At a hotel in Ravati City, Art and Ron are summing up the harvest of the two days.

Ron sat on the edge of the wooden bed with a scribbled birch bark in his hand and reported to Art, "...... Pepper, cinnamon, and cloves are still the main goods sold in the market, and the local weight unit of one metre is about one-fiftieth of a pound of good quality black pepper, which can be reduced to sixty pfeniel per mile if purchased more than five pounds at a time. When these high-quality black peppers are shipped to the capitals of Dijon and Paris, the price rises more than tenfold, almost the same as gold. The price of cinnamon and cloves is a little cheaper, we compared five stores, under the premise of similar quality, cinnamon is as low as 50 pfennig per pound, clove 30 pfennig, while cinnamon in Besançon South stores is 250 pfennig per pound, and cloves are 160 pfennig per pound. These three spices are also the most profitable southern goods, but the guilds here have a rule that each caravan cannot buy more than fifteen pounds of black pepper and no more than one hundred pounds of cinnamon and cloves from Rawati at a time, which is also the current purchase limit of our European merchant house. ”

"It is not enough for a large caravan to transport these spices, so dry goods such as rice, oranges, apricots, figs, raisins, incense powder, and medicines, dyes such as magenta and alum, and weaving raw materials such as cotton, raw silk, and flax can be purchased and transported.

"The specific prices of goods are here, and these are the lowest prices and the largest supply that we have recorded after comparing at least five stores."

In the past few days of coming to Ravati, first of all, Art took Ron and Matthew around the city to get a preliminary understanding of the city's commercial structure, varieties of goods, supply channels, etc., and then in the next two days, Ron took a Lombard-speaking guard to the large and small southern goods shops in the city to inquire one by one.

Ron presented the birch bark densely covered with symbols in his hand to Art, "Sir, what is the result of your negotiation with the trading house?" ”

Art was not idle when Ron was busy, and he contacted the Southern Goods Trade Guild in Rawati through the innkeeper, and spent a lot of money knocking on the door to meet one of the guild stewards.

Art took the birch bark and glanced at it roughly, "I have already negotiated with a guild steward, they are willing to transport the goods we ordered to the border area to our trading house in Vilno, but they are not responsible for transporting goods across the border, so the issue of transit business tax will have to wait until I get to Vilno, fortunately Vilno is now the jurisdiction of the Viscount of Berion." As for the rest, it is a matter of price, with your list of selling prices of southern goods, I will have a bottom in my heart when I go to negotiate with the guild again. ”

"Master, in fact, our southern goods purchase point in Provence is enough for the southern goods supply of the European commercial house, why do you have to go here to build a supply line?" Ron didn't quite understand why Art would establish a separate supply of goods in Lombardy, which is separated by a Provence, and still have to go through Provence anyway, and the final costs and benefits are similar to those of the southern goods acquired in Provence, which adds to the trouble.

"Ron, look far ahead, Rawati is the first trading city we have ever walked out of the valley, this place is good, it's close to the mouth of the valley......" Art said, getting up and walking to the north-facing window, looking out at the mountains to the north......

After another day in Rawati, Art visited the steward of the Rawati Southern Trade Guild again, and the two signed a contract agreeing that from the next month, the guild would transport spices worth 50,000 fennigs and 30,000 fennigs of other southern goods from Rawati every two months to a ruined castle called Bogdan in the south of Vilno, where there would be no garrison, and there would be people who would trade with the Ravati guild face to face with the contract documents......

According to Arte's plan to explore the valley along the river in advance, after leaving the valley, Art should travel west through the borders of Lombardy and Provence, and go north along the eastern part of Provence, combing the trade routes of the European merchant houses along the way, and visiting the Viscount of Berrion and the magnates at the important checkpoints along the way, paving the way for the European merchant houses.

However, since he has returned to his "sad hometown" after many years of absence, Art decided to take some time to do a small thing in person.

So the day before he was about to make a detour to the north, Art took Ron and a few people to approach Sorrenburg and Wellsburg in disguise.

In order not to expose the target, Art did not enter Sorenburg with his guards on horseback and sword, which was simply looking for death under the eyes of the enemy, so he asked two guards with horses and weapons to hide in a dense forest near the castle to answer at any time, and he himself took Ron Joe into the city......

Sorrenborg is only a baronial castle and therefore its city is not large, but it is not a remote mountainous county of Tiniez, as a military castle embedded in the northern Lombardy trade route, the city circumference is 800 feet, the four walls are made of stone, up to 30 feet, there is a three-story gate on the north and south of the wall, the first is a drawbridge that can pull up the door, then the winch iron gate, and finally two hinged oak gates.

The interior of the castle has a strong military atmosphere, most of which are mainly garrisons and their relatives, and there are a small number of shops, taverns, inns, blacksmiths, bakeries, breweries and other shops; Outside the castle, there are many free markets with wooden houses and stalls, and most of the traders and vendors trade in the free markets outside the city. Of course, the tax collectors in Sørenburg are required to collect taxes on a regular basis.

