Getting off drugs is scary and hard, but it was necessary. And although during the process I repeatedly begged Kara to free me in an unconscious state, and sometimes even threatened her, but still the deed was done. It will definitely be better from now on. It's a shame, though, that the previous owner of the body didn't go through this himself. It would have been good for him, both for health purposes and in forming the right character.
I was sitting in my office, eating a lot, leaning on fatty foods and washing it all down with a huge amount of water. My body was even more exhausted. But despite all the difficulties and literal pain, on the morning of the eighth day I did some exercises and went for a run. True, I ran less than a kilometer, but it's okay, not all at once.
According to my plan, training was supposed to not only turn me from a skinny guy into a semblance of a human being, but also help normalize my hormonal levels. And it was hard for him now, because the entire system of punishments and rewards was broken. Without physical activity, it would be impossible to get out of the hole. Therefore, through force, through pain, I planned to wake up at six o'clock.
— Phew... — in parallel with my thoughts, I was expanding the beer business.
I have endless beer, but if I wanted to earn real money, I had to launder it somehow. If I continue to use my endless mug brazenly, and in large quantities, then I will face many questions. Therefore, I need to open my own brewery, legalize my earnings, and start sorting out the payment of taxes.
- Let's just start with the brewery in the basement. If an inspection breaks in, at least we'll have something to answer for. Although it would be nice to study this craft myself... - I muttered, drawing up and writing down plans on paper in such a way that in case of theft or inspection no one would be able to find anything strange in them. - And not a word about the gifts of Tzeentch... how could I not get confused in all these statistics?
"Mr. Mordred, you have guests," Kara said through the open door, without entering my office.
- Guests? Do I even have friends?
- There are, probably... but in any case, more often your enemies and those who need something from you come.
- As always. I'll be right down. Take him to... is the living room tidy?
- I have cleaned the entire mansion, there are still some things that I did not dare to throw out without your direct permission. However, in general, everything is tidied up, especially the living room.
- Okay, show the guests into the living room.
- A guest. It seems to be a messenger from the grandson of Edward, the Black Prince.
- Who, the prince? He is the king's heir?
- Yes, the son of the ruler of this world. And he sent his people to Camelot to reform the printing centers. Lately, too many dangerous texts have started to appear in the newspapers. Don't you remember that?
- Kara, you know how much I drank and used... Can you remind me what connected me with them?
— You started propaganda to whitewash your own name and subsequent attempts to return to the white nobility.
- A-a-a... right. And it seems that everything went wrong, the money was wasted and I owe them to the printing centers. Right? - I began to remember those events a little.
- I don't know for sure, you've never reported to me.
Kara bowed and left, and I was left to sum up the plans and think about what I would say in a conversation with the representative of the grandson of the black prince himself. Considering that the world was full of various cities, such a guest was really considered very honorable. After all, this envoy reported to a member of the royal family. And the fact that he controlled the media indicated that the king trusted him most of all: after all, printing centers are the basis of propaganda and strong power.
Having washed myself lightly in the bathroom on the second floor, put on perfume, found clothes ironed by Kara, I went down to the living room almost like a real aristocrat. True, the terrible bags under my eyes and sickly pale skin gave me away right away. In addition, everyone knew about my drug addiction. After all, this and many other sins of mine were the reason for the nickname Mordred. Because of this, even the bastards were offended by me: they were offended by the fact that we were in the same caste. They did not decide anything and were simply branded with a nickname from birth. But I fully deserved this nickname and disgraced the common name of outcasts even more.
The living room was empty after cleaning, but clean. All thanks to Kara, standing in the corner and ready to fulfill any request of the guest. The esteemed envoy himself wore a tailcoat and a monocle. He held a cup of tea in his hands and curiously studied the mansion, which seemed completely different. However, as soon as he saw me, everything immediately fell into place. He had not mistaken the house and had definitely come to the infamous drug addict.
"Good day, Mr. Mordred. You haven't answered my letters," the messenger said reproachfully, twitching his curled black moustache slightly.
"The last few days have been particularly difficult," I said honestly, sitting down on the sofa opposite the envoy and taking my cup from the saucer on the table between us.
- Overdosed again? How many times this year, Mordred?
Kara, standing in the corner, was about to open her mouth, but I quickly got my bearings and asked her: "Kara, go clean up my office, please."
