Urist was woken up by the clanging of tools nearby. He sat up and looked around. A woman was sorting out some boxes at the back of her building south of where Urist was sat. He mounted his cart and returned to the path, taking it south, then east to the front of the building.
"Excuse me!" Urist called. The woman appeared and came to the cart. "I noticed your farm and was wondering if you have anything for sale?"
"I do." She pulled a crumpled up piece of parchment from her back pocket and handed it to Urist. He read through it and handed it back.
"I'll take all but the compost." Her jaw dropped and eyes bulged. She had to think for a few minutes.
"That'll be one thousand, two hundred and eighty coins, please." Urist paid her the money and gave her a hand loading it on the cart, except the buckets.
"Could you take the buckets to the bank at Draynor? I'll be there later to inform them of your delivery."
"Of course. I'll get my husband to do it."
"Thank you." Off he continued, past the crop field and through the gap in the slate wall. The path took him the long way around Draynor to the bank, right up to the wheat field before turning.
"I have a delivery of buckets arriving here later today. Could you have them delivered to the western bank in Varrock?"
"Certainly." The cashier said as he wrote it down.
"And I have quite a few plant pots on my cart I'd like to deposit, and some plant cure. Could you have those delivered too?" The cashier nodded.
"I'll meet you around the back to accept the plant pots." The cashier did just that and gave Urist a hand unloading them. Afterward, the cashier gave Urist his bank book back and helped him turn the cart around.
He noticed a seed stall on the market so stepped over. There was a price list on the table, Urist glanced it over.
"I'll take the potato, krandorian, wildblood, marigold, barley, hammerstone and asgarian seeds, please."
"At once." The stall holder knelt down and fetched them from the chest under the stall. Once they were call collected, she wrapped them up. "That'll be -"
"Two thousand, six hundred and forty coins?"
"Please." Urist handed over the coins and welcomed the seeds, putting them straight on the cart.
He took the road he had just taken to get back to the crossroads and turned eastward. he kept on it to the wheat field by Beefy Bill's and headed north. He arrived at Bill's about an hour after the sun had set. Bill had a bonfire lit and was just eating his tea when he looked up at Urist.
"Urist! My friend. How are you doing?" Bill stood, placing his plate on the log, raced over and helped Urist down.
"I'm very good, thank you, but quite tired if I do say." His tummy grumbled.
"And hungry by the sounds of it."
"Very." Bill led the horse to his caravan, tethered him and fetched some beef out to cook for Urist. Urist took a seat opposite Bill and rubbed his hand over the fire. Bill started to fry the beef in the pan that was still warm from cooking his beef. "How are you?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Starting to get a bit cold at night but that's autumn for you."
"It is. And darker sooner. How is the cart doing?"
"Alright. Adventurers mostly come by for food and cowhides." Urist looked at underneath the caravan.
"I see you've sold all those pots of flour."
"I have. Set me up for the winter that did."
"I could say the same about those cowhides."
"How is your stall?"
"Quite good. I made hard leather boots out of those cowhides. Sold all but five pairs of them. Bought a load of food from Seth last time I was here. Sold it like hot cakes."
"I hear Varrock's got a new furnace. You won't be taking those trips to Lumbridge anymore." Urist grinned. "Did you have anything to do with it?"
"I may have made a business transaction."
"No way!" Bill forked the beef onto Urist's plate and handed it to him. He picked up his own plate and started eating again. "You're a very surprising dwarf." They spent the evening catching up and Urist took the pleasure of sleeping in the company of another friend.
Early next morning Urist woke to Bill setting up his stall. He stretched and yawned before talking a stroll over to the stall.
"How much are your empty pots? And the pie dishes?"
"A coin each for the pots and three coins each for the dishes. I have thirty pots and ten dishes."
"I'll take them if you load them." Bill chuckled. Urist counted out the coins as Bill loaded the cart, handing them over when he had finished. Bill shook his hand and bid him farewell.
Urist pulled up by the western bank and deposited the cart full of goods, except the empty pots and pie dishes, and asked for the cloth to be delivered to the east bank. He took those back to his house. It was in its usual state, but with Charlie's pots of flour under the windowsill. Urist put the empty pots by the full ones and took the pie dishes to the kitchen. The money pouch was emptied onto the kitchen worktop and Urist counted forty-five coins. Forty-five coins change from six thousand and fifty-five. He puffed as he returned the coins to the pouch and sat in his chair by the fire.
The sun shone through and woke Urist wearily. He sat for a minute listening to see if Charlie was still there, but he had come and gone. He got ready and took a walk to the eastern bank.
"Can I withdraw a note for the planks, the cloth, and the various nails, please?"
"Certainly." The cashier prepared the notes and handed them over. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No, thank you." Urist took a leisurely walk to the sawmill operator.
"How may I help?"
"I believe you're interested in purchasing bolt's of cloth?"
"Aye, yes, for a hundred and ninety-five coins each."
"And bronze and iron nails?"
"You've seen my advert, haven't you?" Urist nodded with a beaming smile and placed the notes on the table. The sawmill wrote down the quantities and the purchase prices.
"I'll give you one thousand, six hundred and fifty coins for all these."
"Deal." The operator pulled up a chest from under the counter and counted out the coins, handing them over when he had finished. He put the notes in the chest and returned it to below the counter.
