Black Market Merchant

Black Market Merchant

Through the map function that came with the Lord system, Lynn could keep track of the exact locations of his followers at any time.

After unlocking the [Follower Dispatch] function, he could also use his followers' movements to explore the map's fog of war.

This time, Lao San had traveled south along the White River to Three Rivers City, then returned north by water to the White Bear Territory, unlocking the map along the route between White Bear Territory and Three Rivers City for Lynn.

Three Rivers City lay at the confluence of the White River and Quiet River.

Quiet River's full name was "The Quietly Flowing River," so named because its waters made almost no sound as they flowed.

As the largest river in the Northern Kingdom, Quiet River flowed slowly and covered a vast expanse. It ran from west to east across the entire Northern Kingdom, connecting the territories of the three Grand Dukes with the King's Crown Territory. It was the Northern Kingdom's most important trade route.

At the confluence of the White River and Quiet River, another river also flowed into Quiet River. The city standing there was Three Rivers City.

Although Three Rivers City was one of the largest cities in the Marsh Duke's territory, its permanent population was still under ten thousand.

The rivers' long frozen season severely affected the circulation of goods and commercial development in the Northern Kingdom, naturally limiting the size of its cities as well.

Leon was a somewhat renowned Black Market Merchant in Three Rivers City, dealing exclusively with all sorts of daring men.

His main business consisted of two things: fencing stolen goods for Horse Bandits and mercenaries, and selling all kinds of contraband. He also occasionally acted as an information broker.

The news that Baron Roman had headed north from Three Rivers City was sold to Lynn by Leon.

However, Lynn was not particularly familiar with Leon. They had only met a few times, mostly for business, and had no deep friendship.

Yet he was still confident that a single letter would be enough to summon this Black Market Merchant to the White Bear Territory.

The reason was simple. Lynn believed Leon was similar to himself.

They were both equally ambitious.

At the small dock in the White Bear Territory, a slightly plump middle-aged man clad in a luxurious mink coat stepped off the gangplank.

His face was round, his cheeks slightly puffed, with the oily sheen unique to someone who had enjoyed good food and drink for years. His small eyes gleamed with sharpness and shrewdness.

Like the other nations on the Continent of Diavas, the Northern Kingdom forbade anyone other than nobles from wearing expensive high-end fur clothing.

In principle, merchants ranked only slightly above skilled Free People. At most, they could wear sheepskin coats in winter.

But almost no merchant respected those legal provisions.

Much less someone like Leon, an outlaw who treated the code of law as worthless.

Lynn slowly stepped forward, extended his right hand, and smiled. "Welcome to my territory, my friend."

Even before Lynn extended his hand, Leon had already held out his left hand, which was covered in gold rings. His tone was especially cheerful.

"I suppose I should address you as Baron Coldwind. I never imagined that one day, I would have a distinguished baron as a friend."

The two foxes exchanged a knowing smile.

Lynn's territory had been taken by force, and Leon had more than one noble friend.

In the Northern Kingdom, as long as one had a sword in hand and a horse beneath them, anyone could be a Horse Bandit.

To earn extra money, nobles whose territories sat along major trade routes did not mind occasionally playing the role of Horse Bandits.

Naturally, such people also sought out Black Market Merchants to fence their stolen goods.

Of course, moonlighting as a Horse Bandit came with risks.

Merchants capable of doing business in the Northern Kingdom were no pushovers. They knew how to band together for protection and pooled their money to retaliate against nobles bold enough to rob them.

Last year, a baron with sticky fingers had his entire family slaughtered by mercenaries hired by merchants. Even his Castle had been burned into a patch of black charcoal.

This shocking case was once brought before the Marsh Duke's court. In the end, the Duke personally pardoned the merchants who had hired the killers. "To celebrate your inheritance of this territory, I have brought you a batch of thoroughly practical gifts."

As soon as Leon finished speaking, Lao San and the others carried several crates out of the cabin.

The crates contained one thousand kilograms of iron ingots, as well as over four hundred cheap iron tools.

They were indeed not particularly valuable, but they were exactly what the White Bear Territory urgently needed.

The price of iron ingots

in Three Rivers City's market was roughly one gold coin per fifty kilograms, while an axe containing one kilogram of iron could sell for about eight copper coins.

All told, the goods Leon had brought were worth around thirty gold coins.

After inspecting the goods, Lynn's smile grew broader. "I am very satisfied with your gift. You should know that I never disappoint my friends."

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lynn directly brought Leon to White Bear Town and showed him the Demon Bear's fur and skeleton.

"My heavens, how tall was this Demon Bear when it was alive?"

At the sight of that exaggerated skeleton and the dazzling, enormous snow-white bear pelt, even Leon, who had seen his share of the world, could not help widening his eyes.

At the same time, he rapidly began calculating how many gold coins it would take to make Lynn part with it, and how much the pelt could fetch if transported to Three Rivers City.

He quickly arrived at an answer. A hundred gold coins should be enough to make Lynn agree, and it could sell for at most around one hundred and twenty gold coins in Three Rivers City.

That would leave him with twenty gold coins in profit.

As for the Demon Bear skeleton, Leon intended to keep it for himself.

He liked displaying the skeletons of ferocious Magic Beasts in his home.

If he could acquire both the skeleton and pelt for one hundred gold coins, this trip would not be a loss.

In truth, he also knew the enormous profit to be made by transporting the pelt to the Southern Border, but those profits were not his to earn.

"Seven meters. This Demon Bear stood a full seven meters tall in life. It appeared in my territory just a week ago, and now, as you can see, it has become part of my collection."

Lynn had deliberately brought Leon to see these valuable trophies, both to show his sincerity and to flaunt his strength.

Sincerity was the foundation of cooperation, while strength was its prerequisite.

In the Northern Kingdom, if one lacked strength yet still wanted the aid of powerful allies, they would most likely be devoured whole by those allies.

Just like Yagna. She had kept Lynn quite satisfied these past few days.

"Look at this magnificent Demon Bear skeleton. Oh, heavens, I doubt it will be long before I must address you as Count!"

Leon was quick to catch on. He understood perfectly well what this skeleton revealed.

Before, he had believed Lynn had merely failed to make a living in the south of the kingdom and had been forced to come north to scrape by. At most, he was just a Horse Bandit leader with some strength.

Selling Roman's whereabouts to Lynn had partly been a test of his capabilities.

If Lynn could swallow Roman and his group, Leon would raise his assessment of him.

But now, Lynn had given Leon a massive surprise far beyond his expectations.

Not only had Lynn eliminated Roman and seized the White Bear Territory, he had even hunted an extremely rare giant Demon Bear shortly after arriving.

Leon believed that with Lynn's strength and ambition, he would never be content with the tiny White Bear Territory. Dominating the White River Basin was a foreseeable future.

(This book basically uses medieval England's prices and currency conversion: one gold coin equals twenty silver coins, and one silver coin equals twelve copper coins. The main reason is that medieval English prices are clearly recorded and easier to calculate.)

(End of Chapter)