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The main branch of the Chuden Company was located in Banan, the second city in the city-state of Kararagi.
Kararagi was composed of ten major cities, each assigned a number. Every city had its own mayor, had its own laws, and functioned as a self-governing entity. In essence, Kararagi was a coalition of federalized states.
Based in Banan, the Chuden Company was a prime example of a midsize business, operating under the umbrella of Regret Company, one of Kararagi’s many large companies.
While its business was not limited to any particular industry, Chuden primarily dealt in the transport of trade goods. Nearly everything that entered Banan passed through its hands at one point or another, and that meant many a merchant would end up going there.
This dominance over trade meant that every morning after the city gates opened, merchants would make a beeline for the Chuden Company’s doors and start forming a line before business hours, eagerly awaiting entry. The daily scene was one of relentless activity as company traders and haulers got down to business.
“Anastasia! We’re running outta cash! Get me a copper box and a silver box, pronto!”
“You got it!”
“I ain’t finished yet! I also need…”
“Your gunnysack! I know!”
As Anastasia’s supervisor barked orders, she swiftly retrieved two wooden boxes, each filled to the brim with coins for transactions. The copper box contained copper coins, while the silver box held silver coins—both so densely packed that they were punishingly heavy for a girl her size. But she didn’t complain.
Anastasia was a merchant who assisted with actual sales—or so she told herself. In truth, she was technically a cadet, running errands and following orders from the real traders—essentially, she was a caddy.
Without rest, she carried heavy boxes back and forth, delivering them to the merchants’ feet.
On the Chuden Company trade floor, traders conducted business directly with traveling merchants arriving on wagons pulled by ligers—massive, canine creatures. These merchants brought their goods straight to the company, where long tables were set up for negotiations and payments.
Each employee specialized in a particular type of merchandise. That day, the merchant Anastasia was shadowing dealt in clothing and fabric—a field with wildly fluctuating prices, making negotiations a frenzied task.
“Next! Next in line! No time to waste!”
“As Hoshin says, time is money!”
There was hardly a moment to breathe. Anastasia wove through the crowded trade floor, crawling under tables, checking inventory against wagon contents, and organizing those waiting in line.
Several other caddies were on duty, each managing their own line, but none were as efficient as Anastasia.
Though she worked twice as hard as the older caddies, she never let it go to her head. And while some of the other caddies resented her for it, she paid it no mind.
She efficiently handled her assigned queue, then moved to assist another. As she scanned the area, her gaze landed on one of the wait lines, where she noticed something was off.
A man stood near the wagons, pretending to jot down inventory.
“Hey, you! What’re you doin’?!”
At Anastasia’s sharp voice, the man flinched.
She had caught him red-handed trying to steal merchandise.
Realizing he’d been spotted, the scrawny man panicked and bolted. A nearby caddy attempted to block him, but the thief shoved him aside and sprinted toward the exit.
“Oh, no you don’t!”
“Move it, pip-squeak!”
Before he could escape, Anastasia jumped in front of him, arms outstretched to block his path.
The thief sneered at the small girl’s defiance and raised his fist, ready to strike. But before he could—
“A little greedy, aren’t ya?”
A fist more than twice the size of the thief’s came swinging.
It connected with devastating force, sending the man soaring high into the air, before he crashed headfirst into the trading floor. He crumpled into an unconscious heap on the ground.
Hearing the scream, Anastasia cautiously opened her eyes…and then broke into a bright smile when she saw who had come to her aid.
“Old man!” she cried, rushing toward the towering beast who had just sent the thief flying.
“Took ya long enough to notice, Ana,” Ricardo chuckled, crossing his arms. “But you gotta be more careful. You almost got yourself hurt. That’s a stupid way to lose big time. I thought you didn’t like pickin’ fights that ain’t worth it.”
Then, without hesitation, he grabbed the thief by the scruff of his neck and started dragging him outside.
“Come on, get a move on. You got some nerve, tryin’ to steal on my turf. Guess you’re ready to lose an arm for that.”
Ignoring Ricardo’s growled threat, the man turned wild, hate-filled eyes on Anastasia and spat, “You little pip-squeak… If only you hadn’t gotten in my way!”
His glare was feral, and it looked like he might lunge at her at any second. But Anastasia, utterly unimpressed, sauntered up to him and slapped him across the face.
A crisp, satisfying crack echoed through the trade floor. The man stared at her in shocked silence. The gathered onlookers gawked, and even Ricardo raised a brow.
“Your own foolishness got you caught, and now you’ve got the nerve to blame me for it? You’re the worst. And where’s your pride now? A little girl just slapped you across the face. What a loser.”
The thief’s face burned with shame as he swallowed his fury.
Ricardo watched Anastasia closely, his sharp eyes evaluating her cutting words and actions. But before he could say anything, the entire trade floor erupted in cheers.
“Well said!” “That was satisfying to watch!” “Serves that thief right!”
“Thank you, thank you!” Anastasia basked in the praise and waved to the crowd with a playful flourish. Her sudden return to childish innocence only made the onlookers cheer louder.
Meanwhile, Ricardo yanked the thief away, dragging him behind the building. He tossed the man onto the dirt and loomed over him with an unamused growl.
“If it were up to me, you’d lose your better arm and get thrown outside the city.”
The man paled, trembling as he crawled along the dusty ground.
But then, Ricardo let out a sigh and scratched his chin. “But I’m lettin’ you go today. Just remember this—I hit a hell of a lot harder than that pip-squeak. So use your head, man. Don’t ever show your face here again.”
With a lazy flick of his wrist, Ricardo waved him off. The thief scrambled to his feet and fled in a panic, vanishing in the distance.
Yawning, Ricardo stretched and turned back toward his post—only to hear an amused voice behind him.
“Do you really think that thief will mend his ways?”
“Oh, Chuden…it’s you. You saw that?”
Ricardo turned to find a small man with sharp, fox-like eyes standing before him. Clad in an impeccably tailored indigo kimono, Chuden Agri, the chairman of the Chuden Company, carried himself with the air of a refined yet calculating merchant.
Lifting the hem of his kimono slightly, Chuden glanced in the direction the thief had run and sighed.
“A thief is supposed to lose his dominant arm and be banished from the city. That’s the rule. Now, I find it hard to believe that a company guard dog like you wouldn’t know that.”
“It was just attempted thievin’, thanks to Ana.” Ricardo rolled his shoulders. “Besides, he got a smack upside the head instead of losin’ an arm. If I were him, that’d scare me more.”
“Tch. You don’t actually believe people can change their ways and stay on the straight and narrow if only someone would give them a chance, do you?”
“Course not.” Ricardo’s voice darkened, his beast-like features sharpening. “I made sure to memorize his face. Next time I catch him causin’ trouble, I’ll take both his good arm and the other one, too. That enough for you?”
Chuden fell silent for a moment, then gave a slight nod.
“Excellent. For a minute there, I was worried that the Great Hound Ricardo had gone soft on me.”
“Tch. Don’t be sayin’ embarrassing stuff like that. I’m still your loyal, collared guard dog. Woof, woof.”
“If you truly believe that, it would ease my worries…,” Chuden mused. “But for now, I’ll let it slide.”
“…That was cryptic.”
Ricardo snorted, narrowing his eyes at Chuden’s enigmatic tone. But the chairman only shook his head tiredly and moved on.
“By the way…”
“What?”
“I have a favor to ask. It’s a bit troublesome—I’ll give you more details in my office.”
Ricardo’s frown deepened.
From experience, anytime Chuden started a request like that, it was never “just a bit troublesome.”
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