Chapter 831: A Decision with No Regrets
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
Two days later, a strange-looking concrete boat slowly departed the dock of Neverwinter.
There was a huge swell, which looked like a moving hill, on the deck of the boat. It was completely covered with burlap cloth and guarded by fully-armed soldiers standing erect on either side of the boat, and a dozen God's Punishment Witches.
The boat was the "Victory". It was en route to transfer the soul device to the Great Snow Mountain where the Taquila witches would complete their incarnation ceremony and be integrated into the worm carriers.
Out of the confidentiality reason, the witches did not bid farewell. No whistle was blown as the boat took off, and even the loading job had been completed the night before without being noticed by anyone.
Roland stood at the sodden dock built with bricks and slabs, watching the shadow of the boat gradually fade away. He knew once the conversion was completed, there would be three worm carriers in Neverwinter, which would provide great help for both municipal construction and the defensive line project. However, Roland somehow did not rejoice over the progress as much as he had anticipated.
The two volunteering witches were called Jasmine and Lyra. From their original appearances in the Dream World, the pair looked just a little over 20 years old, almost the same age as Tilly. They both have outgoing personalities.
In order to let them have a good time, Roland had taken the two girls, Phyllis and the other witches to the amusement park in the suburb, where they had hopped on a Ferris wheel, ridden a roller coaster, experienced the haunted house (during which Jasmine had accidentally broken a ghost's head dropping down suddenly) and taken a spinning pendulum ride. He had also allowed them to eat as much as they had wanted. Had Roland not earned some money by killing a few Fallen Evils a few days past, he probably would not have been able to afford such a revelry.
Jasmine and Lyra, in the past two days, had been in a total shock, but they had followed Roland submissively without raising a single question. They had screamed as everybody had when the roller coaster had inverted and had laughed like any girls next door when they had had strawberry sundaes. All in all, they looked no different than ordinary people.
If he had not known it beforehand, he would have never believed that these two girls had made a decision to sacrifice their human bodies and devote themselves to the battle against demons, just like the decision they had made 400 years ago at the bottom of the ruin in front of the magic core.
When the dream had ended, they had looked more serene than Roland had expected.
Roland had wanted to console the two girls, but words had caught in his throat. There was no point to dissuade them from converting to devouring worms, for it was an action neither in his interests nor in the interests of the united front. Words, in this case, had all become frivolous and more sounded like feigned kindness.
In the end, Roland had become the one who had been offered solace.
He still clearly remembered their words and the expressions on their faces back then.
"Thank you," Jasmine had said with a smile, "and..."
"We don't regret it." Lyra had finished the latter half of the sentence.
At that moment, Roland could hear the throbs of their hearts.
They liked everything here.
But they did not regret making that decision.
"Your Majesty?" Phyllis, who came to send off her companions as well, looked at Roland. "Aren't you... going back to the castle?"
The words pulled Roland back to the reality. By the time he realized it, the "Victory" had disappeared from his sight, leaving a haze of fogs behind it.
Roland put the thoughts out of his head. He took a deep breath and asked, "They really can't disconnect themselves after being integrated into the carriers?"
As if to know what he wanted to convey, Phyllis lowered her voice. "A God's Punishment Witch is different from a carrier. The former retain some basic consciousness even without a soul transfer. Our conversion to a God's Punishment Witch was more like giving commands than a fusion. But carriers are different. They're specific vessels that seal the soul permanently once the integration is completed, although those vessels will become dormant if not used for a long time. Nobody has ever managed to get out of one up to this date, at least none of the witches, not even Pasha, is able to do that."
"But there're beams of light above the carriers, right?"
"That's right." Phyllis nodded. "Without magic power, those cumbersome bodies can't move independently."
"Perhaps one day, we can also find a way to have their souls return to the Dream World," Roland looked up at the distant, azure sky and said slowly.
After a moment of silence, Phyllis turned her eyes in the same direction. "Well... perhaps one day."
...
To Lorgar, the jungles covered with snows in the Western Region were something completely new.
For more than once, she had heard from traveling tradesmen what snow looked like and envisioned them as some cold, white sand. When she saw it in person, however, she found snow was way finer and whiter than her imagination, even finer and whiter than the purest river sand in Silver Stream.
