Chapter 355: The Inn and the Merchant Guild — The Deal is Struck! A Harvest of 156 Gold Coins

The fragrance of the Soul Wood calms the mind, and the alien race's craftsmanship on the wooden carving allows anyone who smells the scent it emits to perceive in their mind the surprise of discovering a fawn while exploring a dense forest.

"This is a good thing, truly a good thing. But the price?" Although some merchants wanted this item, they still hesitated regarding its price.

Another merchant scoffed: "If you don't want it, forget it. I have no doubts about its price; this wonderful thing is worth its price no matter where it is." He looked at Simons: "If you ask me, were it not for the fact that Bingxun Pass is a small place and our financial resources are not particularly great, its price could double without any issue."

The old merchant narrowed his eyes and said nothing more, though the old man gripped the handkerchief in his hand and gently wiped his eyes.

The merchant Banta nearby said to the middle-aged merchant who had praised the wooden carving: "No need for nonsense, let's compete fairly. I'll go first. Although funds are tight, I can still scrape it together according to the price Simons mentioned." After finishing, he nodded at Simons and reached his hand toward the wooden carving.

Simons smiled at the corner of his mouth but did not speak.

Before Banta's hand could touch the wooden carving, another merchant slapped his hand down: "It's not like I don't have the money; I want it too, and I'll add one Gold Coin to the asking price."

Banta hissed, withdrew his hand, and said nothing more. His Merchant Guild had been tight on funds these past two days, and he had just been testing the waters; it would be best if he could buy it, but it was no pity if he couldn't. After all, he was still young and had plenty of time to do business and make money; missing out on such a treasure now, who knows when he might encounter one again in the future.

Just as the previous merchant finished speaking, the middle-aged merchant who kept mentioning his wife also spoke up: "Dover, this is a work of art; you brute, don't defile it, alright? Look at the graceful curves of this wooden carving, this lively posture—if your rough hands were to touch this Forest Elf, no one could bear to watch. Everyone agrees, right?" Having said this, he asked those around him.

But the attendants and followers dared not express an opinion, Banta stood with his arms crossed, looking at him mockingly, while the old merchant remained silent, his cloudy eyes wondering what he was thinking.

The merchant who had been retorted to as a brute curled his lips and spoke in a deliberately rough, strange voice: "Yes, yes, yes, I am a brute. Look at the various rings on my hands—one, two, three, four—big and heavy, completely devoid of aesthetic appeal. But look at this." He took a Gold Coin from his pocket and flicked it on his finger.

The Gold Coin spun in the air, straight up and down, leaving behind a shimmering golden streak of light.

"Their beauty is something no one can refuse. Is everyone right?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone present nodded slightly; no one disliked money, let alone Gold Coins. Small, round, and possessing a solid, heavy texture.

Men can stand tall with it, women can use it to maintain their beauty, children can use it to keep smiling, and the elderly can use it to enjoy their twilight years in peace. Soldiers can use it to fight bravely, merchants can use it to speak loudly, farmers can use it to work hard, Priests can use it to strengthen their Faith, and Mages can use it to cast grand Magic and change the world.

Everyone in society says it is good, and all living things on earth crave to obtain more.

"So, although I am vulgar, what I have in my hand is certainly worthy of this wooden carving. If I win it, I will definitely use blessed water to wash it clean when I return, then cover it with a thin glass dome purchased from abroad, so it remains undisturbed by a vulgar fellow like me. By then, everyone can come to my house; I welcome you all to come and smell this magical fragrance. Haha,"

The merchant who had been retorted to immediately countered: "Is that so?" He raised his head slightly: "Then I will offer a price slightly higher than yours. I offer one hundred and twenty-seven Gold Coins."

Jier watched their verbal sparring, pretending to be generous, but with the price only rising by one Gold Coin at a time, he couldn't help but look at these merchants with new respect.

His item was a good item, but the money of others did not come from a strong wind, so they were still very cautious in their spending.

However, in the end, the old merchant who had not spoken until now coughed, attracting the attention of the others, and then, feigning an aged appearance, said: "Everyone, everyone. Please listen to me for a moment."

Everyone quieted down.

"Everyone, as I see it, regardless of the appearance of this wooden carving, its true preciousness lies in the fact that it is carved from a single piece of Soul Wood. As I have said, Soul Wood has the effect of soothing the soul after the living have passed away, which can be seen from the miraculous effect it has on us living people. As you all can see, I am already old, and although I have seen countless treasures in my life, to be able to encounter Soul Wood in this accidental situation after I have grown old is already the God of Wealth bestowing grace and blessing upon me."

