Chapter 10 Act Three - 3

Abu said he wanted 2,500 silver coins. Ai Linkin showed a deeper smile as if he was trying to keep a secret. Regardless of the era, those who pay will always have the upper hand. "Calculated in terms of trinity silver coins, it's two thousand." Although the expected goal was not achieved, if two thousand funds can be drawn out, it will be a long time ago. Lawrence had a hard time not letting the other party notice that he had relaxed his tense body, but it seemed that Eb did the same. Her profile showed an unnaturally flat expression. "Although Ms. Eb once proposed a condition of 2,500 pieces, I think it seems a little bit reluctant to offer this kind of transaction to a personal traveling merchant. I think this is the part related to the fur transaction, right? Therefore , In exchange, we will not charge a handling fee, but will lend you the full amount. However, since we do not store so many silver coins, we will pay you sixty Lumioni gold coins."

One Lumioni gold coin is equivalent to about thirty-four Trini silver coins.Although I don't know the specific market situation of Reynolds City, but compared to the exchange of currencies, currencies will exert greater power in exchange for other things. In some cases, this might be able to buy furs far more than two thousand trenis would buy. What is even more surprising than this is that the other party provided full financing. The existence of a high-priced currency is very valuable.Money such as gold and silver, which can be melted into universal wealth according to the situation, is of course not comparable to paper money.

When borrowing money by writing your name on paper, it is only natural that you will be charged a certain amount of handling fee. However, they said they would not do so. "It's really bold." Abe whispered. "It's an investment." Eileen Jin said with a deeper smile. "You're a smart guy, and you're good at profiting from the town's situation and relationships. I'm sure you'll succeed and get bigger. We hope to get some credit from it, too. And—" He turned his gaze to Lawrence and said: "You are a lucky man. You two met in this town. It can only be said to be a kind of luck. Moreover, in the face of such a large-scale transaction, you are not so excited. So we think you are used to it." This kind of luck. Our business depends largely on luck. If you are not used to lucky people, then you will be stumbled instead. We trust you on this point."

There is actually such a way of complimenting others - Lawrence can't help but admire this deeply, and at the same time feel that the only factor that can be praised for him is luck. Just as he was harboring this feeling of self-torture or sigh, he felt that Holo beside him seemed to chuckle slightly. "After all, our business is equivalent to looking for gold mines, in order to obtain helpers. We will not hesitate to make a little investment." "So, how to get the cash that can make most people shut up?" After hearing Ebu's words, Aylinkin showed a real smile for the first time.

"The place to purchase furs is the Aqiye Chamber of Commerce. Your vision is indeed good. I really hope that you can enlighten me—" "My voice is a bit hoarse, it's hard to speak." Eb's hard voice that didn't sound like a joke, and Erinkin's sinister, snakelike words that sounded menacing from another angle. It was completely different from the conversations Lawrence had experienced so far, a strange communication. Of course, there is no need to cultivate a friendly relationship between the two parties in the negotiation, but in the communication between the two, it seems that there is no human touch at all.

As long as you can make money, you don't have to care about the other party's attitude. This atmosphere seems to be taken for granted. "Is it the way to receive it? Then do whatever you want." "what to do?" For the first time, Abe turned his gaze to Lawrence beside him. Since there was no prior discussion, Lawrence directly expressed his thoughts. "If you keep the dazzling gold coins by your side, you won't be able to sleep at night because of the glare." Lawrence straightened up a little and smiled.Being able to do so was probably thanks to having Holo by her side.

Ai Linjin showed an exclamation expression with an "oh", then shook his shoulders and smiled: "This is a waking answer. The larger the amount used, the higher the taste will naturally be. To put it bluntly, the level of calmness in the negotiation often depends on what kind of sarcasm you can say. Words. Words that make others feel humble without losing their vigor are true calmness. I have to learn it.” It is probably because of the daily transactions of huge amounts of money as a matter of course.If you want to talk about the handling fee for lending two thousand silver coins, it should be a considerable amount, but now he simply said that there will be no handling fee.

In the future where businessmen keep climbing, this is the world that awaits them. "Then, is it okay to hand it over to you when purchasing the fur?" Guessing what Eb might have in mind, Lawrence deliberately paused for her to interject.But she didn't say anything in the end, Lawrence finally replied: "Just do it, please." "Understood." Then, Erinkin stretched out his hand to Lawrence. Lawrence accepted his request and held his hand even harder than before. Then he offered his hand to Eb again, and Ab accepted it gladly.He obviously had such a tit-for-tat exchange, but now he doesn't seem to take it to heart at all.

