Chapter 7: The Mysterious Fatso

  "This! This! This! And this..." The cat girl struck the menu more than ten times in one breath, and only reluctantly let go under the waiter's astonished gaze.

  "Hey, give me a break, can you finish all that?" Remon said with a hint of embarrassment, sipping his wine.

  He then took a deep breath and said: "The God of War is above, this wine is too damn good."

  "This is a special wine from Dinar, it's really different from the strong liquor of our beastmen." Ruz sat opposite to Baste, gently swirling the wine cup in his hand, with a nostalgic look in his eyes: "I haven't had such pure grape wine for 20 years either."

  "Is it? Then let's have some more." Raymond snapped his fingers: "Waiter, bring two more bottles."

  "Wow, young master, when did you become so generous?" Bastard's eyes widened involuntarily.

  Raymond patted the scabbard hanging from his new belt: "Thanks to it, we saved a lot of money, so we must celebrate properly. No wonder Mom said it would bring me good luck when she gave it to me."

  "Wow, really?" The cat girl happily said: "Then I'll just order all the dishes on the menu, they're all thinking of trying them anyway."

  "Go eat until you die!"

  After thoroughly ransacking the ill-fated Curtman's equipment shop, the three of them are now all dressed in new attire. Basute also put on her beloved waterskin boots. Now she can't sit still for a moment, and has to lift up her legs to carefully wipe them with the tablecloth, earning the boss's angry glances.

  It has to be said that the effect of this new adventurer's equipment is quite good. Now, the three of them sitting in this tavern are no longer the center of attention, except for occasional curious glances, they are no different from other customers.

  As the guests arrived one after another, the whole tavern gradually became lively, with drinkers laughing and chatting everywhere, filling the entire space.

  Because the tables and chairs were very close to each other, and after drinking, their voices would involuntarily rise, so the conversations of the surrounding customers unconsciously entered the ears of the three people.

  At this time, a few merchant-like men at the table on the left were talking, and one of them, a young man, said: "Last time I got a batch of equipment from Lowell, it was quickly sold out, and I made a lot of money. Compared to Cavie's products, now the southern states prefer Lowell's products."

  Another middle-aged merchant with a goat-like beard said, "Of course. Although the equipment of Cavi is also good, it's an imitation military product, so its shape and style are very old-fashioned and haven't changed much over the years. In comparison, the lord of Lovell is really good at doing business, not only frequently introducing new types of equipment but also able to customize according to customer needs, so sales have always been increasing."

  "Hmm, I used to live in Lowell for a few years. Although it's a remote territory, it's really prosperous, and if you don't count the area, only the royal city of Duske can compare." At this time, a fat merchant with a white headscarf, a wide body, and a full beard on his face said.

  Moreover, since Lord Lowell is a very affable person, the atmosphere of the territory is also good, and it's quite different from other territories.

  The conversation between the three people kept mentioning Lowell, which made Raymond remember. He thought that this sword was produced in that territory, and his mother had also mentioned this place many times before, and it seemed that she still hated the lord of that territory.

  This couldn't help but make Raymond feel very curious about this territory, as if intentionally or unintentionally, he always seemed to have a connection with this place. So, he leaned back slightly and listened carefully to the conversation of the three merchants.

  "But... " At this moment, the plump merchant lowered his voice and said: "There are rumors that the current king is very dissatisfied with the Lowell territory, so he has been secretly suppressing them."

  The young businessman exclaimed: "Why?"

  A middle-aged merchant took a big gulp of wine, shaking his head and saying: "You don't even know this? Lord Lovell has a very good relationship with the barbarians, so his territory has always monopolized that trade route to the Ice Plateau. The king's Chamber of Commerce has been trying to get in on it, but hasn't been able to, which is why the king is naturally unhappy."

  "Hmph, you know nothing." At this time, the fat merchant let out a snort of laughter, revealing an air of knowing something profound.

  "Oh, then why did you say so?" The young businessman hastily poured a cup of wine for the fat merchant.

  The stout merchant looked around cautiously before speaking in a mysterious tone, "The real reason, how could it be just because of a trade route? You should know that when the Balin territory was at its strongest, it was responsible for supplying tens of thousands of soldiers in the entire Western Divira fortress. No matter how strong the Lovell territory is now, it can't compare to the former Balin territory."

