23: The deal with Aldridge

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the castle in the center of Tianhai City. Linn stood before the heavy oak gates and announced his name.

As expected, he did not wait long before being led by an attendant through the heavily guarded corridor to the reception room of the City Lord, Aldrich.

Inside the room, Aldrich—the City Lord of Tianhai City—was sitting behind a large desk. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the tabletop, his gaze sharply scrutinizing Linn as he walked in.

"Respected Lord Aldrich, good afternoon." Linn stepped forward and performed a standard noble bow.

"Lynn Ellis?" Aldrich's voice carried a trace of imperceptible surprise. "I didn't expect to see you in Tianhai City again. The Storm Sea Region... seems to be a bit more merciful than the rumors suggest."

As the City Lord of one of the port cities closest to the Storm Sea Region, he knew all too well the cruelty of that area. Every year, dream-filled Pioneer Knights met their end in the bellies of sea monsters or vanished on desolate islands. For a young noble like Linn, who had been "exiled" by his Family, returning alive was already a rarity.

Linn calmly withstood the other's gaze and bowed slightly: "Lord Aldrich, thank you for being willing to see me. The Storm Sea Region is indeed fraught with danger, but the Goddess of Dawn seems to have stood by my side for the time being."

"Then, young man of the Alistair Family, what is the purpose of your visit?" Aldrich cut straight to the chase; he didn't believe the other party was just here to pay respects.

Linn stood straight, looking calmly into Aldrich's eyes: "I hope to make a deal with you, a deal... about iron and blood."

Linn paused deliberately, observing the other's reaction.

"Oh?" The last time Linn had brought a gift, it had won a sliver of goodwill from Aldrich. He spoke with a teasing tone: "Little guy, what do you want to trade for here?"

Linn no longer hid his capabilities and couldn't be bothered to explain. He took out the magic bag given by the Blue Silver Merchant Guild and pulled a wooden chest filled with gold coins from it—at least several thousand. The gold coins glittered in the sunlight.

Upon seeing this, Aldrich hurriedly stood up and shut the room's doors tightly.

"Knight Lynn Ellis," Aldrich switched to the formal title of the Kingdom. "What do you wish to obtain from me?"

"I need 200 sets of common soldier armor, 50 sets of Apprentice Knight-level armor, 10 sets of Bronze Rank armor, and 10 sets of Silver Rank armor."

"As for weapons, I need 10 Bronze Rank weapons, 6 Silver Rank weapons, and one Silver Rank Staff."

"In addition, I also need a large cargo sailing ship, and... 2,000 healthy Slaves."

As Linn listed each item, the surprise that initially carried a hint of contempt in Aldrich's expression was gradually replaced by genuine shock. The scale of this procurement list far exceeded the Early Stage needs of an ordinary pioneer territory, even surpassing the total of many small lords who had been operating for years! This was definitely not something an exiled person who had survived by luck could afford. Clearly, he had encountered an opportunity in the sea region.

"13,000 gold coins." Aldrich made a quick mental calculation and quoted a tentative total price, his gaze fixed tightly on Linn. "Young Pioneer Knight, are you certain you want to proceed with this transaction?"

"Lord Aldrich," Linn said in a steady tone, "but I hope to get a fairer price. After all, the future Iron Sand Island may still need to obtain more... support from Tianhai City."

He deliberately emphasized the word "more," hinting at the possibility of long-term cooperation.

Aldrich's gaze lingered on the pile of gold coins for a moment before returning to Linn's face. The financial strength and calmness displayed by this young Pioneer Knight forced him to re-evaluate his value. He pondered for a long while, tapped his fingers on the desk again, and said:

"Common armor is 10 coins per set, so 300 sets is 3,000 gold coins. Apprentice-level armor is 20 gold coins per set, 50 sets is 1,000 gold coins. Bronze armor is 30 gold coins per set, 10 sets is 300 gold coins. Silver armor is 50 gold coins per set, 10 sets is 500 gold coins."

"Bronze weapons are 30 gold coins each, 10 weapons is 300 gold coins. Silver weapons are 100 gold coins each, 6 weapons is 600 gold coins. Additionally, the Silver Rank Staff will be 300 gold coins."

"The large cargo ship is 300 gold coins. Two thousand Slaves, based on physique and skills, average 2 gold coins each, totaling 4,000 gold coins."

"Adding it all up, that's 10,300 gold coins."

After quoting the price, Aldrich looked at Linn and said hypocritically: "We are both serving the Kingdom, and things are not easy for you at sea. Let's wipe off the remainder; 10,000 gold coins flat. How about that? This is my greatest sincerity."

"Old fart, saying I serve the Kingdom is one thing, but you including yourself is truly shameless. However, this is even lower than I expected." Linn thought to himself.

Linn understood that this wiped-off 300 gold coins was not just a discount, but an investment—a bet by Aldrich on this Pioneer Knight who had "accidentally" survived and shown potential. As a dignified high-ranking official of the Aulai Kingdom, he had many resources at his disposal to trade; one-off deals were far inferior to long-term gains.

"Deal!" Linn did not hesitate at all and reached out his hand. "Thank you for your generosity, Lord Aldrich. I hope this is the beginning of a long-term, mutually beneficial cooperation between both parties."

Aldrich finally stood up and shook hands with Linn, a meaningful smile appearing on his face: "I look forward to it, Knight Linn. The goods and Slaves will be delivered to your ship in batches within three days. As for that large cargo ship, you can send someone to receive it at Pier 3 of the harbor right now."

When he left the City Lord's castle, night had already fallen. Linn looked back at the brightly lit castle, knowing in his heart that from this day on, in the mind of the highest ruler of Tianhai City, he had shifted from a negligible "exile" to a "potential partner" worth paying some attention to.

And what he had exchanged for 10,000 gold coins would be the armed forces and development Foundation that Iron Sand Island urgently needed. As long as these supplies were safely transported back to Iron Sand Island, the overall strength of Iron Sand Island would increase exponentially.

I wonder how Elise and Ocean are doing with finding a mercenary group.

Before the sun officially set below the horizon, Linn also went to the high-end slave talent market and purchased several skilled artisan Slaves. Five blacksmiths and five shipbuilders. It cost 800 gold coins.

Then he spent another 500 gold coins to purchase a batch of grain, facing the insufficiency of food production for the increased population. Now, including the gold coins brought from Iron Sand Island, Linn only had a total of 1,400 gold coins left.

Linn couldn't help but recall a saying often heard in his previous life: "Earning money is like using a needle to pick up dirt, while spending money is like water washing away sand."

When Linn returned to the sea wave, Elise, Ocean, and Hogan were already waiting.

"My Lord," Ocean greeted Linn. "We inquired in Tianhai City and found a Wild Lion Mercenary Group. They have a good reputation and are often hired to escort merchant fleets out to sea. Their captain, Merckdor, possesses the strength of a Gold Initial Rank. However, if you want Merckdor to personally accept the commission, the price is very high. He charges a 300 gold coin commission for one trip, and if there are any casualties, additional payment is required."

"It's fine. Ocean, take the gold coins tomorrow and sign an employment contract with him." Two months ago, 300 gold coins would have been Linn's entire net worth, but now, Linn didn't feel a twinge of pain spending 300 gold coins. Transporting this batch of supplies back to Iron Sand Island safely was more important than anything else.