As a fortress for war, Lapzes is built in a style dominated by hard stone.

However, as the territory of Noxus expanded, many of the cold and hard fortresses used for defense were demolished and replaced by wooden bungalows with a wide view and a soft style.

Now Lapzes, after no need for war preparation, is more of a fortress for trade transit and cultural exchange.

Whether it was the barbarians from the north, the sands from the south, or the western plains, the goods were sealed in Lapzes and then shipped to the Empire.

And those goods that converge from the north and south will also gather here, rest, and send to the western plains.

Therefore, in addition to being known as a fortress, Lapzes is also known as the "Great Bazaar", and there are countless treasures from all over the world.

As early as more than ten years ago, it completed the transformation from a strategic location to a large bazaar.

"Oh, wow, oh! There's so much to be fed here! Poppy walked between the legs of passers-by, eyes looking around excitedly and curiously.

"Be careful, don't touch it, if it breaks, you will have to give money." Anne grabbed the bear with one hand and tried to hold Poppy with the other.

But her movements were still a step slower, and Poppy had already made a few nimble jumps and ran to the front.

"Hey little one, watch your hammer, this is a fine jade." The laborer who moved the goods was a warning.

"Hmph, I'm not a little guy, I have the ability to compete!" Bobby wasn't happy.

"Hahahaha-haha-when you grow a little older, the hammers are taller than you." The laborer smiled and carried the crate and walked away.

Taking advantage of the time she stopped, Seraphine and Anne followed, and Poppy puffed out her cheeks, the corners of her mouth curled down, and looked in the direction where the laborers had left:

"More than once! They always say, 'Hammers are taller than me,' and what does that mean! ”

"Well, I think it's saying that this weapon is really good." Seraphine bent down and replied with a smile.

"Of course, it's a symbol of a hero." Poppy proudly held her head up, "Let's go, let's go to the store in front of us." ”

Poppy said without waiting for Seraphine to reply, and ran over with small, sharp steps.

"Sister Seraphine—" Anne hugged the bear and pulled up half of the corners of her mouth to make a headache expression.

Although on the surface, she is about the same height as Bobby, but mentally, Anne seems to be... Much blander. Of course, against Seraphine he was out of the ranks.

Seraphine touched Anne's little head and said in a brisk tone, "Let's go Anne, there may be something interesting ahead, such as a bear." ”

"Little Bear~!" At the mention of Little Bear, Anne's expression immediately changed, "I like Little Bear the most!" Let's go. ”

Seraphine nodded, glanced at Zhao Xin, who was wearing a full set of Trifali Warband armor behind him, smiled lightly at him, and flew forward on the stage.

At this time, Poppy had already picked a lucky store at random, and was attracted by the iron cage placed in front of the store.

There are several small gray mice in the cage, which are dragging their long tails and making "squeak" sounds.

"Guest officer, do you need a shimmering potion? This is the most sought-after alchemy commodity from Zaun. The boss came up.

"Shimmer Elixir? Sounds interesting. Poppy looked curiously at the purple potion bottles on the shelves.

"Of course, this potion can make you extremely powerful in an instant."

"Powerful?" Poppy's face was half less interested.

"Don't underestimate it, watch it." The boss pulled out a glass bottle from the outer pocket of his trench coat, and the purple liquid that flowed was the same as the one displayed on the shelves.

He first grabbed a mouse from the iron cage, and with a "squeak" of squeaks, the mouse was placed in a transparent, thick-looking, spacious glass box.

Then the boss twisted the lid of the potion open and dripped a drop of liquid into it.

"For a moment."

As soon as he finished speaking, Bobbi saw the rat inside the glass box begin to change.

The blood vessels throughout its body began to turn purple, spreading from the blood vessels to the whole body, and the tiny limbs swelled exaggeratedly like balloons.

The rat began to go berserk and roar wildly, and in a very short time it became the size of a house cat, its tiny teeth protruding outward, extremely sharp and terrifying, violently striking and biting at everything it saw.

"Hell, such a big mouse..."Poppy looked at the mutated creature inside the cage in surprise.

She finally understood why she was using such a large box for mice, and she had no doubt that it would hurt to be bitten by the rats that were now rampant!

The "squeak" bite suddenly subsided, and the size of the rat began to shrink extremely quickly, as fast as the expansion process just now.