The whole world was wrapped in a different color.
According to Ashes, although the Months of Demons had passed, it would take at least half a month for the snow to melt completely.
Lorgar thought that was exactly what she wanted, for, in that case, she could see a pure white snow city.
There was little she could occupy herself with during the voyage. Lorgar had turned the steel ship inside out but still could not find its source of power. Even Andrea failed to give her a definite answer. She only said evasively that a machine that continuously boiled water was pushing the boat forward. As to its detailed mechanism, Lorgar was informed that only King Roland and Miss Anna knew about it.
Lorgar did not know much about King Roland, but she had heard from Ashes that Miss Anna had a place on the "Battle Strength Ranking of Neverwinter".
Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan thus became more impressed with and also more interested in powerful and intelligent Anna.
When she mentioned the ranking to Andrea, the latter, however, dismissed it with a scornful smile.
"A battle strength ranking?" Andrea cast a sharp, sideways glance. "A man is different from a wolf. No individual can compete with a group of people. Isn't it animal to only make an emphasis on individual fighting capacity?"
"Wolves are also social animals," Lorgar corrected her.
"Well, fine. Then just take another animal as an example, like tigers and snow leopards." Andrea coughed. "Anyway, Anna is the power source of Neverwinter. It was Anna's ability that enabled the First Army to quash the watchdog and Iron Whip clan with one blow. I bet Ashes didn't tell you that she was almost beaten by an ordinary man."
As Andrea had expected, the wolf girl was taken by surprise. Andrea went on, "That ordinary man used the exact weapon made by Anna. There's no point to discuss fighting capacities without talking about those weapons. If you want to become stronger, I suggest that you ask His Majesty to grant you a set of professional weapons." At these words, Andrea patted the long-barrelled gun on her back and said, "If you can carry these big tubes on your back after your transformation, that would be more useful than any combatting skills."
Lorgar did not really agree with Andrea, but she took a note of her advice.
Her father often told her to listen and observe, and also to always remember what she had wanted in the first place.
As they moved against the current and as the water suddenly rose, the iron ship slowed down drastically. On the fifth day after they had entered the Western Region. the wolf girl saw a beautiful, big, fat pigeon.
It hovered in the air for quite a while before darting straight toward Ashes at the bow.
When Lorgar thought she would have an extra meal for lunch, she noticed that Ashes, smiling, produced a bag of cooked solid food and fed the pigeon. The pigeon, on the other hand, nuzzled up to Ashes as if they were old friends who had not seen each other for ages. It was when the pigeon started to speak that Lorgar realized that it was actually a witch.
"Coo, coo coo!"
"I got it. Tell Princess Tilly that I'll be there soon."
"And me!" Andrea did not like being left behind.
"Coo!"
The pigeon gave a nod, spread out its wings and took off. It soon disappeared in the northwestern direction.
Lorgar asked, "She's..."
Ashes turned around. "Maggie. Like you, she's also a witch who can perform a full-body transformation."
"I see..." thought Lorgar, but she then suddenly remembered that Maggie should transform into a fierce, aggressive and frightful giant monster. She wondered why Maggie would turn into a pigeon.
While Princess Lorgar was still in a daze, Ashes patted her on the shoulder. "Time to pack up. We'll soon reach Neverwinter."
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Chapter 832: An Encounter with the King
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
As the whistle blew in a low-pitched tone, Roland staggered to a stop at the dock. Lorgar noticed the passerby dock all came to a halt and raised their right hands, saluting the towering ship when she stepped onto the trestle. It was probably because the ship was named after the chief.
The soldiers from the First Army on the ship responded to the public with a salute in the same manner.
Lorgar gathered that should be a special form of greeting.
However, unlike any of the greetings she had witnessed, where there was usually a party more superior than the other, the greeting here did not stress such a status difference. The equality between initiators and receivers confused Lorgar. She did not understand why they had to greet each other with such a ceremonious air when they were equal. In her opinion, the whole point of formalities was to pay respects and submit to the receiver, no matter it was kneeling and worshipping, or placing a fist over one's heart.
