Chapter 7 Act II - 4

Lawrence walked past the two with Holo in his arms, and Arold, who had been sitting on the chair with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke: "I've already told him about the fur merchant in the north. It's really rare this year, and going north is just right." "Thank you for making inquiries for me." "If you want to ask more details... I forgot to ask his name again." "Korka-Kuss." Abe added.Arold muttered, "It seems to be the name." Such a laid back atmosphere.It always feels like it's going to go on like this forever. "That guy named Cus lives on the fourth floor. He said that night is a big rest time, so if you want to know more details, just ask him."

Every thing is going well. However, Holo poured strength into the hand holding Lawrence's clothes to express her urging, so Lawrence hurriedly saluted Arold, greeted him and walked up the steps.Before leaving, Abe raised the cup in his hand, as if telling Lawrence to come down soon. Walking up the stairs step by step, he finally reached the door of the room and opened it. Carrying Holo back to the room like this, is this the first time? Before meeting Holo, no matter how greedy I was, no matter how happy I was, as long as I went back to the hotel alone later, most of the drunkenness and joy would fade away, which made people feel scared.

However, if it is said that there is no sense of fear at all, it cannot be said. What is surging in my heart now is the fear of not knowing how many times this kind of thing can last. Although I know it's useless to think about this kind of thing, but I can't say that I don't have the feeling of wanting to travel together like this forever.As long as we can be together all the time, no matter what form it takes, it should make me feel the happiest.Now Lawrence thinks so. Thinking about it, Lawrence couldn't help laughing.He sat Holo on the blankets on the bed first.Now she is not pretending to be asleep, but is really asleep, which can also be seen.

He unbuttoned his cloak and hood, took off his several coats, took off his shoes, undid his belt, and gestured so skillfully that even he felt sad.After releasing all the clothes that bound Holo, he let her lie comfortably on the bed. She slept soundly, and I am afraid that even if she is attacked now, she may not be aware of it. "..." Maybe it's because of the effect of alcohol, and there are some strange things in my mind.Thinking of Holo's usual casual look, to be honest, even if she really made it to the end, she might not realize it. Thinking of this, the bubble in Lawrence's head quickly shrank before it could burst.

"Nasty guy." Lawrence attributed his willfulness to Holo's fault, and said this with a smile.Then he shrank back in surprise. Holo was opening her eyes, slowly focusing on him. "What's wrong?" The reason why he didn't panic was because the thought of "could it be physical discomfort" quickly flashed through his mind. But it doesn't appear to be for that reason. Holo slowly reached out from under the blanket. That weak look made Lawrence couldn't help holding her hand immediately. "…………afraid……" "what?" "We're so scared..."

After speaking, Holo closed her eyes. Is it a nightmare?Lawrence thought.When she opened her eyes again, Holo had a shy look on her face. It's as if what I just said was inadvertent. "You have something to be afraid of, too." Lawrence said cheerfully on purpose.For a moment, I felt a grateful smile flash across Holo's face. "It's been going well so far, right? The book has already arrived. We haven't encountered any troubles. I heard that the road to the north will be easy this year. And——" He took Holo's hand lightly, then let it go. "We haven't had a fight yet."

It seems that this statement has worked. Holo smiled, closed her eyes again and sighed softly. "Big stupid donkey..." Then, she withdrew her hand and put it under the blanket. What Holo is afraid of is limited. That can only be loneliness. If this is the case, it must be because I am afraid of the moment when the trip will end.In this case, Lawrence himself was also very scared, or in other words, he was even more scared because the journey was so smooth. But if that was the case, Holo's appearance would be too strange. Holo didn't open her eyes for a long time.Are you going to sleep like this?When Lawrence thought of this, Holo was shaking her ears as if waiting for something, and raised her chin slightly.

