Three Times the Price Difference

"That bastard, I really didn't kill him in vain!" Nalant felt like he was going to cough up blood. He certainly hadn't issued such an order; this grain requisition must have been carried out by Anthony behind his back.

If he hadn't already personally executed Anthony, Nalant would have had to drag him back and kill him again just to vent his frustration.

"Vivian, give him some food, not too much, just enough to fill his stomach first!" Nalant instructed as he looked at the dying village chief.

Following his order, the guards helped feed the chief a small amount of food along with some water.

After resting for a moment, the chief finally regained some color in his face. He immediately knelt and began kowtowing, "Thank you for your mercy, my lord! My lord, I know I was wrong, please spare me!"

"Get up! What is your name?" Nalant waved his hand.

"Reporting to my lord, this lowly one is called Pete Leatherboot!"

"Cough, cough! That surname... is quite interesting!"

Caught off guard, Nalant nearly choked. Still, the surnames of serfs in this world were all like that.

Elegant surnames belonged exclusively to the nobility; serfs or commoners wouldn't dare use them.

Names like Tulip or Berick were reserved for nobles. As for the serfs, they either had no surnames at all, or they were stuck with things like Woodstick, Stone, or even Cowdung.

Next, Nalant asked for more details regarding Anthony's grain requisition.

He had intended to recover the grain, but according to Pete Leatherboot, it had already been transported to the neighboring Barony of Quinte.

Although the Barony of Quinte was Nalant's closest noble neighbor, it belonged to the territory of Earl Blackiron and was the only place where the people of Storm Territory could usually purchase daily necessities.

Since Anthony had shipped the grain there, it was clear he had already traded it for money or goods.

"Bastard!" Nalant couldn't help but curse out loud.

He learned from Pete that Anthony had been incredibly thorough in his plundering. With over a thousand people in Wheat Leaf Village, the remaining grain for all the villagers would only last them for the next month.

The problem was that the next harvest was at least three or four months away.

"Over a thousand people, and only enough food for one month!" Nalant took a deep breath. This was terrible news.

"Ding! System side quest: The serfs of Storm Territory are your private property. As their lord, you cannot watch them starve to death. You must find a way to keep the serfs alive for the next four months until the next harvest!"

"Quest Reward: The appearance of the second Daughter of Luck!"

Just as Nalant was worrying, the system's voice echoed in his mind.

"Hm? A second Daughter of Luck?" Nalant was stunned. The appearance of this quest managed to dampen his anger slightly.

He had already witnessed Vivian's abilities and was very much looking forward to the arrival of a second Daughter of Luck, so he was quite pleased to receive this quest.

"Where is Anthony's residence?" Pushing his thoughts aside, Nalant began to handle the business at hand.

He hadn't had a chance to have anyone clear out Anthony's belongings yet, but now it seemed necessary to raid his house.

"Reporting to my lord, it's that building!" Pete Leatherboot pointed to the only two-story house on the edge of the square.

Only then did Nalant notice it was the only stone building in Wheat Leaf Village. Although the surface was covered in moss, it was the sturdiest and most luxurious structure in the village.

Two hundred pounds of coarse wheat flour, ten pounds of fine wheat flour, fifty pounds of smoked meat, a barrel of wheat beer, two pounds of monster meat...

A set of silver tableware, five gold coins, thirty silver coins, and several copper coins...

As the guards carried item after item out of the stone house, Nalant's face gradually darkened.

This bastard Anthony had been living better than he was. That monster meat alone cost one gold coin per pound.

In the original owner's memories, he had only eaten monster meat once, back when his baron father had specially purchased it for his sixteenth coming-of-age ceremony.

"My lord, aside from a carriage in the backyard, everything in the stone house has been moved out!" Quick and Vivian reported.

"Good. Send five men to take these things back to the castle and hand them over to Thomas!" Nalant nodded and set down the silver spoon he had been holding.

He had already confirmed that this set of silver tableware was genuine, a world of difference from the silver-plated fakes in his own castle. This set was worth at least five gold coins.

Combined with everything else scavenged from the house, the total value was at least fifteen gold coins.

The currency system in this world was based on precious metals: one gold coin equaled one hundred silver coins, and one silver coin equaled one hundred copper coins. A single gold coin had the purchasing power of ten thousand yuan in his previous life.

It had to be said that although Anthony had been corrupt and deceitful, the final spoils of war ended up benefiting him. Plus, it had triggered a system quest, which was a blessing in disguise. After all, given Nalant's personality, he could never have committed such extortion himself.

Soon, Quick arranged for five guards to transport all the items back to the castle by carriage.

"Vivian, give Pete a silver coin so he can buy some food to eat first!" He had a rough understanding of the situation in Wheat Leaf Village, and he still needed to continue his inspection.

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord!" Upon hearing this, Pete Leatherboot was so moved that he knelt on the ground again and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Vivian, do you know how much wheat costs per pound?" After setting off again, Nalant began to ponder how to complete the quest issued by the system.

If he wanted to keep the serfs from starving, Nalant's only option now was to buy grain.

His castle didn't have much in reserve; he had only brought one carriage load, which was only enough to feed himself and the guard squad for a little over a month.

"Reporting to my lord, if we go to the Barony of Quinte to buy it, it costs thirty copper coins per pound!"

"Hm? That expensive?" Nalant was taken aback. Thirty copper coins were equivalent to thirty yuan. Even without knowing much about the prices in this world, Nalant felt that was outrageously high.

Seeing Nalant's confusion, Vivian continued, "My lord, Baron Quinte imposes taxes on all goods bought or sold by the serfs of our Storm Territory. Whether buying or selling, there is a three-fold price difference; otherwise, he won't allow us to go to the Barony of Quinte to trade!"

"If we were to buy it in other territories within the Tulip Earldom, it should be ten copper coins per pound!"