Volume 3: Fellow villagers, let’s farm together~ Chapter 84 Benefits are a good thing
Xiao Yun sent away the God of Plague, uh...sent away the elf guests, and that night he slaughtered an old cow and made a meal of potatoes and beef stew to celebrate...
It was true. No matter how warmly and politely he treated the two elf warriors and how excited he was to do business with the elves, Xiao Yun still regarded the elves as plague gods in his heart. It was a good thing that these honest and upright people didn't set their sights on the grassland, but Xiao Yun also had to worry about when they would wake up...
For this reason, he forced himself to resist the urge to run to the coastal port to take a look - if he went, and if the elves had any ideas and talked to him on the spot, he wouldn't even have an excuse to refuse; it would be better to just let the equally upright warriors go, and let Hongye delay and slow down any issues, and he could deal with it by going back and forth.
Since we don't have the size to compete with them, we might as well hold our noses and play the king-meets-king drama. Well, this cub "elder" and the rural tribal general of the elves are basically the same thing...
Xiao Yun knew in his heart that he might be overthinking. Maybe the elves really had no interest in the trivial things on the grassland, but it was too tragic to gamble his own fate on whether others would look down on him. As the saying goes, you should consider defeat before you win. When you come up with a project plan, you should prepare a corresponding emergency plan. It is better to be cautious. If you can show weakness and pretend to be stupid, do so first. The elders say, pretend less and make more money...
Hongye, who took on the important task of "showing weakness and pretending to be stupid" and set out on the journey with Yu, was caught by Xiao Yun and had to cram for two nights before leaving. Although she couldn't help but feel that Ayun was worrying too much, she thought that what Ayun said did make sense, so she took this matter very seriously. After more than ten days of traveling with more than a thousand cattle and sheep, they arrived at the port of the elves. As soon as they met Prince Carlisle, Hongye suggested using her eyes to signal Prince Carlisle to give her a chance to talk to her.
Prince Carlisle calmly arranged for people to take over the goods sent by Teacher Ayun, and let the nobles of Saint Bridget who came on the ship to see the goods of the Snow Wolf tribe with their own eyes. He also asked the royal navy under his command to be responsible for the order on the scene. Only then did he find a chance to escape and had a quick meeting with Hongye in the small house provided by the elves.
"Ayun said that we don't need to make our deal too 'hot'." Hongye thought about it and added, "It's best if it doesn't look too good... These are Ayun's original words."
Prince Carlisle asked suspiciously, "What does Teacher Ayun mean by this?"
Hongye moved closer to Carlisle and lowered her voice: "The forest elves are too powerful. Neither you nor we can talk to them on an equal footing. So what Ayun means is that we'd better be weak enough to not be able to show up."
Prince Carlisle was stunned for a moment, then suddenly came to his senses, with beads of sweat dripping down his temples... No wonder Teacher Ayun sent Hongye here. He had indeed been too smooth sailing recently, and even lost his most basic vigilance - he had even complained that the elves were not formal enough in this cooperation. Was this a joke? If the giant elves officially came to engage in north-south trade, what would he, a prince of a small human country, have to do with it? And what would Saint Bridge have to do with it?
"I understand." Prince Carlisle said solemnly.
The Elf Inn where Elf General Crest stayed was far away from the trading area provided to humans, and was even separated diagonally from the cabins where humans lived... The forest elves maintained the basic etiquette and manners between ancient races, but they did not lose their pride as elves. Cooperating with humans did not mean that they would be close to humans. Except for large races like the sea people, there were not many races that could communicate with the elves on an equal footing.
At this moment, General Kleist placed his sword on the table, holding a white porcelain plate in his hand and looking at it carefully. The outer side of the white porcelain plate was plated with a circle of pure blue leaf rings, and the middle was a large area of flawless white. In the middle of the plate, there was a simple vine-like pattern. The style was grand and elegant, and even in the eyes of General Kleist, it was impeccable.
"Is this made by the Snow Wolf Tribe?"