"...What we are afraid of is..." Holo said, tilting her head in satisfaction. Because Lawrence's hand was stroking Holo's head as if being guided by something. "What we are afraid of is this kind of thing..." "what?" "Don't you understand?" Holo opened her eyes and looked at Lawrence. Her expression was neither contempt nor anger, nor surprise, but a hint of timidity Maybe she was really scared. However, Lawrence still couldn't figure out what she was afraid of. "I don't know. Or... the end of the trip?" It takes a bit of determination to ask that sentence.When Lawrence asked, for some reason, Holo's expression suddenly relaxed, as if she had let go of a big stone in her heart.

"Of course...it's scary. It's been a long, really long time since I've had such a happy life...but there's something scarier than this..." Holo seemed to go away all of a sudden. "It's fine if you don't understand. No—" After speaking, she stretched out her hand from the blanket again, took Lawrence's hand away from her forehead, and retracted it. "If you discover this too, we might feel troubled." After speaking, she smiled embarrassedly, and hid her face and hands under the blanket. Miraculously, Lawrence didn't feel rejected at all.

If you really want to explain it, it should be the opposite. Holo might actually have fallen asleep, curled up in a tired ball under the blanket. Suddenly, he poked his head out of the blanket as if he suddenly remembered something. "We have no objection if you want to go downstairs, but don't do anything that makes us jealous." I don't know if she noticed Abu's secret sign, or just said something more casually? No matter which one, after all, she guessed right, so Lawrence poked her head lightly with his hand, and replied: "It seems that I prefer girls with possessiveness and self-loathing."