  "Yes, yes." The other two merchants nodded in agreement: "The original Lord of Balin was truly powerful and influential. If he hadn't colluded with the Rulin Empire and betrayed the country, how could he have fallen?"

  "And besides, it's said that the old king initially wanted to hand over Balin's territory to Lord Lovell's jurisdiction, but he refused. What a wise move that was!" The plump merchant continued: "So how could Lord Lovell be foolish enough to incur the king's displeasure over just one trade route?"

  "Let me tell you, the real reason is quite serious."

  Can't help but say, the fat businessman is really good at teasing people's appetite. Listening to him describe it in vivid detail, the other two businessmen both showed expressions of wanting to know more. Even Raymond, who was eavesdropping on the side, had his curiosity piqued. To the point where Bastard invited him to eat, but was waved off by Raymond.

  "Hurry up and tell us, what's the reason." The young businessman couldn't help but urge: "At most I'll treat you to this meal, you can drink as much as you want."

  The other's performance made the fat businessman very satisfied, he still looked around first, making it seem like he was about to reveal some huge secret, before saying: "This is also what I heard, I'm telling you because I consider you true friends, but you can't go spreading it around everywhere."

  "Alright, speak up." The middle-aged businessman said impatiently.

  "Just remember, it's just like chatting while drinking." The fat merchant still didn't feel at ease and reminded them again, "You all know that the current king is King Kenro, who succeeded after the death of the old king Robert."

  "Who doesn't know this? Spare us the nonsense." The other two businessmen said in great dissatisfaction.

  "Don't be in a hurry." The fat merchant seemed to be in no rush, he chuckled: "What I want to say has a lot to do with this. In the past, the old king had three princes, besides the current King Kenro, there were also Second Prince Wiruk and Third Prince Das."

  "In the war 20 years ago, Lord Verroc defended Over, and Lord Dass destroyed the Black Iron Knights. Both of them achieved great military merits. On the other hand, Prince Kenroh, who was a prince at that time, did nothing in the war despite being supported by civil officials."

  "So, although King Kenlo has been on the throne for many years, both Wiruk and Das have had a great deal of influence in both the military and among the people, which has left King Kenlo very dissatisfied and uneasy."

  "But he is the king, what's there to be afraid of?" The young merchant said in puzzlement.

  The fat merchant looked at him with disdain: "You're still too tender. Influence is something that's not big or small, if it were you and me, ordinary people, we'd be heroes at most, no need to worry. But who are Wyrick and Dars? They have royal blood, and because of that war, their prestige has surpassed the king, what does this mean, don't you understand?"

  As he spoke, the fat merchant drained his cup and calmly waited for the young merchant to refill it before continuing: "I'll tell you one more thing. When the princes were granted their fiefs, do you know where Wirok's was? It was Kavi territory. In other words, the entire military supply of Dinar is currently under Wirok's control, not to mention his influence within the army. If you were the king, wouldn't you be nervous?"

  "What about Lord Nadhas?" asked the middle-aged merchant.

  "Although the fief of Lord Dass is not as good as Cavie's, it may be more worrisome to Your Majesty than Wiruk. Do you know why?" The fat merchant stopped again, wanting to speak but hesitating.

  As expected, the young businessman urged: "Don't be mysterious anymore, tell us quickly."

  Heh heh, the plump merchant slowly said: "Haven't you guys even heard of the famous 'Almuk Four' from during the war? That was when Lord Das was young, and it referred to him and his three friends at Almuk Academy. Those three people were General Gaignun of Sidewinder Fortress, Great Sage Wolse of the Mages Guild, and..."

  "...the current Lord of Lowell."

  The middle-aged businessman said at this time: "I've also heard about this, 20 years ago the four of them launched a surprise attack on Balin's territory, directly leading to Rulin's defeat, but they were all great heroes."

  However, I also heard that the four people were not actually the 'Four Geniuses' as rumored, but rather they had extremely poor character, and in the academy's officially recognized term, they were actually called the 'Almuk Four Scoundrels'...

  "Cough, cough, cough..." At this time, for some reason, the fat merchant seemed a bit embarrassed. He cleared his throat several times, interrupting the middle-aged merchant's words: "It's getting off track, this isn't important. I brought it up just to illustrate the relationship between Lord Dass and Lord Lovell - they have a deep bond."

