Chapter 457: Act 207 – Eyes and Intelligence
The four seasons change violently in the Black Forest, yet in the territory of Baron Firburh, the severe winter of the Year of the Sword has just passed, with no signs of warming. Before and after the Month of Slumber, there were two heavy snowfalls, which seemed to faintly suggest the first harvest for this territory. The streets were still filled with fierce cold winds, with few pedestrians, but inside the only tavern in the city, the scene was quite the opposite. The hearth cast a warm glow across the hall, and since the late summer, adventurers lingering near the Firburh Territory gathered here, waiting for the ice and snow in the forest to melt.
Every adventurer entering the tavern, besides removing their cloaks covered with snow, would without fail take off their hats and respectfully acknowledge a young girl sitting in the corner. The girl had a high forehead, her skin smooth like jade, sparkling under the firelight, her large eyes filled with a hint of intelligence, glimmering with curiosity about the people and things around her. She wore a beautiful long dress, and while she was still quite young, her chest was beginning to develop—her dress cinched at the waist, perfectly accentuating her slender figure—yet the noble girl’s gown seemed somehow mismatched on her, making her appearance resemble that of someone wearing stolen clothes.
“Boss, here is the deer hide you wanted. The forest is completely frozen, and we worked really hard to track down a herd of deer. Hato even suffered a bit of frostbite, so you can’t be too stingy with the reward—” A few hunters dressed as hunters were negotiating in front of her, the leader obviously a mountain man from the nearby region, wearing a thick leather coat and carrying a longbow.
“Oh, Hato got frostbite? Poor guy,” Romaine blinked her eyes, curiously asking, “There’s no deer herd left in the forest?”
“It’s all because of those pesky cave-dwellers scaring the animals into hiding.”
“Really? I heard the cave-dwellers settled down before the snow fell.”
“Well… they are somewhat related, I guess.”
“I need this deer hide to help Brendel make a coat. Would two hundred silver coins work for you?” Romaine pointed at the deer hide, curiously poking it, looking up to ask.
“Of course, we are happy to help the Lord in making a coat, that’ll surely make him like you more, Boss,” said the man with a clearly skeptical look on his face regarding this lady’s ability to make a coat, yet he still flattered her, “But this is a bit too little, Boss, Hato did get frostbite, you know.”
“But this is obviously last year’s deer hide. Look, it has some places that are worm-eaten.” The Merchant Miss innocently flipped the deer hide over.
“Ah—?” The ‘big merchant’ left them speechless. The adventurers immediately showed embarrassed expressions, coughing, “The year isn’t that important, besides, we really did go into the forest, and Hato really did get frostbite.”
“So, these deer hides aren’t worth that much, you guys know that. The rest is for Hato’s medicine costs, and don’t turn around and lose it to that gambling fiend Mano. I’m sending someone to visit Hato tomorrow.” She glared at them, “If he doesn’t get the money, I’ll have the cave-dwellers eat you.”
After being scolded, the hunters honestly took the money and left. Although they didn’t deceive the lady, they didn’t wear much dissatisfaction on their faces, as if they were accustomed to such bargaining. Romaine, however, was restlessly tapping the round-toed shoes under her long skirt, her big eyes spinning around as if they had never stopped. She looked around, holding a steaming mug of barley beer as if waiting for someone.
Throughout the winter, this self-proclaimed Merchant Miss had sat in this spot, working or winning people’s hearts. However, she earned the respect here not only because she was the fiancé of the lord or because she managed half the wealth of the territory like a goddess of fortune to others. It was also because she was amiable and absolutely wouldn’t use her status to oppress others, even willing to bargain with adventurers for the sake of a few copper coins for an entire afternoon.
It was precisely because of this that the differences in status did not feel palpable—adventurers did not live well; money was essential, and they generally looked down on those who squandered money casually. Among all of Brendel’s companions and aides, only Romaine and Freya understood this.
Freya did so due to her background, while Romaine had a natural liking for shiny little things. Throughout the winter, she had mingled with many adventurers from Firburh, despite this connection not being tight, it was sufficient for Romaine to learn a lot of previously unknown information.
At this moment, the tavern door was pushed open once again, and there was a brief silence. The Silver Elf Princess Medisa stood in the snow, draped in a simple silver fur shawl, holding her hands to her mouth to exhale a breath, her large eyes nervously scanning the crowded hall. Humans seemed a bit strange to her; elves were averse to gatherings of so many people, placing greater emphasis on a spiritual attachment to friends—over time, this sentiment had become somewhat diluted in human views.
