Spending Freely

P.S. Thanks to reader "Under the Wutong Tree" for becoming a top-tier supporter. What generosity! What a spending spree! Thanks also to reader "Dragonhawk Zhi Ling" for becoming a helmsman. You're incredible—may all four gods bless you.

P.S. 2: For reasons beyond my control, comments on this chapter are currently blocked. Please feel free to leave them anyway; I can see them from the dashboard. Thank you!

Milman-Raul, Earl of Arabel, devout follower of Lady Luck Tymora, and master Ranger.

The Earl was in a difficult position. Since the Goblin Wars, she had lost her lands and been forced to retreat to Suzail with her people.

No one dared mock her. She had done everything she could, leading her army in defense of her city until the very last moment. The enemy had simply been too strong. Even Azoun IV, a legendary warrior, had fallen. Milman had had no choice but to withdraw. The master Ranger was now staying at Tymora's temple in Suzail with the few vassals and loyal attendants she had left.

It was only natural that Milman-Raul wanted her lands back. She was the lord of Arabel, mistress of the largest city in the north. Becoming a landless Earl was an awkward position indeed.

But how did Milman-Raul intend to raise an army capable of facing the great Orc Khan Tugin head-on?

Aaron thought it over.

In the Realms, there were three ways to raise an army. Each worked independently, and they could also be used together.

The first was the traditional system of vassal service. Vassals owed military service to their lord. When a lord decided war was necessary, he summoned his vassals, declared a mobilization, and mustered his own troops. His vassals then returned to their lands to gather their lesser vassals and personal forces, while those lesser vassals called up their Knights and troops in turn.

This was called "vertical recruitment." It let a great lord quickly assemble a large army through the feudal military structure, though its quality varied wildly. Vassals with close ties to the lord or a direct stake in the war contributed fully equipped elite forces. Those with weaker ties did the bare minimum.

Aaron was currently a "lesser noble." If the Princess Regent on the throne called for an army, he would have to equip himself and answer the summons.

The second method was to issue a levy across one's lands, drawing soldiers from townsfolk and free people. It caused considerable disruption to production, and the lord had to provide weapons, equipment, food, a small payment, and the promise of advancement.

This was called "horizontal recruitment." In a short time, a lord could raise an army of passable quality. Its soldiers might lack training, morale, and equipment, but their numbers were great, and they could be invaluable in defending cities or fighting within their own borders.

The third method was simple: mercenaries. A lord hired military groups made up of adventurers, sellswords, and professional soldiers between jobs. Mercenaries were extremely expensive, not especially loyal, and only so obedient. They also offered efficiency, formidable fighting strength, and solid organization.

This was a fantasy world. The fighting power adventurers could provide was astonishing.

Generally speaking, every army in the Realms came from one of these three sources. Requests for reinforcements were usually counted under the third.

Aaron wondered what Milman-Raul had left to draw on.

Vertical recruitment? She and her vassals had lost their lands.

Horizontal recruitment? How much fighting strength could the northern refugees in Suzail provide?

Mercenaries? Where would she get the money?

Aaron was genuinely curious how Milman-Raul could be confident of raising an army to retake Arabel.

Unfortunately, his cousin Robert had only heard rumors and knew nothing specific.

"You need to keep up with what's happening, especially at the Adventurers' Guild. What jobs are posted? What's happened lately? What's everyone talking about? There are often opportunities in those things," Aaron said. "Don't spend every day with your head down over your scribe's work. You don't want to live on a fixed wage forever, do you?"

"What else can I do besides copying things?" Robert grumbled. "I asked you to help me move to another position, but you wouldn't."

"If you want another position, you need to show you're capable of doing it!" Aaron tapped the table with his index finger, frowning. "Look at what you do with your time. Whenever you have money to spare, you head straight to the Lower City to spend it. You feast and drink, play darts, cards, or chess—even spend your money on a woman. If I'm not mistaken, there's a woman you know down there, isn't there?"

"You know?" Robert shot to his feet.

"..." Aaron stared at him coldly.

"I've always thought I deserved a better job, Aaron." Robert sat down helplessly.

"Do your current job at the Adventurers' Guild well first. Beyond that, keep track of everything people are talking about and ask around for me. If I'm in Suzail, report to me once a week," Aaron said quietly. "And make sure the information is current."

"Fine," Robert agreed reluctantly.

"All right. Go have fun with those good-for-nothing friends of yours." Aaron waved him away.

