The next morning, Julien, O'Fariel, Charlotte, Judy, Messiah, and Semia all appeared in the almost unused meeting room of the Twilight Castle at the same time, which was arguably the first formal meeting of lords since Julien had been granted the Twilight Forest. It's no wonder, after all, after activating the Source Conversion Device, the territory construction of the Twilight Forest can be said to be everything, only the east wind is owed. Next, how to build the territory has naturally become a top priority. So You Lian decided that Suo would gather everyone together and discuss it together to see if he could get any good advice and opinions. In fact, even Yulian himself is a little confused about how to build the territory, although under the current situation, the operation of the Twilight Forest is quite normal, but just this is still quite insufficient.

O'Faryl, as his lieutenant and secretary, naturally presided over the meeting with full authority. And Judy's identity is the captain of the castle guard, Charlotte is the head maid, as for the two sisters, although looking at the way they are now lying on the table and laughing and playing, you know that these two little guys are obviously here to make soy sauce, but Yulian still gave them the title of guest secretary, so this is to be released and called, as for the little ones themselves It doesn't matter if they are willing to accept it.

"At the current location, there are forty-five servants in Twilight Castle, and as far as the situation stands, it can barely keep the castle running. However, in terms of territory, we currently only have three lumber mills and one processing plant, and the tax revenue we receive is about 800 gold coins per month. ”

"That's a lot of ............"

Hearing this, Yulian frowned. He knew very well that even the 800 gold coins were actually very watery, and most of these gold coins came from the three lumber yards and processing factories, and in fact, all the facilities of these factories were built by the Zach family in order to fulfill the contract, except for one of which was invested by a nearby merchant. To put it bluntly, they are building here, making money is only secondary, to put it bluntly, it is just a kind of goodwill behavior of the Zack family to themselves, this kind of trading without counting losses is obviously not a normal business behavior, so in fact, to be honest, it can't be counted. Moreover, frankly speaking, 800 gold coins a month is not more than the tax revenue of a small town on the gold trade route.

"It will take half a month for the handover of the gold trade route, according to the intelligence, the soldiers who were in charge of the checkpoints and inspections before were all from the Bird family, and after your contract came into effect, the Bird family will recall these people. And if we want to control those checkpoints and gates, we need to recruit a lot of locals......... I think that's going to be a lot of trouble. ”

Ofariel's report is simple and clear, in fact, what she said is not wrong, and the Bird family's act of recalling their own family soldiers is understandable, after all, these soldiers are also members of the Bird family, in other words, even if the Bird family is really so generous to hand over these soldiers to Yuren, it will be troublesome if something happens in the future. After all, what these soldiers are concerned with is the tax profit of tens of thousands of gold coins every month in the gold trade road, which is not a trivial matter.

"Before the handover, I'll take the two little ones there to see the situation in person. ”

Yuren quickly made a decision.

"As for the soldiers guarding the checkpoints, they can be recruited locally when the time comes, and we can give them better treatment and remuneration than ordinary soldiers, provided that these guys are obedient............ But then again, these are just peripheral matters, and we still focus on the present, and I want to know why the Twilight Forest can't attract too much foreign investment? We always have to be self-reliant, even if we don't make money, we always have to produce our own stone and minerals and not buy them all the time, after all, we don't have much money to waste now, and it takes too much time to buy from outside. ”

"Because of the lack of manpower, my lord. ”

Offariel closed the document in her hand and said with a smile on her face.

"Actually, I think the news about you and the two young ladies should have spread all over the nearby territories by now, and for those merchants who are developing here, if they can climb the big tree of high-level swordsmen, then there will always be one more way to go in the future. But it is now a fact that the twilight forest is severely understaffed, with less than three hundred people in the town, and that there are even fewer young and middle-aged labourers left to work except for the old men, women, and children, and that the surplus labour is now evenly distributed among the three lumber mills and processing mills, and even then it is barely functioning, not to mention that not all of them are willing to do the heavy work, and for many young people they would rather go to the bustling cities of the plains in search of some lucrative business than do these low-paying jobs here。 ”

It's no wonder, after all, young people are ambitious and energetic, and they rarely want to spend their lives in a barren and isolated place like the Twilight Forest, and a place like a lumber mill doesn't pay much, so it's no surprise that it's not attractive.

