Compromise

Roy led Langbo down a quiet stone path into a tavern. The tavern was bustling with activity as many Half-Elf discussed the glorious deeds of Commander Helix, after all, he had single-handedly killed two Mine Owners in front of the Central Square.

For a time, Commander Helix became a celebrity who resisted the Elf Slaves trade.

When the bartender saw Roy walk in with a Half-Elf, he immediately pushed a glass of Orange Wine toward Roy, then smiled slightly at Langbo and asked, "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

Roy sat down at the bar with Langbo and said to the bartender, "Give him a glass of Orange Wine. Still no word from Dennis?"

The bartender deftly poured a glass of Orange Wine and replied with a smile, "The Blackwater Swamp is difficult to reach, and there are very few Adventure Group in the city, so we haven't heard from Dennis recently."

He silently added to himself, "Even if I had the information, I wouldn't tell you." Then he turned and walked to the Wine Cabinet to wipe the glasses.

Langbo wasn't visiting Padesto City for the first time, but it was his first time in a tavern. He wasn't quite used to the strong smell of alcohol in the tavern, and he looked around like a country bumpkin, curious about everything, especially the long row of oak barrels behind the bar.

"You'll be staying in Padesto City for a while this time, so you'll have to learn to adapt to city life. Besides being a place to gather and drink, this tavern is also the best place to get the latest news. You can come here to find out any information you want; some information is free, and some costs money."

Roy took a sip of his drink and whispered to Langbo.

At this moment, Langbo was staring intently at the chest of a half- Half-Elf skin. His eyes were glazed over by the golden curls framing her chest, and it was unclear how much of what Roy was saying was actually being heard.

There are beautiful Half-Elf women on the Pagisto Plateau, but none of them dare to wear a low-cut dress and twirl around on a wine table...

Roy asked the bartender who was wiping glasses, "Are there any Magic Herbs merchants in Padesto City? I'm currently in the business of low-level Magic Herbs and I'm looking for a stable source of supply."

The bartender tossed his glass into the sink, then approached Roy and enthusiastically introduced himself:

"Boss Roy, you've come to the right person for this. Look at that elf drinking alone over there, his name is Augustus. He's a very famous herbalist in the Padesto City. However, in recent years, with the Teleportation Portal to the Pattington Plane being closed, business has become increasingly difficult, and his Magic Herbs shop has gone out of business. But if you're talking about knowledge of Magic Herbs on the Pattington Plane, I must recommend Augustus to you..."

Roy turned his head in the direction the bartender was pointing and saw the Half-Elf whom the bartender called Augustus. He had silver-gray hair and could be seen to have some Silver Moon Elf blood. He was holding a silver goblet and drinking by himself at a small table in the corner.

There was a bottle of rum on the table. The elves didn't really like this kind of strong liquor, and it was usually only used in bars to add some flavor to Orange Wine.

Although he was already quite drunk, he still maintained his gentlemanly demeanor.

Roy handed the bartender, Five Kole, as a reward for the message.

Unexpectedly, the bartender pushed the stack of Kole trinkets back at him, grinning and saying, "This information is free. Actually, it's not exactly a secret in the tavern; you can find out by asking any elf. I'll call him over for you..."

"Augustus, come sit here for a while and have a drink!" The bartender raised his glass and called out to Augustus was sitting in the corner.

Hearing the bartender's call, Augustus looked up, glanced at Roy with his light blue eyes, picked up his glass and the half-finished bottle of rum, and walked over.

Other patrons joked, "Augustus, looks like you've got some business coming in."

Augustus walked over, and the bartender patted the shoulder of the Half-Elf patron sitting next to Roy, who immediately gave up his seat.

"Boss Roy, the Mine Owners of the Pagisto Plateau!"

"Augustus, the Magic Herbs merchant from Padesto City, Boss Roy wants to discuss business with you regarding Magic Herbs. You two can talk first."

The bartender gave a brief introduction and then left.

Roy reached out and shook hands with Augustus. Augustus looked Roy up and down seriously, and said with an incredulous expression:

"Excuse my intrusion, but are you Boss Roy from the Pagisto Plateau?"

