17: Chapter 17 Ice Lake City! Hyrule Empire Gold Coins!

Ice Lake City was not ruled by a single noble, but was instead managed by a merchant alliance formed by several powerful nearby nobles. It had a relatively open atmosphere and highly developed commerce.

Rowan brought only two guards with him, traveling light.

A few days later, he saw the gray-white walls of Ice Lake City, and in the distance, the vast expanse of the lake's surface.

After entering the city, he first went to a long-established lakeside restaurant to satisfy his appetite.

The fresh, sweet, and cool taste of Ice Crystal Shrimp melted on the tip of his tongue, sending a refreshing chill sliding directly down his esophagus.

It contained an extremely faint trace of magical energy, providing even an Official Knight like him with a sliver of nourishment.

The price was a bit steep, costing one gold coin.

After enjoying the fine food, Rowan did not delay any further.

He arrived at the Frost-Plated Chamber of Commerce, which had a good reputation in the city.

The chamber's hall was spacious and bright, filled with a dazzling array of goods and bustling with many traveling merchants.

Rowan walked to the appraisal counter and took out an ancient-looking gold coin, placing it on the black velvet-covered surface.

"Appraise this," he said in a flat tone.

Seeing this, the old appraiser behind the counter put on a monocle, picked up the gold coin, and began the appraisal.

A moment later, he set down his tools and carefully placed the gold coin back on the velvet cloth, saying:

"Honored guest, if my old eyes haven't deceived me, this is a Siren Gold Coin from the era of the Hyral Empire."

"The material is Red Gold mixed with a trace of Mythril. This type of gold coin has likely not been in circulation for hundreds of years."

He paused, observing Rowan's expression, and continued, "Its value as a collectible exceeds the value of the materials themselves."

"According to the current market, a Siren Gold Coin in this condition can be exchanged for approximately ten imperial common gold coins."

"I wonder how many you have on hand? Our Frost-Plated Chamber of Commerce is willing to purchase them at a fair price, or we can arrange an auction for you, where the price might be higher, but that will take time."

Ten for one?

Rowan felt a slight surge of joy in his heart, though he didn't show it on his face.

He pondered for a moment; there were about thirty such gold coins in the silver star ring, so exchanging some wouldn't hurt.

"Exchange ten," he said.

"Very well, please wait a moment, sir," the old appraiser nodded quickly.

Soon, a man who looked like a manager came over and began the transaction.

After exchanging the gold coins, Rowan finally brought up the purpose of his trip: "Do you have Bluerock Flower?"

Hearing this, the manager enthusiastically led him to the medicinal herbs and alchemy materials section.

Bluerock Flower was not particularly rare, but high-quality dried petals were quite expensive as they had to be specially transported from the south.

A small bag cost ten gold coins.

Rowan's lip twitched slightly, but thinking of the potion's effects, he still bought five bags.

Along with various alchemy vessels he purchased, by the time he walked out of the Frost-Plated Chamber of Commerce, less than ten of the one hundred newly exchanged gold coins remained.

"Apothecary... truly is a money-burning profession," Rowan thought with a bit of heartache.

This was almost equivalent to a year's income for the White Cliff Territory, yet it had only bought these few basic materials.

He didn't stay any longer and prepared to head back to his territory.

White Cliff Castle.

As Rowan entered the gate, he suddenly remembered the three Frost Sea Giant Bear cubs he had brought back; he hadn't seen them yet.

If he sold them, they could fetch over three hundred gold coins; he could bring them along the next time he went to Ice Lake City.

After all, materials for ranked potions were already so expensive, let alone materials for Official Knights.

He had also inquired about the price of Radiant Griffin heart blood this time; a single portion cost over two hundred gold coins.

Moreover, there was demand but no supply—it was simply ridiculous.

However, the other supplementary herbs weren't as expensive, which was some good news.

But for him right now, it made no difference; he couldn't afford them anyway.

He only had a little over a hundred gold coins left.

Rowan turned toward the castle's backyard, where the territory's beast paddock was located; the three little bears should be raised there.

He arrived at the spot.

The sound of innocent and cheerful laughter drifted over.

He followed the sound and saw his three eldest children—Mia, Aidan, and Finn—playing together with the three Frost Sea Giant Bear cubs in the paddock.

After this period of feeding and adaptation, the bear cubs had clearly accepted these human children as playmates.

