Chapter 65: Deal
The journey is like the previous one, a boring journey. It is a little bit bearable with Lucina on my side. We play some games and sparring with each other and teach the soldiers coming with us.
Hell, even Richard decided to join us in our training even though he had already passed his seventy.
Not only that, but I also decided to brew some potion for the soldier and Richard, the same potion Lucina and I use in the pocket dimension. The same potion that let their muscle adapt to the strain from our training.
From all the activities we do in this journey, it is a little bit bearable.
Anyway, we arrive in the capital city once again and once again I need to hold my breath because of the horrible smell. After we arrive at the Lionheart Mansion, Lucina and I decide to rest for a little bit.
When the night arrives, Richard comes to the kitchen where I want to cook some for both Lucina and me.
"My lord."
"Richard, just for this once. I like cooking, and I want to cook some food for my wife."
"It is not that, my lord."
"Oh?"
"Lord MacGrath, Lord Duchamp, and Lord Ekdal have arrived."
Huh? Why did lord Ekdal come to the capital city? I thought he was busy overseeing the harvest that should be happening right now. Lord Ekdal is a Viscount, and his land is to the northeast of Sea Dragon City. You need a week to arrive at his land via carriage. His city is a port city that has access to the Northern Continent and Central continent sea route.
His main income is from selling woods and irons, but their specialty is their woods. The wood grown near his land is so sturdy that it can survive from low to mid-level magic blasts. Not only that, but this wood is also light, making it the perfect wood for building a ship or a fort.
"Tell them to go to the kitchen. I already cooked a lot of food for all of us."
"Of course, my lord."
"After that, please help me with the table."
"Yes, my lord."
At first, I want to store the food inside my pocket dimension for later after sparring season with Lucina. Because of the potion, we need to eat a lot of food after all.
A few seconds later, Richard came back with six people behind him. I know four of them. Uncle Lomun and his wife, Leslie. Leslie is a beautiful woman with straight brown hair and blue eyes. She is a short woman because she is a dwarf-like her husband.
Next to her is my grandfather and grandmother. Michael Duchamp and Cecilia Duchamp. Cecilia, my grandmother, always wears a gentle expression on her face. Her brown eyes glow a little as if it was saying that I will be okay and she will always be on my side. Her smooth black hair flows from her head to her arms.
The last couple that comes to my mansion is Lord Ekdal and Lady Ekdal. Lord Ekdal is a man around his forties with a beard around his chin. His black hair is cut short, making him showing his masculinity even more. He has light blue eyes and is currently wearing simple dark red clothes.
Lady Ekdal is a beautiful woman around her thirty or maybe forty. I don't really know. Women are really good at hiding their age. Anyway, she has wavy red hair that reaches her shoulder. She has green eyes and is wearing a simple white dress.
"My lord. Your guest has arrived."
I smile at them before saying.
"Welcome to the Lionheart den. Please sit down on the chair. The food will arrive in a few seconds."
I then look at Lucina, who helps me cook the food, and says.
"Lucina, could you spend some time with the guest? I only need to finish the dessert."
"Of course."
I then look at Richard next before saying.
"Richard, please take a few barrels of wine and vodka from the warehouse and serve it."
"Yes, My lord."
After another ten minutes, I finished all the dessert. Richard and I then serve the food on the table. On top of the table is a variety of food and drink. I then sit down on the chair at the end of the table before saying.
"Let's dig in."
After I say that, all my guests begin to eat the food in front of them. I smile a little when I see their eyes widen when the food enters their mouth. My grandpa looks at me and says.
"You are the one who cooks this food?"
"Yup. I get a weird hobby when I search for some food in the middle of the night and when I cannot find some snack in the kitchen, I decide to make it myself. So here we are. I find cooking is a rather relaxing activity."
"Huh. If you're really into it, I don't have much to say. You are also showing great results by cooking these delicious foods. However, there is one thing I want to say. Don't do this every single day. There is a reason why we, a lord, did not cook our own food is that we have our own cook. If you continue to cook for you and your family, then the cook will feel left out or question whether their food is bad. Without you knowing, you destroy your chef's self-esteem. I know it was not the case for every individual, but we don't know if that individual is the one that doesn't have self-confidence. That is why you need to see your surroundings. There is also a problem with maintaining the image of the lord. However, the northern people know that a lord needs to know how to hunt and cook their prize."
