Chapter 72 : Chapter 72

Chapter 72. A Rare Commodity Worth Hoarding

Eli’s figure appeared abruptly by the lakeside.

Behind him, the lake—like a vast emerald set deep within the forest—remained as calm and still as ever.

He subconsciously raised a hand and rubbed his temples hard.

The faint ache beneath his fingertips told him clearly that this was not a dream.

All of it had truly happened.

“Where is Gulu?” Eli glanced around, but that noisy marmot had not reappeared with him.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth in a self-mocking, bitter smile.

He had originally meant to take the opportunity to ask what had caused the beast tide that had nearly destroyed the Black Territory, and whether it had anything to do with the elves.

In the end, before he could even ask, he had been politely but decisively “shown out.”

“Forget it.”

He muttered under his breath, casting aside those thoughts that were too distant and too unrealistic.

An elf princess, dragons, the royal family… beings on that level were far beyond him.

At present, he was only a minor baron who had only just managed to gain a foothold on the wasteland.

He was already bearing the price of the Moonlight Spring. All he could do now was walk the road before him with steady feet.

He cast one final look at that beautiful lake, then turned and strode back the way he had come.

The towering ancient trees closed behind him, cutting off that mysterious blue-green world from sight.

…

When the familiar sounds of human activity from Black Territory Valley faintly reached his ears, an indescribable sense of reassurance instantly swept through his entire body.

He was back.

From afar, the stone wall at the edge of the valley had risen noticeably higher once again.

Under the sunlight, the rough surface of the wall still bore the damp traces of freshly plastered mud, glowing with an earthy yellow sheen.

Though it was still far from complete, that visible growth alone was enough to draw a satisfied curve to Eli’s lips.

“My lord!”

“My lord has returned!”

The constables standing watch at the gate spotted that unmistakable white-haired figure from afar and immediately bowed in respect, their eyes filled with awe.

Eli waved a hand casually, and the soldiers at once joined forces to push the heavy gate hinges.

With a creaking groan, the iron-bound wooden gates slowly opened inward.

Passing through the bustling camp, Eli went straight to the lord’s keep.

When he pushed open the heavy door to the study, Aila was standing with her back to him, bent over the desk in the middle of her work.

At the sound, she spun around sharply.

“Eli!” Aila’s violet eyes lit up at once, and she hurried toward him.

She looked him over from head to toe with meticulous care, as though making sure he was truly unharmed.

Only after seeing that there was not a single wound on him, and that his expression remained as calm as usual, did the faint trace of worry in her eyes quietly fade away.

“Well? Did you meet that princess? What… was she like?”

She paused, then swept her gaze around behind him in confusion.

“Hm? Where is Gulu? Didn’t she come back with you?”

Seeing Aila’s pretty face filled with concern and curiosity, warmth stirred in Eli’s heart.

He deliberately replied in an extremely flat tone.

“Oh, that noisy marmot? She was too loud, so I roasted her and ate her halfway back.”

Aila froze for a moment, then immediately reacted. Curling a little fist, she punched him in the chest.

“You are teasing me again! I’ll hit you! Hurry up and tell me, where did Gulu go?”

Eli had just started to reach for her wrist, intending to tease her a little more—

When a burst of urgent knocking suddenly rang out, shattering the brief warmth in the study.

Knock, knock, knock! Knock, knock, knock!

Eli released Aila’s hand and called out, “Come in.”

The door opened, and the dust-covered Estor appeared in the doorway, with two familiar figures behind him.

Caron, the manager of the Nors Merchant Guild, and Pierre.

“Young Master, Manager Caron and Manager Pierre have arrived,” Estor said, stepping aside.

The moment Caron entered, he immediately put on the enthusiastic smile unique to merchants and gave Eli a deep bow.

“Good day to you, the honorable Baron Pendragon! Please forgive our abrupt intrusion!”

What followed was undisguised amazement and flattery.

“Heavens! How long has it even been? Your lordship’s territory is changing with each passing day!

This wall… my, my, so solid and majestic. Even the outer wall of Thorne City would hardly surpass it, would it?

Your lordship governs with extraordinary skill. Truly, you are a man of heaven-given gifts!”

Pierre hurriedly bent himself in agreement from the side.

“Yes, yes, yes! Manager Caron speaks the truth! Your lordship’s abilities inspire nothing but admiration!”

Eli did not respond. He merely looked at Caron with those calm blue eyes.

The invisible pressure caused the smile on Caron’s face to stiffen slightly.

“That is enough pleasantries.”

“Speak of the real matter.”

Caron immediately put away his smile. “Your lordship is most discerning.

It is like this. Our caravan happened to encounter Administrator Dars on its journey south, the very man you had sent to Thorne City for trade.”

“Administrator Dars was carrying a large quantity of hides, fangs, claws, and other beast materials. The amount was indeed astonishing.

The moment we saw that the goods belonged to Your Lordship, we did not dare delay. We immediately exchanged them, as requested, for grain, salt, iron, and other supplies.

We completed the transaction with him on the spot! The entire process went smoothly.

All the goods we obtained in exchange have already been transported here with the convoy. They are waiting just outside the mouth of the valley.

Administrator Dars has returned as well. He is outside supervising the unloading and counting the cargo even now.”

A trace of satisfaction passed through Eli’s eyes.

“Well done.” He gave a slight nod, which counted as approval of the Nors Merchant Guild’s service this time.

Receiving Eli’s acknowledgment, both Caron and Pierre relaxed visibly, and smiles returned to their faces.

“To be of service to Your Lordship is our honor!” Caron rubbed his hands together and finally entered the true subject of his visit.

“In addition… my lord, the main reason we came this time concerns the population request raised by Lord Estor…”

Eli’s gaze sharpened. “How many people did you bring?”

