Reborn as a Baron Lord (Light Novel) (A Steampunk LITRPG Light Novel Book 1)

by Han Yang

  “Ah, the mayor,” I said and he shook his head.

  “That spot is vacant. Been so for years. The thing is, a mayor, or king, or tycoon, or baron, well, they have to answer to the people. Those who wanted the job, tried and failed.

  “The deficits this city is running are steep. Hell, even at rock bottom, like we are, the city will downgrade the port. Sending it to only one slip in a few months,” Hudson said with a sigh.

  Yorik cleared his throat. “I see yer without much fer items.” His sales pitch needed work. Then again he was broke based on his appearance.

  “Aye, we need to get some essentials once we figure out where to start,” Joana mentioned.

  “So, Nornfree is a mixed bag,” Yorik said, passing by the door Hudson held open. “Kirven will holler so I’ll finish in a moment.”

  The bar we entered was dimly lit. Duke waved from a table Ginli sipped wine at. A bartender, with a rag over his shoulder, crossed his arm at our sight. The grumpy middle aged man had brown hair and brown eyes and wore a clean apron. The bar was nearly spotless and dreadfully empty.

  “What ta drink, and its fish stew,” Kirven said. We ordered simple waters and stews.

  There was a tense moment when he came over with two bowls. “Three silvers.”

  “How did she pay?” I asked, pointing to Ginli.

  “She bought the bar… in hydrox,” Kirven said in a gruff tone.

  I frowned. I was about to say something when Ginli piped up, “It's on the house, just tip him next time.”

  Hudson cleared his throat. “We used to have our own coins. Problem was the people in Portin stopped taking them. Now we bank through our main trade partner. It… has made things more difficult. Please continue, Yorik.”

  “Well, I was gettin on about supplies. Something we have an excess of. Steambots and weapons were overstocked in my shop. The open sale lot is filled with steam carriages. Stuff like livestock, cart animals, and the such. None. Basically if you could pawn it, we got it, if it could be moved easily and sold easily it's gone. Ya followin?” Yorik said, eyeing my soup.

  I slid the bowl over and you could see the relief on his face.

  “Portin coins… They accepted in the east and west city the train goes to?” I asked.

  Hudson tilted his head with a puzzled look. “Of course, we still have a smelter. Any metal converted has value. If yer wanting to establish yourself, use H. Yorik is out of H on his steambots and even his foot is shutdown.”

  “There are no adventurers?” Joana asked between spoonfuls.

  “Yes and no. When a city empties, the wilds give better rewards. A few wayward adventurers stop in. Most reap, and leave, spending very little. They get a good haul and bounce. A few talk of settlin, none do after seein that our city will die,” Hudson said.

  “Seems sad you can’t get those who come to invest more or get adventurers to stay. Can’t you extort those who reap the profits?”

  “It's called Nornfree. As in tax free, else we’d struggle to survive,” Yorik grumbled. “A gimmick to lure in tourists from like thirty years ago.”

  “That’s dumb.” My comment was met with scowls.

  Joana patted my arm. “Bradley survived a blimp crash, and had to relearn a few things. He is sayin that Nornfree is dying. Clearly you realize things are going south.”

  “Three or four years left and the walls come down. Plenty of time to turn things around,” Yorik grumbled.

  “Mind if I sit?” Kirven asked, arriving with more stew bowls. I stood to pull his chair out for him. He eyed me oddly. “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, he is nice. Not into men,” Joana said with a giggle.

  I opened and closed my mouth, not finding the words to respond to that.

  “Why did ya sell? Ya owned this place forever!” Yorik asked with mild hostility.

  “She offered an icosahedron the size of my fist, but bigger. Said I could keep workin here and even stay in the loft with Falina and Becky. I mean…” he said with brows raised high.

  The others whistled.

  Joana fidgeted slightly before saying, “This bar in Langshire would go for a hundred times that. I think.”

  “Seventy five but close,” Ginli hollered. “Sucker!”

  Kirven leaned back to yell back, “Sucker. I would have sold it for half that. I like my new boss.”