However, it was not her first time here; she was sent to deliver a message from the lord’s servant mage, Charles. The moment others in the tavern saw the Silver Elf Princess, they tacitly cleared a path. They remembered the first time someone joked with her, nearly causing this pointed-eared girl to blush deeply.
As a result, the rumor of “the lord’s shy second fiancée” spread, and thinking of this, Medisa couldn’t help but glare at Romaine.
“Medisa, would you like some barley wine?”
“No!”
“What about fruit wine?”
“No!”
“How about a hot cup of honey wine?”
“No!”
Medisa knew Romaine was only holding the cup of hot barley beer for warmth; in fact, this stingy person wouldn’t even bother to change a cup, merely reheating it when it got cold, and if possible, she would surely continue it the next day. But it was such a stingy person who could perhaps keep the territory’s expenses and revenues in order; regardless, seeing that pile of gold and silver currency that meant nothing to Medisa gave her a headache.
The territory gradually got back on track, and coins from the silver mine were continuously flowing into Romaine’s hands. This Merchant Miss distributed the money to the refugees. Of course, it was not a charitable act. Instead, the result was that for the first time in nearly half a century, a large amount of wasteland was opened up in the forests north of the River Gris, winter wheat seeds had been sown, now sleeping beneath the snow, ready to sprout as soon as the ice and snow melted.
Charles and the master craftsmen were discussing ways to receive more war refugees from the north. The project of building roads in the Black Forest was progressing slowly; the population of Firburh was not large, even counting residents from Port Gris and Fortress Minst, it was far from sufficient. Let alone the sources for the White Lion army, not even the workers from the runic dwarves like Odum could be spared.
Food was the foundation of this plan, but the maturity and calmness shown by the Merchant Miss on this matter exceeded everyone’s expectations—like Charles said, she seemed to possess an innate talent sparkling in commerce, a natural charisma that allowed her to calmly and efficiently arrange everything.
The food from Ampere Seale had already been shipped here, but Romaine did not distribute it directly. Instead, she handed it to merchants, recovering the previously distributed money in this way. Thus, after countless years, the food market was re-established in the deep winter of this year in Firburh—ever since the shortsighted Grudin had monopolized it all.
Romaine was already considering loosening the next round of recruitment remuneration; Brendel needed more people, and she had to create that momentum. The food issue wasn’t an issue in her view; as long as the gold from Firburh was shining, the merchants from Ampere Seale would swarm like sharks smelling blood. In fact, they had already come; the first merchant fleet wasn’t large, but the food and daily necessities were being unloaded in Port Gris. It would be fine; there would be more.
The gold attracted not only merchants but also escapees from other territories. The allure of freely circulating currency was sweeter than cake, as her aunt had said, and the Merchant Miss was very certain of this.
She put away the report from Medisa to Charles and asked with wide eyes, “What about Brendel, Medisa?”
“The Lord still hasn’t returned.”
“Then I need to speak to him.”
“No.” Medisa immediately refused; it wasn’t the first time Romaine had used her as a messenger. She quickly explained, “Since the Lord entered the Loop of Trade Winds, my contact with him seems to have been cut off.”
“Ah—” Romaine let out a long, disappointed sigh, “Then does that fellow Charles have other matters?”
“Yes, he wants to ask you what you plan on spending so much money hiring adventurers to complete some strange tasks,” the Silver Elf Princess glanced at the stack of deer hides on the table, unable to help but wonder if this person was purely doing it for fun. However, such thoughts merely flashed through as a brief reflection on the Merchant Miss’s character; as a princess, Medisa had a very weak concept of wealth. If Xi or the more serious Freya were here, they would probably have an expression of suspicion glaring at this Miss.
“Ah, Romaine was just going to mention this,” the Merchant Miss showed a surprised expression, “There are no deer herds left in the forest. Do you know why, Medisa?”
As someone from before the Era of the Saints, a silver elf commander trained with rich wartime experience, Medisa’s face turned serious the moment she heard Romaine’s words.
Animals in the forest don’t simply vanish for no reason.
This only indicated one thing: actions had begun on the opposite side. She couldn’t help but look at Romaine, realizing that the other party was probing for information, “What else do you know, Romaine?”
“Several adventurers mentioned that undead activities have been increasing around here recently. I think it’s probably those bad guys from Buche. Brendel mentioned they were nearby, right?”
Madara—
…(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com); your support is my greatest motivation.)
