Lords of the Heavens

Chapter 154 A Trade Route

Good guy!
This is the first time I've seen such a stern warning.

However, Li Wei also knew that the matter was indeed this serious.

The family camp originally only had to deal with the Snow Mountain Witch's attack, but now it's feared that even the legion from Kahe City will be coming.

But could this have been avoided?
It's impossible, sooner or later.

Once the first-level temple is built, a priest must be invited to preside over it. This priest may be selected from among the refugees, but perhaps this young priest in front of us could be chosen.

With a priest in place, they are essentially incorporated into the system. Then the lord of Kah City, George's uncle, will immediately know, and it would be strange if he didn't come to punish them.

Furthermore, high-level players like Hathaway and Ron won't stay put either.

It's better to be proactive than passive; you might be able to gain some benefits.

However, Li Wei did not rush to agree. Instead, he said to the old priest, "Priest, my family and I have been forced to wander in the wilderness. I have come here to buy salt, food and other supplies. Could you please give me some time to resolve this?"

"That's certainly no problem. In fact, it takes time to gather caravans and mercenaries. Sir George, you and your squire can stay in Vidor for the time being, but you'll need to make a decision in five days at most."

After saying this, the old priest left with the young priest. Almost at the same time, more detailed mission information appeared.

[Optional Neutral Faction Missions]

[Join a caravan five days later, acting as a mercenary to ensure the caravan successfully breaks through the witch's blockade, reaches the city of Kahe, and meets with Priest Joseph.]

[Mission Difficulty: Three Stars]

[Mission Reward: Unknown]

[Mission Requirements: Once you join the party, you can leave at any time, but you will never be able to gain the trust of the neutral faction again. Alternatively, you can choose to give up at this point, and the gods will still forgive your recklessness and rashness.]

-

This is a task that you can't easily quit once you join, but it doesn't matter anyway. He plans to finish the task in two months anyway, so he can leave these to the next head of the family, like Hathaway, to worry about.

Li Wei thought to himself with delight, but then he realized that he didn't need to be so naive. This task was definitely difficult, but if he handled it well, it wouldn't be without its benefits. To be honest, didn't he want to become the Rookie King?
Of course he wanted to, but he also knew that this goal was too difficult.

"I'll do my best. If all else fails, I still have a settlement card. I'll just force a settlement."

With that thought in mind, Li Wei walked towards Sir Tuk, who had been standing far away. This guy's equipment was really eye-catching.

"Tuk, I never expected to meet you here!"

"Haha! George, after you left, Mr. Ron asked you about it. He said we're from the same hometown and should know each other better, but actually, hometown my foot! We're two hundred miles apart! Come on, my friend, I'm going to treat you to a good time tonight!"

Li Wei certainly wouldn't refuse. He was quite happy to enjoy the banquet hosted by the country nobles. Besides, the other party was a landlord. How could he make purchases without building a good relationship with them?
Perhaps this fellow can sell him a carriage?
Tuke was really enthusiastic and talkative. He took Li Wei to explain the local customs and culture of Victoria Town, and the highlights were the waitresses in the tavern, the indispensable landlady, and Victoria Town's specialty pine nut wine.

I learned from him that Tuk was the eldest son in his family, and the town of Vido was the family's territory. Last year, his father died suddenly, and Tuk returned from the city of Vier to inherit the territory. Everything went smoothly, but life was a bit monotonous and he was somewhat poor.

Yes, this was something Li Wei hadn't expected. A small town with nearly 600 people, thousands of acres of farmland, fertile land, convenient irrigation, and abundant produce—Tu Ke was actually complaining about being poor.

“George, you don’t know, a quarter of our annual income has to be handed over to the temple, and another quarter has to be handed over to Duke Will every year. This year, Duke Will is going to wage war against the barbarians and is temporarily collecting taxes. My small town is the biggest loser.”

“In the past, when Kah City was still normal, the family’s caravans could pass through Kah City all the way to Duson Province. A single trip could earn at least a hundred gold coins. But unfortunately, four months ago, I emptied the family’s savings and even borrowed my wife’s dowry to finally put together a caravan, hoping to make a small profit. However, since the caravan set off, there has been no news of it.”

“Normally they should have returned last month. I was so worried about them that I was losing clumps of hair and beard. But now it’s all good, George, you’re my savior. When you go to Kah, could you help me find out where my caravan is? I’m very worried that they’ve been captured by the witch.”

Damn it?

So that caravan was organized by you. No wonder you have a franchise in Kahe City.

“My friend, I don’t think you need to worry about anything. I saw your caravan a few months ago. They left Kah City and were heading to Duson Province. Even if they haven’t returned, they should be trapped in Kah City again. As long as the witch is dealt with, everything will return to normal.”

"However, I do urgently need some supplies, and I also have some supplies that I need to sell urgently. If you are willing to help, I am willing to give you 30% of the profits, my friend."