Soon, the screams in Bobby's ears and the crash disappeared, and the rat in the glass box lay dead on the ground.

"It's... He's dead? Poppy blinked, clearly not accepting the fact.

"A bottle?"

"No... No, it's horrible, uh, I mean thanks. Poppy said and quickly slipped away.

"This chamber of commerce... Is it true? ”

Seraphine stopped the stage while shopping, and looked at the three-story chamber of commerce in front of her in a bit of a daze, as well as the family crest that she was very familiar with.

The logo is a book that has been opened.

Seraphine stood at the door and looked in, it was bustling with activity, and it was one of the most popular in the entire Grand Bazaar.

"The Meredith Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Commerce founded by the General. Anything you want to buy, you can find it inside. Zhao Xin explained.

"It's really a chamber of commerce opened by a teacher..."

Seraphine subconsciously walked inside, with curiosity in her eyes.

Her two teachers spent a lot of money on magical materials every day in the Floating Castle, and she thought it was an imperial supply, but it didn't seem to be the case.

"Welcome to our store!"

When a few people entered the store, they were greeted by an old man with a tough expression, who looked like he was in his 60s.

"Hello, can you introduce me?" Seraphine greeted her in a friendly way.

"The Meredith Chamber of Commerce is divided into two areas, the east area sells weapons and equipment, and the west area is all kinds of miscellaneous items, which is inclusive of everything."

The man walked in front to guide the way for everyone, and introduced it in a serious way.

Bobbi in the rear was unusual, with a vigilant face falling behind, reaching out to pat Zhao Xin's leg armor, and whispered:

"We have to pay attention, that man used to be an absolute killer, and you can smell the ferocity of him from afar."

"His name is Pudde, and he used to be a captain, and now he's the head of the Lapzes chapter."

Zhao Xin and Pude looked at each other and nodded to each other.

When Poppy saw this scene, his face turned slightly red, and he complained:

"Hell, do you know each other?"

"My teacher used to be General Zhao Xin's boss, and this chamber of commerce is my teacher's family chamber of commerce." Seraphine said with a smile.

"If it weren't for the generals and commanders who let us retire, I would have to kill for a few years."

There was a hint of nostalgia on Pudde's fierce countenance.

"You're old, and the opportunity is best left to the young." Zhao Xin said lightly.

"Fart!" Pude glared at Zhao Xin, "How old are you younger than me?" ”

"I'm better than you."

Hearing Zhao Xin's emotionless words, Pude was suddenly deflated, and waved his hand with some interest:

"Forget it, an old friend came with the general's disciples today, don't talk about this."

Seraphine's big smart eyes swirled between Zhao Xin and Pude, although she couldn't hear Zhao Xin's soul voice now, but through Pude's heart, she could probably guess a lot of information.

Pude is already in his 60s, and at this age, old injuries in his body and physiological decline have made his combat strength fade quickly.

In Runeterra, you need to be at least a hero to maintain your combat power at this age.

Of course, when you reach the grandmaster level, you are just as strong no matter how old you are. Especially in the martial arts vein, the older you get, the stronger you get.

After the Battle of Presidian, Svein resigned from the military and returned to the Immortal Fortress as a loser, while Ryan stayed in the fiefdom for a while, dismissing some of the remaining soldiers, and only retaining the young and strong ones.

Grote, Pudder, and many people she knew were soldiers who would retire there for various reasons.

But almost every one she knew, whatever the reason for retiring, seemed to have gotten a good home.

As they walked, Pud led the four to the West End.

Facing the hypermarket-like interior, Seraphine and the others widened their eyes.

The shelves are full of all kinds of goods, many people come and go, from time to time to discuss, and from time to time to say a few words to the shop's shopping guide, the whole scene is very lively.

Pude noticed the expressions of several people, straightened his chest and said:

"The Meredith Chamber of Commerce is the largest chamber of commerce in the empire, and everything can be bought with us, from war equipment to pots and pans."

"The most crowded area is the specialty area, which sells ice silkworms from Freljord, ale from Shurima, and technological gadgets from Piltover. Oh, and wheat and rice from the western plains. ”

At the end, Pude grinned with contempt in his eyes.

"Your Excellency, you seem to look down on Demacia?" Bobby stepped forward, frowning slightly.

