Chapter 724: The End of the Sale, Jier's Banquet Attire

Jier was busy distributing firewood to be used as fuel; since there was no logging today, the lumberjacks in the Refugee Team were so idle they didn't know what to do with themselves. Seeing the dry, ready-to-use firewood sent from the town, they sat on the ground, one after another, feeling dejected.

"Don't worry, the people in town are providing fuel for these two days, so you can just take a break. Of course, if anyone is restless, go find Bata'er Jiaoshi and try to help out to share some of the workload."

Seeing that the lumberjacks' morale was low, Jier walked over and said loudly.

"Knight Jier, we are all rough men. We can farm and log, but we can't really help the Priest, can we?"

A leader among the lumberjacks responded loudly.

Jier smiled and pointed to the open space that barely counted as a camp, saying: "How can you not help? Digging latrines, building wooden planks to screen off waste areas, or even borrowing weapons from friends who have them to practice some simple combat skills—you can do all of these while you're idle. You eat the most, yet do the least dangerous work; why just sit around instead of finding ways to exercise your bodies?"

Once they heard they had to do these things, they became unwilling and started making excuses, eventually settling for wrestling and grappling that wouldn't hurt anyone to burn off their energy.

Jier reluctantly accepted this and actively ignored the fact that some were setting up gambling pools for these seemingly low-level matches. To be honest, the young refugees didn't have many things they could use as stakes; everyone was broke, and the little money they had left was what the Armed Civilian had dug up when searching the Bandit dens—those people were clearly already distinguished from the others, including the lumberjacks and ordinary civilians.

Therefore, the only thing the lumberjacks could bet at this time was the Divine Power Seed used to fill their stomachs.

Everyone had some of this, and since Bata'er Jiaoshi bestowed many new ones every day, they couldn't even finish eating them all.

To tell the truth, the lumberjacks' level of wrestling was truly limited; Jier only watched for a few moments before turning his head away, no longer paying attention. If he were to enter the ring and face them in a wheel battle, none of the lumberjacks would be able to make him move a single step.

Seeing that there was nothing going on in the open space, Jier found Bata'er Jiaoshi and told him about the invitation to a banquet from the local large Merchant Guild.

He even showed the invitation to the other party, but Bata'er Jiaoshi did not take it to look: "This invitation has power blessed by priests of other gods, so I will not touch it."

"Oh?" Hearing this, Jier flipped the invitation in his hand back and forth a few times, but didn't see anything.

"Jier, you can feel the Nongshen Divine Power because you have the Nongshen Divine Power Seed and power within your body. You haven't had much contact with the Church of the God of Wealth before, have you?"

As Bata'er Jiaoshi said this, he gestured toward his torso.

"I did fight side-by-side with a priest of the Church of the God of Wealth when passing through the Guai-feng Grassland, but I don't know much else."

"There is a Divine Art on the invitation that makes people feel slightly happier after touching it. Yes, just as you thought, it's on the gold decoration on the front of the invitation."

Jier rubbed the Merchant Guild's logo made of gold with his thumb, feeling that the ability to make people happy wasn't necessarily all the work of some Divine Art.

He told this to the Priest, and the young Bata'er Jiaoshi looked helpless: "Although gold is indeed a precious metal, food that can fill one's stomach is the true Zhenbao. I hope you can understand this principle."

"Yes, yes, yes, they are all Zhenbao, they are all Zhenbao. Gold and food—the two precious treasures that people cannot live without. Ah, things that are indispensable in life."

Jier said with a laugh, and Bata'er Jiaoshi felt even more helpless.

After joking for a while, Jier had never attended a banquet invitation in this other world before. Previously, when Kendall Baron passed through Pine Needle Town to attend Gulov Knight's dinner, it wasn't a formal acceptance of an invitation, but a temporary visit.

So, he communicated with Bata'er Jiaoshi regarding what to wear and potential conversation topics, and received guidance.

