The four seasons in the Black Forest changed drastically, but in the Barony of Abies, the harsh winter of the Year of the Sword had just passed, and there was no sign of the temperature rising. There were two heavy snowfalls before and after the Slumbering Moon, but it seemed to indicate the first harvest of the territory. The streets were still cold, and there were few pedestrians. But in the only bar in the city, it was a different scene. The fireplace warmed the hall, and the adventurers who had been wandering around Abies since the end of summer had gathered here, waiting for the ice and snow in the forest to melt.
Every adventurer who entered the inn would take off their snow-covered cloaks and observe the entire hall. Without exception, they would take off their hats and pay their respects to a little girl sitting in the corner of the hall from afar. The little girl had a high forehead, and it was as smooth as jade. It sparkled under the firelight, and her eyes were big and bright. She seemed to be curious about the people and things around her. She was wearing a beautiful dress. Although she wasn't too old, her chest had already begun to develop. The dress was tucked in at the waist, perfectly accentuating the young lady's slender figure. However, the dress, which was full of the temperament of a noble lady, didn't match her. Instead, it looked a little sneaky, as if she was wearing a dress that was stolen from somewhere.
"Boss, this is the deerskin you wanted. The forest is completely frozen, and it took us a lot of effort to track down a herd of deer. Harto is also a little frostbitten, so you can't be too stingy with the reward. "A few people dressed as hunters stood in front of her and negotiated. The leader was obviously a mountain man from the nearby area. He wore a thick leather coat and carried a longbow on his back.
"Oh, Harto is frostbitten? Then he's really unlucky." The Roman blinked and asked curiously, "Are there no more deer in the forest?"
"It's all because of those Subterrane Dwellers. They scared the animals and made them hide."
"Hey, I heard that the Subterrane Dwellers stopped before it snowed."
"Well … Anyway, it has something to do with it."
"I want to make a coat for Brando with these deerskins. I'll pay you two hundred silver coins, okay?" The Roman poked the deerskin with her finger and asked.
"Of course, we're happy to make a coat for His Excellency. This way, His Excellency will definitely like you more, Big Sister." The person who spoke had a look of disbelief on his face as if he didn't believe that the young lady in front of him could make a coat, but he still said respectfully, "But this is too little, Big Sister. Harto is frostbitten."
"But this is obviously from last year. Look, some parts of it are eaten by worms." The merchant lady looked innocent as she flipped the deerskin.
"Ah —?" The 'Great Merchant' made these guys speechless with just one sentence. The adventurers immediately looked embarrassed as they coughed and said, "The year isn't that important. Besides, we really went to the forest, and Harto was really frostbitten."
"So, these deerskins aren't worth that much money. You know that. The rest of the money is for Harto's medicine. Don't turn around and lose it to that gambler Mano. Tomorrow, I'll send someone to visit Harto. " She glared at them. "If he doesn't receive the money, I'll send the Subterrane Dwellers to eat you."
After being scolded, the hunters obediently took the money and left. Although they didn't cheat the merchant lady, they didn't show much dissatisfaction on their faces. It was as if they were used to this kind of bargaining. On the other hand, the Roman restlessly touched the round-toed leather shoes under her long skirt. Her pair of big eyes rolled around as if they never stopped. She looked around, holding a cup of steaming barley beer as if she was waiting for someone.
For the whole winter, the self-proclaimed merchant lady had been sitting in this position, doing business or buying people's hearts. But there was a reason why she was respected here. It wasn't just because she was the fiancée of the lord, or because she was in charge of half of the territory's wealth. She was like the God of Wealth in everyone's eyes. It was because she was amiable and would never use her identity to pressure people. She was even willing to argue with the adventurers for the whole afternoon over the difference of a few copper coins.
But it was precisely because of this that people didn't feel the difference between their identities. Adventurers didn't live a rich life. Money was a very important thing. In fact, they didn't think highly of those who squandered money. Among all of Brando's companions and aides, only the Roman and Freya could understand this.
Freya's preference was due to her family background, while Roman's preference was due to his instincts towards those shiny little things. After a winter, she had interacted with many adventurers in Abies and had integrated into them. Although this kind of contact was not close, it was enough for the Roman to find out a lot of information that she didn't know before.
At this time, the door of the bar was once again pushed open, and there was a moment of silence. The little Silver Elf Princess Metisha stood in the snow. She was wearing a plain silver fur shawl. She covered her mouth with both hands and exhaled. Her big eyes were a little nervous as she looked at the crowded hall. Humans were a little strange in her eyes. The Elves didn't like to gather so many people together. The Elves' definition of friends was a kind of spiritual attachment. Because of the long time, this kind of feeling was somewhat indifferent in the eyes of humans.