Humans and dragons love gold and silver tableware. The elves despise the aesthetic of fanatical pursuit of glittering things. Crystal, stone, and even glass products that are relatively cheap are the most popular among elves. In other words, elves like a more low-key style... This plain and elegant white porcelain plate is undoubtedly in line with the elves' aesthetics. This puzzled General Crest. Snow werewolves? Aesthetics? Why are these two words so awkward when put together?
"Yes, their tribe originally planned to sell such tableware on the grassland after making it, but the gifts given to the Minotaur attracted the attention of the Tiger Tribe, so they could only store it in the warehouse. When Kai and I expressed our appreciation for this porcelain tableware, Ayun, a cub of the Snow Wolf Tribe, asked if he could exchange the porcelain for the sun cloth." Hailin said with some pride.
Well... he didn't have such bad intentions as to discredit Kai in front of his boss. Even though they quarreled in private, they were still friends.
As for actively admitting that he was afraid of the tiger tribe's covetousness... it was just a step in a certain cub's plan to show weakness.
General Kleist gently placed the porcelain plate on the table, and rubbed the smooth and delicate round outer wall of the plate with his fingers for a while. Suddenly, he pushed the plate inwards, stood up and raised his sword: "Come with me to see the goods traded between the Snow Wolf Tribe and Saint Bridge."
"Yes." Helin bowed slightly and stepped back. After General Crest strode past him and walked out the door, he still had the mood to turn his head and wink at Kai, who had a dead look on his face.
This is how the height you are at determines your vision... Hailin is not stupid, or it is difficult for the long-lived elves to be stupid and cute, but he just can't see that the long-distance confrontation between Ayun, the cub of the Snow Wolf Clan, and his boss General Crest is going on.
It seemed that most of the humans scattered around the port had now come to the trading square to watch the excitement. When General Crest arrived, he frowned slightly because of the noisy voices before he even saw the Snow Wolf warriors.
He pinched his nose and walked towards the field, bypassing the smelly, bleating sheep. Before he got close, the sound of a human being stimulated his eardrums and hurt them.
"A sheep for a box of spices? Are you sure? You won't change it? Oh my God, big guy, tell me you are very honest businessmen, otherwise Master Conrad will be angry!"
"Go away Conrad, do you want to irritate our guests!"
"Shut up! Where is His Royal Highness the Prince? I want to exchange our goods first—"
"You must be kidding, you damn bastard!"
Two old men in gorgeous noble robes started fighting with their skinny arms over a disagreement, leaving the bare-chested Snow Wolf warriors with animal ears on both sides of their heads standing in front of the sheep in a state of confusion...
"That's enough. Pull them apart and order the next one!" roared a grumpy St. Bridge naval officer. "One hundred cattle for one shipload of goods. The Snow Wolf Tribe brought a total of four hundred cattle, which means four ships. Clerk, write it down quickly!"
"Wait, that doesn't make sense! My ship is loaded with peppercorns and ginger, and theirs is only loaded with garlic. So I'm losing money on the shipload!" The old man who called himself Master Conrad started yelling again.
"It's not a loss. His Royal Highness the Prince has said that the subsidy will be calculated separately according to the total value of the cargo on the ship, and the subsidy will be in the form of furs!" the naval officer shouted impatiently.
"I don't want the fur, I want the horn of the snow beast!" Master Conrad shouted at the top of his lungs.
This stirred up a hornet's nest. The nobles who had been standing by and watching the fun became angry and started to curse...
Veins throbbed on General Kleist's forehead. He was unwilling to go to the area with the most people, so he turned to the other side.
The cattle and sheep occupied most of the venue, while fur and other grassland specialties only accounted for a small part. There were more snow wolves standing here. All the snow wolves, shirtless and wearing only animal skin shorts and rattan shoes, naturally did not want to make direct contact. He looked around and found a more decent human noble. Just as he was about to wave, he saw the noble who was quite decent in the last meeting screamed: "My God, the complete tail, spine and skull of the manticore? And the complete head of the thorny wood demon? Who mixed these treasures in the sheepskin?!"