Apart from that, she also noticed that even the children playing around the dock saluted in the same way, chest out and shoulders back. During the process, nobody looked reluctant or inferior. Instead, their eyes were all full of joy and energies. The salutation seemed to have built a connection between each other that words had failed.
Ashes broke the silence. "This is a military salutation. I didn't know why they did that at the beginning and thought it was an etiquette imposed by Roland Wimbledon to his subjects. Later I found it wasn't what I thought."
Lorgar raised her brow in surprise. "Does it have nothing to do with the Roland?"
"Correct. They'll salute voluntarily every time a boat carrying the First Army docks, because the return of the boat means their family members have come back home safe and sound from their expedition."
"But they don't look like... families," Princess Lorgar remarked hesitatively. If they were, the greetings should be more emotional. Plus, practically all the soldiers on board were male, but there were few females at the dock. Could every one of them happen to have a brother?
Andrea shrugged. "All the members of the First Army are from Neverwinter, which means most residents have a family member who has joined the army. There's also a lot of them from neighboring streets. The First Army is totally different from mercenaries who drift around looking for potential employers, nor do they work the same way as an enlisted militia. They take pride in their jobs. They celebrate the safe return of family members for each other. I believe this is probably what His Majesty refers to as the significance of a 'people's army'".
"So it's an army... built by all subjects?" Lorgar questioned herself in silence.
The wolf girl followed the witches into Neverwinter, still lost in thoughts.
What the new king's city of Graycastle first impressed her was its tidiness. Despite streaming pedestrians, both houses and streets in the city were aligned in straight rows, including roadside trees. The compact arrangement gave Lorgar a suffocating feeling. Although the city looked quite magnificent at the first glance, she did not feel as comfortable as in Iron Sand City.
Moreover, to her great disappointment, there was little snow in Neverwinter. Even the solid-surfaced road underneath was dry. She could only spy some remnant of snow at the tips of tree branches and on the roofs.
Her plan to visit a pure white snow city was frustrated.
Of course, there was still something appealing to her.
Lorgar was overwhelmed by the huge boards that overhung some of the houses on the street, on which various signs and logos were printed, such as Old Hunter Leather, Straw House, North Slope Gem House, etc., although some of the boards were blank.
In addition, she was surprised to find that there was a sign at every intersection, clearly showing where each branch head, as well as the name of each street.
For example, the street she was currently pounding was called Glow Boulevard.
The wolf girl soon found these signs very helpful to newcomers of Neverwinter. These street signs provided her with a basic structure of the city and told her where to shop and where to find a hotel, saving her trouble to seek local gangs or Rats for information.
During her conversations with tradesmen traveling between the Southernmost Region and the north, she had learned numerous entrepreneurial stories that stressed the arduous and laborious undertaking of establishing oneself in a foreign city. To expose your foreigner identity would immediately put you in a defenseless and disadvantageous position.
But the street signs, although trivial, greatly eased visitors' minds. She even felt a sense of embracement at the sight of these signs, as if the city were welcoming her.
Probably that was the reason the city appeared so vigorous and prosperous everywhere.
Lorgar, however, did not have much time appreciating this foreign city.
Because Ashes soon took her to the Lord's castle. After she waited in the hall for a while, a guard brought her a message from the King of Graycastle. "Please follow me. His Majesty has agreed to receive you."
For some reason, Lorgar suddenly felt a little nervous.
She took a deep breath in secret and followed the guard to the third floor, after which she found herself in a bright, spacious study.
Behind the mahogany desk close to the French window sat a ridiculously young man. He was wearing a plain robe, bare-headed, whose gray hair cascaded over his shoulders, with no rings or diamonds on any of his fingers. He was fondling a quill and studying her with great interest.
This is the chief who utterly routed her clan and turned the whole Southernmost Region upside down?
For a moment, Lorgar could not connect him with the person she had previously pictured.
She thought a knowledgeable man who possessed a profound understanding of martial arts should be at least 40 years old. His forehead should be wrinkled, his beard braids should reach his chest, and he should have fathomless eyes of an old man. Even if northerners did not like the idea of braiding their beards, he should not be this young!
At this very moment, Lorgar realized that she had inquired about everything including powerful warriors in Neverwinter, but had forgotten to ask about what the chief looked like, one of the most important businesses.
