"Business?"
The smile on Korn's face froze for a moment, then gave way to an even keener commercial instinct. He bowed slightly and made an inviting gesture, adopting the humblest posture he could.
"It would be an honor for the Golden Sail Merchant Guild to do business with you, a creator of miracles."
Veylin ignored the empty flattery, turned, and led Korn toward a completed two-story vine building. He was temporarily using it as a warehouse and office.
The moment they stepped inside, cool, fresh air washed over them, shutting out the swamp's oppressive heat and humidity.
The corner of Korn's eye twitched involuntarily. Rather than rough, flat surfaces, the interior walls were covered in spiral patterns. The floor was level and solid, clicking beneath their footsteps. It unmistakably felt like stone.
Though he had already confirmed it, he still found it hard to believe that plants had grown all of this in little more than ten days.
Veylin dispensed with further pleasantries and signaled Barrett.
The guard captain understood. He had his men carry in a huge, intact hide and toss it into the open space in the center of the room.
The hide was dark green, covered in hard, bowl-sized plates, with thick layers of fat visible along its edges. Even after preliminary tanning, it still gave off a strong smell of blood.
Korn's gaze was immediately drawn to it, and he displayed considerable professional expertise. He hurried forward but did not touch it at once. Instead, he first sniffed it, then crouched and tapped the scales with his knuckles, producing a dull knocking sound.
"This is...?"
"A Gray Swamp Crocodile hide," Veylin explained.
Korn sounded excited. "Judging by its size and the thickness of its scales, it was an adult tier three magical beast. It's relatively well preserved and worth quite a bit. What's in the oilcloth beside it...? A poison gland and a water sac? Good heavens, they're both completely intact!"
Veylin watched him calmly, as though he were selling cabbages. "There's another hide, slightly smaller."
Before he had finished speaking, another crocodile hide was carried in.
Korn's breathing grew heavier.
Two of them! That meant this had not been a chance encounter, but a planned hunt!
Before Korn could offer a valuation, Veylin gave Barrett another meaningful look.
This time, Barrett and another guard worked together to carry in a ferocious-looking head-it belonged to the rhino the Gray Swamp Crocodile had worn down and killed.
Korn's fingers stopped midair as he calculated his offer. He stared fixedly at the head, his Adam's apple bobbing. He instinctively took half a step back, then realized he had lost his composure.
"A Rockshatter Rhino?" He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound less dry. "Just one could wipe out an entire mercenary squad..."
Three tier three magical beasts! The strength backing Veylin was far beyond anything a Pioneer Knight could possess!
"The Golden Sail Merchant Guild is willing to purchase everything." Korn took a deep breath, suppressing his panic. "For all the materials from the two Gray Swamp Crocodiles, we offer one hundred and twenty Gold Suns. This Rockshatter Rhino is worth more, and we are willing to offer one hundred and fifty Gold Suns. A total of... two hundred and seventy Gold Suns. That is the most favorable price the Golden Sail Merchant Guild can offer as a gesture of friendship."
Having finished, he looked at Veylin and waited for his answer.
Veylin merely smiled, tapping his slender fingers lightly against the tabletop.
"Steward Korn, this friendship of yours doesn't seem very solid."
Korn's heart lurched.
"I may be a Pioneer Knight, but I previously spent a few years in Greenvein City, dealing with my unc... dealing on the black market."
Every word Veylin spoke struck home. "A rare magical beast like the Gray Swamp Crocodile might not be available on the market, so I'll let that pass. But this Rockshatter Rhino... its horn alone, in such perfect condition, could easily fetch the staggering price of one hundred Gold Suns at auction in the Royal Capital. You want to buy the entire rhino for one hundred and fifty? You must be joking, Steward Korn."
As he spoke, Veylin's knuckles kept tapping.
Each tap seemed to land on Korn's heart. He could feel the cold sweat soaking through the back of his clothes.
How did he know the prices so precisely?! This was certainly not the knowledge an ordinary Pioneer Knight should possess!
Overwhelming military strength, exceptional knowledge, a practical temperament... how could that old fox in Hundred Flowers Province bear to let such talent leave for nothing!
Of course! That had to be it! Count Lane must be secretly supporting him!
Korn dared not pursue the thought, afraid of being drawn into the vortex of noble power struggles-with his standing, he had no right to get involved.
"M-my lord, you've misunderstood!" Korn forced a smile uglier than a grimace and hastened to salvage the situation. "As you know, transporting goods out of the swamp involves tremendous losses, and we must bear the risks as well... of course! To demonstrate our wholehearted support for Newborn Town, I am willing to raise the total price to three hundred and fifty Gold Suns! Furthermore, from today onward, the Golden Sail Merchant Guild will waive all shipping fees for goods transported here!"
Veylin stopped tapping.
"I only want one hundred and fifty Gold Suns."
Korn froze.
Then Veylin changed tack. "I need nutrient soil, at least ten thousand pounds. I also need three hundred sets of decent-quality coarse hemp clothes, fifty pairs of sturdy leather boots, fifty sets of basic iron farming tools, and fifty sets of craft tools."
Korn's mind raced. He had expected the other man to order weapons and armor, not these most unremarkable production supplies.
He continued calculating: three hundred sets of clothes, at a market price of thirty to sixty Copper Leaves a set, would come to roughly thirty-eight Gold Suns; fifty pairs of sturdy leather boots would cost another twenty-odd Gold Suns; then there were the tools... and that damned soil. The cost of transporting soil into the swamp was frighteningly high!
The total market price of these goods would probably exceed one hundred and eighty Gold Suns! And Veylin wanted to pay two hundred Gold Suns for them?
The guild would make almost nothing on this deal, and might even have to cover labor and shipping costs out of its own pocket!
Looking into Veylin's wine-red eyes, Korn felt he understood!
"No problem!" Korn agreed immediately, his tone decisive. "We will price these supplies at two hundred Gold Suns! We will pay you the remaining one hundred and fifty Gold Suns as soon as possible."
Standing by the door, Barrett had remained as expressionless as a statue.
Now, however, a flicker of heartfelt emotion crossed his lone eye-his lord was actually willing to spend so much money on supplies for the commoners!
His rough hand unconsciously clenched into a fist, and he stood even straighter as he looked at Veylin.
Veylin nodded, reasonably satisfied with the result-he had secured production supplies while also fattening his purse a little.
With the preliminary agreement reached, the atmosphere relaxed considerably.
Korn wiped away his sweat, and his business instincts stirred once more. He rose respectfully and stroked the wall beside him with an air of casual interest.
"Lord Klein, forgive my presumption, but this office of yours... no, this 'Stone-Skinned Soft Vine' you use to build your town is truly a creation beyond imagination."
Korn chose his words carefully. "Our guild's Research Institute has long been devoted to studying new materials, and we would very much like to obtain a small section... say, a vine sample one meter long, for research. Of course, we are willing to pay a considerable sum for it. Please name your price."
Here it comes.
Veylin had expected this.
As a researcher who had once worked his way through the modern system of industry, academia, and research, he knew this approach all too well.
Knowledge could not be shared lightly before technological barriers had been established.
The Stone-Skinned Soft Vine could be sold, but not yet. If they truly wanted it now, they could pay a buyout price.
Veylin held up three fingers.
Korn asked tentatively, "Three hundred Gold Suns?"
Veylin named a figure.
"Three thousand Gold Suns."