Chapter 42: 42 Perfectly Satisfied

Chapter 42: Contented and Appleased

Negotiations demanded unyielding patience.

Roning possessed it in abundance; after all, he held the bargaining chips now, and the upper hand was his.

Yet he also understood that a thousand gold coins was indeed an exorbitant demand, one the other party would likely refuse to pay even if they possessed the means.

Thus, he would gradually lower his price.

After a tedious game of give-and-take, and the consumption of two cups of cold water, the two sides finally reached a consensus—

Six hundred and eight gold coins, alongside three male and ten female black water buffaloes.

Pen in hand, Roning signed his name upon the parchment, an indelible smile gracing his features.

"Pray convey my regards to Baron Rayson upon your return, Sir Knight. I guarantee that no other soul shall ever catch wind of this matter!"

Philiton tucked the signed parchment away and produced a heavy pouch from his breast, offering it to Roning. "My Lord, herein lies six hundred gold coins."

It was evident that six hundred gold pieces was the absolute limit Baron Rayson had authorized.

As he spoke, Philiton counted out another eight gold coins from his own pocket and slipped them into the pouch—this was his personal savings, advanced out of necessity.

The moment the coin purse touched his palm, lines of text appeared before Roning’s eyes, a sight he had not seen in some time:

[Achievement "Flowing Wealth" unlocked. Attribute Points +20, Energy Essence +40.]

"My Lord, pray count them."

Roning chuckled softly, setting the pouch aside. "No need. I have never doubted your honor, Sir Knight!"

Philiton, however, could find no reason to smile.

Not only had he surrendered every coin Baron Rayson had prepared, but he had also been forced to dip into his own coin purse for eight gold pieces!

"Regarding the livestock you bargained for, I shall dispatch two squires to deliver them tomorrow."

Though curses cursed through Philiton's mind, his outward composure remained flawless as he bowed deeply. "With that, Philiton takes his leave of Your Lordship!"

"Oh, do not hurry away~"

Roning grinned broadly, baring his teeth. "I shall have a banquet prepared immediately. You must stay, Sir Knight."

"Lord Rayson is about to depart for Black Python City to celebrate the birthday of Earl Orson Hyde. I must rush back to report my success; I trust Lord Roning will not take offense."

In truth, Rayson had departed that very morning; Philiton was merely invoking a plausible pretext to escape.

Yet this passing remark instantly pricked Roning's vigilance.

Did this Baron Rayson still maintain ties with the border-dwelling Hyde family?

It seemed he would have to be even more cautious in the future.

Roning pressed no further. "If that is the case, I shall not detain you. Please convey my warmest greetings to Baron Rayson!"

Escorted by his host's enthusiastic farewell, Philiton and his squires rode out of the castle gates, spurring their mounts into a swift gallop.

Roning, too, breathed a quiet sigh of relief.

With this matter settled, he could at least ensure that the Thayne Fief would cause him no trouble for the foreseeable future.

Furthermore, Baron Rayson’s journey to Black Python City for the birthday celebrations meant he would likely be absent for ten days to a fortnight.

Even if the Baron wished to move against him, it would have to wait until his return. Philiton, after all, was merely a knight of the realm and lacked the authority to initiate an assault upon another noble.

"Congratulations, My Lord, on securing such a vast fortune of gold!" Macken offered his congratulations with a warm smile.

"Haha, we must thank our wonderful neighbor for this bounty!"

Roning was in high spirits. "Send word to Bob and Marseille; tell them they need not deliver that letter. Ah, and remember to burn it."

"Understood, My Lord. I shall inform them at once."

"Wait a moment."

Roning called out. He summoned Macken’s attribute interface and expended all forty points of the newly acquired Energy Essence, pushing the knight’s progression bar forward to 135/200.

The sudden influx of strength washed over Macken with exquisite comfort; he had not expected another surge of power so soon after his morning advancement.

