Naxia's Gift

"So, the salt and dried fish were sold out after passing through only six territories?"

In the main hall on the first floor of the castle, Nalant listened as Thomas recounted the caravan's journey in detail, interjecting with questions from time to time to gather information for the future commercial development of Storm Territory.

"Yes, My Lord. The salt and dried fish were completely sold out after passing through just six territories! If we hadn't spent so little time at each stop, we probably could have sold everything after passing through only two or three," Thomas replied, nodding vigorously as he sipped the honeyed tea Nalant had specially rewarded him with.

"Hmm, actually, selling out after six territories already exceeds my expectations. After all, dried fish isn't exactly a necessity!" Nalant nodded with a smile.

Using Storm Territory as his baseline, he had assumed that while other territories might be slightly better off than his own, they wouldn't be particularly wealthy.

However, it was clear he had overlooked one point: the population of other territories wasn't composed entirely of serfs; commoners made up a significant portion as well.

While serfs lacked purchasing power, that didn't mean the commoners did, so it stood to reason that dried fish could sell just as well as salt.

The only pity was that those nobles were still wary of Storm Territory's reputation as the Land of Misfortune; otherwise, given the purchasing power of those lords, the fish and salt would surely have sold even faster.

Of course, the fact that the nobles were temporarily abstaining from purchasing had its benefits.

This way, the nobles couldn't muscle in on his salt business, allowing him to continue selling at low prices to the commoners and helping them grow accustomed to the low cost.

Once this perception of low prices was established, the commoners would naturally organize caravans to come to Storm Territory.

As long as outside caravans entered Storm Territory, its commerce would gradually take shape.

Whether the caravans came to buy goods or sell them, it was of vital importance to the development of Storm Territory.

"Thomas, continue."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"After that, the caravan continued forward. Following your instructions, we sent a guard to deliver the gifts prepared for Lord Andrew, and then the caravan arrived at Tulip Castle..." Receiving his orders, Thomas began to detail the next phase.

"My father actually chased after Aldin with a great axe in front of the Count?" Nalant's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected his predecessor's father to be so domineering—that was a liege lord they were talking about.

However, this showed that although the original Nalant was a wastrel, Andrew was equally protective of his own offspring.

"Yes, My Lord! Fortunately, the Count was not angry and even spoke to soothe Lord Andrew!"

"Hmm." Nalant nodded. His cheap father was a fierce general under the Count, so naturally, the Count wouldn't punish him too severely.

More importantly, from Thomas's detailed account, Nalant realized his cheap old man wasn't just a man of brawn and no brain.

For instance, one detail was quite telling: although Andrew had been chasing Aldin with murderous intent, he stopped the pursuit the moment Aldin ran onto the high platform where the Count stood.

This platform was like the dragon dais of an emperor in his past life; subjects were absolutely forbidden from stepping onto it without permission. Andrew had managed to restrain himself, showing he had a firm grasp of the Count's bottom line.

After sighing over his cheap father, Nalant remembered the Count's compensation. "It's a good thing I anticipated this; my Storm Territory almost slipped through my fingers!"

Although the Land of Misfortune was a bit dangerous, Nalant really didn't want to trade it. Not only was it far from the reach of the central authority, but most importantly, it was vast.

The territories received by other second sons were usually a single barony split into two or even three parts.

Such territories might be safe, but they were small, and their potential for development was too low.

Furthermore, if one were unlucky, they might not even have a castle. Could a lord without a castle even be called a lord?

On the contrary, his Storm Territory was the size of an entire barony, and he had even secured a tax exemption as compensation.

Nalant felt that in a few years, the Count would surely regret this decision to his very core, as this recent sale had fully validated the feasibility of trade.

Of course, even if the Count regretted it later, it would be of no use; the decree exempting Storm Territory from taxes was already in his hands.

The parchment contained only a few lines: Effective immediately, the fief of Storm Territory, held by vassal Nalant, is exempt from all taxes. This decree is permanently valid.

Signed: Bernard Glory Tulip! Plus the Count's personal seal.

This document was as permanently valid as an imperial edict from his past life; it would only become void if the Tulip family ceased to exist.

"My Lord, after reporting to the Count at Tulip Castle, I led the caravan to the east side of Tulip City, where we began selling the perfume..." Thomas began to recount the process of selling the perfume!

"Such a thing happened? Even after smelling the fragrance, none of the noble ladies or wives came up to buy?" Nalant couldn't help but break into a cold sweat; he had suffered from his own rigid thinking.

He hadn't realized that for the nobles of this world, maintaining their dignity was often more important than anything else.

He had originally thought his plan was foolproof, such as specifically instructing Thomas not to mention that the perfume came from Storm Territory, fearing that the reputation of the Land of Misfortune would cause the perfume to be shunned by nobles just like the salt and dried fish.

He hadn't expected to avoid the stigma of the Land of Misfortune only to run into a different problem.

Fortunately, the Flower of Tulip, whom he had never met, had helped him salvage the situation.

Although it was an unintentional act on Stella's part, it served as an excellent endorsement for Nalant's perfume.

Just like in his past life, if you wanted an item to become a trend, it had to be promoted and led by public figures.

And in Tulip Territory, Stella was a truly renowned figure.

More importantly, Stella had set the price of his perfume from the original fifty silver coins directly to one gold coin per bottle.

"If I have the chance, I must properly repay this Flower of Tulip!" Nalant silently tucked this debt of gratitude into his heart.

Once the perfume matter was finished, the rest was just the trivial details of purchasing goods in the city; nothing of great importance happened after that.

At the very end, Thomas took a gift box from his bosom.

"My Lord, this is a gift that Miss Naxia, your younger sister, asked me to pass on to you when the caravan was leaving Tulip City!"

"Naxia?" Nalant was somewhat surprised. The name Naxia felt both familiar and strange to him now.

Andrew had three children in total: two sons and one daughter, and this Naxia was his biological sister, two years younger than his predecessor.

Unlike Nalant, Naxia had a very high talent for Battle Qi, even surpassing Nalant's eldest brother. She should currently be studying at the Noble Academy in Tulip City.

Taking the gift box, Nalant opened it directly, and a fiery red crystal appeared before his eyes.

"It's actually a Flame Crystal!"