In other words, it's not that the merchants don't want to invest in the Twilight Forest - in fact, they are eager to start a meal right away, establish their own industry in this territory, and then take the opportunity to get closer to this young high-ranking swordsman and lord. And for a territory like the Twilight Forest, all kinds of industries are necessary, and at that time, as a lord, Yulian will naturally have to deal with these merchants, so for these merchants, as long as they can meet with this lord, Lala or something, then it will be even more of a problem.

They really want to come, but it's a pity that it's difficult for a clever woman to cook without rice, I can give out the funds, and I can also give out the technology, but the problem of manpower is very troublesome, you know, it's not just a matter of sending a few people to supervise the work. To start a business in such a place, you need manpower, and you need to give them shelter, food, and so on, which is very troublesome and costly. Taking a step back, even if the merchants were really willing to lose money to this extent, it was still a question of whether their employees would come.

If the Twilight Forest is just barren and barren, but has a sufficient population, then these merchants will not let go of this good opportunity. Workers can be hired from locals, which saves a lot of money and hassles. But now, the Twilight Forest is vast and sparsely populated, and there is only one town of less than three hundred people in the entire forest. Although Yuren will be able to get three more towns after signing the contract with the Zack family, Yuren also knows very well that the people there will definitely not want to come here. If he really wants to give such an order, then I'm afraid that in less than half a month after the territory is handed over, those guys will riot.

"The total number of geists is only one hundred and thirty, and it is barely enough to keep the castle running, but I think if I work, I am afraid it will be a little insufficient. ”

Charlotte sat in her chair, quietly fiddling with the teacup in her hand. And Judy also frowned, looking at Yulian in front of her with embarrassment, although she didn't pay much attention to this, but she still understood what O'Faryl meant.

"So what should we do, even if Your Excellency has announced a reduction in the tax rate at present, the Twilight Forest simply does not have the conditions to attract the surrounding people. ”

"Since they won't come on their own, we have to force them to come. ”

Yuren shrugged his shoulders and leaned back in his chair and stretched.

"That's right. ”

Hearing Yuren's words, Ofaril nodded.

"Since the civilians don't want to come to the Twilight Forest, our only option is to buy those slaves. ”

On this continent, the slave trade is a legal transaction, and although the Church of Grace has always expressed anger and condemnation of it, not everyone will listen to the church. Generally speaking, slaves consisted of refugees who had been wounded, captured, or displaced during the war, and the army would hold these captives and sell them to slave traders for money, and in fact, during the war, a lot of the extra income came from the slave trade, and this accounted for a large part of it. Of course, the cost of buying slaves is really not low, but You Lian still has a surplus income in his own hands at the moment, and it is not a problem to use it to buy these idle labor.

"In the first batch, we plan to buy seven hundred slaves for work, and at the very least, we must stabilize the general area of Twilight Town, otherwise, with the current town, I am afraid that it will not be able to withstand the level of operation we hope for in the future. As for the military force, Judy, at the moment we can only rely on you to maintain order, the castle does not need you to worry, I don't think anyone will be stupid to attack us, when we buy the slaves back, your task is to guard them to avoid unnecessary chaos. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency. ”

Hearing Yuren's order, Judy immediately stood up and nodded in response, but Charlotte looked at her master curiously, as if she was a little puzzled.

"But master, so far we don't have a clue about buying and selling slaves, or have you found a channel?"

"I haven't found it yet. ”

In the face of the maid's question, You Lian spread out his hands and gave a very refreshing answer.

"But I've found someone who probably has a clue about it, and I think he'll be there right away. ”

As soon as he finished speaking, a heavy knock sounded at the door, and then Custer walked into the room and saluted Yulian straight.

"First Guard Captain Custer reports to you, Lord Yuren, what are you looking for me for?"

Although at this moment, Custer lowered his head and looked at the ground with a serious expression, but in fact, deep in his heart, he was overjoyed, in fact, as early as when Yulian sent someone to call him to the meeting, Cust understood that his efforts these days were not in vain, and now that this young lord finally has a use for himself, then he must seize this opportunity, and he must not miss the opportunity. Because of this, after receiving the notice, Custer prepared very carefully, and then quickly rushed over.

"Mr. Custer, I remember that you were a member of the Guard on the Bird family's territory, right? ”

"Yes, sir. ”

Hearing this, Custer was slightly stunned, he looked at Yu Lian with some curiosity, and he couldn't figure out what this lord was thinking, he should know his origin very well, so there was no need to ask more.

