Annelise Nikse was a rather curvy woman and her dress was cut to accentuate that fact, showing just enough smooth, pale, skin to drive a man to distraction. It didn't take long to see why the Grand Baron of Nordland had sent her to negotiate, as she curtseyed a little lower than was expected upon meeting me in the great hall, giving a glimpse of her ample cleavage as she dipped down. Tadeusz was a young man, around 19 years old, the Grand Baron likely thought that sending his most attractive daughter to negotiate would allow him to get a good deal as she ensnared Tadesuz with her charms and used that to her advantage in the negotiations. He hadn't planned on me getting inserted into Tadeusz's body. I wasn't sure whether to feel pleased that he was underestimating me or insulted that he thought this would work, so I kept my thoughts hidden behind a facade of courtesy.
"My lady, Nikse. Welcome to Chebekov. I hope your journey was not too unpleasant?" I asked.
"The sea Journey from Norden was pleasant, though I have not had a chance to bathe yet. I do so wish to discard these clothes and take a good long soak." She replied, placing a bit more emphasis on the second sentence over the first one.
"Of course, I will have the servants heat some water. I hope to see you at dinner tonight, mayhaps we can start these negotiations off over food?" I asked.
"I am certain that your table will be enough to whet my appetite." She grinned. She really was laying on the innuendo.
I nodded and had a servant show her and her bodyguard to guest rooms in the keep of the Krepost. From there I continued the business of ruling. We were starting to see some of the sulfur from the settlements on the extreme edge of the blight come back and Snorri Malkisson was insisting I trade more of the stocks we were getting to the Empire in exchange for more mercury and Spirit of Niter. It seems he was insistent on continuing his experimentation with Mercury Fulminate. For the past month or so he'd been trying to figure out a process that would reliably produce useable quantities of Mercury Fulminate. He'd been able to make small amounts in his lab but was trying to puzzle out an industrial process. I think he had plans for a mercury fulminate explosive charge for mining work and the demolition of fortifications. I had pointed out, that a mercury fulminate core could be used to ignite a larger charge of black powder as the core of an explosive device, and from his reports, it seems he had been looking into using that as the basis for a hand grenade of sorts. It was primitive, but promising if his reports could be believed. He still hadn't cottoned on to using it as a percussion cap to replace flints, though if he gave it time, I was sure he'd figure it out.
Another report from Burlok stated that he had found a seam of brown coal by the Sulfur deposits that had been missed in the preliminary investigation 100 years ago, but that it was close enough to the border with Pradeshynya that he was wary of any exploitation happening in case Lord Yusupove decided to send his deniable brigand force over to wreck up the mining camp. He recommended that he be shifted north to the hills near Troll Country to look for any minerals, as none of the Ungols or Roppsmen in Troll Country would cross the river there due to the presence of the Rose Ruins. The worst they would get would be the odd troll coming down from further North, and a garrison should be enough to discourage a Troll from lumbering into camp and eating a miner. Trolls liked softer, less well protected, targets after all. Burlok would be back in Chebekov in the next 2 days, having stopped over in Andrej Bartovski's holdings to look over some granite deposit that my most powerful vassal wanted to quarry out. Apparently, it had been declared viable, which meant more taxes for him, and thus more taxes for me.
Captain Mikolaj's report was similarly encouraging, by now the entire Pulk had been equipped with Dwarf-Steel weapons and armor, and my Streltsi had all received their Malkisson Flintlocks and the entire Pulk was busy drilling. It was now the 29th of Przygotowanie, which was the Kislevite version of May, and the month that most of the planting happened. The Pulk would be training for the majority of the summer so I could get them as elite as I could. I'd increase patrols in the fall and have them back into winter quarters by the time Winter Rolled around. It should give them a decent amount of experience putting the drills into practice clearing bandits and wild animals. Provided I was able to overcome the Trial of Strength in Faith, my forces would be lean, mean, and ready to attack Lord Yusupov next spring. This first year was all about preparation.
That just left reports from my Guilds. As it happened, it seemed several guilds now had more members. A few Dwarven Journeymen Brewers from Kraka Ravnvake had been away from their hold when the latest war with the Norscans had cut them off from returning and had decided to settle down here until they could get back home. They had joined the Brewers Guild and were now working on bringing Dwarven Beer to Kislev on the advice of Urist Malkisson who it seems had missed the taste of Dwarven Beer after having gone without for a few months. It wasn't just the Brewers though. Several of the Blacksmiths had been working in Urist's workshop for the past couple of months and were able to bring the Dwarf's expertise to their own smithies and projects, which in turn boosted the Smith's guild considerably. With the Iron and Sulfur mines in the east of my lands, the Miner's guild also got a boost. The extra money being generated from trade had allowed more of the smaller landholders to also purchase more livestock. That led to an increase in revenue for the Butchers and Tanners guilds as well. Finally, the various guilds of the docks were doing extremely well, with the Fishers, Whalers, Longshoremen, and Dockworkers Guilds all booming. The result of all this extra work and increased production was that the tax base had increased by a substantial margin.
