novelODS Chapter 104 Taking advantage of a crisis
Chapter 104 Taking advantage of a crisis
A desolate dirt road at the border of an abandoned city and a city in the forest.
The heavy stone wheels carved two deep furrows in the mud, and the caravan from the city in the forest finally saw the long-awaited dawn, but there was no joy in the procession.
The earthen dragons pulling the cart had shriveled bellies and were panting heavily with every step.
The guards had sunken eyes and could only deceive their stomachs by chewing on bitter, dry tree bark.
The black-robed steward gripped his wooden staff tightly and stopped several passing vagrants—or more accurately, several players who had just received the standard longswords of the ruined capital.
"A fine iron battle axe, crafted by an old artisan from the city of the forest."
The foreman lifted the tarpaulin and pulled out a sturdy axe from the edge of the carriage. "Just exchange it for ten large black breads."
The player who was stopped looked at the axe, then weighed the dull black steel longsword in his hand.
Without hesitation, he raised his longsword and slammed it down directly onto the blade of the axe.
when!
A crisp sound.
A piece of iron shavings flew from the surface of the hand-forged iron axe, and a teeth-grinding cracking sound came from the wooden handle. Meanwhile, the mass-produced black steel longsword remained perfectly intact.
"The wooden handle wasn't treated with preservatives, and the iron ore impurities weren't properly removed."
The player curled his lip in disdain. "This piece of junk is so bad that it would be a waste of coal to melt it down. You think you can get bread from it? Keep it for chopping wood."
The manager stood there, stunned.
The craftsmanship of his proud Forest City was seen by the people of the ruined city as trash, not even worth scrap iron.
The dumping plan was stillborn before it even began.
The caravan was caught in a dead end, unable to move forward or backward.
However, the real despair has only just begun.
The team moved forward less than 500 meters along the dirt road before being forced to stop.
On the only road ahead, Big Ox and Birdsong Flower Fragrance swaggered out and set up a stall. Several dilapidated wheelbarrows were parked across the road, carrying no weapons, only a few bulging burlap sacks.
A bonfire was burning nearby, and a thick, beautiful pig's hind leg was being roasted on the fire.
Golden fat dripped down the plump muscle fibers, sizzling onto the charcoal fire.
Even worse, Birdsong and Fragrance were grabbing a handful of pure white sea salt and swaying their heads as they sprinkled it on the surface of the roasted meat.
The aroma of sea salt mixed with animal fat drifted precisely into the nostrils of every member of the caravan on the gentle breeze.
Various swallowing sounds and faint curses could be heard from within the group.
The hungry guards stared at the roasted pig's leg, their hands trembling as they gripped their knives. Several earthen wagons pulling carts pawed at the ground restlessly, letting out longing growls.
The black-robed steward knew the other party was doing it on purpose, but in order to save his life, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.
"trade."
The steward pointed to the pile of ancient wood that emitted a faint magical energy, as well as several pieces of underground associated minerals, "The highest-grade building materials and ores, in exchange for your salt and food."
The birdsong and fragrant flowers completely ignored his request; he casually scraped the precious ancient wood a couple of times with the small knife he was using to cut meat.
"It's severely damp; the fibers have all softened."
He shook his head with a look of disgust. "This piece of wood isn't even strong enough to build a house, and the processing cost is too high. And this ore is full of impurities. If it damages the blades of our workshop's machine tools, can you afford to pay for it?"
This is a typical nitpicking tactic; they'll find something wrong even when there isn't.
The manager's forehead veins bulged as he forcefully suppressed the anger raging within him.
He pointed at the timber, his voice trembling, "You don't know anything! These giant trees grow deep within the roots of the magical forest, each section capable of withstanding the strongest corrosive curses! Even on the black market, these are highly sought-after strategic resources, and you dare to humiliate them with coarse salt!"
That's your market price, not ours.
Birdsong and Fragrance casually tore off a small strip of roasted meat from the fire and stuffed it into his mouth, muttering indistinctly, "In our ruined capital, only two things are truly valuable: food to fill our stomachs and tools to get the work done. No matter how good or expensive your wood is, if it can't be exchanged for our credits, it's just a pile of firewood."
He got up and walked to the wheelbarrow, opening the sack full of fine salt.
"I don't have time to beat around the bush. This is excellent sea salt; it will save your men from dying on their way back. In short, are you in or not?"
The foreman's face was ashen, but he forced back his anger and explained, "This is wood that has been aged for hundreds of years... it has magical properties!"
"Stop spouting that nonsense."
The birdsong and fragrant flowers interrupted him as he gestured a number with his greasy fingers: "A whole cartload of timber, in exchange for two bags of coarse salt, plus ten pounds of roasted meat. Ore as an extra."
This is not a transaction; it is blatant robbery.
In the past, a cartload of ancient timber was enough to exchange for half the supplies of an airship.
"You're dreaming!"
Enraged, the foreman slammed his wooden cane on the ground. "Even if you burn all this wood, I will never accept this insulting offer!"
He turned and roared at the guards, "Whip it! Make the earth dragon go around! Let's try our luck at Pearl Harbor!"
Pearl Harbor? The players almost laughed. That's the real base! Going there is just asking to get slaughtered even more.
I want to laugh, but I have to hold it in!
The guards struggled to avert their gaze from the roasted meat and raised their whips, ready to lash the giant beast pulling the cart.
There's no rush at all when it comes to birdsong and fragrant flowers.
He slowly raised his knife and, following the fattest part of the pig's hind leg, cut off a large piece of roasted meat, dripping with oil and coated with sea salt, skin and all.
Then he swung his arm and threw the piece of meat at the feet of the leading earth dragon.
pat.
The ravenous beast ignored the whip on its back, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed the mud and roasted meat in one gulp.
The intense satisfaction brought by salt and fat completely destroyed the beast's reason.
When the guards cracked their whips again to urge them on, the enormous creatures not only did not move forward, but instead bent their front legs and lay flat on the muddy ground.
They stared intently at the barbecue grill behind the birdsong and fragrant flowers, ignoring the whips lashing their scales until they bled, but they refused to take another step forward.
The poor caravans' logistics system was completely paralyzed.
The black-robed steward looked at the traitorous beast, then at the guards around him who could barely stand and whose eyes were filled with despair, and finally his spirits collapsed.
He seemed to have aged several years in an instant. He closed his eyes, his fingers trembling as he accepted the parchment contract from Birdsong and Fragrance, and signed his name on it.
The deal is done.
The players, beaming with joy, pushed their wheelbarrows forward, unloading loads of precious ancient wood and ore in exchange for meager amounts of coarse salt and dry rations.
The steward, carrying the rations he had obtained, turned around, preparing to lead the convoy back the way they came.
Before leaving, he stopped and looked back at the group of outsiders who were still gloating over their successful bargaining.
"You think you've gotten a good deal?" The manager's face was already incredibly grim. "Something terrible is about to happen underground on this island; even the earth dragons are fleeing upwards..."
His gaunt cheeks twitched as he looked past the player and toward the path leading to the abyss.
"It won't be long before you surface dwellers hear the real footsteps of that thing."