After a moment of hesitation, Princess Lorgar decided to salute in accordance with Mojins' customs.
Shaking her ears, Lorgar went to knees and slowly lay down on her stomach. She had heard that gray hair was a typical facial trait of a Graycastle royal descendent.
"You're the Divine Lady from Wildflame clan, right?" The king did not let her lie there for a long time. As soon as her forehead touched the floor, he broke the silence. "Please rise, sagacious wolf. Welcome to Neverwinter. I'm Roland Wimbledon, the King of Graycastle and also your chief."
Lorgar slightly frowned at the word "sagacious wolf". The addressing was simply queer. She had never heard people call a wolf sagacious before.
Yet she quickly got to her feet in an airy manner as if she had never heard Roland's words. "My name is Lorgar Burnflame. As to the title Divine Lady... I believe it was more appropriate to regard me as a witch here. Further, my father Guelz Burnflame sends his best regards on behalf of Wildflame clan, in hopes that your sovereign will be as long-lasting as the oasis."
This time, however, she did not hear a response at once.
Wondering, the wolf girl secretly raised her head, only to find that Roland's eyes were fixed on her long, droopy ears.
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Chapter 833: An Unexpected Conversation
Translator: TransN Editor: Meh
Lorgar's heart sank at Roland's unscrupulous gaze.
She knew what she looked like. Back in Iron Sand City, she had heard many people call her lycanthrope monster, half man or the Abandoned One secretly behind her back. Fearing these names would hurt the self-esteem of the third daughter of the chief, nobody had ever dared openly address her in that way.
But she was currently not in Iron Sand City and was no longer the princess shielded by the Wildflame clan, so she had to face these venomous comments on her own.
"Are your ears... and tail both real?" The chief hesitated for a long time before eventually blurting out. "Do you have to use magic power to maintain this shape, or they've become a part of your body?"
Lorgar bit her lip. Instead of answering the question, she pushed her hair back, revealing her one side of her face where her normal ear had disappeared. "I can't tuck them back, Your Majesty. I know they look very strange, but this is what I really look like. I don't want to hide my imperfection... If you insist, I'll try to avoid going to public places so that I won't scare people out."
Although Lorgar had resolved to embrace herself long before, she still had a mean opinion of herself on such an occasion when being directly questioned. Divine Ladies were viewed as powerful and beautiful beings by Mojins, who were favored by all the clans and admired by all young warriors, but she, unfortunately, was an exception.
She had been ignored after her awakening. Her legitimacy had been questioned even by her own clansmen, which was the reason her father had decided to name her as his heir. Lorgar dedicated herself to physical training and pretended that she did not care about those floating rumors, but sometimes, it was just hard to remain indifferent when so many people pointed finger at her back.
She had certainly anticipated these scenarios, but since she had chosen her path, she would not easily cede to her fate no matter what difficulties were awaiting her. The endless sand road in her dream had pointed where she should go. At these thoughts, the wolf girl erected herself, trying to look audacious.
The chief smacked his lips. "Strange? Why did you say that?"
Lorgar, who was prepared to receive any vicious remarks, stunned for a second. "Huh? Isn't it because..."
"They don't look like human ears?" Roland shrugged. "Ordinary men don't have magic power either, and these two ears aren't affecting your hearing or mobility. So, how can you say they're defective? They're simply a unique feature of yours, a very interesting one indeed. Don't you think these two ears look pretty?"
"Ahem, Your Majesty, please mind your language." At that moment, Lorgar heard a woman's voice behind the chief. The voice was very low and soft, but she still captured it.
Yet she was, at that time, too absorbed in the chief's comment to think about anything else.
Pretty?
Lorgar had never associated herself with the word "pretty". For a second, she failed to come up with an answer, her cheeks burning, her brooding courage almost gone.
How is a half man pretty?
"Anyway, I don't require you to conceal your face or wear a hoody in public... You can do whatever you want." Roland went on, "Perhaps someone will point and stare at you at the beginning, but they'll get used to it eventually. One solution is to ask Soraya to draft a picture-story book about you, or you can join Star Flower Troupe to star in a play and become an idol. This would be the fastest way for the public to get to know you."
