บท 16: Chapter 16 The Fake and The Bait
Ian couldn't figure it out. It's hard to say what Ian would think about other starting professions, but if a mercenary knight with armor and a tamed horse encountered such a caravan at full strength, he would undoubtedly be able to deal with them.
The reason Ian was hesitating was that he was currently in an unarmored state and didn't dare to take risks.
While Ian was contemplating, the player exchanged opinions with his servant, and a lean fake businessman approached Ian. Ian pretended not to notice their subtle movements and remained silent.
"I'm Damon, a traveling merchant from Brightwater City in the Reach."
"I don't care who you are," Ian interrupted, "I'm only interested in this batch of salt."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Ser Hisham," Ian smiled. He didn't bother to pretend to be an orthodox Lannister as he had in front of the groom. After all, maintaining that facade would be more troublesome than acknowledging he was an illegitimate child.
At this moment, the advantage of posing as an illegitimate child became apparent. As long as the other party didn't want to offend him, they wouldn't press further.
"Perhaps you haven't heard of me, but this batch of goods is wanted by Ser Kevan, the brother of Tywin Lannister, the Duke of Casterly Rock. I suggest you don't entertain any ideas," Ian cautioned, stretching the truth a bit.
"Uh," the lean businessman seemed genuinely frightened again. It appeared that Ian's warning went beyond what he had been instructed to say by his leader, so he glanced at the chubby servant for guidance.
The overweight man felt somewhat flustered and hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Sir, my name is Haruy. My cousin isn't very bright. I usually make all the decisions for the caravan."
It was a fairly reasonable explanation, and Ian couldn't help but think that if he were a legitimate nobleman's son, he might have fallen for it.
"I'm not a lord; I'm just a knight," Ian rejected the merchant's compliments sternly (perhaps it was just a slip of the tongue?).
"In any case, it's up to you whether to negotiate with me and hand over this batch of goods. What kind of compensation do you require? I can offer you three times the price.
Even if you transport the goods south and sell them off separately, you won't make more profit than this. Unless you have a tax evasion scheme in mind, but I'm guessing you wouldn't want to evade taxes. Would you?"
Ian was rambling, wondering if he could make a quick escape by drawing his sword and killing the businessman right there.
The conclusion was no. Judging by the unhurried pace of the salt miners, Ian couldn't rule out the possibility that the foreman had been bribed by the other party.
If he simply killed the merchants and a few of their lackeys and tried to escape, there might be a chance, but if these miners were also bribed, he would be trapped.
After all, miners in this era were often associated with semi mafia organizations. Without sufficient skills, one couldn't control such a lucrative operation. For miners, cracking a person's skull was no harder than cracking a stone in a well.
Moreover, the merchant's convoy was blocking the mine's entrance. If Ian wanted to leave the mine, he would have to circle around the convoy, which increased the risk of being accosted by the salt workers.
On the other side, Harui's thoughts were racing as well. He hadn't come here for the little bit of salt; he was after the hefty sum of 3,000 gold dragons and S level NPCs. Who knew if he could escape halfway through? A fool was worse off than an illegitimate child.
If he abandoned this opportunity and went to Salt Farm Town to regroup, time would be too tight. There were already a hundred players scheming to get the first blood, and time was of the essence.
"Of course, that won't work. We're legitimate businessmen. My family has been honest for three generations, and we'll never engage in anything illegal," Harui stated humbly.
"Oh? So, someone in your family committed a crime four generations ago? Otherwise, you'd say your family has always been honest," Ian said.
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Harui quickly waved his hand. "I don't know about that. My great grandfather, well, we're honest people, and we don't talk about things we're not sure about."
"Enough of the jokes," Ian cut in. "I don't have time for this. Just tell me, can we make a deal based on my proposal?"
"No, no, of course, that's not necessary," Harui shook his head again. "Just return the capital we've already paid for the salt, and tell Ser Kevan I said hello."
"That's enough! Who do you think you are? When has Ser Kevan ever needed a commoner to send him greetings?" Ian sneered, taking on an arrogant tone typical of the Lannister family. "I offered you three times the price. Take it and don't try to leverage this situation for any favors."
Harui's face froze; he had spoken carelessly, forgetting that as a businessman, he had no standing to associate with the Lannister family. He realized his mistake after being reprimanded by Ian and had to force an awkward smile.
He didn't dare show any anger because he knew that nobles in this era naturally held such an attitude towards commoners, even if Ian was just an illegitimate child.
Ian gazed at Harui, suppressing the nervousness in his heart. He knew he had disrupted their plans. Use whatever means you have.
Soon, Ian keenly noticed Harui's wink to the salt well foreman. His suspicions had been confirmed! The other party had already bribed the foreman! Luckily, he hadn't acted recklessly earlier.
"Sir Ian, please allow us to count the inventory in the town first. You can rest there, and we'll start loading the goods early tomorrow morning," the foreman approached Ian respectfully.
The foreman was attempting to distract him so they could continue their operation. Ian's eyes narrowed, and he said, "Take me to inspect the goods first. Our family's transport team will arrive shortly, and my men will assist in loading the goods. We aim to complete the loading tonight."
"Also, Harui, move your convoy out of the way. Don't obstruct our work here," Ian added, revealing his true intentions.
Harui's convoy was blocking the salt mine's entrance. By moving those carts, Ian could make a quick escape after dealing with Harui.
"Of course, Sir, I'm at your service," Harui bowed.
Upon hearing that the Lannister family's transport team was on its way, Harui abandoned any plans to engage with Ian. He figured the Lannister group would leave after obtaining the salt today. At worst, he could fill his bags with sand and continue his scheme the next day.
So Harui began directing his servants to move their carts.
Seeing this, Ian tensed all the nerves in his body, ready to make his move.
Now, no one here doubted him. He only needed to seize the opportunity after taking down Harui, and no one would react in time. With his horse's speed, no one could catch up with him.
However, just as he watched Harui's carts about to leave their position, the sound of arrows slicing through the air and a faint scream of some one getting pierced.
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