Chapter 320 - 283: Prospects of the New Industry (2)

Chapter 320: Chapter 283: Prospects of the New Industry (2)

Shire had already come up with a name for this snuff product. He would call it "Dragon Breath." After trying it for the first time, people would surely feel something similar to what he just had. And since it was made from Dragon Claw Tree leaves, calling it "Dragon Breath" was so fitting.

"Looks like there’s nothing for me to do," Agatha shrugged. "Don’t you want me to try it?"

"Girls shouldn’t smoke," Shire said sternly. He was a very traditional person.

"Uh," the Ghost Witch Agatha was taken aback. She didn’t understand what he meant, but his expression told her it was a serious refusal, and one made for her own good. "Alright, then. I’ll be going."

"Wait." Shire stopped her, then hopped off his chair. He walked over to a low cabinet by the wall and took out a book with what looked like a brand-new cover.

"This is for you." He handed the book over.

"What’s this?" Agatha took it, her eyes widening the moment she saw the title. "Nobles behind the Bed Curtain of Plantagenet City, Part Two. Where did you get this? It’s by the same author, Dark Eyes. He actually wrote a second part!"

Agatha delightedly stroked the book and was about to eagerly flip it open, but Shire placed a hand on the cover to stop her. "Read it slowly when you get back," Shire said with a smile. "Uncle Musa came back once before. I asked him to buy it for me. I just asked him to buy a book like this, but I didn’t expect him to deliver Part Two directly."

"Thank you, Shire." Agatha’s eyes twinkled as she smiled at the goblin before her. After deliberately performing a lady’s curtsy, she turned and skipped out of the stone house.

This was the first time Shire had seen the Ghost Witch skip. Her hunched figure bounced along, and if she’d been holding a broom instead of a book, the image might have been even more authentic.

’I can’t believe that guy is still writing this stuff,’ Shire thought, shaking his head with a wry smile. ’I was just making an offhand comment back then, but he actually stuck with it.’

He looked at the wooden map on the wall, standing silently in place. Though his gaze was focused on the map, it seemed to pierce through the wooden board, through the very boundaries of geography, to see the distant Plantagenet City. He saw the magnificent Royal Grammar School, and that "godson" of his who always wore a cheeky grin and would say, "Today, I’ll take you to Perfume Lily Avenue to see the world."

’It’s all in the past,’ Shire thought, sighing deeply after a few seconds. His gaze refocused on the paper packet on the table. ’Right now, Dragon Breath is what’s most important. Humans haven’t discovered this use for it, and the goblins don’t know its actual effect. If I can take over the entire Feathered Serpent Kingdom, I’ll be able to monopolize the future snuff trade. And with this product, all the goblins in the forest will have a new lease on life.’

’I’ll take advantage of the civil war in the Fran Kingdom to strengthen myself in every way, then build a powerful goblin military force.’ He slammed his fist on the table and declared forcefully, "This time, I definitely won’t let those bastards get their way. I will use my sword to protect my smoke."

’As for the Feathered Serpent Evil God,’ Shire thought with a disdainful smile, ’it has already found its path to ruin.’

He clasped his hands behind his back, turned, and walked out of the stone house, muttering to himself as he went, "I need to start exploring the north as soon as possible. Broken Tooth should be rested by tomorrow. I’ll see what’s at those locations first."

...

Meanwhile, in a building in the West District of Yangjiao Town, many people were coming and going through the main entrance. Although the building was only three stories high, its construction materials were of exceptional quality. It was built entirely of stone and brick, with almost no trace of wood. This was a rare sight in Yangjiao Town, a town so close to the Nightmare Forest, and it was a testament to its construction cost and sturdiness.

The people coming and going wore a variety of expressions. One person clutched a large, bulging bag, and the faint clinking of metal could be heard as they walked. They scanned the surrounding pedestrians with a hint of vigilance; their bag was obviously full of coins. Another person rushed headlong through the main entrance, trying their best to avoid others but still bumping into someone accidentally. They didn’t stop, however, just shouted an apology and hurried into the main hall. Still others emerged from the hall looking dejected, shuffling out with their heads bowed and muttering, "Why won’t they lend me money? My business is clearly doing fine."

This building was the Yangjiao Town branch of the Commerce Alliance. Normally, a branch wouldn’t be established in such a small town. But because Yangjiao Town bordered Biling Forest, it served as a hub for the trade and transport of many special products from the forest, so the Commerce Alliance had made a point of establishing a branch here.

The people coming and going were there to conduct various kinds of business. The wary ones were there to make deposits at the Commerce Alliance’s bank. On this continent, some people chose to keep their entire fortunes on their person, like Adventurers. Others chose to dig a hole under their bed and hide their coins there, like Mary’s miserly father. And some trusted banks, choosing to deposit their money in the Commerce Bank. After all, its promotional flyers went to great lengths to describe its security and convenience.

On the second floor of the building, in a luxurious reception room, two impeccably dressed merchants sat facing each other on a sofa, savoring the taste of high-end coffee.

"Are those goblins still the same?" an older merchant asked, placing his coffee on the table. He then picked up a sugar cube from a colorful, patterned porcelain dish beside him and dropped it into his cup.

"Same as always," the younger-looking merchant across from him said, curling his lip in disdain. "Dirty, smelly, stupid. They’re goblins, after all. What else would they be?"

"So, how many packs of Dragon Claw Tree leaves did you bring back this time?" After the sugar had dissolved, the older merchant picked up a golden spoon and slowly stirred his coffee. He paid no mind whatsoever to etiquette, letting the spoon repeatedly strike the side of the cup with a loud TINK, TINK.

"Just a few packs. Frankly, if it weren’t to satisfy our Lord’s request, I really wouldn’t want to go to a place like that. What can you even do with Dragon Claw Tree leaves? How much money can they possibly sell for? And I had to take people on a Griffin for the trip," the younger merchant said, taking a dissatisfied sip of his coffee. "In the time that took, my shop could have sold far more goods."

"It’s the Lord’s request, what can you do? The entire upper echelon of our Commerce Alliance signed a pact with it." The older merchant sighed, but his expression didn’t seem particularly pained.

"A pact," the younger merchant sneered. "We’ve been helping it look for something for two thousand years, and still nothing. If my father hadn’t bought that goblin from the old noble, who knows when we would have learned about the situation inside the forest."

"The Alliance tried hiring those Adventurers before, didn’t it? It’s just that the results weren’t very impressive," the older merchant said casually.

"Yes, ’not very impressive,’" the younger merchant repeated with a smile. He took a sip of coffee, paused for a few seconds, and then said, "But I have a new idea now."

"A new idea?" The older merchant looked up at him. He didn’t speak, but quietly waited for him to continue.

"It seems to me there are quite a few of these goblins. Just leaving them there is a waste. Why not put them to use? Have them make things for me. That way, I can just have my people make a few more trips to the forest to pick up the goods for sale. It would save a lot on labor costs."

"You want to have goblins make things for you?" The older merchant thought it over carefully. "That might be difficult. Those creatures are stupid and unruly. They probably won’t listen."

"I have this," the younger merchant said, pulling an object from a leather pouch at his side and shaking it a few times.

"Is that," the older merchant’s eyes narrowed, "a Magic Collar from the prisons?"