The solidity of Sorrenburg lies in the fact that the entire castle is almost entirely built of stones, not to mention the castle walls, the inner forts, churches, storehouses, mansions and even most of the residential shops in the castle are made of stone barriers; Of course, such a large castle could not be built in one or two generations, in fact, the castle was already a legion garrison hundreds of years ago, during the imperial period, and was built by several dynasties over the centuries.

The castle has been praised as "an iron nail nailed by God to the Lombardy plains", and it has been said that the castle cannot be destroyed by external forces.

Indeed, the castle has hardly been attacked by a force for hundreds of years, and each time the castle has changed hands due to internal divisions, changes of power, or conspiracy to usurp.

For example, the Wells family became the owner of the castle ninety years ago because of their exploits in the battle of the Duchy of Lombardy, and four generations of barons have ruled the castle since then;

For example, more than ten years ago, the robber-turned-Lombard Earl Walderbury united with the greedy church under the false accusations of a Welsh family servant, and fabricated many false accusations of heresy such as "criticism of jihad", "blasphemy against God" and "acceptance of pagan ideas" after returning from the Eastern Crusade, resulting in Baron Wales being stripped of his land by the church and secular courts, and Earl Walderbury also obtained the castle soon after and impatiently changed the name of Wellsburg to Sorenburg.

Yat hadn't preached family feuds over the years, but he hadn't forgotten it, and in fact had been collecting news of the Lombard Sorenburg since he had formed a caravan to trade from the south......

Unkempt, shabby cape, with a notched hand axe and a short sheathed iron sword hanging from the rag belt, completely dressed as a soulless ranger armed rogue, Art reached into the collar and pulled out a flea and pinched it to death, then turned his head to look at Ron, who was dressed in more tatters behind him and looked apologetic, "You're so good, let you find an inconspicuous outfit, you got me such a one"

Ron looked at Art embarrassedly, "Master, you are in a hurry, where can I find you a suitable one for a while?" I just happened to meet a few poor ghost rangers, which is not appropriate."

Art only complained a few words, feeling better after pinching the flea in his collar, and paced the streets of Sorrenborg like an idle rogue, his eyes constantly looking at the castle that he remembered so well.

Coming to a secluded corner near the castle's inner fort, Art sat on the ground, took a big sip of the wine bag on his waist, and then handed it to Ron to share, "That old bastard of Wader does know how to run it, and I have to say that this place is several times more prosperous than the dilapidated castle I remember." ”

"Master, hasn't your family tried to recapture such a luxurious and sturdy castle?" Ron was often by Art's side, and he also knew something about Art's background.

"Recaptured? The Wells family had only one son since my grandfather's time, and my father was so addicted to the crusade that he had almost exhausted the family's wealth, and my mother's relatives were weak. My father tried to regain everything by force, but his arm never reached his thigh, and the vassals of the Wells family died or rebelled, and our father and son eventually became wanted criminals in Lombardy. ”

Art spoke lightly, as if telling the tragic story of someone else's family, but Ron listened sadly, because the protagonist of the story was the old man next to him.

"Master, did you come here for revenge this time? Take me to see what Earl Wade is, and I'll take a task force over to dispose of him when I remember his appearance, and make sure to have his head on your heraldic banner. "Ron really had the courage to do such a thing, and righteous revenge is a glorious thing in itself.

Art chuckled lightly and took back the wine bag from Ron's hand and tied it around his waist, "You think you can easily kill an earl?" That bastard was very cunning, and it wasn't like we hadn't tried assassination back then, and we were almost wiped out. ”

Art got up and patted the dust on his buttocks, and watched coldly as a gorgeously dressed man walked into the mansion under the walls of the inner castle, "But even if you can't kill Wade now, you can still kill the dog bastard who slandered and harmed the Wells family back then." ”

Ron immediately stood up and followed Art's gaze, "This is the servant who betrayed your family back then?" ”

"Master, you find a tavern to rest for a while, and I'll cut off the dog's head and bring it back to you for wine." Ron glanced left and right, and was about to pull out the hunting knife at his waist.

Art raised his hand to stop Ron, "Don't worry, leave that dog's head for me to harvest myself......"

In the evening, people go home to prepare dinner, and there are few pedestrians in the alleys of the castle.

At the root of the back wall of the mansion under the outer wall of the inner fort, two men in tattered clothes took advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention and took a ladder to climb over the wall and sneak into the mansion.

Under the airtight secret room candlestick under the mansion, the castle tax collector in a brocade cotton robe, Mr. Jolse, owed a leather wooden chair on his buttocks, resting his elbow on the long table in the secret room, holding a glass glass cup full of red wine in one hand, and rummaging through his own secret account book with the other.

Every time he turned to an account book, the tax officer took a sip of wine, pursed his lips and raised his beard, and his expression was very pleasant.

