Savant

The lawyer had heard the whole business plan and decided to put in his own money and join the partnership as well? Xialuote was taken aback for a moment, then realized this was not an unreasonable proposal. Moerwan, a professional who often helped merchants, nobles, and others of the wealthy class settle legal problems, was bound to see the prospects of the Suxite Weekly. A little imagining was enough to understand how welcome a paper like this would be in Suxite, a textile center thick with the atmosphere of commerce. According to Earth's history, whoever caught the first boom in any trade might gain wealth beyond imagining. But Moerwan had been observing me the whole time just now. In suddenly offering to join, did he have some other reason? Could he, too, be a remnant of an evil cult hiding beneath an ordinary identity, hoping to use this chance to get close to me...? Was it going too far to suspect a reputable local lawyer like this? Xialuote thought it over privately, then remembered that Aidian, too, had been a man of respectable station who had received an education, and she felt at once that her suspicion had a little reason to it. Of course, Moerwan's proposal was timely. Worked out in detail, the whole business plan really did have a gap in funds. Although two of the three partners were descendants of nobles and the other was a wealthy merchant's son, in the end they were only juniors with no real income of their own. That their families did not oppose their "starting a business" already counted as support; it was impossible they would hand money over without reservation for the young people to squander. Rather than go looking again for investors of unclear identity, it was better to let this lawyer put in money and join. At least who he was lay in the open... The only question was whether Luosaier would agree. He was the one who had started the plan, and he clearly most wanted both the profits and the control kept in his own hands... Xialuote quietly looked toward Luosaier, only to find that he happened to be looking over as well. Their eyes met briefly. There was something searching in Luosaier's gaze, and something waiting, as if he were confirming where she stood. Xialuote understood at once. He did not care how large a share of the profits he received. He wanted to get the thing underway as soon as possible—best of all, to make the Suxite Weekly something that the city of Suxite, and later even all of Yindisi, could not ignore. Set beside that, bringing in a senior lawyer who had money, experience, and connections, and giving him a portion of the future profits, hardly counted as a problem. And, like Xialuote, he was also worried about the other two partners—especially that Xialuote, a noble, would feel her interests harmed and refuse. Quite a sense of the bigger picture. Seems I was overthinking it... Xialuote muttered, then gave Luosaier an almost imperceptible nod. His somewhat stiff face relaxed at once. He turned to Moerwan and said, "If Mr. Dulang is willing to provide a portion of the funds, we of course welcome you among us. Only, this means the previous contract—especially all of our shares of the profit—must be readjusted." Gelin was still worrying that he himself would have to be the one to solve the problem of funds. Hearing Luosaier yield, he hurriedly chimed in, "If Father knew Mr. Dulang was willing to invest, he would certainly be full of confidence in us." For the Lande'er family, the joining of a well-known local lawyer meant this was no longer merely a whim of a few young people, but something that truly had commercial value. Moerwan seemed to have anticipated the answer long before. At Luosaier's reply he only inclined his head slightly, and said, "I can put up twenty thousand feierjin as the initial investment, but I will not take part in the day-to-day running. I will only be responsible for providing legal help free of charge, and some professional content fit to be published. As for the shares, you may discuss them again among yourselves." Twenty thousand feierjin, converted at the current ratio of 1:24, came to 830 gold louis—roughly three years of a senior lawyer's income as it appeared on the surface. And if the printing plant and the facilities that went with it were included, the investment from Gelin's family came to about twice that sum. So the four of them quickly set the shares of the profit anew. Luosaier took thirty-five percent, Gelin thirty percent, Xialuote twenty percent, and Moerwan fifteen percent. Reckoned from the funds Moerwan had provided and the share he held, this Suxite Weekly, which had not yet printed a single word, was already worth five thousand five hundred gold louis—more than a whole year's income for Baron Suolun's household. Having no stocks and no company system really was too inconvenient. She already had the feeling of getting rich overnight, yet there was no way to turn it into cash... Xialuote muttered soundlessly as she watched Moerwan write out the new contract again and add his own share into it as well. Because the lawyer himself had become one of the partners, he could no longer notarize the matter with neutrality. Another notary would have to confirm it and file it afterward, so the contract would formally have the force of law. Moerwan sent his clerk straight off to fetch a notary of good reputation from near the High Court. By the time the group had finished checking the clauses, the man had hurried over as well and completed the necessary notarization. Watching them sign their names one after another and stamp the seals representing their families, Moerwan nodded with satisfaction, glanced at Luosaier, and turned to Xialuote. "The contract is complete. Once the copies have been transcribed, they will be sent to each of your homes. It would be best to let the elders at home know of this—especially Baron Suolun and Baron Gusitafu. Whether they truly support you matters a great deal to this affair." At the form of address used for her father, Xialuote's heart tightened slightly, then eased again. He wouldn't have to put up any money. He would only need to use the convenience of a noble's status to make