Within the most prestigious part of Velgrada, the conference chamber of the Crimson Ledger was brightly lit up, even though it was already morning. Thick red velvet curtains blocked out the morning sun, sealing the view away from the city and making it impossible to tell how much time had passed when a meeting was taking place within. It was a deliberate choice to ensure all members of the Ledger's council would only focus on the task before them, with no outside distractions. The city was built on wealth and power, and here, in this very room, one of these wealthy and powerful were converging every month to decide on events that could influence the city's nobles and their daily life.
At the head of the table, Garrik Holvar, the current head of the Ledger, sat, tapping his fingers on the table, his eyes running over the report of everything that happened in the past month. He was reviewing dozens of ledgers at once, all of them filled with figures that dictated the balance of power, one that was always made sure would put his organization in an advantageous position. His quill was scratching across the parchment as he made notes in the margins, orders on who should disappear and who should be promoted. Which deals can be processed... and which will be sabotaged.
He has been doing it for two decades now, making it something of a routine, causing his expression to be unreadable, though the tight grip on his quill betrayed some of his irritation with a rare failure they suffered... The inability to stop Veren & Sons from entering the larger market was not just an inconvenience but a proper insult to their face—one that needed correction. Someone thwarted their effort, even if it was just a routine, casual move... And it made his blood boil every time he thought about it.
Especially because they couldn't find the source. The local information brokers worked for them, so he was sure that they weren't the ones leaking it. Most of them didn't even know about it anyway. Coincidence? It could be. But who was so lucky? And have the brain to put it together? He sent people to look over whether there was anyone taking up an adventuring job there... but he found nothing in the Adventurers Guild's files. Still, that didn't mean anything, as it was way too easy to get in and alter them. People just needed a deep pocket and the proper clerk to bribe.
It made him think that all of this was more than what it seemed. It was an attack from either one of their rivals here in the city or maybe even from one of the other six cities, wanting to encroach on their turf. Or... Finally, the City Lord was getting weary of their growing influence and power. If it was the latter...
"We are not ready yet..." he muttered before looking up, glancing at the others around the table. "Even with us failing to find the culprits and clues, it further confirms that Veren & Sons cannot be ignored," he finally spoke, his voice cutting through the conversations of his inner circle. The moment he spoke up, the room fell silent, all eyes turning to him. "We missed our first opportunity to break them, thinking they were just routine nobodies... Still, there are other ways to bring them under our control. Did we make the first contact?"
"Yes, Chairman." The gathered members nodded in unison. They were a mix of wealthy company owners, their personal informant brokers, and the Ledger's enforcers, who each played their own role in the city's grand game of commerce and control, slowly but surely working to replace the City Lord's influence. It was a scheme that had been going on for forty years, and it was started by Garrick's predecessor, his uncle.
"We went with the basic preliminary routine, sending in someone from the Syndicate." Yvessa, their leading information broker, explained that while she adjusted the spectacles perched on the bridge of her nose. The moment she looked at Garrick, her eyes narrowed as she considered the situation, reading his emotions. "They are too small to be a direct threat yet," she continued cautiously, not wanting to anger Garrick, her voice becoming measured. "But... I looked into them, and they are gaining traction. The nobles are pleased with their swiftness, and that alone makes them quickly noticed between them. I took liberties and began cashing in some of our minor favors and canceling jobs heading their way. Still... we can't sabotage them outright. Some of those nobles are connected to the City Lord."
"Yes, we can't keep explaining why their contracts get blocked every time..." Garrik agreed, nodding his head, visibly satisfied by her report. "We will go with the best method for both of us. We buy them. Wrap them in our fold before they grow too ambitious and before the City Lord tries to rope them in to use them against... us."
Orlin, a tiny, almost dwarf-like man who had spent the last two days tracing every piece of information he could find about Markus Veren, leaned forward to speak. Being Yvessa's subordinate, he waited until given permission to say his piece, his fingers fidgeting with a silver coin as he spoke.
"I'm afraid that won't work... I sniffed around, and this Markus Veren won't sell. He's got something to prove, an actual chip on his shoulders, coming from nothing. I know its type... He's not in this just for money—he wants to rebuild his family's name. He wants to have a legacy... worse, he is an idealist."
"Idealists are that until a big enough coin purse is dropped into their laps!" Garrik's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "Everyone sells, given the right price. Or the right pressure. We will use both. Understood?"
"Yes..." The room fell silent after answering in unison, waiting for his following words.
"Offer him a sweet deal," Garrik continued, his voice smooth and confident. "A proper partnership, if he wants to call it that. We can offer him a generous investment so he can expand, and we can give him control over distribution and resources that only our Syndicate can provide. Make sure the other subsidiaries we are running in the Syndicate are in on this. When he accepts, he gets the illusion of running his business while it becomes another arm of our operations. Simple. When he is consolidated, we can buy them out or make him suffer an accident, an early death, or whatever we usually use. Then, we take over and..."
