Both parties successfully reached a consensus.
"To be honest, Lord Roland, my fleet encountered a celestial calamity at sea, and the flagship is seriously damaged."
Charles immediately stated his demand: "I need sufficient materials and labor to repair my ship, the sooner the better."
"Of course, I will also provide you with full compensation for the labor."
He pondered, "How about one silver coin per person per day?"
According to the laws of the Lion Heart Kingdom, commoners are the property of the nobility, and their purpose in life is to serve the Lord. Charles cannot bypass the Lord and hire them directly.
"No problem."
Lin Lan agreed readily.
At that moment, he realized that the merchant before him was truly wealthy.
It is known that the purchasing power of silver coins in this world is already quite remarkable.
In Seagull Town, an adult commoner working hard for a year, in good harvest conditions, would generate a total income of only about a dozen silver coins.
I really did encounter a wealthy patron...
Lin Lan thought for a moment, then gave up on the idea of taking advantage of the situation to demand more money.
Charles' caravan might bring the opportunity to develop trade for Seagull Town, which was exactly what Lin Lan needed at the moment. He had no reason to leave a greedy impression on the other party.
Immediately after, a thought flashed through Lin Lan's mind about the treasures he picked up in the replica world.
Should I show them to this merchant later and try to sell them at a high price?
Lin Lan pondered inwardly while maintaining a friendly smile outwardly.
The two parties had a pleasant conversation and quickly finalized the details of repairing the fleet. As the Lord, Lin Lan could directly summon the craftsmen from his territory.
Charles finally breathed a sigh of relief.
At this moment, he heard the young Lord raise a new question.
"Mr. Charles, what celestial calamity did your fleet encounter at sea?"
Lin Lan was indeed curious.
The town he was in was located by the sea, and in his memory, the original owner often heard strange and bizarre rumors about the sea.
The celestial calamities in this world appear not only as storms and sea waves but also as more dangerous 'strange phenomena.'
There used to be a crazy old sailor in the town.
He spent all day and night in the tavern and never went out during the day. Whenever someone intended to have a drink, they could hear old John's indistinct recounting of the terrifying stories.
The ship old John used to stay on was called the Black Stone.
According to him, on the day the Black Stone had an accident, he saw the captain personally retrieve a sun-shaped circular badge from the depths of the sea.
The badge gleamed under the sunlight as if it was made of pure gold, but the front of the badge was engraved with a strange eyeball pattern, looking somewhat eerie.
The captain, who loved ornaments, was overjoyed at the time, claimed the badge as his own, and pinned it to his chest.
At that instant, the sky darkened.
Under everyone's horrified gaze, the sun above turned into a wriggling dark red eyeball. It was embedded deep in the sky, surrounded by layers of feathered bloody rings.
John watched helplessly as the old captain smiled, pulled off his own head, and held it high toward the 'sun.' Immediately, the awakened celestial body locked onto the Black Stone.
Then, the raging winds screamed. Amidst the desperate cries of the crew, endless waves of fire swept from the horizon, instantly engulfing the entire ship in flames.
Only John, who hid in a barrel, survived alone.
This story was full of holes.
For a long time, old John was seen as a madman by the people.
The sun's mutation, the captain pulling off his own head, the fire waves rising on the sea, and the miraculous barrel intact in the flames — each of his descriptions was unreasonable, even absurd.
Until one snowy winter night.
The thin and bony old John woke up from a nightmare, stumbled out of the tavern, and let out a heart-wrenching scream:
"The sun found me! The fire and the eye found me!!"
The awakened residents cursed and stepped out of their homes, and in the white icy snow...
—— people saw a blackened humanoid charcoal.
This was the celestial calamity rumor in Roland's memory.
When Lin Lan brought up the topic of the Celestial Calamity, the smile on Charles's face visibly disappeared.
"It was a terrifying sea storm, Lord Roland."
He let out a heavy sigh and murmured indistinctly, "For merchant fleets, sea storms are inevitable; I guess my luck just wasn't good..."
Of course, Charles wouldn't reveal the real truth.
Because he knew better than anyone that what caused the 'reality collapse' was the crucial cargo on his ship that had to remain secret.
Charles was a merchant from the Southern Alliance.
The reason he risked trading in the backward Lion Heart Kingdom was that this land had become the chessboard for the Southern Alliance and the Northern Empire's contest.
As the two largest powers in the world, the Alliance and the Empire have been in friction for centuries, with countless accumulated hatreds on both sides.
Lion Heart Kingdom, caught in between, was now one of the smaller countries, and the Alliance's Governor decided to take control of Lion Heart and establish a forward base against the Empire here.
The Second Princess was chosen by the Alliance as the next Lion-Hearted King.
But naturally, the ministers of the Empire wouldn't let the Alliance have its way, and in this struggle for the throne, it seemed both sides had chosen their pieces.
Lion Heart Kingdom was destined to become a meat grinder breeding war.
However, Charles was not an 'arbiter'.
He had no right to sit at the table and play against the big figures on either side, so he, like many others, became an 'investor' in this war.
As a great merchant, what Charles pursued now was not just pure wealth but the interests born from blood and fire.
Those were the interests countless people yearned for...
He was truly the best investor, bar none.
As long as he safely delivered that cargo to the Second Princess, she would easily take control of the Lion Heart Kingdom...
In turn, the White Sail Fleet would gain the Governor's recognition, and he could establish his foothold on this land, thereby creating his own legend in the business world.
Charles lowered his head slightly, the firelight from the fireplace reflecting in his eyes, burning alongside his ambition.
He also understood that the wise lord before him wouldn't believe his vague excuses.
At this moment, Charles prepared himself to face the lord's interrogation and to pay whatever was necessary.
However, to his surprise, the gray-haired young man did not delve into the matter further.
"I understand, so let's talk about other interesting things." Lin Lan just nodded casually, smiling as he skipped over the topic.
"Of course, no problem! Lord Roland!"
Charles instantly donned a warm smile, but looking at that smiling face, he felt a strange hint of reverence in his heart.
He realized he still couldn't see through this young lord.
Having done business near the Alliance for many years, Charles had encountered all sorts of people, and reading expressions had already become his habit and instinct, but he'd never met a noble with such a peculiar aura.
The other had neither the arrogance characteristic of big figures nor the inherent humility of small figures, but being gazed at by those gray eyes made Charles feel as if he was sinking into an endless quagmire.
Lies would only make him sink deeper, only sincerity could redeem his soul.
No, no, no... the other was just a young minor noble, how could he be so dangerous...
He was just unsettled by the Celestial Calamity and the interests behind the cargo...
Charles swallowed a gulp of saliva, just as he was about to change the topic, a panicked shout came from outside the manor.
"Lord Roland! Something happened by the sea!!"
Both Charles and Lin Lan were taken aback, and they simultaneously cast their gazes out of the window, seeing a young attendant in simple leather armor stumbling into the manor.
Lin Lan searched his memory and discovered that the newcomer was Jay, who had followed the original master to this secluded place.
A moment later, Jay entered the hall, kneeling on one knee before Lin Lan.
His face was pale, his body trembling slightly as if he had seen something utterly terrifying.
"Calm down, Jay."
Lin Lan spoke gravely, "Tell me what is happening."
"M... Monster..."
Jay glanced at Charles and stammered, "Lord Roland, I saw with my own eyes a black monster crawling out from under his ship, killing many crew members and slaves!"
At that moment, Charles's jaw dropped in disbelief.
Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.