"Then I would like to ask, do you know some of the slave traders? I am currently planning to do this business, and I hope to find a trustworthy referee........."

Saying this, Yulian looked at Custer, the corners of his mouth slightly curled, revealing a hint of a smile.

"I wonder if Mr. Custer can recommend me such a trustworthy and trading businessman?"

"This ..............."

Hearing this, Custer frowned, in fact, as members of the garrison, whether they liked it or not, they would deal with those slave traders to some extent. After all, those slaves are no more dangerous than civilians, so the probability of trouble is also very high, and the garrison has not dealt with these slaves and their masters, so naturally they know a lot of people in this regard.

However, these slave traders are not very good, they may even judge the buyer at the same time when trading with you, of course, Custer believes that the group of bullying and afraid of the hard of the guy certainly did not dare to fight the young lord's idea, but the slave trader's bad trading methods have to be guarded against, after all, this is the first time that the lord has given himself to deal with the task, if he does not introduce himself very much, let the lord suffer, then the next development can naturally be imagined.

Custer finally climbed such a big tree, and naturally he would not be willing to fall like this, so he frowned, thought hard for a long time, and after eliminating the dangerous guys in his mind who were too high to master, he finally found a suitable object in the corner.

"In that case, I can recommend Keith from the Neverwinter Hand Chamber of Commerce to you, my lord, although that guy is engaged in the slave trade, he still counts his words, and his character and reputation are still guaranteed. And the Case Chamber of Commerce is located in Emerald Town, which can now be said to be your territory, and I don't think that old guy should have the guts to come to your trouble. ”

At this point, Custer paused, paying attention to the expressions of Julien and O'Fariel, before continuing.

"If that's what you mean, then I'll send someone to invite him here at once, what do you think?"

Keith of the Neverwinter Hand Chamber of Commerce?

Yuren and Offariel glanced at each other and nodded slightly.

"Don't bother, since he's in Emerald Town, then I'll go there myself. ”

With that, Yuren stood up, announcing the end of the first meeting of lords of the Twilight Forest.

"I suppose Mr. Custer would be happy to go along, wouldn't he?"

"Of course, Lord Yuren. ”

Hearing this, Custer finally couldn't hold back any longer, and showed a smile, and then he hurriedly lowered his head and replied respectfully.

Emerald Town is a small town located on the outskirts of the Twilight Forest. A few decades ago, it was just a small village surrounded by forests, just like Twilight. Later, however, the Byrd family developed the territory and connected it to the golden trade routes, and the once obscure town of Emerald prospered.

"It's really more human than human, and it's infuriating. ”

Standing on the bustling street, looking at the crowds coming and going on both sides, You Lian couldn't help but sigh. Although Emerald Town and Twilight Town both sound similar, the difference between the two is immediately apparent. In this smooth, wide street, there are bustling crowds and busy figures everywhere, and the noise and shouting are mixed in this street, bringing vitality and vitality. The shops and taverns on both sides were also overcrowded, and from time to time mercenaries in leather armor could be seen blushing and waving their flasks to shout something, while on the notice board outside the door, the heavily armed adventurers were gathered together, looking for the adventure they could handle.

If you compare this to Twilight, the latter is a ghost town with no people.

"Emerald Town is close to the Golden Trade Road, and it is normal for it to have such prosperity. ”

O'Faryl tugged at the cloak beside him, staring at the crowd with some dissatisfaction, unlike Yuren, who clearly preferred the quiet, laid-back living environment of Twilight Town to this lively place.

"Lord O'Fariel is right, this is the closest town to the Golden Trade Route in the area, so there are a lot of people. ”

Custer, who was in charge of acting as a guide, separated the crowd on both sides and led the two men forward, introducing them to them.

"And the slave traders would stop here from time to time, and frankly, every time they came, there would be quite a mess here, and it was a real headache. ”

"Will those slaves also enter the town?"

Hearing this, O'Faryl couldn't help but ask curiously, after all, she was a princess, and she rarely saw the slave market, so it was not surprising that she would have such doubts.

"Of course it can't be, Lord Ofariel. ”

Custer smiled and waved his hand.