Lorgar was overwhelmed by a series of unfamiliar words like "picture-story book", "Star Flower Troupe" and "idol". She stood rooted to the ground, failing to utter a word. Fortunately, Roland returned to their previous subject just in time.
"Right, Ashes told me that you came here to defend against demons?"
Relieved, the wolf girl answered, "And also to train myself, Your Majesty. I've heard there's a witch called Miss Nana in Neverwinter who can treat any wounds inflicted during a battle. This is very important to a warrior. You must know that it's a warrior's dream to fight and gain combatting experience without the fear of getting injured. Of course, I'll not only fight against your enemies but also bear all the medical expenses incurred."
Roland nodded. "I see. If you're willing to join the Witch Union, you'll have a big chance to fight..."
"But I prefer to act alone, Your Majesty." Lorgar interrupted him quietly. "Like a mercenary, I don't want to be distracted by anything other than fighting."
She knew that was just an excuse. The reason behind her lie was that she wanted to have a better understanding of northern kingdoms before pledging alliance to the chief. Lorgar had not forgotten that she was essentially a Sand Nation. If Roland failed to keep his promise made at Land of Fire, those Sand Nations moving to the south would eventually sever all relationships with Graycastle. If things really got to that point, the King of Graycastle would be her enemy. Hence, she could not make her decision without a thorough consideration.
"Really..." Roland reflected upon her words for a while and then spread out his hands regretfully. "Then I can't satisfy your demand."
"Why?" Lorgar was surprised. She thought a mercenary with exquisite combatting skills would be popular everywhere, not to mention that she was willing to provide her service for free and bear all medical expenses. No sensible people would ever decline such a generous offer. How could he refuse her?
"Because this is going to be a full-fledged war, not some minor disputes between several clans."
Lorgar felt all her blood rush to her head. She was outraged at Roland's insulting comment where he basically renounced all Sand Nations' fights as silly jokes. She perked up her tail and was about to shoot back when Roland suddenly switched the topic. "You've fought with Ashes, right? What do you think of her?"
Suppressing her anger, the wolf girl replied indignantly, "Very powerful. She would be a first-class warrior even in the Southernmost Region."
Roland said slowly, "This is the power of an Extraordinary. There're even Transcendents much stronger than them. The latter has gone beyond all physical restrictions of the human body and possess an inconceivable power. In other words, nothing can stop them from improving themselves."
"Tran... scendents?" Roland's words completely had Lorgar's attention. She wondered how powerful that person had to be when even Ashes admired her.
"However, even with three Transcendents, dozens of Extraordinaries, and thousands of combat witches, we failed to stop demons, and a great empire thus collapsed overnight. Now, it's our turn." The chief's every single word seemed to directly go to her heart. "The reason I declined your offer is very simple. This isn't a one-on-one duel but a fatal war between two civilizations. No matter how strong you are, individual operations won't work... More importantly, I don't want you to die for nothing."
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Chapter 834: Let's Drink and Celebrate
Translator: TransN Editor: Meh
...
Lorgar did not know how she had exited the castle. She watched people pass by in a great haste, leaving her standing in the middle of the street at a loss.
The encounter with the king was beyond her expectation in every aspect.
She had thought the chief would have held a hostile attitude toward her because of her abnormal half-human appearance. An unkind king would not hesitate to conceal his feeling, whereas a calculating one would normally remain expressionless. However, she was certain that his attitude would change once he was informed of the purpose of her visit, because a free warrior was highly demanded everywhere, not to mention that she agreed to help Neverwinter defy demons. Who would decline such as a generous offer?
Lorgar envisioned that she would then settle down in the castle area, living in a hotel in the inner city and be treated as a clan guest. During her stay, she would get acquainted with more witches, especially the ones with great combatting skills, and obviously including Miss Nana. Although not everyone would like to know her, she believed there must be someone like her, who would like to advance their fighting techniques through dueling. This practicing method would benefit both parties and was certainly more efficient than punching sandbags.
