George's eyes moved slightly, and he understood what this guy meant - before Gale said that those slaves were from the various territories in the Black Pearl Valley.
''These merchants' promises are still a little credible, because they also feed on divine grace. But the God of Asylum seems to have left a small back door open on purpose - He seems to be advising the lord to purchase the population, rather than selling the lords out.'
Unless he thought his asylum was strong enough that he didn't mind revealing his situation.
"Have any of your previous principals died? Don't be nervous, Gale. I didn't mean it that way. I'm just a little curious about one thing - haven't you guys ever run into guys who don't keep their word?" George scratched his brow as he walked away.
"Lord Baron, you're joking. The present continent is not a few decades ago. When you do business outside, there is no way you won't encounter risks." Gail said: "Inevitably, there will be people involved in risks for the sake of profit, or a lord suddenly defected. But how big the risk is, how high the benefits. Those of us who eat this food, the moment we go out, we put our lives down. But for those who are not friendly, we also make a wanted list. For example, if I die, then the next person in charge of the upper road will definitely hand over that list to you, or to Lord Duke Adeline. And as a friend of the Chamber of Commerce, if you have given the Chamber help, the Chamber will pay accordingly."
George nodded, understanding what he meant.
Using profit to drive the sword, this was the usual tactic of merchants.
If he knew who had killed this merchant, making it difficult for his territory to exchange much-needed supplies, then he would definitely list the matter of eliminating the merchant bandits as his top priority to do.
With the conversation, the entire camp, the twelve tents, have all seen a few times. However, George has never stopped meaning to continue to leisurely stroll up.
Until he saw a sweaty Martin waving quietly to himself in the distance, he finally stopped and talked to the merchant about the price of goods.
The merchant had previously given him a list - right after he had collected the tax himself.
He almost swung a hammer directly at the sight of that list.
The prices on it, not ridiculously expensive to describe. And this merchant, it seemed as if he really needed something most urgently! Right in the middle of his own vitals!
The slaves should actually be the most worthless now, and the lords of the territories will never take in these useless refugees. Yet the merchant offered him a price that was four or five times more expensive! Simply black-hearted!
As for the thin horses, they were sold at a price several times higher than the war horses!
But what makes his heart tremble the most, or the iron ore.
With the productivity of this world, iron ore, a strategic material, was terribly expensive, and now, because there is no one to work, and merchants deliberately inflate prices, so the price is simply sky high!
On the contrary, the price of food is extremely low, but it is only received, not sold.
George regained the list in his hand, a mocking smile on his face, looked at the man in front of him and said: "Gail, you do have a lot of things here. But a lot of it is complete waste - are you sure you really want to keep carrying these worthless things, eating and drinking all the way to Wingwind City?"
"Waste? I'm afraid, my lord, I have the exact opposite view of you - I know what is desperately needed in every place I will visit, unless that is something that the lord and the lords have not prayed to the gods for." Gale smiled a confident and playful smile, his meaning was clear - don't play these cheap negotiation tricks with me.
He said: "My Lord, look at those horses, for you, I wasted time, bypassed the dangerous cemetery, and went to the north of the valley to the deserted pastures. In addition, I also persuaded the lords to get the population you are most looking forward to - twenty silver foxes a serf, this price is very fair ah. Of course, if you really do not intend to buy these things, it does not matter, just count me as a waste of a little time and spittle."
This treacherous merchant stretched his hands and made it very clear - these things do not cost me much, if you do not buy, I can not lose much money.
But he was eating up the lord in front of him, desperate for these things.
Obviously, this merchant, like George, is also a hang-up. What George chanted every night, all for him to hear.
"Indeed, Gail." George nodded, he could not deny that this treacherous merchant did catch his pain point: "But you think, people or food, which is more expensive?"
"Oh, my lord. That depends on in which territory." Gale chuckled.
"But, Gail-san. There's not much of a waterway from here to Wingwind City." Speaking here, George put his arm around Gail's shoulder: "Gail, this first big order, you are indeed very much on it. Even let you go out of your way to come two days late - with this group of people, the wagon speed slowed down a lot, right? Of course, all that food is cheap on your list anyway, so it's no big deal to waste a little more."
"My lord, I never buy by force, and there are risks in doing business. If you really don't want to exchange the useless things in your hand, for something useful. Then I have no choice but to let you do so."
"Useless? Gail, I think you're behind on your news. The situation in my territory now is already very different from the other day - a few refugees came from my side two days ago and told me that inside that coal mine to the south, there are quite a lot of young and strong laborers, and the guard force there is not as strong as the guards under you, so I don't need to spend money at all if I want serfs. As for the horses, you should have seen it too. These soldiers of mine are more powerful than horses... Of course, maybe they will be less willing to do this kind of rough work, so these soldiers might come and tell me, like those refugees, that they happen to see where there are horses that they can get without spending any money."
Said here, George looked at Aggie.
Aggie cracked a smile and looked over at the horses in the bazaar.
"So, you see what I mean, right, my friend? Like you said, these things are not too important to you, but they are like life to me. I can tell you frankly that I really need these things. I am willing to do anything to get my people through this winter."
