Chapter 58

Helun subconsciously wanted to refute. He knew what Baier-ta was planning, wanting to use this opportunity to let his brother join the Rose Alliance and become a Rose Merchant.

However, before he could speak, the priestess had already taken the lead and agreed, "Good, those who please the goddess should be rewarded. What do you think, President Helun?"

Hearing her say this, Helun could only smile helplessly, "If this is the goddess's arrangement, then I naturally have nothing to say."

"Very good, it seems we have reached a consensus," Iouli's face bloomed with a smile again, "I announce that the competition officially begins. This time it is under the witness of the goddess. If anyone dares to question the final result again, then he will also bear the goddess's wrath."

When she said the last half of the sentence, she put away the smile on her face, and her tone became exceptionally cold, just like the river water in December.

The merchants in the inn all felt a chill in their hearts.

Fortunately, she soon returned to her previous happy and joyful appearance, "Finally, there is some decent enjoyment. Drinking fine wine and eating delicacies every day will also make people feel bored. Prepare two batches of goods worth 20 Gold Eagles, President Helun."

She finished the second glass of wine and said to Mali and Baier-ta, "Show the goddess your ability to earn wealth. The goddess never skimps on her rewards."

Helun acted quickly. Ten minutes later, the goods had been selected in the warehouse, and then a wooden bucket and a basket were lifted into the inn.

"Come on, come over and pick the goods you are about to trade."

The priestess took out a Silver Shield, threw it into the air, and covered it quickly with her right hand the moment it was about to fall on the back of her left hand.

Baier-ta took the lead, "The King's portrait."

"Then I choose the shield," Mali said.

Iouli moved her palm away, "Ah, it's the shield. Alchemist, you pick first."

Both the wooden bucket and the basket were wrapped tightly, and it was impossible to see what was inside from the outside.

So Mali picked one at random, "The wooden bucket."

Helun had someone open the wooden bucket, and a rich wine aroma immediately came to his face. The priestess dipped her index finger in it and sent it into her mouth. She also licked her lips, "Oh, it's honey wine."

The bearded president then added, "The weight of this barrel of honey wine is 360 pounds. According to the current transaction price in Yingzui City, 20 Gold Eagles can purchase 64 and a half barrels."

"Next, it's your turn," the priestess said to Baier-ta again.

The felt cloth on the basket was also lifted by someone, revealing the iron ore underneath.

Baier-ta was stunned for a moment, then looked at his brother, and both of their faces showed joy.

"Lucky bastard," Iouli also sighed.

The war between the Menia Kingdom and the Northern Empire was on the verge of breaking out, and the Jiadelan Gongguo was located on the front line of the war. Both sides had tens of thousands of troops stationed at the Sancha River and could go to war at any time.

Fighting a war requires consuming weapons and armor, which in turn caused the price of iron ore to soar recently, doubling from before.

But this was clearly not the end. Selling iron ore had now become a business that was sure to make a profit, and the closer to the front line, the higher the acquisition price.

"The weight of this basket of iron ore is 510 pounds. According to the transaction price at noon, 20 Gold Eagles can purchase 103 baskets."

After Helun introduced the goods on both sides, he looked at the priestess again, and the latter said, "You have twelve days to conduct trade. Anyone who cannot return here before sunset on the twelfth day will be directly judged as the loser."

The corners of Baier-ta's mouth under his hook nose could almost no longer be suppressed, "We will definitely win this competition!"

In fact, the merchants in the inn generally thought so too. First of all, in the drawing of goods, Baier-ta had already surpassed Mali, and although Baier-ta himself ran a magic potion shop, his brother Wolwen was a proper traveling merchant who had been running around for years and knew city-to-city trade like the back of his hand.

In contrast, Mali was clearly still a newcomer who had just prepared to set off, and not having a trade permit meant they hadn't conducted large-scale commodity trade before.

Comparing the two, who won and who lost was obvious.

Iouli had a maid bring a golden balance, took a pearl from her gold-inlaid sleeve, placed it on one side of the balance, placed a bowl of clear water on the other side, and then put her hands together to recite prayers.

This was the first time Mali had seen a priestess cast magic. According to Lievre's popular science, the holy practitioners of the church actually used another form of magic, but they didn't need to master spells through learning and memory like mages, but were directly bestowed by the gods they believed in.

The advantage is that they can easily obtain casting ability regardless of their qualifications, and the disadvantage is that once they abandon their faith, they will immediately become ordinary people, and will likely be cursed by the original gods and hunted down by the church.

But in a moment, Iouli had finished reciting all the prayers.

The next moment, a magical thing happened. The golden balance moved, and the side that originally contained the bowl of water actually began to rise slowly until it was level with the pearl side.

The magic took effect!

The priestess threw the pearl to her maid, "Take it and buy yourself some beautiful clothes, and remember to spend it within three days."

Afterward, she said to the guild apprentice, "Pour this bowl of water on those goods, so we can know whether the coins they bring back are from normal trade."

By the time she finished all this, Helun had also issued a certificate for Mali, temporarily granting Mali the status of a Rose Merchant for thirteen days.

During these thirteen days, Mali could enjoy all the privileges of a Rose Merchant, conduct trade freely in cities where the Rose Alliance had obtained trade permits, and receive tax reductions.

Helun also lent Mali a map and a manual. That map covered almost half of the Leiwateleisi Dalu, and all cities where the Rose Alliance had trade strongholds were marked.

The road details were also much better than the Gongguo map Mali had bought at the market before.

And the manual recorded the tax rates of different commodities in different cities, and the franchise commodities of each city were also marked. Some were only for Rose Merchants to buy and sell, and some were commodities of other guilds that needed to be avoided.

"Good luck, Alchemist, I hope one day we can trade together."

Helun said. He didn't want to offend the Alchemy Association and Guangyao Staff, but as the president of the Rose Alliance, he couldn't favor outsiders, otherwise his position would be in danger during the next election.

This map and manual could be considered his personal goodwill, although it was likely impossible to change the final result of this Wealth Trial.