Ironically, it was this increase in production that had caused the Grand Baron of Nordland to take notice and send me my current guest. While Annelise flaunting her sexuality at me was somewhat insulting, the Nikse was right about one thing, we did need a market for these surplus goods. Ostland just wasn't cutting it, as demand wasn't exactly what we had believed it would be. I'd die before I let Marienburg have one of their notoriously unfair trade contracts, there was no question of whether I would sign one with them. That left Nordland unless I wanted to chance going further afield to Brettonia or Albion.
So that was how at the end of my reading of reports and giving out instructions to my council for how to proceed, I found myself dressed in what I felt was a completely superfluous and entirely too ostentatious set of clothes. Blue and Red brocade augmented with furs. It was supposedly a show of wealth and power, but I just felt like an idiot. Still, it was dinner with a woman who was supposed to charm me enough that she could get a good deal. The least I could do was show I was taking her seriously, and that meant getting dressed up like some peacock.
Dinner itself was an affair that had a few courses. The cooks had prepared a potato and leek soup that was absolutely delicious, followed by sliced salmon hors d'eouves on a crust of bread, which I wasn't a fan of but had to at least nibble at, then the main course which was roast wild boar, followed by blintzes for dessert. It was a lot of food cooked very well, but I was hosting an Elector Count's daughter. Throughout dinner, she kept giving me teasing glances and glimpses of cleavage from her bodice as she bent in such a way as to maximize flirtation. I wasn't going to deny that she was extremely attractive, but I was going to control myself damnit!
It was after dinner when she approached me alone that things really kicked off. "My Lord, you were avoiding talking to me at dinner. A girl might get the wrong impression." She said.
I frowned, "I spoke to you as much as any of the others in attendance." I replied.
"But none of the others are as stimulating as I am." She grinned with a twinkle in her eye.
"It's that sort of thing that makes me worried about the state of our negotiations," I said, finally.
"Whatever do you mean?" She asked.
"Let's not pretend or play games. The whole coquettish act you are doing, I'm not sure whether to be flattered or insulted that you seem to think it will give you an edge. I am not just some boy who will lose all sense of himself at the hint of a pretty woman." I replied.
That caused her to frown, but only for a moment. "I see. It seems my father's impression of you was somewhat in error."
"Quite so. I am willing to deal, but not with someone who does not respect me enough to deal with me fairly." I replied.
"Well, shall we start over? What is it you are looking for in a trade relationship?" She asked, getting back to business after several hours of playing the flirt.
"I am looking for a partner, one who sees the value in a growing Voivodeship and wishes to grow alongside it. We do not need a partner who will seek to smother our economy for its own benefit." I replied.
"For our part, Nordland wants access to the goods you have been producing of late. Dwarven Metalwork is rare outside the more Southerly parts of the Empire, and we could always use more raw materials. Wood for our fleets, Charcoal, and Sulfur for our powder works. Why I have even heard that you will be producing Dwarven Beer, which is something that the various tavern keepers of Nordland will likely wish to import. We would pay in good gold for goods and materials. Nordland also has some things that you might need in the future. I have noticed that you have very little in the way of cloth production. Nordland could supply you with good broadcloth at a decent price. You'd get a worse price from those cheats in Marienburg." She responded.
And like that the haggling began. Honestly, when she wasn't playing the coquettish seducer, Annelise was actually quite an intelligent and pleasant person to talk to. Over the next few days, as we got to haggle and get to know each other, I found she had a decent head for economics and even was a bit of a chess player. Both were things that I could work with. I actually enjoyed my time speaking with her. By the time she had to leave to go back to Nordland, I had made a new friend. We promised to keep in touch via letters. I was actually a bit sad to see her go. Thankfully she would leave bearing an equitable and mutually profitable trade treaty. I shuddered to think what would have happened with her visit had I not been inserted into Tadeusz. It probably wouldn't have been pretty. The Guy was kind of an asshole before I had managed to get brain dumped into him. Honestly, the people of Chebekov could thank Ursun that things hadn't played out like that.
Not that they would ever know