The merchant looked at the lord who had suddenly changed his face in front of him and only felt a chill down his back, and the sweat on the top of his head was going to rise uncontrollably. He felt a little unsure: "My lord, this is not like what a devout believer should say."
"Damn fatty." Ajay smiled, swept the fat man from top to bottom with his grim gaze, opened his mouth and said, "Before I was forced to become a bandit, I was once a law-abiding citizen as well."
"..."
"My friend, as you said, doing business is risky, because the news is different every day and prices change every day... However, I promise that with this trading scheme of mine, not only will it not go against God's will. It will also allow us both to fill up our money bags." After saying this he wrapped his arm around Gail's shoulders with a smile and said, "Come on, let's talk about a new way of trading."
...
The 125 gallons of large oak barrels of ordinary wine, George eventually sold 100 barrels, some of which were slightly sour - originally there were about eighty barrels intact in the territorial cellar, Martin was quietly arranged by George after the matter, the abbey those completely sour wine, blended out a dozen barrels.
The entire load of ten or so four-wheeled caravans.
The wine was eventually exchanged for five carts of cotton, three carts of hemp, three carts of wool, three carts of coal, most of the carts of salt, and a small pile of iron ore.
The most valuable thing here was the iron, which took up almost a large part of the overall value.
As for the other things, they are also very much needed by the territory. With these cotton, linen and woolen coal, the winter will not freeze to death.
After bargaining, the caravan's escort leader, stripped off his equipment, was given to George as a 'gift' by the merchant - a double layer of willow nail lock armor. In addition there was a long sword.
According to the peacetime market price, George is not very good value. But that iron ore was indeed an urgent need for supplies, and in the condition of the Countess's territory, there was no one to mine it. So, in the entire Black Pearl Valley, iron ore can now be said to have a price without a market.
So according to this current situation, the price of the new list, or very fair.
Especially for George now, these things can be said to solve the urgent need - the stone on top of that plow wagon, is waiting to be exchanged for iron.
'According to the rules of this transaction, unless I occupy the coal mine, iron mine, salt mine one day. Otherwise the price of these things will never come down. It's even possible that the price will continue to rise because of the gradually increasing demand that the territory is experiencing.'
Unless he was willing to give up part of his divine grace to make a costless sale.
The carts of iron ore weren't completely full because they were just too heavy. The portion of this cart that was traded over was about two and a half tons.
According to the old blacksmith's estimation, the quality of this cart of iron ore was not up to the quality of the Black Pearl Valley, but it was all good ore. The old blacksmith estimated that almost 1 ton of iron could be smelted.
And the display on the scrolls in the shelter, when these ores were traded over, the iron figure was also increased by 1023 kilograms.
In fact, the iron content of these iron ores is more than that, but with the current level of smelting in the territory, it is all that can be smelted.
A double-layer willow nail lock armor with a hood on top and a knee-length iron skirt underneath is actually about 15 or 16 kilograms. And a longsword is actually two kilograms. George estimated that even if he armed all the soldiers under him to the teeth, the iron used on one person would not exceed 25 kilograms. So these iron, enough for him to arm thirty or forty people.
Including the farming tools, armed with two dozen people almost.
As for the salt, because they are full of impurities of coarse salt, remove those impurities such as sand, ten kilograms of coarse salt, that is, six to eight kilograms of salt.
The collar people currently have to carry out a lot of labor, according to 10 grams of coarse salt per person a day to calculate, almost appropriate. More than a hundred people, the daily consumption is a little more than a catty.
This half cart of salt is almost a ton and a half, these salts, enough for the people of the territory to use four or five years.
But if you want to pickle meat and pickles, I'm afraid that can not be counted. Because according to the situation of these coarse salt, 100 kilograms of cured meat or pickles, at least a dozen kilograms.
Moreover, salt is something that is now more valuable than gold and silver, and can be used as money. Plus, considering that the number of territorial people will continue to increase thereafter, George's demand for salt is extremely eager.
But the merchant can only sell so much, the rest, he has to transport to the Winged Wind City.
What surprised George a little was that the merchant was not dissatisfied with the small portion of slightly sour wine.
"Although some of it is a little sour. But these are the most precious and clean water. In fact, if those commoners didn't have so little money, I would prefer to buy and sell more low-strength liquor. Instead of those extremely costly brandy." Gale tasted the wine inside the barrel and said so.
When these goods have been settled, they will start to talk about the price of those brandy.
After hearing the word 'water', George could not help but blink. Because the wells of the shelter were all purified by divine grace, so he had indeed never realized the importance of water. But in fact, even in times of peace, people here are very resistant to drink hot water - even in some of the chaotic management of the free city, garbage is piled up near the water source. From time to time, plagues would break out as a result.
So in some periods, water was even more expensive than wine.
"I have absolutely clean water here, would you like to buy some?!" George's eyes glowed.
"Pfft~" Gale almost spit out the wine inside his mouth: "Please forgive my rudeness, my lord - even if all the wells inside Ariadne City were dry, no one would ever buy something like water from a merchant who shipped it at a high price! Buy something like water! Because it will rain from the sky!!!"