Urist slowly walked through the trees to the north gate, past the church and through the palace gardens to the market square, then to the western bank.
"I'd like to withdraw notes of the seeds, except the marigold, barley, hammerstone and asgarian seeds, please." The cashier nodded. "And can I have notes of the farming equipment, except the buckets and empty sacks, please." The cashier nodded again and prepared the notes.
"Is there anything else I can help you with?" Urist shook his head and accepted the notes, walking to the Grand Exchange in due course. One of the clerks eventually became free, so Urist stepped forward.
"How may I help?"
"I'd like to sell these, please."
"Certainly." The cashier started flicking through the large accounts book with orders, and wrote down the tallies on a separate piece of paper. "Ten onion seeds, nine coins each. Twenty potato seeds, thirteen coins each. Ten krandorian seeds, eleven coins each. Ten wildblood seeds, seventy coins each. Ten tomato seeds, eleven coins each. Ten sweetcorn seeds, sixteen coins each." Urist started to lose attention.
"Ten strawberry seeds, seventy-seven coins. Sixty watering cans, a hundred coins each. Two hundred plant pots, twenty-five coins each. Twenty gardening trowels, twenty-five coins each. Twenty spades, fifteen coins each. Twenty secateurs, thirty coins each. Twenty rakes, thirty-five coins each. Ten gardening boots, seventy-five coins each. Twenty seed dibbers, thirty-two coins each. Twenty baskets, five coins each. Twenty shears, thirty coins each. Twenty plant cures, a hundred coins each." The clerk added it all together. "That's a grand total of nineteen thousand, three hundred and ninety coins. Would you like help with anything else?"
"That's it, thank you." The cashier counted out the coins and handed them over. Urist put them in his pouch and felt some more notes.
Oh yes, the planks.
Urist stepped over to Relobo, who greeted him.
"I saw an advert for Razmire's builder's merchants, he was wanting to buy planks."
"Yes, that is correct."
"I was wondering, as you have connections in Morytania, if you'd organise the selling of my planks to him."
"Certainly. I'll buy them from you now and I'll have them transported when I have enough goods to go that way. Follow me, please." Relodo led Urist to the clerk, and like last time, the clerk wrote down details from his identification card. Relodo returned to his pitch and Urist handed the clerk the notes.
"Ten thirty-three's, ten sixty-six's, five a hundred and three's and five three hundred and four's." The clerk looked up at Urist. "That's three thousand and twenty-five coins. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Urist shook his head and the cashier handed over the coins. He took a few paces around the desk and handed the bank cashier his bank book, who wrote down his details.
"How may I help?"
"I'd like to repay my overdraft, please." The cashier flicked through a book and found Urist's overdraft.
"Two thousand coins, and two coins each day for three days. Two thousand and six coins, please." Urist counted out the coins and handed them over. The cashier wrote down the details. "Is there something else I can help you with?"
"No, thanks." The cashier returned his bank book. Next stop was Sani's. Sani was hammering away when Urist entered, but stopped as soon as he saw Urist. "I've returned and have your money." Urist handed over the coins and Sani put them in his pouch.
"Thank you. How was your trip?"
"It was quite successful and rather enjoyable, thank you. Have the ores arrived?"
"This money, yes. I've marked your boxes by the furnace."
"Thank you. May I use your desk?" Sani nodded and pointed. Urist took a seat and started to count out his coins. He had eighteen thousand, six hundred and four coins altogether and no longer owed anything from his trip. He still had the buckets, sacks and a few seeds left.
"Seth sent you a letter, it's in the draw." Urist pulled the draw open and ripped open the letter.
Dear Urist,
I certainly would be willing to sell you fifty bales of wheat every week and transport it to Romily's for you. Each bundle will cost two coins each, including transport. Let me know when to start sending them.
Yours sincerely
Seth
"Thank you for your help, I'm just popping over to see Seth." Sani nodded. Urist nipped across the road to the bank and had two notes prepared, one for two hundred buckets and one for twenty sacks.
He exited the smithy and saw a merchant cart just turning at the fountain, heading south. He ran over and stopped the driver.
"Where are you heading?"
"Al Kharid, why?"
"Are you heading past Seth's farm, the farm with the cow field." The merchant nodded. "Would you be willing to drop me off at Seth's for five coins?" The merchant patted the passenger seat so Urist climbed up. It took a couple of hours to reach Seth's and Gillie was busy milking the cows opposite. Urist passed the five coins over and passed through the gate. Seth turned the corner from the back of the chicken coup.
"Welcome. Did you get my letter?"
"I did -"
"Come, come inside and have a drink." Seth opened the door and let Urist in, offering a seat as he poured them a drink each. "So when would you like me to start sending the wheat?"
"If you can start sending them at the start of next week, that would be great."
"I'll get to it."
"Seth, I've brought some products I wondered if you'd be interested in." Urist pulled the notes out and lay them on the table. Seth looked at them.
"How much would you like for them?"
"Thirty coins each for the sacks and four coins each for the buckets." Seth took a sip of his drink whilst contemplating the deal.
"Sure. They're good prices, I'm not going to argue with them." Seth shot up and fetched a box from a cupboard to the right of Urist. He counted out fourteen hundred coins and passed them to Urist. Urist took a sip of his drink and realised something.
If the ores have arrived, Sani must have paid for them. I owe him another ten thousand, six hundred and seventy coins.