The Queen of Scrolls never admits defeat

Chapter 476 Parlouf
After leaving the Colorado Mountains, we traveled for another day and arrived at the edge of the trade route.

The convoy temporarily camped here.

The mages and guards looked towards Moran and the others.

When we left the mountain, we killed a dragon-horned deer, which is still tied to the top of the magic carriage!

I wonder how much Lord Moran plans to sell each piece for?

But then they saw Lord Moran's apprentices take the deer down and process it. After keeping the useful parts, they divided up the rest of the venison, salted it, and hung it under the eaves of the carriage.

Only one deer leg was left, which was then roasted over the fire.

The aroma wafted over, but Lord Moran still hadn't mentioned selling venison.

Gobert urged his captain of the guard to ask.

"What? They've reached the trade route and it's safe on the road. They're planning to save it for themselves to eat on the road?" Gobert said.

"Yes! Lord Moran said that since we've had a relatively smooth journey, he'll escort us a little further. We'll part ways tomorrow when we reach Parluff City," said the captain of the guard.

Gobert suddenly remembered that when he paid them, he had only asked them to escort them through the Colorado Mountains.

Now that we've left the Colorado Mountains, we can take the trade route to Lance City.

The monsters around the trade route are usually dealt with, so it's not that dangerous.

They crossed the Colorado Mountains faster than expected, and with plenty of time left, they weren't worried about missing Lance City's annual knighthood assessment.

It really is time to part ways.

Now that they're separated and the high-level mage is no longer suppressing him, he's the one who has the final say in this team.

But for some reason, Gobert couldn't feel happy at all.

Especially today, when we have to eat the dry food biscuits we bought in Green Forest Town.

Thinking about having to eat this stuff from now on, Gobert got up and went to find Moran:

"My lord, you are also going to Lance City. Is it really not possible for us to travel together for a while longer? We've had a pleasant time together these past few days!"

“It’s quite enjoyable. You can join us if you want! It’s a journey of several months from Palloof City to Lance City, much farther than crossing the Colorado Mountains. Ten magic coins wouldn’t be too much for me to continue escorting you!” Moran said with a smile.

How could she possibly do a losing business?

Wouldn't it be inconsistent with her character to just take them on the journey for nothing?

Gobert: "..."

He could only afford ten magic coins if he sold his beloved magic carriage.

He'd be crazy to sell his car just to have a few bites of food: "Sorry to bother you."

He suddenly understood Moran's stinginess a little better; money really is important!

The next day, the convoy headed straight for the city of Parlouf.

Knowing they were about to part ways, the monk and his guards were not in high spirits.

Inside Moran's carriage, however, the atmosphere was wonderful.

"Parluff City is one of the more prosperous cities in the Lance Empire. Once we enter the city, we'll find a large trading company and exchange all the materials we've collected along the way for gold coins."

And all the apprentice-level magic scrolls you've copied these past few days have been sold in Pallouf City.

"There aren't as many mages here as in Lance City, and it's close to the Colorado Mountains, so apprentice-level magic scrolls should sell better, maybe even at a premium," Moran said to the three "apprentices."

Lilith held the materials list, and the others were already calculating how much these items could sell for.

"Are you staying in Parluff City tonight?" Sylph asked.

“We’re not staying here,” Moran said. “It’s just the main city of a mid-level mage territory. Earl Palluf himself might not even be in the city. There’s no point in us staying any longer. It’s better to settle down in Lance City as soon as possible. Although we’re not participating in the nobility assessment, it will attract a large number of mages. Only a handful will succeed, and the remaining failures are our opportunity!”

Most importantly, Moran estimated that the food in Parluff was not much better than in Greenwood Town.

Mages, who make up less than one percent of the total population of the Magic Empire, control more than ninety percent of the country's wealth.

Even in the Duchy of Lance, ordinary people are not considered particularly wealthy.

In places without Buddhist monks, consumer spending power is low, so restaurants in such places won't use much spice! And how can they possibly taste good?

Moran left the negotiations, as well as the sale of magic materials and scrolls, to Lilith and the others after they got off the bus.

It is quite common for apprentices to do odd jobs and handle daily chores for their mentors.

Lilith and the others were also looking forward to it.

They had long heard that humans were the most cunning race besides goblins. In order to avoid being cheated, they even reviewed the "Blue Star Business Handbook" overnight, just waiting to enter the city today and wipe out all the human merchants.

Once inside the city, they headed straight for the largest merchant house.

The manager of the trading company's eyes lit up when he saw the materials in their car.

Lilith was thrilled. Here it comes! He's definitely going to try and lower the price!
Upon closer inspection, the steward noticed that the two magical carriages contained materials largely derived from mid- to high-level magical beasts.

I immediately guessed that there must be a high-level mage on the bus!

A high-ranking mage!
The manager immediately became obsequious: "These materials are of many kinds, and it will take some time to count them. Why don't you all go to the VIP lounge to rest for a while? We'll buy all your materials at a price 10% higher than the market price!"

Lilith, Vashida, and Sylph, who had been preparing for a long time and were ready to make a big splash: "..."

"No need, we're in a hurry. You should find someone to count them quickly!"

Lilith and the other two hadn't given up yet, and continued to keep a close watch on him to prevent him from swindling them.

But this manager seemed to be incredibly honest; he didn't do anything underhanded during the process of checking the materials and calculating the prices.

Lilith, Vasita, and Sylph's eyes didn't find any fault with it.

The final price was even higher than they had expected.

Even for materials with minor damage or slightly lower quality, he would charge them a higher grade.

It's gotten to the point where haggling any further would be considered bullying.

The shop owner arrived later, and he happily accepted even the magic scrolls.

It was as if they were selling rare, high-level magic scrolls, not common, low-level ones!

Lilith and the others got off the car with their heads held high, but finally returned to the car dejectedly carrying a box of gold coins.

"I wasted so much time studying 'Blue Star Business Handbook' last night, and I didn't use a single sales pitch!" Lilith sighed.

“How come human merchants are different from those in the storybooks? How did they manage to build such large businesses?” Vasita asked, puzzled.

“Perhaps the owner of this trading company is different from other human merchants!” Sylph said.

Moran had anticipated this situation and pointed to himself, saying, "It's not because the owner of this trading company is different, but because of us, or more precisely, me!"