"Aaron, you know, I..." His cousin flushed bright red. His mouth opened, but he stood rooted to the spot, unable either to leave or sit back down.

"I know. I won't tell Mellie or Lothair, but you'd better know what you're doing. I think you understand what the Lower City is like." Aaron spoke casually.

Robert left. After a moment's thought, Aaron decided to visit the Upper City market.

He had a banknote worth a thousand Golden Lions on him. It would be a waste not to use it.

Money was meant to be spent!

Suzail's market was packed with every kind of merchandise. The wars of recent years had created a strange situation: the market held more goods than ever before. Many people who had lost their homes and livelihoods had been forced to sell their possessions cheaply, while few buyers had enough cash. As a result, even valuable magic items were discounted to varying degrees.

Take the red dragon-scale adamantium full plate armor in Aaron's family, for example. Under normal circumstances, that heirloom could fetch twenty thousand Golden Lions. But if Aaron needed to sell it quickly in this market, he might struggle to get even ten thousand.

Aaron wondered whether he could find something good among the market's offerings.

The Purple Dragons issued standard equipment, so after making a circuit of the market, Aaron found little he wanted. He soon wandered over to the largest War Wizard trading house there.

It was a semi-official arcane shop in Suzail. The War Wizards often sold things there, and the shop also bought spellcasting materials.

Mages were incredibly powerful!

They also burned through money. No Mage ever seemed to escape poverty; a Mage's finances usually came in only two states: short of money, or desperately short of money!

Aaron pushed open the heavy wooden door. The War Wizard trading house was remarkably spacious. Its counters were laden with equipment, magic items, potions, raw materials, luxuries, magic scrolls, and books. It carried almost everything, but had few customers.

Because everything here was expensive! Hardly anyone could afford it!

A pretty young woman in a short purple dress came forward and gave Aaron a brilliant smile. "Welcome, sir. Are you here to sell or buy?"

What a handsome man! Her eyes lit up, and her enthusiasm rose several notches.

A local high noble, too!

"Buy." Aaron swept his gaze around and spotted an older War Wizard seated behind the main counter. The man was likely at the upper end of the elite rank. Wearing glasses thicker than bottle bottoms, he was focused on a sheet of parchment before him.

Aaron knew what he was doing.

He was memorizing spells.

In theory, Mages in the Realms could learn an unlimited number of spells. But because of the restrictions imposed by Mystra, goddess of the Weave, the number they could memorize was limited.

For example, a Mage might know twenty spells, but the Weave might allow him to hold and use only five in his mind at once. The rest would be blocked from his mind and unavailable. To use a different spell, he would need time to rest or meditate, then memorize the spell he wanted from his Spellbook or a magic scroll, replacing one of the five he currently held.

It was like owning a vast warehouse full of goods but having a handcart that could carry only a few things. A Mage could use only what was on the cart. Want something else? No problem. He just needed time to go into the warehouse, swap out something he no longer wanted, and wheel the cart back out.

The size of the cart and how much it could carry depended directly on the Mage's level and intelligence.

The old Mage glanced up from behind the counter. When he saw the Salian crest on Aaron's chest, he paid a little more attention. "Look around. Tell me if you want anything. Fannie, take care of this gentleman."

Aaron nodded and made a few circuits of the arcane shop. Before long, two magic items caught his eye.

The first was called a "Staff of Energy Storage." It was a plain, magically reinforced staff that looked much like a short cudgel, though sturdier than a wooden one.

When someone nearby cast a spell, the staff could absorb a trace of magical energy and store it, then release it all at once when its wielder needed it.

It was not a permanent magic item. Each time it released its stored power, it had a three-to-six-percent chance of breaking. That risk accumulated: if the first release went smoothly, the second carried a six-to-twelve-percent chance.

"This item is a prototype. Storage may fail."

The staff would serve as a stopgap, and as a spellcaster, Aaron could decide how to release the magical energy inside it. The Viscount was quite pleased.

The second item was a "Brooch of Shielding." It protected its wearer from the damage of the first-circle spell Magic Missile and granted some resistance against other force spells.

"I'll take these two," Aaron said.

"The Staff of Energy Storage is four hundred gold, and the Brooch of Shielding is five hundred and fifty. Since you're a local noble, young man, I'll knock twenty gold off." The old War Wizard glanced at Aaron. "Nine hundred and thirty Golden Lions in total. Do you have the cash?"

Aaron turned and headed for the door. "Sorry to trouble you. I'll go to the Church of the Lady of Magic!"

