Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

The familiar man was silent for a long time.

"How about I give you some ideas? Look, I'm new here, and there's a bandit outbreak, so I almost had to delay the spring planting. But even if I planted the land, would the spring wheat be edible? So, we'll have to buy food for the first year."

"That's easy. I have acquaintances in Xueman Territory. They sell not only food but also livestock. Yes, and salt..."

Having said that, Zilaishu looked around.

"You know, sir? The salt in Skyrim Province is basically produced by Cangyuan Territory and Dongjing Territory. But I have a way to get it from other places, and the price is 30% cheaper."

"Did you find a fucking salt mine?"

"How did you know..."

The self-familiar man was so frightened that he covered his mouth before he could finish his words. After a while, he finally came to his senses and gave me a thumbs-up.

"Eric once told me that the Lord has traveled extensively, so there's nothing you don't know. I used to think he was bragging, but now I'm convinced. To be honest, an old friend of mine found this in Winterhold. I buy it from him and then I'll charge him the market price, taking a small cut of the difference."

"If it's only 30% cheaper and has to be shipped all the way here, it doesn't seem like there's any point."

"Shipping is included, my lord. Besides, how much farther is Winterhold from the Cangyuan? If you rely on someone else's salt, will he not include shipping costs for you? The main thing is that I haven't been in touch with that guy in the past few years, so I dare not tell you too much. As long as you give me the nod, I will take care of it immediately and try to lower the price as much as possible."

"You can't just go."

He is a little impatient because he is so familiar with others.

"I have to do this. He won't take on anyone else! You know, salt is a very tricky thing to deal with. Without the connections of a lord, who would dare to touch this business? That guy has connections in both the black and white worlds, so he's very cautious."

"Why are you so anxious? I didn't say I couldn't let you go. Think about it, I've always had a good relationship with your comrades. How could I poach my friend just two days after arriving? How would I face anyone in the future? Come on, sit down and listen to my plans first."

It was almost dawn, and the low, leaden-blue clouds were emitting a silvery-gray light. We squeezed into the small space on the top floor of the watchtower, pretending to examine the scarecrow.

"First, write a letter to Eric, asking him to lend you money for your brother's medical treatment. Send this letter directly through your comrades' group. I'll use my own people to tell him about our deal and have him take your family to Helgen. That way, you can ask for leave from Nigada under the pretext of visiting your brother, and then hurry to get back to your business."

The reason I've gone to all this trouble is because I can't trust the person in front of me. After all, we don't know each other, we just chatted for half a night. Who knows if this was a chance encounter or a deliberate arrangement? Let Eric keep an eye on things, and at the same time, control his family, so I don't get scammed.

Losing some money is a small matter, but don't tarnish my reputation as a smart and resourceful person.

Seeing him nod, I continued to tell him about my plan.

"Try not to contact me directly. Hand over your channels to your brother or another trustworthy friend. In short, it must be someone who has no connection to the Companions. I'll say hello to Lund and let him connect. As for you, I suggest you stay in the Companions for now."

The familiar sighed.

"Sir, I understand. I did something treacherous in the past, and you didn't want to use me. But that was really due to my livelihood. I can swear to Talos that as long as Sir shows my brother a clear path, I will never do anything to let you down!"

"You know nothing! To be honest with you, I have a feeling that something big is going to happen to the Companions. It might not be a bad thing for you and Eric to leave Yuevaska at this time."

"Ah? What's the big deal?"

I'm going to tell you that your boss will be hacked to death in his own home. Can you believe it?

"It's hard to say right now, but I think Skoyue's death is just the beginning. Silver Hand is just a pawn in this. There's probably a big conspiracy hidden behind this. Even the Companions aren't the ultimate target of this conspiracy."

A ray of morning light shone on the familiar face full of surprise.

"My Lord, do you know about the great conspiracy you mentioned?"

"Of course he does."

"Then...what will he do?"

"He's waiting and making plans at the same time."

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"How should I know? Perhaps he's waiting for the other side to reveal their trump card, or perhaps he's waiting for his comrades to be certain of victory. You're in the open, while they're in the dark. A rash attack could easily lead to a trap. So, he wants to wait until the situation becomes clear before defeating the enemy in one fell swoop."