Yu, who was in charge of counting the furs and miscellaneous items, said: "Uh..."
"Oh my God, Goddess of Nobility, the Weaver's Leg! This is the Weaver's Leg! You actually brought the Weaver's Leg wrapped in bark. Goddess of Gold Coin, look at what these barbaric savages have done!"
Yu looked at the human noble with an expressionless face.
"Don't desecrate gold with mud, you're making the precious commodity worthless, BALABALABALA... bastards! Put down the manticore's tail!"
"No, I want to exchange my goods for this set of manticores. I have already asked His Royal Highness the Prince, and His Royal Highness promised me that he would consider it!"
"You must be joking—"
"Alright! Are you here to help inspect the goods or to cause trouble? Get out of the way - move the garlic over there quickly and clear the warehouse!"
"Here comes the sir!"
A group of sailors came rumbling over carrying boxes of garlic... Behind them were people carrying ginger, holding bags of peppercorns, dragging bags of star anise and tangerine peel...
Crest's face changed slightly, and he silently took two steps back, then two more steps back. The other spices were fine, but the smell of garlic, pepper and chili was already strong, and when mixed with other spices, plus the smell of fur... it was almost like a biological weapon.
The Snow Wolf warriors' eyes lit up as they rushed over to open the boxes and check the garlic and peppercorns. The smell on the scene suddenly became even more intoxicating...
General Crest was silent for a few seconds, then turned and left - he had thought too much. Even if they could produce exquisite and elegant porcelain, the Snow Wolf Tribe was still the Snow Wolf Tribe after all, and trading with the humans was not decent at all... and those humans were even more dishonorable!
Back at the Elf Inn, Crest walked to the window sill decorated with vines and flowers and stood there for a while before he felt the odor in his nose disappear. Sitting back in his seat, thinking about the group of Snow Wolf people who were waiting stupidly for their counterparties to calculate the value of their goods, the Elf General tapped the table with his fingers... There were also people among the human nobles who treated the goods of the Snow Wolf tribe formally, so the Elves were naturally not less particular than the humans.
"Hailin, Kai, go back to the tribe and send the porcelain samples back. Ask the elders to verify whether the Snow Wolf Tribe's offer is reasonable."
Hailin was a little puzzled. In his opinion, the price offered by the cub Ayun was very low and cost-effective. The general had not objected before, so why did he suddenly change his mind? However, as a soldier, he had no right to comment on this matter, so he immediately agreed.
General Crest did not realize that he was inadvertently affected by the "performance" of the human nobles. He began to feel that the Snow Wolf Tribe's pricing had somewhat devalued the value of the porcelain, which made him a little unhappy. Zeila looked down on the Snow Wolf Tribe's "lack of knowledge" - the absolutely strong are certainly qualified to talk about sympathy. Obviously, General Crest's positioning of himself, at least for now, is completely correct...
The noisy trading square had been arguing for a whole day but no one had finished their business, which made the elven warriors patrolling the port reluctant to approach that area; under the natural cover created by the noisy nobles and the reckless sailors, the core part of the transaction began quietly in a small house in the trading area.
Prince Carlisle solemnly brought up the two suitcases and handed them to Hongye: "The seeds that Teacher Ayun wants are in the box on the left, and the things copied from the Alchemist Association's database are in the box on the right. Tim also got a few samples of the alloy... These formulas cannot be leaked, so please be careful on your way back."
Hongye nodded, took the box and placed it at her feet. The former was fine, but if the latter was leaked, Tim might be expelled from the Alchemist Association.
The only ways of cultural transmission in this world are family bloodline inheritance and master-apprentice inheritance. It is not easy to learn some advanced technology...
After putting away the suitcase, Hongye also took out two stacks of bark paper carefully wrapped in sheepskin and handed them to Carlisle with both hands: "This one is the firing process of porcelain. Ayun asked me to tell you not to open it until you become king and have an army loyal to you."