Holo bared her teeth and grinned. "Let's go to bed first." Saying that, she shrank under the blanket again. What exactly Holo was afraid of, Lawrence wasn't quite sure. However, if possible, I hope to dispel this fear for her. The feeling of stroking Holo's head still remained in his hand, Lawrence looked at his palm, and clenched his fist as if to prevent the feeling from disappearing. If possible, he also hoped to stay by her side like this all the time, but he had to thank Abu for introducing himself to Li Geluo. After all, she was a businessman who would not be surprised to leave this town tomorrow, and Lawrence didn't want to leave a bad impression that he liked to flirt with the women around him more than thanking others. If Holo woke up, she might be sarcastic about it again, but Lawrence couldn't help it. Because Lawrence has been a businessman for half his life after all. "Then, as you ordered, the little one will go down." he whispered.This is an apology for not being clear at that point. As I told the girl in the tavern before, the rope of my purse is still free, but the rein around my neck has long been caught.Lawrence felt that this sentence was really correct. Although he was unwilling to do so, this kind of thing should be obvious to Holo at a glance. "..." Sure enough, the only thing Lawrence feared was the end of the trip. What is Holojock afraid of? Lawrence looked like a young man who didn't know much about the world, tilting his head in puzzlement and thinking. On the second floor, two or three guests were drinking quietly.One of them looks like a businessman, and the other two are more like wandering technicians.If all three were businessmen, they wouldn't be so quiet when drinking, so I shouldn't have guessed wrong. When I went down to the first floor, I found that, just like before, there were only two people, Arold and Eb. The two still maintained the same posture as Kari just now, and each cast their eyes in different directions in silence, as if time had stood still since just now. "Has the witch sneezed?" According to superstition, this is said to stop time. Arold just glanced over from under the eyelids that were about to close. If Eb hadn't laughed, Lawrence would have thought he had said the wrong thing. "I am a businessman, but the old man is not. So the topic is not right." Maybe there's nothing else suitable for a chair, Abe pointed to an empty wooden box. "Thanks to you, we finally met Mr. Rigoro. He is a man with a gloomy expression." Lawrence sat down.Arold, who might not even go out to greet his beloved daughter, handed him a glass of warm wine. "Haha, I'm right. There is no man who is more gloomy than him." "That superb skill is really enviable." Eb showed a happy "did you see that?" look. "It seems that Li Geluo likes you very much. If you join forces with him to do business, don't you think other businessmen will be defeated at one blow?" "Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to have this plan." Maybe people like him are called without desires and desires. "Because that guy concentrated all the fun of life in that dilapidated house. Did you see that garden?" "It's a spectacular view. Such a big glass window can't be seen casually." After deliberately answering in a businessman's tone, Abu raised his lowered head and laughed. "I can't stand that, it's driving people crazy." Although it's not that far yet, it's not impossible for Lawrence to understand. A businessman thinks about making money, which is almost like breathing. "So, have you heard anything about the meeting?" Eb's eyes peeked out from under his hood.Arold stared at her blatantly and turned away. Lawrence still put a smiling face enjoying the conversation on his face, and prepared a businessman's mask underneath. I can't help but feel that the reason why she let herself meet Li Geluo in the first place may be for this purpose. "I heard that the meeting has reached a conclusion." Of course, in Abe's opinion, whether this sentence is really what Rico said, the possibility should be said to be half and half. However, that was the case without prior information.If she compares it with the information Ebu has obtained before, she must be able to see a lot of things. "What about the content?" "Unfortunately, this was not heard." Like a child waiting for sand to fall from an hourglass, Abe watched Lawrence motionlessly from under his hood.Then she seemed to find that even if she waited any longer, she would not get anything of value. She turned away and took a sip of her wine. Then alternate offense and defense. "Miss Ebb has found out?" "Me? Haha, I was guarded by that guy. But, by the way, regardless of whether it is true or not, if this sentence was said by Li Geluo himself..." "Maybe it's true." If the conclusion has really come out, someone should be unable to resist revealing it.If there is no benefit to foreign businessmen even if they say it, then no one will get into trouble because of the leak of this news. Moreover, the official meeting was originally conducted under the premise of leaking the content. "However, there is one thing I am more concerned about--" "what?" Abe crossed his legs and turned his face away. "What is the purpose of Miss Ebb's inquiry about this matter?" Arold seemed to be smiling. In business-to-business conversations, the aspect of conflicts of interest is never clear. "It's really straightforward. Is it because you often do some treacherous deals? Or is it because you are not good at negotiating?" Her voice was so powerful that it was completely unimaginable that it was a woman. "I'm the same as everyone else. What's on my mind is how to make a lot of money here. What else can you say?" "Avoid big losses." I can't help but think of what happened in the church city of Reubenhagen. Even if I understand what's going on in my head, I can't think of any method without experience. "Although