Only when Lucian reached the age of fifteen was he finally old enough to look more respectable.
Though he still didn't have a beard, he grew taller and his voice deepened. It was enough for the people to take him more seriously.
"Heh, finally found you," Lucian muttered, looking at Jax from the top of the hill.
His binoculars were trained on the road below, where Jax walked in a group of people. They had collars around their necks and chains attached to their wrists.
Slavery wasn't tolerated by the kingdom of Diamante, but it was tolerated in the neighboring kingdoms.
Lucian traveled all the way here to get seeds that were only available in the enemy kingdom and ended up finding Jax.
'Finally, a possible employee, who will follow me through hell and back,' Lucian thought, feeling giddy, 'It's so hard to find a good worker these days...'
'You know others usually prefer to avoid trouble instead of getting themselves into it?' the voice asked.
'Troubles are just opportunities in disguise,' the young man said, a smile spreading on his lips.
He put his binoculars in the bag and slid down the hill.
His beggar rags he wore years ago were gone. The moment he learned the southern language, he stopped begging and returned to his trading roots.
It was a long and exhausting process, but his persistence had paid off. He earned enough to cross the borders and get back to the Diamante kingdom.
But it didn't end there. He continued his trading, but this time, Southern Alliance became a part of his trading route.
The southern territory that almost killed him, became the foundation of his new fortune.
───────────────────────────
The Southern Alliance was a group of smaller kingdoms, with common laws and rules, but not one ruler.
It was said that their lands were blessed by the Goddess of the Sun, granting them the strength and resilience they needed to survive the harsh environment.
Lucian pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as he walked down the street, wearing the same tunic and loose pants as the locals. The wind was cold, but the sun was scorching hot, a typical day in the south.
He commissioned a few locals to gather seeds and saplings, and he had a wagon prepared to transport them, but it wasn't the time to get excited.
The atmosphere in the streets was heavy; one wrong move and a brawl could break out. Ugly stares weren't directed at Lucian only, but at each other.
Even the air seemed to be charged with violence. The southerners just loved to fight. Their recovery abilities were far superior, and it made them reckless.
Lucian could only bite on his imaginary napkin in jealousy, remembering his days as a sickly boy, 'Must be nice not to think of death every day.'
"Oi!" One southerner shouted, "You steppin' on my shadow, bastard!"
"..." Lucian slowly took his foot off the man's shadow. Seriously not the time to get excited.
He barked a laugh at Lucian's reaction, "What? You scared? Huh?!"
His friend laughed with him, slapping his back, "No one is scared of your stinkin' shadow, dumbass! Be careful with that one, he is one of Savage's men."
Lucian sighed in relief as they continued to laugh and joke around. He was getting closer to his destination, a small shop at the edge of the town, made out of red clay bricks.
He pushed open the door to the shop, hearing the bell above his head ring. A woman was standing behind a counter with a bored expression on her face, her chin resting on her hand.
She didn't look like she was interested in doing business, but Lucian approached her anyway.
He cleared his throat, reciting a secret code, "The grass is green today, isn't it?"
The woman's eyes didn't move as she pointed her thumb at the back door, "In there," she said in a raspy voice.
"Thank you," Lucian said politely before heading to the back door and pushing it open. The narrow corridor led into a large room, filled with wooden crates and boxes stacked against one another.
Three middle-aged men stood around a table, talking in hushed voices. They stopped when they heard the door open. Their eyes fell upon Lucian.
Lucian held up his hand, greeting them, "I'm here to sell goods," he announced, "The ones you've requested for."
The leader of the group, known as Savage, nodded in approval, motioning for Lucian to come forward.
Lucian placed a satchel on the table and opened it. Inside were several bottles filled with different scents of perfume. Race and background meant nothing to a seller. Anyone could be a customer, as long as they had money.
The leader picked one bottle and sniffed at it, smiling, "The King's wives will love these."
The items weren't illegal per se, but the effort of transporting them would be too much, so they would rather get them through Lucian and pocket the extra money.
He led them to his wagon outside the town, where he kept the rest of the merchandise. The men unloaded the crates from the wagon and placed them on the ground. Replacing them with their crates of merchandise.
Lucian checked the contents of the exchanged crates, and once he was satisfied, he nodded his head. "Good," he said.
It was a fast, efficient transaction.
"How can you travel with such expensive items without the bandits attacking you?" one of the Savage's men asked. It was not only the Southern routes but the Northern ones too.
"I'm a good negotiator," Lucian replied, "And I'm also a very lucky man," he added, chuckling.
The man laughed, "I bet."
Lucian invited them for a drink in the tavern, which they accepted.
───────────────────────────
Inside the bustling tavern, they took a seat at the bar.
"Not the combat ones," the man answered Lucian's questions about purchasing a slave, "Those are reserved for the army. The labor slaves should be fine, though."
"I see, thank you," Lucian nodded, taking off his hood and revealing his blond hair. It was quite eye-catching among the group of burly southerners, which was a good thing. The more people saw him befriending their own, the less they would target him.
He couldn't help Jax escape when there was a chance of him being tracked down and returned to slavery. Buying him wasn't a solution either. Lucian needed to free him through other means.
"You look quite weak to be traveling alone," Savage said, noticing his features, "An easy target to be picked on."
"Are you implying that you are going to rob me now?" Lucian joked.
Savage laughed heartily and shook his head, "And lose my best supplier? No, no. Take a few of my men with you. Until you reach the borders at least."
What a nice chance after a year of hard work, Lucian thought. He used to sneak in only with a backpack filled with spices and perfumes, and now he was transporting whole crates of goods.
Lucian smiled at that thought, "I appreciate the gesture, Sir." He patted the man's shoulder, "You are a good man. Let me buy you another drink."
Jax needed a backer; Savage needed the King's favor; Lucian needed more managers to supervise his business. Three different goals, a single common ground, it was the perfect scenario.
Thought it wouldn't be Lucian if he didn't try to get even more out of the deal than he bargained for.
After the two finished their drinks, Lucian asked if Savage had a plot of land he could rent for growing his saplings into bigger plants.
"My backyard could fit a few," Savage said, scratching his chin in thought. Plants sounded harmless enough, so he didn't think much of the consequences, offering his backyard for a reasonable price.