Author: Arion's Dolphins

In recent months, the Castei family has attracted much attention as a rising star among the military aristocracy.

The current head of the family is a fifth-level warrior with excellent commanding ability. He was originally a very powerful figure among the counts. After the rebellion, because of his military exploits and the fact that the Oran royal family wanted to fill the power vacancy, he became the patriarch of the Castei family.

He was promoted to Duke.

Norton Castei was a military officer directly assigned to Ruford by the royal family and was responsible for reorganizing the defense, but his work did not go particularly smoothly.

The area around Luford was somewhat depressed due to the torment of the hobgoblins. Most people still wanted to restore production and economy first, and then consider military issues. They did not pay special attention to things like army expansion and improving the quality of the army.

In addition, most of the local feudal nobles and big businessmen are wary of Mr. Castei - he has three thousand troops in his hands, and he also has wartime command authority over the royal legions stationed outside the city.

Having so many soldiers, coupled with the righteousness behind the duties given to him by the royal family, has been able to completely change the current situation.

The distribution of interests in western Oran, especially in the central area of ​​Ruford, has been stable for a long time. The royal family's decision to extend its hand here must have external considerations, but anyone with a discerning eye can also see that, and there are no less internal considerations.

Overt disobedience is not allowed for the time being, but secret reluctance is indispensable. Judging from the intelligence Tang Zhao has received before, many wealthy businessmen and landowners are secretly increasing the number of private soldiers because they believe that the existing strength is insufficient.

to protect them.

There was a conflict between the newcomers who landed in the air and the local traditional forces. In this case, Norton approached Tang Zhao.

——

The conversation took place not in a magnificent manor, but in a carriage parked quietly at the door.

[To make a long story short, is there anything I can do to help?]

After some deliberation, Tang Zhao decided to be friendly with the other party and strengthen the military strength in the west of Oran. It would definitely be beneficial to him in the short term. In the long term, there was a question mark. He would first see what the other party said before making a decision.

"Don't worry, Mr. Carlos. I came to you not because of the troubles around Luford, but because I have something else to ask for your help. You should know something about Oran. My family recently inherited a territory, but

The problems in the territory are quite big. I heard that you are going to transport a batch of goods to Yintao City recently, I thought you might be able to help me with a little help there?"

Yintao City was where Tang Zhao was going to deliver the goods. There was the headquarters of the Church of Heim, and it was also the last fiefdom of the rebellious Marquis family that had been deprived of most of its territory. The Oran royal family saw that they did not directly participate in the rebellion, and their ancestors

For the sake of many meritorious officials, a very wealthy fiefdom was chosen for them. This was a typical seaport city, and the business tax could support the entire family.

[I want to confirm what exactly I was asked to do and whose intention it was.]

"If I have to say it, it's probably the thoughts of the Castelil family. In short, it has nothing to do with His Majesty the King. We have no intention of having trouble with poor Earl Stirling, but there are some things there that make me personally very

care."

Tang Zhao did not interrupt the other party, but listened quietly.

Judging from the information obtained by the Castelui family, there are demons operating in that area, and the level is not low. The people of the Castelil family suspect that the remnants of the Sterling family have not been cleaned up, and the current earl is still harboring them.

some people.

Now is a special period. The Castei family cannot take action or check on the Sterling family. Otherwise, in the eyes of outsiders, it would seem to mean killing them all, and they cannot deal with them directly.

Therefore, they hoped that Tang Zhao could take a look at the situation there when he went to Yintao City. Not to mention getting rid of those demons, as long as he could bring some conclusive evidence, the people of the Castei family could also go there.

.

[This is your own idea. I suggest you tell the truth. 】

After finally listening to it, Tang Zhao didn't believe it at all. There were too many loopholes and doubts. This matter was probably just Norton's personal idea, and then it was rejected when he reported it to the family leader, and the family leader asked people to keep a close eye on it.

So I had to find outsiders for help.

Norton chuckled twice when he heard this: "This is the truth, or what you should know. What I tell is the truth. I can swear this in front of the noble goddess. What do you think? Have you considered it?"

