A Sudden Windfall

Chapter 39: A Sudden Windfall

"180!"

"200!"

"No. The highest I can go is 180 Gold Coins per pound of Mithril. A price of 200 is impossible!" Arthur said stubbornly. While he could overlook a small number of Gold Coins, he could not overlook tens of thousands of them.

As Princess Angel's executor, he had to use every possible means to safeguard the Princess's interests and glory.

Things the Princess would not do, or even think of doing, had to be handled by him as the villain.

William and Lotner exchanged a glance. Both had long known that Mithril could not fetch more than 200 Gold Coins in Blue Moon Town.

But trading here was safe. They did not have to worry about Elves leaking information about the transaction, much less sending people to rob or pursue them.

"Then it's settled. Five hundred pounds of Mithril at 180 Gold Coins per pound, for a total of 90,000 Gold Coins!" William nodded at Arthur.

Arthur looked impatient. He had no favorable impression of William—or rather, he had no favorable impression of any prince from Blackleaf Forest. "Your calculation is correct. If we trade now, bring over the Mithril. Then you can leave."

"How about rounding it up to 100,000 Gold Coins?" William asked cautiously.

"..."

Arthur, who had already turned away, slowly turned back. His gaze was icy, as if asking, Do you think I'm stupid?

But!

The effect of the Handsome Talent had indeed shown its advantage.

For some unknown reason.

Arthur had gradually developed a full 67 points of favorability toward him, exactly matching William's Charm Value...

Perhaps Arthur had lost his mind, because he actually said, "Seeing as it wasn't easy for you to make this trip, I'll count it as 91,000 Gold Coins!"

William immediately stood up. "Then it's a deal. Lotner, have Nock bring over the Mithril. We'll take the Gold Coins and head back!"

The transaction went smoothly.

Whether they were Black Leaf Elves, Moonlight Elves, or Snow Elves, they all shared one trait: pride.

They would not cheat over such a small business deal.

Unless it concerned the fate of their race.

Although Arthur regretted and was bewildered by his own words the moment he said them, William had already trotted off and slipped away...

As for the Princess who kept a little White Horse, they did not meet again.

William did not linger over it either. He was not in much of a hurry on the way back, so he let the Elves under his command rest for several hours and enjoy a hearty meal before setting off.

Based on the current output of the Mithril Vein, it could produce around 100 pounds of Mithril every month. William and Arthur therefore agreed on a monthly transaction of 50 pounds of Mithril, which meant a fixed monthly income of 9,000 Gold Coins.

"With the 91,000 Gold Coins from this transaction, as long as Lord arranges things properly, along with the Gold Coins to come, Border Town will definitely expand into a town within half a year!" Lotner sighed faintly. Border Town was finally on the right track.

Since arriving in the small town, William's rise as Lord had not been slow. It could even be called rapid.

For example, the Iron Ore Vein and Mithril Vein that had suddenly appeared had provided construction materials and Gold Coin income.

Then there was the considerable number of Dwarves.

And those Orcs who had sought their own deaths had given the Elven Warriors in the territory plenty of experience.

One had to know.

Aside from training, eating Magical Beast meat, using Magic Potions, and so on, NPCs could only gain experience through battle. If an NPC went through life-and-death battles, they could even gain several levels in succession.

NPC Warriors who survived a hundred battles were no slower than players in terms of growth.

This was also why, whenever the version level cap was lifted, NPCs in war-torn regions could rapidly increase their levels as well.

For instance, Lotner had originally been level 56. After fighting Pale Orcs above his level, he successfully gained two levels in a row and reached level 58.

Although he was still a mid-tier combat Professional, he was another step closer to the level 70 cap.

Thinking of this, William could not help glancing at Lotner. He always wanted to find some powerful monsters so that his personal bodyguard could reach the version level cap as soon as possible.

Seeing that ill-intentioned look, Lotner silently closed his mouth.

Still, he had heard those two words...

"Uncle, I heard there are some Trolls near the territory?" William asked thoughtfully from horseback.

"Huh? Are there? Is that really the case..." Lotner's mouth twitched. Trolls were social creatures that favored dark, damp areas and generally chose caves with lakes.

Their strength?

Since they lived near lakes, they could conveniently catch animals, Magical Beasts, and even anything else that came to drink.

They were very strong...

William explained with feigned understanding, "How could there not be? You know the two mountain peaks directly south of Border Town, right? There's a huge lake between them, and that's where our Rainbow River begins.

Actually, I have some ideas about the Ocean and that lake.

We could build two docks, one near the lake and one near the Ocean, and make some fishing boats. Not only would that increase our food supply, it would also diversify our dishes.

But if we want to reach the Ocean, the closest route is directly from the lakeshore. Otherwise, we would have to go around the lake from either side of the two mountain peaks. That would be more trouble than it was worth—not only would the journey double in length, it would be far too dangerous!"

"If Lord has something to say, just say it. There's no need to call me uncle..." Since William would not let it go, Lotner could only hold firm.

"Take some time to wipe out those Trolls, along with the other Magical Beasts by the lake. How about it?"

"No problem."

"Good." William nodded, ignoring Lotner's miserable expression. There was nothing he could do. Since he did not know how to refuse—and could not refuse—he would carry the burden like a real man.

There were no accidents on the return trip either.

The depths of Blackleaf Forest were dangerous, but only to individuals or small teams. Most Magical Beasts had no interest in treating a large group as food.

Likewise.

William was carrying so many Gold Coins that he feared unexpected trouble. He had no interest in dealing with any Magical Beasts they happened to encounter.

Finally.

When they saw Border Town, which was still being expanded.

William and the others finally breathed a sigh of relief. Odom also set aside his work, his dazzling blond hair flowing behind him as he came to welcome the group.

"It's only been six days, and Lord is already back. That was fast!" Odom's eyes gleamed as he looked at the crates upon crates of Gold Coins...

Dwarves and Dragons shared the same hobby: they both liked sparkling Gold Coins.

Moreover, because the Dwarf Race loved mining, the former Dwarf Empire and the current Seven Dwarf Kingdoms were all extremely wealthy nations, far beyond what ordinary Human Kingdoms could compare to.

"Stop staring. I'll raise your wages!" William waved a hand in front of Odom's eyes. Then, as he entered the small town, he saw many faces he had never seen before.

"Who are these people?" William was a little curious. Could it be that Kuri had already sent over the slaves?

Odom pointed at them. "They're poor people from Blackrock Duchy and Steel Duchy. They heard that Border Town was expanding and paying wages, so they came here to work.

"During the six days you were gone, more than 200 people arrived one after another. It seems there will be even more!"

"Do any of them want to settle here?" William saw many young people. They were all such good prospects...

"Quite a few do. After all, a thriving town is a hundred times better than those Human towns filled with Vampires among the Nobles!" Odom sighed.

It had to be said.

The reason people kept joining the Neutral Faction was because the human noble system had oppressed so many Commoners until they could no longer bear it...

Thanks to sb Account Thief for the reward.

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