In the pine forest that had lost all its leaves, only dead branches were left, coupled with the cracked bark, it looked like the skinny hands of the undead.
A cold wind blew, and even the air seemed to be frozen.
"Dear uncles and uncles, it's freezing cold and it's not easy for everyone to go to work. We'll have extra food tonight!"
Before the steward could answer, the girl had already spoken first, with a smile on her face that made people feel like a spring breeze and seemed to be able to melt the cold winter.
Downton shook his head helplessly. The girl didn't agree to the extra meal because she knew she couldn't save her money, but she was really worried about the coachmen. It's a pity that her good intentions were wasted.
"Miss, they want a salary increase!"
The manager had a look of contempt on his face, with no intention of lowering his voice. In the business world, this kind of behavior of coachmen is despised. Before setting off, you can accept any bargaining, but once you hit the road, you must make sure to do your best. This is
Basic professional ethics.
"It should be so, but I didn't think it through well. Starting from today, each person will receive ten more gold coins!"
The eldest lady nodded, indicating that she understood, and then gave a new price.
"Miss, you can't do this!"
The manager was unhappy.
"Uncle, stop talking!"
The eldest lady shook her head, formality was better than others, so she could only endure it. After all, it was not up to them to increase the price. No matter what, this road must go on, and the family was still waiting for the payment of goods after the trade ended.
"Miss, you still understand the truth!"
“We didn’t intentionally increase the price, it’s just that the weather is too cold and there’s nothing we can do!”
"Don't worry, Miss. We will take good care of the carriages, horses and goods, and we will not let you suffer any losses."
There were also some good people among the coachmen who felt embarrassed. They stood up immediately and patted their chests to reassure themselves, but some of them still had twinkling eyes, staring at the eldest lady with eyes full of ruthlessness and greed.
There are not many opportunities for this kind of honest blackmail. If you can get it right, you will be able to enjoy peace and quiet in the next few months.
"This big sister is so amazing!"
Hu Tao marveled that she was so young that she could suppress the civil strife with just a few words.
"you are too naive!"
Downton burst into laughter. He looked around and found something unusual. Logically speaking, even if the caravan's guards did not intervene to stop such a conflict, they would at least support the eldest lady. However, those guys pretended to be on guard and completely ignored it.
"Looks like this girl has more trouble to face!"
Downton looked at the eldest lady, who was seventeen or eighteen years old. She should have been enjoying love and a carefree time in college, but because of her father's sudden death, she had to shoulder the burden of the family.
The eldest lady has a beautiful oval face, fair skin, and there is still youthfulness and innocence between her eyebrows. The most beautiful thing is the pair of single-lidded eyes. They are sky blue, like two lakes. When she smiles, she will
Curved into a crescent moon.
"quite pretty!"
Downton secretly praised him. The eldest lady's eye color reminded him of Twilight. Of course, she couldn't compare to her charm. As for her appearance and figure, they were at the eighth level, slightly inferior to Juliet.
, not to mention the likes of Sissi and Di Lanxue.
In fact, Juliet's beauty is not bad, but the miserable experience in her early years has made her spirit less energetic, and her natural inferiority complex is too detracting.
Downton was used to seeing top-notch beauties. Even the maids in the palace were carefully selected by Abagon, so the eldest lady's appearance had no impact on him. But in fact, she was once a school belle-level beauty in school.
.
"Miss, it's not that we don't obey the rules, it's just the situation that forces us to do so. You also know that the blizzard came too early, and the orcs have suffered. Now there are rumors that they are preparing to invade the human country. At this time, we go to the Sunset Prairie to do it.
Business is really about making money with your head on your shoulders!"
The leader of the coachman stood up and stated with an expression of "I was also forced to do so".
"Other business groups are like this too. How can they make money without taking risks?"
The steward was so angry that he roared loudly.
"It's you big bosses who make money, but it's us servants whose lives are in danger. Besides, their salaries are several times higher than ours."
The leader of the coachman looked timid, but his eyes were full of cunning and he did not give in in his words.
The coachman, who was already satisfied with the salary increase, felt it was unfair this time. The guilt he felt for causing trouble immediately disappeared. They all looked at the eldest lady, ready to wait for an explanation.
"You don't have to worry. The caravan's guards can definitely protect everyone's safety. Moreover, I have paid enough taxes and have the battle flag of the Duke of Downton. Those orc tribes and natives who have friendship with Barak will give me face!"
The eldest lady defended and stabilized the morale of the soldiers.
"What if the army comes?"
The head coachman was reluctant and winked at several familiar coachmen, who immediately started making noises. At this time, the other coachmen also hesitated.
"Miss, they want more money!"
The manager has rich experience in management. When he sees the eldest lady, he still wants to persuade her. He immediately reminds her that anything about safety is just an excuse for a salary increase.
