Chapter 252: Ron is back

Seven days after Windmere was established, Ethan was hurriedly finishing up organizing and counting everything he intended to sell to Ron.

The reason for the rush was simple: scouts had spotted Ron’s ship off the coast of Goldenveil, accompanied by two other newly built vessels.

In a matter of minutes, the merchant would be standing at his door.

With a satisfied smile playing on his lips, Ethan finished cataloging the stock of green fairy wine, the fruit of all that winter’s labor.

In total, six hundred bottles of third-stage, two thousand two hundred of second-stage, and ten thousand of first-stage.

The production had consumed practically every glass bottle in Goldenveil’s stock, but the result left him more than satisfied.

He ran a quick calculation in his head.

At five hundred gold coins per third-stage bottle, he would easily exceed three hundred thousand coins from that batch alone. And that wasn’t even counting the other bottles and the vast variety of herbs he still had to offer.

He had barely finished placing the last piece when a knock resounded at the warehouse’s door.

"My lord, a merchant named Ron is here to see you!" The voice of one of the maids echoed through the hallways, and a broad smile spread across Ethan’s face.

It was time to make some money.

Ethan strode out of the mansion with firm steps, his eyes immediately settling on the figure approaching along the stone path.

It was Ron, and to Ethan’s surprise, the man had reached the third stage.

He had likely consumed some kind of rare treasure to achieve it, for his aura seemed quite unstable, flickering like a flame newly lit in the wind.

He wore far more ostentatious clothes than on his last visit, and at his waist, secured by a golden buckle, hung a Rank B sword.

Without a doubt, the merchant was making good use of the gold he’d been accumulating.

Accompanying him were five other warriors, all at the third stage.

Each of them carried huge chests crammed with goods—the items from the shopping list Ethan had given Ron on his previous visit.

"Lord Ethan," Ron stopped in his tracks and bowed immediately in respect. "I trust you have good things for me this time?"

"As always. I just hope you brought enough gold," Ethan’s lips curved into a sly smile as he motioned to the guards, indicating they should place the chests full of women’s goods by the door.

"Hahahaha, of course I did! You know, my name is already known even to kings across the continent," Ron roared with laughter, approaching Ethan and shaking his hand firmly.

The laughter, however, didn’t last long.

Soon, he found himself alone with Ethan, standing before the imposing pile of items carefully arranged on the table.

"I-is that...?" He pointed toward one of the bottles with a trembling finger, unable to believe what he was seeing through the glass.

Green fairy wine made with third-stage beast blood.

"How much?" He grabbed the bottle with both hands, his fingers tingling against the glass at the density of mana and aura emanating from the liquid inside.

"Five hundred gold coins each. Six hundred bottles in total, meaning three hundred thousand gold coins just for these. Not to mention the other bottles of wine and the herbs. I want five hundred thousand gold coins for everything."

Ron slowly uncorked the bottle.

The very instant the seal broke, a rich, sweet aroma of herbs spilled from the opening, spreading in fragrant waves until it filled every corner of the room.

His lips parted, and he hesitantly took just a single small sip.

The next moment, his eyes flew wide and his entire body shuddered, as if a scalding current were coursing through every vein, making even his fingertips tingle from the dense mana saturating the liquid.

"Is this negotiable? I understand it contains the herbs as well, but at this price, I’d be paying nearly fifty gold coins per bottle of second-stage wine..."

"Now that the path to the central empires is open, you’ll be able to supply wines and herbs to many other markets. The price adjustment merely reflects this new reality. If you don’t want to pay, that’s fine; I can find another merchant."

"Wait! I didn’t say I wouldn’t pay, it’s just that... that..." Ron felt his heart bleed inside his chest with every word he uttered.

Five hundred thousand gold coins was an absurd sum, enough money to fund the development of a fifth-stage warrior for a good three years.

In the end, defeated by his own frustration, he pulled one of the two storage rings from his right hand and handed it to Ethan, who broke into a satisfied smile as he examined the contents inside.

"Keep the ring as a bonus..." Ron whispered, head bowed.

He had managed to secure over six hundred thousand gold coins in loans for this trip, but almost all of it had already slipped through his fingers.

"You said you would build something to serve as the main branch of my chamber of commerce. Can I see what you’ve prepared?" Ron finally asked, eager to change the subject.

In the last few months of winter, he’d secured nearly five million in loans, money he’d been using to set up several branches in the Kingdom of Burning Ice and the Kingdom of Selene.

But he’d need another five million to complete his plans.

If he could sell that wine well, he would easily secure another large loan, opening the door to even bigger investments.

But first, he needed to establish a main branch, where the heart of his corporation would be set up and where he would pay his taxes.

That last part, in fact, was something that had been tormenting him for days.

Ethan wouldn’t charge taxes that were too high, would he?

Fortunately for him, Ethan had no interest whatsoever in building a state that depended on high taxes to survive.

What truly mattered to him was the nation’s industrial, magical, and agricultural development.