Rob, the butler, stood at the castle entrance, his expression perfectly composed, just like Kroya's. The fact that the carriage before him carried a guest he had invited made no difference.
The carriage slowly came to a halt outside the castle.
A plump man stepped out, looking prosperous enough to rival Batos.
He wore silk woven by Elves, wreathed in magic with the aura of nature. Clouds, mist, and leafy vines drifted across it as he moved.
They were so lifelike that they seemed alive.
It was clearly expensive, though he was probably wearing it more for show. After all, a merchant needed to dress lavishly.
His expression, however, was entirely different from his splendid clothes.
His round face was very likable, and he wore an honest-looking smile. Rubbing his hands together, he spoke politely. "What a pleasure to have the rare opportunity to visit a mage lord's castle!
"If I could have the honor of meeting his lordship, that would be an even greater pleasure!"
Well, that much was true.
There wasn't another mage serving as a lord anywhere around Reef Island. The area was remote and had no particular specialties, while everything in the sea was controlled by the Sea Folk...
Otherwise, Kroya would never have been exiled here.
"Heh, our lord mage is conducting research... Please come inside, Mr. Sai Liu. I've already prepared the white iron ore."
Rob completely ignored his hint about wanting to meet Kroya and simply gestured for him to enter.
A merchant from a commerce association wanted to meet the lord mage?
He might as well go to bed early and dream.
The merchant named Sai Liu wasn't discouraged. He followed Rob into the castle, walked down a passage, and arrived in a room.
Inside were some unusual iron blocks that shone like silver, each weighing exactly one kilogram.
These were the white iron ore ingots Rob had ordered brought over early that morning.
Rather than leaving them in the castle's storeroom, he had gone to the trouble of having them moved here, mainly because he didn't want a merchant seeing the castle's actual condition.
He felt certain Kroya wouldn't want outsiders wandering through the castle at will.
"Oh?" Sai Liu's attention was immediately drawn to them.
He stepped forward to examine them carefully, running his fingers over them. Their smooth surfaces and faint traces of magic led him to one conclusion: a mage must have personally forged these!
Just look at how uniform they were. There wasn't the slightest impurity inside, they were as beautiful as silver, and the magic within them was gentle.
Their quality was superb, placing them among the very best.
As a competent merchant, no matter how excited he was inside, he kept his outward emotions steady.
He gently stroked an ingot. "The quality is good. I'll give you six silver coins at the going rate."
Rob merely chuckled and said bluntly, "Then please leave now, Mr. Sai Liu. I'll contact the Grey Sea Commerce Association right away.
"I'm sure they'll offer me a suitable price."
Rob deliberately stressed the word "suitable." What a joke. It wasn't as though he had never seen the world. These top-quality white iron ingots could definitely fetch more than eight silver coins each.
Granted, somewhere like the Royal Capital, their base price would only be around six silver coins.
But the more remote the region, the rarer top-quality goods became, making them more precious and valuable.
Not to mention that this was a primary material for common armor and weapons, and it was brimming with magic. With an alchemist, it could even be made into something approaching a magical weapon.
You don't want them?
Then I'll find someone who does!
If he hadn't been a noble and known these tricks, someone fresh from the Royal Capital who hadn't researched the market might really have sold them at that price.
Still, to be fair, that was only natural. Merchants were like that...
Sai Liu couldn't help sighing inwardly. This butler clearly knows his business. Didn't they say mages always hired butlers who knew nothing?
Why is he so unyielding even about the price?
He rubbed his hands together and put on a smile.
"Oh, come now. We're negotiating a deal here. There's supposed to be some give and take. At least name your price!"
"Seven silver coins!"
Rob's expression was firm, but he had still left Sai Liu plenty of profit. Simply reselling them would earn him another silver coin apiece.
He couldn't squeeze the man too hard. There would be opportunities to work together in the future.
The man was backed by the Vast Sea Commerce Association, which had an advantage over the more distant Grey Sea Commerce Association. It was also said to have ties to the local nobility.
That would help Kroya expand his influence in the area.
"All right." Sai Liu didn't haggle further. After inspecting every white iron ingot, he said, "There are two hundred and thirty-one ingots here in total, so that comes to 1,617 silver coins."
It sounded like a lot, but at the exchange rate, it would only amount to sixteen gold coins. Of course, gold coins were themselves magical materials, so people generally weren't willing to exchange them.
Most everyday goods were bought with silver coins.
"Would you like to exchange them for gold coins?"
Sai Liu volunteered, "If the lord mage needs them, I can exchange that for sixteen gold coins. The remainder would cover the exchange fee."
That was actually a very good deal, since almost nobody was willing to exchange gold coins for silver.
Rob hesitated. He didn't know whether Kroya needed gold coins, so he considered sending someone to ask.
But before he could send anyone, the knight Ate walked in and conveyed Kroya's wishes. "The butler may decide everything!"
Then he took out a handful of translucent sunflower seeds.
There were only twelve.
"His lordship grew these on a whim and would like to sell them."
Sai Liu immediately exclaimed in delight, "The lord mage grew them?"
This time, he truly made no attempt to hide his feelings. He hurried over and closely examined the sunflower seeds.
It was as though he were looking at some priceless treasure.
Few people knew that Sai Liu had dreamed of becoming a mage long ago. But his talent and circumstances at the time had left him with no opportunity to study magic.
That regret had since grown into an obsession.
He was intensely interested in anything produced by a mage. That was also why he had rushed here without delay as soon as he received the invitation.
As a competent commerce association steward, he could naturally discern the power in these tiny sunflower seeds. It was a power brimming with vitality.
It was gentler than sunlight, and warmer too.
It seemed beneficial to the body.
I have to try one myself!
He made that decision on the spot, then hesitantly offered a price. "One hundred silver coins each. That's the highest price I can offer."
As he spoke, he looked visibly anxious. These sunflower seeds were unlike anything he had ever seen, and they were unique to this place. They weren't like the white iron ingots.
If he missed this chance, there might truly never be another.
"..."
Rob revealed nothing on his face, but inwardly his feelings were complicated. That huge pile of ore, accumulated over who knew how long, had fetched only a little over sixteen hundred silver coins.
And these?
Just twelve seeds could be exchanged for twelve hundred silver coins.
Was this what it meant to be a mage? To casually earn wealth ordinary people could hardly imagine, with buyers practically begging to pay for fear he might refuse to sell?
Sai Liu mistook Rob's hesitation for dissatisfaction with the price. Gritting his teeth and stamping his foot, he took out an exquisite necklace.
He set it on the table.
Reluctantly, he said, "This is an Elven magical artifact I obtained some time ago. As long as the lord mage is willing to sell these to me and continue supplying them in the future...
"Then this artifact will be my gift to the lord mage. I'll still pay the silver coins in full!"
His words were tactful, and they also carried an apology for his earlier attempt to test the waters.
At that, Kroya, who had been eavesdropping, suddenly felt his heart stir.
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