Thorn and his family are tranquilly seated at the breakfast table.
"Thorn, by the way, why did Father say you were six years old back then to Elias?" Edward queried.
"Oh, I guess I did forget to explain to you." Thorn stopped stuffing food into his mouth, put down his fork and spoon, and began to unriddle the mystery.
"Actually Edward, if people discover my actual age along with my talent, they may want to take advantage of me, understand now?"
"I mean, I kind of do, but isn't Father Elias's great friend?" Edward perplexedly gazed at Thorn.
"That's true, but you can never trust a person with a hundred percent accuracy, remember that, Edward. Additionally, Elias may reveal my age to the public, which will mean more bad people will want to take advantage of me."
"Thank you brother, now I understand!"
"Speaking of which Father, how did you and Elias become friends?" Thorn questioned.
Gulp!
Bram nimbly swallowed his food and started explaining his epic tale of how Elias and he became friends.
"Look, when Elias was attacked by some bandits, I went to his aid and defeated them with my mighty sword techniques!"
Edward asked, with a spark in his eyes,
"Really?!"
Bram answered,
"No."
Edward's fascinated expression began deteriorating.
"Ok, ok. Let me get back to the point at hand," Bram exclaimed.
"The part about him being attacked by bandits was true, and me saving him also was partially true. But what actually occurred was that he managed to escape, he was badly injured, he needed help, and he appeared to be right in front of our dwelling, so I helped him recuperate, and eventually we became great buddies."
"That sums it up, pretty much a simple story," Bram added.
This sounds like a story straight out of a fantasy novel. Well, I am in a fantasy world, aren't I? Anyway, when will Elias come to collect the product? I'm growing quite impatient.
Knock, Knock, Knock!
"Coming!!!" Anna shouted.
Anna grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Creeeek
"Elias, is it you?" Anna asked.
"Indeed, it is."
"Honey, who is it?" Bram shouted.
"It is Elias, dear."
Well, that didn't take long; the phrase speak of the devil comes to mind now.
Anna guided Elias towards the dining table and introduced him to a seat.
"It is wonderful seeing you again, Bram, Thorn, and Edward. Furthermore, who is this unfamiliar boy? Is he your son?" Elias spoke in an elegant manner, as he frequently does.
"This is my son, Jasper. Jasper, go and introduce yourself."
"Hi, my name is Jasper; it is very nice to meet you."
"Likewise, my name's Elias."
"Elias, did you come here for the goods?" Bram asked.
"Correct, I have brought a carriage with me; I will just need your help to load the goods on the carriage."
"Did you bring the sum we agreed on?" Thorn inquired.
"Yes, I did. Two hundred thirty-five iron coins, correct? The other half I'll bring once the merchandise are sold."
"Did I just hear that right?! Two hundred thirty-five!! Did you perhaps mean two hundred thirty-five coppers?" Anna was flabbergasted. She has never even owned or seen that much money in all of her years of living, not even half of that amount.
"Yes, you did. Here, you can open the bag and count it to the last iron."
Anna rapidly went to grab the bag and then opened it with no hesitation, and what she saw was pure money!
"Is this not some sick joke? Are you honestly giving this many irons to us?"
"No, this is not a joke. Believe it or not, you have to thank your son Thorn; he put his math negotiation and production skills to good use, and don't forget this is just a half, and as long as you produce more and more, money will keep flying in.
"So, Bram, why don't you go help me load the merchandise now?"
"Of course, I'll get right to it. Edward, come and help me load the merchandise."
"Sure, Dad."
A few moments later...
Whew!!
Bram blurted out while wiping the sweat from his face.
"That was the last batch. You are good to go now, Elias. Have a safe trip!"
"See you soon, Bram. Enjoy the money."
"Thorn, Edward, since this is your money, and you earned it, what do you plan to do with it?"
"I am not as smart as Thorn, so I will let him decide," Edward stated.
"So Thorn, since your brother is so kind as to let you have this privilege, what do you intend to do?"
"Right now, nothing; I plan to wait for the next batch of money to arrive and buy a decent swordsmanship book."
"Is your decision set in stone? Are you completely sure that's what you want?" Bram asked, with excitement in his glare.
"It is, also, Father, I've known you also wanted to learn some decent swordsmanship. Well, this will give not only you the opportunity but also Edward and Jasper if they desire such."