The other merchants sensed the meaning in the old merchant's words, but being suppressed by the elder using the deity, it was difficult to argue back. After all, firstly, everyone was a friend doing business in Bingxun Pass, secondly, everyone actually shared the same Faith, and thirdly, the other party was indeed the oldest among them.

Therefore, at this point, it was difficult to speak further.

"I have not died, nor am I a Priest possessing Divine Power; whether I can enter the Great Lord's Divine Kingdom after death remains unknown, and this Soul Wood with its magical power might just be a very important thing for me. I hope I can possess it; when I die, I can hold this wooden carving in my hand and let its magical power protect my soul after death."

After finishing his words, the old man looked at the other merchants one by one with his cloudy eyes. No one felt it appropriate to object further, so they fell silent.

Mr. Simons coughed lightly: "Then, old Phillips, how much are you willing to pay? After all, one thing is one thing, the item is not mine, and I was entrusted by Jier."

The previous price had already been bid up to a high of one hundred and thirty-five Gold Coins by the other merchants; although it had only increased by ten Gold Coins from the base price, it was still a significant amount.

The bounty for the head of a Bandit Leader was only five Gold Coins, so ten Gold Coins was not a small amount.

The old merchant gestured with his left and right hands, one finger on one side and four fingers on the other; it seemed he was offering one hundred and forty Gold Coins.

"Old man, you are still the wealthy one; your family fortune is truly deep."

"You flatter me, you flatter me; I am just preparing for myself, and when you reach my age, it will be the same." At this moment, the old merchant spoke quickly, his articulation clear and forceful.

"Both of today's treasures have been taken by you; we have come for nothing."

"Don't say that; today was mainly to discuss the recent situation and everyone's respective channels, to see where there are better ways to make money," Mr. Simons explained with a smile.

He patted Jier, asking Jier to put the wooden carving away for the time being, and after they finished the gathering in a while, the two would go together to follow the old merchant Phillips to his Merchant Guild for the formal transaction.

Jier wrapped up the still eye-catching wooden carving and then tucked it into the pouch at his waist, tying it tight.

Afterward, Jier saw the merchants move past the matter of the treasures, sitting on the long wooden chairs one by one, chatting and talking about the troubles and worries of their respective Merchant Guilds. The merchants who had been bickering earlier were now offering advice to each other or providing a little help, with no sign of the previous confrontation.

Jier sat to the side, listening boredly, holding a wooden cup and drinking warm fruit tea, cup after cup.

After a good while, it was noon. Everyone felt hungry, and only then did they end this gathering.

Jier followed Mr. Xiao Simengsi, and Mr. Xiao Simengsi followed the old merchant Phillips. The old merchant's attendant originally wanted to support him, but the old merchant didn't need support at all; he followed Mr. Xiao Simengsi, talking and striding away from the second floor of the Shuqin Lüguan.

The old merchant's Merchant Guild was behind the street-front shops on the main street of Bingxun Pass; after passing through a stone-paved passage between two shops, they arrived at a closed courtyard with only one entrance.

Although it was enclosed here, it was the Jiedian for several large Merchant Guilds, and the old merchant's Merchant Guild was also here.

Jier followed them inside and sat down in the Merchant Guild hall.

Land was tight here, and it naturally could not compare to the Merchant Guild building by the river belonging to the Simons Chamber of Commerce; although the place was smaller, in terms of exquisite decoration, it far exceeded the Simons Chamber of Commerce and the Fox Tail Chamber of Commerce.

After the group sat down, the old merchant Phillips called over the various Stewards of the Merchant Guild, telling them to go to the various shops of the Merchant Guild in the pass and bring back all the large amounts of Gold Coins stored in the shops. He also handed the tokens for collecting the money to each Steward.

Jier took out the items, the small box containing the Gems and the fine cloth wrapping the wooden carving, and placed them on the table in the hall for the old merchant to inspect.

The old merchant first tremblingly used his hands to untie the fine cloth, took out the exquisite and lively wooden carving, and after taking a deep breath, smiled with satisfaction.

"Pardon my behavior; it is just that for an old fellow like me who does not know how much longer he can live, such a precious and hard-to-find treasure is truly too important." The old merchant said so.

Mr. Simons did not mind, and while the old merchant's subordinates went to the various shops to collect the Gold Coins, he spoke to the other party about the recent lively scene.

