Chapter 758: Armor Prices and the Eloquent Mr. Scott

The horse's hooves struck the ground rapidly, causing the earth to tremble slightly.

A sound like muffled thunder gradually rose along the merchant road on the west side of the town, attracting the attention of many debtors still working in the fields.

Having already worked all day and feeling mentally exhausted and weary of the labor, many male and female debtors were stirred by this unusual noise; they stopped their farm tools, straightened their backs that had been bent all day, and looked curiously in the direction from which the sound came.

Many people stopped their work, yet they did not immediately suffer the lash of the overseers' whips, because these lowly fellows, who sat on chairs they had brought to the field ridges, also put down their whips and, like the debtors in the fields, looked together toward the nearby merchant road.

"Oh—"

People let out a gasp of surprise, for what appeared before their eyes was a silver-gray warhorse, galloping at high speed, the likes of which they had never seen before.

The tall, heavy hooves trampled the already solid road surface, leaving behind a long, clear trail of hoofprints.

The galloping of the tall warhorse, especially with the dull, thumping sound of its trampling, made the debtors closer to the merchant road feel a tremendous sense of oppression; some timid fellows even hugged their heads and crouched down because of it.

However, no one dared to mock this fellow at the moment, for the others were no better off than he was.

"Whoo-hoo—!"

Jier swung his right arm in a wide arc, letting out an excited, strange cry.

Although he felt that Tianxuecao, now clad in horse armor, was not running as fast as before, the solid and powerful sensation at this moment was incomparable to the feeling of galloping at high speed previously.

Both were intense and exhilarating, but the sense of speed brought by galloping faster was secondary; after all, a horse's speed was still far inferior to a car's. Instead, it was an excitement born from the sense of participation in personally taming and driving an animal, which was different from driving a car by hand.

And at this moment, unlike the previous gallops, Tianxuecao, clad in horse armor, brought not only the excitement of driving an animal but also a sense of security derived from the mount's formidable strength.

And brought along with this sense of security was a doubly enhanced sense of accomplishment.

Men, after all, are naturally excited and pleased by this kind of powerful strength they can personally control.

"Good boy, run faster! Faster! Let me see where your peak strength lies!"

Jier cheered, and Tianxuecao responded to its master's request, letting loose and giving its all, straining its four hooves and sturdy legs, its nostrils inhaling deeply and then exhaling forcefully, using the mild spring air to invigorate its body.

This scene stunned many debtors who had stopped their work. Many eyes contained not only shock but also visible envy. They, too, wished to be like that young man, galloping freely on horseback.

To live with such overflowing youth.

Instead of being guarded in the fields like this, laboring arduously.

Even if all of this was mostly their own choice.

Of course, these poor people and commoners had no idea that the current situation of many was something the large merchant guilds in the town had long since arranged behind the scenes, and it was exactly the effect they wanted.

Seemingly fair debt labor, using work to pay off money owed from gambling or debts—in reality, it was, at its core, nothing more than a cheap way for the ruling managers to acquire labor.

By putting on a seemingly reasonable facade, they could easily deceive the majority of the uneducated and uncultured populace. They made them willingly labor without thinking about whether the fruits of their labor and their debt situation were equal on the scales.

And for the actual managers of the town, with a sufficient number of debtors working around the town, the merchant guilds in the town could easily obtain various raw materials at prices far lower than in other regions, so that no matter how other regions tried to develop their own commercial trade, they could never compete with Duoen Town in the prices of numerous goods.

This was the truth behind the former prosperity of Duoen Town.

That said.

Jier ran for several kilometers along the merchant road to the west, and after both he and the horse had their fill, he turned around to head back.

On the way, outside a patch of woods that had broken away from the town's actual control, he saw two small, mottled tents pitched. An old man and a young man, both wearing wide cloaks, were sitting by a small campfire in front of the tents, tinkering with their dinner.

Jier did not know what these two were doing, but when the other party noticed him and stood up to look at him, he still waved at them in a friendly manner.

