Dark Fairy Tale: Tyrant, Conquered Cinderella at the Beginning

Chapter 42 Martins’ Unexpected Joy

“Sir, your generosity is like the sun and moon in the sky, shining on everyone without reservation! Rest assured, I will safeguard this trade route, and I eagerly look forward to our next collaboration!”

After the successful transaction, the merchant appeared extremely excited, openly showing his satisfaction.

Richard curled his lip slightly, thinking to himself that doing business with such simple-minded people really doesn’t provide any real emotional satisfaction.

At moments like this, would praising the other’s generosity really make them happy?

Shouldn’t one pretend to agree reluctantly, then resolve to make a painful sacrifice, making the other party feel like they’ve gained the upper hand to truly make them happy?

Of course, this was just a fleeting thought in Richard’s mind.

He then took out a branch from a Treant from his storage and handed it over.

“Sir, what is this?” The merchant was somewhat puzzled, yet also excited.

There wasn’t anything like this among the remains of the extraordinary creatures just now.

After all, this was an excellent material for crafting wands and magic bows—truly a valuable item.

Richard said with a smile,

“I need more grain, more iron ore, and more slaves. I hope you can deliver them to me in a month’s time. Consider this as your deposit!”

“As for the quantity, I’ll take as much as you can provide!”

The merchant’s heart was practically leaping out of his throat with excitement. He tried to suppress his emotions and asked,

“May I ask, Sir, will you still use this kind of extraordinary material for payment?”

He truly loved these items—they were easy to carry, didn’t weigh down the cart, and were extremely valuable. If Richard continued to use these for payment, he would go to any lengths to secure the deal!

Richard nodded, “I have plenty of these things. But if you want to get them, you’ll have to meet my demands, understand?”

“I understand! Absolutely understand!” The merchant was thrilled and immediately said, “Rest assured, I will deliver goods that will satisfy you on time!”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Sir, you’ve shown such sincerity; let me reciprocate! I am willing to gift you all the other goods in this shipment!”

Saying this, he immediately instructed his subordinate to handle it, then turned and said, “Those spices and silk are all fine items. I’m sure you’ll like them! If you’re interested, please follow me to take a look!”

Richard nodded and walked out of the hall, arriving at the convoy in front of the warehouse.

“Uncover all the tarps for the lord’s inspection!”

At Martin’s command, all the tarps were pulled back, and Richard stepped forward to check.

He found that most of the items were quite ordinary.

The pepper was commonplace, and the silk was nothing too special, just a more refined form of linen, not quite trash but nothing exceptional either.

As for the pepper, Richard really didn’t lack any.

He had long since instructed the five hundred farmers to plant various spice saplings in the fields.

Richard wasn’t growing these for making sachets or anything like that; he just used them as kitchen seasonings, so he didn’t need to buy them frequently, as his goal was a self-sufficient little kingdom.

At this point, when Martins saw Richard approach the last cart, he immediately said, “Sir, these two swords are the divine… uh, I mean, the two treasured swords I mentioned earlier!”

The two swords looked dazzling, with a brilliant sheen.

Richard picked one up and examined it, frowning slightly.

Isn’t this just some trash meant to fool idiots?

It’s merely polished nicely on the outside to make it look good.

He flicked the blade forcefully with his finger, and the sword instantly snapped in two, the front half of the blade falling onto the cart.

“This is supposed to be a divine sword?” Richard glanced at Martins.

Martins was immediately embarrassed, “Sir, this…”

Richard examined the broken part of the blade, then handed the broken sword and the remaining sword to a nearby knight attendant.

“Take these back to the forge to be reworked! The material of this sword is decent, but the craftsmanship is terrible! Probably meant for some noble youth to show off!”

He then turned to Martins and said, “I’ll accept the gift. Unload the goods and take your cart away. I want to see you again in a month.”

Relieved that Richard wasn’t angry, Martins exhaled deeply, “Rest assured, Sir, I will handle everything well!”

Saying this, he bowed respectfully.

When he looked up again, Richard had already walked away.

Martins then ordered his men to unload the cargo before immediately setting off from the Long Eagle Territory.

“Mr. Martins, shall we head to the next territory to expand our trade?”

On the road away from Long Eagle Territory, his subordinate asked.

Martins rolled his eyes, “Idiot! With such a huge gain this time, the most important thing is to handle this deal properly! Didn’t you see that I emptied our entire convoy? What will we sell in the next territory?”

The subordinate was puzzled and said, “We didn’t have to give him all our cloth and spices. If we visit another territory, we might still sell them for a good price!”

“You know nothing!” Martins, still a bit shaken, looked back at the distant Long Eagle Territory and let out a sigh of relief. “Although we made a lot of money in this transaction, that lord is not someone easy to deal with! He’s a hard nut to crack!”

He recalled how every attempt at flattery was met with disdain.

Especially when, at the very end, he snapped that sword right in front of his eyes.

After all, the lord did say the sword’s material was good.

A longsword praised for its material by a viscount with real power shouldn’t break from just a flick of the finger, let alone a kick!

That was a warning!

Fortunately, they left without any real danger.

Looking at the profits on the cart, Martins felt the trip was worth it.

A single heart of a Treant could fetch five hundred gold coins in the capital and earn him the friendship of a high-ranking figure.

Not to mention the other extraordinary creature remains, which could also sell for quite a sum.

As for that big shot’s friendship, it’s naturally due to the effects of the Treant’s heart.

Many aging nobles long for the vitality bestowed by the Treant’s heart to enhance their physical strength.

The vast life force and explosive energy provided by the vitality trait offer immense benefits to one’s body, far beyond the ordinary.

Even if these elderly nobles don’t need to improve their physical prowess, the sheer life force alone could extend their lives by a year or two.

For those in better physical condition, who can more fully absorb the power of the Treant’s heart, it’s not impossible to extend their lives by four or five years!

Such an item has a deadly appeal to the older aristocrats.

For Martins, this unexpected gain was a pleasant surprise indeed.