Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Chapter 113 Credit

I roughly understood Lai Mei's situation. What Yilanduer said about resetting was to break the bones that had grown together under the effect of the healing potion again, and then adjust the broken bones to the correct position through traction and other methods. The dark elf was very proficient in the use of magic. He could infuse magic power into the injured body, thereby detecting conditions that could not be observed by the naked eye. The effect was basically similar to the X-ray detection in the hospital. Of course, the results of the detection could only be known by Yilanduer who cast the spell, and it could not present an intuitive photo.

With such means, it can be said that Yilandul has reduced the pain of the reduction treatment to the minimum, but Lydia's only means of pain relief is to bite a towel in her mouth, so she fell into a coma after the operation. I think it is necessary to discuss with Annis to see if the paralysis potion can be used for anesthesia during surgery. Skyrim is so chaotic now, we can't expect every injured person to be so tolerant, and even if Lydia is strong, I would rather she suffer less.

Since this continuous spell consumes a lot of mana, Lydia's injuries are very complicated, and Ilandur is exhausted and can't bear another operation, so Eric and Jakir's treatment was arranged to the next day. Unlike the setting in the game, in the other world, once the magic power of the mage is exhausted, he will be in a trance, and his attention and mobility will be weakened. Eric and Lydia are both injured in bones, and Ilandur dare not take risks. On the contrary, Jakir's situation is easier to deal with. After all, he was injured externally, and the healing potion effectively controlled his injuries.

After dinner, I went to visit Mrs. Montoya. After Danger confirmed that she would serve as the envoy of the Falkreath tribe to the Snake Cliff Ridge, he restored her title of Baroness. Of course, the old fox only gave her an honorary title to show that the person we sent was of noble status and not an ordinary person, and to prove our importance of cooperation between the two sides. As for the castle and the baron's inheritance, don't even think about it, so Mrs. Montoya lives with her daughter and son-in-law in a small house in the civilian area of ​​Falkreath.

Miss Montoya has married my former squire Sam. I knocked on her door and suddenly remembered that I had promised to help Sam find a job. That was before the destruction of Lucius's army. Mrs. Montoya proposed to take Sam as her son-in-law. I said it casually at the time and then forgot it completely. Before I could think of any words, I was politely invited into the house.

The house was divided into an inner and outer room by two cabinets, with a coarse cloth curtain hanging between the cabinets. There was no living room or kitchen. Mrs. Montoya lived in the outer room, which was simply furnished with a wooden bed, a square dining table, four chairs, and a small box for storing sundries. There was a small fireplace in the corner, which was used for both heating and cooking. When I visited in the morning, the fire had gone out and the room was full of cold.

"Please take a seat, sir. I have nothing to offer you at home. Please forgive me."

Mrs. Montoya poured a glass of water and placed it on the dining table. After I sat down, she calmly sat opposite me. Although life was hard, this woman still maintained good manners, with a polite smile on her face, neither seeming distant, but keeping just the right distance.

"I heard from Lord Danger that Madam is willing to be our envoy to the Rich tribe?"

I didn't quite know how to start a small talk, so I just got straight to the point.

"Yes. As you can see, I am no longer a true noble, and life at home is not easy. Nicole and Sam are working hard to earn money, and I can't just sit there and wait for two children to be supported. So when I heard from Lord Danger that the Rich people wanted us to send a woman as an envoy, I recommended myself to him. Lord Danger agreed, but he said that the contact with the Rich people has always been your responsibility, so he asked me to follow your arrangements."

Mrs. Montoya gave a self-deprecating smile.

"Madam, what you said makes me very worried. Our alliance with the Rich is very fragile, and our understanding of them is also very limited. Based on this situation, I must explain to you that this job is somewhat dangerous. If Madam just wants to supplement the family income, she should find a safe job in the territory."

"Don't worry, sir. I know this mission is risky. However, although my family is not a wealthy one, it is still a noble family. I don't know how to make a living as a commoner. On the contrary, I have been exposed to things like dealing with people and welcoming guests since I was eight or nine years old. Besides, it may not be safer in the territory, otherwise my late husband and son would not have been killed. Moreover, sir, I know what happened to me in the past. If I can leave Falkreath and live there, it can also save Sam and Nicole from embarrassment."

