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

by Han Yang

  I smiled at her helpfulness. We bypassed some less wintery cart animals, including some fine stallions in stables. There were price tags here on stall doors that made me scoff.

  I realized I was still poor. Even with Joana and Ginli’s incredible efforts and my molebear. Hell even with the adventures in the mine. We were poor.

  The fact didn’t frustrate me. Merely let me understand how much it took. A few days wouldn’t buy you everything in the world. We were wealthy in Norn and poor in Hexpa and I had accepted that fairly easily.

  Hudson fell behind to feed carrots to some handsome horses. Delila used the opportunity to ask. “Will ya hire me?”

  “For what?”

  “Managing the mammoths you buy.” She turned for a big pen with a horizontal slatted fence. “These are locally bred.” She pulled out pencil and paper.

  Offer me 75 I can accept that for a pair.

  I rolled my eyes, hesitant to ask. Inside the pen were long white-haired mammoths. Heavy thick tucks rested outside trunks, and the animals held intelligent black eyes. There were hundreds in this big pen, telling me they were a docile herd.

  A few wore thick harnesses as an example. One thing we had plenty of was leather to create saddles. Another job and another headache. I sighed, returning my attention to the young woman.

  “What’s your aim at and do ya like adventuring?”

  “Two, I think. Only shot a weapon once. Not a hunter, but I could go with a field team as long as it were properly protected,” Delila said. I huffed and this distracted her. “I… I want the skills and the job. Bad enough that if you need hunters to come I can have some travel to Norn who owe me favors. Assuming ya don’t have strict rules.”

  “I do. Pay a fee, do quests for the Baron, or wait thirty days,” I said and she winced at the last one.

  “You got any quests set up at least and how much are they payin?” she asked and I scratched the back of my neck.

  “Clearing woods to support steambot gathering and for five percent tax reduction and five percent of the trees harvest,” I said, making something up.

  She shook her head. “Scratch that, you need Corvo. He’s a retired general, and can do it all. Bit of a legend really. A legend who has been laughed at because he keeps trying to get expeditions to hunt in Norn. Let him come down and manage your quests.”

  “I’m not exactly rich,” I grumbled. “He sounds like someone who’d cost a lot.”

  “Yeah, but yer wilds are bountiful with untapped riches. If you hire Corvo he gets to be the big dog again, leading a military with an all-new mission. Just like I could be the stable master. Give me a chance. I’ll send Corvo to interview,” Delila said.

  I nodded. “Gradium, and I see that look of hope. Come see Norn for an official interview. If you're not a fit, I’ll split the cost of the trip.” She smiled nodding her head. “As for the woolys. I hate the price. Pick out four of the best mammoths. Since I’m getting four I want the pairs at seventy five per,” I said loudly.

  One thing about augmented hearing was, someone was always listening. Delila clearly didn’t care if she got fired, probably was working commission. We traded details, and clasped forearm goodbye. She skipped away in happiness.

  I returned to Hudson, stopping to see the cute male cub. My heart filled with sadness at having to leave the little guy as he pawed at the glass. He’d have so much fun with the others, and he seemed the perfect fit.

  Maybe if shopping went well I’d have enough for him. A cub living in a cage was so sad. We left the stables, heading for the adventurers area. Hudson paid for a trolley with a few gold coins.

  Riding across the city was a new and exciting experience. I was content with walking but decided to enjoy watching the citizens go by. I noticed something a few minutes into the ride. Even though this was a wealthy trade city. Some of it was for show.

  The nice tourist streets transitioned into darker industrial areas. Not scary, but you saw a few lights out, or sawmills not operating. If I had to guess, the over farmed wilds had a negative effect on raising the price of hydrox.

  In Norn, a lot of what we cleared should grow back by the time we returned. Meaning, additional easy kills, but a less challenging endeavor, and smaller payouts. At least that is what I’d been told.

  We rode in silence, soaking in the sights, while enjoying the jostle of the ride. I noticed my guard had vanished when we exited the stables. That odd situation left me puzzled.

