Chapter 21.1: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐)
Chapter 21.1: ๐๐ง๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ญ, ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฒ, ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฏ๐ (๐)
โIf youโre that kind of knight, weโd like you to stay in our town.โ
ใ ค
โWhy so?โ
ใ ค
โYou know, thereโs been some ominous rumors going around lately.โ
ใ ค
The lord of the town of Rutzbeck is Count Jarpen. Naturally, after Count Jarpen lost several battles, rumors began to circulate in his fiefdom.
ใ ค
With the increase in rogues and the Count unable to help, the townspeople had to form a vigilante group to fend them off. The young men of the town were enthusiastic even with just a spear in hand, but the village chief knew well. It would be difficult to fend off a proper attack with them.
ใ ค
Why would nobles hire mercenaries at a high cost? It was impossible to fight well just by giving a spear to those who had never fought before. They might be full of courage in their own town, but they would collapse immediately under a real attack.
ใ ค
This large town had been safe so far because it was difficult for runaway mercenaries to target, but what would happen in the future was unknown. If the number of mercenaries increased, or worse, if they settled nearby, it would be a headache. It would be difficult to subdue them with a vigilante group.
ใ ค
โHaha. Atanka-nim. Of course, that would be nice, but it would be too much for Sir Knight to stay here.โ
ใ ค
โWhy, if you get attached, anywhere can be home. We have many young women in our town.โ
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฏ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ด๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ข๐ฃ๐ญ๐บ ๐จ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐บ.โ
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฉ๐ข๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐จ๐ฆ๐ต๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ค๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐บ. . .โ
ใ ค
They were laughing, but inside, they were cursing each other.
ใ ค
But Atanka was at a disadvantage. He also thought that the knight would not stay here unless necessary. There were few reasons to stay.
ใ ค
But if the knight stayed, it would be a great help.
ใ ค
โ๐ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ณ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ด๐ฆ ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ข๐ณ๐บ ๐ฃ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ๐ด.โ
ใ ค
To protect the town, they had to hire mercenaries, but the problem was whether they could trust these mercenaries. It was common for mercenaries brought into the town to betray and turn into rogues.
ใ ค
They had to hire trustworthy mercenaries, but they were hard to find and expensive.
ใ ค
But if it was the knight Eldans mentioned, it was a different story. A nobleman who knows the honor of a knightly family would not betray, and unlike a mercenary, he would not blatantly demand money.
ใ ค
โ๐๐ฆ ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ฏโ๐ต ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐บ.โ
ใ ค
Eldans was ridiculous. He explained to avoid misunderstanding because he was a foreigner, but he was harboring an unreasonable desire.
ใ ค
The Katana Merchant Guild always wanted reliable warriors. The Catalian Peninsula had as many battles as the Empire or Kingdom above the Dwarf Mountains. Independent city-states fought each other, and they also fought with the nobles of the Holy Empire. . .
ใ ค
Small trading companies avoided battles, but large trading companies actively participated in battles. There was nothing more profitable than war.
ใ ค
And the most needed thing at such times was military power.
ใ ค
It was a chaotic era. The only thing they could trust was military power. Even small towns had to form vigilante groups and hire mercenaries, let alone city guilds.
ใ ค
Eldans intended to introduce Johan to the Katana Merchant Guild. Building a rapport with such a young knight would undoubtedly be helpful in the future.
ใ ค
โWell, letโs save that discussion for later. . . I heard you brought wheat and barley. How much for a sack of wheat and a sack of barley?โ
ใ ค
โOh, Atanka-nim, the hardships Iโve endured. . . One sack of wheat will be two and a half silver coins, and one sack of barley will be two silver coins. Thatโs my final offer.โ
ใ ค
โTwo and a half silver coins! Are you trying to starve our townโs people?โ
ใ ค
โWhat are you talking about? Do you know how high-quality this barley is? The brewers from Rutzbeck would gladly pay several times more for it.โ
ใ ค
Rutzbeckโs beer was well-known in the vicinity. Perhaps they should send someone from the monastery to purchase it.
ใ ค
Typically, a full sack of wheat was worth only one silver coin. However, merchants didnโt often pay the proper price.
ใ ค
โIf youโd consider accepting a currency other than Empire silver coins, I could buy it for two and a half sacks.โ
ใ ค
โNonsense. . . Please, Atanka-nim, donโt speak such absurdities. You know how unreliable other currencies have become these days.โ
ใ ค
The <Empire Bank>, operated under the rules set by dwarf nobility, was quite peculiar. The contents of other currencies could change at any time. There was a reason merchants preferred Empire silver and gold coins.
ใ ค
โTwo sacks, Atanka. And one and a half sacks for the barley. Thatโs my final offer. I wonโt go any lower.โ
ใ ค
โStop groaning. Fine, youโve got a deal. Thatโs it.โ
ใ ค
Atanka realized that Eldans wasnโt going to budge any further and reluctantly agreed. Eldans might be a bit shrewd, but he could let this one trade slide. After all, this wasnโt the only time theyโd be dealing with each other.
ใ ค
โThank you once again, Atanka-nim.โ
ใ ค
Eldans smiled and extended his pouch. They both knew what was inside. Atanka returned the smile and shook hands. The townspeople would remain oblivious to these conversations, even in their wildest dreams.