46: trading

Tianhai City's bustling port was as noisy as ever. Linn's fleet slowly docked. He ordered Karl to lead most of the soldiers to guard the ships, while he, taking Shirei, skillfully entered the familiar doors of the Blue Silver Merchant Guild once again.

It was still the elegant transaction room, and still the shrewd and capable Lilith. When Linn appeared before her again, the surprise in Lilith's eyes was almost impossible to conceal. Only a few months had passed since Linn last sold level two potions and purchased level three Materials, and she never expected that this young Lord would not only successfully advance to a Third-level Apothecary but also be able to produce such a large batch of finished products so quickly.

"Respected Lord Linn, welcome back!" Lilith quickly composed herself, her attitude even more respectful than before, carrying a hint of awe. A level two Apothecary so young was already rare; to achieve a Breakthrough to level three in such a short time meant his talent was simply astonishing.

"Young Miss Lilith, I trust you have been well." Linn smiled and sat down. Without excessive pleasantries, he went straight to the point. "This time, I have brought 200 bottles of level three potion for sale."

He signaled Shirei to place a large wooden box on the table. The moment the lid opened, a rich yet gentle medicinal energy fluctuation spread out. Inside the neatly stacked crystal bottles, high-quality level three potions shimmered.

Lilith suppressed the shock in her heart. After careful inspection, she took a deep breath and offered an extremely fair price: "Lord Linn, the quality of your potions is excellent as always, with the medicinal potency stable at over seventy percent. Given that you are our important partner, we are willing to purchase all of them at a price of 35 gold coins per bottle, totaling 7,000 gold coins. What do you think?"

This price was higher than, or at least equal to, the market price, fully demonstrating the Blue Silver Merchant Guild's, or rather Lilith's personal, strong desire to win Linn over. Linn nodded in satisfaction: "Pleasure working with you."

"By the way, Lord Linn, I might not be serving you anymore in the future!" Lilith said regretfully.

"Why?" Linn asked, puzzled.

"Our Blue Silver Family is preparing to establish a new branch in Haige City, a coastal city further north, and I will become the person in charge there," Lilith explained.

"That's good news then, I must congratulate you on your promotion. Is Haige City Count Loren's territory?" Linn asked.

"Yes, Lord, that is Count Loren's territory. Do you have any concerns?" Lilith asked, confused.

"It's like this: a good friend of mine is Count Loren's legitimate eldest son, named Payson. If you happen to see him, please tell him for me that I am doing well and he shouldn't worry."

Linn thought of the crossbow Payson had given him, which he kept in his breath of life. He couldn't help but miss his only friend.

Then Linn thought about wanting to develop the Shattered Star Archipelago. It was closer to Haige City than Tianhai City. "Young Miss Lilith, perhaps we will have a chance to cooperate in the future."

"Really? That would be wonderful! Don't worry, if I meet your friend, I will definitely pass on your regards." Lilith had a very good impression of Linn. The reason her status in the Blue Silver Family had increased was partly due to Linn's contribution.

The transaction was successfully completed, and 7,000 glittering coins were stored in the breath of life. Lilith personally escorted Linn out of the Merchant Guild's door, adopting a very humble posture. She had already decided that no matter the cost, she must firmly maintain the relationship with this young, infinitely potential Apothecary and Lord.

Leaving the Blue Silver Merchant Guild, Linn did not stop, heading straight for the center of power in Tianhai City—the Governor's Castle.

Hearing of Linn's visit, Governor Aldrich quickly received him. In the Reception Hall, Aldrich looked at the young man, whose demeanor was increasingly steady and whose eyes were sharp, feeling a flood of emotions. The descendant of an exiled noble who once needed to cautiously offer gifts to request an audience was now clearly a representative of a Force that could not be underestimated.

"Little Linn—no, perhaps I should call you Lord Linn now," Aldrich said with a merchant-like smile. "What major business brings you here this time?"

