"Tark Grey, don't you slander these good people! These distinguished guests are on their way to Last Hearth to visit Jon Umber, the Earl! They come in friendship, so don't overstep!"
The constable, Tu'an, shouted, his eyes practically bulging with rage. It seemed he was displeased that Marco and the others were being accused, but it also seemed like he was unhappy about his nickname being brought up.
This constable named Tu'an was once a commoner. Lazy and gluttonous, he quickly squandered all his inheritance after his parents died. He ended up as a servant in Last Hearth.
Because Tu'an was rather quick-witted and good at flattery, he gained the favor of Jon Umber, the Earl, who appointed him constable.
Although he had risen in the world, that old nickname had stuck to him like a curse, impossible to shake off. As if it were a reminder to him to never forget his humble origins.
"Hmph! My men already sensed something was off about them. Such a high inspection fee! They agreed to it without a second thought. That's not something a merchant would do. Speak! Who are you people?"
As Tark Grey finished speaking, more than a dozen soldiers rushed up from downstairs, aiming their crossbows at Marco and the others, ready to shoot at the slightest provocation!
"You! You!"
Seeing that he was also targeted, the constable Tu'an was both shocked and furious. He felt insulted and believed that this Tark Grey was simply seeking personal revenge.
At this crucial moment, Naksis stepped forward in time. He said to Tark Grey:
"My lord, I think you've misunderstood something. Money is nothing to my master! Furthermore, our family has always done business with King's Landing, and this price is correct! The Gold Cloaks charge the same!
Besides, it's normal for us to have strong guards when we trade outside for years! And my master loves exotic animals the most; he'll buy any animal he hasn't seen before!
These Snow Bear Knights were hired by us from the island! And! Look, if we wanted to attack you, we wouldn't have brought so few people! We're not pirates! Right?"
After listening to Naksis's explanation, Tark Grey fell into thought. Then, he raised his head and scanned everyone's faces.
Seeing that he wasn't going to continue the matter, Tu'an's heart, which had been pounding, gradually calmed down. He composed himself and said to Tark Grey:
"Lord Grey! I will tell the Earl everything that happened today! Humph!"
Tark Grey ignored him, instead turning to Naksis.
"If that's the case, then there's no problem. Apologies! Please forgive my offense! Fall back!"
Just as he was about to leave, Marco's voice suddenly rang out. He addressed Tark Grey, saying:
"Then, Lord Grey! Could you tell someone why you're so wary of someone from Skagos Island and his servant?"
Tark Grey looked at Marco, who was cloaked and concealing his face. His eyebrows furrowed slightly as he replied:
"It's not so much wariness, but rather, some unusual things have been happening near the territory these past few days, so I'm paying extra attention to outsiders!"
"Excuse me! Could you tell someone what that is? Is it some kind of strange creature? Someone's estate already has lions, elephants, tigers, and brown bears! Is it a shadowcat, which is only found in Westeros?"
Marco asked urgently, as if he was about to rush over and grab Tark Grey, seemingly very excited.
Tark Grey was also taken aback by his excited words and actions, and instinctively replied:
"No! I was talking about our soldiers escaping from the sea! Uh!"
"Oh! Really? Then it's none of someone's business! Thank you!"
Marco closed his mouth after saying the last sentence, as if he didn't want to discuss matters unrelated to the Others.
This behavior and tone completely dispelled Tark Grey's doubts about his motives.
Then the coast guard officer left the office building, completely ignoring Tu'an, who was staring at him.
But Tu'an was very good at controlling his emotions. He lowered his head, changed his expression, and then said to everyone with a smile:
"Well then! Please wait a moment, esteemed guests! I'll go find someone to send the Raven Letter, and strive to bring you the news tomorrow!"
After speaking, he hurried downstairs. Marco, seeing him go, turned to the other person in a cloak beside him and said, "My lady! Have you been here before? Do you know this place?"
"I have some memories of it. It used to be just a small fishing village. I never expected it to become a port after all these years!"
The woman in the cloak, like Marco, was Airi Umber, mother of Erok, the head of the House of Strong.
The long separation made Airi Umber miss her father very much. Before disembarking, she begged to return to Last Hearth immediately.
However, Marco didn't allow her to do so, nor did he allow Erok to take her. When Marco said this, the poor mother almost fainted on the spot.
Fortunately, Marco patiently explained the reason to her. After all, the Umber family were nobles. If she rushed to reunite, she might be mistaken for a fraud, as she had been missing for over a decade.
Not to mention the servants of their family, even her father might not remember what she looked like. Therefore, this matter had to be approached gradually.
Marco's plan was to first establish contact with Last Hearth through official channels, and then arrange a meeting to allow Airi Umber's father to recognize her.
Just then, Erok suddenly asked, "Mother! Do you remember what my grandfather was like? What did he look like?"
Airi Umber thought for a moment and then said, "Your grandfather was about your height, but he was much stronger than you. He loved to drink, so his nose was always red.
When I was a child, I heard Mother say that your grandfather got drunk once when he was young and fell asleep on the side of the road! As a result, a raven thought he was dead and came to peck out his eyes.
Your grandfather woke up in pain and grabbed the damn raven, eating it. That's why people called him 'Crow-Eater Mors'. That's also why I don't like you drinking!"
"Really? Haha! Grandpa is really! Hahaha! Ouch!"
Erok started laughing as he listened, but he was slapped on the head by Airi Umber for making fun of his grandfather.