To be honest, Mrs. Montoya's explanation did not dispel my concerns, and I doubted that escaping from Sam was her only purpose. If there was a second reason, it was that Danger promised to restore her noble status. But at the moment, I really couldn't come up with a more suitable candidate, so I could only trust her for the time being. Fortunately, I didn't need her to do anything too subtle for the time being.

"Since Madam has made up her mind, I will not nag you any further. For now, I hope Madam will adapt to the living habits of the Rich Tribe. You know, they have many... uh... unique customs. Madam, you just need to not object or discriminate. If their practices make you uncomfortable, you should just turn a blind eye. In addition, Madam, you should report to me in writing every fifteen days, introducing the situation of the Rich Tribe, especially their foreign policies. Madam will also express our relevant position on their behalf."

Mrs. Montoya unabashedly breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought my Lordship would ask me to be a spy."

"From a certain perspective, spies and envoys have something in common. However, the cooperation between the two sides has just begun, and it is time to build trust. Besides, it is impossible for Madam to get access to the other party's core intelligence in a short period of time. What you need to do now is to be an observer and spokesperson, ensuring that our position is known to the other party and the other party's position is also known to us. I have to remind Madam that if the other party is hostile, even if you are not a spy, your life will be in danger, and I certainly don't have the ability to rescue you in an emergency."

"My Lord, just tell me when to leave for the Reach Tribe."

I took out a letter I had prepared in advance and gave it to Mrs. Montoya. The letter was written to Anis. In addition to telling her about Helgi and I's next action plan, it also asked her to work together with Mrs. Montoya to implement the agreement reached in the cabin.

My plan is to let Mrs. Montoya stay and preside over the fair with the Rich people, get acquainted with Annis, and then go to Sunny Garden Fortress together. It will be safer to have my old aunt take care of her in the Rich tribe. If everything goes well, the fair will be held within a month. By then, I may still be on the way to Hafingar Territory and will definitely not be able to make it back. What I am most worried about is that unscrupulous merchants will take advantage of the poor trading skills of the Rich people and falsely report prices or sell inferior goods as good ones, so I carefully instructed Mrs. Montoya to handle any disputes that may arise between the two parties from a fair standpoint, and even slightly favor the Rich people when necessary, and then compensate the merchants for their losses in other ways afterwards.

The reason for doing this is not complicated, that is, I really want to establish reliable business credit among the Rich people.

Credit is a very wonderful thing.

On the one hand, it is very fragile. There is no shortcut for anyone to build a solid reputation. The only way is to start from the most basic little things and accumulate slowly. When you can fulfill your promises every time, people will naturally think that what you say counts and you are trustworthy. At this time, your reputation is initially established. However, in order to maintain this hard-earned reputation, you need to continue to work hard and constantly strengthen people's trust. Sometimes, a breach of contract is enough to make several years of hard work go down the drain.

Defeating the Imperial Legion led by Lucius established our military credit, which brought us the goodwill of Whiterun and facilitated the establishment of the Talos Alliance. However, after our great victory, we did not pursue the victory, but immediately chose to recuperate, because we were worried that a hasty attack would lead to the bankruptcy of our military credit if we suffered a setback.

On the other hand, this fragile credit has a terrifyingly powerful energy. A person with excellent credit can leverage huge resources at a very low cost, thus accomplishing feats that others cannot achieve. When Shang Yang presided over the reform in Qin State, the first thing he did was to win the trust of the people. Confucius also said: "Since ancient times, everyone has died, and the people cannot stand without trust." It is rare for Confucianism and Legalism to reach an agreement. As for the juxtaposed father and son who later established the country with commerce, their understanding and use of credit far exceeded others, and they could even use the country's credit as collateral to do things like harvesting the wealth of the world.

Of course, we don't need to play so big, after all, that's not a good thing. The transaction with the Reach Tribe can serve as the starting point of our economic credit. When the financial and military strength of Falkreath are recognized, relying on its favorable terrain surrounded by mountains and rivers, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it will inevitably become an important force in the civil war.

