It’s only been half a month, but the floating population in this area has doubled. This is still because Tonyger is constantly facing the threat of war, which carries certain risks, otherwise, this place would surely be a scene of adventurers’ paradise. If it were a more peaceful ti, the local lord would definitely be grinning from ear to ear.
But now, the situation has beco sowhat complex and intertwined.
Brand’s gaze swept over these people one by one — just as his noble identity was clearly distinguished from these people. The adventurers were also out of place among the locals, standing in the middle of the street as if there were three entirely different worlds coexisting simultaneously.
It felt like a single painting depicted with three completely different artistic styles, distinctly highlighting three types of people.
The adventurers and locals were mutually uninvolved, and the locals were unwilling to provoke these unruly people — at least most of them. However, the part Roman referred to was an exception.
From Brand’s viewpoint, a small team of adventurers could be seen distributing food to so of the local emaciated children. This scene unexpectedly induced a feeling of ti travel, as if he had returned to the past world of ’The Amber Sword’, where those overly compassionate players acted similarly. But he quickly shook his head to discard this unrealistic fantasy; while most adventurers were profit-driven, there were still so young people who ventured out purely for their dreams.
Like the four n and two won he saw before him.
"Indeed, they’re young." Brand couldn’t help but think. In reality, adventure is not as romantic as the bedside stories, filled with swordplay and dangers — well, the dangers are not a lie. The life of an adventurer is harsh and bloody, they often have to frequent dangerous places like rcenaries, where life and death separations are commonplace, and compared to the risks, the rewards are pitifully low. Although there are always stories of people striking it rich overnight, most end up as unknown piles of bones in so obscure place.
Because of this, most adventurers beco pragmatic and profit-driven. It’s only the young who act with unrealistic ideals. Brand could even speculate that these young people might not have truly begun their travels for long.
Or they might simply be offspring from wealthy rchant or noble families.
But he turned back first and asked, "What are you looking at?"
He then saw the pretty deep brown gemstone-like eyes of the rchant Lady turn, as if so creative idea had co to life, making him feel sothing bad was about to happen, "What are you planning?" Brand couldn’t help but ask cautiously, as Little Roman’s extraordinary thods had already made him instinctively wary.
"Just like that." Roman answered matter-of-factly.
"Roman, we don’t have much food left," Antitina seed to instantly understand her idea and softly reminded, "Our consumption of food and horses is no small amount. If we were to purchase that much food here, we’d inevitably have to deal with the local lord. Rember what happened last ti?"
The noble daughter referred to the ti not long ago when Brand went to negotiate food purchase with a minor noble in his territory, and the noble had an eye on Qian who accompanied him, leading to a private guard attempt to abduct her later that night. While the over thirty Black Iron Level private guards were underestimated by Brand and ended up terribly beaten and extorted, it still served as a warning to everyone.
Though the kingdom had not yet collapsed, the local lords were already acting recklessly.
Hearing Antitina’s words, Brand couldn’t help but look tenderly at the girl. Last ti’s trouble was indeed with a minor noble, and this ti, they had to face Baron Grudin. Though he is insignificant in Erune’s history, his father, Count Denier, is no ordinary person. If he attacked today, the Count’s army would be pursuing them the next day.
Brand even suspected that Duke Lune’s army could freely traverse Count Denier’s territory, implying so secret agreent might exist between the Royalist Princess Faction and the Count. At least a covert alliance was unavoidable. Of course, he planned to deal with these vampires eventually, but he needed to be powerful enough to have significant influence first. Though it sounds unpleasant, it’s a rule of the world where strength matters most.
Unexpectedly, Roman shook her head happily upon hearing Antitina’s words and said mysteriously, "Brand, Antitina, haven’t you realized?"
"Realize what?"
"The way of doing business—"
"Huh?"
Brand couldn’t help but touch the girl’s jade-fair forehead, wondering if she had a fever. anwhile, the younger sister of the Wild Elf Elent Master sisters widened her eyes curiously and asked, "We have a saying in our hotown, rchants don’t walk with the poor — Miss Roman, does such a barren place have business opportunities?"
"Tiya!" her older sister Furlo scolded sternly.
The elf girl frightenedly stuck her tongue out and swallowed the latter half of her sentence.
But Roman didn’t mind the little girl’s retort and matter-of-factly replied, "You can’t say that. My aunt said wherever there’s exchange, there’s business."
"It’s true," Antitina shook her head, knowing Tiya wasn’t wrong. This place is not only poor but backward and isolated, without any specialties, and there isn’t even one road for carriages between territories, making comrce a distant notion: "But it lacks the necessary conditions for exchange..."
"Is that so? But isn’t that exchange?" The rchant Lady looked at the behavior of the young adventurers with interest and countered. (To be continued, for more exciting Chapters please visit qidian, support the author, and read the official version!)
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