After staring at the noisy market for a while, Luke looked back and said,
“What’s this?”
“That, well.”
“… … .”
At Luke’s question, Bruno only scratched the back of his head. In Ray’s case, he didn’t seem to know what to say at all.
It had to be. It’s only been half a year since I left this estate. The memory of that time is still vivid for everyone.
‘Immense security, sharp knights, the air that was close to wartime.’
Even thinking about it now, it was a place that reminded me of the front lines during the great war. But what about now?
The atmosphere is no different from a trading city far behind, let alone at the forefront.
“Sir, please have mercy.”
What the hell, now you even look like a beggar? Luke pulled out a silver coin from his chest with a shocked face. The beggar saw the silver coin glowing bright red and knelt down in admiration.
“Go, thank you sir!”
“Thank you, but I have a few questions for you.”
“Ask me anything!”
“What the hell are you doing here? It wasn’t such a noisy place before.”
At Luke’s words, the beggar scratched the back of his head with an embarrassing face.
“Well, even if you say it was before, I also came here three months ago… … .”
“I guess so. It was a place where even beggars fled back then.”
Beggars are common in this world too. However, there is one condition for a beggar to appear. It must be a safe place where security is guaranteed.
Even beggars do not venture to a place full of dangers and hard to live in. Apart from the fact that the pockets of the residents do not open well, it is also difficult to preserve one’s own life.
From Luke’s point of view, the Herning family, or the whole of the West, mostly belonged to the latter.
‘But there’s a beggar here.’
If you look closely, it’s not even one. It was not difficult to find the appearance of beggars begging here and there.
Something must have happened for the territory to change so drastically in just half a year.
“It’s okay even if you haven’t seen it yourself, so tell me anything. What happened in the West in half a year?”
“Yeah, that’s because of the trade with the elves. Since half a year ago, the Herning family opened a window with the Grand Duke of the Elves, so trade became possible.”
As a result, all kinds of merchants gathered in the west, and the beggar explained that the current situation had become.
It was a half-expected answer. Luke’s goal was to revitalize the West through trade with the elves.
“But you’ve changed so much, only in half a year.”
Hearing Luke’s murmur, the beggar tilted his head.
“Don’t you know how expensive the elves’ goods are, sir?”
“How long?”
“It depends on the item, but some of the more expensive items come out with five chests of gold coins. There is a saying that if you go to another area and sell it, you get twice as much there.”
“… … .”
I got it right away. If it was that much of an advantage, it would have flocked like crazy from all sides. Since those with money gathered, things from other regions must have gathered together.
Since people and money have gathered enough to overflow, it is worth changing in half a year.
“Why is it so expensive?”
“That, I don’t even know the small person well… … .”
To say the least, this would be the limit for an ordinary person without any information. Luke took another silver coin from his pocket and handed it to the beggar.
“Good job talking.”
“Oh, thank you! Blessings on your future path!”
Passing the beggar’s good words over his ear, Luke moved on. The liveliness of the streets was not inferior to that of the famous trading cities of the empire.
“It seems that Leon is more resourceful than I thought.”
“Can’t you just say it’s because of that young friend? There is also an elf grand duke.”
“What does a nobleman who has lived in isolationism all his life know about trade?”
Apart from ability, this is a matter of experience. No matter how competent you are, you can’t do well from the beginning in a field you don’t know about.
Currently, Ray’s assistant is Leon, so he must have done something in nine out of ten.
“Well, isn’t everything going to be revealed when you go to the castle anyway? I will ask you directly.”
“Look around a bit more.”
It is easy to listen to the person in question. But sometimes you have to experience it yourself to see it. Luke decided to look around the estate a bit more.
* * *
“… This is more than expected.”
Luke looked around the auction house with admiration. There were several grades attached to the items of the elves, and the auction price started to vary according to each grade.
“Now, this product is a spirit statue carved by an elf with magical energy! It has magic, so even if you sleep less than usual, it will make you feel like you slept longer!”
In the middle of the auction house, the moderator was in full swing and talking.
“This is a high-quality item made by an elder among elven wizards! Let’s start with the auction price of three hundred gold coins! Those who wish to bid, please ask!”
“Three hundred and twenty gold coins!”
“Three hundred and eighty!”
“profit! Four hundred!”
At the auction house, nobles from each province heated up and called for the price. The amount that started to go up started to go over 500 before I knew it.
After fierce competition, the spirit statue went into the hands of an old nobleman who first called for three hundred and eighty gold coins.
“Now then, this time it is a perfume made by an elven artisan! It’s a mid-range item, but the quality is great! The auction price is fifty gold coins… … !”
“This is a bit dangerous. Shouldn’t you have brought more money from the family?”
“Damn it, I screwed up this time. I will have to wait another month.”
“Should I rather go to another territory? I heard there are some good things that I can’t do here… … .”
The descendants of nobles from each province, or those who came as representatives of the head of the household, grumbled and headed out of the auction house.
Just because they came out of the auction house, their consumption did not end. Where they came out, exquisitely, merchants dealing with luxury items from other regions were gathered.
“Sir, let’s take a look around here!”
“Even though it’s not an elf thing, it’s the highest quality product that can be made by human hands!”
The aristocrats, who were fascinated by him, took another step and opened their wallets. Even though the elves’ items were precious, there were also some types of luxury goods that were not made at all.
