Chapter 138 - 108 The Troubles of Happiness_1

Chapter 138: Chapter 108 The Troubles of Happiness_1"I’ve heard plenty about it recently," Calsa said without much thought, "I also heard that you’ve recently established a Thousand Chief Trade Company, specifically engaging in trade with the Gnoll Tribe, and have been making a tidy profit, but have you not considered that your actions are playing with fire?" "Once this Monster Tribe grows in strength and swarms out of the Rocklands to invade surrounding areas, what will you do then? Will your cities and your base still be standing?" "Nothing gets past the Master," Bede hastily explained, "The Blackwell Gnolls that we are trading with are not your ordinary Gnoll tribe. Their leader is a Human... uh, a Half-Elf who has done business with us before and is a trustworthy partner. Now, this tribe is firmly under his control. He is determined to transform the Rocklands using the Gnolls." "Tch! That’s quite the bold statement," Calsa sneered, "Transforming the Rocklands single-handedly and using another race to do it, I can only say that your brother is not just naively adorable but also delusively optimistic. If he really succeeds, not just the Red Crow Mercenary Brigade, but even Komeer’s Purple Dragon Legion, the War Mage Legion, and the entire Obysque Royal Family will become the biggest joke under the heavens." Bede nodded in agreement, "That’s what the Master thinks as well. We have advised Gaven about this, but he is very persistent. We just let him, as a young man with his own ideas, have a go at it. Once he hits a snag, he will naturally turn back. But unexpectedly, he actually managed, by himself, to carve out a small situation in the Rocklands, giving us a glimpse of eventual profits. Under such circumstances, how could we not harbor some expectations? The quality of iron ore in the Rocklands is not inferior to that of the Moon Sea Region. The difficulty has always been the infestation of monsters, which has prevented large-scale mining. If we could leverage the Gnolls to change this situation, at least in terms of iron ore, we would no longer be blackmailed by the wicked ones in the Santarin Association. As for the fear of them charging out of the Rocklands to cause trouble, I think the Master is being overly cautious." "Komeer is now at its peak of prosperity, with King Yasan’s wise rule above and the nobility’s loyal assistance below. The Purple Dragon Legion is powerful and strong, and the War Mages are dedicated to their duties. We don’t venture into the Rocklands, not because we lack the ability, but because the terrain there is too complicated. Those monsters scatter at the slightest sign of us, and the area is not suited for extensive farming, nor can we relocate a large population there, which would ultimately be a waste of resources and harmful to the people. If those fools really dare to strike, I believe that it won’t even require the regular army – just a single Purple Dragon Patrol Team would be enough to completely crush them since they are only a bunch of Gnolls." Bede’s analysis was comprehensive, covering everything from the intrinsic value of the Rocklands to Komeer’s national power and the comparatives strengths of both sides. Listening to this, Calsa couldn’t help but nod repeatedly. A smug smile inadvertently appeared on his serious face. Invisible flattery was the most lethal; after all, he was a War Mage, and the praise for Komeer resonated deeply with him. After appraising Bede from head to toe, Calsa said, "These words, I’m afraid, did not originate from you, did they? Despite your ample girth, you couldn’t possibly hold such fine material." Bede was taken aback by this question from Calsa, which was beyond his expectations. His mind raced before he candidly admitted, "Nothing escapes the notice of Master Calsa. Here, I am but parroting what I have been told; this analysis was laid out to me by that brother Gaven from the Rocklands." Even if Bede had ten times the courage, he wouldn’t dare to lie in front of a powerful Mage. The wisest choice was to speak the truth. Calsa smiled meaningfully, "Your brother Gaven is no ordinary man. Based on the analysis above, I am very interested in meeting this person. You’re not just here to bring me Harpy Eggs, are you?" Under Calsa’s piercing gaze, sweat started to bead uncontrollably on Bede’s plump forehead. Previously, matters of little consequence had left him with a vague impression, but now, when it came down to serious business, Calsa’s shrewdness and strength were altogether something else. Calsa had earned his high position within the Red Crow Mercenary Brigade not by luck, but by his rightful merits. It was laughable that Bede, before arriving, had thought that he could outmaneuver Calsa, or at least exchange a few moves without defeat. Eventually, Bede let out a wry smile, "I was wrong about this matter, I shouldn’t have been going in circles with the Master. You’re right, my visit isn’t solely about delivering the Harpy Eggs to the Master; it’s also about the prior misunderstanding with the Red Crow Mercenary Brigade. My brother is rather deep, and he’s worried about causing unnecessary misunderstandings and conflicts." Calsa’s expression turned stern, "What? Did those four fools go looking for trouble with your brother afterward?" "No, no such thing," Bede hurriedly clarified, "The Red Crow Mercenary Brigade has a contract with the Royal Family to cleanse the Rocklands, which is common knowledge. Since my brother leads a bunch of Gnolls, he had to be extra cautious and think ahead." Calsa’s demeanor softened considerably as he stirred his coffee gently, "If your brother is truly committed to developing the Rocklands and is able to extract enough iron ore to uncover substantial profit, I can’t guarantee everything, but as long as his Gnolls don’t step outside the Rocklands, nobody will go there to trouble him. Not the Red Crow Mercenary Brigade, nor the Purple Dragon Legion." Bede, a shrewd man himself, wasn’t completely ignorant of