With no other merchants around, and being in his own Merchant Guild, the old merchant changed his previous judgment, instead feeling that such a scene would not last long. He believed that although the trade route headed by Bingxun Pass no longer had Bandits harassing the Caravan, this situation could not be maintained for long.

As long as the Soldiers in Bingxun Pass remained the mud-like trash they were today, they could not maintain the good situation currently created by Knight Kela.

Before long, the Bandits wandering the outer trade routes would automatically fill the Bandit vacuum near Bingxun Pass.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi pursed his lips; on one hand, he felt the other party was right, but on the other hand, he felt that as long as the Soldiers of Bingxun Pass and their superiors tasted the sweetness of prosperous trade, they might proactively go out to strike at the Bandit Group outside Bingxun Pass.

"Naive young man. Letting those fellows collect taxes and rake in money behind the city walls is fine, but asking them to go out and risk their lives against a Bandit Group is simply impossible. I have lived for so many years and met so many people like those fellows; I don't even need to look, just by the sound of their voices, I can guess what they are going to say," the old merchant said disdainfully.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi touched his nose; his children were already so old, and suddenly being called a naive young man left him caught off guard, feeling inexplicable and not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Seeing them have such a disagreement, Jier spoke up: "I apologize for interrupting."

"Young man, speak." Old Phillips gestured for Jier to speak.

"Since you merchants are so pessimistic about the Soldiers of Bingxun Pass, why don't you organize your own forces to proactively clear out the Bandit Group on the trade route?"

The old man patted his forehead and said helplessly: "The Soldiers in the pass are scared to death of dealing with Bandits, but they are proactive in attacking any organization that dares to challenge their authority. They have deep power backgrounds behind them; no one can afford to provoke them."

"Is that the Earl?" Jier muttered to himself.

Unexpectedly, the old Merchant had sharp ears and heard him: "The young man is quite clear on this; that is very impressive."

Jier hurriedly waved his hands and said: "Hi, I just heard it from Knight Kela; actually, I don't care about these things at all." After Jier finished speaking, Mr. Xiao Simengsi and old Phillips both narrowed their eyes. The two looked at each other; Mr. Simons shook his head, while the old Merchant raised an eyebrow.

While they were talking, the Merchant Guild Stewards who had previously taken the tokens to various shops to collect money returned one after another. Bingxun Pass was not large to begin with, so it did not take much time to go and come back.

The amount of Gold Coins each Steward retrieved from the shops varied, but none were small, mostly ranging from a dozen to about fifty. This showed that the Merchant Guild owned by the old Merchant actually had quite sufficient financial strength.

After the Merchant Guild Stewards returned, they did not leave, but curiously gathered in the Merchant Guild hall to see what kind of transaction their President was conducting. The old Merchant simply had his subordinates come over one by one to experience the peculiar ability of the Soul Wood Wooden Carving he had just bought.

Jier counted the 140 Gold Coins for the Wooden Carving and put them into a sturdy cut-proof money bag; then, he also counted the 33 Gold Coins for the Gems and put them into another complimentary cut-proof money bag.

Jier tucked both money bags deep into his Backpack and then waited for Mr. Xiao Simengsi to finish talking with the old Merchant.

However, their conversation was soon interrupted by sounds of surprise and loud exclamations. Watching the foolish appearance of his subordinates, the old Merchant had to apologize to Simons and send the two who had finished their transaction away.

Just after walking out of the hall, one could hear the old Merchant's vigorous roaring and scolding.

Jier shrugged and said to Mr. Xiao Simengsi: "So, his previous frail appearance was all an act?"

Mr. Simons gave a dry laugh: "There is some truth to that, but the appearance was indeed an act."

"Then do you think others noticed?"

"What if they did? What if they didn't? In business and trade, it's all about having a thick skin, a black heart, and quick reactions. If you asked the others there to pretend, they wouldn't have the age condition for it, would they?" Laughing heartily, Mr. Xiao Simengsi called over the Shop Assistant waiting at the entrance of the Merchant Guild, and the three of them walked quickly back to the Simons Chamber of Commerce with Jier.

After returning to his own sphere of influence, Mr. Xiao Simengsi finally relaxed. He took the 17 Gold Coins and 3 Silver Coins that Jier counted out and handed to him, and gave this money to the busy old Simons.

"Thank you very much for your help today. If it weren't for you acting as the intermediary, I really wouldn't have been able to sell these two items for such a high price." Jier sincerely thanked Mr. Xiao Simengsi.

Mr. Xiao Simengsi laughed out loud: "To earn so much money in half a day is easier than any business I've done before. I should be the one thanking you. If you have such business again next time, be sure to come find me. No one would complain about having fewer opportunities like this."