people have two eyes, it is difficult to see two places at the same time. Originally, avoiding big losses is quite correct in a sense." "you mean--?" Lawrence asked.Eb scratched his head lightly. Arold couldn't help but smile when he saw them like this.It seems that the two are very congenial. "I sell stone statues." "Our Lady's?" The stone statue in Li Geluo's home immediately flashed in his mind. "Yes, have you seen the one in Rigueiro's house? Have you heard of the port town of Canroube on the west coast? It is sold to the church here. This is what I do. It's just that The stones are transported here to sell. Of course, the profit of this kind of business will not be great, but as long as the church holds prayers, it can be sold at a high price. The power of the pagans here is relatively strong, and there are great expeditions every year. So there are many people who buy stone statues." Church of Alchemy.Just like in Kemelsen, doubts and frenzy keep pyrite prices high.Faith can easily be turned into gold. I really hope that this business can also make me a part of it. "Unfortunately, I can't get a share of these profits, but the volume of transactions is still good. But after the cancellation of the Great Crusade this year, I can't do it anymore. This time makes me feel that there is nothing in the world worse than the church's face Soon." Perhaps there is nothing more tragic than holding a bunch of heavy and huge stone statues that cannot be sold. The transportation costs are high, and the places where they can be sold are limited.If you buy in large quantities because of your good credit, you may capsize all of a sudden and never recover. It is impossible for a smart businessman like Eb to concentrate the danger in one place, so he should not go bankrupt immediately, but he must have suffered a lot. Even if it is because of this, it is not surprising to let go and make a bold move. "Because the authority of the church here in the south has also begun to decline recently. So I also began to feel that I should not give my wealth to this mud ship that is about to sink. So I want to use the last penny on hand to see if it can be done. Can’t make it to shore.” In this sentence, there should be a meaning that if you don't make a last bet, you won't be able to land. "So, I started talking about going to the south if I really made money." As for whom to talk to, there is no need to ask this question. Alold next to him said in a low voice: "Maybe it's time to go for a walk and do a pilgrimage." This is basically the same as going out to find a place of burial. The words Lawrence would hear every time he came here began to take on a bit of reality. "so what--" Abe spoke.Lawrence's gaze followed suit. "Can you lend me some money?" Before and after seem to have nothing to do with each other. However, Lawrence didn't feel particularly surprised, maybe he already had some premonition. "As for the content of the meeting, I have very reliable information. In this way, I can pre-empt strikes. The rest only needs money." Abe stared straight into Lawrence's eyes, or "stared" to be precise, but Lawrence could still tell it was some kind of acting. "I want to see the content of the investment. If it is worth considering in terms of risk and profit, I am happy." "Fur sales. The profit is at least twice the investment amount." Lawrence would really like to see a merchant who would immediately offer to pay upon hearing this.certainly.Eb also seems to understand this. She lowered her voice, gave up her acting skills, and said calmly: "The meeting of fifty people should have reached the conclusion that the furs should be sold to foreign businessmen with additional conditions." "Where is the source of the information?" I'm afraid it's useless to ask.It's like asking a woman's age in a bar star. Even so, seeing how Abu answered was a kind of intelligence for himself. "church." "Haven't they turned their faces?" Lawrence retorted, and Eb shrugged and smiled. "Even if you lose your face in a quarrel, you should keep an eye on the opponent's internal camp. This is a natural move." Of course it wasn't believable, but she didn't look like she was lying.I always feel that it is more reliable than the simple answer I heard from Li Geluo. "What about the content?" "It is said that foreign merchants can only use cash when buying fur." When the fur trade in the town was about to be monopolized, I thought they would come up with some countermeasures.However, Lawrence couldn't help blurting out the ingenuity of this method: "I didn't say no to sell. But it is impossible for a merchant from afar to carry a lot of heavy cash." "That's right. But those people are unlikely to return empty-handed, so they should use the little cash they have to buy furs." In this way, as long as they have cash in hand, they can buy high-quality furs in Reynolds Town and sell them in other towns. However, there is one thing I am more concerned about. If he told Lawrence such important information, Lawrence might simply throw Abu aside and make money for himself. "Is it okay to tell me this kind of thing?" "If you just want to earn a little money like running errands, you can buy it by yourself." Abe's expression, hidden under the hood, was impossible to guess. Does this sentence mean that you trust Lawrence, or is there a condition that you cannot buy and sell alone? Careless attitudes and words must be taken care of.After making such a judgment, Lawrence waited for Abu to speak. "Actually, the cash on your hand won't go anywhere, will it?" "I don't deny that." "Then, there is no reason to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You don't even know Rigoro, so you probably don't have any acquaintances who can lend you money?" This sentence is indeed true. However, Lawrence felt a sudden chill on his back. Maybe, the reason why Abu approached her at the