As a young priest trained by the local diocese, Bata'er Jiaoshi had received church guidance in this area since childhood. Naturally, he knew the attire and etiquette for attending.

"What you wear is very important. If you continue to wear this Metal Armor covered in wear and tear, it clearly implies that you don't want to engage in any communication with the other party. Changing into light clothing, however, represents respect and trust for the host, facilitating communication and cooperation."

The Priest gave simple guidance, but he frowned and added: "I think it's best if you wear your armor. Duoen Town is a deep ravine filled with desires; if you fall in, not even a sound will come back up."

"Is that so."

Jier didn't see it that way; he was quite confident in his own abilities at this moment. Besides, the armor wasn't kept elsewhere, but in a lady's dream; for outsiders, it would only take him the blink of an eye to go in and change into a suit of armor.

"It's not easy to eat and drink while wearing armor, so I'll wear ordinary clothes."

Hearing Jier's words, the Priest rolled his eyes. He himself had no means or methods to restrain the warrior Jier; even their shared mission was pointed out by the gods, and with Jier the warrior being the main party putting in the effort, he was just there to provide support.

Therefore, listening to what Jier said, the other party wanted to attend the banquet and was not going to be dressed in a militant fashion. Although he felt unhappy, he couldn't really say anything.

"Sigh, suit yourself, but pay attention to the other party's attitude. Tonight, I will have the armed civilians stay vigilant."

Jier narrowed his eyes and nodded in agreement.

After a while, the bright yellow sun gradually approached the north-south mountain range on the west side of Duoen Town. Although located on a small plain, due to the obstruction of the western mountains, dusk in Duoen Town was no different from being in the mountains.

The refugees were long used to this, so campfires were lit early one after another. People sat around the fires, either laughing and talking, or shedding tears while stroking the ash bags containing their dead companions.

Those who were hungry started cooking early, boiling the thick Wheat Porridge that they never grew tired of eating.

The suffering they endured at the Baishi Chengqiang Guanka a few days ago made it impossible for the vast majority of refugees to forget those days of starvation.

Therefore, even though the boiled Wheat Porridge had no specific flavor and at most had some salt sprinkled in, they all felt this food was exceptionally delicious. But Jier's mouth had long since grown bland.

He returned to his carriage, fiddled around for a while, and then changed his clothes in the newly erected dome tent. When he came out, his appearance had changed drastically.

The close subordinates sitting nearby looked at Jier Knight in surprise; many were used to seeing him wearing thick, heavy armor all day long, without a single gap exposed.

But at this moment, Jier had changed into his best set of clothes, which instead made these young civilians feel like he was a stranger.

Jier seemed to have washed his body; his hair was slightly damp and had been combed back neatly. He had changed into a set of northern winter clothes that looked unfamiliar to the locals.

Here, Jier had removed the warm lining from the clothes, making them barely suitable for spring wear. Inside, he added a soft half-armor made of black metal scales, which was only slightly inferior in defensive protection to the Hard Cowhide Armor he had worn before.

Around his neck, he wore a strange little Wooden Carving on a thin string; it was black and seemed to be in the shape of a bird.

His belt was an exquisite leather belt. On his left hip was still the Hunting Sword, and on his right hung two Daggers. One was the Magic Dagger they had seen, and the other was a small curved Dagger with gold decorations, which looked very delicate and not of the local style.

Or rather, it was not the style of Dagger weapon from the original hometowns of most Empire immigrants.

His trousers were similar to his clothes; Jier had removed the warm fur trousers he wore underneath. With only the outer trousers used for decoration, they wouldn't feel stuffy in this season.

As for shoes, Jier didn't wear any combat boots or leather armor boots made of hard cowhide. He had fought so many Bandits before; to be honest, he had picked up—no, captured—a few pairs of high-end leather boots that looked comfortable and fit well.

At this time, he specifically chose a pair of black soft cowhide long boots, which made him look quite spirited.