a few small contributions, and the Suolun household could take part respectably in a promising venture. He probably wouldn't object... But how to make him believe what I say is the problem. Since my transmigration, I don't seem to have been very obedient... She thought it over. Seeing that the other two had already risen to take their leave, she too bid goodbye to the lawyer who had become a partner, left the workroom, and returned to the long corridor. Luosaier, as if he had planned it beforehand, was waiting for her in the corridor. Xialuote glanced at the maid Laila. Laila immediately understood what her young lady meant and, with a touch of reluctance, withdrew to the bend in the corridor, waiting where she could see the two of them but could not hear their talk. We really are discussing proper business. We just can't let you hear it... Xialuote thought, helpless, and realized that persuading her father had become harder still. Luosaier glanced curiously at Xialuote, whose face was drawn, and asked in a lowered voice, "You're already an Extraordinary? Those Extraordinary powers you spoke of before—did you mean potions?" Xialuote looked left and right. Only when she found no one in the corridor except Laila, standing far off, did she answer, "It was right after that incident. The Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun offered me an opportunity. Of course, the price is that I need to help them with certain things. You know about potions and Extraordinaries. Does that mean the Church of the God of Craftsmen has come looking for you?" Luosaier nodded. "Just two days ago. It was much the same as what those clergy of the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun said. The people who found me also made me choose: either sign an oath of secrecy and pretend to know nothing, or join them and accept the Church's constraints and tasks." He paused, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly into a smile. "I chose to join." As expected... There was not much surprise in Xialuote's heart. "The monster by the stream that day seems to have been someone rather important—at least, important to the Craftsman Church," Luosaier went on. "The member of the Machinery Heart who found me said that because I was drawn into the incident, the Purifiers in the end could only return that corpse. So if I joined them, these 'contributions' could let me choose a Sequence 9 potion ahead of time. Of course, I would end up owing a great deal." The way of putting it felt all too familiar to Xialuote, as if she had heard it from Weiyefu. She made a sharp remark: "Official Extraordinaries seem to say something similar to every member who joins them." Then she pressed him, "You want to ask me how you should choose?" "That's right. They can offer potions of three different pathways," Luosaier answered quickly. The words had clearly been turning in his mind for a long time. "'Savant,' 'Mystery Pryer,' and 'Warrior.' The first is one for which the Craftsman Church possesses the complete pathway. Of the other two, they have only the low sequences." "Warrior?" Xialuote repeated it curiously. This pathway, like "Assassin" and "Lawyer," seemed to her to have a name far too blunt, as if what they could do were written across their faces. Luosaier cleared his throat lightly and went on, "This pathway can grant strength and agility beyond an ordinary person's, and the ability to use every weapon with skill... But I don't think it suits me. 'Mystery Pryer' leans toward mysticism. It sounds as if one could come into contact with a great deal of hidden knowledge, but the monster that day belonged to this pathway, which leaves me a little psychologically uneasy... 'Savant' focuses more on real-world technology, understanding, and creation... What do you think?" A Mystery Pryer comes into contact with hidden knowledge? Had that Extraordinary who lost control touched some forbidden knowledge, suffered corruption, and lost control because of it? Did the Craftsman Church value this corpse for that reason...? Right—Hengli had said that the "craftsmen" of the Church of the God of Craftsmen could make Sealed Artifacts with relatively minor side effects. That ought to be the "Savant," the pathway they possess in full... Thoughts rose one after another in Xialuote's mind. She glanced at Luosaier, who was waiting for her judgment, and answered after weighing her words, "'Savant' may suit you better. That the Church possesses the complete pathway means you won't need to look elsewhere for a way to advance. And I've heard that after one advances along this pathway, one can make powerful Sealed Artifacts." And when the time comes, he can give me a discount—she added silently to herself. Luosaier nodded, thoughtful. "I actually think so too. I'm glad you and I are of the same mind, just as when Mr. Dulang made that unexpected suggestion a moment ago." With that, he seemed at last to have set down the weight in his heart, and a look of ease came over him. Xialuote looked at him, suddenly smiled, and said, "Congratulations on soon becoming an Extraordinary, little brother Luosaier." "Little brother?" His expression froze at once. He thought this was some form of address used among Extraordinaries. "I'll be eighteen in another month," Xialuote reminded him in a light tone. "Half a year sooner than you." Luosaier was stunned for a few seconds, as if he had never imagined that, after so serious a talk of mysticism, someone would suddenly have the upper hand on him by age. Seeing that blank look on his face, Xialuote felt much better at once. The exchange was over, and the two of them did not linger in the corridor. Seeing that the talk had ended, Laila came over at a quick pace, gave Luosaier a wary look, and then left with Xialuote. Luosaier watched the two of them go. Only after Xialuote had boarded the carriage did he walk off, thoughtful, in the other direction. A moment later, the door of Moerwan Dulang's workroom was pushed open without a sound. The lawyer who had just become a partner in the Suxite Weekly stood beside the door and, expressionless, gazed at the place where the two of them had been talking just now.