Chapter 111: A Pleasure Doing Business

A little over an hour later, Ronin and the others returned to Wushan Fortress.

Lurans and the others, who were in the middle of a discussion, all looked toward the Curved Plow that had been carried back in, already unpacked. This plow’s design was completely different from the plows used on the various manors. At first glance, it appeared to be lighter and more maneuverable.

The plowshare was still caked with dirt, a clear sign that it had just been used.

Lurans looked at Albert, who had seemed eager to speak ever since they returned to the fortress.

"Speak your mind, Civil Servant."

Albert was rather excited. "Marquis, the Baron who invented the Curved Plow is a true genius! I never imagined a single plow could make such a monumental difference for farmers!"

The Civil Servant excitedly held up three fingers.

"First, it’s light and maneuverable. It only takes one person and one ox to operate it perfectly!"

"Second, you can adjust the plowing depth to adapt to all kinds of terrain. Good heavens, that feature is absolutely astonishing!"

Albert’s expression was full of awe. "Most importantly, it plows deep and turns the soil completely. This will be a tremendous help in increasing grain yields!"

"Marquis, Sir Toru, our territory and our manors need a plow like this!"

"With this plow, developing new farmland will be easier, and grain yields will increase. The value it will bring is immense!"

The men exchanged glances, all wondering the same thing. ’Is the Civil Servant laying it on a bit thick? The Marquis may have initiated this, but surely there’s no need for such theatrics.’

"Is it really that amazing?"

"It really is that amazing!"

Finance Officer Curry chimed in. He had only gone along because the deal involved finances; otherwise, he would have missed the demonstration of the Curved Plow in action.

"The men Albert found were all expert plowmen. After they got the hang of using the Curved Plow, they all came to these same conclusions."

The men looked at Ronin in astonishment, but he simply spread his hands in a gesture that said, ’It’s all true.’

Sir Toru crouched beside the Curved Plow, studying it. Although he wasn’t yet a Baron, he owned several sizable manors, and developing the land was indeed a problem.

"Baron, how are you planning to sell these? I’ll order one hundred to start!"

Civil Servant Albert suggested to Lurans, "Marquis, if you approve, we can place an initial order for one thousand!"

Lurans nodded.

In truth, he wasn’t particularly interested in such matters, but he understood the importance of arable land and grain to a Lord.

The Civil Servant and the Finance Officer were both veterans who had served for many years. Since they both said the plow was useful, it must be worthwhile. He would purchase a batch.

Seeing Lurans agree, Albert immediately said to Ronin, "Baron, we’ll need one thousand, then. It would be best to have them delivered before the spring plowing!"

Ronin couldn’t help but give a resigned smile.

"Gentlemen, you seem to forget that I am just a Minor Lord from a remote territory. I don’t have the manpower or the iron ore to manufacture so many Curved Plows. What’s more, the ones I can produce aren’t even enough for Mountain Forest Town’s own use. How could I possibly have any extra to sell?"

The men paused, taken aback, before they recalled the situation in Ronin’s territory.

Albert asked, "Then what is your proposal?"

"I can sell you the blueprints to produce the Curved Plow and provide technical support."

Ronin laid out his prepared plan. "You can send Carpenters and Blacksmiths to my territory to observe and learn. I will have my craftsmen instruct them on how to build the plows."

"Of course, if your craftsmen are clever enough, they should be able to build them perfectly from the blueprints alone."

’The Curved Plow was more advanced, to be sure, but it didn’t have a particularly high technical barrier.’

’He only needed to sell one, and he was sure that imitations would soon appear. At that point, the most he could hope to make from selling them would be a small profit over his costs.’

’Besides, what he said was the truth. Mountain Forest Town simply couldn’t produce that many.’

Finance Officer Curry smelled the scent of money. "Are you saying you want to sell this invention to Wushan Castle?"

"Yes, a one-time buyout, paid for by Wushan Castle."

Ronin smiled. "As for how you choose to proceed, Mr. Curry, that’s your business. It has nothing to do with me."

Curry’s eyes lit up. He quickly asked, "And what price are you asking for this Curved Plow?"

Ronin held up three fingers. "Three Thousand Gold Coins!"

A collective gasp went through the room. Everyone stared at him when they heard the price.

Not thirty Gold Coins, nor three hundred Gold Coins, but Three Thousand Gold Coins!

"That... That’s far too expensive!"

Galier said in shock. He was the one in the group who had seen the least amount of money (aside from Ronin and his Followers).

Even Lurans couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. That was enough money to purchase ten warhorses of excellent quality.

Ronin, however, just smiled. "I’m confident that with the abilities of Wushan Castle’s Finance Officer, making back Three Thousand Gold Coins shouldn’t be a difficult task."

’Earning money through a slow, steady stream was too much of a hassle for him.’