"May your business be successful." It seemed that he didn't believe in the god Ellinkin at all, so he closed his eyes after speaking. That appearance is full of the spirit of making money even if it tramples on the gods, and it even makes people feel a certain sacred atmosphere. "What an annoying man." After stacking the paperwork, Abu said as soon as he walked out of the chamber of commerce. Lawrence couldn't help but feel a little surprised by these emotional words. "It's the first time I've met someone with this kind of atmosphere. I really realized what a tiny traveling merchant I am."

Hearing Lawrence's candid thoughts, Abe cast his gaze under the hood to him, and was silent for a while— "...Do you really think so?" Then, such a sentence was uttered. "Well, at least for a businessman like me who is used to doing small transactions of one or two hundred silver coins, this is the first time I have felt this way." "But it's a good answer." "Is this referring to the metaphor of the gold coin?" Eb nodded, and took a slow step. Lawrence took Holo's hand and followed slowly.Holo seemed to have fully understood the key to her role, and kept silent all the time.But holding her hand in this way felt a little hot.

Probably because he felt very uncomfortable with Ai Linkin's gaze. "For us, that kind of answer is even more fresh. Erin Jin is still panicking, and the traveling merchants in the market are indeed not to be underestimated." "That's really flattering." Hearing Lawrence's answer, Abe let out a cough-like laugh. "You, in fact, shouldn't you be the young master of a big chamber of commerce?" "One night, I did have such an idea. Really lost to you - Abe said in a low voice, cast a rare unsharp look at him from under the hood, and said: "Don't you feel thirsty for talking?" Although the transaction has not been completely closed, it has finally crossed a threshold. Lawrence was not shabby enough to object to the proposal. Near the port, even at night, there are still open-air stalls selling alcohol. Lawrence ordered three glasses of wine and sat down in an abandoned empty wooden box nearby. "I wish our transaction success." It was Eb who took the lead in saying the toast. The three of them clinked ceramic wine glasses with several notches on the rim, and drank the wine. "By the way, don't blame me for saying this until now." "What's the matter?" "Your partner, where did you pick it up?" "what?" He couldn't hide his surprise, not because he had relaxed after the negotiation. It's because he didn't expect Abe to care about such a thing. "Is it that unexpected?" A wry smile appeared at the corner of Eb's mouth, fortunately Holo was holding the wine vessel with both hands, keeping silent. "Although I said I wouldn't pursue it, I still feel concerned." "Hmm... no, I'm often asked." "Then, where did you pick it up? I wouldn't be surprised if you said it was the only daughter of a lord who fell due to a peasant uprising." Although this is a joke that can only be played by Eve, who is a fallen nobleman, but if the truth is told, even Eve will be surprised.Hearing a small rustling sound coming from behind Holo, Lawrence immediately stepped on Holo's foot lightly with an extremely inadvertent movement. "I heard that he was born in the north, but for a long time, he has been living in the southern wheat producing area." "oh oh." "I had several transactions with that village, and I knew someone, so I made a detour there on the way. At that time, she got into my cargo without authorization." Speaking of which—Lawrence recalled that Holo got into the fur at that time. After all, Holo has a tail herself, and it probably has something to do with fur. "She said she wanted to go back to her hometown, so although I went through a tortuous process, I became the guide in the end." After all, there was absolutely no need to lie, so it was easy for him to say it.Holo nodded, and Eb took a sip of his drink too. "It's just like the way of encountering the lyrics of those vulgar poets." Lawrence laughed. Because it is. However, the exchange after that is not something that can be exchanged for money. It was absurd and fun, and I hope it could last forever if I could. "Although I care more about the tortuous process, I'm afraid it's something that I can't say even to the priest." "To put it correctly, it is precisely because I am facing the priest that I cannot speak." Although this is also true, what Lawrence said should be completely different from what Abu understood. Abe couldn't help laughing out loud.However, the port is not so quiet that someone will look back at her. "Well, after all, wearing such gorgeous clothes, I can also understand that it was a very good meeting." "Accidentally, she bought it with her own money." "I think so. It feels very smart, too." Under the hood, Holo must be looking smug now. "After all, the relationship seems to be good. However, if you are in a hotel, I suggest you keep your voice down." The movement that was about to drink the wine suddenly stopped.Just thinking about whether all the conversations in the hotel would be heard by the other party, but at the same time realized that this is just a trap of cliche. As if to say "don't fall into this trap", Holo stepped on Lawrence's foot instead. "Cherish it. Although encounters can be bought with money, you still can't decide whether they are good or bad." However, while saying this, Abe's eyes moved under the hood. Eb showed those blue pupils. The blue of those eyes is azure blue embodying noble