The wagons moved at dawn, loaded not with soldiers or tribute — but contracts, salt, and ink.
A new route had opened from Betim to Bicas, carved through overgrown cattle trails and old miner paths. In the last weeks, five smaller trade routes had been established, each staffed with a pair of mounted messengers and stocked at designated checkpoints with grain, water, and medical herbs.
They were not roads yet — but they would be.
New Goods, New Ground
Inside the newly completed storage depot near the southern district, Ana and her team counted barrels of flour, bricks of soap, and jugs of vinegar. Next to her, Baltazar oversaw the packaging of a new product line: smoked sausages made from preserved meat, wrapped in thick palm leaf and sealed with a waxed cloth bearing the sigil of the Company.
"What will these be traded for?" Ana asked.
"Roof tiles, mostly," replied Marcos. "And skilled workers."
The plan worked in layers. Where Contagem traded timber, Betim returned tools. Where Sarzedo sent hides, Betim provided dried grains and processed salt. And for every route, a fixed rate ledger was enforced to avoid abuse.
Each station along the routes now had a Companhia de Guarda Barbosa post, and a messenger assigned — forming a rudimentary logistics grid no town in the region had seen before.
A Whisper in the Wind
At the second outpost near the Rio das Velhas, an ambush had been planned.
Two brigands, hired by the same Sabará merchant family previously intercepted, had intended to burn the cargo manifest being carried to Ouro Preto. But their blades never reached the road.
From the trees, cloaked figures emerged. Nove Dedos operatives, flanking both sides. A signal — a flash of silver — and the Escudo de Honra descended, blades drawn.
Ten seconds of violence.
No deaths. Two arrests.
The path remained clear.
"We're no longer just protecting goods," Gaspar later told Marcos.
"We're controlling how the region breathes."
The Education of a Nation
Back in Betim, work had begun on two new buildings:
A rudimentary schoolhouse, staffed by a former Jesuit and funded by monthly donations from merchants loyal to the Barbosa name. There, reading, numbers, and contracts would be taught to boys from both peasant and artisan families.
A medical outpost, constructed beside the main plaza, where midwives and herbologists from Igarapé would train under a semi-retired apothecary. The goal: to standardize basic treatment and reduce infant mortality, a silent killer of labor strength.
Voices from the Border
News came from Bicas: the new road cut travel by nearly a third. Farmers and muleteers began using the Betim route exclusively, bypassing imperial toll collectors entirely.
A message from the Tribunal de Ouro Preto was expected in days. But Marcos already knew the answer.
The people had chosen.
System Notification
[Mission Complete: Expand Commercial Network – Phase I]
✔ Trade routes to 5 surrounding villages
✔ At least 2 contracts per route
✔ Goods diversification +8%
Reward Unlocked:
Blueprint – "Merchant Waystations + Caravan Ledger Hub"
New Mission Available:
"Establish First Guild Contracts – Specialization in Key Goods (e.g., tiles, salt, flour)"
Inventory Report (Excerpt)
Net Reserves: 97,400 milréis
Product Breakdown – Monthly Yield Contribution:
– Refined Flour & Grain: 29%
– Salted Meats: 24%
– Tile Production: 21%
– Leather Goods: 11%
– Transport Contracts: 8%
– Other: 7%
Marcos skimmed the numbers, eyes fixed on the bottom line: stability rising, dependency deepening.
A Map Becomes a Manifesto
In the Council House, a new map was mounted — hand-inked, marked with trade lines, toll stops, and population centers. Betim sat at the center. Not by geography. But by choice.
"They used to say power was inherited," Ana mused, "or granted by the emperor."
"They still do," Marcos replied. "But we're proving something else — power can be built."