"Not to mention that the slaves are filthy and smelly, and that no one in any town will welcome them in, and besides, who knows if these slaves have contracted any infectious disease or pestilence? Therefore, the slave traders there would usually gather the slaves in the outskirts of the town and let the mercenaries guard them, and most of the slaves still accepted their fate. Of course, there will definitely be people who will try to escape, and it is unavoidable............ It's here!"

As he spoke, Custer had already led the two of them through the bustling neighborhood to the tall house in the corner of the town, which on the surface was a small two-story building that looked fairly clean.

"Please come with me, sir. ”

Custer gestured to Yuren, and he walked up the steps, pushed open the wooden door, and entered.

From the arrangement inside, it can be seen that the hands of Neverwinter are obviously not a wealthy chamber of commerce, whether it is those wooden chairs or the inferior carpet spread on the floor, this is indicated. In the empty hall of the University, except for a young apprentice who was sleeping on the side of the counter, there was not half a figure in sight. It's not as bustling as Eurian and O'Fariel imagined, and even the streets outside are probably more popular than here.

"What's going on?"

After seeing everything in front of him, Custer frowned in surprise.

"I remember the last time I was here, it wasn't like that........."

He muttered under his breath, then walked over to the counter and slapped the table, causing the sleepy apprentice to wake up from his sleep with a sudden start. He straightened up and rubbed his sleepy eyes, then nodded in a panic and saluted the guest in front of him.

"Hello, dear guests, welcome to the Hands of Neverwinter, how can I help you........."

"We're here to talk to your president about business. ”

Custer knocked impatiently on the counter and said in a cold voice.

"Where's Keith? the old fellow should be here, call him to me at once. ”

"Yes, yes, I'll be right away. ”

It was evident that the young apprentice had never had any experience with a garrison, and in fact his legs were half weak when he saw the standard armor that Custer was wearing—it was true that the people did not fight with the officials. So when he heard Custer's words, he nodded his head at once, and then ran upstairs as if he were running away, and disappeared.

"Something seems to be wrong. ”

It wasn't until the apprentice's figure disappeared that Custer turned around and spoke to Yuren with a hint of concern.

"I remember a few years ago, Neverwinter's Hand was a thriving chamber of commerce and made a lot of money......... But looking at it now, it seems to be experiencing some difficulties, and frankly, I don't know if it will be able to meet your request, my lord. ”

"Don't worry about it that much, let's take a look first. ”

Compared to Custer's apprehension, Julien was much more relaxed, of course he understood Custer's thoughts, this was a rare opportunity for him to perform, and if he messed up, it would probably affect Julien's opinion of him, and as far as the current situation was concerned, it seemed that the situation was somewhat unexpected for Custer. But it doesn't matter, according to Custer, some of them are slave traders in Emerald Town, and if that doesn't work then find another one, and there are options anyway.

"Oh, oh, oh, dear sir............!"

While everyone was waiting in vain, an almost nervous voice sounded, and then a tall, thin figure stepped down the stairs, his hands raised in the air, and a hint of horror on his emaciated face.

"I said that I would definitely pay you back that money before winter, so ..............."

He was only halfway there, and in fact, as soon as he could see who was coming, the tall and thin merchant swallowed his next words, looked at Custer in disbelief, and then strode forward and spread his arms.

"Hey, Custer, isn't this Mr. Custer? It's been a long time, I heard that you transferred the Bird Family Garrison? Now you're ........."

"Alright, Keith, don't get close. ”

Despite saying this, Custer reached out and gave a warm hug to the merchant in front of him.

"I'm working under Lord Yuren, Lord of the Twilight Forest, and in fact, I'm bringing you a deal this time. ”

With that, Custer turned sideways and pushed Julien and O'Fariel forward.

"This is none other than Lord Yuren of the Twilight Forest and his fiancée, Miss Ofariel, who want to buy a batch of slaves from you. ”

"Oh oh oh, I see. ”

Hearing Custer's words, Keith immediately smiled enthusiastically, and he strode forward and shook Yuren's outstretched hand hard.

"Welcome, welcome to both of you, honorable lord and this beautiful young lady, it is really a privilege to be able to serve both of you......... Excuse me, what do you need is ........."

"We need a group of slaves. ”

Yulian withdrew his hand and spoke.

"About seven hundred slaves, in good health, male or female......... I hope you can have good referrals, of course, money is not an issue. ”

"Seven hundred slaves........."

