Pioneer Lord: Starting From Daily Intelligence

Chapter 137: Chapter 78: Sponsoring the Half-Elf Caravan

In the evening, Baggins Brandy Gingerbread from the Half-Elf family successfully arrived beside Lake Revelin.

Master Kote looked at him with a hostile gaze. The appearance of this middle-aged Half-Elf had disrupted all the beautiful plans of the West Merchant Association!

Although Su Li invited Master Kote to sponsor this Half-Elf together, he still couldn’t quell his anger.

As the saying goes, cutting off one’s financial resources is like killing one’s parents.

Master Kote had no goodwill towards this Half-Elf.

Baggins also sensed the malice from this Commerce Association Director. He carefully bowed to Su Li and said, ”Greetings, Lord. May the Divine Spirits bless you with health and strength, and may your descendants be numerous.”

Su Li waved at him and said, ”No need for formalities. I called you here because I heard you’re organizing a trade caravan. How is the progress?”

Baggins, being a middle-aged Half-Elf, did not have a beard, which made his face seem somewhat childish, making it hard for people to trust him.

But despite his childish appearance, he harbored extraordinary ambition.

He was well aware that this was his greatest opportunity, so he immediately introduced himself in detail to Su Li: ”Yes, Lord, as you heard, I am organizing a trade caravan. Several families in the Balan Autonomous Region are very interested in this journey. I have already raised funds totaling two hundred Golden Crowns. As long as we reach an agreement with the Dwarves, we can soon set off with our goods.”

”Our main force on this journey will be a team of Half-Elves, accompanied by powerful Ogre mercenaries. I believe that the majority of Lords will welcome us, especially after we bring a large number of cabbages and carrots.”

Su Li raised an eyebrow and asked, ”You plan to sell our territory’s crops along the way?”

Initially, Baggins hadn’t thought of this plan.

But upon meeting Su Li, he quickly emphasized this suggestion, knowing very well what would impress his Lord.

So he immediately said, ”That’s right, Lord. I’ve observed that there’s a large harvest of crops in the territory now, but storage is insufficient. So I plan to sell them along the way to the disaster-struck territories.”

”This will greatly enhance our security; no territory would attack a caravan selling them food, especially during times of disaster, when caravans transporting food are their hope for survival.”

”Nearby territories have all been impacted by disasters, so our territory’s food can certainly be sold at high prices. And once we reach Marle Castle, we can use these high prices to purchase a batch of grains to bring back to the territory, which can greatly alleviate our territory’s grain storage crisis.”

Su Li smiled, indeed realizing that it takes collective wisdom to develop the territory well.

Baggins’s suggestion would effectively solve the storage issues of cabbage and carrots.

Under normal circumstances, exporting this food would not be worth the shipping costs.

Once a team of over a hundred sets off, feeding people and horses is a massive expense.

No Lord would engage in such thankless business.

Foods like cabbage, which are difficult to store, are only suitable for circulation within a small, feudal territory or town.

Once they traverse a thousand miles, frankly, more would rot than sell.

However, the situation now was different. Tal’s hurricane induced a siphon effect that remained effective.

The strong could still reap the wealth of other territories from the hurricane.

Selling cabbages and carrots to the territories along the route would multiply their value several times, even dozens of times over.

While a cabbage that was one Copper Coin could now sell for a Silver Coin or even a Gold Coin, all depended on the conscience of the caravan.

This is not the Great Unified Dynasty in the East. In a capitalist society, hoarding is the most normal operation for a commerce association. Like Lanode, the God of Fraud, also encourages this behavior.

Thus, during disasters, absurd prices are normal.

At the same time, relying on the Half-Elves’ ”talent,” it’s possible they may bring back a large number of Rune items or Magic Items.

After all, Half-Elves always have these ”coincidences,” collecting magic items to their Autonomous Region.

So Su Li said, ”Your idea is very good. I have decided to support your trade caravan. What do you need?”

At this point, Master Kote was genuinely anxious and said to Su Li, ”Lord Su Li, you can’t just listen to his one-sided words. I’ve traveled the Border Prince’s Territory and am very clear that there are numerous raiders and peasant mobs on this journey. While the territory indeed won’t attack them, those raiders certainly will circle them like hungry wolves. Given the chance, someone is bound to leap forward for a vicious bite.”

As competitors, they naturally didn’t want this trade caravan to succeed. The more their scale expanded, the more the interests of the West High Merchant would be diminished.

