"Are there really dragons with that kind of name?"
Seraphina frowned, clearly harboring doubt about the last name.
"Why not? That sounds like a name a dragon with exceptional achievements in manor economics would come up with."
Ed chuckled and brushed the question off. It seemed Seraphina hadn't heard of Nidhogg either. If she weren't so young and ignorant, then that Black Dragon probably wouldn't exist in this world.
That's good, that's good, that's all Ed could tell himself for now.
Ever since discovering that Little Green could collect genetic samples from plants and even animals, Ed felt more and more that the sapling he was coexisting with really resembled the " World Tree " from mythology.
If those myths are true in this world, or if there are one-to-one correspondences between the important characters in them, then Ed is still very worried that one day he will be found and devoured by a Black Dragon.
However, these are things to worry about in the future.
Seraphina didn't seem too concerned about this issue. She suddenly remembered Ed's previous promise and took out a new contract coin:
"I've already said what you asked for. When will I receive that 'commission' you mentioned?"
Ed's lips twitched, and he frowned as he looked at the money-grubbing Red Dragon, saying with a hint of helplessness:
"As I said before, the so-called 'commission' is given to you after the deal is closed. Have you been learning too many new concepts lately? I suggest you take some notes."
"Let me repeat myself, I've secured an 80% discount on trade with Dragonborn Village for my men. I'll pay you 50% of the saved amount as commission. You'll see when they run their trade route in a few days."
This is the final step for Ed to make the most of everything. The 20% discount agreement he reached with the village chief may not seem significant in terms of barter, but it makes a completely different difference in monetary transactions.
Goods that originally cost 100 copper coins are now being sold to players for only 80 copper coins. This is practically a wholesale price for players who enjoy trading. With this discount, their profit margin will be even greater in the subsequent game, which is undoubtedly an encouragement to them.
As for the commission Ed gave to Seraphina, it was just a trivial matter. After all, given his current status as a billionaire in debt, this amount of money was really just a drop in the ocean.
Seraphina said nothing more, nor did she agree with Ed's suggestion. Instead, she quietly took out a palm-sized, crimson dragon scale from her own space and used her seemingly delicate but incredibly hard fingernail to carve it onto the scale:
[Commission: Profits are distributed according to a certain percentage...]
This scene naturally did not escape Ed's eyes. As he leaned back against the bank, piecing together the bodies of the four new players tomorrow from the monster's fragments, he said:
"Once you've finished writing, I'll explain to you what 'mature' cooking is."
Seraphina nodded and began taking notes.
In Ed's mind, Little Green, who had been lost in thought for a long time, suddenly spoke:
You seem very relaxed today.
Ed didn't know how to describe the feeling of escaping danger, after all, he had used his identity as a debtor and his advanced knowledge from another world to get close protection from a Red Dragon for free.
If this protection were embodied in a contract, he wouldn't even dare to imagine how much it would cost.
This clever approach is tantamount to offering something for free in disguise.
Ed curled the corners of his lips, but ultimately didn't tell Little Green about the convoluted thoughts in his mind. He simply replied with:
The sense of security you give me is less than one ten-thousandth of what she gives me.
Twenty kilometers away, in White Wax Town.
The rumbling of the Many-Footed Hoofed Beast pounding the ground echoed throughout the town, but fortunately it was already night, and the deserted roads allowed people to run freely.
In fact, in this town completely controlled by the Tree Worship Church, even during the day, hardly anyone walks on the roadside. The thousands of people in the town are the breeding ground for the Tree Worship Church's seeds. Most of the nutrients in their bodies have been absorbed by the saplings on their bodies, and everyone, regardless of age or gender, appears emaciated.
The lack of labor left the entire town feeling lifeless, making it look like a scaled-up version of Upperstream Village.
The only decent-looking building in the entire town is the church located in the very center of the town.
The style of this church is somewhat similar to that of Ed's Shattered Castle, suggesting it is from the same era. As a religious facility, it also features a bell tower for use during important occasions.
A century has passed, and the main part of the church is now covered by layers of dark green Boston Ivy. This is not a bad thing for the Tree Worship Church, which believes in the World Tree, and naturally no one would bother to clean it up.
The procession of Hoofed Beast stopped in front of the church. The leader jumped off his horse without even stopping properly and led the burly priests behind him into the church with great momentum.
The sound of horses' hooves had already awakened the priests inside the church. When the door was pushed open, the young priest in the lead saw a dozen or so men and women dressed in dark green robes standing neatly in front of the statue.
They appeared very devout, but anyone who knew the inside story would scoff at this point. These people were simply putting on an act to avoid the wrath of the highest levels of the Verdant Holy See.
At this moment, the row of local priests knew, of course, that their worst fears had come true, but like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, they continued to chant the Holy Scripture with their eyes closed, hoping that the hammer would not fall on their heads, and that every second they could buy them was a second more.
This scene made the young priest leading the way, who strode into the church, laugh in exasperation. These old fogies were completely unyielding, so he could only shout and ask:
"Who's in charge now? There are secret letters from a cardinal of the Holy See and an archbishop of the province!"
An elderly priest, his hair and beard already gray, emerged from that state of deep concentration:
"I am Yiden, the bishop's deputy. The bishop... I've been keeping this diocese running since the previous bishop went missing."
The young priest sized up the old man, then crossed his arms in a church-style greeting, his tone becoming much gentler.
"I am the newly appointed bishop of the White Wax Town Parish in the Aduolin Province, appointed by the Holy See. May the great Tree God protect you."
After saying this, he took out two letters from inside his robe and handed them to the old man in front of him.
The sealing wax was intact, and the old priest Yiden opened the first letter in front of his new superior—it was from one of the highest-ranking cardinals in the Holy See.
[To Yiden, Priest of White Wax Town Aduolin Province:]
Duolin, the former captain of the Holy See Guard, has been transferred to the position of Bishop of White Wax Town, where he will exercise the normal powers and responsibilities of a bishop, and will handle all matters except for experiments.
You will be solely responsible for the experiments from now on. All experiments will be suspended until the escape incident involving the experimental subjects is resolved.
Note: The entire Duolin squad consists of " Pure Ones; please be aware of the confidentiality clauses.
Verdant College of Cardinals, August 5, 908 AD]
The old priest Yiden glanced discreetly at the excessively young new bishop, then silently opened the second letter from the regional archbishop in the provincial capital. The letter's contents were very simple:
[Do as instructed.]