Linn did not beat around the bush and immediately stated his procurement list: "Governor, you jest. I require 500 sets of standard soldier armor and 100 sets of trainee knight armor. Additionally, I need 2,000 healthy Slavess, preferably young and strong men who can immediately be put to work."

Aldrich was greatly shocked. Every time Linn visited, the volume of his purchases was immense. If he weren't sitting in the position of Tianhai City's Governor, he probably couldn't gather these supplies.

Aldrich quickly calculated in his mind. This batch of military supplies and Slavess was no small amount; it seemed Linn's development on Iron Sand Island far exceeded his expectations. He pondered for a moment and offered a relatively favorable price: "Just like last time. For the armor, standard issue is 10 gold coins per set, and trainee grade is 20 gold coins, totaling 7,000 gold coins. Slavess are priced at an average of 2 gold coins each, totaling 4,000 gold coins. The grand total is 11,000 gold coins. Considering our relationship, I'll waive the odd amount, making it a round 10,000 gold coins. How does that sound?"

The price indeed offered a discount. Linn readily agreed: "Thank you for your generosity, Governor. However, there's no need to waive the odd amount; this is the respect I should offer. Furthermore, there is one more matter I need your help with." He paused and continued, "Iron Sand Island now has a preliminary scale. I wish to formally submit an application to the Kingdom for promotion to the rank of Baron. I hope you can introduce me and forward the documents."

A sharp glint flashed in Aldrich's eyes. He was not surprised by this. The financial resources, military strength, and his status as an Apothecary that Linn displayed had long met the standards for a Baron. He stroked his beard and readily agreed: "This is excellent! The Kingdom needs young talents like you who are brave enough to pioneer and good at management. Don't worry, the application documents are my responsibility. I will submit them to the Privy Council, along with a letter of recommendation in my capacity as Governor of Tianhai City. I presume Inspector Philip will also mention something upon his return." He gave Linn a meaningful look, clearly having heard rumors about Linn's "sensibility" on Thunder Island.

While agreeing, Aldrich couldn't help but sigh inwardly: the House of Earl Alistair had probably misjudged this time, abandoning or even 'exiling' such an outstanding descendant. If Linn were allowed to truly grow and acquire the power to oppose the Family of Earl Alistair, would the Earl Alistair, far away in the interior, regret his initial decision? He seemed to foresee that the future of this sea region, and even wider areas, might be stirred up by this young man.

"Little Linn, you and I are old friends now." Aldrich couldn't help but feel the desire to build a stronger connection, given Linn's rapid growth. "The Kingdom is preparing to once again unite with the Fama Kingdom to wage war against the Northern Lands, though the timing is still uncertain. You must quickly gain some strength; participating in that war will yield tremendous benefits."

Hearing this, Linn couldn't help but sigh inwardly that not long after the last defeat, the Kingdom was trying to provoke another war. Coupled with the Kingdom's large-scale development of the Storm Sea Region, it seemed a bit rash. However, none of this was his immediate concern.

"Thank you for the information, Governor!" Linn stood up and bowed respectfully. After finalizing the details of the goods delivery and slave transfer with Aldrich, he took his leave.

After Linn paid the 11,000 gold coins for the goods, he still held over 2,000 in liquid funds. He wasted no more time and rendezvoused with the fleet, which had finished loading. He notified Karl to take a portion of the soldiers to purchase large quantities of grain. As the population increased, self-produced grain was far from sufficient, which was why Linn was eager to expand his new territory.

A few days later.

Looking at the brand-new armor, grain, and the dense crowd of new Slavess whose eyes held confusion and anticipation inside the ship's hold, Linn stood at the bow and ordered the fleet to set sail.

This time, Linn did not spend gold coins hiring a Guard Mercenary Group. With the hundred elite soldiers he brought and his own High Silver Rank strength, entering the Sarlu Archipelago safely should not be a problem.