Capítulo 7: Dealing with criminals
I walk with firm steps towards what appears to be a very simple and obscure bar, it is open on all sides with a roof only where the waiter's counter and some tables and chairs are. I maintain an arrogant expression that only a rich merchant would have and arrive at the entrance where I am stopped by two brutes. Despite their size, one of them speaks as politely as he can.
"What do you want here, sir?"
"I am here on business and wish to speak to your boss."
The man who asks the question waves at me and tells me to follow him, while the other remains at the entrance. Soon I am at the back of the bar where he leads me through a path near the beach to a shipwrecked boat on the sand. Arriving at the entrance of the old boat, I am escorted by another man inside and a strong musty smell assaults my nose. He takes me to a cabin where there is a tall man, with unusual black hair and no less muscular than the others who brought me here. I assume he is the boss, since he is sitting at a table full of papers. In the room, besides him, there is a woman with Valyrian features and revealing clothes, reading a book on a sofa near the table. She looks at me for less than 2 seconds before turning her attention to the book whose cover is so faded that I can't read the title. The man stops his work and looks at me and asks:
"Good afternoon, my name is Magnos. What business are you here to do?"
"Good afternoon, Mr. Magnos. My name is Rafael and I am here to take out a loan. I recently bought a sailboat called "Wind Hunter" together with my partner. We will be making our first voyage in a few days and we need capital to hire our crew and supply our ship to the maximum to make the greatest possible profits. Our destination will be the South of Essos or we will go to Asshai. I wonder if you would be willing to lend us a certain amount of gold for this venture. We know it will be a dangerous and high-risk investment, but we plan to leave some guarantees in case any accident happens…
I finish explaining and wait in silence, I gave as much information as I could in the most eloquent way possible.
"You said you have a partner, but you came here alone…"
He opens a drawer and takes out a paper and looks at it before continuing:
"The 'Windchaser' was a ship of a small trading company that recently went into debt… It is capable of making either of these voyages in about 1 and a half years, but to make such a long voyage 30-50% of the cargo needs to be used to supply the passengers and crew."
He continued talking to himself and doing some calculations before finally saying:
"I can lend you 30 gold coins for this venture, you will need to pay 60 coins in exactly 1 year and a half. For each month that you are late, I will add 5 gold coins. Come back here to sign the documents together with your partner and bring any property documents that you have in the city. You can go now."
I thank him and ask him if he can recommend someone trustworthy who has a boat and who can do some transports outside the law. He raises an eyebrow and even the woman reading the book for his reading this time to pay attention.
"Go to the tavern in the center of the northern district called Sleeping Dragon and ask to speak to Black Cat. He will introduce you to some smugglers and thieves."
After I say goodbye, inside Magnus' cabin, the woman who was reading the book finally says:
"Boss, why did you only charge 60? Normally you would easily ask for 80 or even 90 gold coins."
—I want to find out who his partner is. Despite being well dressed, speaking politely, having knowledge about trade, and carrying himself in an elegant and noble manner, his accent is the same as that of the Valyrian commoners. Which means that his "partner" is the real boss of this operation. If I asked him for something too exaggerated, he would just go to Kulan or Kuzar to negotiate a better loan with them. If possible, get me the names of the Windhunter's buyers today. This will make our negotiations easier tomorrow. Even more so since they are willing to get involved with smugglers, it shows that they do not want to repeat this long journey many times and prioritize a quick profit by avoiding even taxes."
"Yes boss!"
Meanwhile, Rafael was also reflecting on why the loan was not so unscrupulous, but after not noticing any error in his negotiation and not caring about what should be paid for it, he decided to wait and see what else Magnus was planning. Planning and calculating the few days he had, he decided to visit the Sleeping Dragon in 2 days, he then quickened his steps and moved towards the Bank to meet with Omar again.
(Curiosities of Valyria part 5: The Free City is divided into 5 large territories, and its population is estimated to be around of at least 1 million, the number cannot be confirmed. Among these 5 territories, the central district stands out, where only the 40 Valyrian families and their vassal Nobles live. The northern district is the most popular among sailors, commoners, pirates and criminals due to its large port and many job opportunities. The southern district stands out for the largest number of mines and related jobs. The eastern district is the largest commercial and industrial area, and the western district is the area where the wealthiest population of the city lives. This district is also the only place with a second small port that connects the Freehold not only with the sea, but also with a river channel from the lands of always summer.)
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