"This one contains the story that Ayun told us, and the review we wrote after learning the story. Once you are proficient in using the 'grassland language', you can open it and read it."
Carlisle held the two stacks of bark paper wrapped in parchment in his trembling hands, his breathing gradually becoming heavier...especially the one on top. Teacher Ayun actually taught him the porcelain craft so unreservedly, which made his eyes warm.
"Ayun said that he is very proud of your growth, but teaching you knowledge does not mean that he has the right to ask you to devote yourself to him unconditionally. He said, 'We are teacher and disciple, and we are also independent individuals. If our relationship is only maintained by the relationship between master and disciple, then sooner or later we will gradually become alienated, cold, and like strangers due to some conflicts. I hope that we can always be master and disciple, so I hope that we can be a community of interests forever.'"
Hongye carefully recited word for word what Xiao Yun had taught her before she left. When Carlisle sobbed uncontrollably because of what she had said and had to turn his head away, Hongye felt that she understood Ayun's teachings a lot more.
Ayun has always told them very directly not to rely on any idealistic things such as family, love, friendship, etc. to build a team. In terms of behavior, he has always set an example and practiced what he preached.
When asking people to do something, they will know clearly why they should do it, what advantages and disadvantages it will bring to themselves, and what impact it will have on themselves, the group, and others. They should not be asked to do something just because Ayun wants them to do it.
This style may make people uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, anyone with a little bit of brains will know that this is the approach that truly considers oneself. When Carlisle first started accepting Ayun's guidance, he couldn't help but feel that Ayun was too focused on utilitarian gains and losses. When he discovered that Ayun was not concerned about narrow personal gains and losses, he was astounded and did not hesitate to respect Ayun, who was younger than him, as his teacher.
And now, Ayun has taught him another vivid lesson: Don't be ashamed to talk about profit, profit is not a bad thing.
"I see."
Prince Carlisle bowed deeply to Hongye, and Hongye did not avoid it. They both knew who this greeting was for.
After bidding farewell to Hongye, Carlisle returned to his cabin to think for a while, then got up to find Tim.
As a spellcaster, Tim was naturally entitled to an independent small room. When Prince Carlisle arrived, he was sorting out his belongings. When he opened the door and saw the prince who was supposed to preside over the transaction, Tim was a little surprised: "Carlisle?"
Carlisle walked in and closed the door, then sat down on the chair opposite Tim's bed. Looking at his friend of humble origins, Carlisle smiled and said sincerely, "Tim, will you become a court mage for me?"
Tim's hands trembled and he almost threw away his precious alchemy notes: "Me? Court mage?" He couldn't help but smile bitterly. Everything about him was transparent to His Royal Highness the Prince, and there was nothing shameful about it. "Everyone in the kingdom knows that I am the adopted son of the Humphrey family on the surface, but actually just a male servant from a serf family. If I become your court mage, you will become a laughing stock."
"A thousand years ago, the first King of Saint Bridge was only the eldest son of the manor owner before he gained the support of the army." Carlisle smiled sarcastically, "The nobles in the kingdom also have commoner ancestors. Were your family serfs from the beginning? No, most of the serfs in the kingdom are from the remnants of the old empire. Your ancestors may have been citizens of the old empire five hundred years ago, or minor nobles. Who knows?"
Tim was confused... What is the prince talking about? !
"Viscount Conrad, the upstart, his great-grandfather was a reclusive adventurer. The reason why the descendant of the outlaw was able to obtain the title of the kingdom was because his grandfather used the money his great-grandfather had made to marry the daughter of a poor noble family and bribed the governor to obtain a large plantation. His father also used the name of his mother's family to spend money to squeeze into the noble social circle in the capital and finally obtained the title."
Tim was shocked. This is so rude! This is so rude! A prince of a country openly despises the nouveau riche aristocrats... He is your supporter. Is this okay? !