But this wasn't the first time she came here. She was here to help the lord's servant, The Shire, pass on a message. When the other people in the bar saw the little Silver Elf Princess, they tacitly made a path for her. The first time someone teased her, the little girl with pointy ears almost turned red.
As a result, the rumor of 'the lord's shy second fiancée' spread. When she thought of this, Metisha couldn't help but stare at the Roman.
"Metisha, do you want ale?"
"No!"
"Fruit wine?"
"No!"
"Then I'll heat up a cup of honey wine for you, okay?"
"No!"
Metisha knew that the Roman didn't drink himself. She held a cup of warm ale purely because it was warm. And this guy was stingy to the point that he was unwilling to change a cup. When it turned cold, he would heat it up again. If it was possible, he would definitely do it again the next day. But perhaps it was because of this stingy guy that he was able to arrange all the expenses and income of the territory so neatly. Anyway, Metisha felt a headache when she saw the piles of gold and silver coins that were meaningless to her.
The territory gradually got on the right track. The coins from the silver mines were continuously sent to the Roman, and the merchant lady distributed the money to the refugees. Of course, this wasn't a charity event. Instead, it was the first time in half a century that Abies had opened up a large amount of wasteland in the forest north of the Gris River. The winter wheat seeds had been sown and were sleeping under the snow. When the snow melted, they would break out of the ground at any time.
The Shire and the master craftsmen discussed taking in more refugees from the north. The construction of the road in the Dark Forest was slowly progressing. The population of Abies wasn't large. Even if they counted the residents from Port Gris and Minsk Fort, it was still far from enough to meet the needs. Not to mention the lack of manpower for the White Lion Legion, even the construction workers of the rune dwarf Odum couldn't spare a single bit of manpower.
Food was the foundation of this plan. But the merchant lady's maturity and calmness in this matter exceeded everyone's expectations. Just like The Shire said, she seemed to have a natural talent in the field of ecology. This was an innate leadership style that allowed her to arrange everything calmly and orderly.
The food from Ampere Seale had already been shipped here, but the Roman didn't distribute it directly. Instead, they handed it over to the merchants and used this method to recover the money that had been distributed before. And so, after many years, the food market was reestablished in Abies in the winter of this year. Ever since the short-sighted Graudin took it all for himself.
The Roman had already begun to consider lowering the remuneration for the next recruitment. Brando needed more people, so she had to act like this. The problem of food wasn't a problem at all. As long as the gold in Abies shone brightly, the merchants of Ampere Seale would swarm over like sharks that smelled blood. In fact, they were already here. The first merchant fleet wasn't large, but the food and daily necessities were being unloaded at Port Gris. It didn't matter, there would be more and more.
The gold attracted not only merchants, but also refugees from other territories. The taste of freely circulating money was even sweeter than cake. This was what her aunt had said before, and the merchant girl was very sure of it.
She put away the report that Metisha had passed to The Shire and asked with wide eyes: "Where's Brando, Metisha?"
"My Lord hasn't returned yet."
"Then I want to talk to him."
"No." Metisha immediately refused. It wasn't the first time the Roman had used her as a mouthpiece. She immediately explained: "Ever since my Lord entered the Loop of Trade Winds, my communication with him seems to have been cut off."
"Ah —" The Roman let out a long, disappointed sigh: "Does that fellow from The Shire have anything else to say?"
"Well, he just wants to ask you what you're planning to do after spending so much money on hiring adventurers to complete strange missions." The Silver Elf princess glanced at the pile of deerskins on the table and couldn't help but wonder if this fellow was just doing it for fun. However, this thought only flashed through the merchant girl's mind. As a Fairy Princess, Metisha's concept of wealth was very weak. If Scarlet or the more serious Freya were here, they would probably stare at this young lady with a suspicious look.
"Ah, the Roman was just about to say that," The merchant girl showed a surprised expression: "There are no more deers in the forest. Do you know why, Metisha?"
As an Elven Royal who came from before the War of the Holy Saints and was trained as a Silver Elf Commander, Metisha's face became serious when she heard the Roman's words.
The animals in the forest wouldn't disappear for no reason.
This could only mean one thing: the other party had already started to make a move. She couldn't help but look at the Roman and realized that he was asking for information. "What else do you know, Roman?"
"Many adventurers have mentioned that the undead in the vicinity have become more active recently. I think that those bad guys from Bucce have arrived. Brando said that they're nearby, right? "
Madara —
… … (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to come to qidian.com to vote. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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