I pointed to the hills north of Granite Village.

"It's like those bandits who came to rob us a few days ago. It's not that I don't want to fight them, but my forces are too few. Without knowing their numbers and being familiar with the terrain, it's hard to guarantee a complete victory. So, all I can do is wait, wait for their actions to reveal more information, and wait for my own troops to become combat-ready."

I patted the familiar shoulder.

"That's why I'm urging you to stay with the Companions. While you may have been frustrated for a while, you're far away from the center of the power struggle. If you can bide your time, you might have a chance to make a comeback in the future. If you follow me, all your previous efforts will be wasted. Wouldn't that be a shame? Besides, your brother needs something to do; he can't always rely on you for support."

The guy's eyes were a little red.

"Your Excellency is right. Rest assured, we brothers will do anything to serve you without hesitation. We will not take money from anyone else, but not from you, Your Excellency."

"Since you're familiar with Eric, you should know that I also worked as a peddler for a few years. We're talking business. You have the supply channels, which are your resources, so it's only natural that you get a share of the profits. But the specific share should be discussed between you brothers and Lund. Also, have you seen the tiger people in the village?"

"Yes, their trading post is in the south."

"I'm not afraid, you know. These tiger people have been working with me for over a year. It's not easy to steal their business."

He gave a familiar grin.

"If you're talking about dealing in scumbag stuff like Skooma, we're not as good as them. But when it comes to selling decent stuff, these cats have a lot to learn."

As we parted, I finally learned this guy's name was Hawkes, and his hometown was also in the Flute Mine. He didn't mention Old Inger, though, so I guess he didn't know much. After all, those events happened when my parents were young, and Donna and Sunil had already moved away when Locke and Hawkes were born.

After a long night, I was completely sleepless, so I retreated to my shack and wrote a long letter to Eric, asking him about Hawkes in detail. I spent the rest of my time in the fields, pretending to be an expert and guiding the villagers in clearing wasteland and cultivating the land.

Although I didn't farm in my previous life, the Reach refugees lacked any experience in farming, even struggling to fill in ridges and mark out borders. This made me even more worried about the harvest. After all, the tiger-people loan needed to be repaid within a year, or else the interest would be exorbitant. Furthermore, I was counting on the harvest to repay the grain and seeds Nanya had loaned me.

Bathed in the warm afternoon sun, I finally felt sleepy and dozed off in a chair outside the shack. But just as I fell asleep, I was woken up again by someone. It was Lund who had returned.

According to him, Lai Mei was extremely dissatisfied with this operation, not because she lost the battle, but because she won too easily.

They arrived at daybreak. Floki led his archers to block the village entrance, while Lydia decisively charged. The Flying Bear tribe hadn't organized an effective defense, and most of them were knocked to the ground before they could even grasp what was happening. This was more of a law enforcement operation than a battle.

Lund soon discovered the looted supplies, and the female leader of the tribe confessed their crimes. Lei Mei asked Floki to stay and clear the spoils, and sent Lund and the Red Guards back first.

"Locke, what are you going to do with these prisoners? You can't kill them all, right?"

"Are you kidding? This is free labor! How could I bear to part with it? When Lydia brings the men back, we'll hold a public trial and execute them. These bears, male or female, will all do hard labor for five to ten years. Then, bring out that work-point system you had back then. They won't tolerate any inaction. You don't know how agonizing it has been for me this morning, seeing so much land lying waste."

Lund was visibly relieved.

"Speaking of farming, I have something to ask you. What do you think is a reasonable rent for this year?"

"Ah? Didn't we agree on this? We'll give away land and exempt taxes to refugees who agree to come to Granite Village."

"That's just a little extra land, isn't it? It's barely enough to feed my family. If they want to avoid starvation, these people have to rent the land under your name. That's the rent I'm talking about. You have to tell me the amount first so I can arrange the rest."

"How about, just like old Lori, and take a quarter?"

Lund rolled his eyes.

"Who told you old Lori only charged a quarter?"

Isn't it? I searched Locke's memories, and it clearly stated that Old Lori only collected a quarter of the crops or an equivalent amount of Septim coins, because the lord and the church each collected 10% in taxes, and the remaining 50% was his handling fee.

Could it be that because Rocker has been doing business for many years, he didn't know that old Lori had secretly raised the rent?

