126: Cooperation (4000 words)

Outside the Earl's castle.

"Commander Coverdale, this is the Lord of Ironthorn Territory, Lord Lister Howard."

"Lord Howard, this is the Earl's Chief Guard, the Commander of the Night Knights, Lord Brood Coverdale."

Looking at the middle-aged man before him, whose battle qi energy was restrained yet filled with intense killing intent and an overwhelming sense of pressure.

While marveling in his heart, Lister performed a kingdom salute and greeted, "Lister Howard, greetings, Lord Coverdale."

"Haha." Brood laughed heartily and said sincerely, "No need for that, just call me Brood. I must thank you for saving Lady Daisna's life; I've taken this favor to heart."

"If you don't mind, I'll call you Lister?"

"It's my honor," Lister smiled calmly.

Seeing his steady and composed demeanor, the look of appreciation in Brood's eyes grew even stronger.

At the same time, his perception swept over, and he couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration. "Truly, the younger generation is to be feared. Lister, to reach such an extraordinary knightly realm at your age, you're even stronger than I was when I was young."

"Lord Brood, you overpraise me. You are a Golden Knight; my bit of talent is not worth mentioning. It's just that I work a little harder in my daily cultivation," Lister said modestly.

Without dwelling on the topic, Brood said with a face full of smiles, "Come, I'll take you to see the Earl and Lady Daisna. They can't wait to see you."

"Lister, what is that you're carrying in your hand?"

Lister, who was feeling joyful at the thought of seeing Daisna soon, saw Brood looking at the Distilled Liquor vessel in his hand. Just as he was about to answer, Bruer spoke up first to explain.

"Lord Coverdale, this is a gift from Lord Howard for the Earl. It's a fine liquor brewed using a unique method from Ironthorn Territory called ironthorn whiskey. It can be described as world-class."

"A unique fine liquor!"

Brood's eyes lit up, and he praised, "If even Bruer praises it as world-class, it must be extraordinary. I'll have to have a good taste of it later!"

Lister said confidently, "It certainly won't disappoint you, Lord Brood."

Nodding in appreciation, Brood led Lister toward the Earl's room on the fifth floor of the castle.

Outside the Earl's room on the fifth floor, Brood tapped gently on the door and said, "Lord Earl, Lady Daisna, Lister has arrived."

"Enter," came Earl Elsid's deep voice.

Opening the door, Lister walked in and immediately saw Daisna sitting beside the main seat, his eyes lighting up.

Today, Daisna was wearing a bright yellow long dress. She looked like a tulip, exuding an aura of elegance, nobility, and refinement.

Seeing Lister, Daisna's face lit up with joy, and her smile bloomed like a tulip.

Seeing the two of them lock eyes and ignore him, Earl Elsid cleared his throat softly.

Lister reacted immediately, bowing and greeting, "Lister Howard, Lord of Ironthorn Territory, greetings, Earl Fland."

After sizing Lister up, Elsid nodded inwardly.

'His attitude is neither humble nor arrogant, his talent and strength are outstanding, and he's quite handsome. No wonder he's been on my precious daughter's mind for so long, to the point that she even had a rare little argument with me.'

Although his first impression was good, Elsid remained calm and said, "No need for formalities, please sit down."

Seeing Elsid's unapproachable look, Daisna, standing beside him, gave him a subtle pinch.

Although Elsid was a Golden Knight, a girl's pinch always seemed to have a special kind of magic.

Consequently, he couldn't help but feel a slight sting. After his mouth twitched, he put on a faint smile.

A grown daughter cannot be kept at home!

Sitting in his seat, Lister felt surprised by Elsid's sudden change in expression.

He had already understood Elsid's previous posture; after all, he was a man who had practically stolen the heart of the Earl's most beloved daughter.

If it were him, he would also find it hard to show a friendly face, but Elsid's transition was just too fast.

While Lister was still puzzled, Elsid spoke up and expressed his sincere thanks for Lister saving Daisna last time.

After a bit of modesty, Daisna, who was beside them, smiled and said, "Lister, did you bring any gifts for me this time?"

Perhaps feeling it was a bit too intimate, she added, "We are friends, after all. You wouldn't have forgotten, right?"

