Page 1/4 March 11th Sherman and Jeroy fought. My older brothers argue a lot, but this time they actually fought in the street! Sherman's beard was yanked, and Jeroy got a nosebleed. I think Sherman won. Father got so angry after my brothers dropped me off the roof. He shouted at them and asked if they meant to bring shame to the Watson family. I could hear it all from my room. I bet even the neighbors heard it. Jeroy talked back to Father for some reason. He would have been really impressive if his nose hadn't still been bleeding. He asked why Sherman was acting like the heir to the Watson family when the heir hadn't been decided yet. Actually, he has a point. Sherman has gotten into the habit of stroking his beard like he's so high and mighty these days. Now he even speaks like Father. When I asked him why he was talking like an old man, he said he'd always talked that way. Sherman is older than Jeroy, but the heir to our Traders' Guild has always been chosen based on skill. Father was the second son, so Jeroy has a point. Father seems to have agreed. At dinner that night, he said he would think of a way to fairly choose his successor. My brothers glared at each other. After dinner, Jeroy tousled my hair and asked, "And who would our little brother pick as the heir?" There's one thing my brothers don't know. I'm Barney Watson, fourteen years old. Just you wait: I'll be the heir to the Watson Merchants legacy, not them. Page 2/4 March 13th Father told my brothers his idea. The Lantern Flowers will blossom soon. We Watson Merchants harvest Lantern Seeds from the Nesting Grounds to make Lantern Soap. It's our most popular product. The problem is that the Nesting Grounds are very dangerous. There are Terror Birds that tear people limb from limb with their beaks and Quillixes with sharp thorns that go right through you. Above all, Lantern Seeds stick to things like animal fur and feathers, so you need to kill the Terror Birds and Quillixes to get them. Frail merchants like us get mercenary escorts during the harvest. Despite being skilled warriors, two of those mercenaries were killed by Terror Birds during the last harvest. My father's leg was injured, too. Our seed supply was running low, so we couldn't make enough soap. Father seems to have come up with a way to harvest plenty of Lantern Seeds, all while fairly choosing the Watson Merchant heir! He's going to hold a contest in the Nesting Grounds. He says that he'll ask adventurers to kill the Terror Birds and Quillixes and gather seeds, and he'll pay them in receipts. The merchants will give the adventurer who collects the most receipts a prize. We'll make use of their sense of competitiveness to our advantage. I really admire Father for coming up with such a good plan. My brothers plan to each accept their own seed deliveries. They'll compete fairly to see who can take in the most seeds. In the end, the one with the best results after several contests will be the Watson Merchants heir! My brothers must have also thought it was a decent plan, because they started to discuss how they'd prepare. I pretended to be playing in a corner, but I snuck over near them to listen. When Father said, "Prepare two types of receipts and rewards for the festival," I interrupted. "Three types." My father and brothers stared at me, but I spoke confidently. "If I collect more seeds than you, I'll be the Watson Merchants heir, right?" I think my boldness must have surprised them. Page 3/4 March 14th Sherman came to my room. He admonished me while stroking his beard, and he had a lot to say to me. Credit is fundamental to merchants! How will adventurers trust a little kid enough to give him seeds? The Lantern Seed Festival is no joke! You can't possibly be the heir! Think it over logically! I've summarized an hour's lecture into a few seconds, and now I'm tired and have to sleep. Honestly, it's not fair. My brothers are big and have deep voices, so even when they lie, people believe them. Maybe the adventurers won't think I'm trustworthy. How can I get them to believe me, too? March 15th Sherman gave me a map of the Nesting Grounds as a gift. I think he feels bad about telling me off yesterday. March 20th I fought with Jeroy. He rushed into my room like a Headcrusher Terror Bird right after breakfast. When I asked him why he was there, he started to pick a weird fight! He said I didn't put the transaction ledger back after I looked at it yesterday, but that's ridiculous. I told him that Sherman had taken the ledger, and Jeroy suddenly smiled awkwardly and asked me about my strategy at the festival tomorrow. Like I would just tell him! I don't know how he hides his personality from the customers. Everyone says he's kind and outgoing, but it's all a smokescreen. He's actually temperamental and full of anger and jealousy. That's probably Sherman's fault. I heard he used to tease Jeroy endlessly as a child. It seems Jeroy has some kind of secret strategy. What could it be? Is there any strategy other than convincing adventurers to help? Did he decide to pay in something other than receipts? Does he plan to do something besides give out one receipt per seed? I'm so curious, I doubt I'll sleep. The festival is tomorrow, at last! Can I get the most seeds? Page 4/4 March 21st Oh... It's all ruined. I put on a fake beard and deepened my voice to appear trustworthy to the adventurers, but I only delivered half as many seeds as my brothers. I talked to one of the adventurers after it was over and asked why they weren't giving me any seeds, and the adventurer said I looked suspicious and untrustworthy. It's so depressing. Sherman won this festival. Jeroy shut himself up in his room and won't come out. But, silver lining, there's another festival coming. I'll have a chance to change my strategy. The beard didn't work for me. Next time I'll wear my normal clothes and use my regular voice. That way, I won't be suspicious. I'll win them over with cuteness. It's the one advantage I have over my brothers! Just wait and see. I'm definitely going to get the most seeds at the next festival and be the heir to the Watson Merchants!
