Chapter 14: Threads and Wealth
Two weeks after watching Borg die screaming, Paul threw himself into merchant work with the desperate intensity of a man trying to drown his memories in silver and success.
"If I focus on numbers, on profit margins and trade routes, maybe I can stop seeing his face. Maybe I can stop hearing those sounds."
The system store had become his refuge—a clean, clinical interface that dealt in commodities rather than carnage. Paul sat in his private corner of the settlement, ostensibly checking his gear but actually scrolling through options that promised profit without the taste of blood.
[SYSTEM STORE ACCESS GRANTED]
[CURRENT SYSTEM POINTS: 625]
[ECONOMIC ANALYSIS MODE AVAILABLE]
[NEW CATEGORIES UNLOCKED: REFINED MATERIALS, QUALITY TOOLS]
Refined Iron: 5 SP per pound. Quality superior to local production.
Maritime Rope: 3 SP per coil. Tensile strength 400% above local standards.
Eastern Spices (Mixed): 10 SP per ounce. Rare compounds unavailable in Nordic regions.
Paul's modern mind sparked with recognition. These weren't just commodities—they were economic disruption packaged in convenient System Point increments. Iron that would make blacksmiths famous, rope that could handle storms no local cordage could survive, spices that would transform the crude Viking diet into something approaching palatable.
"Time to corner the Kattegat economy."
Over the next two weeks, Paul systematically revolutionized local industry. His refined iron sold to blacksmiths for eight times what he'd paid, enabling them to craft weapons and tools that outperformed anything their competitors could produce. Ships built with his rope handled storms that shredded vessels using traditional cordage. His spices turned the simple meat-and-bread Viking diet into something that visiting jarls would pay premium silver to experience.
[SYSTEM POINTS EARNED: 2,000]
[TOTAL AVAILABLE: 2,625]
[DEBT PAYMENT: 1,575 SP AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED]
[REMAINING BALANCE: 1,050 SP]
For the first time since arriving in this world, Paul was financially stable. More than stable—he was wealthy by local standards, respected by merchants who thought his "sight" extended to commerce as readily as combat.
"Finally. No more living transaction to transaction, no more desperation driving every decision."
But the wealth attracted attention Paul hadn't anticipated. Other jarls began arriving in Kattegat, drawn by rumors of superior goods and impossible profits. Among them came King Horik—a man whose smile never reached his eyes and whose interest in Paul's success carried undertones that made the System Point debt feel like a minor concern.
Paul was haggling with a spice merchant when Horik approached, flanked by warriors whose casual competence suggested they'd earned their positions through violence rather than politics.
"A seer who sees profit as clearly as battle," Horik observed, his voice carrying the particular friendliness of a predator assessing prey. "You could be useful to a king."
"Useful. Not valued, not respected—useful. Like a tool to be picked up when needed and discarded when broken."
Paul activated Success Rate Analysis while maintaining his merchant's smile.
[QUERY: PROBABILITY OF KING HORIK BETRAYING RAGNAR THIS YEAR]
[ANALYZING... MULTIPLE VARIABLES DETECTED...]
[RESULT: 67%]
[FACTORS: AMBITION LEVEL (HIGH), OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT (GROWING), RAGNAR'S TRUST (DECLINING), OUTSIDE INFLUENCE (PRESENT)]
[MANA COST: 2 MP - REMAINING: 22/24]
Sixty-seven percent. Two chances in three that Horik would betray Ragnar within the year.
"I serve Ragnar Lothbrok," Paul replied carefully, "but I understand the value of broader alliances."
Horik's smile sharpened. "Wise. The future belongs to those who see it coming."
"If only you knew how literally true that was."
The conversation that followed was a masterclass in political fishing—Horik probing Paul's loyalties, testing his willingness to consider alternative arrangements, gauging whether the strange southern seer might be turned against his current patron. Paul played along, offering just enough interest to avoid suspicion while revealing nothing that could be used against Ragnar.