  “She is great… We’re supporting her the best we can during her trying times. Losing family is hard,” I said, feeling a tug on a memory that escaped me. “So. Tell us the tragic backstory of Nornfree.”

  “Pints?” Kirven said with a grunt, receiving nods. It wasn’t even time for breakfast…

  When in Norn, do as the… Norneans? Close enough and the ale is probably weak.

  “It is time for a celebration, relax young Bradley. Ready for a tale?” Hudson asked with a smirk.

  “Indeed,” Joana said, scooting her chair closer to me.

  “About fifty years ago, after generations of hard work Norn - as it was called back then - hit its peak. The port had a hundred docks, the city walls went to the mountain, and there were mines inside the city. Rent was expensive, every building towered over the streets, and trolleys moved people freely. ”

  He was reliving glory days. His tone, his eyes, and his mannerisms exuded happiness of the forgotten times.

  Hudson continued. “There were mercenary guilds, adventurer guilds, and the big next project was the blimp tower. We’re talking about a structure as tall as the mountain, or so it was sold to us as. Well, times were great. They really were. And then we overfished due to the population boom.”

  Yorik tapped the table in anger as Kirven delivered stouts of ale. “That poor luck.”

  “It wasn't luck. It was math. Only so many fish can be caught ‘till there ain't no more.” Hudson grumbled. Where the trader saw luck the banker saw stats. “Fishing turned from great to poor as ships went further and further. Suddenly fishermen were being paid less for more work.

  “They were the first to go. Then the farmers fought to use some of the fields near the mines, to expand food production, and were denied. We needed that tower in the sky. Imports became the answer. I’ll never forget the proclamation Mayor Terin gave. A long winded speech on raising taxes to get by hard times.”

  “Oh,” I muttered, seeing the writing on the wall.

  “Oh is right,” Kirven said, taking over. “The fishermen leaving was just the beginning. Those taxes increased as the population declined. Shocker, building a mountain of a structure for blimps needs to be financed before it begins. Else it sits uncompleted.

  “For thirty something years leaders rotated in and out trying their hardest to kick start the economy until finally the walls declined from a lack of H going into the City Station. That was it. The big exodus. Over the next twenty years we continued to decline until what you have left is what you see.

  “I was serious, I’m too old to move, and at the same time desperate for hydrox. My son… may the gods and goddesses protect his soul… turned to hunting as times grew grim. His effects were returned to me in a small bag. A snake the size of a steamwagon…” Kirven gulped his beer down.

  I was a bit surprised when he left to go wallow with Ginli.

  “So there ya have it. Most towns warn ya of swindlers and gimmicks. We only got the faithful left who are desperate. Had seven die last year from winter and my bones are tellin me this one’ll be worse. Especially since we lost the last set of oxen,” Hudson said with a sigh.

  “There are forests packed outside these walls.” I was confused.

  Joana winced. “I know I said lumberjack was easy, and to an extent it is. Moving the wood takes time and effort.”

  “We’re mostly old and we can’t hire the young from Portin because most of us are broke and shoulda moved on years ago. We form a big group in about a month and everyone goes out to guard and gather. There just wasn’t enough last winter and some are stubborn to share a hearth,” Hudson said sadly.

  If t
he banker was trying to toy with my emotions, it was working. I knew getting tricked into hard work was likely coming but… A plan quickly formed.

  My fingers danced on the table as I finished my plan. “I can help.” Joana’s eyes widened, the men across the tablet smiled happily, and Ginli snorted. “You too, princess.”

  “Not a princess,” Ginli grumbled.

  “Yeah, yea are. To me.” When she heard this she stomped over with Duke following. I was given a finger in the face that finished when she plopped into the chair to fold her arms.

  “Whatcha thinkin?” Ginli asked, suddenly interested in my plan.

  “A waterfront home, free use of dormant steambots, and a sassy sniper pulling over watch,” I said.