character. "Because the upstart who bought me is really bad." After finishing speaking, Abe looked away from Lawrence, glanced at Holo, and then turned to the direction of the port.Seeing a self-deprecating smile on Eb's face, Lawrence looked away from her side face. "Although it's a lie to say that you don't want sympathy from others, it's a thing of the past after all. Besides, that guy died soon." "Is that so." "Well, although I think you know that wool trading is very popular in my country. Because of competing with foreign merchants to buy futures, when spending more money than he could afford, the king changed his policy and soon went bankrupt. .In the eyes of the declining nobles who suffer from having no money to buy bread every day, it is an unbelievably huge deal. And, he is still a man whose self-esteem is stronger than that of the nobles, so on the day when the bankruptcy became a fact , he stabbed his throat with a dagger and died. However, this alone can be regarded as the end of the identity of the Bran family." Neither anger.Nor is it sad, nor is it ridiculing the upstart businessman.Instead, Eb talked about it in a nostalgic tone. If this was acting, Lawrence probably couldn't trust anyone anymore. "The wedding is also very luxurious. The old man cried and said that even in the history of the Bran family, it is one of the best ostentations. Although, to me, it is no different from a funeral. Even so, it is not all a bad thing. One of them is that you don’t need to worry about eating, and the other is that you don’t have children.” No one values ​​blood ties more than nobles. Children are not divinely endowed beings, only political props. "Also, the money that I siphoned out of that guy's wallet from time to time was never seen by anyone. Even though the whole house and possessions were taken away after bankruptcy, I still had enough money left over to start a business as a businessman. " Although he is a nouveau riche, since he is a businessman who can afford a noble house, he should be running a fairly powerful chamber of commerce. As an aristocrat, Eb chose the path of a merchant, and he was able to start so smoothly, probably thanks to the assistance of those who stayed in the chamber of commerce. "My dream is to build a chamber of commerce that surpasses that guy." Abe said to himself. "It was just a stroke of luck to get me, I'm not actually one of those cheap items that guys would buy - I'd love to prove it. Isn't it childish?" Eb said in a hoarse voice.The smiling side face also looks very young. When he decided to cooperate with Abu on the fur trade, at the moment of the final handshake, Abu's hand was shaking. In this world, there is absolutely no perfect person who does not lose to anything. "Haha. Forget it, just forget what I said. Occasionally I want to say it to others. That means I'm immature." After Eb finished speaking, he drank the wine in one gulp and hiccupped softly. "No, not right." Eb raised the edge of the turban slightly, what was his intention? "I'm envious of you guys." Those blue eyes narrowed as if feeling very dazzling. Lawrence struggled with how to answer, and finally escaped by drinking. Holo would make fun of that, Lawrence thought. "Hey, that's ridiculous. All we have to care about is making money, right?" Lawrence gazed at his own face reflected in the wine. Like Eb, it was an un-businessman's expression. "That's true." Lawrence said as he drank the wine in one gulp.Although he didn't know what Holo would say after that, Eb let out a short dry laugh at the end, and when they stood up, both of them returned to the businessman's expression at the same time. "As soon as the conclusion of the meeting is announced, we will go to the transaction immediately. You can tell the old man Arold where you are at any time." "Understood." No matter how you look at it, he looks like a seasoned businessman, with his rough right hand extended. "The transaction should go well." "Of course." Lawrence held that hand and said so. Lawrence recalled Holo's answer when he first entered Reynolds and said to Holo, "Don't be angry even if you see a wolf's fur." Although I don't need to be particularly concerned about it, but if someone I know becomes the object, I can't feel at ease. This also seems to apply to buying and selling. The buying and selling of children for the sake of adopting children, and the buying and selling of slaves for the purpose of obtaining laborers, were indispensable businesses.It wasn't some dirty deal that people would point fingers at. However, as long as he imagined "what if I really want to sell Holo", Lawrence will feel uneasy in his heart. For the first time, Lawrence seemed to resonate with the church's cleanliness dogma that accused people of buying and selling people. After a series of negotiations and returning to the hotel, Abe said he wanted to have another big drink with Arold, so he stayed on the first floor. Holo was probably the only one who was lying on the bed helplessly among the people involved in this matter. "Really, it's a waste of time, and it's really annoying." Lawrence said with a wry smile while lighting the animal oil candle: "The so-called 'like a cat borrowed from the neighbor' refers to this appearance." "After all, if you want to rely on this cat to pick up the money, what else can you do besides pretending to be well-behaved?" Lawrence believed that what Abb said was trustworthy, and Abb responded, and the transaction went very smoothly.As long as there are no unexpected events, the fur