  He said, tapping his fingers on the desk: "In short, it is rumored that His Majesty the King has always wanted to weaken the influence of his two younger brothers. So, due to Lord Dass's relationship with him, Lovell was implicated."

  "So it was like this." At this time, the other two businessmen suddenly realized.

  Just as the fat businessman said, who would have thought that there was such a big hidden story behind this.

  The fat merchant continued: "Therefore, His Majesty the King not only wants to intervene in trade with barbarians, but also suppresses the trade of Lovell. So although Lovell's products are very good, they have never been able to sell smoothly across the country, nor can they supply the army."

  "Moreover, it is said that the four major merchant guilds have secretly reached an agreement with His Majesty the King to jointly launch a trade war against Lovell, in order to squeeze Lovell's trade network."

  "The Four Great Merchant Guilds." Upon hearing these words, the other two merchants couldn't help but take a deep breath.

  The Four Great Merchant Guilds are the largest trade union that spans across the Mojina continent, controlling nearly half of the land trade network on the entire continent, with enormous power and can be said to be a super giant among merchants.

  The fat merchant nodded: "The four major chambers of commerce and the Lord of Lovell have contradictions, this is not a secret for a long time. Of course, after all, this is still a means for the king to deal with Lord Dass."

  "In fact, the king also wanted to take action against Gaien and Wolza. However, Gaien is currently in charge of the West Divira fortress, which has the heavy responsibility of defending against the Rulin Empire, and is a war hero, so he can't be touched. Wolza is the president of the Magic Guild, far away in the Magic Kingdom of Bamuk, making it even more impossible to take action."

  "So, the king's resentment was all directed at Lovell. Not only was he implicated, but he also suffered three times the blow, and Lord Lovell was truly unlucky."

  "What's going to happen then? Isn't Lovell doomed?" exclaimed the young and middle-aged merchants.

  The fat merchant snorted: "It's not that easy. Unless His Majesty the King takes action himself, how can a trade war be controlled? Don't forget, Lovell is also a part of Reid."

  "Ah, we almost forgot about him." As soon as the fat merchant mentioned that person, the other two merchants immediately showed a look of reverence.

  The young merchant's face was full of admiration as he said, "Mr. Reed is my idol. He started from a small business and built a complete trade network for Lowell in just a few years. The prosperity of Lowell today cannot be achieved without Mr. Reed's contributions."

  A middle-aged businessman also said, "Yes, especially his keen insight into the business opportunities of water transportation, and with his own strength, he created a water transportation network that spans the entire continent. His power is enough to rival the four major merchant guilds."

  The fat merchant nodded: "So I said, as long as Reed is there, the four major chambers of commerce will not get what they want. Also, I heard a piece of news that in order to respond to the king's oppression, Reed has been opening up overseas trade networks for the past two years and is now fighting with the Ravite Trade Federation on the continent of Veronika."

  "Veronica Continent?" The two merchants exclaimed: "Actually went that far."

  The fat businessman said: "I heard that the situation over there has been turbulent, so there are many opportunities. However, he actually did business all the way to that place, and it's really impressive."

  "Yes indeed." The young businessman and middle-aged businessman also praised in succession.

  "Cough... anyway, that's all I know. There are still many similar rumors now, but for the sake of one's own life, it's better to just listen and not spread them around." Suddenly, the fat merchant rarely put on a serious expression.

  The other two businessmen responded in unison: "Of course. But, Purple Senior, you're really knowledgeable, to actually know these secrets too."

  The plump merchant, called Zile Dada, couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter: "I'm not bragging, all these years I've been traveling everywhere, what haven't I done? Where haven't I gone? You can just call me the Ma Ji Na Continent's insider, hahaha..."

  The young businessman and middle-aged businessman flattered each other again, and the conversation between the three turned to other meaningless topics.

  Raymond, who had been listening to their conversation all along, gained a lot from it. At the very least, he now knew more about the current state of the Kingdom of Dinar and was even more interested in the Lovell Territory.

  Just then, a gloomy voice came from beside: "We've met again."

  This unique voice was extremely familiar. Raymond turned his head upon hearing it, and was shocked to discover that it was actually the black-clad man who had once testified for them outside the equipment shop.