[It depends on your remuneration. It’s okay if you want me to do things for you, but my asking price will definitely be higher.]

"One thousand royal gold coins, plus a thousand marquis gold coins, and by the way, you can stuff food into the cabin of the merchant ship on your return trip. As long as you do it, I am willing to pay you this kind of reward."

Tang Zhao wanted to ask, "If you have the money, why don't you find someone else?", but in the end he held back.

Judging from this bid, the so-called "purge" of the demon is definitely not simple. Either he has an idea for the Sterling family, or he has an idea for Tang Zhao and is setting a trap on him.

Seemingly sensing Tang Zhao's hesitation, Norton turned over and opened the mezzanine under the carriage seat. Inside was a small pile of golden gold coins.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Carlos, I have the financial resources, and I have absolutely no intention of harming you. The things I'm doing are already making me miserable. There's no need for me to add a few more enemies, especially those in my hands."

There is an enemy with military power here, isn't it? Here is a quarter of the deposit. If you are willing to accept it, I can give it to you now. Regardless of whether things turn out as I expected, I will still pay.

"

After some hesitation, Tang Zhao accepted the other party's suggestion, because two thousand gold coins was indeed not a small amount. It would allow him to purchase a large number of war horses from Oran to solve the problem of insufficient mobility, or to allow the entire settlement to

People eat it for a long time.

Behind a large amount of money comes huge risks, but it is not surprising to take risks for the sake of money.

Norton showed a polite smile, then called to his knight to deliver the gold coins to the Hermes Chamber of Commerce.

——

Norton's incident was a minor incident. After the supplies were completed, the entire fleet set off smoothly and sailed down the Dua River towards the royal capital.

The situation in Oran is indeed a little chaotic now, but it is not a problem for the entire fleet: firstly, they basically do not dock, and they dock in areas with good security. Secondly, there are fully armed soldiers standing on the boat.

Robbers don't dare to rob.

After drifting on the river for several days, they finally arrived near the royal capital.

With Norton's mission on him, Tang Zhao was not in a hurry, and stayed in the royal capital as usual, and went to find Princess Julia that day, hoping to meet her.

If you follow the procedures, this matter is very complicated. After all, members of the royal family are not allowed to meet whenever they want, but Julia has provided him with a special channel before - a tavern, which is her property, and everyone from the owner to the waiters in the tavern is considered

her people.

Considering that the lizards and dwarves were not that handsome, a small team of elves were responsible for taking Tang Zhao to the tavern.

The chaos in Oran has not yet been completely resolved. There are still officers and even troops from the Southern Elf Kingdom in the royal capital. At this moment, there are more elves in the city than usual, and most people don't dare to mess with these elves.

This is the consideration when taking some elves out. At least in the eyes of humans, they look decent, and others will subconsciously be more polite when negotiating with them.

Things went smoothly, and Tang Zhao obtained permission to meet the princess after negotiation. The location was not in the palace, but in a manor outside the city.

The first time he met Julia, Tang Zhao made it clear that he wanted a high-standard venue and wanted to sell something here.

Julia's reply was simple. She directly gave Tang Zhao an address, and then asked Tang Zhao for 500 gold coins as a reward. The previous work was considered in vain and the money was returned.

However, the venue provided by Julia is really good. It is a small manor near the royal capital. It is said that it is a place where nobles often come for activities. Dances and banquets are often held. The decoration is very good, and the location is even better.

She was quite interesting and didn't even ask Tang Zhao how long they wanted to use it, which meant that they could use it as they pleased after paying the money until they were done.

Then, the dwarves began to make temporary modifications there, transported the weapons in the ship to the manor, and began to arrange the venue.

A few days later, the first group of military nobles were invited to the manor by the elves and dwarves to watch the exquisite weapons and equipment forged by the dwarves.

In fact, from a practical point of view, there is no essential difference between these weapons and other weapons for the time being, but they look different - various processing techniques of the mountain dwarves have been used on them, combined with precious metals, gems, and precious wood.