"Hahaha! George, you are truly my dearest friend. Of course, there is no problem with that. But if you could lend me fifty gold coins immediately to get rid of this urgent problem, I would be extremely grateful to you."

what?
Lend me fifty gold coins! Damn it, didn't we agree to be good friends?
Li Wei cursed inwardly, but smiled broadly on his face. Without saying a word, he took out fifty standard gold coins and handed them over. There was no need to hide anything, because no one was supervising him and no one would report him for bribery.

Here, things can be that simple.

Tuk accepted it readily without even writing an IOU.

“My friend, at this moment you have truly gained my friendship. Go, my captain of the guard, Jad, can help you solve all your problems.”

Having said that, Sir Tuk, with the help of several foot attendants, mounted his horse and rode away gracefully.

At the same time, a line of information appeared.

Your reputation in Vidor has reached 500 points, currently at the Intimate level.

Good guy!
"Sir George, is there anything I can do to help you? But please note that I will be traveling to Carneville with a caravan in five days, so you actually only have less than five days if you wish to join us."

Well, that's good enough, no need for further explanation.

“I would like to purchase at least 100 kilograms of salt and 1,000 kilograms of wheat. In addition, I need at least 20 workers to help with road repairs. Finally, I hope you can help with the transportation.”

Li Wei rattled off what he needed, not worried about not having enough gold coins to buy it. The family camp had plenty of supplies in its warehouse. In business, fair trade was the way to go.
The key point is to establish a trade route with the town of Vido, which was also an unfinished task that the previous generation of Penny longed to accomplish.

Upon hearing Li Wei's words, Captain Jia De shook his head.

“Sir George, you can only have a maximum of fifty kilograms of salt. The city of Ver is keeping a close eye on things. As for the price, it will be the lowest possible price, six silver coins per kilogram. There’s no doubt about that. You’ll get the same price in Ver.”

"In addition, you must purchase at least three thousand kilograms of wheat. This year is a bumper harvest, and the wheat produced in Vido Town must be sold. The price can be discounted to five copper coins per kilogram. Since this is the first transaction, we can deliver the wheat to your door for free and help you repair the road. However, this does not mean that you will not have to pay anything. I will send fifty farmers to protect them and provide them with food supplies for their round trip."

"Furthermore, from now on, all the goods produced in your area that are intended for sale must be exclusively purchased by the caravan of my town of Vido. This transaction will last for a maximum of three years. After three years, if you become the lord of Kahe City, then of course we can negotiate the price separately. I hope you can understand."

"Finally, these six carriages will have to return to Vido town in four days. The caravan heading to Kahe city will need these carriages. However, you can make good use of those farmers. Just get them back by the end of the month so as not to delay the wheat harvest."

"it is good!"

Li Wei agreed without hesitation. It went so smoothly. Apart from bribing Tu Ke with fifty gold coins, the rest of the supplies were a huge profit.

Previously in the city of Kah, a kilogram of salt cost two gold coins, but in the town of Vido, two hundred miles away, it only cost six silver coins, although this was definitely an internal channel price.

Li Wei's status as the heir of the Kah family, his potential to become the future lord of Kah City, coupled with the bribe of fifty gold coins and the cutting off of the trade route to Vido Town, all contributed to this effect.

Fifteen kilograms are used for the task. Any excess can be submitted as an extra contribution. Each extra kilogram is worth 10 contribution points and will be compensated with one gold coin. How awesome is that!
The subsequent transactions proceeded at breakneck speed.

The captain of the guards, Jade, took Li Wei and his party directly to the lord's warehouse in the town of Vido, where they exchanged money for goods.

Fifty kilograms of salt requires thirty gold coins.

Three thousand kilograms of wheat requires 150 gold coins.

Li Wei originally had 204 gold coins, but now they were not enough. He had no choice but to take out the three one-star quality deer hides to settle the score.

However, when the deerskin was taken out, Captain Jade's gaze was undoubtedly somewhat unfriendly, but when he looked up and saw the noble crest on Li Wei's chest, he immediately swallowed his words and put on a smile again.

The nobles hunted deer, and everything went smoothly. Who would dare to disagree?
The tanner who came to the site praised the three deerskins highly. Seriously, the work of a three-star hunter like him is no joke.

After a final valuation, the first two tanned one-star deer hides were settled at a price of fifteen gold coins each.

The untanned one-star deer hide was priced at 10 gold coins.

This is definitely still a loss. Can one-star quality be the same as ordinary quality?

Ordinary deer hunters can shoot arrows into the eyes without damaging their fur.
Could an ordinary butcher accomplish such a perfect skinning and dismemberment?
But Li Wei accepted it anyway. These were all minor details. He wasn't a businessman, and at this moment, completing the trade mission was secondary. The key was to open up this trade route.

This has already reached the level of a political issue.

After paying for all the goods, Li Wei still had 14 gold coins left.

(End of this chapter)