When she got everything ready, she would then go find demons to further challenge herself. Ashes told her that those enemies were all hiding in the uninhabited Barbarian Land in the northwest. Lorgar was not afraid of camping in the wild, nor did she care about the treachery of the enemies' hiding places, because wolves were the ruler of the wilderness. She believed her acute sense of smell and excellent hearing would help her locate their lair.
But the truth was a total reverse of everything she had pictured.
It was Lorgar's first time to hear somebody praise her ears and call them pretty since her awakening. Even her father, who had never been averse to her appearance, had never appreciated her look. Often he said, "You'll definitely be one of the most stunning girls in Iron Sand City if you don't have that deformity."
Will wolf ears... really look good on her?
She had been so shocked by the unexpected comment that her head had been in the clouds during the latter half of the conversation. The chief had accepted her physical appearance but had refused her free service of fighting against demons. By the time she had left the castle, she had still not recovered from the blow.
"No, no, this is just a small defeat, " Lorgar consoled herself. She patted her cheeks and took a deep breath. As long as she stuck to her path, nothing was impossible. Actually, when she thought it over, the rejection did not affect her initial plan very much. She could still explore the city, investigate demons and get to know other witches, except that it would take a little longer than she had anticipated. Although Roland had rejected her, he did not impose any restrictions on her and even hinted that she was welcome to the Witch Union anytime if she changed her mind. Since Lorgar had decided to act alone, this would probably work better for her plan.
At these thoughts, Lorgar pricked up her droopy ears, wagged her tail and clenched her fists. She thought to herself, "That's right! If demons are really that strong, why did the chief build his king's city here? If demons come from the northwest, the first human city they come across will be Neverwinter. Isn't it safer to stay as far away from such a danger as possible when there's no guarantee that he can conquer demons?"
The words "I don't want you to die for nothing" were probably a feigned kindness to dissuade her from challenging demons individually. Nobody knew who would gain the eventual victory until he tried out! If she really got injured, the chief would definitely ask Miss Nana to cure her, because if he did not, he would then break his own words.
Princess Lorgar of the Wildflame clan cheered up again after thinking over the matter in her head.
She still had over 100 gold royals, more than enough to pay the hotel bills. Even if the medical expenses were insanely high, she did not think they would charge dozens of gold royals at a time. The money she currently owned would allow her to live here for several years without her worrying about expenses on food, drinks, clothing, herbs and desert guides. She firmly believed that without the support of the King of Graycastle, she would still be able to pick on demons by herself.
Lorgar felt greatly relieved after she had a plan. She looked around, starting to study the boards that hung above the surrounding premises. Since she had determined to take things slow, the first thing she should do was to find a place of abode.
As it was still bright and that she was not in a hurry, she decided to celebrate her safe arrival in the Western Region of Graycastle in accordance with the customs of Ironsand people of the Mojin Clan.
A tavern thus became her first stop.
No sooner had Lorgar set out than a pretty board caught her attention.
On the wooden board was a lifelike drawing of several glasses, in which there were colorful drinks, topped with some fruits whose names she did not know. They appealed to her just by their looks.
Underneath the glasses was the store's name: Evelyn's Complex Wine House.
At the end of the board was an additional line in a smaller font: New release of Chaos Drinks. 50% off on your first drink. Feel free to try out.
Chaos Drinks?
Lorgar's brow went up. She thought this was a pretty lame name, for the two words bore no relationship whatsoever. A person who had never tried it out might not know what kind of drink it was. No wonder they had to put it on sale to attract people.
But the store name clearly suggested that it was a tavern.
Since the name suggested multi-flavor drinks, Lorgar believed they must offer wines. Judging from the spacious, bright interior and customers coming and going, she concluded the drinks should not be too bad.
Lorgar patted her money bag over her chest and headed to the tavern.
...
"She wasn't telling all the truth," Nightingale commented while chewing her dried fish, "especially the part concerning the reason she refuses to join the Witch Union. I could sense a great fluctuation in her emotions. To make sure, it'd be better to ask Wendy to conduct a '10-question' test."
Roland shook his head in amusement. "That's the screening procedure for an applicant. She hasn't even submitted her application to join the Witch Union, so there's no need to probe into her background. Plus, Lorgar came to Neverwinter to fight against demons and train herself, of which, you're positive, right?"