The eldest lady took a deep breath and fell into a dilemma. Especially after she glanced around, her heart became even more bitter. If the coachman wanted to increase the money, the workers would definitely not be far behind. By then, this would be a huge expense.
, if it had been left in the past, she wouldn't have cared about it, but the family was on the verge of bankruptcy, and these funds were life-saving money.
The rapid sound of horse hooves sounded. Downton turned his head and saw six cavalrymen emerging from the pine forest, speeding up and rushing towards the caravan.
"The carriage hasn't been repaired yet?"
The leader was a young man, dressed in white light armor, with an angular face, and a majestic appearance.
"Brother Conte!"
Seeing the knight, the eldest lady's face flashed with joy.
"I've checked around, and there's no trace of the robbers yet!"
The knight was breathing heavily and had sweat on his forehead. He looked completely dedicated to his work, which moved the eldest lady even more.
"Thank you for your hard work. I prepared hot coffee. Let's go have a cup!"
These guards are the guarantee of the safety of the caravan, and the eldest lady naturally does not dare to neglect them.
"Hey, others have coffee, but we can only drink cold water. By the way, a pound of coffee costs dozens of gold coins, right? It is much more expensive than our salary. How can we untouchables be qualified to taste it?"
The head coachman sarcastically sarcastic.
"Shut up!"
Conti glared at the leader of the coachman, judging by the strength of the seventh level, which gave him a kind of majesty without anger.
The coachman and his entourage were suddenly silent.
"Want a raise?"
After hearing the eldest lady's explanation, Conti dismounted, reached out to pat her shoulder, and whispered comfort, "Don't worry, leave it to me!"
"But……"
If it had been left in the past, the eldest lady would have definitely avoided it, but this time, exhausted both physically and mentally, she really needed someone to rely on. And the most important thing is that Brother Conti really helped a lot.
After his father died of illness, the family was completely in ruins. Many people left and even stole a lot of things. Not only did Conte stay, he also used his reputation and salary as a guarantee to keep this family guard from being dispersed.
Otherwise, this caravan trade would not be possible without escorts.
"Stop it. It's already so late and there's no way to go on the road. Let's all camp here for the night. You've been busy all day and you must be very tired. Why don't you go and have a rest early?"
Conti spoke softly and softly. His face was full of a warm smile, but when facing the coachman, it turned into anger, "Hey, the salary has been increased. Everyone is happy. If you are still not satisfied, don't blame me for being rude."
"Are you still going to beat us up?"
The head coachman sneered.
"Hit someone? No, I will find someone to keep an eye on you. No matter which business group you work for, I will tell the boss about your bad deeds. Who do you think would dare to hire you with this kind of behavior?"
Conte's threat made the coachman hesitate. Indeed, no one likes such a guy who doesn't keep his word.
"If the trade goes well, everyone will get a bounty after returning to Frankfurt, but if you still want to cause trouble, it's no problem if a few people die in this ice and snow!"
After giving the carrot, Conte threw the stick.
"I hope Mr. Conti won't default on the promised reward!"
The head coachman no longer insisted and sat back.
"Get out of the way first, don't you see anyone waiting?"
The manager had someone to back him up, and he became more confident and scolded loudly.
"What a hassle!"
The drivers were cursing and moving very slowly.
Downton frowned. At this speed, it would be dark by the time they moved the car.
"I'm so sorry!" The eldest lady came over and apologized with a smile on her face, "It's very dangerous to travel at night, and there are many robbers around here. Why don't you stay here tonight? At least we have guards here."
"We are not afraid of robbers!"
Hu Tao curled her lips, it should be said that the little Lolita was eager for robbers to come to her door. Since she followed Downton, she had not enjoyed the fun of robbing robbers for a long time.
"Little sister, robbers are very scary!"
The eldest lady said softly, "I'm really sorry for wasting your time. I am responsible for all the dinner and accommodation as an apology!"
"Okay, that's troublesome!"
Downton glanced at Conti and agreed. In fact, according to the plan, the Ancient Spear would land after dark and they would go to the cabin to rest.
"Then I'll take my leave first!"
The eldest lady leaves.
"You are too reckless. You should be more careful when you go out. These guys don't even have a bodyguard, and they don't look like traders. Who knows who they are?"
Conte complained.
"I don't think they are bad people."
The eldest lady argued.
"Can the bad guy see that?"
Conti asked back, laughing at the eldest lady's ignorance and adding in his heart, "Like me!"
The guards and the guys worked together to level the land on both sides of the road and set up tents on it. When the moon climbed into the sky and the stars twinkled, the bonfire was lit.
The aroma of the food began to spread in the pine forest, and some wild beasts appeared. They were hunted by the guards, slaughtered and skinned, and put on the grill.
"This young master, our eldest lady invites you!"
The steward came and invited Downton. His original expression was dull, but after seeing Elaine and his party, he was startled. There was nothing he could do, these girls were too beautiful. (To be continued...)