And more special materials, each weapon is of excellent quality and also has high ornamental value. Like many famous swords in history, it can be said to be a work of art.

If it were promoted by a human blacksmith, the effect might not be as good, but the people who forge the weapons are dwarves, and the people who sell the weapons are beautiful elf girls. In addition, Tang Zhao combined the advertising slogans from his previous life, and among the former members of the dwarf guild,

With help, I compiled a set of sales pitches and the results were outstanding. Military nobles made reservations that day, and a lot of swords prepared in advance were sold.

After selling them at the manor for a few more days, I have to say that the list provided by Bourne is really accurate. According to the nobles above to sell weapons, they are basically accurate, and even plate armors are willing to be customized.

According to the price of goods in the European Renaissance era in previous generations, a set of ordinary plate armor can cost six or seven pounds, while the plate armor prepared by the Duke for his son costs hundreds of pounds, and the plate armor used by the prince costs three to four hundred pounds.

Not surprising either.

Just like modern things, the higher the price, the higher the premium. You get what you pay for, and you get what you pay for.

Now the price of a set of ordinary customized plate armor they sell can reach nearly three hundred gold coins, and the profit margin is exaggeratedly high.

During this period, some people also questioned whether these foreigners could trade normally in the royal capital. At this time, the southern elf kingdom gave them face and coordinated in front of the financial officer of the royal capital. With them coming forward, things would be much easier to handle. As long as they are not in the royal capital

If they cause trouble, they can do whatever they want, as long as they pay taxes on time when they come in and out.

After receiving many orders from the royal capital, Tang Zhao promptly stopped selling them.

The orders we have now can keep the dwarf blacksmith in charge of these things busy for several months, which is enough. Wait a few months and I believe the price they can sell after those weapons really become popular among the nobles.

It will be higher, and there is no rush. Now it is too conspicuous and ostentatious and meaningless.

Before humans mastered similar technologies, Tang Zhao believed that there was still a certain market for his weapons, as long as he could sell some.

In fact, selling a few such weapons was a trivial matter in the eyes of the local nobles. Many military nobles came to see Tang Zhao and the others in order to obtain a large number of high-quality weapons to equip the army, but they were all rejected by Tang Zhao.

Their own production capacity is currently not enough, and they have little ability to export.

After having a little presence in front of humans and not staying in the royal capital for long, after achieving the goal, he took the fleet to Yintao City.

——

The closer to the coastline, the wider the river and the more boats moving on it.

The view from the boat was very good. He could take this opportunity to observe and explore the eastern part of Oran - it was completely different from the mountainous and broken plains in the west. There were large areas of livable plains here with fertile land and good climate.

Suitable for human cultivation and settlement.

The crops that are growing in front of us are the foundation of Oran. This is one of the reasons why Oran's population is more distributed in the east and less in the west. Eighty percent of the population is located in the east. Most of the major and small struggles in Oran also occur in the east.

The royal capital is one of the centers, and judging from the current situation, Yintao City is likely to be another center.

The closer to the royal capital, the better the security situation is, and the closer to the current territory of the Castei family, the more depressing the situation seems.

Small warships can be seen patrolling on the river, and there are occasionally patrolling soldiers on the roads built close to the river. Tang Zhao's eyesight is very good, and he can clearly see the serious expressions on their faces. Although he did not encounter any real attacks, he

Just seeing this situation is enough to make everyone vigilant.

While everyone was waiting, the fleet finally arrived at Yintao City, located in the estuary delta, and saw the endless ocean.

Not long after arriving in Yintao City, serious-looking guards stopped them and wanted to inspect their ship.

Tang Zhao did not resist this, and asked his subordinates to cooperate. At the same time, he showed a full set of documents to the guards to show that his actions were completely legal.

The guard seemed to be very interested in the complicated racial composition on the ship, but in the end he didn't ask any more questions. Seeing that the documents were in compliance and no prohibited items were found, he verbally warned everyone not to cause trouble and then let them go, officially allowing them to enter Yintao City.
Chapter completed!