"Hehe, of course not," Lister chuckled. He took out some specially made high-end bath products from his storage ring and said, "These are bath products recently produced in Ironthorn Territory. This set in my hand was specially customized for you; it's one of a kind."

"One of a kind!"

Daisna's face lit up with joy. She hurried over, took the bath products, and examined them. "The packaging is so exquisite! Thank you, Lister."

"I'm glad you like it," Lister smiled gently, then looked at Elsid and said:

"Lord Earl, I've also brought a large carriage full of bath products and other daily necessities outside. They are all unique products newly produced in Ironthorn Territory."

"Half of them are specifically for you and Daisna. I hope you won't mind."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Elsid nodded with a smile. Then, looking at the Distilled Liquor vessel in Lister's hand, he asked curiously, "Lister, I smelled a fragrance of alcohol just now. Is that wine in your hand?"

Lister nodded in admiration. "Your sense of smell is impressive, Lord Earl. This is the ironthorn whiskey newly brewed in our Ironthorn Territory. There are several carriages outside specifically for you, Lord Earl."

"At the same time, I have several carriages I plan to sell in Aetheria. However, I have no foundation in Aetheria and might be targeted by various parties."

"So, I would like to cooperate with you, Lord Earl, and seek your protection."

Hearing this, Elsid was surprised by Lister's bluntness, but he couldn't help but show a look of appreciation.

Although he had become somewhat more tactful since becoming an Earl, his inherent personality still preferred straightforwardness.

In this regard, Lister was exactly to his taste. However, he was even more surprised by Lister's confidence—his confidence in ironthorn whiskey.

From Lister's words just now, it was clear that he felt his liquor was of excellent quality and would sell very well in Aetheria.

Otherwise, if he were selling poor-quality liquor, how could he be targeted in Aetheria?

The thought flashed through his mind, and Elsid sat up a bit straighter. "Since you want to cooperate with me, let me see the quality of your liquor."

Lister nodded and opened the lid of the liquor vessel. Immediately, a rich fragrance of alcohol wafted out.

At the same time, two cups appeared out of thin air in his hands. He poured a cup for each and handed them to Elsid and Brood, saying, "Please taste it, Lord Earl and Lord Brood."

Soon, after carefully tasting it, both of them couldn't help but show expressions of enjoyment.

Brood spoke first, saying with some excitement, "Lister, the taste of this liquor is truly amazing. No wonder Bruer was full of praise just now."

"It is indeed a fine liquor," Elsid nodded in agreement.

Although he appeared calm on the surface, his heart was already filled with satisfaction.

Because of his battles with foreign races, he had traveled to many places in the first half of his life and had been to all the major cities in the kingdom.

Whether it was in Aetheria or the fine wines of those major cities and the royal capital, he had tasted them all, with the royal tribute wines being the most delicious.

However, compared to the ironthorn whiskey brought by Lister, they were still quite inferior.

He was certain that once ironthorn whiskey began selling in Aetheria, it would definitely be a huge hit.

With the intention to cooperate settled in his mind, Elsid said, "Lister, I agree to the cooperation you mentioned. I know you don't have any shops in Aetheria."

"So from now on, ironthorn whiskey will be sold through the taverns I directly manage. Production will be handled by your Ironthorn Territory, and I will arrange for people to handle the transportation."

"As for the sales split, how about fifty-fifty?"

Hearing this, Lister felt a surge of joy but maintained a steady smile. "I have no objection. We'll do as you say, Lord Earl."

Elsid nodded with a smile and continued, "Lister, how are you pricing this ironthorn whiskey?"

"The price can be divided into several tiers," Lister explained. "The original intention of producing ironthorn whiskey was so that the Serfs of Ironthorn Territory could drink it regularly, so most of it is not priced high."

"Of course, besides the affordable varieties, ironthorn whiskey also has other high-end varieties that can be sold to nobles, officials, and the like."

Elsid was somewhat surprised to hear this. He thought such a delicious liquor would be very expensive, but he didn't expect that even commoners could afford it.

If that was truly the case, by his estimation, let alone other places, with Aetheria's population base, just selling ironthorn whiskey in Aetheria alone...