Jier was kept at the Simons Chamber of Commerce for lunch, which consisted of filling and salty food. Jier ate until he was very full because, according to what Mr. Xiao Simengsi said, it was very dangerous for Jier to carry so much money alone. Although the Bandit Group outside Bingxun Pass had been cleared out by the Militia, Bingxun Pass was never a clean place to begin with; ever since it was established decades ago, it had been a place of chaos and trouble.

No one stopped the news of Jier profiting over a hundred Gold Coins from selling treasures in the morning, and this news would soon spread throughout all of Bingxun Pass.

Some dangerous fellows who would take risks for wealth would certainly come with murderous intent to rob Jier and the wealth he carried. Especially since Jier was not a local and had no sufficient power to rely on.

Seeing that Jier only carried a Dagger and no other weapons or equipment, Mr. Xiao Simengsi gave Jier a Changdao that the Merchant Guild had accidentally collected, and also gave him a leather Shield—a sturdy small square shield made of leather over wood—all for Jier to use for self-defense.

Jier originally did not want them, but he could not resist Mr. Xiao Simengsi's persistent insistence, so he had to carry the two items, mount the horse that the Shop Assistant had retrieved from the Shuqin Lüguan using the token, and leave the Simons Chamber of Commerce on horseback.

Jier rode quickly to the inn where he was staying, stuffed everything in his room into his Backpack all at once, greeted the inn clerk, threw the room key to them, and after saying goodbye, mounted the horse waiting in the backyard and left.

Jier, riding on the horse, wrapped his Cloak tightly around himself and scanned the area around the inn entrance. Sure enough, he discovered that compared to before he went in, there were indeed more sneaky people on the street at the inn entrance.

Jier smiled; after fighting Bandits and Magic Beasts, he was not afraid of these people at all.

He waved at these people who were secretly watching him, then nudged the horse's belly and accelerated toward the north gate of the pass.

Although he had only just learned to ride, his horse had a docile temperament and was very steady to ride. If Jier only traveled in a straight line on the main road, he could indeed ride at a gallop.

Once Jier, this fellow, rode out, some people rushed into the inn's front desk to ask about Jier's situation, only to be told that Jier had already checked out.

"Chase him! He's leaving!" Someone ran out of the inn again and reported loudly to the people waiting at the inn entrance.

Other fellows who were not in the same group as these people were suspicious, but still walked into the inn to take out money and rent a room.

Some people started running, trying to catch up with Jier on horseback.

Others stood in place, stamping their feet in frustration, complaining about why they had let the presence of other fellows with the same goal hinder them. If they had tackled Jier off the horse earlier and grabbed the Backpack with the items, they would have run off; how could they have lost such a good opportunity to make a fortune?

Jier looked back at the fellows running behind him trying to catch up and laughed out loud. Soon arriving at the north gate of Bingxun Pass, he keenly discovered several people hiding in the dark corners nearby, staring at him. Some were even chuckling secretly.

Jier could guess their thoughts with his heels: they were definitely going to use the Soldiers at the north gate of Bingxun Pass to stop him, mostly using excuses like falsely accusing him of being a Bandit or robber, or other excuses to delay time.

Or, someone might be willing to pay extra money to bribe the Soldiers or Tax Officers here to directly detain him, and then steal the items in Jier's Backpack.

Even more ruthless and well-connected ones might even tell some less-than-honest Soldiers or Tax Officers the news that Jier was carrying a lot of money, directly taking Jier by force and throwing him into prison. When the time came for Jier to get out, he would have to spend a large amount of money, and whether his own money would still belong to him was another matter entirely.

Thinking of this, Jier leaned directly onto the horse's back, hugged the horse's neck, and kicked the horse's belly hard. Ignoring the shouting of the Soldiers at the pass gate, he took advantage of the moment before they could react and rode directly through the north gate of Bingxun Pass, forcing his way out.

Some Soldiers guarding outside the city gate wanted to raise their Long Spear to poke him, but Jier held the Shield in one hand and the Changdao in the other, shouting loudly, which slightly stopped the Soldiers for a moment, and he ran out of their attack range.

Once he left the city gate, Jier calmed the horse and slowed down, not letting the rough road outside the pass shake him off the horse.

Seeing someone persistently chasing him out from the north gate of the pass, Jier found it amusing and deliberately slowed down. He stretched his arms, feeling that it had been some days since he had seen blood, and his body felt a bit stiff.

It was time to get some exercise.