"She didn't lie on that for sure." Nightingale twitched her lips.
"So that's it. We founded the Witch Union initially to provide you with a place where you belong. There's no point to force people to join. Plus, it's normal for a person to take precautions when coming to a foreign city. Let her be." Roland waved away the subject, pretending that he did not care, although he indeed felt a little disappointed.
He had an urge to stroke the wolf girl particularly when he saw her twitchy, fluffy, long ears. Also, her waggy tail intrigued him a great deal. Roland wondered whether his strength would leave him as it did in the modern world when he touched the root of the tail.
But he managed to suppress his incessant crazy ideas in the end.
He had to act accordingly with a majestic air, definitely not because of the presence of Nightingale, but because he was a king.
While Roland was thinking about checking upon the construction of the "Miracle Building" at the scene, Barov, the City Hall Director, suddenly knocked on the door and presented himself.
"Your Majesty, the members of Joint Chamber of Commerce have arrived at the castle district. They wish to see you."
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Chapter 835: Multiple Ways of Selling Chaos Drinks
Translator: TransN Editor: Meh
It took Roland a while to remember that Joint Chamber of Commerce was a supply and marketing cooperative organization formed under his leadership, whose main members were wealthy merchants from several big Fjords islands.
Although they had reached a basic mutual understanding last fall, the number of Chaos Drinks produced by Evelyn at that time had not been high enough to meet a wholesale's standard. As a consequence, each Chamber of Commerce had simply taken a few samples and had yet to officially put them on the market. This time, they came here to finalize the unfinished business.
Since the whole Western Region was preparing for the unification of the kingdom and that Roland was preoccupied with the upcoming winter attack and the desert mission plan, Joint Chamber of Commerce seemed to have, temporarily, slipped out of his mind. Now their arrival saved Roland trouble to look for them himself.
"Take them to the drawing room. I'll be right there," said Roland. After Barov replied a "yes" and withdrew, he turned to Nightingale and said, "Send for Tilly and Wendy here as well, for this is essentially the first collaboration between the Witch Union and the Sleeping Island."
All the merchants rose and bowed to Roland when he entered the drawing room.
It took Roland some time to match the faces with their names, except for his old acquaintance Margaret, Gammon and Marleen from Chamber of Commerce of Crescent Moon Bay. The others were Nibelung from Chamber of Commerce of Shallow Water Town and Atiyer from Chamber of Commerce of Sunset Island.
As soon as they sat down, Nibelung ventured, "Your Majesty, the samples we took last time caused a big stir among merchants on the island. Everybody fell in love with it after he tasted it. I assure you that Chaos Drinks will be the most successful and popular commodity in Fjords in the history of time once we start selling them!"
Atiyer chimed in. "And it isn't just a drink. For example, that fiery red spicy juice. Although it doesn't quench thirsts, it's a great sauce for steamed fish or barbeques. Besides, it can warm you up and refresh your spirit in a more efficient way than your white liquor. At least, white liquor will make you dizzy if you drink too much and it doesn't come in handy when you're on a ship, whereas that juice doesn't have such problems!"
Margaret nodded smilingly. "True. Not only merchants but many explorers are attracted to Chaos Drinks. A drink that can keep them warm without creating any side effects may save them in the event of a shipwreck."
Atiyer continued, "In this light, I suggest marking Chaos Drinks with various price tags. A drink with special functions like this should definitely have a higher price tag if we do a bit of marketing, not to mention that the number is limited."
Roland cast him an approving glance. Apparently, Atiyer had viewed the drink as some sort of energy drink. It was indeed true that successful merchants from Fjords were all good at sniffing out great potential business opportunities. They were able to notice the distinctive features of various Chaos Drinks just through a few samples. They knew selling them at different prices was the best way to reap profits.
Roland clapped his hands. "Since it has a good reception, we can move onto its sale according to the contract we signed earlier. I think none of you has objections to the pre-order price or the distribution for each district. However, you need to put a 30% deposit to pick up your orders. You should have brought sufficient gold royals, right?"