Caron instantly became ten times more alert. Carefully, he raised one finger on his left hand, then swiftly raised all five on his right.

“My lord, this time… we have brought a total of one thousand five hundred people!

All of them were selected according to your requirements—young, able-bodied laborers in the prime of life.

They are sturdy, quick with their hands and feet, and absolutely first-rate workers!”

Afraid Eli might think the number too great, he hurriedly added,

“Considering how many there are, how long the road is, and how difficult they are to manage, we deliberately split them into two groups.

The first group, eight hundred strong, has already arrived with us outside the valley.

The second group is still on the road and should arrive in about three days.

So… how many would Your Lordship require? That way, we can decide what to do with the second group…”

“I want all of them.”

Those three words emerged from Eli’s mouth once again, flat and calm.

The smile on Caron’s face froze instantly, his mouth hanging half open.

Pierre sucked in a breath even more dramatically, his eyes going round.

“A-all… all of them again?!”

Caron’s voice trembled with disbelief. He even began to wonder whether there was something wrong with his ears.

One thousand five hundred people. That was not one thousand five hundred copper coins.

The cost of transporting that many slaves, together with the losses and provisions on the road, amounted to an astronomical sum.

Could it be that this baron had truly dug up the legendary gold mine beneath his lands?

Pierre also stammered out a confirmation. “M-my lord, are you certain? That is one thousand five hundred people!”

“I am certain.” Eli’s tone did not ripple in the slightest.

“All those in the first group who have arrived are to remain here in Black Territory Valley and be settled.

As for the second group…” He paused briefly in thought.

“Please trouble your caravan with one more journey and send them directly to Lucerne City, to Brandon.

Tell him these are laborers I am sending over, and that he is to make all arrangements at his own discretion.”

The sheer shock left Caron and Pierre with minds gone blank. All they could do was nod mechanically.

“Yes… yes, my lord! We understand! The first group stays in Black Territory, and the second… goes to Lucerne City, into City Lord Brandon’s hands…”

After the tremendous shock came overwhelming delight.

A slave transaction involving one thousand five hundred people.

This was easily one of the largest single population deals in the entire history of the Nors Merchant Guild.

Caron forcibly suppressed the pounding of his heart, which felt as though it might leap out of his chest at any moment, and tried his best to make his voice sound steady.

“Then… my lord, according to our previously agreed price, for each person… well…”

“Considering the greater distance this time, and the… the truly massive number involved, our guild has borne enormous risks and costs…”

“The total comes to one thousand forty-two gold coins.

However, my lord, you are our most important honored guest, and this is such a large transaction.

We… we will round off the fraction for you. A neat one thousand gold coins.”

Even as he named the figure, his voice could not help trembling slightly. His eyes were fixed on Eli, afraid the other man might change his mind or force the price down.

Eli did not hesitate for even a moment. “Agreed. Estor.”

“Young Master.” Estor immediately stepped forward.

“Go to the treasury…” Eli had been about to say, “and have Steward Sebastian release the funds.”

But the words reached his lips only for him to remember that the mysterious old steward was still nowhere to be found.

A nearly imperceptible trace of disappointment crossed his heart, and he immediately corrected himself. “Come with me. I will take you there myself.”

Caron and Pierre hurriedly bowed.

“Yes! My lord!”

…

Not long afterward, the withdrawn gold coins had all been loaded onto the wagons.

As Caron looked at the wagon full of gold, then at Eli’s territory, the thought of forging closer ties with Eli rose in his heart.

He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he still spoke.

“My lord, would you be willing to hear a piece of advice from a mere merchant?”

A curious look appeared in Eli’s eyes.

“Oh? Go on.”

Caron let out a breath in relief.

“My lord, this was also our oversight. In the course of assembling these slaves, the operation may have become rather… conspicuous.

Because of that, it may have drawn the attention of certain interested parties. Of course, I did not reveal even the slightest bit of information about Your Lordship to anyone else.

But… on my way here to Black Territory, I truly sensed… certain eyes upon us.”

Caron stopped at exactly the right point.

Eli frowned as he listened and fell into thought.

“You mean that I have drawn too much attention recently, and that certain people may already have started to notice me.”

Caron nodded hesitantly.

Under Caron’s shocked gaze, Eli bent slightly at the waist and thanked him.

Caron hurriedly stepped aside in alarm. “My lord, you must not, you must not.”

…

The wagons of the Nors Merchant Guild drove away from Black Territory Valley.

Pierre sat on the jolting wagon board, still dazed, his voice carrying a dreamlike sense of unreality.

“Manager Caron… another thousand gold coins… just like that… paid out so easily?

That baron… he… he really…”

He had wanted to ask, How much wealth does he actually possess? But even he felt the question was too rude and too foolish.

Caron leaned back against the burlap sacks piled with goods. Returning from his thoughts, he put on once more the merchant’s characteristic expression of deep calculation and sharp-eyed shrewdness.

He stroked his chin and spoke slowly.

“Pierre, remember this day well. Baron Pendragon… is unlike other men in every way.

Either there is a force behind him that we cannot even begin to imagine, or…”

He paused, lowering his voice even further.

“He himself controls a river flowing with gold.

Whichever it is, this lord is absolutely not someone we can afford to offend. He is not even someone we are qualified to speculate about.

From now on, we cannot show even the slightest negligence toward Black Territory. We must spare no effort in cultivating goodwill. Do you understand?

This may well be the most profitable business our Nors Merchant Guild will conduct in the next ten years, perhaps even the next twenty.”

Pierre nodded hard.

For the first time, he felt with absolute clarity—

A new power was rising irresistibly upon this southwestern frontier forgotten by the nobility.

And the Nors Merchant Guild had been extraordinarily fortunate to catch the tide of that rising power.