"Not really, we now have to serve the good Demacians, who are our rich lords. The strategy of the generals and commanders is still unmatched. Pudd laughed.

"And why are you?"

Poppy was a little confused, just now Pude was obviously looking down on his face, why did he put the Demacians so high in his words.

"Come over here."

Pude takes them to the Merchandise section of Demacia, where there are many things, from clothes and food to household utensils.

"It's so cheap..."

Seraphine looked at these household items from Demacia and couldn't help but sigh.

One Trefali gold coin can be exchanged for 50 kilograms of rice and 5 hand-woven cloth clothes.

Not only that, in Noxus, you can only buy 1 kilogram of ordinary animal meat for a gold coin, but in the Demacian commodity area, you can buy 5 kilograms.

"That's right, their citizens are miserable."

Pudd had a mockery on his face:

"Ever since trade began between Demacia and Noxus, the nobles have been eager to bring their wealth to us to sell.

"You don't see that most of the people here are Noxians, but they don't really buy much. There were many people from the noble families of Demacia, who could buy several carts of things at a time. ”

Seraphine nodded, looking around curiously, focusing on some of the people for a moment.

The chain is a chain and a chain is a >

The Laurent family, the Bouvier family, the Corona family, the light shield...

There are almost everything, but most of them are people who work for the side of the family.

After all, the family lineage of Xiongdu doesn't need to come here...

"Isn't it a good thing, they bring things from all over the world back to sell, and it can also improve the lives of the people of Lower Demacia." Poppy was a little confused.

Before entering this shop, they also visited a lot of small stalls.

Many of these gadgets caught her attention deeply.

For example, a small flying system for children, she can just sit down.

If she hadn't been able to get any of them, she would have bought them a long time ago.

That's 100 Trevary Coins!

When she has money, she must be an admirable yodeler!

"yes, they improve their standard of living, and we're responsible for tailoring something fun for them." Pudder laughed.

Hearing the voice of his soul, Seraphine was slightly silent.

The dumping of commodities had only one consequence, and the oppression of the commoners by the Demacian aristocracy was even greater.

In order to get enough enjoyment from Noxus and the rest of the world, their spending is bound to increase.

In this era of trade in Runeterra, if they want to maintain their spending, they must also increase their exports.

And these exits can only be produced from civilians in their territory.

Demacian civilians, who used to work for half a day to feed three people, may now have to work all day, or they may have to work together as husband and wife.

With the character of the Demacians, as long as the nobles give a certain amount of good fortune and provide appropriate incentives, they can make the commoners grateful to Dade.

And these simple means are written in the books that the empire gave to the nobles of Demacia. In the book, Svein and her teacher evaluated the flaws in the slavery practices of those kingdoms and principalities and suggested ways to improve them.

All of these may be disliked by the nobles when they first open, but when they come to the back, they will inevitably rush to it.

On the surface, the nobles of Demacia were better enjoyed, while the commoners were more striving. On the other hand, the empire reaped tangible money, resources, and labor.

Seemingly, a win-win-win...

If she hadn't studied her teacher's theoretical knowledge as a whole, she wouldn't have been able to see the mystery.

The threat of Demacia will be minimized...

Seraphine looked at the goods from Demacia, and saw Poppy praise Noxus for his generosity with a satisfied face, and her body trembled slightly.

The struggle between nations has never been limited to war.

It was a famous phrase from her teacher, and she now understands the meaning of it.

Come out and see... There is a lot to be gained.

With a learning attitude, Seraphine observed her surroundings, using the entire Chamber of Commerce as a microcosm of the world's strife to understand some of the problems she had not thought about.

Of all the goods, she summed up some patterns.

The goods from Noxus are more mainly weapons, or mechanical products with a high technical content. These weapons and machines are far superior to those in other regions, and they are not too expensive.

On the contrary, the goods from Demacia are mainly based on the necessities of life, with no technical content, and the unit price is very low, but it is better than the quantity.

Often, a few tons of rice and wheat were exchanged for a Hex firearm from the Empire.

And that kind of firearm is nothing more than the work of the academy's apprentices.

Seraphine had heard from Orianna that the mechanical production line for Hex's low-end weapons had been completed, and that it would hardly require too many people, as long as the raw materials were available, they could be mass-produced.