Roy nodded slightly, then said directly:

"I've rented some warehouses in the Padesto City, and I'm planning to buy some Elementary Magic Herbs there and then sell them on the Elf Continent Padesto City. Do you have any connections to get your hands on Elementary Magic Herbs, Mr. Augustus?"

"Magic Herbs are readily available in the Pattington Plane, but if you want to transport them back to the Elf Continent, you'll need a trading license!" Augustus said tactfully.

"Of course, this trading license only allows me to trade in Elementary Magic Herbs." Roy patted the Magic Pouch on his waist.

Augustus's eyes lit up as he said to Roy, "In the Pattington Plane, only the trade of Elementary Magic Herbs can form a bulk trade."

"So..." Roy smiled and looked at Augustus.

Augustus extended his hand and said excitedly to Roy, "I wish us a successful collaboration. I will provide you with a price list immediately. Currently, the entire Pattington Plane is under lockdown, so the price of these Elementary Magic Herbs is at least 40% lower than before..."

"Just give me a quote as soon as possible. This is Langbo, currently in charge of the Padesto City warehouse. From now on, it will probably be you two communicating."

Roy put one hand on Langbo's shoulder, diverting his attention.

"Roy, aren't the Elementary Magic Herbs on the plateau enough for your needs?" Langbo asked Roy curiously.

"Of course it's not enough. With these transit warehouses for supplies, we must expand our business. Cheers to our future cooperation!"

Roy held up the orange-yellow Orange Wine in his hand.

Langbo was a little confused, unsure of the scale of the deal Roy was planning, but since Roy and Augustus had already raised their glasses, he followed suit...

This time, Leishande and his son Langbo arrived in Padesto City with a caravan of a thousand argali sheep. They not only brought a large amount of black iron ingots, but also the latest battle situation in the Northern Plateau to Roy.

Commander Helik led 5,000 Half-Elf Warrior of the Rebel Army and broke through the gates of the Gazan Ancestral Land. Nearly 20,000 members of the Headhunters Tribe were trapped in the Land of the Ancestors, and Headhunters from other parts of the Pagisto Plateau rushed to Land of the Ancestors.

When Leishande came to Padesto City, he also brought with him a list of supplies from Commander Helik.

However, Roy's plot to assassinate six Mine Owners in the Nikoba Mountain Range had already caused a major rift with Logistics General Lucius. Roy felt that if he submitted a supply request now, it would likely be suppressed by the logistics department...

After thinking it over, Roy decided to write another letter to Klayr, asking him to purchase some supplies from Castleton City.

As Roy was writing the letter, Langbo burst in without even knocking, excitedly telling Roy, "The supplies from Castleton have arrived, Roy! Your timing is perfect! Our supplies from the plateau have just been delivered, and the supplies from Castleton City are arriving one after another. We can exchange supplies so that no one has to wait!"

"???"

Roy looked puzzled. He didn't have the ability to calculate time; this was just a coincidence.

He rented this warehouse for the purpose of transshipping goods.

"Is it Klayr?" Roy put down his Quill Pen and asked Langbo.

At that moment, a figure emerged from behind Langbo; it was Klayr, dressed in a nobleman's formal attire.

This guy was already handsome, and wearing an Elven Nobles's robe made him look even more otherworldly...

But Klayr was still the same as always, putting her arm around Roy's shoulder and saying smugly, "Knowing that reconstruction is needed everywhere on the Pagisto Plateau, I thought I'd send a batch of supplies over before school starts. How about it? Are you a little surprised to see me?"

"Klayr, didn't you say you were going to hold a winter concert before school started? I thought you'd been busy with concert stuff all the time," Roy asked, moving Klayr's arm away. The girl reeked of perfume.

Klayr sat down in Roy's seat, grinning smugly. "Hehe, this winter concert was a great success; our Song of the Eagle has practically reached Buenos..."

Roy wasn't going to listen to his talk about the concert and quickly interrupted him, asking, "So... what did you bring this time?"

Klayr didn't keep them in suspense and gave the answer directly, "Magic Furnace, a furnace designed and built by the dwarves, sturdy and durable."

These things have been stored in the warehouses of Castleton City for who knows how long.

If I hadn't helped you find these Magic Furnace, I wouldn't have known that there used to be mines in the Malaga Jungle a long time ago!

