Ed intended to make a good first impression as a somewhat arrogant and uninformed bishop who had been parachuted into the Holy City, hoping to extract more information from him. So he asked without hesitation:
" Graycast Corridor? Never heard of it."
Gray wasn't surprised at all; he smiled and said:
"That's normal. Merchants in the Graycast Corridor generally don't do business with the Tree Worship Church. I only came here because I heard you were a bit special and that you also use precious metal currency."
He pointed to the maze-like emblem formed by zigzag lines at the very front of his fortress:
"This is the sign of the Graycast Corridor. If we can establish a cooperative relationship, I will grant you a certificate so that even if I die in the wilderness one day, the merchant who succeeds me can rebuild our trade route, just like in Dragonborn Village."
" Dragonborn Village? Did you inherit that trade route?"
Gray nodded, a longing look on his face.
"It's something I inherited from my teacher. He was one of the few merchants in the Graycast Corridor who died of natural causes, and everyone looked up to him as a role model."
Ed's lips twitched; he felt the death rate in this world was a bit too high...
"Alright, I think I know about the Graycast Corridor now. So, as a merchant, what signature goods do you have to sell?"
Realizing they were getting down to business, Gray immediately perked up and pulled Ed by the sleeve, leading him directly to his stall outside:
"If you're looking to buy in bulk, I have some cloth, unrefined mithril ore, standard weapons from the Graycast Corridor, and dried Aberration..."
"If you're looking for some fancy little trinkets, I also have many unique items from all over the world. Of course, those good stuff isn't displayed outside..."
Looking at the goods in front of him, which, while not an overwhelming array, were still quite diverse, Ed fell into deep thought.
He wants to buy many things, but he doesn't want to buy them directly.
Budget wasn't an issue; he borrowed the money from Seraphina for cash flow and spending.
The problem now is that he is so confident that he won't become a defaulter because he has confidence in the creativity of the players and can keep the vast majority of funds circulating within his control.
But merchants are creatures born to take precious metals away from their hands.
Perhaps it was because he had spent so much time with Seraphina, but at this moment, Ed, who always prided himself on being magnanimous, felt a pang of heartache.
So how can we minimize the amount of precious metals that slip through our fingers?
Ed's mind raced, and he quickly came up with a good idea—
For traveling merchants, buying and selling are both normal. So, if they have some local specialties that they can sell well, wouldn't that help them recoup some of their investment?
Ed sadly discovered that the Baron's territory didn't have many things that could truly be called its own specialties, only things like " Vine Bandage Pack " and "cocoons."
These things are enough to supply players in normal times, but if they were to be mass-produced, given my current physical condition, I would easily fall into a state of kidney deficiency, like a spider whose silk is being constantly pulled out.
Indeed, unless it's a dragon like Seraphina, it's difficult for a single individual to fight against a faction; it still depends on the creativity of the players and villagers.
Thinking of this, Ed suddenly asked:
Do you sell grain?
Gray paused for a moment, then shook his head:
"The merchants in the Graycast Corridor don't sell grain. You guys who can survive by basking in the sun probably don't know, but grain is considered hard currency these days, especially with the war going on in the east..."
Ed's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile; he seemed to know what he could sell.
Since the start of the closed beta, players' energy intake has consisted of sunbathing and eating meat and fruit, meaning they are still in a state of combining hunting and gathering, much like a group of savages.
The villagers under the rule of the Tree Worship Church relied entirely on sunbathing; when they lacked energy, they would lie down. In short, there was no activity that could be considered labor.
As we all know, no one creates value without labor. Although Gray couldn't summarize this principle, he was able to use "psoriasis" as a metaphor.
Although the villagers were not in very good health, Ed still felt that this labor force was somewhat wasted.
If they could be made to cultivate the land for them, not only would they obtain more food, but the entire Second Holy See would also have a better ability to withstand risks, and they could even sell some of it to merchants like Gray.
But this kind of thing can't be accomplished overnight. Ed and Duolin had discussed it, and the followers of the Tree Worship Church Cult living in the Holy City didn't look like this. There must be a deeper reason why the residents of the White Wax Town Parish had become like this.
To find out what's going on, we need to torture that old bastard Yiden...
Therefore, the logical chain now becomes:
To produce food, the villagers' health must be improved, which requires figuring out the reason for their severe Aberration, which requires capturing Yiden alive, and which requires taking down the fortified church in White Wax Town Church.
This will obviously take a considerable amount of time, so...
" Gray, how long will you be staying here?"
Ed asked.
"One day."
Gray answered without hesitation:
"Small settlements are only visited for a day; this is standard practice among the merchants of the Graycast Corridor."
Well, it seems like it's not going to work this time...
Ed patted him on the shoulder:
"That's all for now. Next time you come, I should be able to sell you some grain."
Gray looked at Ed with some surprise. These Tree Worship Church actually had food?
Absolutely incredible!
It might seem counterintuitive, but because they didn't have any food shortage problems, the Tree Worship Church was the fastest-deteriorating group in terms of farming skills after the outbreak of the Demonic Tide. Gray's knowledge of them consisted of nothing but prayer.
But this one-eyed Tree Worship Church young man's vows are so earnest, it's hard to know how much of it is true and how much is false.
With a quick glance, Gray said politely:
"Sure, I'll leave you more room for food next time."
"Uh-huh."
Ed nodded perfunctorily, actually recalling the sensation he had just felt on his hand.
He had just reached out and patted Gray on the shoulder to project a confident image, but the soft fabric beneath was not actually soft flesh.
This was strange in itself, but the fact that the man's entire body, including his hands, was wrapped in multiple layers of clothing in the summer of this World of Disorder only accentuated the eeriness.
Ed glanced at Gray, who wore a professional smile, and thought to himself:
This guy doesn't seem like a local...