Observing the series of circumstances, Luke was amazed.
From noble mtl dot com
“Rion’s skill is beyond imagination.”
“Is that so?”
The voice of Leone’s older sister, Ray, was cold. I felt that I couldn’t sympathize with Luke’s words at all.
“I don’t think he did anything special in this situation. Isn’t it all just people coming together and forming a commercial district?”
“There is that too. Because limited resources have the property of attracting wealth. But even with that in mind, he’s doing well.”
Luke said as he raised his fingers and folded them one by one.
“First of all, putting grades on elves’ things. Since the elf himself would not have done this, it would be correct to assume that Leon did it.”
“Will that be a feat?”
“No. To elves, even ordinary things can be seen as decent products if they are labeled as ‘intermediate’.”
In short, in the case of general goods that humans have commodity value, but elves do not have. In this case, the value of the product plummets once you know the inside story.
It is not because of the value of the object itself. This is because to elves, it seems ridiculous to hang themselves on things that are no different from daily necessities.
“It’s kind of a pride issue. However, I put a tag on this as a mid-range product to prevent its value from declining. In a way, it’s a trick, but it’s not an ordinary idea.”
“… That might not be the case.”
“Secondly, for distributing trade items to other territories.”
“Isn’t that the promise you made from the beginning?”
The other families wouldn’t have stood still if they monopolized the elves’ goods excessively. Isn’t it a necessary process even for the sake of seeing?
“That’s right. But after listening to the story, he shared it more generously than I thought. Even if you add up the belongings of the two families, there are more than here.”
“It is surprising. Even if you look at it like that, he was a pretty greedy guy.”
“You must have seen the future. Thanks to that, all the monsters were swept out of the West.”
All those who come to buy Elf goods are wealthy. Of course, even in the dangerous west, they bring enough escorts to ensure their safety.
In the meantime, there must have been a few people who were extreme in safety. The monsters were probably swept away whenever customers came and went.
Needless to say, if it was your territory spread all over the west. Bruno was taken aback by Luke’s guess.
“Then why was it so difficult to see monsters all the way here… … .”
“Thanks to the nobles who are full of escorts. I made good use of it.”
From the first time I saw him, I thought he was a smart guy, but he did a better job than I thought. Luke’s evaluation made Ray’s face even colder.
Luke tapped Rey on the shoulder as the surrounding temperature seemed to drop further.
“Open your face. You can be more happy that your estate is going well.”
“sorry. I’m on bad terms with my half-brother.”
“Then you should like it more. Your brother is working desperately because it is a message to you.”
“message?”
“I want you to live.”
There’s no way that Leon doesn’t know what Ray thinks of him. Since I was a child, I had been harassed by one-sided dominance, and later, I even took my mother hostage.
However, now the overwhelming force was not enough, so he took over the entire county of Herning. It is a bonus that he monopolized trade with elves under Luke.
“If you say, ‘I don’t like Leon. The moment you say, ‘I need to get rid of it and distribute more of the interest to other families,’ the three families would immediately rush in and tear it to pieces. Leon is well aware of that fact.”
That’s why he devotes himself to Ray, even giving up his share, and thinks of the benefit of the whole West. Because you don’t know what will happen if you don’t work like a dog.
“In a word, ‘I am such a useful guy. So please save me.”
“… That sounds good to hear.”
“yes?”
Rey laughed lightly at Luke’s words. It was a smile that was not usually seen, so it was even more dazzlingly beautiful.
“… … .”
“… … .”
The two of them smiled quietly as they looked at each other. It was when Ray looked a little embarrassed.
“Don’t suddenly create a strange atmosphere when you’re next to me. It feels like my limbs are rolled inward.”
“… … .”
“Now, wait a minute. Why are you raising your fist, damn it!”
* * *
Luke wiped his hands with a refreshing face.
“Okay, now that you’ve seen enough, let’s go see Max.”
“Why did I get beat up!?”
“Noisy. If you don’t want to get hit, just pay attention.”
It was just when Luke, ignoring the grumbling Bruno, was about to move on. Someone blocked Luke’s party.
It was a mercenary knight close to a gang of gangsters. The shaggy knight grinned with an eerie grin.
“Could you please wait a minute? I have something to tell you.”
“… What are you going to do?”
Luke frowned in annoyance. When these mercenary knights got involved, nothing good usually happened. Sure enough, it was as Luke expected.
“The person I serve wants to invite you to a meal. I’m sure you won’t refuse.”
What is it? The words were respectful, but in reality it was coercion. When I turned my head, the young aristocrat was looking at me with a piercing gaze.
To be precise, he was staring at Ray. Sensing his gaze, Ray narrowed his eyes. Luke said with a smile.
“I refuse.”
“refuse? Why?”
“I don’t like the guy who came to recommend me.”
“under.”
At Luke’s answer, the mercenary knight snorted. Soon, the mercenary knight’s hand went to the sword at his waist. In an instant, the surrounding atmosphere became grim.
“You’re a kid who doesn’t know how to be afraid of the world. Please tell me which family you are from.”
“My name is Luke Bernstein. The Red Dragon of the East, the second son of Count Bernstein.”
“Looking at it now, it seems like he was a person who could live without knowing for the rest of his life. Excuse me.”
The stance of the worn-out mercenary knight was swift.