"So the salt and dried fish were sold out after passing through only six territories?"
In the castle's first-floor hall, Nalant listened as Thomas recounted the caravan's journey in detail, occasionally asking for specifics so he could better prepare for Storm Territory's commercial development.
"Yes, my lord. The salt and dried fish were all sold after we passed through six territories! If we hadn't spent so little time in each place, we might have sold everything after just two or three territories." Thomas sipped the honey tea Nalant had specially rewarded him with and nodded emphatically.
"Hmm. Even selling everything after passing through six territories has already exceeded my expectations. Dried fish isn't a necessity, after all!" Nalant said with a smile and a nod.
He had used Storm Territory as a baseline and assumed that while other territories were better off, they wouldn't be particularly wealthy.
But it seemed he'd overlooked one thing: the people in other territories weren't all serfs. Commoners made up a sizable portion of the population, too.
Serfs had no purchasing power, but that didn't mean commoners didn't. So dried fish could clearly sell just as well as salt.
The only pity was that the nobles were still wary of Storm Territory's reputation as the Land of Misfortune. Otherwise, with the purchasing power of those noble lords, the dried fish and salt would have sold even faster.
Of course, the nobles' reluctance to buy for the time being also had its advantages.
That way, they couldn't interfere with his salt business, and he could keep selling at low prices to the commoners, getting them used to the idea of cheap salt.
Once they'd grown accustomed to those low prices, the commoners would naturally organize caravans to come to Storm Territory.
As long as outside caravans began entering Storm Territory, its trade would gradually take shape.
Whether they came to buy or sell goods, the caravans would play a vital role in Storm Territory's development.
"Thomas, go on!"
"Yes, my lord!"
"After that, the caravan continued onward. As you instructed, we sent a guard to deliver the gift prepared for Lord Andrew. Then the caravan arrived at Tulip Castle..." At Nalant's instruction, Thomas began describing the next part of the journey in detail.
"My father chased Aldin around with a battle-axe right in front of the count?" Nalant's eyes widened. He hadn't expected the original owner's father to be so imposing. That was his liege lord, right there!
Still, this showed that although the original owner had been useless, Andrew had cared just as much for all his children.
"Yes, my lord! Fortunately, the count wasn't angry. He even spoke up to calm Lord Andrew down!"
"Hmm." Nalant nodded. His father was one of the count's strongest warriors, so the count naturally wouldn't punish him too severely.
More importantly, from Thomas's detailed account, Nalant realized that his father didn't seem like the sort of man who was all brawn and no brains.
One detail in particular was worth noting. Andrew had chased Aldin while swinging his axe at him, but when Aldin ran up onto the platform where the count was standing, Andrew hadn't followed.
The platform was like the imperial dais where an emperor might stand in his previous life. No vassal could set foot on it without permission. Andrew had held back, which showed he understood exactly where the count's boundaries lay.
After thinking about his father, Nalant recalled the count's compensation. "Good thing I'd anticipated this. My Storm Territory almost slipped right out of my hands!"
Although the Land of Misfortune was a little dangerous, Nalant really didn't want to give it up. It was not only far from the count's reach; most importantly, it was huge.
The other second sons had been given territories that split a single barony in half, or even into thirds.
Those territories might have been safer, but they were smaller and had far less potential for development.
And if they were unlucky, they might not even get a castle. Could a lord without a castle really be called a lord?
By contrast, Storm Territory was the size of an entire barony, and he'd even received a tax exemption as compensation.
Nalant figured that in a few years, the count would regret this decision bitterly. After all, the recent sale of his goods had already proven that trade was viable.
Of course, by the time the count regretted it, it would be too late. The decree granting Storm Territory tax exemption was already in Nalant's hands.
The parchment bore only a few words: From this day forward, all taxes on the fief of Storm Territory, belonging to the vassal Nalant, are hereby waived. This decree shall remain in effect permanently.
Signed: Bernard Glory Tulip! Along with the count's personal seal.
Like an imperial edict from his previous life, it would remain valid forever, unless the Tulip Family ceased to exist one day.
"My lord, after I finished reporting to the count at Tulip Castle, I took the caravan to East City in Tulip City, where we began selling perfume..." Thomas resumed his account of the perfume sales.
"Something like that really happened? The noble ladies smelled the perfume, yet none of them came over to buy it?" Nalant couldn't help feeling a pang of anxiety. He'd fallen prey to the trap of assuming things would work the way they had before.
How could he have known that, to the nobles of this world, their dignity mattered more than anything else?
He'd thought he'd planned for every possibility. For example, he'd specifically told Thomas not to say that the perfume came from Storm Territory, since the Land of Misfortune's reputation might make the nobles shun it just as they had the salt and dried sea fish.
He hadn't expected that, while he'd avoided the Land of Misfortune's bad reputation, another problem would arise.
Fortunately, the Tulip's Flower, whom he'd never met, had ultimately helped turn things around for him.
For Stella, it had been an unintentional gesture, but it had served as excellent publicity for Nalant's perfume.
Just as in his previous life, for an item to become fashionable, a public figure had to promote it and lead the trend.
And Stella was a truly renowned beauty throughout Tulip Territory.
More importantly, Stella had also raised the price of his perfume from fifty silver coins a bottle to one gold coin.
"I'll have to find a chance to repay the Tulip's Flower properly." Nalant silently remembered the favor.
After the perfume, Thomas recounted the mundane details of purchasing supplies in the city. Nothing much had happened after that.
At the end of his account, Thomas took a gift box from his arms.
"My lord, as the caravan was leaving Tulip City, your younger sister, Lady Naxia, asked me to give you this gift."
"Naxia?" Nalant was a little surprised. The name felt both familiar and strange to him now.
Andrew had three children in all: two sons and a daughter. Naxia was Nalant's younger sister, two years his junior.
Unlike Nalant, Naxia had an exceptionally strong talent for Battle Qi, even greater than his eldest brother's. She was probably studying at the Noble Academy in Tulip City now.
Nalant took the gift box and opened it. A bright red crystal appeared inside.
"It's a Flame Crystal!"