“Woo—woo—”
A long, muffled horn blast came from the valley entrance, breaking the morning's tranquility.
This was the signal of the Valley Merchant Caravan's arrival.
“They're here.”
Lei Luo had previously instructed Old Buck to prepare the beast materials accumulated recently in the territory and the collected herbs in advance, to trade with the approaching Valley Merchant Caravan.
Merchants are driven by profit; only by gaining sufficient profit from trade with Blackstone Territory would the caravan be willing to continue coming to this frontier land.
After all, previous intelligence indicated that some caravans had chosen to bypass Blackstone Territory due to its perceived barrenness.
The arrival of the Valley Merchant Caravan was undoubtedly a godsend for Blackstone Territory, which currently faced relative scarcity of supplies and inconvenient transportation.
Lei Luo put on his outer coat and quickly walked down the terrace.
Seeing this, Moonlight immediately perked up, lightly leapt, and jumped onto his shoulder, looking as if it was going to “supervise” the work.
In the open space outside the castle, the caravan had already begun unloading.
A dozen horse-drawn carriages loaded with goods were arranged in a circle, and the caravan guards, wearing leather vests and felt hats, vigilantly observed their surroundings.
The caravan leader, a middle-aged fat merchant named “Hassan,” was sweating profusely as he directed his porters.
His skin was dark, and a shrewd smile always hung on his face.
“Respected Lord!”
“Good day!”
Hassan saw Lei Luo approaching from afar and immediately greeted him with a beaming smile, rubbing his hands.
“May the wind and sand protect you, Lord! You look even better than last time, Blackstone Territory is truly thriving under your governance!”
“Boss Hassan, you've had a hard journey.”
Lei Luo smiled and nodded in greeting.
“What good things have you brought this time?”
“Hehe, Lord, look!”
Hassan stepped aside, pointing to the unloaded goods.
“Fine grains produced in the valley, enough for your people to eat until the next harvest! And also basic ores like copper and iron. In addition, there's some salt, cloth, and common tools, all of which are scarce goods in the territory.”
“Of course, there are also some valuable magic items and knight weapons and armor, depending on your needs.”
Food and iron ore are the cornerstones of territorial development; the more, the better.
He motioned for Old Buck, the steward behind him, to step forward and count the goods.
“Lord, we also want to acquire some local specialties this time.”
Hassan rubbed his hands, his gaze sweeping towards the large boxes being carried by the knights behind Lei Luo, “It seems you've had quite a fruitful harvest recently?”
“Good luck.”
Lei Luo motioned for the knights to open the boxes.
When the boxes were opened, they revealed processed beast furs, some of which were materials from low-level beasts the knights had eliminated when they intruded into the territory, and more were spoils from two exterminations of Magic Snake Claw and the Blood Wolf Band.
But one of the materials made Hassan's eyes light up: the skin, teeth, and magic core of a Swamp Giant Crocodile. These were high-grade materials from a third-tier beast.
For an itinerant merchant like him, this was already the highest-grade material he could obtain.
The profit from ten cartloads of grain and ore was not even half the profit from reselling this single third-tier beast material back in the valley.
This was also why he painstakingly organized caravans to trade with these frontier lords.
The valley is located in the southern part of the Duchy, where the terrain is flat and the soil is fertile, with large areas of land cultivated as farmland, and beasts have been almost completely eliminated by human lords.
These high-grade beast materials are the most sought-after goods, essential for making high-level equipment for knights.
However, in a frontier land like Blackstone Territory, the land is barren, but beasts are plentiful.
The two resources complement those of the valley perfectly.
Hassan's eyes instantly lit up.
“Oh! This is truly... wonderful!”
Hassan leaned closer to examine them carefully, the smile on his face becoming a few degrees more sincere, “Lord, we'll take all these goods! The price is negotiable!”
The subsequent transaction process went very smoothly.
Old Buck led his people to carefully count the delivered supplies, confirming the quantity and quality were correct.
Hassan also offered a relatively fair price for the beast materials provided by Lei Luo.
The two parties quickly reached an agreement.
Lei Luo exchanged beast materials and a portion of his ore reserves for a large amount of grain, iron ore, salt, and cloth.
Watching cartloads of supplies being transported into the castle warehouse, Lei Luo felt much more at ease.
For the territory to develop and the population to grow, these basic supplies are indispensable guarantees.
With the transaction complete, the caravan would stay in Blackstone Territory for one day to conduct free trade with the local populace.
Hassan happily expressed his gratitude to Lei Luo again, and stated that he would bring more and better goods next time.
Leaving the trading area.
“Moonlight, let's go for a stroll in town.”
Lei Luo patted the big cat that had jumped into his arms.
Moonlight rubbed its head against his cheek, found a comfortable position, and squinted its eyes to doze.
Blackstone Town's flea market is located on the west side of the town, in an open area near the city wall.
This is a place where townspeople, mercenaries, hunters, and occasional travelers freely buy and sell.
Unlike the solemnity of the castle, this place was filled with the hustle and bustle of the marketplace.
Lei Luo changed into a simple linen casual outfit, put away the emblem symbolizing his status, and, accompanied only by Moonlight, walked into the market like an ordinary townsman.
Moonlight crouched on his shoulder, curiously observing everything around them.
The market was bustling with people, and the sounds of hawking and haggling rose and fell.
Various stalls were dazzling, with hunters selling herbs, mercenaries displaying rusty weapons and worn-out armor, itinerant artists hawking all sorts of strange trinkets, and vendors selling their home-brewed inferior ale.
The air was filled with a complex mixture of sweat, dust, animal waste, and various food smells.
Moonlight's small nose twitched incessantly, clearly more interested in the roasted meat and fried fish stalls, its claws occasionally gently scratching Lei Luo's shoulder, signaling him to go that way.
“No rush, let's take care of business first.”
Lei Luo patted it reassuringly.
Soon, he found his target.
Behind a makeshift stall, covered only by a worn animal hide, sat a man.
He looked to be around forty or fifty years old, with graying hair and a face etched with the marks of wind and frost. A hideous scar ran from his left forehead, across his brow bone, down to his cheek, making his face appear somewhat fierce.
He wore a faded, old leather armor, and one of his legs seemed to be 불편, slightly curled.
In front of him, only a few scattered old items were displayed, the most prominent of which was a small, yellowed, tattered piece of parchment with blurry lines and some indecipherable symbols drawn on it—that should be the so-called “treasure map fragment.”
The man leaned against the wall, his eyes somewhat cloudy, seemingly indifferent to the surrounding noise, only occasionally raising a worn wineskin beside him to take a sip.
