On Selling Dreams, I, Thor, Am a Professional—Part One

Inside a fairly large house on the west side of Loren City, Lajos Assad paced back and forth without pause, his face filled with worry.

As a descendant of the Assad Family, he had never been valued by the family because he was merely an illegitimate son. Even his father, the current head of the Assad Family, disliked this son who had been an accident born from a maid's womb.

Even though Lajos Assad had become an Apprentice Knight before the age of eighteen, it made no difference.

He had not been given the chance to pledge his loyalty to the family.

Nor had he, like his older brothers and sisters, become a steward for one of the Assad merchant caravans.

He had been given only a tiny shop in Loren City.

Good heavens, Loren City.

Not to mention that it was located in the newly developed, impoverished Northern Province.

Even that shop was pitifully small.

Honestly, he had been extremely unwilling.

But what could unwillingness change? He did not have the courage to become a Pioneer Knight.

So he could only obey the family's orders, head to Loren City, and accept that tiny shop.

Yet after he accepted reality.

And arrived in Loren City.

He discovered that things were even harder than he had imagined.

Almost all trade in Loren City had been monopolized by the Habs Merchant Guild.

It was nearly impossible for him to sell supplies.

After half a year, the gold coins he had brought were almost entirely spent, while the shop's revenue still amounted to only a few dozen silver coins.

Under such circumstances, let alone running the business well, even surviving would be a major problem.

Thus, three months ago, after realizing that the entire Northern Province seemed not to sell certain special supplies, he came up with a bold idea: smuggle some special goods into the Northern Province for sale.

Especially military supplies.

Given how dangerous the Northern Province was, those things should sell well.

And the Assad Family happened to be a merchant family. Though he was not valued, he was still the son of the current Assad Family head. Obtaining some goods was not particularly difficult.

Once he had the idea.

He naturally acted on it.

His first target was Blazing Oil.

Compared to other military supplies, Blazing Oil was not particularly expensive, and it was more practical.

It could be used in all kinds of environments.

In his view, ten pounds of Blazing Oil cost only around ten silver coins through the family. In the Northern Province, he could sell it for fifty, or even a hundred silver coins—at least ten times the price.

More importantly, due to Blazing Oil's unique properties, it could be mixed into ordinary water and then extracted after reaching Loren City, enough to evade the border patrol checkpoints.

And that was indeed what happened.

Seven days ago, the first batch of Blazing Oil had been transported over.

Three days ago, he had already extracted it.

But now, a problem had arisen.

Namely, finding a suitable buyer.

Yes, a suitable buyer.

He had assumed Blazing Oil would not lack demand.

But that was only his assumption.

In truth, buyers were not easy to find.

Especially a trading partner trustworthy enough, which was even more difficult.

These were smuggled goods, and important ones at that. If word got out, it would be no joke.

If he were a noble, it might be different. Unfortunately, he was not. He would inevitably end up on the gallows, and his father would most likely not save him.

Now, he was beginning to regret it.

Regret being too impulsive.

He continued pacing.

The worry on his face still had not faded.

Only after a while did Lajos Assad look toward the Knight Attendant beside him.

Ram was one of the few Knight Attendants most loyal to him.

"Ram, is that man truly trustworthy?"

His voice carried a trace of concern.

"My lord, that man is trustworthy!"

"Moreover, he does not hold a noble title, and there is only a Baron behind him. Even if this is exposed, we can simply deny it. No one can prove that we sold those goods, nor can anyone prove that those goods are Blazing Oil, can they?"

Ram answered respectfully.

"That's true!"

Listening to Ram's words and recalling all the preparations he had made, he relaxed slightly.

But just as he was relaxing.

A male servant hurried over.

"Master, Knight Thor Dressrosa requests an audience with you!"

The servant spoke respectfully, then handed over a calling card.

"Thor Dressrosa?"

"From the Dreyrosa Family?"

Lajos Assad froze for a moment. His brow furrowed slightly in confusion.

Naturally, he knew the situation of his own family. The Dreyrosa Family and his family were far from friendly.

The sudden visit from someone of the Dreyrosa Family left him puzzled.

"Let him in!"

"Make the preparations!"

Lajos Assad frowned for a moment before finally nodding.

Noble etiquette made it impossible for him to refuse.

At the same time, he was curious what the other party wanted from him.

Before long, Thor and Ryan were led into the room by the servant.

"Honorable Lord Lajos Assad, forgive my presumptuous visit. This is but a small gift. Please do not take offense."

Thor spoke with a smile, then gestured for Ryan to present a wooden box.

The servant took it and handed the wooden box to Lajos Assad.

"You are too courteous, Knight Thor Dressrosa!"

Lajos Assad replied with a smile, casually opening the wooden box. He had originally intended to close it again as he usually did.

But the instant he saw what was inside, his movements froze.

His pupils abruptly widened.

Bang!

The wooden box fell to the floor. He shot to his feet, his expression shifting as he stared at Thor.

"You!"

Lajos Assad spoke instinctively, yet for a moment, he did not know what to say.

"Lord Lajos, there is no need to be nervous. I came this time to discuss business with Lajos Assad. There is no other meaning behind it."

Thor's gentle voice sounded, his expression still carrying a calm smile.

Looking at Thor's smile.

Lajos Assad drew a deep breath, suppressing the panic and tension in his heart. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed everyone around them.

Only after everyone had left the room did he turn his gaze toward Thor.

"Business? Lord Thor Dressrosa, this does not look like a business discussion."

His voice was low and cold, with a fierce glint appearing in his eyes.

"No, no!"

"Lord Lajos, you misunderstand!"

"I said I came to discuss business. Naturally, this is business as well."

"For example, I can buy five hundred pounds of that stuff."