Opening New Trade Routes

Lohr, a twelve-year-old boy around one and a half meters tall, walked down the street with an iron sword only slightly shorter than those carried by adults on his back. He was undoubtedly quite conspicuous.

Still, no one said anything. Everyone knew that Lohr was the only one left in his family.

It was perfectly normal for a child to lack a sense of security and carry an iron sword for protection. They were merely surprised by his strength.

They did not speak along the way.

The two rented three carriages from the carriage house and left town again, heading for the small fishing village sixteen kilometers away.

Since they had brought no goods, everyone rode in the carriages on the way there, making the trip swift. It took only a little over an hour.

Nothing unexpected happened along the way, and they arrived safely outside Dural Village.

When the villagers spotted the convoy, one hurried back to notify the village elders.

"Let's wait here first."

Lohr got down from the carriage with Clysis. Seeing a villager run into the village, he did not enter directly and instead waited quietly outside.

"Alright." Clysis nodded.

Before long, an elderly man emerged from the village with two young, able-bodied men and approached them with smiles on their faces.

Lohr's gaze swept over the white-haired elder before he glanced toward the village behind him.

He vaguely spotted several figures carrying fish spears lingering in the distance.

That was perfectly normal. His predecessor's parents had never come to this village to buy goods, so a little vigilance was only natural.

Had they not come with so few people, their reception would likely have been even more guarded.

Soon, the white-haired elder stopped about five meters away from Lohr's group and asked with a smile, "Friends from afar, may I ask what brings you here?"

"I'm Lohr Rokes, a merchant from Radov Town. I heard there was a fishing village here, so I came to buy some fish," Lohr replied with a smile of his own.

"I am Mihau Cadiz. Welcome."

Mihau was somewhat surprised that the one answering him was not the young man, but the boy beside him. Still, he did not pay it much mind.

Once he confirmed their purpose, he visibly relaxed, and his smile became more sincere. "May I ask how many pounds of fish Mr. Lohr wishes to purchase?"

"I want to buy around three thousand pounds, but on one condition: I choose them myself."

Lohr began laying out his terms. "As for the price, how about one silver and five copper coins per hundred pounds?"

This small village was different from Roya Village, which was very close to Radov Town.

If they caught too many fish and their ponds could not hold them all, they could simply organize the villagers to transport them to Radov Town to sell.

But this place was rather far from town, and they could usually only rely on merchant caravans to move their goods. It was quite troublesome.

Therefore, the purchase price in this village could definitely be pressed down somewhat.

"Of course."

Mihau nodded readily. "Please follow me. I'll take you to choose the fish."

Lohr raised an eyebrow. Well, looks like he had set the price too high.

Still, it did not matter. One silver and five copper coins for a hundred pounds of fish was enough for him to break even.

That also meant he could obtain Charge Points in this small village completely free of charge.

Before long, Mihau led Lohr's group to the fishpond in the village and instructed the two young men beside him, "Kelen, Bertia, cast up some fish for the guests to choose from."

"Yes."

The two young men answered, went to the fishpond, grabbed their nets, and pulled hard. They hauled up a heap of fish and poured them into several wooden buckets beside the pond.

Lohr followed them over, picked up an empty wooden bucket, and began sorting through the fish.

Once he had selected the fish containing trace elements, he would tell the two men.

They would then pour the remaining fish back into the pond, scoop up another netful, and fill the buckets again.

Taking advantage of the interval, Lohr knocked the selected fish dead one by one and had Clysis and the three carriage drivers carry them into the carriages.

[Absorbing trace elements, Charge Points +0.3%]

[Absorbing trace elements, Charge Points +0.4%]

Listening to the notifications of Charge Points coming in, Lohr was in an exceptionally good mood.

Cadiz had not left the other side of the pond and stood nearby watching everyone work.

However, the figures who had been standing guard with fish spears in the distance had disappeared.

Time filled with gains always passed quickly.

Before they knew it, the sun had nearly reached its zenith.

Lohr glanced at the Charge Points section of the panel.

[Charge Points: 2, 57.3%]

"Not bad. I got 2.5 Charge Points in one morning. If I casually get a little more this afternoon, maybe we won't even need to stay overnight here."

It was best if they did not have to spend the night outside, not only because it was dangerous, but more importantly because dead fish would not keep for long.

If they went back to pickle them tomorrow, who knew how much would spoil.

If too much spoiled, it might end up costing more than buying fish from Roya Village at twice the price.

"Everyone, stop for now. Rest for half an hour, eat lunch, then we'll continue."

Lohr called everyone to a halt, returned to the carriages, took out the food they had brought that morning from a corner, and handed it out to everyone. He did not even leave out the two fishermen or Cadiz.

However, they did not accept Lohr's food. They merely smiled and said they would return home to eat, clearly still wary of him.

Lohr did not mind. He put the food away and began eating on his own.

Half an hour passed quickly. Cadiz returned with the two fishermen after finishing their meal.

Under the blazing sun, everyone began working again.

In just over an hour, the three carriages Lohr had brought were stuffed full.

[Charge Points: 3, 11.2%]

After glancing at the panel, Lohr took out a money pouch containing only six gold coins, ten silver coins, and a few copper coins. He counted out four gold coins and five silver coins, handed them to Cadiz, and said, "By the God of Wealth, a pleasure doing business with you."

"A pleasure doing business with you." Mihau nodded, accepted the money, and asked with a smile, "Do you need to stay overnight in the village? It's getting rather late. You might not make it back to town before dark."

Lohr looked at the sky and estimated that it was only around two in the afternoon. He immediately shook his head. "No need. It's still early. We should make it into town before nightfall."

"Very well, then. You're welcome to come again."

Cadiz was somewhat regretful that he could not earn another lodging fee, but he did not try to persuade them to stay. He personally escorted Lohr's group to the village entrance.

"I'll definitely come again." Lohr nodded with a smile.

After parting with Mihau and the others, he took out the money pouch again and gave Clysis three copper coins. He gave one copper coin each to the other three carriage drivers and said, "Everyone worked hard today."

He was not very familiar with Mihau's people, so naturally he could not flaunt his wealth and invite trouble.

That was why he had specifically waited until they left before giving his own people extra pay.

"As we should. Thank you, Master Lohr." The three carriage drivers accepted the copper coins with beaming smiles.

The two carriage drivers with unfamiliar faces repeatedly turned to look at another driver who seemed somewhat familiar.

That familiar driver puffed out his chest, looking proud of himself.

Lohr took in the entire scene, the corners of his lips curling upward, but he said nothing.

As for Clysis, he accepted the copper coins as though it were only natural this time. At worst, he could help out with a little more work that night.