  The warehouse and industrial district was so large it took ten minutes by trolley to get through. Eventually we arrived at boxed in areas where large companies of soldiers trained in mock battles. Hundreds against hundreds squared off.

  I had to remember, deep in the wilds there were big challenges for armies. Armies with incredible amounts of pressure on them. If they underperformed, city lights stayed off.

  The consumption of a metropolis as massive as this had to be insane. Maybe a thick wilds with a ritzy small town of elites was the right idea.

  The trolley stopped outside a big shopping plaza.

  A flipping Station Guard waved when we walked for the entrance. I fed him some energy after a quick thank you. Other warriors saw this interaction and the guard allowed the donations to continue.

  Without the power of Gearnix, this all wasn’t possible. I was glad others saw that too.

  A silence hung in the air at our arrival. There weren’t mean glares or snickering side talk. More like… we stunned the hardened veterans of this fine city.

  Hudson said, “Might be an interesting day if you keep shocking folks with the escort.”

  We had our readiness sheets scanned when we entered the main shopping area.

  There was normally a fee for visitors but I had mine waived due to being a baron. The hulking machine followed me to the quest board. I figured it was best to get an idea of what was offered.

  “That spot’s worthless,” a grizzly veteran with full enhancements said in a gruff tone.

  His dark red augmentations absorbed the light instead of reflecting it. He had shoulders, hips, and even a metal tongue. “Heard Norn has a new boss. Care if I verify?”

  He danced a checker in his hand. When I lifted my pant leg he dropped the checker, breaking the device. When I went to help him pick up the pieces he cleared his throat.

  “Baron right?” he asked.

  “Yeah, Baron Bradley, my advisor Hudson, and this is Steve.”

  “Darrol,” the large machine’s voice boomed.

  Um… I was kinda making a joke that backfired. These were warriors in a shopping area for adventurers. Instead of frightened faces, there was awe.

  “Come on, names Corvo, was wanting to talk to you about employment anyway. I got a nice office in the alley,” Corvo said.

  I snickered. “That might normally make me tense, don’t think yer after my few cubes of H though.”

  “Right you are, Bradley, right you are. Darrol won’t fit. Best if you leave him to dice,” Corvo said with a chuckle.

  We walked by stunned onlookers. Darrol returned to the entry gate to wait.

  The narrow space between the buildings was clean and orderly. Corvo turned us up an alley stairwell, through a living room, and onto a big balcony overviewing an empty training field.

  “Perks of being an officer in Hexpa for so long, is that you can live right in the middle of it, and still get a great view,” Corvo said.

  The view was a dusty pit of an arena with towering industrial buildings at the horizon. The skyline filled with blimps and billowing steam stacks was neat, but I wanted an ocean to stare at personally.

  “Ya knew we were coming?” I asked, taking a seat.

  Hudson stood behind me and Corvo shook his head before sitting beside me. He slung his legs onto the table near the banister railing and said, “Had a hunch. I need wilds that aren’t too wild in their challenges. That make sense?”

  “Uh…”

  He pulled his jaw back in a frown. “I quit. It’s gro
wing harder for Hexpa to defeat the next stages. We need to invest in machines of war. Machines that cost too much for most to stomach. Instead I was sent fresh recruits as the veterans saw the danger on the wall and retired. And here I am.”

  “Yeah sure. Why not send a team to Norn?” I said with a shrug.

  He shook his head in dismay at my statement. “We’d have to build up the infrastructure to house our people there. Meaning all that warehouse loot would vanish when Norn became a proxy to Hexpa. There is a whole lot more to it than that too. I stood before the twelve and told them it’s too easy to save Norn at this point.”

  I scoffed and this time he laughed. “Molebears suck.”

  “Is that what was outside that wall? I heard the rumors, figured it was a pack of arctic bears,” Corvo said.

  “Yeah those too, got three -”

  A finger went over Corvo’s lips. “They’re about a thousand upgraded ears listening to this conversation, tuning out the world to hear what you say. I quit before you arrived, and before the city of Norn was reestablished with a new ruler. I want to come help you beat back the wilds. I have a 93.31 rating.”