Kara nodded immediately and ran away. The messenger was slightly surprised, but rather by my greater politeness. I didn't want Kara to stand in for me and tell me that I've been sober for eight days already. Let the world around me still consider me a junkie. My reputation is still the worst, so let it become my weapon. The time will come and everyone who dared to underestimate me will pay for it.
- I'm very tired. If it's not too much trouble, let's skip the small talk and get straight to the point. Why did you come? - I asked straight to the point, not lying at all.
- Money, Mr. Mordred. You owe a substantial amount and do not even pay the interest. And although Edward the Black Prince has always treated all Mordreds with honor, his mercy has begun to create an unnecessary precedent. Mercy can be taken for weakness. Everyone is on equal terms. And since you cannot pay off the debt or keep it at the same level... you will probably have to part with the mansion.
- Hmm... can't this wait?
- My friend, my lord is tired of waiting. I have no strength to listen to more promises. I understand that this is your father's estate, and you value it very much. However... please do not complicate things. If you come to meet us halfway, we will turn a blind eye to your debts regarding the payment of all services associated with owning a mansion. We will pay everything ourselves, carry out repairs and then sell it. Besides, you yourself understand that there is no point in suing us. You do not have enough money to hire a worthy defense attorney. And the judges themselves rarely side with your dark tribe.
- I understand. However, please note that I have already paid off most of the debts for the mansion. Basically, everything related to heating, water supply, and land rent. Kara, bring the black folder with the documents!
A minute later, Kara came down to me with a folder, which I handed to the envoy. To his surprise, he found bank statements there, as well as current information on a new account, which held a relatively decent amount. In addition, my plans for the beer business were in the same folder. The calculations were schematic, and the intentions were extremely ambitious, but there was a grain of reason in them.
Such data interested the envoy and he began to look at me differently. He began to have doubts and his decision became open to possible change. It was only necessary to press a little more.
- I can pay off the debt. Give me two weeks, and I will cover the interest for this month. Give me a month, and I will start paying the interest for this year. And in a year, perhaps I will have paid off a significant part of the total debt. You will have time to take the mansion at any other time, besides, there are now fewer debts hanging on it.
- I'm surprised, Mr. Mordred. However, it hasn't given me any more faith in you. I'll come back in a week to check again. If everything is half as good as you planned... we'll come to an agreement. Until then.
And as soon as the envoy took his leave, I breathed a sigh of relief. It hadn't gone so badly, I'd been given a chance, which meant I had to make sure I didn't screw it up. So the first thing Kara did was go shopping for the necessary brewing equipment and ingredients. I quickly filled the last remaining container in the basement with the new brew, left instructions for the maid, and then went off alone to Camelot.
I went to the bank again, where I harassed the employees a bit and managed to get a meeting with a consultant. I explained my plan to him and also asked for advice regarding all payments. Fortunately, the banking system in this world was developed and also closely cooperated with both the royal treasury and the tax office. Therefore, right there they explained to me point by point how much and where to pay. Along the way, they prepared a whole stack of documents for me, which I only signed. In general, the employee turned out to be extremely loyal and for a small fee pointed out possible deductions to me. He also offered his help in maintaining declarations, also for a fee, of course.
I did not refuse, because I myself understood little and did not particularly want to understand. I did not doubt the honesty of the employee, because his benefit directly depended on my profit. Therefore, he was interested in my business flourishing. The same was true for the bank where I had an account. The bank also gave me business cards of lawyers who, if necessary, could help me protect my rights.
And then, already at the official market with a license, Kara and I settled in the very outskirts. There were many traders, and Camelot created a very developed infrastructure for their work. All you had to do was show up with your goods and take a free place. In bad weather, covered stalls were installed here upon request, as well as heaters, which allowed the artisans to prosper. In turn, the artisans themselves supplemented the planned economy of the country, satisfying the huge demand in areas unaccounted for by the kingdom.
I wouldn't say that it was the most efficient economic model, but its stability remained extremely high. In addition, entering the system was very simple - just pay taxes and that's it. True, taxes, of course, were also exorbitant. Therefore, artisans were the middle class and only a small part of them could reach the next financial level. And I also had fierce competition, because as it turned out, only nobles could sell alcohol. So I competed with those who poured huge amounts of money into their business and who were subsidized by the king.