"And if he refuses?" Yvessa asked, her fingers steepled together in thought, asking with a tiny bit of trace of fear.
"Then we make it impossible for him to operate outside our influence," Garrik said, his tone darkening. "Even if it becomes visible... I don't. Care. Understand? All of our suppliers will refuse him. Customers will hesitate to associate with a merchant who suddenly finds themselves with a reputation problem. I want you to prepare possible smear campaigns as a backup! Make their caravans be investigated by the guards every time they come and go. Bury them in bureaucracy! We will let him struggle until he has no choice but to give up." He leaned back in his chair, exuding confidence. "One way or another, Veren & Sons will belong to the Syndicate... to us, the Crimson Ledger."
A murmur of agreement swept through the room as each member began considering their roles in the Chairman's new plan, hearing him mutter something they had heard many times, and they could see the finish line.
"They will be ours, as will the city... We are too close to let anything stop us..."
...
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In the lit basement of our bakery, I was sifting through today's reports from our kids. I was leaning against the heavy wooden counter with bags of flour on it, my fingers idly tapping against the surface as I read with a half-smile the last short report. Most kids learned quickly, and although they needed a few days to get used to the new marking system, after encouraging them, they began nailing the importance of their individual reports. It made it much easier to sort them... and now, I just received the very first red one.
"Um..." Mira stood in front of me, her small frame stiff with nerves as she delivered the news, still breathing heavily, running to me at once. "Markus Veren came to me, Boss… he's looking the Big Boss! For Shade! Um, here... he gave this to me!" She said, holding out a letter that I took from her, opening the unbroken seal, leading it through, furrowing my brows.
"He wants information on the group called the Crimson Ledger..." I exhaled slowly, my expression thoughtful.
Spending time within the Adventures Guild had its benefits. From what I gathered, the Ledger was one of the leading players in the city. If Markus asked about them, then they would contact him... Which would imply a lot of things. I have enough knowledge of how big corporations work... I oversaw multiple hostile and covert takeovers in my old life. My guess here is that it was not anything different. So, my guess is that they were trying to buy the startup, one that didn't want to sell. And, if I had to put money on it, I would risk that the robbery was also their job.
I had expected some form of escalation in information requests, but not this quickly. 'Shade' was not yet a name ready for dealing with organizations like the Crimson Ledger—not even close. My network was still in its infancy, its reach extending through some of the back alleys and street-level issues, not the highway of power where giants like the Ledger decided what the laws were.
"Who are they?" Puck asked, standing beside Mira. His curiosity overpowered his drive to remain silent, and he tried to see into the letter to read it. "Is this good news? Bad news? Do we even have anything on them? It is the first time I heard the name!"
"Let's keep it that way," I muttered, crossing my arms. "Your job is to collect information and not to worry your heads about the rest. I will compile what needs to be said and relay it to Shade. Good work, Mira." I smiled, patting her head, making her relax, knowing she did well.
"What do we do next?" Mira asked hesitantly, looking up at me, "Should we start listening for more... looking for these people?"
"For now, continue as usual. If Shade has instructions, I will let you know." I hesitated, my mind already racing, as I considered how to handle the situation.
I couldn't afford to attract the Crimson Ledger's attention until I had a stronger web of contacts and more reliable sources. I was simply too small. If they realized someone was prying into their business, they would cut off the problem at the root, which wouldn't be hard. But outright refusing Veren wasn't an option either. Not only would it raise suspicion, but it could also burn a potential ally down the line and spread the word that I wasn't all that I seemed to be. It would very much hurt my growing reputation and probably kill the operation, too.
"I assume Markus is waiting for an answer..." I finally muttered, writing up a simple letter and giving it to Puck. "Deliver this to Markus. Let him think that we're looking into it, but don't commit to anything yet. Tell him information on the Crimson Ledger isn't easy to get."
"Roger!" Puck nodded, taking note of the instructions. "I can do that quickly and without anyone seeing me arriving there! I already know the best routes in and out."
"That's why I am asking you to deliver it. While Shade makes his decision, I'll also start gathering what I can," I said, dismissing the kids, my thoughts turning towards the Adventurers Guild. "Quietly."
If anybody was larger than the Ledger, it was the Guild. They spanned multiple countries, and I could gather more in their archives than anywhere else. With how I buttered up to the administrators and clerks inside, I have a treasure trove in there... I just need to find the correct piece of gold.
Still, without knowing everything, I could tell that the Crimson Ledger had their hands in probably everything. Information on them wouldn't come easy, and even if I could get it, knowing their movements and stopping them were two very different things. For now, I needed time. A lot of it... and if I ran out of time. I still had a wooden token that I could cash in.
I just wondered if Silverhaven, which was a local, independent Auction House, would be able to help or not... But I wasn't going to use up such a card because I ran into some difficulties. No. I had a feeling that favors like this were to be reserved for when all other avenues were already exhausted.