"Thorn, I have simply no words to say. You are a fantastic son. I have always wanted to become a proper swordsman. Now this book will enable me to do so. I can't express how much I love you; come and give me a hug."
Tears of happiness gently overlapped his smile and silently touched the ground. Bram had an explosive feeling of pride, happiness, and many more complex feelings he couldn't express. Who knew the one to achieve his dream would be his barely 2-year-old son?
Whilst tears contacted the surface, Bram's arms reached out and enveloped both his sons, Edward and Thorn.
This lasted for a few moments.
"Father, you can let go now," Thorn exclaimed.
"Alright, sorry."
"Wait, I know you are having your moment, but swordsmanship? Isn't that too dangerous for you, Thorn? I am extremely worried about that." Anna rushed to the scene and began expressing her concerns.
"Mom, you wanted me to be a merchant. I am on that path. Now, Father wanted me to be a swordsman, so I should respect his wishes too. Anyhow, it is my dream to become someone who can wield power, so no matter what you say, I will pursue this dream of mine. But don't worry, I will train safely at home; you can also be there to watch over me as well."
"Fine, fine, but you will only train when I'm watching you. Can we make it a rule?" Anna demanded.
"Sure Mom."
"You listen too, Edward, Jasper, Bram, don't do anything too dangerous; I will be watching you," Anna scarily stated.
"And especially you Bram, watch over our kids please."
"You got it!" Bram respnoded with enthusiasm.
(one week later...)
Things have been going very smoothly since Elias came. Now, Father quit his job of delivering lumber logs and started helping out on production with Edward and Jasper, and Mother also started contributing in her free time; things were going really, really smoothly.
Moreover, Elias came, and as promised, delivered the other half of the money. He gave us in totallll—approximatelyyy—three hundred irons, something like that; because we gave him more of the product. And now we have the money to buy a decent swordsmanship book and some money for basic stuff like food and all that. Our life has improved; all we do is work together as a family. It really brings us closer. We don't have to worry about our finances. Plus, I'm madly excited to start learning swordsmanship.
Right, today is the day that we are supposed to receive the swordsmanship book; more accurately, we asked Elias to do us a favour and get us one, since we don't have the connections. Additionally, I don't think any local shop sells such expensive items.
"Thorn! Thorn! Come here!" Bram shouted.
"Coming!" Thorn answered as he quickly walked out of his room
"Hello there, Thorn," Elias greeted.
"Hi Elias, did you come here to give us the swordsmanship book?"
"Indeed, I have. Also, I have decided to give you some gifts to celebrate our fruitful partnership." Elias took out three short wooden swords from his back and showed them to Thorn.
"Here, do you like my humble perquisite?" Elias asked.
"Thank you, I really do appreciate it."
"You're welcome."
"On that note, can I ask for a favour, perhaps?"
"Depends on the magnitude of the favour, Thorn."
"Can I ask you to obtain us thirteen wooden swords and commission someone to build a small building for ten people, with only one bathroom and ten hay beds? It doesn't have to be extravagant; just make sure it stays in budget."
"May I ask why?"
"I am planning to help people in need who don't have lodging, as whatever good you do, it will come back to you—at least that's what I believe. Secondly, if one sword breaks, I plan to have spare wooden ones; they are not expensive anyway."
"Alright, will do," Elias responded.
Obviously, I have other purposes, but I am not going to disclose that.
Two guys are talking in a bar, one drinking beer, one drinking wine.
"Hey boss, did you hear about this new smell masker product? It's all the hype around town. Everyone's been getting one," Galhagger asked, while beastly chewing on a big chunk of meat and gulping down a huge glass of beer.
"Certainly I have, and I bought one myself to test it out, and let me say it was wonderful," Snake-Eye responded in a smart-like voice, sitting with crossed legs while slowly sipping red wine in a fancy-like glass.
"And you know what else I've noticed?"
"What, boss?"
"Either the creator of this product wants to remain anonymous, or he has no reputation; it's definitely the latter," Snake-Eye answered while taking another sip of his expensive red wine.
"Why is it the latter, boss?" Galhagger confusedly asked while he continued to feast like a wild beast.
"That's because reputation is something with equivalent worth to money, at least that's what some say. Furthermore, on the top and on the bottom of the product, the name of the creator is embedded, which means he wants fame but simply doesn't have it. Now, you know what that means?" Snake-Eye asked with a terrifying look on his face and a sinister plan on his mind.
"What?" responded Galhagger.
"He is easy prey."
(8 months later...)