Since they had reached an agreement on the primary terms on Joint Chamber of Commerce last year, there were now not many details left. The main reason Roland sent for Tilly to witness the signature was to prove that he did not tamper with the commission rate. Since Tilly had promised to stay at Neverwinter and had agreed to send the witches on the Sleeping Island overtime to the Western Region, Roland felt it necessary to return something to demonstrate his sincerity.
Based on the "win-win contract" signed during the Months of Demons, it was agreed that 30% of both the deposit and final sale profits should go to City Hall, the Witch Union and the Sleeping Spell.
"Of course, Your Majesty." Nibelung grinned. "There's no cargo on my ship this time, but only shiny gold royals plus some masons and sailors."
"Then let's go check the goods out." Roland smiled.
...
The drink factory specially built for Evelyn was across the alcohol plant. In fact, the building looked more like a fully-guarded warehouse than a factory.
It did not take a lot of spaces. The first floor was only a little over 100 square meters. The building itself was constructed of concrete and bricks, windowless, with a solid iron gate posed as its sole entrance. Like an invaluable military base, the premises was guarded by the new recruits of the First Army.
After Roland led the merchants across the yard, into the building and down the basement along the staircases, they found themselves in a spacious room around three or four times bigger than the ground floor. Like a villa's wine cellar, the basement was segmented by neatly organized wooden wine racks. To avoid fire losses, no open flames or connected wires were allowed in here. They used skylight for the wine cellar's illumination. Because of this, the place was a little dim.
On each wooden rack rested two rows of wooden barrels, but not every barrel contained Chaos Drinks. Evelyn only produced one barrel of drinks every day and there were currently just 100-odd barrels in total, minus those consumed by Roland and distributed to the members of the Witch Union monthly.
Roland tapped the barrel, and the liquid in it produced a dull churning sound. "We can provide 20 barrels of Chaos Drinks per month. Each Chamber of Commerce will have five barrels on average. As long as our production remains the same, you'll get the same amount of products every time, no matter how long it takes you to sell them out. Whether you come to pick up your orders every three months or half a year, our stocks won't change. All the 100 barrels you can pick up this time are here on the wooden racks in the first row. Once you've checked the goods, I'll send men to deliver them to the dock area."
"You don't let us have a taste before the delivery?" Gammon was surprised.
"This isn't wine whose flavor grows mellower as time passes by." Roland shrugged. "Some Chaos Drinks do have a relatively long shelf life, but not every one of them does. Therefore, after the brewing is done, we have to first sterilize and preserve them.
"S, sterilize?"
"Like food, they'll go bad. The hotter, the faster. Sterilization can slow down the process. You don't need to know how it's done, but you ought to remember that once we open the wooden barrel, the drinks won't keep the taste as good as they initially do." Roland spread out his hands. "You can sell them as fast as you can or stock them. As long as you store them in shades and keep them cool, they should last for at least one or two months."
"But... as Atiyer has mentioned, each Chaos Drink is different. Some may be more popular than the others. If you don't let us taste them first, how are we going to choose the better ones?" Gammon questioned hesitatively. "Could you divide the drink in each barrel into four equal portions and then preserve them? In that case, we don't need to worry about which one we should pick."
Roland thought that would add Soraya and Lily's work by several times. He would certainly choose not to do something that consumed more industrial production resources but yielded no benefits. So he replied, "Sterilization isn't easy. If we divide the products into four portions, each Chamber of Commerce will have fewer stocks but more varieties of drinks, which would do no good to the sale. As to their flavors..." Roland paused for a second and then said, "The Northern Region and the Western Region have completely different needs for wines and drinks. The unpopular drinks here may be well received there. As merchants who transport goods to various places all the time, you should know it very well."
"Um, well..." Gammon was at a loss for words for a moment.
Roland secretly twitched his lips. He certainly would not allow them to taste the drinks, for he had already put a lot of efforts in the distribution of the products itself. Further, according to their contract, it was agreed that the drinks should be sold in barrels and that there were no specific terms stipulating the product quantity. If there were a few unpopular drinks that they were not willing to purchase, Neverwinter would suffer losses, because every barrel of drinks required the same amount of Evelyn's magic power.
"Anyway, the flavor isn't the point, but your selling method is. You should get most out of each drink and find your niche." Roland tapped the barrels again. "Well, come pick the Chaos Drinks you like."