Baggins immediately said, ”Lord, please trust us Half-Elves and Ogre mercenaries. We have a tradition of traveling and wandering. Such chaotic situations are perfect conditions for us to traverse. Without this ability, how else could Ogres and Half-Elves be widespread throughout the Empire? Furthermore, we can also absorb refugees along the way, adding to the population of the territory.”

”We don’t need much. Just some financial sponsorship from you, and we can grow the caravan as we go. We can share profits based on the original ratios.”

Su Li pondered and said, ”I believe in your racial talents.”

Then Su Li turned to Master Kote and said, ”If what they need is just a little financial support, I think we can completely work together to set up this trade caravan. Anyway, your caravan won’t be leaving Hesse Territory for now. In your words, so many Gold Coins can’t circulate, they’re just piles of useless scrap metal, aren’t they?”

Upon hearing this, Master Kote finally felt some relief. He thought carefully for a moment, then shook his head and said, ”The risk of this trade caravan is too high. Our West High Merchant Association cannot invest in it.”

”But as a friend of yours, my Lord, I have great faith in your judgment. Therefore, I will personally invest 500 Golden Crowns. Regardless of the caravan’s success, I will bear the risk myself.”

Su Li smiled and patted Baggins on the shoulder, saying, ”Then I will also invest 500 Golden Crowns in you. Counting your own formed commerce association, guards, and goods, and most importantly, your own talents, we three parties will equally share the risks and benefits of this trade caravan.”

”However, there is one thing I need to change. I don’t want a share of the profits; I want a share of the final goods. That is, whatever is obtained during this caravan journey, we must split equally.”

Su Li did not ask for his consent.

This was a notification, not a negotiation.

Baggins was slightly surprised, then decisively agreed to Su Li’s terms.

He felt as if he was being sheltered by the Hyacinth God.

Just yesterday, he decided to form a trade caravan and was still worried about whether it could be successfully established.

But by today, everything had been perfectly achieved.

Everything was far better than he had hoped!

An investment of 1000 Golden Crowns, a capital that many Kingdom Knights and Barons cannot even afford!

Moreover, with the support of the Lord, he could acquire various rare resources within the territory.

He purchased 20 sets of heavy Dwarf armor, brought 10 Crimson Pearls, and even had 3 Hearts of Water Element in his possession!

These are treasures that can directly create an Apprentice Knight.

The reason Su Li gave him such precious items was to maximize the value of this trade caravan.

In fact, using water elements directly to create knights is a very wasteful practice.

The value of a Heart of Water Element can buy back two to three Apprentice Knights, and even when the market is good, it can buy back one Elite Knight.

If Baggins’ journey is far enough and he can successfully reach the city of Modheim, in that Holy City of Knights, the value of the water element could further increase.

This item mainly has value without a market, being extremely rare.

Those wealthy ladies and grand families willing to nurture their sons are willing to spend money. After all, having many Apprentice Knight slaves in the family is not as valuable as their son awakening to become an Apprentice Knight.

For Su Li, it meant nothing; he didn’t care who became an Apprentice Knight. After selling this thing, he could buy more Apprentice Knight slaves, and he was more than happy to sell it.

Su Li also foresaw that Baggins’ journey might acquire some Rune items from many Lords.

Actually, most Pioneer Lords are not poor. When they depart from their families, they usually receive some form of family sponsorship.

Like Su Li, who obtained from his family a Holy Relic of Glory, three sets of Vibranium Rune Armor, and a Half Griffin.

And this was just sponsorship from a Count’s Clan.

Other Pioneer Lords have more or fewer treasures.

They simply cannot take them out for trade during normal times.

But after this storm, in order to survive, they might have to give up some of their precious foundations.

Tal, the Wilderness God, indeed came as fiercely and wildly as his Divine Authority.

Those who cannot receive his Divine Grace can only crumble into mud, becoming fertilizer for the wilderness.

However, if one can receive his Divine Grace, the wealth he brings is even more generous than that of the Dawn Goddess.

A Summer Solstice ceremony, thrilling and intensely wild, yet fortunately, it ended smoothly.

The next day, as the Giant Shepherd Deer reached the Hesse Territory, all plans for the territory were put on course.

Baggins set out with the wealth of the territory, starting his commercial journey toward Marle Castle.

The West High Merchant Association, after a brief stop, also officially set off toward the Blood Pine Forest. Their trading was incidental; their primary goal was to extract Blood Pine Wood.

And the long-planned land cultivation project of Bjorn Shallow Bay in the Hesse Territory finally came to fruition!

Under the direct supervision of Su Li, Minister of the Seal Lauren, and Minister of Agriculture Vandar, the serfs began to open up the farmland below on a large scale.