’Mountain Forest Town didn’t have any trade caravans, and he couldn’t possibly travel to every noble’s territory to promote and advertise his plows like a merchant.’

’That’s why he chose the buyout.’

’Wushan Castle, on the other hand, was different. They had a Finance Officer, trade caravans, and salesmen. They could sell the plans to all the various Lords before the Curved Plow became widely known.’

’Even if they sold the plans to each Lord for three hundred Gold Coins, they would make their money back as long as ten Lords were willing to buy.’

’Of course, not all Lords would be willing to spend that kind of money, nor did every Lord have iron ore and Blacksmiths, or the desire to build the plows themselves.’

’Those Lords could always buy finished Curved Plows from an outside source. How those would be priced was not Ronin’s concern.’

’However, Ronin wasn’t worried that there would be no market for him if he decided to sell plows in the future.’

’He was confident that with enough experimentation, he could recreate blast furnace technology. Then he could use pig iron to cast farming tools. Combined with softening techniques, he would be able to mass-produce plowshares and drastically reduce the manufacturing cost of the Curved Plow.’

’At that point, the Curved Plows Ronin sold would absolutely be able to capture the market with their low price.’

Finance Officer Curry glanced at Lurans. Seeing that the Marquis had no objections, he smiled, gave Ronin a slight bow, and said humbly,

"Thank you for the compliment, my Lord. We can accept the price you’ve proposed."

Toru brushed the dirt he had just scraped off the plowshare from his hands and stared warily at the Finance Officer. "So what about me? Curry, you’re not going to try and sell this technology to me for Three Thousand Gold Coins, are you?"

"Hahaha, of course not..."

Curry chuckled. "If you need them, Sir Toru, you can purchase the finished plows from Wushan Castle. We’ll sell them to you at a favorable price. However, until I have sold the Curved Plow to other nobles, I must ask everyone to keep this matter confidential."

He looked toward Ronin. Most of what he knew about this Baron was negative, so he was worried Ronin might sell the plans a second time.

"Of course. You can trust my word!"

Just then, Galier stepped forward. "The Marquis, my father, and I just discussed it. We need 120 Ironwood Shields, 200 Ironwood Long Spears, 50 Ironwood Chest Guards, and 30 sets of Ironwood Armor. Quartermaster Dawson will formally submit our order after we return today."

’From the numbers, Ronin could tell this was for a standard Knight Squad. The quantities seemed large, but a quick calculation showed it wasn’t enough to guarantee one of each item per person.’

’Galier was most likely preparing these items for the Attendant Knights and Infantry. A proper Knight would, at most, use the Ironwood Armor; their need for the other items was low.’

"A pleasure doing business with you!"

Ronin couldn’t help but smile as he stepped forward to shake Galier’s hand. "I’m sure this shipment will not disappoint you."

’This trip to Wushan Castle had been a resounding success.’

’For Ronin, now that the orders were in, the next problem was figuring out how to fulfill them.’

’At present, the Ironwood Workshop only had two Carpenters, William and Muertan, and they hadn’t even recruited any apprentices yet. Completing this order in a short time wasn’t just going to be difficult; it was going to be incredibly difficult.’

Lurans’s voice interrupted Ronin’s worried thoughts. He reminded him, "Ronin, Wushan Castle is, after all, quite a distance from Mountain Forest Town. If you have other goods to sell, you could go to Pasture City and look for Viscount Marvin."

"The Ironhoof Clan’s trade caravans are all over Wushan Territory and even in most cities in the Kingdom. As long as your prices are reasonable, I imagine Viscount Marvin would be interested."

"I understand!"

Ronin nodded slowly, deep in thought.

"My Lord!"

Finance Officer Curry spoke up. "Mountain Forest Town may be far, but by Message Bird, it’s only a day’s journey. If the Baron has more business like this, he can send word by Message Bird, and I would be willing to personally lead a party to Mountain Forest Town to negotiate."

"Hahaha~"

Lurans laughed. "You old fox, you’re the same as ever. You’ll go anywhere you can sniff out the scent of gold."

Curry just chuckled to himself. ’Why should he let Pasture City earn money that he could be earning instead?’

’Besides, was the Old Marquis really reminding Ronin to go cooperate with Viscount Marvin? Of course not.’

’That was why Curry’s words just now had a double meaning.’

"But speaking of Message Birds, you have reminded me of something."

Lurans turned back to Ronin with a smile. "When you return, have Wushan Castle’s Bird Tamer go with you to Mountain Forest Town and establish a bird route between our two territories. Otherwise, if I want to write you a letter, I’ll have to have it relayed through Pasture City."

Ronin’s eyes lit up. ’This is perfect.’

’After he killed Princest, he had been particularly worried that Sain Territory would launch a surprise attack. He had wished for Message Birds back then. The ability to send a timely message to Baron Reisen would also serve as a deterrent.’

"In that case, thank you, Grandfather!"