trade will be successful, and huge profits will be obtained by then—even if he holds this idea, Lawrence doesn't think it's an optimistic estimate. Even if they felt the harbinger of joy that the beggar said in advance, no one would laugh. This is a long-lost feeling. Because, I finally got the foundation to start as a town merchant. "Well, it really helped me a lot." Lawrence said, gently stroking the beard on his chin. "Thank you." Holo's glance over was not very friendly.She swung her ears in the motion of shaking off the dust, sighed as if saying "it doesn't matter anyway", then turned her upward body into a flat posture, opened the book and read. However, in Lawrence's view, her posture seemed to be covering up her shy heart. "Is there any interesting story in the book?" Seeing Holo take off her robe while reading, Lawrence happily helped her along the way.Since she didn't resist much, the speculation about "covering up her shyness" shouldn't be too far off. "Many are weird and inexplicable stories. It is also said that a demon who can sing ominous songs is buried where two roads intersect." "Ah, that's something I've heard a lot." "Well?" After taking off her robe, her hair spread like oil sprinkled on water.Luo Lunjin helped her tidy her hair first, and then replied: "Those guys called musicians who carry musical instruments from town to town are sometimes said to be demons who bring misfortune or disease to the town. Because of this, the place where those guys were hanged , must be at the intersection of roads outside the town." "Oh……" Seeing that the loose belt was hanging on her tail as if it was getting in the way, Lawrence helped her remove it.In return, Holo rubbed her tail. Just when Lawrence wanted to touch her tail with a prank mentality, she avoided him. "This is because they hope that after the death of the musician, who is regarded as a demon, his soul will go to another place. Therefore, at the intersection of two roads outside the city, stones and other things will be carefully removed. Caves are also carefully filled in. For legend has it that anyone who stumbles there will revive the demon buried there." "Well, people really have all kinds of ideas." Holo muttered in admiration, and turned her eyes to the book again. "Are wolves without superstitions?" "..." Seeing the ground suddenly showing a serious expression, Lawrence thought he had stepped on her tail, but it seemed that she was just lost in thought. After a while, she turned her gaze. "After listening to you say that, I realized that it is indeed not." "Well, children won't be too scared to pee at night, which is not bad." Holo froze for a moment as if surprised, then laughed again. "Didn't I mean me?" "hehe." She smiled and flicked her tail a few times.Lawrence poked Holo lightly on the head, and she shrugged her neck as if it was tickling. Then Lawrence casually placed his hand on top of Holo's head. I thought she would push it away, but Holo didn't move, just shook her ears.Holo's childlike body temperature was slightly higher than ordinary people's on the palm. A silent surrounding, irreplaceable time. Then, as if she was finally ready, Holo suddenly spoke: "You didn't ask us about the authenticity of that series of words." She was probably referring to Eb's words. Lawrence removed his hand from her head and only nodded in reply. Holo didn't even cast a confirming glance.It seems that this feeling alone is enough. "If you ask us whether it's true or not, we can play tricks on you and tell you, so that you can be grateful to us." "It's really dangerous." Hearing what Lawrence said, Holo immediately laughed happily. Then, she put her face on the bed and looked up at Lawrence. "We also understand why you want to judge everything by yourself. You just have a strange sense of responsibility for selling us? But, how do you know that people are not so strong. If there is someone who confirms the truth of the words method, there should be a desire to rely on. But why didn't you do this?" Although I really wanted to know what Holo really meant by asking this question, but thinking too much would cause me to burn myself, so Lawrence still answered honestly: "If I forget those principles, you should be the one I want to be angry with." "...He is really a well-behaved guy. How about acting like a baby to us once in a while?" Once you start to rely on something, the threshold for the second dependence will definitely be lower than the last time. That is to say, everything is habitual.The only ones who can never forget this point are saints.Lawrence still has this self-consciousness. "I'm not an ingenious person after all." "It's the same with everything, as long as you practice a lot, you will get used to it." The hair that Lawrence helped her tie up was falling down with the sound of rustling. "Want to practice a bit?" "Practice coquettish?" Lawrence asked half-jokingly.I saw Holo's leisurely wagging tail slowly drooping down. Holo closed her eyes for a moment, then slowly opened them again.A soft smile appeared on her face, and there was a gentle look in her eyes as if she would forgive herself for all failures. Any coquettish expression is acceptable, maybe this is it. If this was intentional teasing of Lawrence, there was probably no worse joke in the world. Who can blame him if he has been calculated by such a trap? Therefore, Lawrence's mind became calmer. Not only that, but he would even think that Holo had set up such a trap just to make fun of him, maybe she was really in a bad mood.