"Hey! Wait, boy, come back!" The old War Wizard hurried to stop him. "These are extraordinary items!"

"Being local doesn't mean I'll let you fleece me. I can commission a Brooch of Shielding directly from the Church of the Lady of Magic for five hundred gold. Don't think I don't know the going rate. As for that Staff of Energy Storage... I may not know what it cost to make, but it's clearly defective, and you still want to charge that much?"

"If I wanted something like it, I'd be better off looking in the Lower City. Someone there would sell it to me for half the price!"

The old War Wizard regarded Aaron with some surprise. "You know the market pretty well, young man."

"Then name your price, and I'll consider it."

Aaron did not counteroffer. Instead, he turned to the young woman assisting him. "Do you sell stockings here?"

"We do, sir. What kind would you like? Stockings from Silverymoon, the Underdark, or a local magic workshop?" she answered eagerly.

Top-of-the-line unicorn-fleece stockings from Silverymoon cost twenty to thirty gold a pair, depending on supply. Fine spider-silk stockings from the Underdark cost ten gold a pair, while stockings from a local magic workshop went for around two.

Aaron selected two pairs of white, lace-trimmed garter stockings from the Underdark and gestured to the two magic items. "Eight hundred Golden Lions. Final offer, stockings included."

Heh. Cleric, just wait until you get back!

"Too little, young man." The old War Wizard shook his head. "How about eight hundred and fifty Golden Lions? Since you're a local noble, I'll give you three percent off—eight hundred and twenty-five. And I'll ask again: do you have the cash?"

Aaron smiled too. He took out his thousand-gold banknote, then pointed at the magic scroll in front of the War Wizard. "Listen, sir. I'd like to make this deal too. Time is money, my friend—for you and for me."

"I could shop elsewhere. I'm sure the Church of the Lady of Magic has these things as well. But as a local noble, I'd naturally prefer to do business with you."

"Of course, you can refuse my offer. That's fine. You're free to do so."

"Then these items will still be sitting in your display case tomorrow. And the day after. And a week from now."

"I'll take my business elsewhere, while you'll still be sitting here, waiting."

"It's your decision, my friend."

Aaron braced both hands on the counter and met the War Wizard's gaze with his sky-blue eyes.

"...Very well. Eight hundred gold, final price." The old Mage studied Aaron. After a minute's hesitation, he finally nodded. "You're my first sale today. Lucky you, young man."

Charm successful!

Aaron handed over the banknote. At a wave from the old Mage, a stone golem fetched two bags filled with gold coins from the back room. The Mage glanced at them, then used Mage Hand to separate out two hundred coins and set them in front of Aaron.

A Cormyr Golden Lion weighed a standard 0.02 pounds, so two hundred of them weighed four pounds. Aaron tucked the bag inside his coat.

Before leaving, he took another look at the War Wizard's stone golem.

The alchemical construct stood seven and a half feet tall and was sturdy enough to withstand most weapon attacks. Aaron's charm spell would have no effect on it.

Charm Person won't work in every situation! Aaron warned himself. You never know what your opponent might have.

At his current strength, if he went adventuring, he probably could not even beat a Kobold Draconic Sorcerer.

A Kobold Draconic Sorcerer was no joke. Such a Kobold might not be very bright, but dragon blood ran through its veins, and it needed to be at least elite-rank to become a Sorcerer. A single well-aimed Fireball could blast a group of fully armed elite warriors to pieces. That was without counting all the other minor spells it knew.

He had only gone out, bought two magic items, and come home. That evening, he read for a while from Elminster in Cormanthor, a bestselling novel in the Realms that he had borrowed from the Royal Library. Then his day of rest was over.

For the next five days, Aaron trained with the Purple Dragons as a recruit. He continued to score full marks in his classroom lessons and performed above average in swordsmanship. He soon mastered his first sword technique, [Sword Stance—Heavy Cleave].

He began learning his second, [Sword Stance—Vengeful Strike].

But on Saturday of the second week, just as Aaron was preparing to work on that second technique, his Knight instructor Lucian stopped him.

"That's enough training for today, Aaron. You have some things to prepare."

"Prepare for what?" Aaron lowered his wooden sword.

"Your magic tutor will arrive in Suzail tomorrow." Lucian took out a letter sealed with a signet. "Prepare yourself properly, and mind your manners."

"After all, your new tutor is famously... lively."

It's updated! Sob, Top Esports, my Top Esports—you're driving me crazy!

JackeyLove, there's no place for you in this family anymore! None at all!!!

(End of chapter)