As it turned out, of the two people in the distance, only the one who looked old returned his greeting, also waving in a friendly way. The young one remained indifferent to Jier's gesture.

But Jier did not care.

On his way back, he did not run without controlling his speed as before; he let Tianxuecao, satisfied with its run, trot at a steady pace toward the west side of the town.

When he returned, Jier saw some people standing in the fields, looking at him curiously. Some fellows with whips tucked into their waists were hunched over, gathered around Mr. Scott, looking miserable and begging Mr. Scott for something.

But Mr. Scott looked completely indifferent.

Jier waved at the debtors standing in the fields looking at him; he did not expect that many of them would also wave at him excitedly, which made Jier burst into laughter.

A pair of bright eyes rolled around, and he whispered to his chest: "Ahem, what do you think of these people?"

After a moment, a voice sounded in Jier's mind: "Not much. These humans are base, stupid, shortsighted, greedy, and unable to control their own desires."

Jier curled his lips and mocked: "Then do you have a choice right now?"

"If you, this rude fellow, would put in some effort, I would certainly have a choice. Caw!"

Jier snorted coldly: "Then you have no choice now. Although these people are base, stupid, shortsighted, greedy, fear violence, and cannot control their own desires, liking to indulge themselves, they can easily believe in any mysterious existence that can help them escape their current dire situation. As long as this existence can bring them any obvious benefits."

"Let me think, caw."

"Think again; they are also the easiest people to develop. Of course, some Bandit Groups in the mountains or forests around the town, I think, are also quite good. But those people hold weapons and worship violence; the benefits and advantages you would need to provide to satisfy them would be no small amount."

"Caw, to make mortals have Faith, it is not necessary to give benefits! I can use power to awe them!"

Jier spat in disdain: "With what? One or two birds with brightly colored feathers? Or some noisy crows? By pooping on human heads to awe them?"

"Rude human! How dare you insult a primitive and great deity? Caw!"

Jier touched Tianxuecao's long ears indifferently, causing the warhorse to twist its neck in displeasure: "Oh, so it's a deity? Then I'm truly sorry; do you need me to run to the town's central square right now, loudly proclaim your name, and tell everyone your long, convoluted, boring, and backward primitive Divine Essence or title or whatever it is?"

With a smirk, Jier continued: "I think the Priests of the Church of the God of Wealth in Duoen Town would be very interested. Or, perhaps, some other churches?"

A silence followed, and finally, a voice sounded in Jier's mind: "I am a bit tired; just as you said, let us start with those debtors. Please, after you get the produced Statues of the God, place them on the treetops, and I will arrange for them to be taken away and delivered into the hands of these debtors."

"Rude human, helping me is also helping yourself. Before my Shadow Bird helps you drive away the resentment that entangles you, you will surely be entangled by the resentment of those you killed with your own hands. Every night, they will further erode your soul, interfere with your thinking, and cause your actions to become chaotic."

Jier pursed his lips: "I am doing things according to your plan, so, great bird deity, let's not be picky; one can only reach the next floor by stepping firmly on every step of the staircase."

"I am a bit tired, caw caw."

Jier finally snorted, ending the conversation.

He frowned, considering not only the resentment entangling him but also this primitive deity who could communicate directly and unilaterally with his mind.

If it could make words appear directly in his mind, could it also probe his thoughts?

Thinking of this, Jier cursed the great bird deity repeatedly in his mind in a rebellious manner, then confirmed that the black Bird Wood Carving on his chest had not changed, no voice of argument had sounded in his mind, and he had no intuitive feeling of his hair standing on end.

It seemed this fellow could not probe his thoughts or his memories.

But once the seed of suspicion was planted, it could never be eradicated.

'What if this is a tactic of this primitive deity to endure humiliation for the sake of its goal? To bear my rudeness for now, and then rely on cooperating with me to develop a group of believers? Once its wings are grown and it is strong enough, it will settle old and new scores together and torture me to death?'