...the profits would definitely be a figure that even he would find incredibly tempting, not to mention that it certainly wouldn't be sold only in Aetheria.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but praise, "Lister, it's truly rare for you to have such a heart. The Serfs of Ironthorn Territory are lucky to have a lord like you."

"Thank you for the praise, Lord Earl. You flatter me."

Seeing Lister's modesty, Elsid nodded and said, "Alright, next, Daisna will take you on a tour of the surroundings. I still have some official business to attend to."

Bowing in response, Lister left with Daisna.

Watching their retreating backs, Brood couldn't help but sigh, "A handsome man and a beautiful woman, and they're of similar age. They really are a perfect match."

"Is that so? Brood, do you think that highly of him?"

Hearing the voice that suddenly rang in his ear, Brood's expression froze. He pretended to cough twice, as if he wasn't the one who had just spoken.

"It won't be that easy if he wants to be my son-in-law," Elsid said meaningfully... On the other side, as they walked through the manor, Daisna continuously introduced things to Lister.

Unlike his small lord's castle, the Earl's castle was surrounded by a massive manor.

It not only had various planting areas, livestock areas, and so on, but also a series of facilities and buildings like a large knight training ground.

Looking at it as a whole, the Earl's castle manor was like a small town, with everything one could need.

Looking at Lister, Daisna asked, "Lister, that ironthorn whiskey just now, and those bath products—you were the one who designed and developed them, right?"

Lister smiled and didn't speak. Seeing this, Daisna wore a "just as I thought" look.

"I didn't expect that in just the month since I left, you've actually developed so many things. How is the development of Ironthorn Territory going now?"

Hearing this, Lister began to recount in detail how he had been developing Ironthorn Territory during this time.

After listening, Daisna showed a look of immense admiration and said, "Lister, with your talent, governing Ironthorn Territory is truly a waste. You should be a magistrate in one of those large territories."

"magistrate?" Lister was taken aback, then teased, "Wouldn't that lower my status by a rank from being a noble? The Earl would probably look down on me then."

Catching the hidden meaning in his words, Daisna's cheeks immediately flushed. She said bashfully, "What are you talking about? We haven't seen each other for only a few days, and your skin has gotten even thicker."

"Is that so? I feel like I've always been like this," Lister said "shamelessly."

Daisna huffed and said, "Forget it, I'm not talking to you anymore."

As they spoke, the two arrived beside the knight training ground, where a large number of knights were sparring and competing with each other.

Excited shouts and cheers continuously rang out from the field.

With a "boom," a burly knight was forced back repeatedly by a young man in golden armor until he couldn't hold on any longer and fell completely to the ground.

The young man laughed loudly. "House, you've really regressed lately."

"It's not that I've regressed, but that you've grown stronger again, Young Master Glaisdon."

The burly knight named House stood up and praised sincerely, "Your progress is truly too fast. I am filled with admiration."

The surrounding knights all echoed their praise.

None of them spoke in a tone of deliberate flattery, because what House had just said was the truth.

"Third Brother, you're showing off in the training ground again."

Glaisdon, who was enjoying the flattery, suddenly heard a soft female voice by his ear, and his expression immediately froze.

Turning his head, he saw Daisna approaching him with Lister.

His face fell as he said, "Daisna, why are you here?"

As her brother, he liked his sister Daisna very much, but every time, Daisna loved to pull the rug out from under him, especially when he was showing off.

So it got to the point where every time before he showed off, he had to check if Daisna was around; it had become muscle memory.

"What, I'm not welcome? Then should I leave?" Daisna placed her hands in front of her and gave a faint smile.

Seeing this, the surrounding knights hurriedly bowed and greeted her, and Daisna responded with a smile and a nod.

But Glaisdon felt a chill down his spine and quickly said, "No, no, Third Brother welcomes you more than anything. How could I possibly drive you away?"

Seeing her skeptical look, Glaisdon quickly changed the subject and looked at Lister beside her, asking, "Daisna, who is this?"

"Third Brother, let me introduce you. He is the Lord of Ironthorn Territory, Baron Lister Howard. He's the one who saved me last time, and he's also my good friend," Daisna introduced, stepping aside.

Glaisdon's expression turned to one of joy. "So you are Daisna's savior. Lord Howard, thank you so much."