Tapk! Tapk!
As Asher walked down, he could hear a banter. When he finally reached the ground floor, he saw a large number of people. All the chairs and tables were filled and some were even outside. He could see the waiters and waitresses moving with trays. Some carried warm milk; some carried meals prepared with Golden Fragrant corn and Hexakad eggs.
“What in the world did they use to bake this wondrous bread?” A voice stood out from the rest, causing Asher to look over; it was a stout man with a group of men and women sitting around a round table. He guessed they were a small mercenary group because of their dressing style and the weapons attached to their waists and backs.
He was stuffing a special bread on the menus called the King Bread. It was enticingly golden at the top but milkish white at the middle and the bottom. It was so soft that the stout, fully bearded man moaned with each bite.
By his side was a jug of Moonlit Starhorn milk. That bread was made with Jade Wheat, Hexakad eggs, and crystal spring water, making it have a heavenly taste. Coupled with the milk, it was pure bliss.
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“You should taste this chicken soup.” One of his comrades spoke to him without raising his head as he was focused on enjoying his meal.
“Hey! Waiter!!”
People were calling the waiters while some were so focused on their meals that Asher was certain they wouldn’t react if he drew his sword. Seeing them eat so voraciously, even he felt a bit hungry.
The cheapest meal cost about 50 bronze coins and it was Moonlit Starhorn milk neutralized with lots of crystal spring water.
There wasn’t even sugar!
The meals that cost hundreds of gold coins were served to the VIP members upstairs. They had private rooms apart from the public area where he sat with his commanders. Asher was sure that some nobles were in that room.
In fact, Baron Claude was in one VIP room with his wife and friends, both those in his domain and those outside the northern wastelands.
No doubt by the end of the day, he would make over 1000 gold coins and this was him being humble. In true sense, he would make over 2,500 gold coins daily!
This was with the calculation that the population would increase from tomorrow.
After a brief scan, he walked out of Westfall restaurant, making his way for where the oil was sold. At the oil store, he found Kelvin seated behind a desk facing a long line of men and women, most of whom were merchants.
Inside the storehouse behind Kelvin were barrels of oil. On the lid and body of each barrel was the sigil of House Ashbourne.
“Next.”
Kelvin said and the man before him walked toward the left and gave the men standing there a paper slip. After reading it, the men lifted two barrels of evergreen olive oil and went to where carts were parked to load it for the merchant.
When Asher walked past the long line and ascended the stairs, some people began to grumble but they saw how Kelvin got up and bowed his head, “Your Lordship.”
Both he and the Desolate Wolves guarding him all paid their respects, causing their murmuring to die instantly.
“That’s the lord of this outpost.”
Some whispered.
“I heard he’s the one who took down two baronies in one go. Not even the count could react.”
“What’s his name?”
While their murmuring fell into Asher’s ears, he leaned forward, looking at the register on the desk. “How many have you sold?”
“40 barrels, My Lord.”
“How many barrels do you think we will sell by the end of the day?”
“About 200.”
Asher squinted. A barrel was about 10 gold coins, meaning they would gain about 2000 gold coins by the end of the day. Well, this was good since he had yet to attract any big merchant guild.
The guild Claude had booked over 500 barrels in one go and Asher knew big merchant guilds could book thousands because they supplied to various regions and if he could start a trade with landed nobles who would also buy in massive numbers, he would surely fill the treasury.
But, while the restaurant and the oil did not produce massive amounts instantaneously, there were means of revenue that would last, even after his rule.
Gradually, they would make his domain so rich that he could stand in the same place with the continent’s top figures.
Two more ranks and he would become an imperial swordsman! A rank where the laws governing lifespan would be broken and he could easily surpass a hundred years. The great dukes reached the level but died because of one reason or another.
However, Atticus did not reach this level and he was the only one that died out of the natural cause of old age.
“My Lord, this outpost was a great idea.” Kelvin whispered and Asher smiled.
He turned and looked at the people whose eyes were on him.
“I sent a letter to Sapphira informing her that today would be the grand opening of Goshen. Did she send a reply stating why she rejected an invitation from her lord?” Asher looked at Kelvin.
Kelvin cleared his throat.
He could sense Asher had no knowledge that he was actualy slightly hurt that Sapphira didn’t appear and it showed through his words. At the end of his sentence, he was already exercising his authority as a lord when it was an invitation that could be rejected.
“I believe she is restrained by her duties. Ever since the people knew of her existence, the sick keep trooping into Nimrim.”
Asher’s eyes flickered.
“I see.”
Some time later, he went back to Westfall and decided to visit the cooks. As he walked into the kitchen, he froze in his tracks because right beside Priscillia, the beautiful blue fire cook was a great beauty sweating slightly.
It was none other than…