"My deepest gratitude for your grace, My Lord!"

Roning clapped him on the shoulder. "Go on then. Breed a few more professional knights like David for me."

He could bestow points upon Macken and Elrond, but he possessed no such power over David and the rest of the men.

For those men to transcend the ordinary and become professional warriors, they had to rely entirely on their own discipline, and the same held true for elevating their ranks.

Consequently, David and his peers required rigorous training, sparring, and real combat to forge their strength.

Macken was perfectly suited to oversee this endeavor.

"Macken shall spare no effort!"

The captain of the guard delivered a solemn knightly salute, departing with a renewed surge of zeal.

Roning, meanwhile, summoned his own attribute panel, allocating his points as he strolled toward his study.

Following the brief, exhilarating rush of expanding mental fortitude, Roning’s progress as a mage reached 126/150.

"Just twenty-four more attribute points, and I shall break through to become an intermediate practitioner!"

Having acquired the gold from the Thayne Fief, Roning now possessed three avenues for obtaining attribute points:

The Monthly Check-in, the First Purchase Rewards, and the Achievement Master.

Over the next six days, the Monthly Check-in would yield only six attribute points.

Completing the First Purchase Rewards would not only allow him to summon a professional knight of Radiant Aptitude, but it also promised a deluxe gift pack, which Roning suspected would contain more attribute points.

Aside from these two, there remained the Achievement Master interface.

Roning cast his gaze upon it.

At this moment, the [Flowing Wealth] achievement, much like the [Sovereign of Slaughter] achievement before it, had advanced to a new tier upon the completion of its initial stage.

[Flowing Wealth]: Acquire 1,000 gold coins in a single instance. Reward: Attribute Points +50, Energy Essence +100.

Compared to the first tier, this one demanded that Roning amass a thousand gold pieces all at once.

Although Roning’s current reserves exceeded a thousand gold coins, it did not signify that wealth was easily generated.

Of the gold he now possessed, over nine hundred pieces had been delivered to him by Wushan Castle, Laketown, and the Thayne Fief; the remainder had been plundered from the dead—such as the mage Pedro and Prinst, among others.

As for what he had earned through legitimate enterprise...

Regrettably, not a single coin.

"No matter the world, one must always toil for coin. What a tedious headache!"

To Roning’s current knowledge, the solitary source of revenue for Mountainwood Town lay in the grain trade.

According to Philiton, the grain dispatched to the Thayne Fief over the years had been substantial.

Now that Roning was liberated from paying "tribute" to the Thayne Fief, he could naturally export the surplus grain harvested each year for profit.

Yet grain was a commodity that could never match the swift returns of the horses from Pasture City or the black water buffaloes of the Thayne Fief.

Selling ten thousand catties of barley would yield a meager profit of thirty gold coins.

To make a fortune of 1000 gold coins by selling malt in bulk, he would need to prepare 330,000 units of malt.

But where in the Mountain Forest Town could such a vast quantity of malt be found?

Clearly, this path was not feasible.

"I wonder if Mountain Forest Town has any local specialties!"

Entering the study, Ronin sat down in his chair and searched through the books on the desk (though there were not many). Unfortunately, Prince had left no written records describing the products of Mountain Forest Town.

"I need to conduct a thorough inspection of the territory."

Ronin had already decided to survey his entire domain within the next couple of days, and he also planned to recruit administrative officials from Mountain Forest Town.

At this stage, his requirements for the officials could be somewhat relaxed. They didn't need to possess governance skills; they only needed to convey his intentions and diligently carry out the tasks he assigned.

"Whether they are serfs or free citizens, as long as they can read and have a bit of logical thinking, they can apply."

Ronin planned to have Chahar issue the recruitment announcement for administrative officials after he had selected the castle servants.

Apart from these two matters, he also needed to visit Horsetown to purchase the magic crystals before Baron Raytheon returned from his birthday celebrations.

(End of Chapter)