The Strange Prince

Although internally grumbling, they continued with the feast. The atmosphere during the meal remained cordial, and the Fourth Prince did not bring up the topic of the ores, so Pedro refrained from saying too much either.

When the prince ordered the serving of dessert, Pedro cautiously mentioned, "Your Highness, according to the usual practice, today should be the day for ore delivery, but I did not see any ores in the harbor yard."

Roland put down the pair of chopsticks he was holding. "Unfortunately, there was a collapse in the Northern Slope Mines recently. My people have been trying to resume production for the past month. However, the rubble at the collapse site has yet to be cleared, and at this rate, the mining area may not be operational until next year."

A collapse? Pedro was momentarily stunned. How coincidental? But he quickly realized that there was no need for the prince to lie to him. If he wanted to confirm, he could easily go to the Northern Slope himself. Telling such an obvious lie would be slapping himself in the face.

"What about the ores from the previous two months?"

"Not much, according to convention, those stones couldn't sustain my subjects," Roland emphasized the word "convention," "Mr. Ambassador, do you remember the Evil Month from two years ago?"

Pedro certainly remembered; the four-month-long severe cold had caused nearly twenty percent of the people in the Border Town to starve to death, thanks to the corrupt city official, Feleno. There were even internal oppositions within the noble families, and some even demanded punishment for Feleno after the incident. However, the matter was eventually dropped because he was the son-in-law of Duke Leyne.

Now that the prince brought it up, Pedro had a bad feeling.

"This time is even worse," Roland sighed, "If we deliver according to the previous method, we can only exchange for two months' worth of wheat. My people will not last through the winter, Mr. Ambassador. The old trade method must be abolished."

Pedro hesitated on how to respond. He was not a professional diplomat and faced with such convincing reasons, he couldn't find any flaws, so he could only buy some time. "Your Highness, I regret this situation. It will never repeat the tragedy from before. I will arrange for all six families to lend a month's worth of food, and your subjects can slowly repay it once production resumes next year."

"If I sell to Willow Leaf Town, I won't need to wait and slowly repay," Roland replied.

"But..."

"No buts," Roland interrupted, "They are willing to purchase the stones with gold royals, and at the same time, sell wheat, cheese, bread, honey, anything that can be bought with gold. As a fallback, Mr. Ambassador, even if you are willing to lend a month's worth of food, will the other five families agree with your decision? As far as I know, Duke Leyne is not someone easily convinced."

Pedro fell silent. The Fourth Prince was right. Besides the other five families, he wasn't even confident in convincing his own father. He wanted to maintain the monopoly, but he didn't have the final say. As an ambassador, he was just a messenger. Perhaps the duke wouldn't want anyone to privately reach any agreement with the Border Town, be it the previous lord or the Fourth Prince. That was why the different people were sent every season, and none of them were individuals in power within their families.

Regardless of the outcome, he had to give it a try. Thinking this, Pedro revealed his final trump card. "30%," he held up three fingers, "The Fortress is willing to purchase the ores and uncut gemstones at a discount of 30% below market price. I believe this price should be higher than what Willow Leaf Town would offer, Your Highness."

Roland spread his hands. "Indeed it is higher, but we still face the same problem. Can your words become a unanimous decision among the six families?"

"I will depart for Longsong Fortress tomorrow. After reaching an agreement, I will return with a new contract."

"But my people cannot wait that long. You should know that it usually takes a lot of time to reach a unanimous decision among nobles."

"Your Highness, cooperation with the Fortress is a better choice for you and your subjects. Willow Leaf Town is too far away, although you can seek refuge from the Evil Month there," Pedro felt his throat dry up as he spoke, "but there are dangers along the way."

Oh heavens, gods above, what am I doing? His heart pounded, realizing that he was essentially threatening a prince.

"Hahaha!" surprisingly, Roland did not explode in anger but burst into laughter. "Mr. Ambassador, you seem to be mistaken about something. I have no intention of going to Willow Leaf Town."

"You mean..."

"Of course, I don't intend to go to Longsong Fortress either," Roland charmingly gazed at the ambassador, "I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment, Pedro wondered if he had misheard something.

Luckily, the prince didn't prolong the eerie silence and continued to explain, "This winter, I will remain in Border Town. The Border Town will become the new border of the Graycastle Kingdom. Don't be so surprised, my friend, this is not a false statement. I can take you to visit the new stone wall that has been built at the foot of the Northern Slope later."

"A... wall?"

"Yes, a stone wall that is twelve feet high and four feet wide, connecting the Northern Slope and the Crimson River. With this, we can repel the demonic beasts in the Border Town."

Pedro felt his mind failing to keep up. When the ambassador returned last season, he didn't mention anything about a stone wall. No, at that time, the lord of the Border Town was still someone from the Fortress, and there was no way they would send a large number of workers to build it. So, the Fourth Prince started building the wall as soon as he arrived here? Even so, it had only been three months, what could be accomplished in such a short time?

Wait... what did the prince just say? Twelve feet high and four feet wide, connecting the Northern Slope and the Crimson River? Pedro estimated in his mind that a wall of that scale would take a few years to complete. First of all, he didn't have enough stonemasons to cut and shape the stones! The Border Town was not Graycastle, and most of the people living here were only capable of selling their labor.

Before he could fully comprehend this news, Roland's next words equally shocked him.

"As for the sale of ores, starting next year, I am willing to lower the price to fifty percent," Roland said, "but not all will be sold to Longsong Fortress. Because you may not need that much ore. I believe you would prefer some metal products over the low-priced raw ores, such as iron shovels, iron spades, and the like." He paused for a moment here, seeming to wait for Pedro to understand the meaning behind his words. "As for the raw gemstones, they will be sold through auction to the highest bidder. Although I would also like to buy them at a good price after they are cut, unfortunately, the Border Town currently lacks the capabilities to do so."

And yet, you have the ability to build a city wall in just a few months! Pedro silently shouted in his mind. And what do you mean you may not need that much ore? With the current annual output of just a thousand gold royals, even if the production volume increases, it might double at most! The fortress would not be able to handle two thousand gold royals? That's just overly arrogant!

He forcefully suppressed his dissatisfaction and tried to maintain his last bit of courtesy. "I have made a note of everything you said, Your Highness. After I return, I will immediately negotiate with the six families. However, Your wall... I would like to see it."

"Certainly," Roland laughed, "but there's no rush. You can enjoy these pastries with King's City flavors. We can leave after that, right, Mr. Ambassador?"