"Well then, Miss Camilla, do you know anything about the situation in the Sahara Grasslands?" Lucas asked as he picked up his teacup. "I mean, the tribes there."
"Tribes?" Camilla was surprised, her beautiful eyes shifting, and she nodded, saying, "Our Riverden City only has contact with two or three tribes in the Sahara Grasslands. In the past two years, we have only interacted with one beastkin tribe."
"Oh? So, these tribes, do they have many sheep?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, not expecting there to be a beastkin tribe.
"Sheep? Yes, some of them. One of the beastkin tribes has a large number of sheep, and their prices are about ten percent cheaper than the other tribes. My father even sent people to buy sheep during the summer," Camilla answered honestly. This wasn't a secret; anyone who asked around could easily find out.
"Is that tribe far from Riverden City?" Lucas asked. This was the most crucial question. If it's far from Riverden City, he would exclude that tribe from his purchase options and instead choose a nearby one.
"If you take a boat, it takes three days. That tribe is located right on the edge of the Sahara Grasslands, next to the Riverden River," Camilla replied. She seemed to have an inkling of what he might be planning. Buying sheep? What does that have to do with Riverden City?
"Three days?" Lucas was quite satisfied with this distance. In fact, he had thought it would take four or five days.
It takes three days to travel from Riverden City to the Sahara Grasslands, but the time to reach the tribe itself hasn't been accounted for. Lucas hadn't expected that some tribes were directly settled on the edge of the grasslands. Was this tribe being pushed out by others?
"What kind of person is the leader of this tribe?" Lucas asked again. This was quite important because understanding the other party could help with negotiations.
"The leader of the beastkin tribe is very mysterious. The people we sent haven't met him," Camilla shook her head and said.
"Mysterious?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. Was he afraid of being targeted by the human tribes?
"Lord Lucas, may I ask what kind of cooperation you're referring to?" Camilla asked curiously. She hoped it would be a mutually beneficial partnership for Riverden City, rather than one-sided exploitation.
"Right now, Riverden City is short of food, isn't it?" Lucas slowly turned his teacup and said, "I can supply you with food to help you get through the winter."
"..." Camilla's brown eyes narrowed, and her small hands clenched into fists as she barely held back a gasp, then calmly asked, "What will Riverden City have to give in return?"
"Two conditions," Lucas raised two fingers and said indifferently, "First, I need Riverden City to send a letter to the leader of the beastkin tribe."
What he needed was just an introducer, an intermediary, as for how the negotiations went, that was between him and the tribe leader.
"Okay, I can agree to that," Camilla furrowed her brow. The first condition was too easy, which made her more cautious about the second condition.
"Second, I need Riverden City to transport mutton," Lucas said, looking at the stunned Camilla with his dark eyes. "Of course, it's only during the winter period. I will pay you in wheat as payment."
Transporting mutton—this was a task Riverden City would have to take on. If they sent people from Sedona City, the cost would easily double, but if Riverden City handled the transport, the cost would be cut by at least half.
"Transport mutton?" Camilla was truly stunned. What kind of condition was this? Were they going to transport mutton from the beastkin tribe to Riverden City? Or to Sedona City?
"Yes, I need people from Riverden City to help me transport mutton from the Sahara Grasslands to Riverden City, no, to the Whispering River. We have ships waiting there," Lucas said with a faint smile.
The Riverden River had frozen over, and without an icebreaker, the mutton had to be transported by hand. Once winter passed and the ice melted, they would transport live sheep by ship rather than slaughtered mutton.
"No, that's impossible," Camilla shook her head, pressed her lips together, and said solemnly, "Riverden City doesn't have enough draft horses. Relying on manpower to transport mutton, we probably won't be able to carry much."
There was something else she didn't say. If they had to rely on manpower, it would probably take twice as long—six days to transport the mutton from the grasslands to Riverden City. They could endure it, but Lucas didn't seem like a fool.
"Manpower to transport mutton?" Lucas paused, then laughed in surprise. "No, that's the most foolish way to do it."
In this cold winter, after slaughtering the sheep, they only needed to leave the meat outside for a few hours, and it would freeze. The weather acted as a natural freezer. They could just pack the meat in wooden boxes for transport.
"But, we don't have spare draft horses," Camilla said in a dry tone. In reality, she was quite tempted by Lucas's offer. After all, receiving food in exchange for labor was a win-win, especially for Riverden City.
"As for the draft horses, I will discuss that with the beastkin tribe. You just need to send people to bring the mutton," Lucas said indifferently.
He believed that if they bought enough sheep, the beastkin tribe would agree to provide some draft horses for transport. With the use of ice sleds, the transport capacity would increase significantly.
"If that's the case, I can agree on behalf of my father," Camilla said seriously. This was all beneficial for Riverden City, especially during the winter food shortage. It was like adding fuel to the fire.
"Don't you want to discuss it with your father first?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. He admired Camilla's decisive personality.
In fact, there was one more thing he hadn't mentioned: Riverden City would eventually become a supply station for the sheep transport fleet, an important transit point connecting the Sahara Grasslands. Some of the items from the grasslands could sell for a lot of money, such as processed wool, sheep milk, and so on.
It was winter now, and Lucas planned to give Riverden City a little taste of the benefits first. Once his plan fully unfolded next year, Riverden City would be closely linked to Sedona City, almost like being tied together. Lucas might even need to station troops in Riverden City.
"No need to consult. My father will agree," Camilla said with a slight smile. This was a great opportunity for Riverden City, and as long as her father wasn't completely senile, he would definitely agree.
"Young master, a large group of people from Riverden City is charging out," Mina suddenly stood up and said with a serious expression. "They're all armed."
"Save Miss Camilla!!!"
From afar, Lucas heard the shout. He looked at Camilla with a strange expression. Did they mistakenly think Camilla had been kidnapped?
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.