After gaining the trust of the Reachmen, we can play many tricks in the transaction, such as buying on credit, selling on credit, futures, loans, etc. The deeper the economic entanglement between the two sides, the stronger the military and diplomatic relationship. If we can tie the Snake Cliff Tribe to Falkreath's chariot, it will become a barrier in the north of our territory, and can also serve as a springboard for us to enter Whiterun and Reach.

For example, the town of Loristed, which is occupied by Lord Igmund, is my hometown and my baronial fiefdom. It is located at the foot of the mountain east of the serpentine defense position. If we want to control it firmly, we have to help the Reach tribe regain their land, otherwise the army of Markarth can attack at any time from a high position, and there is no place to defend near the town. On the contrary, occupying the serpentine defense position can strangle the Kaas River, approach Old Haldane, and then threaten the mountainous area in the east of the Reach.

Therefore, based on my personal interests, an alliance with the Rich people is imperative, and I will do my best to promote this matter.

If we put aside the slightly unattainable goal of competing for the sky and return our sights to the interior of the territory, the benefits of the alliance are obvious. Falkreath has been in decline for too long. The city is so broken that even the city walls are incomplete. The most representative building is actually a cemetery. This is too outrageous! We need trade with the Rich people to boost the economy. A prosperous economy will not only allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment, but also enrich the pockets of a group of nobles headed by Danger, so that they have enough financial resources to build a glorious new city.

Today's Skyrim is not short of adventurers or ambitious people. There are talented generals who are dedicated to pacifying the north for the empire, there are heroes in troubled times who covet the throne and reputation, and there are also good-for-nothings who are struggling both at home and at home. However, there is no lord who cares about the people and can let them live a prosperous life.

At present, Danger seems to be working towards this direction. His first ruling may not be considered a success, but this time with my help, it is a good time for him to make up for his regrets. In the current Lords' Council, I am in charge of foreign affairs, Danger and Nanya are in charge of internal affairs, Tager is in charge of military affairs, and Riger is in charge of inheritance. There is a good combination of men and women, old, middle-aged and young people, and a reasonable age structure. The governing philosophy is steady but not conservative, and the governing style is aggressive but not impetuous.

The scene of vibrant life and flourishing things is right before our eyes.

But I also know that the smoother the road ahead seems, the more cautious we should be.

Internally, Falkreath has suffered from the Alduin attack, the Dangel coup, the werewolf incident, and was ravaged by the Imperial Legion. It is far from recovering. Baron Sengard, who lost his territory and property, his father who has his own army, and Sidgeir, who pretends to be crazy, are all unstable factors. There are also vampire families hiding in the Shame of Heima Cave and the crow hags living in Orphan Rock. God knows if they will do anything weird. This is only the eastern region that we basically control. In the western part of the territory, there are also orc tribes of the Broken Tooth Clan and bandit gangs in the Knife's Ridge. There is also a dark brotherhood hiding in the black pine forest.

Externally, our relationship with our allies has not been tested. The Imperial Legion is definitely hostile to the Talos Alliance, but Tullius has just suffered heavy losses and is temporarily unable to attack. The Stormcloaks have not made a clear statement yet. From the fact that Ulfric tacitly allowed the Cangyuan Territory to join the Alliance, he does not seem to regard us as an enemy. But I am still worried that the Alliance will be attacked from all sides. After all, according to the plot in the game, Ulfric regards Falkreath Territory and Whiterun Territory as the main targets of attack. If he sticks to the established strategy, then Skade's choice is likely to be a smokescreen to confuse us.

My territory, Bloodthrone, seems to be located in the heart of Falkreath, far away from the offensive front of the Stormcloaks and the Imperial Legion, but it is only a mountain away from the Imperial city of Bruma, and is the first stop after entering Skyrim from Cyrodiil. If the Imperials suddenly pass through the Pale Pass, I will have a lot of fun, so I have always hoped to increase the population and strengthen the defense. The former can be left to Lund, who currently manages the castle well, but the latter requires a professional.

I think after the battle with Schooner, I can trust Lydia.