beginning was to consider herself as her funder.As a result, there is an overwhelming gap in both intelligence and thinking. Lawrence knew absolutely nothing about Eb. "However, you can also go back to other towns and prepare cash there. Besides, that's why you proposed the investment to me, right?" If Lawrence didn't have much cash in his hands, and there was no one in this town who could borrow money, then there was no other way but this. Abe, however, shook his head. "Of course, judging by the manners of you and your companions, and the ease with which you paid for the accommodation, as long as you do your best, I think raising a thousand Torreni silver coins will definitely not be a problem. But when you do , the furs have long been sold out.” The opposite of the opposite is the front. I always feel that the more I guard against Ai Bu, the deeper my feet will sink. Wasn't the original meeting's decision to avoid the monopoly of fur? However, at first glance, it is indeed a good idea to accept only cash transactions. "You don't think that those merchants outside the city gather together for personal reasons, do you?" "It was lured by rich people somewhere to make a fortune." "That's right, it's a business war." "Trade War?" Is it a coined word? It was the first time Lawrence heard this word, but for businessmen, this word had a strong sense of shock. "Don't you know anything about the seaside? When you get to the port town, merchants will talk about it when they drink wine. It's that kind of business war. Of course, it didn't just pop up one day. It's not a bandit. .The people in charge of the offense have already prepared in advance." This also makes sense.No merchant accidentally researches what he wants to buy. "The guys who are waiting outside should have already decided on the conclusions of several meetings and their countermeasures. For example, do you know how many people in this town are rich?" It was impossible for her to know this suddenly, but Lawrence was also a businessman after all. A simple calculation based on the scale of the town. "The place where the signboards of the Chamber of Commerce are placed... there are about 20 places including large and small. There are about 200 to 300 places that only sell specific products. In addition, the number of rich technicians is also about the same." "Probably so many. Then it depends on how many people will put their own interests ahead of their own interests." This question cannot be answered. This is not because Lawrence is ignorant of these matters, but because people always try to hide their selfish desires to satisfy them. "However, as long as a chamber of commerce of a similar size betrays, the furs will be secretly purchased and shipped away. As long as someone offers to allow him to open another branch in another town, I am afraid it will be difficult to resist such a temptation. " Merchants like to live in groups, so they will not easily betray the town where they have been doing business for many years, but in the face of interests, that is another matter. "A large-scale chamber of commerce should not be betrayed. The account books must have been investigated by now, and the amount of currency has been confirmed. If you dare to secretly give money to foreign merchants, you will definitely be exposed." Lawrence immediately nodded in agreement. "Even if some dirty money is not recorded in the books, just add one more to the conclusion of the meeting. It is 'to find out where the money came from'." When entering Reynolds Town, Lawrence already thought that it was used to set up unforeseen business traps for the wooden sign of "foreign businessman certification card" assigned when he entered Reynolds Town, so he was already vigilant, but he did not expect to be able to use it in That's when it comes in handy. In this way, Lawrence recalled that he had been searched too carefully.That might be the means of making sure that people coming from outside aren't carrying large amounts of cash. At that time, in fact, the conclusion of the meeting has already come out. "However, apart from the chamber of commerce, there are rich people everywhere. Especially the heads of fur processing technicians, and those who sell the necessary materials for processing. There should also be some people who feel that the fur industry in this town has declined. Let’s be pessimistic. It’s not surprising that such a person begs for mercy from those who threaten the town’s fur industry in order to prepare funds to start a new life. The conclusion of the fifty-member meeting is indeed the best strategy, but if this method is used to prevent If there is a monopoly, there should be very few people who are not worried at all. I will say it again—” Eb said in a cold voice. "The furs in this town will be bought out in no time." And her plan should be to take advantage of this gap to buy furs herself. Those merchant groups that monopolize the fur market in Reynolds Town won because they were distributed outside and inside the town at the same time. If they were all concentrated in the town and secretly active, not to mention that the conclusion of the meeting would not come out for a long time, and they might even be taken excessive protective measures.It is precisely because they understand this that they will sleep outside. Yeah, even if they knew the conclusions of the meeting were out, they probably wouldn't be coming to town right away.It should wait until the Fifty People's Meeting is officially announced and the decision has been finalized before taking action. The possibility of Lawrence and the others being able to buy fur cannot be said not to exist. "I don't have time to roam around raising money in other towns, I get it. But if that's the case, I can't prepare a lot of money right now. As you know, I'm here to meet None of them." This is the most incredible place. What exactly