"Huh? You're not coming back?"
"Why not? We're all willing to buy your salt!"
The townsfolk, who had been smiling moments ago, now looked disappointed. Having bought cheap salt once, they naturally hoped to buy it again.
Besides, they had realized that the salt they'd bought from their own lord was mixed with a great deal of sand. But the salt from the Storm Territory caravan was the real deal—not a single grain of sand in it.
So the seven Copper Coins they'd paid for one bag had bought them more than a bag's worth of salt.
Seeing the townsfolk's disappointed faces, Thomas smiled and continued, "However, even if our caravan won't be coming back, you can still travel to the Storm Territory to buy salt!"
Travel to the Storm Territory to buy salt?
Setting aside the two days it would take to make the round trip, it was also the Land of Misfortune, a place said to be cursed. No one was willing to make the journey just to save three Copper Coins. It simply wasn't worth it.
The townsfolk still didn't look particularly excited at the suggestion.
Thomas had expected their reaction. He went on to drop another bombshell.
"Our lord says that if you travel to the Storm Territory to buy salt, the price will be even lower: just five Copper Coins per bag!"
"What? Five Copper Coins a bag?" This time the townsfolk were finally astonished. That was half the usual price.
"Exactly! Five Copper Coins a bag, and we guarantee it won't be mixed with sand! What's more, the Storm Territory won't limit how much salt you can buy!" Thomas said with a smile.
"Also, here's a suggestion: if you have the means, you can put together a small merchant caravan and travel to the Storm Territory to buy goods. Buy a large quantity of salt in one go, then bring it back and sell it for seven Copper Coins a bag!"
With that, Thomas didn't linger. The caravan headed straight out of town.
The townsfolk left behind watched the caravan depart, their eyes gleaming. They had taken Thomas's advice to heart.
The profit was only two Copper Coins per bag, but it was still a good business. After all, people could never do without salt.
In this world, most trade was done by nobles. Before now, they wouldn't even have dared to dream of dealing in something like salt.
"Three thousand three hundred and ninety-seven, three thousand three hundred and ninety-eight, three thousand three hundred and ninety-nine... four thousand! Ha! We've made forty silver coins on this trip!"
Sitting in the carriage, Thomas held a large clay jar as he dropped one gleaming Copper Coin after another into a wooden chest. When he put in the last coin, he laughed with delight.
In Black Rock Town, they had sold more than four hundred bags of salt, along with over a hundred and twenty pounds of dried fish. The goods had cost them less than three silver coins in total, yet they'd brought in forty silver coins.
And that was only the morning's earnings. If they stayed the whole day, making a gold coin wouldn't be a problem. After all, more and more residents of Black Rock Territory, who had only just heard the news, were still arriving.
Thomas couldn't help feeling sincere admiration for his learned and wise lord. His lord had put together such a profitable business in just over half a month.
"Steward Thomas!" At that moment, Captain Quick spoke up. "Why is our lord selling the salt and dried fish at such low prices? Wouldn't we make more if we sold them at the original price? Especially the salt—we haven't mixed in any sand. Those peasants and commoners surely wouldn't think it was too expensive."
Quick was glad the caravan was making money, but seeing such good salt sold so cheaply made him feel sorry for his lord.
"Quick, that's the difference between us and Lord Nalant!" Thomas said with a faint smile.
Then he grew solemn and looked toward the Storm Territory. "Before we set out, I asked my lord the same question. He told me that one day we'd have salt and dried fish in abundance, but they could only become money once we sold them. There are only so many nobles in the duchy. If we sell only to them, we'll never sell everything, and we'll make only a little money."
"But it's different if we sell to commoners and serfs. There are far more of them than there are nobles—tens of thousands of times more. If each person bought just one bag of salt, the Copper Coins would pile up so high they could fill the whole castle!"
"If the price is too high, the serfs won't be able to afford it. So we have to sell it cheap!"
"Besides, our lord said the most important thing is... he wants Baron Quinte to kneel and sing 'Conquer'!"
"Kneel and sing 'Conquer'? How are you supposed to sing the word 'conquer'?" Quick's eyes widened.
"I don't know either. I suppose our lord will teach him when the time comes!" Thomas shook his head and looked away.
Thomas and the others continued on their way. Whenever they passed a noble's territory, they stopped for half a day. They used the same approach they'd used in Black Rock Territory, and when they left, they told the townsfolk they could travel to the Storm Territory to buy salt in the future. The Storm Territory wouldn't restrict commoner caravans from coming.
After passing through just five noble territories, they had sold all the more than three hundred pounds of sea salt and two thousand pounds of dried fish they'd brought along.
In total, they'd earned four gold coins and twenty silver coins.
With all their goods sold, the caravan picked up speed. As they neared the Berick Family's territory, Quick sent a soldier to deliver some salt and salted fish to Berick Territory, while the caravan continued on toward Tulip City, only about a day's journey away.
As Thomas and the others neared Tulip City, the Storm Territory had also been busy lately.
First, construction had begun on the town's toilets. Nalant had asked Vivian to recruit a hundred sturdy serfs to work on them all at once.
"What do you think these toilets are for?"
"They're such fine stone buildings. Maybe they're for the future civil officials to live in!"
"But there's only one civil official, and they're building three toilets!"
"Could they be for selling beer? I saw stone buildings selling beer in Baron Quinte's territory."
"Those are called taverns! This is a toilet!"
"Whatever it is, the lord has put us to work and is paying us a wage of thirty Copper Coins. We just need to do our best!"
"Right! Lord Nalant is the most generous. Still, he doesn't know how to farm. He had us plant the wheat seedlings so close together that a lot of the wheat will probably grow empty husks!"
"Shh! Do you want to be hanged in the square? How dare you talk about our generous lord like that? Besides, the lord extended us credit for fifty pounds of meat. That little bit of wasted wheat doesn't compare!"
"That's right! Tell me, could you eat meat every day before?"