Hearing this, Keith frowned, slightly embarrassed, and he glanced at Custer, who was standing beside him, and showed a wry smile.

"This............ I'm sorry, you two, but I can't get seven hundred slaves right now........."

"How is that possible?"

Hearing this, Yulian hadn't spoken yet, but Custer cried out in surprise.

"I remember that the Hands of Neverwinter used to be in the slave business, and seven hundred slaves should be no problem for you. ”

"It used to be like that, man, but now it's different. ”

Hearing Custer's inquiry, Keith shrugged his shoulders with a bitter face.

"I think you've seen it too, now the hand of Neverwinter is not as good as before, I have lost business and lost a lot of money in the past few years, to tell you the truth, I did buy a group of slaves before, but now ......... I can't sell it. ”

Can't sell?

Hearing this, Yuren and Ofaril glanced at each other curiously, what is this? What does it mean that there is no way to sell it?

"What happened?"

Hearing Yuren's inquiry, Keith was obviously a little hesitant, he thought about it for a moment, and finally sighed helplessly.

"Actually, it's not a big deal, I took over a thousand refugees from Olut before, and I was going to sell them to the south. But just as I was bringing it back to recuperate, a little accident happened........."

Things are not particularly complicated, when Keith was resting, one of the garrison soldiers took a fancy to one of the refugees, and then dragged her out to live happily, anyway, in their opinion, these refugees are slaves, there is no human rights at all, and the merchant is always three points shorter in front of the officers and soldiers, although Kester is worried that such a move will provoke the dissatisfaction of the refugees and stepped forward to stop it, but the other party obviously did not intend to give him any face, and finally forced the girl away.

But then things got troublesome, the little girl was already weak, how could she have endured the abuse of a young man, so when she was sent back to the slave camp, the little girl's life was only half a life, although Keith also sent someone to find a doctor to treat the little girl, but she was too young, her body was too weak, and the methods of the garrison were too cruel, so the little girl was not able to persevere, and finally died. This naturally aroused the anger of the refugees, and their revenge was very simple, they tricked the young garrison soldier into the slave camp, and then beat him to death, and then threw him out.

The action of the refugees caused an uproar, knowing that the garrison soldiers were not civilians, and killing these soldiers was in some senses no different from rebellion. Moreover, the young garrison soldier was the son of the captain of the garrison in this town, so the refugees were soon surrounded by the captain of the garrison, demanding that they hand over their son's murderer, or else they would be trapped here. But these refugees were also stubborn and would rather die than give in, so the two sides were at a stalemate.

For Keith, this is undoubtedly a flying disaster, although he also tried to reconcile, but with little success. It's impossible for him to take those refugees now, but it's impossible to sell them, after all, the garrison is a snake, and no one wants to get into trouble. So for now, Kester could only sigh and steal some food for the refugees, hoping that they would survive this time and sell them when the adult was in a better mood.

It's not that Keith sympathizes with the refugees, as a slave trader should have a work ethic. It's just that since Keith has been losing money in business all these years, and now these refugees are his only hope of recovering his roots, he naturally treats them much better than ordinary slaves. But in fact, more than two months have passed until now, and the two sides have no intention of stopping the confrontation, and Case's money is not endlessly consumed, and the result is also delayed again and again.

A group of refugees?

Hearing this, Yulian narrowed his eyes.

"Where did they come from?"

"They came from the Valley of the Giant Wood in Orrut, and they were captured after Orrut was captured by the Sith, and then sold to me, I originally planned to take them to the south to sell, I believe they should be able to sell for a good price, but now it seems that it is good if they don't lose money........."

"I want it. ”

"Huh?"

Perhaps Yuren's speech was too brief, and Keith didn't react for a moment, his eyes widened in surprise, staring at the young man in front of him.

"You mean ..............."

"I want it, where are they now, I want to go and see the goods, there should be no problem. ”

"This ..............."

Hearing this, Keith looked embarrassed, and he looked at Yulian with some doubts, thinking about the other party's true meaning. This young man probably didn't fail to hear what he just said, so why did he make this decision?

Thinking of this, Keith looked at Custer suspiciously, only to see that he just nodded to himself slowly.

"Then, please come with me. ”

Seeing that the other party had already expressed something, Kate no longer hesitated, anyway, if she dragged on like this, she would definitely lose all her money, so it was better to see what this young man could do to help him solve this problem.

(To be continued)