"Dinner time!"
As dusk settled, the guards in Storm Territory's castle finally heard the long-awaited call.
Led by Vivian, two servants carried several wooden tubs into the courtyard.
When the guards heard the call, only the five on duty remained on the walls. The other ten quickly jogged over to where the food was being served.
The guards collected their wooden plates and lined up at the table.
A large piece of black bread and a generous ladleful of whale meat soup.
"Thank you for the lord's generous bounty!" Though the lord wasn't there, Guard Kari Oxtail offered his sincere thanks as he caught the rich aroma wafting from the soup.
After thanking the lord, Kari Oxtail picked up his plate and started to leave.
"Wait a moment, Kari!" Vivian, who was standing nearby to supervise the guards, called after him.
"What can I do for you, Captain Vivian?" Kari asked curiously.
"Tonight, besides the usual black bread and whale meat, the lord has specially rewarded you with a piece of brown sugar black bread!" As she spoke, Vivian took a child-fist-sized piece of black bread from the wooden tub in front of her and placed it on Kari's plate.
"Brown sugar black bread?" Kari looked puzzled. But no matter what it was, since it was an extra reward from the lord, all he had to do was give thanks.
"Thank you for the lord's generous bounty!" Kari offered his thanks once more.
Then Kari carried his plate over to a nearby table.
The other guards soon followed, taking their plates to the table and settling down to enjoy their delicious dinner.
The guards didn't try the small piece of brown sugar bread right away. Instead, they dipped their large pieces of ordinary black bread into the fish soup and ate.
After all, no matter what it was called, black bread was still black bread. The fish soup was the delicacy Kari Oxtail and the other guards craved most.
After finishing the soup and bread, Kari Oxtail rubbed his belly with satisfaction and smiled.
Happiness was that simple. With a kind and generous lord, every meal left them full.
"By the way, there's still this little piece of... what was it called? Oh... brown sugar bread. I can't let it go to waste!"
Kari Oxtail knew how precious food was. Though he already felt very full, he still picked up the brown sugar black bread.
To him, it was only a bite's worth.
Chomp!
The next moment, Kari Oxtail stuffed the brown sugar black bread into his mouth without hesitation. Once it was in, he naturally stood up, ready to wash his plate.
But just then, Kari Oxtail's body suddenly jolted, and his eyes widened.
"Ah!"
Kari Oxtail let out a startled cry.
His cry startled several guards nearby. They all looked up and grumbled, "Kari Oxtail, did a cow step on your tail or something? Why are you yelling for no reason? You scared us!"
"No... it's this... this bread... it..." Kari Oxtail didn't even care how disgusting it was. He spat out the brown sugar black bread, still recognizable, then pointed at it, at a loss for words.
"What's wrong with the bread? Did you bite into a little stone? That shouldn't happen. Since Madam Rose came to the castle, the black bread has tasted much better than before, and there aren't any stones in it." The other guards were baffled.
"No... it's just so delicious!" After struggling for a while, Kari finally managed to finish his sentence.
"Delicious? So delicious it made you scream? Kari, are you messing with us?" The other guards naturally didn't believe him. If Kari had been eating white bread, they might have believed him. After all, they'd never tasted the white bread nobles ate.
"I'm not lying. Try it yourselves and you'll see. This brown sugar bread is the best bread I've ever eaten!" As he spoke, Kari hurriedly stuffed the bread back into his mouth.
This time, he didn't chew. He simply held it in his mouth, slowly savoring its rich sweetness.
"Is it really that good?" Seeing that Kari Oxtail didn't look like he was putting on an act, the other guards finally began to believe him. They picked up their own pieces of brown sugar bread and put them into their mouths.
"Ah!"
"Wow!"
"Oh!"
A string of exclamations rang through the castle courtyard. The guards who had doubted Kari reacted even more dramatically than he had.
They had never even tasted honey before. Sweetness was a flavor they had never experienced.
Time flew by, and another three days passed.
That day, after completing his morning Battle Qi training in the back garden as usual, Nalant washed up and was about to go downstairs for lunch when Vivian hurriedly ran up.
"My lord, the caravan is back!" Vivian's face lit up with joy. She knew how eagerly her lord had been awaiting the caravan's return. It had carried the hope of Storm Territory's rise, and now it was time to see the results.
"It's back?" Nalant asked in surprise.
"Yes, my lord. The caravan is about two miles from the castle!" Vivian nodded firmly.
"Vivian, bring Lightning to the courtyard. Lilia, help me get dressed!"
After bathing and washing up, Nalant was wearing only an undershirt. He hadn't had time to change into his presentable silk formalwear.
"Yes, my lord!" Vivian and Lilia answered together.
With Lilia's help, he quickly put on suitable formalwear, then hurried downstairs.
When he reached the courtyard, Nalant mounted Lightning and led the guards out of the castle to meet the approaching caravan.
Nalant could have waited inside the castle, but he was simply too eager to find out how the caravan had fared. It was like buying a lottery ticket and wanting to know the result right away. Every extra minute was unbearable.
As they looked at the castle standing a mile away, Thomas, Quick, and the other guards felt a surge of warmth and reassurance.
They had been away from their territory for nearly ten days, and now they had finally returned, having completed their lord's orders and come back with a full haul.
The three carriages had been packed to the brim when they set out, and they were just as full on the return journey.
In addition, twenty commoners dressed in plain linen clothes followed behind the caravan.
These were the family members of the five guards Anthony had recruited.
"My lord is here!" Just then, Thomas and the others saw a group filing out of the castle and immediately realized their lord had come to welcome them.
"Greetings, my lord!"
"Greetings, Lord!"
As the majestic lord rode at the head of the group and approached, everyone in the caravan respectfully offered their greetings.
"You're back!"
Nalant looked at the caravan and nodded to Thomas, Quick, and the other guards.
"My lord, the First Guard Squad has successfully completed the task you assigned. The caravan suffered no losses on this trip!" Quick reported first.
"Mm, you've all done well!" Nalant nodded with satisfaction.
"My lord, I've also successfully completed all the tasks you assigned me and sold all the goods!" Thomas reported after Quick.
"Very good, Thomas!" Nalant finally felt at ease. He'd gotten the answer to his first business venture.
"Come on, let's return to the castle!" Nalant waved his hand and led the caravan back.