The only way to win on the market was dumping. I brazenly lowered the price to half the minimum.
— The best beer! The people's choice and the people's price! For every two bottles, the third one is free! — Kara shouted loudly, calling as many people as possible, raising the sign with the price per liter higher.
The business was going well, but having roughly estimated the potential expenses... I understood that without the magic mug I was working, if not in the minus, then at best at zero. However, one way or another, I had practically no expenses. And if you think about it, dumping at the beginning of promotion was very helpful to any business. It is better to work in the minus for a month and collect a client base, earn a name and stake out a niche for yourself, than to wait for some miracle to happen, and the business will immediately start bringing in money.
Although it was extremely easy for me to say this, because I actually had no risks. But if I had taken the same sword, I would have been lying in a ditch with my throat cut, until the sword itself fell into the hands of some crazy asshole. And from him to another asshole, you can continue the chain to some demon prince of Khorne. I would have simply lost the sword, and a mug of beer is always with me.
"I have my own container, a barrel!" shouted the man, who was being impudently pushed in the back by the old woman.
The line quickly grew and even the guards came up to me to prevent a crush. However, in addition to the guards and customers, I also noticed some very strange and overly well-dressed people. They watched me for some time, studying both the prices and my face, and even approached Kara, asking her something. She answered neutrally and explained only that the beer was their own and the best on the market. In general, she said what I told her.
Who were these people? There are two options. The first option is the local inquisition, which got on the trail after my skirmish with the bandits. However, would the employees of such a secretive organization work so rudely? No, this is certainly not the Inquisition of the Imperium, but they were still engaged in very dangerous and difficult work. And that means that if they were watching me, they did it secretly and unnoticed, collecting evidence or already forming an assault group.
The second option was more logical. These are my competitors' people who will not be very happy about dumping. I had to think urgently about protecting my business, otherwise they could rip my belly out or throw a fiery cocktail into my house for this. Dumping is a dirty thing, no matter how you look at it, just like the world of competing nobles. For a place in the sun, you will have to shed both your own and other people's blood. I had no doubt about that.
Although it is possible that the tax authorities came to calculate how much I earned and how much I will indicate in the declaration. Although it is a bit early that they started to take an interest in me: I am still a small fish, I have only just started working.
— ONLY TWENTY LITRES LEFT!!! I'M NOT SELLING ANY MORE BOTTLES!!! ONE BOTTLE PER HAND!!! YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAND IN LINE!!! WE'RE OUT, COME TOMORROW!!! — I yelled, trying to drown out the shopping area, which was always extremely noisy. And my place was on the outskirts, next to a highway where cars were driving at high speed. And the parking spaces and bus stops, damn it, were at the other end. Well, at least the rent here was the cheapest.
Another bag of money was collected: I even rolled a cart for it, so as not to drag such a heavy thing in my hands, like last time. All that was left was to bring everything to the bank and record the profit. Yes, at this rate I will definitely pay off all my debts very quickly. And everyone will be happy: the people received affordable beer, the kingdom - taxes. And competitors - reasons to become better. And of course, my life will also become better.
I was making my way through the market to the paid parking lot in a good mood. Everything was getting better, when suddenly a bright flash illuminated Camelot, covered in the evening. And then a roar made the windows vibrate. The bang was monstrously strong and everyone looked up, where rockets were flying rapidly towards the stars, leaving a trace in the sky.
One moment and the claps were repeated, sending new volleys into space. And although the air raid sirens did not sound, two seconds later the screams of women were heard, followed by the crying of children. There could be no mistake, the orbital defense batteries were working. And these were not exercises, because no one warned about them.
Kara and I were lucky that we managed to get to the car and didn't find ourselves in the crush at the market.
"What's going on?" Kara didn't scream or panic, she just looked sadly at the sky where another bright flash was born. "War? Are the soulless ones back again?"
I didn't know the answer and just pressed the pedal to the metal, intending to leave the city, which in case of anything would be the first to be attacked by the enemy fleet. Not even a month had passed, and trouble came for me. And although I had no proof, I was absolutely sure that all this was again arranged by Tzeentch, in order to achieve his goal at the cost of the lives and suffering of countless people.
More chapters on my P@treon: https://patreon.com/OOOTEN