I nodded at my grandfather's lecture. I agree with my grandpa's explanation. To become a cook to a lord is a great honor and high income as well. When the Lord decides to cook food for himself, the cook will question his skill and decide to give up his position before the lord hangs him.
A brave cook will ask the lord if there is something wrong, but the one that didn't have that bravery will give their job before the Lord decides to do it themselves. The cruel lord usually does it by hanging in public, and the kinder lord decides to fire them.
I will not do both of those, but it is good not to have a rumor about me flying around.
"I understand, Grandfather. I only do this because Richard is the only servant I bring."
"Good. Now, let me taste the wine you bring."
I smile at my grandpa's eagerness to taste the drink I bring with me. I look at Richard, who nods his head and begins to fill the glass with the wine we bring with us. While not as fragrant as the most delicious wine I have in my pocket, it is still a fragrant aroma.
I raise my glass and say.
"Cheers"
After saying that, I take a sip of the wine. Unlike the wine I sold to the merchant, this wine tastes sweeter, and the aroma of the grape lingers inside my mouth a little longer than the other wine. The bitterness also was not too overpowering but rather balanced the sweet taste of the wine.
"This is a great wine. Not as great as the previous wine but great nonetheless."
"Thank you, Uncle Lomun. This will be the wine I sold to the merchant coming to Sea Dragon City."
"Really? How about vodka? Do you plan to sell those?"
"Yes. However, my main target for these goods is the people in the north. You already tasted the drink, right?"
"Yes. It is a strong drink and also makes your body warm."
"That is right. I think the people in the northern continent will want this drink rather than your normal wine."
Before uncle Lomun could say anything, my grandpa says.
"What a coincidence. Isaac, let me introduce you to Lord Tobias Ekdal and Lady Viktoria Ekdal. Tobias, this is my grandson, Isaac Lionheart, the current lord of the Lionheart family."
Lord Tobias nodded at me respectfully before saying.
"My name is Tobias Ekdal, and this is my wife, Viktoria Ekdal. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Lionheart."
"Isaac Lionheart. Please call me Isaac."
"Then please call me Tobias or Tobi for short."
"Very well. Tobi, what can I do for you?"
"Let us don't beat around the bush. I want to buy your vodka in bulk."
"... For personal consumption or selling it back."
"I want to sell it to the merchant that is coming from the north. Many merchants come from the northern continent when they hear we can grow our own food. I admit that many of them are spies that try to dig the search behind our sudden ability to grow our own food."
"Fair enough. After this party, I will send someone with the contract between us. I will sell it to you one gold per barrel and reserve fifty to a hundred barrels of vodka for you to buy every month. In return, I was hoping you would not sell those vodkas more than four gold per barrel. I want to introduce this drink across the world and want it to become an affordable drink that even the commoner can drink."
"Why not sell it at a higher price? You will get more profit, right?"
"Wrong. A higher price means that only a noble or rich merchant can drink it. However, if we set the price of this drink low enough so the commoner can afford it, we will get many customers. While yes, you only get a small amount of money from each drink sold. However, those goods will sell out faster than your expensive drink. Meaning that they will quickly come back and demand more goods. Unlike an expensive drink that only sells one barrel per year, you can sell this drink a hundred barrels per month."
"I see. I never think about that."
"Speaking of merchants. Can you buy anything other than the drink?"
"Oh?"
"As you guys know, fertilizer is a great item to boost plant growth and boost the result of the harvest."
".... I see. You have many goods in the warehouse but don't have enough merchants coming to the Sea Dragon City planning to buy your goods."
"That is right. Your land is located near the sea, and many people from the northern continent buy some food from you. I was hoping you could buy our goods before we sell them to the northern continent. I know you are taking a huge risk by doing this because you also don't know if the merchant from the northern continent will come or not, but if they come, this deal will be a huge boon for you."
".... Can I think about this deal for a few days?"
"Of course. Take your time. Please send a raven to me if you make up your mind about this deal."
"Of course. Thank you, Lord Isaac, for helping me."
"Heh. Call me Isaac, Tobias, and this deal is beneficial for both of us."
I take my wine glass and raise it to the air before saying.
"For the bright future."
"For the bright future!"
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