  Hudson eyed Yorik. Yorik frowned, chugging his beer. They weren’t liking my offer. So I sweetened the deal. “Anything that gets damaged, I’ll pay to replace, and I’ll buy the home at a going rate plus twenty percent. Assuming there are waterfronts for sale.”

  “There are, but they’re the wee apartments left. Only three stories. Ya’d need to build a top floor penthouse.” Hudson hesitated. “So we’re clear. You want to harvest wood, now? Using steambots?” Hudson said.

  I shook my head. “I want to take these ladies shopping. Gear up for a bit of trap setting and clear trees while we wait.”

  “One issue,” Hudson said with a smirk.

  Yorik and Kirven started laughing to the point I grew uncomfortable.

  “And that is?” Joana asked.

  “To use the city resources for free… all you have to do…” Additional laughter from the group. “Is become the mayor.”

  “DONE!” I bellowed confidently, cracking a palm against the table. A silence settled over the room. “I’ll be the mayor of Norn. This Nornfree phase is over.”

  “You mean it?” Ginli and Joana asked in unison.

  “Yes, and you're my deputy mayors or whatever we decide. Asummin you want in?”

  Joana nodded enthusiastically. “Super in.”

  Ginli jostled her head, contemplating her answer. “As long as Duke helps, I’m in. It’ll be good for me. I think.”

  “Yes Mistress Ginli, hard work helps the brain process. Or so I’ve read in manuals. So, Mayor Bradley, what is your first order of business?”

  “Uh… I guess unlocking what I can get my hands on. Then buying weapons, then getting hydrox to the people in exchange for goods and work. Should be easy right.”

  I was determined, even if they shook their heads in dismay. Norn would become something people could be proud of again.

  CHAPTER 17

  “Whadda ya mean free?” I asked the Gearnix Station manager.

  “There is currently a lack of skilled trades people in Nornfree. Price is dictated by demand.” The manager puffed a cloud of steam while inputting information into a metal tablet with chalk. “And yes, anyone could travel here, and do what you are doing. Gearnix regulation states that these skills come with a thirty day commitment to Nornfree.”

  “Uh…” I furled my brows in confusion. “What?”

  “You cannot board a Gearnix train for thirty days. Leaving by boat is okay, as long as you do not dock in another city. If you do, your skills will be lost to your readiness sheet.

  “I have the eight you request to add to your sheet. To confirm you’re requesting these skills: leadership, construction, mining, farming, lumberjack, gathering, fishing, and skinning,” the manager replied.

  Duke nodded. “We can get more later. This will be enough to manage the city to start and make it so your efforts count as you try to keep your citizens alive.”

  “Confirmed,” I said to the manager who was focused on his work.

  There was a hiss of steam from a back vent and he said, “Done.”

  I didn’t feel any different as I stepped off the platform. Ginli input her readiness checker into my ankle triggering the device.

  While the gizmo did its whirling, Joana stepped onto the platform to get skills added to her sheet.

  Joana blurted, “Cooking! I never could afford it and wanted it so bad. Oh my word! I went from despondent to loving this… Sorry, getting carried away. A bit emotional. Buying skills is so expensive it's only for the rich. At least in Langshire they were.”

  The device beeped and I was shown the new data.

  GEARNIX READINESS SHEET

  Name: Bradley

  Origin City: Ocarna

  Race: Human

  Gender: Male

  Resident City: Nornfree

  Rating: 9.5

  Strength: 9

  Endurance: 6

  Perception: 5

  Burst: 5

  Luck: 10

  Reflex: 10

  Charisma: 13

  Charge: 77%

  Healing: 1

  Intelligence: 17

  Melee Combat: 12

  Crafting: 1.1

  Aim: 5

  Dexterity: 7

  Steambot Mastery: 1

  Leadership: 0

  Construction: 0

  Farming: 0

  Tree harvesting: 0

  Gathering: 0

  Fishing: 0

  Skinning: 0

  Cooking: 0

  “I’m glad you’re thrilled,” Ginli said, taking Joana’s spot. “I guess since I suddenly have to try at life, I should do this also.”