"Your family's land was purchased; it's owned by Uncle Sunil and the old lady, so he only takes that much. If you rent old Lori's land, you'll know he takes 70% of the rent. I had to move out of the village because I couldn't make a living from farming."

I was shocked. I had always thought of Old Lori as a kind and generous elder, but I had no idea he could be so ruthless when it came to taking advantage of the situation.

"Actually, 70% is pretty fair. Whiterun's land is fertile, and large families like War Mad own a lot of land, so they usually set the rent at 80%. Some greedy landlords even take 90%. The situation is similar in Eastmar, Riften, and Falkreath. On the other hand, the Pale Plains and Winterhold are too cold, so the rent is usually only 50% or 60%."

Lund looked normal.

"I've inquired about the rent collection situation of many landlords in Xueman Territory. Currently, the one with the lowest rent is Miss Lydia. Her family only collects 60% of the rent."

"Look, it has to be Lydia. She's beautiful and kind, just like me."

"That's not necessarily true. She was also very angry when she talked to me about this. She said that she rarely got away from the army, and her family was left with only an orphan and a widow, and they were inevitably bullied by the tenants. Moreover, her family had little land, so it was really hard to get a good price for it."

……

This is insane. 70% of income goes to rent, and that's considered fair. People who don't farm get 60% for free, and they feel like they're being wronged.

"How about I take... uh... 40%?"

Actually, I wanted to say 30%, with the lord, the church, and me each taking 10%. But Lund barely thought about it and shook his head in objection.

"Lund, don't forget, you and I both came from humble backgrounds. I collect less taxes, yet you disagree? Those who own a country and a family don't worry about scarcity, but about inequality. If the landlords live in luxury while the tenants are destitute, do you think this is how the world should be?"

"I understand your feelings, Locke, but you are no longer a farmer, but a baron, a great noble. You can no longer think in the same way as before."

He sat opposite me and considered for a while before continuing.

"First, you have considerable expenses. You have to pay taxes to the lord and raise money to support the army. How can you afford to do anything less? Furthermore, if you collect such a small tax, you're breaking the rules. Other nobles will resent you, but you won't be able to support an army strong enough to intimidate them. In the end, you might not even be able to keep this estate, let alone protect the people."

Ilandur had said something similar to me before. But back then, I was just discussing ideas with the priests of Mara. Now I needed a concrete solution. Fortunately, Lund not only raised the problem but also provided a solution.

"You just said that we're not afraid of a lack of wealth, but only of its uneven distribution. I beg to differ. The most urgent task is to find a way to cultivate as much land as possible and harvest more food. If the total amount increases, even if you increase the harvest by 10% or 20%, the amount left in the hands of the farmers will not be less. If all the land near Granite Village could be cultivated, it could easily support 4,000 to 5,000 people. How many people are there now? Less than 1,000."

"Then where can we find so many people to open up the wasteland?"

"That's the problem. Living people aren't weeds that can spring up from the ground in spring. My suggestion is that the rent remain at 70%, and you pay for two horses, and the tenants can use the horses to plow the land for free. I've inquired, and the price of plow horses isn't that outrageous, around four or five hundred Septim."

“Why not use a cow?”

“Oxen plow the fields slowly.”

"Although it's slow, it's cheap. The price of one plow horse can buy two or three cows. More livestock can help more farmers."

After a brief thought, Lund agreed with me. He was a man of action, so he turned around and went out to arrange the work.

"Hey, don't leave just yet. I want to ask, what are you going to plant in the field?"

"The vegetables I'll grow are mainly potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and tomatoes. I'm also trying to grow the ash yams the Khajiit caravan brought, but I haven't found anyone familiar with them, so I'm not sure if they'll be successful. The mushrooms you mentioned require specialized sheds, and I don't have the manpower for that right now. As for the other vacant land, I plan to plant flax first, and then wheat after the autumn harvest."

"Oh, if you can, grow more soybeans."

Lund looked puzzled.

"We don't have that many animals. What do you need beans for? If you want to make oil, flax is enough, right?"

"eat."

"No, Locke, even though we're not well off, we don't have to eat beans."

"Don't worry about how I eat it. I have a use for it anyway. You can plant as much as you want."