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T/N - Is the MC about to shoulder even more debt? But this time, the enemy is of the same kind: an unscrupulous merchant. Surely the MC can beat the man in his own game, being a businessman himself.
Lynn would never forget his experience from this day.
Should he say that as expected of someone who could eat so much? The high speed of the Iyanna-model bio-powered sled could almost compare to the royal magical beast mounts the previous Lynn had ridden in the past.
During the sled's high-speed frantic dash, relying on iron-like perseverance, he used the bone fishing rod to guide the husky’s way while simultaneously protecting the black bread in his stomach.
Normally, this kind of high-intensity map-reading and subsequent route-guiding would be a very difficult task.
But the thrilling sensation of the jolts helped him maintain a certain level of clarity.
Just as he was about to lose his mind, the dusty gray city walls of White Pine Town finally appeared on the horizon.
"Do you see the city wall?! That's our destination!"
Lynn roared with the last of his strength.
"Brake! Stop quickly! Once we stop, you can eat meat!"
He didn't know exactly which sentence she had heard, but in short, at a distance of around two hundred meters from the city gates, Iyanna began to decelerate.
Her four limbs plunged violently into the soil mixed with thin snow, and the tail exposed outside the hem of her clothes burst open like a parachute behind her.
Screeeech—!!!
Accompanied by a teeth-aching sound of friction and dust billowing up into the sky, the sled plowed two deep trenches into the ground.
At the same time, the guards, who had been drowsy under the light of the setting sun, raised the weapons in their hands in extreme terror.
"Enemy attack?"
The vehicles and people queuing up at the gate to enter the city were also greatly shaken, and for a moment, the scene descended into chaos.
Only when the dust settled did they see clearly the bizarrely shaped vehicle, as well as the short figure standing in the cart-pulling position and the black-haired youth in fine clothes slumped on the cart.
"Mishter Lynn, where's the meat?"
Lynn, whose soul had almost left his body, subconsciously released the wooden stick in his hand, and then the excited girl immediately bit onto the falling ham bone.
"Mmm, there's no meat left on it."
"There will be... in the future."
After instinctively drawing a big pie for Iyanna, Lynn finally had the chance to turn his head around and take a look at the condition of the goods.
Fortunately, the ropes tied by Elysia had undergone Theodore's topological guidance and didn’t come loose.
Speaking of which, the craftsmanship of the carpenter who modified the sled was also very good. It actually hadn't disintegrated midway through the journey.
Only after realizing that nothing had sustained damage except for his own buttocks did he contentedly prepare to stand up.
And then, the people queuing in front and the city guards at the gate were once again startled by a sudden, tragic scream...
...
Heartache filled Lynn as he looked at his wallet after paying the city entrance tax. He secretly swore that he absolutely had to develop Blackstone Fief.
Then, he too would be able to lie down and collect transit taxes without effort.
Raising his head, Lynn sized up his surroundings.
How should he put it— it was very medieval.
The streets were narrow and winding, crowded on both sides with crooked wooden buildings. To save on floor space, the second and third floors often protruded further out than the first, resulting in the sky overhead being squeezed into a thin slit, making the already gloomy streets appear even more somber and oppressive.
But that wasn't the worst of it. That was reserved for what lay beneath his feet.
The originally white snow layer here had turned into a sort of indescribable blackish-brown slush. It was a viscous liquid mixed with soil, domestic waste, and what he suspected to be excrement, all frozen into an uneven "crust".
With these kinds of sanitary conditions, had it not been for the fact that the Church indeed possessed Saintesses who knew healing magic, a version of the Black Death for this world would have broken out long ago.
He covered his nose and began to calculate how to start a supply chain for perfume production from scratch.
"Mmm, Mishter Lynn, why’s everyone staring at me?"
Walking along the street while dragging the sled, Iyanna wanted to bare her teeth at the gazes directed at her from all sides, but she found that she couldn't keep up with all of them.
"If you can't pronounce 'Mister', just call me Boss. I've told you this before."
Lynn glanced at the wolf girl.
Well, as long as she didn't go on all fours, her tail and claws wouldn't be exposed, and she had also worn her hood properly. No matter how one looked at her, on the outside, she was just a simply dressed child doing heavy manual labor. So why were people staring at her?
"How pitiful... Such a small child..."
"Which family's young master is that man? He's too wicked, isn't he, treating a person like livestock?"
"A pervert... He’s definitely a pervert..."
Listening to the whispers around him, Lynn’s mouth twitched.
Do you people know how much she ate this morning? It was enough to feed three grown men for a day! Besides that, she also laid waste to a two-catty ham! This was clearly expending energy through labor. How was it perverted?!
Speaking of which, why was he always being called a pervert?
He also really wanted to learn from Iyanna and hiss at the people around him. But considering that he needed to maintain his image to talk business, and that he was technically a noble now, he wouldn't stoop to their level.
Feeling the death certificate of Elysia in his tunic, Lynn, who had originally intended to ask for directions to find the local church, looked ahead.
An imposing building hanging a sign with a golden wheat stalk appeared in his view.
Not bad. It was exactly the Golden Ear Merchant Guild Elysia had mentioned. Its logo was the same as the one on the flour bags in the kitchen.
As a lord, he naturally didn't need to hawk his goods like the peddlers on the street. As long as he reached an agreement with the merchant guild, if the other party was interested enough, he might not even have to personally deliver goods in the future.
"Iyanna, stay right here and don't move. Watch our cart. Remember, there's food on it."
"Mmm! Okay!"
Glancing at the drooling girl, Lynn had some doubts about whether she could hold back from stealing from the stash herself.
Lynn walked toward the merchant guild and pushed open the heavy oak doors.
A scent mixed with cheap spices, stale wheat, and the heat of a stove assailed his senses. Unlike the freezing streets outside, it was as warm as spring here, even somewhat sweltering.
Behind the counter, a middle-aged man with a physique as bloated as a beer barrel come to life was slumped in a lounge chair. His hands were covered in gold rings, and he was carelessly fiddling with two walnuts. His small eyes, squeezed into slits by fat, glinted with shrewdness and arrogance.
This was the grain monopolist of this area, Dawson. As the largest grain merchant in White Pine City, Blackstone Fief basically relied on him for its food supply.
Hearing the sound of the door being pushed open, Dawson didn't even lift his eyelids, merely letting out a lazy grunt.
"If you're a poor ghost here to buy on credit, get out. If you're here to buy grain, today's price is twenty percent higher than yesterday's."
"Because it snowed? What a good excuse to raise prices."
Hearing a strange voice tinged with a bit of disdain, the fat on his face trembled, and a cloud of gloom suddenly surfaced on his expression. But the moment he saw the clothes and appearance of the newcomer, his tiny eyes widened a bit.
Revealing a flattering smile, Dawson immediately stood up, and the overburdened lounge chair let out a sound of relief.
"The lord looks new here. I’m Dawson, owner of this small business. I wonder who you might be…?"
Lynn thought for a moment and ultimately didn’t disclose his former identity or surname.
"I’m Lynn, the new Baron of Blackstone."
To his surprise, upon hearing this sentence, Dawson, who had been excitedly greeting him, stopped immediately. A strange expression appeared on his face... along with a trace of disdain.
"Oh, Blackstone..."
"Just as well, I have business with you too."
Saying this, he let out a loud roar toward the back of the counter.
"Bring me the ledgers for the Blackstone Fief!"
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