As for the raw materials and semi-finished products, she saw a lot in the Piltover exhibition area, they sold raw materials for manufacturing machinery or some small technological inventions, such as the handiwork of independent producers.

In comparison, Zu'an District is more of an alchemy drug. Victor didn't let him follow the Hex path because he became the ruler of Zuan.

On the contrary, Zu An still maintained the characteristics of his own alchemy medicine, and even fused it with technology to create many high-grade alchemy potions with low side effects and good effects.

In comparison, the goods in Shurima and Ferreljord are simple.

Except for the barbarians who will sell some sophisticated cold weapons, as far as Seraphine has seen, the two regions are mainly trafficked in natural resources, and they basically rely on the sky for food.

Although there are not many types of items sold, the unit price is quite high, and it is extremely valuable.

And the goods of the Ionian region... Except for some beautiful flowers and plants, the rest of the goods are not seen here.

Seraphine knew only about that area where Ms. Sindra was born, and her teacher had a connection to it.

In addition, there are very few records about the customs and customs there.

In the teacher's notes, more of them also record the findings during the march, and there is very little introduction to the local history.

After feasting their eyes, almost everyone was unusually satisfied.

Anne buys a fiery red hairpin from Piltover, and Poppy borrows money to buy a few sets of clothes from Demacia, saying that she doesn't have civilian clothes and wants to try them.

Seraphine didn't buy anything, but what she gained was something far more valuable than a commodity.

When she went out, she hesitated for a while, but still asked Zhao Xin:

"General Zhao Xin... Why didn't you see such a big chamber of commerce in the Immortal Fortress? ”

She knew the streets of the Immortal Fortress even more than she grew up in Piltover.

She had never seen such a large trading center in the Immortal Fortress, let alone the Meredith Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber of commerce opened by his own teacher, there is no reason why it should not be in the Immortal Fortress.

Zhao Xin shook his head with a hint of remembrance in his eyes:

"The Immortal Fortress really didn't, and the general didn't want to drive the Chamber of Commerce to Noxus at that time. In fact, apart from the trading cities, although there are Meredith chambers of commerce in all other places, none of them are the largest in the region. ”

"Why?" Seraphine was a little curious.

"This is a strategy set by the commander and the general, first because Darkwell and the nobles jointly suppressed it, so that the Chamber of Commerce could not enter the immortal fortress. But later, the general once said..."

"Even if it is them, there is no way to ensure that something similar to the suppression of the Chamber of Commerce will not happen. Although the generals won't do it, it's hard to guarantee that the people below will have a bad head. ”

Zhao Xin sighed and continued:

"So simply, the general set up the rule of not opening a chamber of commerce in the immortal fortress. Instead, a trade union was formed to ensure the complete freedom of commerce and trade in the Immortal Fortress. ”

Since there will be no interests involved, is it more suitable to be an arbiter?

Seraphine nodded, understanding her teacher's thoughts.

"The Meredith Chamber of Commerce doesn't just belong to the General, he's good to us and those brothers." Zhao Xin said suddenly, "The general himself only accounts for 4 percent, and the commander accounts for 2 percent, and I heard that he has given up now and all of them belong to the empire." ”

"10-4-2 is equal to 4! What about the remaining 4 percent? Poppy interjected.

"Those 4 percent were given to retired veterans, whether or not they had fought alongside us. It's just that the people who followed the general back then had more points. And there will be more like Pude who still works in the Chamber of Commerce. Zhao Xin said.

"Thank you for your explanation, General Zhao Xin, I really benefited a lot today."

Seraphine nodded with a smile and bowed slightly to Zhao Xin in thanks.

Today she noticed that Zhao Xin's words were much more than in the past. Or it can't be said like this, it should be that as long as her teacher is involved, there will be a lot of words.

And in the words, there is always great reverence.

She can also feel that the longer she is in contact, the more she can understand the personality charm of her teacher.

On the battlefield, Ryan is a mage general who charges on the front lines.

In the Empire, he was the head of parliament who gave advice to intimidate enemy nations.

In the eyes of the Noxians, he is the trustworthy leader who will bring them a bright future.

And in her eyes...

Seraphine smiled slightly, did not give an exact answer, and floated towards the camp first. chaptere

( = )