Farming with Entries: From Lord to Emperor Chapter 17 - 13: Robbers of Black Pine Ridge

"I’ve been there twice, and there are a lot of goods I need."

Man Xiu said naturally, realizing in his heart that it might be Luo De’s territory, and asked, "You wouldn’t back charge for the trade taxes from when I was there, would you?"

"Don’t worry, only bandits would do such a thing."

Luo De explained with a smile, "It’s just that recently there have been so bandits wandering around Black Pine Ridge, and I think you should be more careful.

Several caravans have been attacked by bandits."

"That’s indeed the case, I can vouch for it."

Lawrence hurriedly chid in, sincerely saying, "I was attacked by a bandit group, and it was the Lord who saved ."

Of course, with everything that happened afterwards, there was only praise for Luo De.

Hearing this, Man Xiu instantly developed so goodwill towards Luo De, "You truly are a rciful and benevolent lord, I hope when I am in trouble, I can have a lord like you to help ."

Luo De chuckled, silently thinking, my appearance fee is quite high.

"Do you know the strength of those bandit groups?" Man Xiu pressed further.

"I don’t know, but occupying my land is stealing from the Lord, and if I encounter them, I will definitely eradicate them."

When it ca to bandits, Luo De was full of righteousness and then smiled at Man Xiu, "But you don’t have to worry. I can have my knight Durant, an interdiate knight, lead guards to ensure your safety in Black Pine Ridge and escort you into the Black Stone Mountain Range."

Man Xiu’s eyes lit up, "If you’re willing, that would be wonderful!"

Luo De nodded slightly and asked, "Mr. Man Xiu, how many more days will you be staying here?"

"Three or five days, no longer than a week."

For a caravan, ti is money, and Frost Leaf Town isn’t exactly a wealthy town; in fact, three days of trade is already considered long.

"Traveling in the desert is very tiring. How about this, you rest first and we’ll discuss other matters tomorrow."

Luo De didn’t continue the conversation, proactively ending the topic, and turned to Lawrence and said, "I have so matters to attend to, arrange a place for Mr. Man Xiu to stay and prepare so als to entertain him properly."

Frost Leaf Town doesn’t have a tavern, so Man Xiu had to accept Luo De’s hospitality.

The topic stopped at a crucial point, and as a businessman, Man Xiu imdiately realized Luo De’s intention—

This lord does not want his knight to work for free; compensation is needed.

However, Man Xiu was indeed tired and didn’t rush things.

"Thank you for your generosity, I will visit again tomorrow."

Man Xiu bowed again and then left accompanied by Lawrence.

After Man Xiu walked so distance, Durant approached and asked softly,

"Lord, do you really want to escort his caravan?"

Luo De turned to look at Durant, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, "Can you stop pretending? Haven’t you already figured out what I want to do?"

When they didn’t understand each other initially, a few hints from Luo De would make Durant understand things and react swiftly.

Now that they had spent so much ti together, everyone knew each other well, and Durant should understand what kind of person he was.

Would I actively escort his caravan?

Durant awkwardly coughed twice.

"Alright, my Lord, I’m not sure, but I guess you want to deal with those people in the Black Stone Mountain Range?"

Luo De nodded.

In fact, it’s currently the busy farming season, and Luo De doesn’t have the ti or energy to deal with those mountain people.

But this is a good opportunity.

Luo De had just arrived here not long ago, information was scarce, and the Black Stone Mountain People didn’t know much about Luo De or those around him.

Luo De even speculated that these people didn’t know that he had already co.

Seizing this opportunity, perhaps Durant could follow the caravan and infiltrate, taking them down at a lower cost.

Durant nodded slightly, it was pretty much as he guessed.

The Black Stone Mountain Range is so vast that simply capturing those people is almost impossible; finding their gathering place is also not an easy task.

"Will you make a direct move? Aren’t you going to negotiate with those mountain people?" Durant inquired.

"I think it’s better to negotiate with the sword at their throats."

"Alright, I agree."

Durant was sowhat helpless. Reflecting on Luo De’s earlier actions, he asked again, "Then why didn’t you continue the conversation? He seed to really want our protection."

"Being too forthcoming raises suspicion; it’s better to wait and see."

Luo De’s rcantile deanor made Man Xiu feel at ease.

Moreover, the current situation wasn’t fully understood; Luo De needed more information to decide if the plan was feasible.

"Spread the word, increase everyone’s workload, and keep the townspeople busy, to avoid letting Man Xiu and his people know about recent happenings in the territory.

If anyone wants to trade, they should co to first."

With so many mouths talking, Luo De couldn’t let Man Xiu catch wind of anything.

In reality, the fatigue from traveling left Man Xiu with no energy to inquire about other matters, and Frost Leaf Town had no taverns or entertainnt hubs. After Lawrence’s hospitality, the people of the caravan all rested.

The next morning, just after waking up, Man Xiu was invited by Luo De to have breakfast and discuss trade.

Besides agricultural tools, Luo De additionally purchased ten longswords, fifteen pieces of chain armor, and twenty round shields.

In fact, the blacksmiths and carpenters of Frost Leaf Town could also make them, but Luo De was in a hurry, so he had to buy them.

He also bought daily necessities and honey cheese desserts.

This season in the desert has no honey, and Frost Leaf Town has no dairy cows. Luo De hadn’t tasted sweet baked bread in a long ti.

The daily necessities were mostly for the townspeople, who could exchange for them after their work points were settled.

After taxation, there was enough rye, so Luo De didn’t trade for grains, only exchanging for so vegetable seeds, and also purchased so potatoes.

Potatoes are valuable, with high nutritional value, a short growing cycle, and they are cold-resistant.

They are easy to cook — steaming, boiling, or even baking them is an option, and their yield is decent.

The only issue is that they easily suffer from pests and diseases, requiring relatively fertile soil, and their planting threshold is higher than rye, making widespread adoption difficult.

Luo De bought five hundred pounds of potatoes to sprout and cultivate; if unsuccessful, eating them wouldn’t matter.

Sprouting potatoes is simple, just keep them in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated place, avoid direct sunlight, and ensure they aren’t too damp or hot; under suitable conditions, they can sprout in less than a month.

Man Xiu also wanted so goods. Luo De provided so animal skins, charcoal, and five hundred pounds of rye to fill part of his cart’s gap, paying the rest with silver coins.

During this process, Luo De spoke warmly and generously, consistently smiling at Man Xiu, making Lawrence think it was a different lord.

This also had Man Xiu constantly praising Luo De, marveling at the kind lord who had co to Frost Leaf Town.

After a busy day, only in the evening did the two find ti to sit at the dining table.

"I quite envy rchants like you, earning gold coins while enjoying the scenery."

Luo De wore a bitter expression and sighed, "Every day, as soon as I open my eyes, I have a pile of things to deal with and haven’t even inspected the territory."

"I understand your hardships; it’s currently the planting season. After this, you should have so leisure ti."

Man Xiu nodded.

To him, Luo De seed like a completely "newbie" lord who had just co of age, hadn’t experienced anything yet, and it was normal to feel overwheld.

"But if you plan to inspect the territory, I must remind you that so areas in Black Pine Ridge have very fierce wild animals, so you should be careful."

"Oh? Could you tell more about it?"

Luo De said with a face full of curiosity, "I haven’t seen the scenery in Black Pine Ridge, nor do I know if there are other villages."