  “Wait, they go to decimal points?” I asked.

  “Aye, if you get the enhanced scanners. I say that because we need to not give these men and women too much hope. We don’t need you being seen as a man who breaks an army’s spirit already struggling. Move along. I was shown your score. What’s the trick with the bots?”

  I shrugged, and said, “Can’t reveal. Baron’s need their mystery.”

  “You really killed a molebear at a 9.9 rating?”

  “Stuck my bussie in his mouth and blew the top of the head clean off. He kinda ate my bussie,” I said in a grumpy tone.

  This had not only Corvo laughing but along with a lot of the eavesdroppers. “Told ya.”

  “I came to get a bussie, one that won't break easily, can hold a lot of H, and maybe has a choke,” I said and he grinned.

  He stepped into his home, coming out with three weapons on a serving platter. Uh… sticking bussies on this fine plate was not the reason it was built. But okay.

  Each of the marvelous weapons he presented was close to what I asked for.

  Steam ejection ports were large, protruding off at an angle. The main chokes had an adjustment knob about three quarters down a longer than normal barrel. The stocks were crystal, with a big reservoir.

  The intricate metals held a dark blue hue to it. The engravings were exquisite, finer than any I’d seen before. The difference in the three beauties was the crystal sizes: large, larger, and largest.

  “About perfect. Doubt I can afford one though?” I grumbled.

  He shrugged. “Tessa, my wife, crafted these in her spare time. They’re trinkets smashed together from my adventures. Priceless - no price could be put on them. Tessa wants a waterfront home. She wants me to still earn while retiring from the army. I retired at least.”

  “I… I don’t know how to say anything more without offending the Hexpa council,” I admitted.

  Hudson patted my shoulder proudly, and Corvo wrapped one of the weapons into a bag. He put a finger over his lip.

  “I want to at least visit, Norn. Take this plate my wife crafted as a housewarming gift. She’ll expect a big welcome if we do decide to migrate. If you're smart, which I know you are. You’ll have a big seamstress shop with a manager or owner slot open. Give me a few days to convince her your city isn’t the stenchy privy bowl that it is,” Corvo said.

  I was going to mention Delila but felt it might complicate things. “I eagerly look forward to greeting your wife in Norn. Your hospitality is much appreciated.”

  “You should go shop at Oscaroia’s Emporium for your shopping needs,” Corvo said and I merely nodded.

  He walked us out of his home, saying nothing more. I really got a feeling we were treading a thin line here. There were hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers who fueled the city as much as trade did.

  None of the diehards committed to Hexpa would be eager to see talent flow to Norn. A retired general was one thing. They had nowhere to work, what else could they do. But the hundreds of soldiers flooding out to talk to Darrol was something else.

  Before we entered Oscaroia’s, which was a massive shop with wide windows and flickering yellow lights, Corvo warned me not to haggle.

  I stepped into the building, hearing a bell ring from the door’s motion. My desire to remove the bell was restrained when an elderly woman arrived to greet us.

  “Welcome to Oscaroia’s. How may I help you?” she asked.

  Corvo didn’t waste any time, walking to a rack to select a plain blunderbuss. Guess it made sense to buy a decoy.

  “Venturebots please,” I said and Corvo paused his exit.

  He removed a pencil and paper, his arms whirled as the smooth machines executed his desired movements.

  He wrote - ask for the partials and teardowns. There's hundreds from the city military in surplus. A steambot master should have no problem scraping them together.

  I thanked him heading to catch up to the old lady. The door rang as he left. Hudson said, “I like him. Not sure he’ll like Duke but it would drastically change the city dynamic if you hired a veteran hunter. Especially if they ask him to be the new leader and he shuts them down.”

  “Time will tell.” I shifted my voice volume to carry to the old lady. “I’m talented at constructing venturebots from parts. Like extremely so.”

  She paused, eyeing with skepticism. “Enough to buy randoms?”