Such a possibility was not entirely out of the question, but Jier could not verify it for the moment, so he could only carry this passive thought with him as he arrived at the intersection on the west side of town with a sour expression; Scott and the subordinates, Craftsmen, and apprentices he led were all waiting there.

A fair number of people were gathered nearby as well, including the debtors standing barefoot in the fields by the road, peering toward him, and the debtor overseers who were hunched over, saying something ingratiating to Scott.

Seeing Jier return, Scott interrupted the overseer who was petitioning him with a look of disgust: "That's enough. You can't manage your own people; that has nothing to do with us. Step back, don't come bothering me."

After saying this, Scott brought the Craftsmen over: "Knight Jier, how is it? With the horse running at full speed, how is the condition of this Horse Armor?"

Jier jumped off his horse and gave the armor on Tianxuecao's neck two solid knocks: "Very good. Most of the improvements made earlier at low speeds have made the warhorse's movement smooth and the noise acceptable even at full gallop."

The Craftsmen were much more practical; they had spotted some issues when Jier was galloping at full speed, and now that they gathered around to inspect the armor on the horse again, they had some more beneficial modification plans.

Jier waved his hand to let them proceed, while he pulled Scott to one side to discuss the cost of producing this warhorse armor.

"So, what is the final price for this set of Horse Armor? Considering I've unearthed a future source of profit for you, you must give me a discount."

Jier said with a grin; he still had quite a bit of funds on hand, but this thing wasn't cheap, so he would save where he could.

"You can't put it that way. The business of Multi-layer Protective Cloth certainly requires a large initial investment, and whether it can actually make money and become a long-term business in the future is still unknown! Of course, considering how well I get along with you, Knight Jier, a discount is certainly a must. Let me see."

Having said that, Scott took a small leather notebook from the Merchant Leather Bag at his waist, pulled a long Charcoal Pencil from the leather seam on the side of the book, and flipped to a page to start calculating the price.

"Oh my, it's been many years since I've calculated these accounts directly, but fortunately, I haven't forgotten the skill. Let's see here, the final price, after wiping away the low-value coins that neither of us cares about, the total is twelve Gold Coins and six Silver Coins. How about it? This price?"

"How much? Twelve Gold Coins? You really don't hold back!"

Jier complained hurriedly; this price directly exceeded the amount he had estimated in his mind.

When he first purchased his Hunting Sword back when it was just a Steel Sword, it only cost one Gold Coin. Later, when he provided the design and raw materials himself, a full set of Metal Armor only cost a few Gold Coins to produce.

How could this set of Horse Armor, which didn't use much metal, cost him more than twelve Gold Coins?

"Ah, you've misunderstood, Knight Jier. Let's look: the metal for the horse's head, neck, and chest was all diverted by my people from a batch of double-thickness materials intended for other Cavalrymen, specially modified for you. Not to mention that it's all top-quality steel, just the double thickness alone, combined with the original price of the metal, means you've made a small profit."

"Weigh it in your own hands; the metal used is solid, it's worth that price, right?"

"Secondly, although the price of this first-time use of Multi-layer Protective Cloth is hard to calculate, its outstanding protective power and its lighter overall weight compared to hard cowhide material—I've simply calculated it for you at the price of hard cowhide, which is already a bargain for you!"

Jier rolled his eyes, feeling that Scott was becoming more and more outrageous; good grief, it was all him taking advantage, and they were the ones suffering losses, right?

"Furthermore, the most important point, Knight Jier: in order not to delay your journey, I have called over all the Craftsmen in the Merchant Guild capable of handling Horse Armor, along with all their apprentices, to work for you. You've seen how meticulous and hardworking they are, perfectly meeting all your requirements. Many of them have been busy from yesterday until now."

Hearing this, Jier turned to look at the fatigue and dark circles under the eyes of the several Craftsmen and many apprentices, and haggling further would have made him the one in the wrong.

"Fine, fine, let it be the price you said. How much money, I'll pay it now."

