessary for the survival of Cherhom, Chersea, Cherwind and Cherwoods. Over the feelings of one dwarf, I believe your priority is the lives of everyone, including your loved ones.”

“Yes, of course. I get your arguments,” I countered. “Just that, even if I know it is a must, I hate it when I disappoint people.”

“Better disappoint them now than we end up as Void poo after the Seductress devoured us.”

“Heh, Void poo…I like that.”

The Lady Helgath and I shared a few laughs at Montserrant’s highest observation point. One of the rare moments of peace I had lately, since coming to this world. But, the miner queen remained at the back of my mind so much, that the Dwarf Saint teased,

“Hey, when you’re with another girl, don’t think of someone else!”

“I don’t see you as one,” I shot back. “If anything, you’re like a kid to me. And I’ve no interest in little girls.”

The Lady Helgath gave me a ‘soft’ punch to the gut, though maybe because of our differences in race, her ‘soft’ punch still hurt. She quickly apologized to me, and then changed the topic. “Look, Kuro, I appreciate your efforts to reach a compromise with everyone. However, some things are meant to oppose the other.”

“I know,” I replied, pausing for a bit to see if she would have anything else to say. When the Dwarf Saint remained silent, I told her, “You know me. I won’t accept anything unless it’s already proven or—”

“—you haven’t tried?” she smirked. “Yes, that’s you for sure. Now, I understand the other saints when they say ‘same old Kuro.’ Well then, you stubborn bastard, since you’re really that determined to carve your own path as a god, allow me to help you convince Queen Paula to agree with you.”

“Ah, just make her understand that we’re not going to hold her by the neck once we implemented my plans. Just that, we’re making sure we have the means to bring the northerners under control.”

“Eh,” the Dwarf Saint immediately balked. “Why are you talking like I’m the one who’s going to talk to her? I’m not good at negotiations!”

“Thanks for your help then,” I was sarcastic, though.

“No, I’m here to tell you the miner queen’s reasons for clinging on to her guild. Isn’t that your way of dealing with things? You get to know the background before deciding?”

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According to the Lady Helgath, there was an old dwarf saying that eventually became lost in time…

“The Lord Gaius made the land and its riches. But everything else, it was from Cole.”

The Cole Miners’ Guild was formerly known simply as the ‘Cole Guild,’ and during its heyday, it was the leading guild in all of Cherhom. And, it wasn’t only limited to mining operations, the Cole Guild also had a powerful manufacturing industry that made them the envy of everyone living in the land of the dwarves. Back in the days when the worship of the saints dominated dwarven society, the dwarves often competed against each other for profits, though these same profits were used to buy goods, or avail services from the same guilds they rivaled. The poorest ones get ‘swallowed,’ while the rich guilds grew bigger until some mistake was committed, and the whole enterprise came crashing down.

In this atmosphere of cutthroat business, the Cole Guild excelled. Almost everything in Cherhom was made in their factories, or parts of it. If anything, think of them as a dwarf ‘made in China’ brand.

Queen Paula’s ancestors led the Cole Guild, and were known to be shrewd, calculating and cold-blooded than their predecessors. Their business techniques ranged from legal to covertly abhorrent, and they made many enemies in the past. The miner queen, however, was basically their anti-thesis. Though, to be fair, Queen Paula was originally interested in flying only. She was never expected to succeed her father, who silently fought against the Church of the Golden Hammer over issues about religious taxes, and the decay of their society. Yet, the downfall of the Cole Guild only made their dwarves become fiercely loyal to the Coles, especially when her father was killed for his ‘heresy.’ As a result, Paula was catapulted to the spotlight.

Yet, she was unable to fill her father’s ‘shoes.’ The Church relegated the Cole Guild to that of mining coal, Cherhom’s main source of energy aside from the mana they stole from the unsuspecting people of Chersea, Cherwind and Cherwoods. They also kept a tight watch on their activities, and limited their means to rebel by levying heavy ‘religious taxes.’

By contrast, Cole Guild’s rival, the Church of the Golden Hammer, was once a small guild created to serve the needs of the Dwarf Saint. Led by the family of the halfling prince, Guiseppe Uhrian, they fought for influence in the pre-Golden Hammer Cherhom.

Of course, the alluring call of power and wealth is irresistible.

When the Lord Louis first came to Cherhom in what they call the ‘Pillar of Light,’ it was the warrior from this guild, a dwarf named Hughes, that got to rescue him first, earning his eternal gratitude. With his arrival, the human brought in the technology and concepts from our world that helped his benefactors achieved economic parity with the Coles. Amassing further wealth and attracting friends and allies, they eventually displaced their powerful rivals and ascended to rule all over Cherhom in the name of the Golden Hammer.