is Eb up to? I saw her blue eyes peering from under the hood. "Don't you have a huge fortune?" Lawrence immediately began to think of the property in his hands. However, no one can think of one that can be called a huge property. and.Since even Eb knows it, it means that even others can see it at a glance. If this is the case, there should be only horses for delivery. After thinking this way, Lawrence looked at Abe with disbelief. "That's right, don't you have a companion who is beautiful enough to fascinate all living beings?" "……how is this possible!" The sentence that came out of his mouth was his sincerity. However, the meaning of this sentence is not that Holo cannot be sold, but that it is impossible to get so much money after selling Holo. Holo was indeed pretty, and if ten people walked past her, ten of them would probably turn their heads.But still can't imagine that she can exchange it for a thousand silver dollars.If it was really so valuable, those beautiful girls would have been abducted and sold long ago. Or did she know that Holo wasn't human? For a moment she thought so, but even so the situation wouldn't change much. "Impossible, isn't it? But, that's why I chose you." A faint smile appeared on Eb's face, but Lawrence didn't know what it meant. Is it a manifestation of self-confidence, or is it intoxicated by the plan I came up with? Or—— Eb took off his turban, revealing his beautiful short blond hair and blue eyes, and said: "Just say that the girl you brought is the daughter of a nobleman to sell." "what!" "You don't think it's possible, do you?" Abe smiled, showing his right canine. This is a self-deprecating smile. "My name is Flulu Bran. The official name is Flulu von Itargen Till Bran. The eleventh generation head of the Bran family who swore allegiance to King Winfell. He has A nobleman with an orthodox title." It seems that because the jokes he heard are too exaggerated, he can't even laugh. While thinking this way, Lawrence actually discovered another thing. As the businessman's eyes and ears, he was telling himself that there was no falsehood in Abu's expression and what he said. "Of course, he's just a down-and-out aristocrat who can't even afford to eat, but his name is very famous, isn't he? He used to sell himself to an upstart businessman because he couldn't even afford a piece of bread." This is generally the fate of fallen nobles.It turned out that the reason for Eb's self-deprecating smile was because of this. Although the family has declined, the nobleman who still has a high heart is actually bought his name and body by a nouveau riche businessman. If this is true, then the aura of a weather-baptized businessman in Abu's body is also understandable. "A woman like me. It's not impossible to sell a girl with my family name at a high price. How about it?" This is the first time that people have stepped into the trading field. The first thing a businessman does after making money is to put gold on his name.It is not uncommon for the rich man who established a large chamber of commerce to be just an orphan who was picked up.As long as you have money, it is said that the title of nobility can also be bought with money.Lawrence had heard of it before, but had never actually seen it. But Eb in front of him now said that he was the one who had been bought and sold. "The girl you brought with you. Even if she is the daughter of a nobleman, it must be reasonable. As a nobleman, I can guarantee it." Eb said, laughing. Abe's hoarse voice may have been hoarse because he kept cursing himself. "Of course, the purpose is not to actually sell her. As I said just now, in order to prevent the fur from being monopolized and bought out by others, this town only recognizes transactions in cash, but the chamber of commerce cannot hand over the cash to other places. Businessmen, right? However, there are many kinds of chambers of commerce. As long as they can come up with a reason to be accepted by the surroundings, they are willing to give corresponding benefits in exchange for cash for financing. I know this. Selling a girl from aristocratic background, This is just a convenient means to achieve the goal. The Chamber of Commerce also understands this. It just needs something as a guarantee. And I can take care of everything for you." So she has already calculated to this step?Lawrence couldn't help admiring him.But that would be tantamount to handing Holo over as a mortgage, which was too dangerous to approve.Holo's own safety was ignored. If anything happened, Lawrence's business journey would definitely come to an end. "I, no, we are not asking you to hand over your important companions as collateral." "us?" Lawrence repeated the word with a question mark.Abu cast his eyes on Arold who had been silent at the side. "I'm leaving here for a pilgrimage." Arold spoke abruptly. It was Arold's mantra that Lawrence would hear every time he came to the hotel. However, Eb just said "we".In other words, Eb has teamed up with Arold.As for Arold's pilgrimage, that is to say, he needs Abu to help him manage funds and itinerary, so it can only be understood in this way. Then, once the pilgrimage starts, it will not return for several years, or more than ten years.If Alolde started his journey at this age, he might never set foot on this land of Reynolds again. In this way—— "I think this is the best chance for me to travel. Of course, if I really want to go, I just need to find a home for the funds. However, I still can't make up my mind..." Stomach cramping anticipation. Arold smiled wearily and looked at Eb. He must have been attacked by Eb's violent persuasion. Then, beneath his wrinkled lids, blue eyes looked at Lawrence. "Get out of this hotel." Lawrence couldn't help but gasped. "The dreams of traveling merchants should be the same, right?" Only when he said this did Eb really look like a cheerful noble girl.