But he could see the calculation in Horik's eyes, the way the king catalogued Paul's responses for future reference. This wasn't casual recruitment—this was intelligence gathering, preparation for whatever betrayal the 67% probability represented.
"I need more information. Need to understand the variables the system identified."
That night, Paul found a quiet corner and activated Success Rate Analysis again, this time asking for details.
[QUERY: SPECIFIC FACTORS IN HORIK'S BETRAYAL PROBABILITY]
[ANALYZING... LEVEL 5 CAPABILITY UNLOCKED...]
[DETAILED BREAKDOWN AVAILABLE:]
[RAGNAR'S TRUST IN HORIK: 78% (DECLINING DUE TO RECENT POLITICAL TENSIONS)]
[TIME UNTIL BETRAYAL: 8-14 MONTHS (SEASONAL DEPENDENCY)]
[NUMBER OF CO-CONSPIRATORS: 3-7 (VARIABLE BASED ON OPPORTUNITY)]
[TRIGGER EVENT: MAJOR POLITICAL SHIFT (43% PROBABILITY)]
[EXTERNAL INFLUENCE: FRANKISH GOLD (62% PROBABILITY)]
[MANA COST: 4 MP - REMAINING: 18/24]
The level 5 upgrade was a revelation. Instead of simple percentages, Paul could now see the underlying factors that drove probability calculations. Horik's betrayal wasn't inevitable—it was dependent on circumstances, timing, and outside influence that might be manipulated or prevented.
"Frankish gold. External influence. Someone's paying Horik to move against Ragnar, or will be soon."
But knowing about the betrayal and proving it were different problems entirely. Paul couldn't exactly tell Ragnar that his mystical visions had revealed specific probabilities of political treachery. The system had to remain secret, which meant any warnings would need to come through conventional means—observation, suggestion, the careful planting of doubts that would make Ragnar cautious without revealing their source.
Paul spent the rest of the evening reviewing his merchant empire with the satisfaction of someone who'd finally achieved financial security. Erik Blacksmith was prospering with refined iron that made his products legendary. Helga Trader's amber route was thriving after Paul had warned her away from bandit-infested paths his Success Rate Analysis had identified as dangerous. Bjorn Merchant—not Ragnar's son, but a coincidentally named trader—was building a fleet of ships using Paul's superior rope.
[ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: ECONOMIC DISRUPTOR]
[REWARD: +0.4 STAMINA, +0.2 MAGIC]
[SUCCESS RATE ANALYSIS LEVELED TO 6 - NEW CAPABILITIES UNLOCKED]
[MENTAL STRAIN: SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED]
[PSYCHOLOGICAL RECOVERY THROUGH NON-COMBAT FOCUS DETECTED]
The system notifications were oddly comforting. Paul had spent so much time focused on survival and violence that he'd forgotten the simple satisfaction of building something constructive. His merchant network was creating jobs, improving quality of life, strengthening Kattegat's economy in ways that would outlast any individual raid or battle.
"Maybe this is what I'm supposed to be doing. Not just preventing disasters, but building something better."
But even as he reviewed his successes, Paul couldn't shake the weight of Horik's attention or the implications of that 67% betrayal probability. Somewhere in the next year, treachery would strike at the heart of Ragnar's power base. And Paul, with his foreign visions and economic influence, would be caught in the middle of political violence that made Borg's blood eagle look like a minor dispute between neighbors.
The future was approaching fast, and for the first time since arriving in this world, Paul had the resources to meet it on equal terms.
The question was whether those resources would be enough to prevent the betrayal his visions had revealed, or whether he was simply accumulating power that would make him a more valuable target when the knives finally came out.
[SYSTEM POINTS: 1,050]
[DEBT STATUS: FULLY CLEARED]
[NEXT PHASE: POLITICAL MANEUVERING INTENSIFIES]
+1 CHAPTER AFTER EVERY 3 REVIEWS
MORE POWER STONES == MORE CHAPTERS
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