Fearing the possibility of the dwarves returning to the worship of the saints, and forsaking their unprecedented wealth, the Hughes family sought to change the religion of the dwarves. From serving the Dwarf Saint, they proclaimed the religion that focused on the Lord Louis, now known as the ‘Golden Hammer.’ When the sickly body of the Lady Helgath returned because of the weakening of her god-powers, she transferred her consciousness to her golem, ‘Martelle,’ and her real body was forced to sleep to survive. Her disappearance ushered in the ‘Church of the Golden Hammer.’

With great power and wealth came ambitious people, and the Hughes family that had long ruled over the Church guild was deposed by their own officials, leading to Prince Uhrian’s self-exile. Contrary to the loyalty of the Cole dwarves, the scheming church leaders vied for the coveted spot beside the Golden Hammer, whose mental acuity also declined as he aged, thus, he was easily played and abused.

And, Queen Paula, taking the lessons of her guild’s downfall as well as the events that hounded the Hughes family, became wary of humans, though, she easily trusted us through the efforts of Seirna…

That is where it hurts the most, at least for me. She trusted me.

“…”

Well, it was not like we’d progress wallowing in our regrets. While I did make a slip of the tongue earlier, not doing anything about the situation would be criminal. At least, let me do something about it before giving up…

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When I found Her Majesty some time later, deep beneath the Cole mines, she was at the tunnel shafts that led to the foot of the mountain. The miner queen stared blankly at the white crystal formations that illuminated the underground roads, sitting on one of the benches at the side. She saw me approach her, though she said nothing; she just threw a quick glance, and returned to her sightseeing.

Though yeah, from what I can feel from her, she is really sulking.

Well, I prepared for this moment. And for that, I brought a pair of tankards filled with beer, which I put beside her. This might be a long talk.

“It’s beautiful, no?” the miner queen was the first to break the ice. “These crystals have long been lighting these passageways, helping us dwarves to navigate our paths in and out of Montserrant since time immemorial, from the days way before the first Cole ruled in this mountain.”

I said nothing, letting Queen Paula speak her mind. My actions caused her to feel betrayed, and I understood her pain. And really, this was a difficult conversation, and I’d like to make sure the miner queen was in her reasonable state. Let her emotions out first, then we’d talk sense. I didn’t want to swindle anyone, after all.

“My ancestors specifically chose this mountain for these,” she revealed. “They said, ‘It will be easy to find coal with these crystals around’ and they founded Montserrant. In our ancient language, it means ‘mountain of light.’”

I’m going to be honest; that is an interesting tidbit.

Queen Paula sighed. “A ‘mountain of light.’ My family kept this guild independent since the Lady Cassandra David walked this land. We held the power and influence over all the dwarf guilds, and they looked up to us. The Lord Gaius made the land and its riches; then everything else is made by the Cole guild, is what they say. And then, their useless descendant caused its downfall.”

“Milady, let me—”

The miner queen gestured to me, saying through her sign that ‘please let me finish.’ Of course, I obliged.

“Your Heavenly Majesty, I am aware that you are doing this for the benefit of everyone. And I also know of my weaknesses as a leader. Really, I’ve no plans to become one, though our people trusted our family so much that they are willing to ignore my limitations just to have a Cole on the leadership. Yet…I don’t want to be a queen.”

“…”

“But yes, I came to love my dwarves, and this guild…along with this mountain we call home. It’s just that, I’m afraid. The Church of the Golden Hammer abused us; and another religion led by a human is making me worry for our future.”

“I appreciate your honesty, Your Majesty,” I reassured her. “And your concerns are well-founded. You had prior bad experience, so the fear of the unknown is there.”

“Even so, I did my assignment on you, milord,” she admitted. “Your harbinger, Her Holiness the Lady Seirna, spoke well of you. Your lady, the Princess Lilyhaven of Nerfes, said that you saved the humans, beastfolk, elves…and even demons, without asking in return. Her Holiness the Lady Helgath is always following you, considering that she also possessed the god-powers. It’s really weird, though. You are at the pinnacle of your power and influence, yet all that you have is given to you, rather than you demanded from them.”

“I did all those things they say I did because of my ideals,” I pointed out. “While I agree on your fears and distrust about us humans, there are still a few of my race that seeks to help without asking for anything in return.”

“Why?”

“We have loved ones. And seeing them safe and happy, along with a possibility of a good future with them, is enough for us to spur ourselves into action.”

“So, you’re telling me that you’re doing all of this because you want to keep your loved ones safe?”

“The same thing that made you take up the throne of your guild when your interests lie in flying,” I told her. “Milady, I am not saying that you trust me immediately. I’d like you to observe my actions and decide for yourself. The plan I proposed about that holdings company is something I won’t force on anyone, and as proof of that, we only seek to own a part of your guild. The rest will be still under your management. Same goes for the other guilds, even the northerners. I only seek to ‘unite’ everyone, so we can avoid bloodshed and focus on the real problem, the threat of the Seductress.”

“Wait…” the miner queen looked at me, bewildered. “A holdings company is a group of investors that wants to buy the guilds, right?”