There's also some Tree of Life Sap; I've recently bought it all up on the Castleton Black Market. This batch of Tree of Life Sap was purchased from Barreras City...

Roy, you wrote to me asking me to inquire about potion makers at the Magic Guild. Are you planning to concoct potions?

"Yes, that's a plan."

Roy nodded. He didn't intend to hide this from Klayr. Moreover, since the alchemy laboratory needed to be built in Castleton, he planned to directly refine some Elementary Magic Herbs into magical potions, focusing on the three best-selling types: basic Healing Potion, Lion King Potion, and Mana Potion.

"I was planning to write to you and ask you to get some arrows and armor plates from Castleton City, but it seems it's too late."

Roy pointed to a letter on the desk, which began with Klayr's name.

When Klayr heard Roy say he wanted to buy 'arrowheads and armor plates' from Castleton himself, she reminded him:

"Arrowheads and armor plates... these military supplies are certainly of better quality from the Silver Pegasus Legion."

"I've had some unpleasantness with Chief Commander Lucius lately, so I guess... it won't be easy to get approved!"

Roy spoke tactfully, omitting the fact that he had openly murdered six Mine Owners from the Nikoba Mountain Range in Padesto City, thus blocking Chief Commander Lucius's path to wealth.

"I don't really like that old guy either!"

Klayr muttered to herself, suggesting that he had also had a rather unpleasant time in Padesto City.

"What do we do now?" Klayr asked.

"I can only bite the bullet and go to the military headquarters. At worst, I'll be rejected, but there's nothing they can do to me!" Roy said casually, scratching his head in frustration.

There were many carriages parked outside the warehouse, and a group of Half-Elf laborers were carrying some Wooden Box into the warehouse.

Some of the wagons carried enormous crucibles that looked extremely heavy. It's estimated that Leishande might not be able to sleep at night if he tried to transport these things to the Pagisto Plateau.

In order to apply for a batch of military supplies, Roy rode a special way to the Silver Pegasus Military Department.

The military headquarters' backyard was piled high with military supplies, and many wooden crates were stacked outside the warehouse, forming a small mountain.

Roy hadn't received any supply lists from the military in the past two days. He figured it must have been suppressed by Chief Commander Lucius. Otherwise... the Pagisto Plateau desperately needed all sorts of military supplies, and the military had mountains of them piled up. How could they not have sent someone to notify him?

Roy simply stood in the lobby, glanced at the backyard a few times, and then walked to the front desk to submit his application to the quartermaster.

Before he could explain his purpose, a quartermaster carrying a stack of reports came out of the stairwell. Seeing Roy at the front desk, he said with some surprise, "Mine Owners Roy, I didn't expect to see you here. The military issued a notice, which I just wanted to deliver to you."

As he spoke, the quartermaster handed Roy a list of supplies and said to him:

"This is the list of supplies to be distributed by the military. If there are no objections, the supplies will be distributed according to this quantity. If there are any objections, you can apply to the military for an exchange."

Roy came to the military headquarters to apply for military supplies, but he didn't expect that as soon as he entered, a quartermaster would take the initiative to hand him a list.

This surprised and delighted Roy...

Upon receiving the list, it indeed contained a whole box of Fine Steel arrowheads and armor plates, as well as some Elf Long Sword and standard Forest Bow. These supplies would be just enough to upgrade the equipment of the Mine Guard, but the Fine Steel arrowheads and armor plates would still be provided to Commander Helik's Half-Elf Army.

"You can hardly imagine how harsh the conditions are on the plateau. With these military supplies, we can recruit more Half-Elf to resist the Highland Slavers. This is wonderful!" Roy, holding a list on parchment, stood in the first-floor hall and chatted casually with the quartermaster.

"Could you give us a few more Fine Steel arrowheads? Our Half-Elf Warrior are all newly recruited and lack combat experience. I'd like to train them more..." Roy said to the quartermaster with a smile.

"I have the authority to add two more boxes. If that's not enough, you can submit a supply request to your superiors. As long as you can explain the actual situation, it will definitely be approved," the quartermaster said to Roy.

Roy nodded repeatedly in thanks.