  Joana leaped onto me, smothering me in her bouncy bust. Um… I managed a breath when she lowered herself. She blushed, but was not ashamed in the slightest.

  Duke stepped onto the platform when Joana left. The manager eyed our newest team member. Duke talked in garbily gook to the manager. There was a brief argument and finally the manager huffed.

  “I’m going to be treated as a human going forward,” Duke said to no one in particular.

  “I already treat you as such,” I reassured my smaller friend.

  He nodded. “Yes well, this way I can help manage the City Station. Speaking of which. We need to go there next. It’ll be able to process your hydrox without a fee.”

  Ginli hugged me first, and then Joana. “Thanks for being there for me. I… I’d be lost without you both right now. I’ll help how I can, but I want to keep some reserves in case we need to flee.”

  “Smart,” Joana said.

  I held up a hand. “I know we said it a lot earlier, but I… I’m really sorry for your loss. At the same time, I think this is a good time to talk about Tarco and Charlie.”

  “I’ve got six months. Maybe longer because of the winter here.” Ginli placed her hands on her hips. Her expression grew grim. “Then they’ll come to remove the loose end. Me! I’m only here to help them remove pesky loyalists who bother the new rulers.”

  “You think an assassin?” I asked and she nodded. “If they do, we’ll be ready, and who knows. Maybe we can get revenge. Not sure how, but they killed your family. I also don’t like what they did to Joana and her parents either.”

  “It’s politics. Bloodthirsty game. How about we not focus on it for now and plot later. We have a whole lot of work ahead of us,” Ginli said.

  Her smile was terse with her words being sincere. She led the way for the City Station.

  The city center was not far from the gate station since the village was in such a small state. The guards challenged our entry. Duke eyed me to say the lines he had coached me on.

  “I am Bradley of Nornfree. Requesting to apply as Mayor Bradley of Norn. Accept my entry.”

  The guard creaked as they moved aside. A single metal door complained when I opened it. Inside was another manager bot sitting idly behind a desk. This variation was… older with a round speaker mouth.

  I sat in the metal chair across from the machine, triggering him to awake.

  A metal tablet with chalk writing was slid to me with a piece of chalk.

  “There is an open decorum on ruling Nornfree that has lasted three years and seventeen days. Do you wish to end the proceedings and become the mayor?” the manager said. His tone
was… different. Even teambots had personality while this one felt… soulless. Maybe this was an early model.

  “Uh… I do.”

  “Sign the bottom if you wish to become Mayor.” the manager bot notified me.

  I signed the document.

  A new tablet was presented to me.

  There were four options on display: Elected Council, Monarchy with Elected Government, Dictatorship, and Elected Government.

  “How often are elections?” Joana asked.

  “Set in the charter. Minimum one year to maximum of ten. He is not choosing -”

  I circled dictatorship.

  Ginli chuckled, Joana gasped, and Duke hushed them both.

  Another tablet was slid over.

  This one read: Tax Rate - currently 0%

  I went to the blank spot and drew 2%.

  The table was retracted and a new tablet was presented.

  I frowned. This one was less pleasant.

  Citizen: 377

  City Debt: 3431 cubes of hydrox.

  Citizen behind on taxes: 0

  Buildings behind on upkeep: 73

  Buildings behind on taxes: 73

  City projects slated for downgrade: 7

  Upgrades in progress: 0

  Complaints in progress: 41

  “Can I see the projects slated for a downgrade?” I asked.

  “You. May.” The voice was so robotic.

  A new tablet was given.

  Docks: - limit 3 ships.

  - 412 cubes due in 84 days to prevent downgrade to 1 ship.

  Walls: - Tier 2 downgrading.

  - 416 cubes due in 39 days to prevent tier 1.

  Roads: - Stone

  - 388 cubes due in 186 days to prevent dirt roads

  The rest were minor like trolley track, this station, the gates durability and the train’s platform size. I ignored the others because without walls, docks and roads this city was doomed.

  I set my purse of twenty five percent from the mine down onto the table. “How many cubes is this?”