"Da da da"
As the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs approached, Airi Umber and Marco quickly covered their heads. Soon after, Tu'an ran up to them, a broad smile on his face.
He told Marco and the others that he had sent the raven letter and they should have news within a day at most.
In the following time, Marco arranged for Naksis and Tu'an to discuss trade. Marco had brought a lot of goods from his Griffin's Fortress this time.
He hoped to open up the market in this port first. Marco wanted to make a name for Skagos Island, so the people of The North would no longer consider it a desolate wasteland.
The people of The North had a great demand for alcoholic beverages, but they didn't produce much grain themselves, which led to high prices for alcohol.
The unfinished ale and pumpkin wine Marco had were perfect for selling at a low price to the common people. As time went on, the brewing techniques on Skagos Island would improve.
By then, the ale and pumpkin wine from Skagos Island, which would already have a certain reputation, could naturally open up the upper market of The North and then radiate throughout the whole region.
After drinking the sample wine, Tu'an was full of praise and said that he himself could offer a purchase price of one silver stag per barrel.
Westeros has a complete currency system, but it's often difficult to make change between different denominations.
Generally speaking, a gold dragon has a purchasing power of about 100,000, a silver moon is worth 10,000, and a silver stag is worth 1,000. The copper coins below – copper stars, copper cents, and copper pennies – represent units of one hundred, ten, and one, respectively. (Just my opinion; don't take it too seriously!)
Moreover, these values fluctuate due to the different price levels in the Seven Kingdoms. This means that Marco's barrel of 200L of ale could be sold for about 1,000 yuan in the Blue Star world.
That price sounded pretty good, but that was the price for the raw ale. Marco was sure that Tu'an would water it down to make three barrels to sell.
However, these things didn't concern Marco. As long as Griffin's Fortress could continue to level up, he could have as much grain as he needed. Money wasn't an issue; his only goal was to open up the market.
Afterward, Tu'an and the others briefly discussed the purchase prices of other goods. Grain was always a hard currency in The North. In recent years, thanks to the long summer's influence, the climate in The North was finally becoming somewhat normal, with no more complete crop failures.
After handing over the relevant matters of signing the trade agreement to the two of them, Marco and the others followed Tu'an's messenger to the market in Cod Village.
This messenger's name was Frog. He was a villager from the surrounding villages and had been a follower of Tu'an since he took office.
The market stretched from the harbor all the way to the city gates. Most of the goods were fish and game. There was little in the way of vegetables and grains. A few stalls offered daily necessities like ironware and clothing.
After taking a look around, Marco went back to the Moonlight to rest. Henk and the others continued to "inquire" about the intelligence of the strange animals, seemingly "oblivious" to the fact that they were being followed.
Around dusk, the group, who had been busy all afternoon, returned to the cabin to rest.
Seeing everyone back, Marco turned to Wolf Fang beside him and asked:
"Are there still people watching us?"
Wolf Fang had just recovered from his "warg" state, his "white eyes" returning. Hearing Marco's question, he immediately replied:
"Lord...! Sir! They've mostly gone back. There's only one left. He's in that small room at the dock office."
Marco muttered to himself, "I didn't expect this guy to be so cautious. I thought he'd already bought our story!"
Henk chimed in, "My... sir! I learned from Frog, that Tark Grey seems to be from a small family in Winterfell. He even served as a Winterfell instructor for a while!"
"Forget about them! It's not like we were targeting his little fishing village anyway! Besides, we've already achieved our goal! Let's wait for Last Hearth's reply tomorrow!"
He couldn't help but admire the guy a little. He actually suspected them just from a few clues.
Initially, Marco waited a week before setting off, to avoid any association with the fleeing Bolton soldiers, according to the information relayed by the Wolf Fang squad.
The Bolton soldiers were discovered in the Karstark family's territory. Their story was that they'd been caught in a storm and pirates at sea, forcing them to flee to Seal Bay. They also lost many men and weapons!
However, it was obvious that this story wouldn't convince certain people. Marco was sure that the great nobles of The North would seek out Roose Bolton.
Furthermore, Marco could almost picture the expression of the Lord of Dreadfort. He just wondered what Roose Bolton's expression would be when he saw the "gift" he'd sent.
The next morning, Frog, the constable Tu'an's follower, arrived early at the pier where the Moonlight was docked.
He brought the news that the envoy from Last Hearth was on their way. Under Marco's instructions, Naksis had fabricated an identity for Marco as the son of a merchant from Lorath.
Lorath was one of the nine Free Cities, located in the north of Essos. The city's precise location was on a super-large archipelago within the Shivering Sea. The city was situated on the western end of the main island, backed by Lorath Bay, west of the Axe Peninsula and east of Braavos.
Among the nine Free Cities, Lorath was ranked last. But Marco was drawn to Lorath's weakness and isolationism. Precisely because it lacked fame, it could better disguise Marco's identity.
These settings were also something Marco had planned from the start. Lorath had always been a very strange place on the continent of Essos.
There were many legends about the Lorath archipelago. Many believed that in ancient times, it had been a super-huge city, which later became the desolate state it was in now for unknown reasons.
Only the legends of the Labyrinth Makers and the Blind God sect remained. Many scholars from Westeros had tried to study its secrets.
With this connection, Marco sometimes didn't need to explain too much, and would naturally allow some "clever people" to make infinite associations!
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