  “If they’re off venturebots only, yes.”

  “Follow me.” She walked slowly, her servos and gears in her knees clacked akin to a human crack.

  The pace was slow, allowing me to see the price on the venture bots. I could get five flipping bears for a venturebot. My frown deepened as the prices went higher. At the very end was a venturebot made of that same dark red metal with an evil scar down the cheek.

  I admired the craftsmanship, knowing I could catch up. The porthole thrummed with anticipation of me feeding the machine. The blue light begged for a deposit. I was not torn, merely confused.

  My gaze shifted down the long line of bots, noticing all of them wishing to be activated.

  “I… I’ll try my best fellas. I can’t even afford one of you. I’m sorry,” I said.

  I don’t know if they understood, but they stopped alerting me they needed hydrox. I think they heard the truth in my words. I had 175 cubes of hydrox left. Maybe I could talk her down on the base model but… parts.

  A quick trot had me catching up to Hudson and the old lady. We shifted into a dimly lit warehouse. Old lighting crackled, swaying from chains due to open slats for fresh air. The main floor room was filled with the best organization a man could dream about.

  Rows upon rows of neatly aligned boxes were labeled with parts names. We shifted by those to large boxes.

  “These are venturebots who died in battle. They have damage and can be salvaged by experts. See the lack of dust in these two spots. This is where the best condition ones go. The ones in the back, they’re down to twenty cubes or so,” she said, indicating the spots.

  “I got 175,” I said.

  She nodded counting out the boxes. “The first ten would put ya at 225. Since they’ve been there for ages. I can do that.”

  She offered a forearm, wanting to seal the deal, and likely thinking I was a sucker.

  “Eleven boxes,” I countered.

  She huffed and we clasped forearms. She was grinning when it was over, we both were. That was the sign of a good deal if I ever saw one.

  “Where to next?” Hudson asked.

  “We settle the accounts here, and then go beg the ladies for some cubes. I’m wanting to go to the arena!”

  CHAPTER 24

  “Bradley of Norn, I’m going to stomp my feet about this,” Joana said with a few foot stomps that made her cleavage jiggle intensely.

  “Huh?” I said, losing focus as her glorious
breasts bounced.

  Ginli snickered. “Told ya, look at him blush, that top is too daring for him.”

  “You in, or out,” the attendant at the gate asked. He was also distracted by the three city guards escorting us to the arena. “You got three minutes.”

  “I’m in,” I said.

  “Great a hundred cubes is the entry fee,” the attendant said in a dry tone from behind the glass cage.

  We were outside the arena. I happened to get a readiness scan when we decided to spend the rest of the day seeing events. It was only a smidge more for an all-day pass.

  GEARNIX READINESS SHEET

  Name: Bradley

  Origin: Ocarna

  Race: Human

  Gender: Male

  Residence: Norn - Baron Lord

  Rating: 9.9

  Strength: 9

  Endurance: 6

  Perception: 5

  Burst: 6

  Luck: 11

  Reflex: 11

  Charisma: 15

  Charge: 75%

  Healing: 2

  Intelligence: 18

  Melee Combat: 12

  Crafting: 1.1

  Aim: 6

  Dexterity: 7

  Steambot Mastery: 82

  Leadership: 3

  Construction: 0

  Farming: 0

  Tree harvesting: 1

  Gathering: 1

  Fishing: 0

  Skinning: 0

  Cooking: 0

  The attendant who annotated my name on a pass sheet, mentioned there was a sign up for an under ten rating. The competition needed more contestants. The prize was two hundred cubes per win with five tiers of difficulty. Fifty for a loss if ya survived.

  Ginli tried to see if her rating was in play but the only open slot was sub ten and starting now. Which meant it was me or Joana who was in a very extravagant dress. So just me.

  Two problems. I was missing the hundred cubes to enter, and Joana didn’t want me to go because… I could die. We were still needing to have that - ‘You’re going to be a dad now, reduce risks talk.’ - which resulted in my predicament at the check-in stand.