Jier also wore an extra Cloak. Although it was just an ordinary item, he couldn't wear a wolf-fur Cloak in the spring, could he? He would break out in skin diseases from the heat in one night.

Jier walked around a few times in front of the direct subordinates he often talked to, letting them look at him from all sides, and then asked: "How is it? This outfit?"

The young people were mostly from Farmer backgrounds. When Jier Knight asked, they didn't know how to answer, so they could only shake their heads.

"No good?"

Jier asked in surprise.

"No, no, no, no, Knight, you ask us, but we don't know how to answer you. It's just... it looks good."

One person said this, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jier rolled his eyes, feeling he had asked the wrong people, so he ran to the front of the open space, intending to ask someone else.

When he met the patrolling Armed Civilian on the road, they didn't even recognize Jier's identity at first and even shouted to ask who he was. As a result, when Jier spoke, they were all shocked and stood there stunned.

When he arrived at the place where the Bandit spoils were being sold, more than half of the supplies here had already been moved from the center to the side, leaving only a few boxes of goods that really seemed unwanted sitting there, looking quite pitiful.

Mr. Bafute, the middle-aged Merchant responsible for the sale, was standing next to these few boxes of goods at this moment. Following Jier's previous instructions, he had the surrounding chatting Merchants gather closer before announcing: "It seems everyone has already selected the harvest they desire. Then, according to what Knight Jier instructed earlier, these last few boxes of goods will be reduced by another thirty percent from their original price. Is there any Merchant who wants to take them all into their hands?"

The people around discussed it in hushed tones, but no one actually stepped up to answer. Come on, the Merchants who came to participate in the sale were not some greenhorns on their first day of business; how could they not know what items were worth acquiring and what items were profitable? These few boxes of things were indeed difficult to sell, especially in the current times; people felt it was a hassle just to have them in their possession.

If the trade routes in various places were clear, one could try to buy them all up and find a way to sell them to newcomers or towns far away; perhaps they could recoup the investment.

But now, that was absolutely impossible.

However, just after Mr. Bafute sighed and intended to announce the end of today's sale, a middle-aged Steward, who had not spoken the whole time and had looked very anxious since just a moment ago, walked out.

"I'll take these things for fifty percent off!"

Mr. Bafute did not know that the person making the move at this moment was none other than Raul Binte, a shop Steward who had a vested interest in this sale of spoils.

"Fifty percent off? This price..."

Mr. Bafute hesitated a bit. To tell the truth, the previous thirty percent off was already the lowest limit the Knight had instructed. If the price went any lower, they might as well take the things with them; anyway, two carriages had been emptied, and there was still plenty of space for cargo.

"I'm paying cash! Count it up, how much in coins do they need?"

Steward Raul pursed his lips tightly and kept a straight face, not letting any of his emotions show. The surroundings were full of cunning and clever Merchants. Although these people might not guess about things like the spoils-selling contract, many were not fools. If they asked around later, those with interest could guess their connection to the profits of this sale from the actions of him and the friends he had called over.

This was not a very good thing for his future of continuing to mix in the local area; it affected his reputation.

"Hmm, if it's coins, that's barely acceptable."

Mr. Bafute scratched his head and looked at Priest Bata'er to the side. The Priest waved his hand, signaling him to handle it himself.

Thus, Mr. Bafute nodded: "Alright then, let me calculate these things for you. These three boxes are, respectively, small boot nails, inferior animal hair, and tattered, blood-stained clothing."

"For cash, because the quantity is not small, it is two Silver Coins and thirty-five copper coins."

Hearing the quote, Steward Raul was quite reluctant, but he still took out two Silver Coins and thirty-five copper coins from his personal money pouch and the inner pocket of his clothes.

After receiving the money and counting it to ensure there were no errors, Mr. Bafute pushed these three stacked Wooden Boxes, signaling for this 'sucker' buyer to find someone to take them away.