Suddenly, the door of the secret room was slammed open, and the tax collector's second wife stood straight in the doorway, the corners of her mouth twitching and her eyes full of fear.

"What are you doing here? Don't come here easily, are you deaf? The tax collector immediately closed the books and locked them back in the drawer of the wooden table.

The tax officer's wife just stood at the door trembling with her big belly in her arms, not daring to move at all.

"You crazy woman, are you stupid pregnant? What are you doing? Why don't you go and ask the servant to prepare dinner for me! The tax collector was a little annoyed, got up and scolded his wife.

At that moment, a voice sounded from behind the tax officer's wife, "Master Jolce, I'm afraid you won't be able to eat this dinner today." ”

The voice was very low, the secret room was very dark, and the tax officer didn't see the figure behind his wife for a while, "Who is it?" What mongrel would dare trespass into the tax officer's mansion! I don't want to live anymore! The tax collector's voice was loud, but there was a tremor in his tone.

As soon as the shouting fell, a dark shadow bypassed the tax officer's wife and appeared in the light of the candlestick fire, followed by another man who raised a hunting knife to coerce the tax officer's wife and walked in, closed the heavy door, and guarded the door of the secret room.

"Why, you haven't known me for years?" Art took two steps forward to the wooden table in front of the tax collector, the candle flickering on Art's gloomy face.

The tax collector did not look out for it, but instinctively called out to the door of the secret room.

"No need to shout, your servant and the guard can't hear me anymore, you should see who I am." Art raised the bloodied dagger in his hand and leaned it against the tax collector's neck.

The tax collector looked up in surprise and slammed into Art's cold face.

The tax officer's pupils dilated instantly, his legs collapsed, and he collapsed on the back chair, "You are you?" No way, you'd have been dead a long time ago, oh my God, you'd have been dead a long time ago! ”

"Really? It seems that the bounty hunters you hired have deceived you. Art took another step closer to the tax collector.

The tax officer's whole body began to tremble, and his hands grabbed the armrests of the chair as hard as he could, trying his best not to paralyze, "Young Master Art, please let me die, it was those guys who forced me back then, they forced me." If I don't defile my lord, they will kill me and my wife and children!" ”

"Young master, I was wrong, I was wrong, I have been punished by God, my two sons have died, my ex-wife has also died of a violent illness, I have suffered God's punishment." Tears suddenly fell from the tax officer's face, and the man shrank under the chair, kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.

Art just looked coldly at the guy on the ground who was kowtowing like garlic and didn't say a word.

The tax officer thought that there was a glimmer of life, "Young master, young master, I am willing to give you all the money I have accumulated over the years, all of it will be given to you, just ask you to let me go." ”

"How much gold and silver do you have enough to buy this cheap life? By the way, and your wife and the mongrel in her belly. Art was just curious to know how much savings the mongrels in front of him would have.

The tax collector grabbed a life-saving thatch in the whirlpool of the river, "I only have some gold cakes and silver coins here, but I have two shops in Rawati, and I also have silver in the guild vaults in the south, as long as you leave me a cheap life, I will immediately give you all the money!" ”

Art lowered the short sword in his hand and pretended to be contemplative, "Enna depends on whether you have enough money here to buy your life today, and as for your life after today, it depends on whether you have enough money to atone for your sins to God." ”

"Yes, yes, yes! I got a lot of money as a tax officer, a lot of money, I took it out immediately, and I took it immediately."

The tax collector got up tremblingly, opened a small compartment in the wooden table, took out a key, and then walked to the wooden frame behind him with the help of the chair and the wooden table, and crouched down to push the wooden plank away, revealing a large iron box.

The tax officer fumbled for a long time before opening the iron box, "Young master, look!! ”

At the moment when the tax collector turned his head in a flattering manner, a cold light flashed, and the notched and rusted blood-dripping short sword pierced straight into the tax officer's side neck, and the blade of the sword emerged from the other side......

Art cut off the tax collector's head with a rusted blunt sword, and the tax collector's wife was already stunned by the scene in the secret room, collapsed to the ground, her pupils dilated, and her lower body began to bleed......

"Ron, pack all your money and get out of the castle immediately." Art tossed the tax officer's head aside, picked up the wine bottle on the wooden table, and poured the wine directly to wash away the blood from his hands.

Ron hurried to the iron box, ripped off the tax officer's coat, and swept away all the gold cakes and silver coins.

Just as he was about to leave, Ron glanced at the woman who was slumped against the wall of the secret room and her eyes had lost concentration, "Master, do you want to stay alive?" ”

Art turned to look at the woman who was already half scared to death, and then at her big belly and the blood flowing from her lower body, "She can't live anymore, whatever you want." ”

With that, he pushed open the door and left straight away......

Tips: Enter "Panda Literature" in the search engine, you can find this site, thank you.

Chapter 389: Deep Revenge