politics. Calsa was promising not just that the Red Crow Mercenary Brigade wouldn’t be a problem, but even implicated the Purple Dragon Legion, which completely changed the nature of his statement. Gaven was essentially receiving a non-official, official endorsement. Bede was so excited that, aside from thanking repeatedly, he didn’t know what else to say; it was a truly unexpected gain. Taking a sip of his coffee, Calsa said, "I am now very interested in your brother Gaven. When can he come to Abel? We should have a proper exchange. If he’s busy, I could go to the Rocklands." This was an informal invitation. "I will certainly convey Master Calsa’s invitation. I believe Gaven will also be very much looking forward to a formal meeting with the Master," said Bede, wishing he could sprout wings and fly back to the Rocklands to deliver the news to Gaven. "Now that we’ve dealt with the trivial matters, isn’t it time we discuss our main business?" Bede smacked his forehead and hurriedly apologized, "Look at my memory, I actually forgot about this. I will have them bring over the Harpy eggs." "How much do they cost?" "The master has already helped us a lot, how could we still have the nerve to charge money? These four Harpy eggs are a gift to the master," said Bede generously, handing over a gift worth 16,000 Gold Coins with a wave of his hand. But considering the promise made by the other party, the gift was well worth it. "If that’s the case, I won’t even look at the goods. Send them back to where they came from," Calsa was not willing to accept this favor. Once he accepted the Harpy eggs, the entire nature of the matter would change, "If you still consider me a friend, just make sure the Harpy eggs are real and viable, and I’ll take them for 5,000 apiece." "Deal," Bede knew he had been too brash. Offering gifts was not meant to be done in such a manner. 5,000 Gold Coins was the market average price. He hadn’t made a huge profit, and Calsa hadn’t suffered a big loss, so it could be considered a win-win. Gaven, unaware that Bede had been so supportive, was busy solving a major concern, recruiting Gnolls all over the world with the young dragon Aivensa. This time, it was no longer Gaven urging Aivensa, but the young dragon urging him. Gaven had brainwashed the Young Red Copper Dragon a little too successfully; she now aspired to become the Queen of the Gnolls, leading them to accomplish earth-shattering feats. As for how to carry out this feat, that didn’t need to be considered for now, at least the number of Gnolls had to be large enough, the more, the better. Putting other things aside, at the very least, it had to look imposing and grand. When he held his own concerts, there must be enough Gnolls below clapping for him. Gaven was now caught in the happy trouble of success. The number of Gnolls had grown so rapidly that the food supply was under pressure, forcing them to tighten their belts and resolve part of the demand from Rocklands itself. S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Fortunately, it was now midsummer, and everything was growing. To say that Rocklands was filled with various wild vegetables and fruits might be an exaggeration, but they were at least not hard to come by. Don’t forget, without Gaven’s intervention and the input of food from outside, these Gnoll Tribes in the Rocklands were capable of self-sufficiency. It was now only a problem of over-concentration of the population, with most Gnolls dispatched by Gaven to mining tasks. With surplus in population, it was natural to organize specialized hunting and gathering squads to supplement household needs. "Let’s stop here for today. Judging by the time, those Dragon Seekers should wake up in the next day or two," Gaven skillfully shifted the attention of the young Red Copper Dragon. "Didn’t you say that Dragon Seekers need almost ten days to wake up, and that much time has already passed?" the young dragon, somewhat excited, didn’t notice how time had slipped by. "Today is already the seventh day. Some who awaken early may wake up today. Those who took the Fire Dragon Blood Potion might take a bit longer," Gaven had been keeping track of the days; he had already witnessed the Gnolls who awakened their Dragon Seeking abilities. But he had not yet seen a Gnoll, who, after taking the Fire Dragon Blood Potion, awakened Dragon Seeking abilities, and he was very curious to find out how effective this Dragon Blood Potion really was. "Eh! So here we are," said Aivensa with a grin, "Gaven, Gaven, come with me, I’ll take you to a fun place. Never mind, walking takes too long, I’ll just carry you up." "What fun place?" Gaven asked curiously while skillfully grabbing onto the rings on Aivensa’s front paws. The rings on the young dragon’s front paws were specially made for Gaven to hold on to while being carried in flight. This arrangement was not Gaven’s idea, but the Young Red Copper Dragon couldn’t stand watching Gaven slowly trudge along on the ground and suggested it herself. Although for the Young Red Copper Dragon, carrying Gaven into the air was heavy lifting, reducing her speed to only sixty percent of normal, flying in a straight line was still faster, and for the complex terrain of Rocklands, this was the best way to travel. "You’ll see once you get up here," Aivensa teased. The Young Red Copper Dragon might not have been old, but in Rocklands, she was a true local snake, as she would put it—born and raised here, with the adolescent Red Dragon Roderick being an intruder. She knew all the nooks and crannies of Rocklands like the back of her claw. In the last few days, she had taken Gaven around to her various entertainment spots, and indeed uncovered many interesting sights and areas. It’s just they were a bit far from Eagle Cliff Burrow and Blackwell, and he couldn’t develop those places in a short time. Aivensa led Gaven to the top of a cliff and landed on an open rock. She proudly said to Gaven, "Look at this place, isn’t the view beautiful? Eh... since when did a battle start here?"