The promotions have come, and Martti was promoted Expert! With him, two other L4's were promoted to L5, and six were left unpromoted. Their turn will come in 3 years in most cases. The immediate benefits of being Expert are few - there are no automatic promotion gifts, and the salary increase of 0.35 mil/year is not a big deal for a young man whose expenses are closer to 3.5 mil... But higher levels get many indirect benefits, and (in Martti's case at least) are the end goal of his existence as well.
After this, Martti has as little as 3 promotions left until his goal of Earl is fulfilled. But that is not going to be easy. 26 Earls exist, but 25 of them are known depositors, something which Martti is not allowed to do. (The one, btw, is HE Princess Roopatra of Neverland, rumored to be the most skilled player in the markets.) In the ancient times, it was promised that anyone who buys 10,000 CKG will be created Earl, and a few got their promotion this way. Now, the minimum amount of gold is worth 7,500 mil (about $5k) and out-of-reach of casual players. The minimum to even be accepted to play, was 1,000 CKG until the ~1550s, which is the reason why the ancients are so rich.
Martti owns exactly 0 CKG, so needs to gain other merits.
Today's business was to find Sir Crichton, The Margrave of Plath. Luckily, since the near-abandonment of El Bulli (whose owner also died a year ago, so the place will come for sale soon), and the decline of the once classy eateries such as Grand Hotel, Bank, and Town Hall, everyone of any stature is eating or at least hanging out in Gilded Goose, and therefore easy to find.
Also Noble Palace is not the same after it was collapsed in the Earthquake of 1600, and only rebuilt a few years later - and its Premier now the Ambassador to Hans Kungliga Majestät Gustaf Adolf of Sweden. Even the Royal Palace was a venue of many a gathering but it burned down already 4 years ago.
Sir Crichton has bids in the red suits, and it is important to get to sell it before the moth comes (WOS-B1 has 20% spoil probability). After some haggling, Martti drops the price to 9.5 mil, and out of spark of thought starts to offer himself for service. Martti explains that he is an aspiring swordsman, has a horse and has Excellent health. Actually his one-year training in swords is graded perhaps halfway towards beginner, the horse (H1) is good for pulling carts only, before a promotion, and even his health was graded Good in the latest yearchange script, so good-bye teenage years...
Sir Crichton offered a place in the Dragon-Slaying team right away (yes, there is at least one dragon in White Cross, and a gold unicorn was also found there, the one that Prince Noms sold to the Prince Royal for 200 mil)! Now Martti needs to change strategy as confronting a dragon would certainly finish his merchant career prematurely. He enlists himself to be the "rear guard", which, however, fits the Margrave's plan as well. Not knowing what to expect, Martti needs to find someone to handle his household while he is away.
The finances allow such ventures easily. Martti's cash balance is 20 mil and the loans of about 35 mil will need to be paid in 12 years only. After much time of placing more bids in the markets, Martti reclines in his 24 sqm house in the poor area of the town, dreaming of dragons and unicorns...
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