"Identity is not a problem, Tim. No matter how good your background is, it cannot compare to one in a million talent. For thousands of years, there have been so many princes whose titles have been passed down one level at a time. Even if you have royal blood, you will still be lost in the crowd after four or five generations. What's the use of such a background?" Prince Carlisle said calmly, "You are my friend and a companion I recognize. I think your talent far exceeds that of the existing court wizards in the kingdom. This is the foundation. The public thinks that your background is humble, but it is just that the power you have is not strong enough. We already have the best foundation, so why not work hard and use the most powerful power in the kingdom to make everyone recognize your ability."
"Carlisle...I..." Tim was too excited to speak.
"...I should apologize to you. During the years you followed me, I found countless times that your status did not match your ability. However, I was foolish enough to be troubled by the prejudices of the public and did not face up to the respect you deserved. This is my fault." Prince Carlisle smiled, and there was a silent thunder in his calm tone. "When I became king, you were my court wizard."
Tim stood there in a daze for a while, then lowered his head, pressed his palm against his chest, knelt on one knee, and his tone changed from excited to calm: "I look forward to that day, my king."
Carlisle reached out and helped Tim up. The prince of the kingdom and the young man from the lower class smiled at each other. They had infinite tacit understanding and were full of gay love... cough cough cough!
Carlisle took a deep breath and half-jokingly said, "I need to formally apologize to more than just you. I also need to apologize to Darren. Oh, it's not easy to be honest with him. He must have been disappointed in me many times."
"Then let me go with you. Darren has to give some face to our Prince in front of an 'outsider' like me." Tim also smiled.
Carlisle immediately pulled him out: "Well, you have to say something good for me."
Tim also pulled him back and laughed.
Feeling Tim's unprecedented intimacy, Carlisle's face was calm, but his heart was more deeply touched. Teacher Ayun was right. We should not be ashamed to talk about interests. Interests are not bad things. Not talking about interests with people you care about is a selfish act that shows no respect for the other person at all.
Carlisle secretly said, Teacher Ayun, I won't let you down... I will make you always proud of me.
The transaction lasted for three days. After both parties calculated the prices of the goods and the types and quantities of the transactions, more than 30 Snow Wolf warriors left two people to look after the goods, and the others began to carry the spices back.
The elves did not prepare any residences or warehouses for the grassland people. Fortunately, St. Bridge's merchant ships also wanted to transfer the goods and ship them back in batches, making room for the Snow Wolf Tribe.
Prince Carlisle left Tim and Darren in charge, and returned with the first batch of goods and the human nobles. Also on the same ship was the returning mermaid noble Earl Winston - the next time he came, the merchant ship would be loaded with sea specialties brought for the elves.
Standing on the deck, waving to Tim and Darren who stayed behind, the figures on the dock could no longer be seen clearly. Prince Carlisle turned his head... and was almost hit in the nose by Yumi's big face full of tears and snot.
Prince Carlisle took a half step back: "... Yumi, you are very unladylike."
"I don't want to be a lady. I've been braving the sea breeze for a month to get here, and I haven't even seen the river!" Yumi Hockley bit her handkerchief and cried bitterly.
"Uh..." Prince Carlisle glanced at the several elven noble guests who were chatting happily with the sea people on the other side of the deck, and lowered his voice, "At least you saw many elves..."
"I don't agree. Elves are not as handsome as Dahe!" Yumi cried and twisted her body like a child, her chest shaking.
Those elven nobles seemed to have heard something vaguely, and some of them turned their heads to look over here.
"Hush - keep your voice down!" Prince Carlisle was so nervous that he was sweating. "How about this, if you promise to be obedient, I can invite Teacher Ayun and Dahe to our capital to play. Then you can see Dahe every day. How about that?"
Yumi nodded frantically...
In the kitchen of the Huoyan Tribe, Dahe, who was shirtless and cooking in an extra-large iron pan with a shovel in his two strong and powerful arms, suddenly shuddered.
Da He: "…What's going on? Why do I suddenly feel so cold?"
"Huh?" Niu Jiao, who was kneading dough at the table next to him and was sweating profusely, looked over in surprise.