“Whole, or part of it, yes,” I confirmed. “Depending on the negotiation results, one may fully acquire the rights to your guild, or just a part of it. What’s important is your investors getting back the value of their invested money plus interest, and you get financed for your operations.”

“Huh?” There was a look of confusion and disbelief on Queen Paula’s face. “Milord, please forgive me for assuming things about you. But see, me and my ministers are wary of this ‘holdings company’ because a similar scheme was implemented by the Church of the Golden Hammer in the past. And you know what happened next.”

“So, the Golden Hammer tried to buy your guild, too?”

“More than buy us, he wanted a complete takeover, though my father and his allies resisted pressure. The Golden Hammer, however, didn’t let us negotiate our terms; he presented us an ultimatum. It was either we give up ownership, or face heavy taxation. Not wishing for our people to go under someone we never trusted, my father agreed to the exorbitant taxes, plus tributes, and we’ve been under the Golden Hammer’s yoke ever since. In the end, we were relegated to mining operations.”

“I see. His subordinates abused their authority, huh?”

“Your Holy Majesty, pardon me, but it was the Golden Hammer himself who did it, not his equally-evil officials,” Queen Paula insisted. “I’m telling you, don’t trust that human. He was shrewd and cold-blooded, just like my ancestors.”

I didn’t know the Golden Hammer—the Lord Louis whom the Lady Helgath loved—could be this forceful. Nevertheless, I guess it was necessary for his case; he had to bring everyone to his fold to avoid rebellions.

“Her Holiness the Lady Helgath may say good things about the Golden Hammer,” the miner queen, a bit flustered after drinking the beer. “But that man can’t be trusted. He will say one thing, and then do another.”

“Yet, you’re quick to trust me.”

“The Lady Seirna, Her Highness Princess Lily, and the Lady Helgath did their jobs well. All the stories about you, and how you conduct yourself, convinced us,” she admitted. “Besides, they backed up their claims by bringing me to Chersea, Cherwind, and Cherwoods. I saw all the things you did, milord. And, though we are afraid at first when we learned of your planned ‘takeover,’ somehow, talking with you alleviated my fears. We’ve been long groaning under the Golden Hammer’s yoke; of course, we’ll want to cooperate with anyone who seeks to save us.”

“So, you mean…”

“Your Holy Majesty,” the miner queen stood up in front of me, and then kneeled, much to my shock. “My axe is yours. Lead us dwarves into the future we seek.”

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With Queen Paula convinced, it was sure that the ‘holdings company’ plan was green-lit. Now, what was left was the arrangements to create an ‘artificial shortage’ in the north to pressure the northern cities to sell rights to their guilds. The geography of the northern regions dictated their trade products, which were mainly food. The Lady Helgath said that it was a marshland (for the giants), though for the dwarves it was a place full of seas. As such, there were established fishing guilds, farming guilds, and livestock guilds in the area. What they lacked were tools, which was supplied to them by Hemelin before.

Of course, as I had the support of the Dwarf Saint, we could always create a famine using the god-powers. However, relying on famine alone would take time, as the dwarves were a hardy folk; they won’t go down easily. We had to actively sabotage their food reserves so we could bring them quickly to their knees.

And for doing illegal stuff, I always have Ashren and Albrecht help us.

“So, you wanted us to go to the north and destroy the warehouses that was stocked with food?” Albrecht asked me just to be sure.

“All of it,” I replied, making sure it was only us three heard my answer. As we were inside a tavern in Temun, I silently cast an air bubble spell to ensure our voices would stay within our distance to each other.

“Milord,” the dwarf had a nasty on his face. “For someone who is holy, you sure involve yourself in a lot of illegal things.”

“It is necessary,” I countered. “I’m sure you’ll understand once the truth behind my actions is revealed, though it won’t be soon.”

“Well, I guess Ashren can’t come with me,” the dwarf nudged at his human companion. “His appearance would arouse suspicions for our activities in the north.”

“What are my duties then, milord?” the human mercenary asked me.

“You’ll be my intermediary to the Lord Gabriel in Rodirrim,” I told him. “As I can’t meet him myself, you shall be my messenger. Once Albrecht and his dwarves destroyed the food stocks up north, I’ll send money to the Rodirrim guild to buy assets in the northern guilds, effectively owning part of them. I can’t be seen moving around in the south, so you’ll do for me.”

“Won’t the northern spies suspect a human going around in the southern cities?” the dwarf pointed out.

“Well, they will, for sure. However, Ashren’s mercenary connections will deflect the issues; as there is a conflict in the south, the northern spies will think the Rodirrim guild hired mercenaries to do their bidding.”

“I see…you really thought of this, Your Holy Majesty,” Albrecht chuckled.

“Of course,” I puffed my chest as if it was always my routine. “Or they won’t call me ‘Kuro, the Rock of Chersea’ for nothing, see?”