Subsequently, he waved his arms and said excitedly to the surrounding Merchants: "Then, thank you all, thank you all for your generosity. Because of your kindness and noble character, the money from this transaction and the supplies exchanged will all be used for these hundreds of Refugee people. Thank you, thank you everyone!"

As Mr. Bafute spoke, his eyes welled up with tears; it was unknown if he was emotionally moved, or if this transaction allowed him to demonstrate his value and brought him a chance to turn things around.

Listening to Mr. Bafute's flattery toward the surrounding Merchants, Priest Bata'er covered his face with his hand. He really did not want to hear these pretty words full of insincerity, and did not want to look at these dozens of cunning Merchants who bought low and sold high to obtain dozens of times the harvest of the Farmer.

Before his eyes, Jier, who had changed into a set of clothes, walked over. Jier did not care about the spoils sale behind him; the things he had captured were honestly not bad, and he could exchange them for a large sum of money regardless.

Of course, money was both important and unimportant to these hundreds of people; the key was the various supplies they could use later, which were what they needed most right now.

"How is it? This outfit of mine?"

Jier lifted the Cloak behind him with a bit of pride, then put his hands on his hips to let the Priest take a look.

Priest Bata'er scratched his head and made a few "tsk, tsk, tsk" sounds with his mouth: "Aren't there any better-looking clothes? Although the attire has a style like that of the north, isn't it a bit too simple? Jier, how much did it cost to have this outfit made?"

"Made? I bought it. I bought it at a shop in the wealthy district of our Kendall City. I think it's quite good. Originally, there was an additional thermal layer, but since it's spring now, I removed it."

Priest Bata'er was speechless: "Warrior Jier, generally speaking, I mean, generally speaking, very few people would wear store-bought clothing to a formal banquet venue. Although this outfit of yours has a northern style that is rare locally, others will know it is clothing sewn using only ordinary fabric as soon as they see the material. You'd be better off wearing Armor like this."

Jier awkwardly pinched the fabric of his clothes with his hand. In fact, his pursuit of the functionality of clothing was far stronger than his pursuit of the wearing value of clothing. He felt this outfit was quite good; although it wasn't custom-made and the fabric used was just ordinary fabric that had been simply dyed, at least it was handmade.

In his previous life, basically the clothes everyone wore were processed on assembly lines. Even higher-end apparel just had better fabric, but in reality, it was still produced by small-scale division of labor. It was nothing like here in the other world, where clothes were all sewn stitch by stitch by the shops themselves or by hired tailors.

It was all handmade! It was all art!

*Cough cough*, well, it's hard to call it art if the tailor's technique isn't up to par.

"Then what should I do? It's getting dark, and I don't want to lose face in front of those big Merchant Guild Stewards. Or, how about I just wear my previous Hard Cowhide Full-Coverage Armor? Hmm, no, the local Security Guard of the other party has quite nice Armor on them; this outfit isn't presentable."

Priest Bata'er's eyes lit up at this moment: "Jier, perhaps you can go find those Merchants who were rescued and let them think of a way. At the very least, they can point out where this outfit of yours is lacking!"

Jier punched his fist into his palm: "That's right, I'll go over there now."

Subsequently, Jier hurried back from the front of the open space to the middle of the open space. The rescued Merchants were all here in the middle because they could not integrate into the teams of other people, so they had to stay closer to Jier.

As soon as Jier went over, he stated his intention. At this moment, these rescued Merchants were eating. Hearing Knight Jier's words, they all raised their heads to look over.

After these few days, the state of some of the bankrupt Merchants who had previously been in despair was much better. Although they couldn't compare to the energetic Mr. Bafute, they were no longer in that state of giving up on themselves.

The old Merchant who was teaching the youth was the first to respond to Knight Jier's call for help. After walking over, he looked the Knight's attire up and down.

The old man muttered a few words under his breath, then looked at the Knight and asked: "Lord Knight, it seems your previous financial situation was not very good?"