Their size seemed to have grown a bit, but their white fur was still round and fluffy, looking adorable.

His eldest daughter, Mia, was hugging the neck of the largest cub, trying to ride it like a horse, her smooth blonde hair fluttering in the sun.

Aidan and Finn were wrestling with the other two, getting covered in grass clippings and giggling incessantly.

The nannies and maids stood tensely in a circle a short distance away, watching to prevent any accidents.

Rowan stood where he was, watching quietly for a while.

Mia spotted him and waved happily: "Papa! Look! My Dabai! It's so obedient!"

She hugged the docile bear cub tightly.

The cub also stuck out its tongue and licked her face, making her laugh from the tickling.

Aidan and Finn also ran over, showing off their own Erbai and Sanbai.

The three bear cubs looked at Rowan with their wet black eyes and let out low whimpers.

Rowan felt a bit helpless; before he could even process his loot, it had already been divided up by the three little ones.

Fortunately, Sylvia's first birth had been triplets, otherwise he would have a real headache now.

Seeing the smiles on the children's faces, he no longer planned to sell the Frost Sea Giant Bear cubs.

However, the appetites of these three fellows were not small, and raising them would be another significant burden on his territory.

He had to find a way to make more money.

Thinking of this, he crouched down, patted the three children, and asked, "Do you like them?"

"We love them!" the children answered in unison.

"Then treat them well," Rowan smiled and stood up.

Just then, Butler Henry hurried over from the path and said in a low voice, "My Lord, Little Connor is here and is waiting for you in the front hall."

Rowan nodded, gave the children a final instruction, and turned toward the castle's main hall.

He had already guessed the reason for the little blacksmith Nolan's visit.

Last winter, he had promised the little blacksmith to find his father, Old Connor, but several months had passed, and the Crimson Knights had already moved to other areas to cause trouble.

In the hall, the little blacksmith Nolan stood with his hands at his sides. His naturally short and stout body seemed even more tense due to his heavy heart.

Seeing Rowan enter, he immediately knelt down and said, "Lord..."

"Rise, Nolan," Rowan walked to the main seat and sat down, gesturing for him to stand. "Is it about your father?"

"Yes... yes, My Lord," Nolan stood up but kept his head low, his hands unconsciously rubbing the hem of his clothes.

"It's been almost four months... I—I heard the Crimson Knights are causing trouble elsewhere. My father, he..."

His voice grew lower as he spoke, carrying a suppressed sob.

Rowan remained silent for a moment.

He understood the youth's anxiety. Old Connor was a craftsman of his territory, and for both public and private reasons, he wanted to rescue him.

But the reality was that the Crimson Knights' movements were mysterious and their strength unknown; it was impossible for him to launch an active attack at this stage.

"I understand how you feel," Rowan spoke slowly. "I promised to bring back Old Connor, and that promise still stands."

"But according to some information I've received, because of your father's outstanding craftsmanship, his life is not in danger within the Crimson Knights; they need him to forge weapons."

Nolan looked up, a spark of hope igniting in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by confusion.

"However, Nolan," Rowan looked into his eyes, "we cannot find them right now, let alone blindly launch an attack."

"We need to wait—wait for the right opportunity, such as when they approach our territory again, or when we have gathered enough intelligence and strength."

He paused and continued, "What you need to do now is not to be anxious day and night, but to properly practice the Breathing Technique I taught you and strive to improve yourself."

"When the opportunity comes, I need you to have enough strength to not only protect yourself but also to join me in bringing your father home with your own hands."

"Do you understand?"

Nolan looked into the Lord's calm amber eyes, and the panic in his heart seemed to settle a bit.

He bit his lip and nodded heavily: "I understand, My Lord. I will practice hard!"

"Go then," Rowan waved his hand.

Watching the little blacksmith's back disappear through the doorway, Rowan frowned slightly.

After he obtained the Myriad Furnace Breathing Technique, he had taught a shallow-level Breathing Technique from his family's previous collection to the little blacksmith Nolan and some selected militia.

It was just that their progress in practicing the Breathing Technique... was truly too slow.

At this rate, they might not even produce a single Quasi-Official Knight in their entire lives.

"Perhaps... I can use them to test the effects of the potions when the time comes?" A thought occurred to Rowan.

Thinking of this, he no longer hesitated and stood up to head toward his bedroom on the top floor of the castle.

...