Jier waved his hand; he was afraid of Scott's mouth, so he immediately took out his money bag, pulled out a stack of Gold Coins and Silver Coins, and handed them to the smiling Scott.

"Oh my, receiving coins handed to me by a Knight, this feeling is truly different."

Scott said smugly, then casually put the money into his own money bag.

After seeing his actions, Jier asked: "Does this money not go through your Merchant Guild's accounts?"

Scott raised his eyebrows: "Of course not, this is a transaction between you and me personally; it doesn't have much to do with the Burning Furnace Merchant Guild."

Jier was speechless; using the Merchant Guild's things, the Merchant Guild's people, and the Merchant Guild's land, yet in the end, it didn't count as a Merchant Guild transaction.

"I know what you're thinking. The Craftsmen have been idle lately; you know, the Shanglu is blocked, and they have no work in their hands. So, I will pay the Craftsmen and apprentices for their labor privately. As for the use of the Merchant Guild's materials, I will privately replenish all consumed supplies. As for borrowing the various facilities of the Merchant Guild, ha, I'm the one who calls the shots for the Merchant Guild in Duoen Town; can using one's own things be called 'using'? It doesn't count, you know."

Jier shrugged: "It doesn't matter to me, as long as the job gets done."

"Exactly, as long as the job is done, that's what matters. I helped you get the job done and deepened our relationship and rapport; even if the President or Vice President asks, they will only praise me for doing a good job."

"Yes, yes, what you say makes sense."

And so, Jier watched as the apprentices holding various tools, under the direction of several Craftsmen, slowly made modifications to the armor on Tianxuecao bit by bit.

By the time the sun moved west and was about to set, the modifications were finally all complete.

On the Multi-layer Protective Cloth near the tail of the warhorse armor, the old Craftsman Kent finally branded his name and the mark representing his own work.

Thus, the warhorse armor was finally finished.

Once Jier and the others were done, they prepared to disperse.

He himself could simply ride the armored Tianxuecao back to the open space in the southern part of town. Scott and his group would disperse directly; the Craftsmen and apprentices would return to where they lived, and after Scott greeted Jier, he was surrounded by his subordinates and returned to town in a Merchant Guild carriage.

The debtors watching the excitement nearby finally had nothing left to see, so they scattered into the fields under the urging of the overseers, who were constantly cracking their whips in the air.

Some overseers who felt that production had been delayed shouted loudly, telling the debtors they were responsible for to continue working while the sun hadn't set yet, insisting that they make up for the work lost during the half-afternoon spent watching the excitement.

But no matter how loudly their whips cracked, the debtors who had seen enough excitement returned to the places where they were temporarily living in the fields, lay down on the ground simply covered with Wheat Straw or hay, and went straight to rest.

Jier laughed at this; he saw those overseers as if they were people looking in a mirror. They were called overseers, but in reality, they were just like the debtors; these people were also firmly bound to these fields outside the town by the town's rules.

The ridge of the field was like the surface of a mirror; those looking in the mirror seemed to be outside the mirror, but to those inside the mirror, weren't they also inside the mirror?

The debtors had to toil under the sun every day; were these overseers any different? Weren't they also standing under the sun, getting drowsy from the heat every day, bitten by insects, and enduring the wind and rain?

And while the vast majority of debtors only worked in the fields temporarily, these overseers had to work by the fields all the time.

It meant they didn't have to do hard labor, but constantly waving whips to intimidate the debtors into working was not easy either.

Following the road that circled the town to the south side, before he even reached the entrance to the open space, Jier saw from a distance a figure sitting outside his gate, carrying a heavy bag.

That figure was still looking down at that moment, appearing to be busy with something.

Jier recited a passage to himself, and his vision was instantly enhanced several times over, allowing him to see clearly who the person was from a distance.

Wasn't that the Craftsman he had commissioned to make the Wooden Carving?

Why had they come looking for him at this time? Wasn't it agreed that the transaction would be in the middle of the night?