Chapter 17: Beyond Borders and Bloodlines
The ink on the Haldrin pact had barely dried when two letters arrived:
One sealed in deep crimson wax, bearing the Sigil of the Royal Peer Assembly
The other, aged and brittle — hidden in a locked drawer of the Haldrin library
I. The Eastlight Charter – Secrets Never Meant to Be Found
The Charter was no ordinary merchant document. It wasn't just trade law — it was an economic map of the First Merchant Empire, centuries old and sealed to all but the title of Knight-Merchant.
Deep within its arcane pages:
– Forgotten treaties with minor kingdoms
– Secret interest rates used to bankrupt rival duchies
– Hidden vault coordinates and merchant bloodline debts
– And one clause:
"The bearer of this seal may lawfully assume claim over any Charter-Orphaned Enterprise, regardless of borders."
[System Bonus Unlocked: Charter-Claim Mechanic Enabled]
Can identify and absorb legacy corporations or guilds with no current legal heir
Bonus: No war or politics needed — just paperwork and leverage
Hidden Tag Discovered: "One such company exists… in the Eastern Marrow Coast."
II. The Summons of the Peer Court
While my agents prepared the foreign mission, I traveled to the Royal Capital — where the nobles had gathered for a closed council.
I was now peer-ranked, but barely trusted.
Duke Calren of Westbay sneered, "So, the merchant wears silk now. Bought his bloodlines like he buys wheat."
I smiled.
And presented the sealed Eastlight Charter.
The room fell silent as I invoked an ancient right: "I submit myself for Peer Review by Merchant Code — but only by the codes older than the throne itself."
[System Trait Activated: Legacy Weight + Eastlight Override]
Political Save Roll: SUCCESS
Result: You are granted probationary peer legitimacy
Bonus: Invitation to Royal Treasury Council (limited seat)
By the end of the session, three nobles approached with quiet offers. One of them whispered:
"You may not be born of old blood… but you wield something older."
III. The Marrow Coast – A Dying Empire's Skeleton
Far to the east, in a lawless land once ruled by merchant-kings, lay a shattered conglomerate:
Name: Grelvain Syndica
Industry: Maritime Trade, Luxury Spice, and Enchanted Glass
Status: Leaderless, fractured, seized by pirates and unpaid workers
Location: Marrow Coast Freeport, outside all current kingdoms
Legal Tag: Charter-Orphaned Enterprise (Verified)
I sent Lena and Ardenn with a strike team of enchanters, scribes, and former mercenary-accountants.
Their weapons? Ledgers. Contracts. Magical notarization.
Within three weeks:
Pirate commanders were paid off or exiled
Workers offered fair contracts
A new seal affixed to the gates:
"Under Protection of the Eastlight Revival Charter."
[Foreign Conglomerate Acquired: Grelvain Syndica]
Includes:
✅ 3 ocean-trade fleets
✅ 2 spice plantations in the Southern Reaches
✅ Glassworks Guild with enchanted art production
✅ Neutral-zone fortress port
[Cross-Border Economic Perk Unlocked: "Continental Conglomerate"]
You now operate outside the kingdom's jurisdiction
Gain passive income from non-taxable zones
Bonus: +10 to international influence, smuggling resistance, and noble paranoia