Lord: Starting from the Pit-Dwelling Courtyard

Chapter 32: The Brick Trade

The air in the pit courtyard suddenly became quiet.

Ron didn't say another word. He picked up the bowl of water on the stone table, which had gone cold, took a sip, and then put the bowl down.

The sound of the bowl tapping on the stone table was very soft, but in that quiet moment, it sounded like a hammer hitting an anvil.

Bard's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword.

It wasn't because Ron moved, but because the moment Ron put down the bowl, Fanta, who was standing behind him, took half a step forward.

He only took half a step, but Bard could see clearly that when he stepped down, Fanta's center of gravity had changed from "standing" to "thrusting".

Hilden didn't move. He hadn't moved at all. From the moment he sat down in Novia until now, he had been leaning against the pillar at the entrance of the cave, arms crossed, like a bystander watching a spectacle.

But Bard noticed that Hilden's right thumb, which was crossed over his chest, had somehow become raised and was resting on the back of his left hand—the ready hand position before drawing his sword.

Novia noticed it too.

He threw his head back and burst into laughter.

"Lord Ron is joking. Wenger Territory was conquered by Ashwood Territory, so it is Ashwood Territory's territory. This is the rule of Blackthorn Wasteland: the strong are respected! We are here this time to talk business, nothing else."

Ron didn't laugh; his gaze was fixed intently on Novia, making Novia break out in a cold sweat.

"That makes sense!" Ron suddenly said, pointing to the blue brick wall not far away, "Look, these are the bricks and clay produced in our territory."

Novia quickly got up to check on him, and while Ron wasn't looking, she secretly wiped away a bead of sweat.

"This brick!" Novia immediately pulled out a small iron hammer and tapped it.

He was also a building mage, but now he was just a building mage apprentice. Naturally, he knew some methods for testing materials, and knocking on them and listening to the sound was one of them.

"Its hardness is not low; although not as high as stone, it is much harder than most building materials."

Novia then tried to remove the clay from the brick joints, but couldn't. She had to scrape off a layer with a knife and asked in confusion, "This doesn't seem to be volcanic ash mortar."

Upon hearing the word "volcanic ash mortar," Ron jumped to his feet; how could he have forgotten about this?

In ancient China, the last adhesive used was glutinous rice mortar, followed by lime mortar. In medieval Europe, volcanic ash lime mortar was preferred because the addition of volcanic ash made it harder, more water-resistant, and suitable for exterior walls, as well as being moisture-resistant and durable. Many ancient Roman buildings used this type of volcanic ash lime mortar.

"Lord Ron?" Novia called out guiltily.

Ron looked at Novia and asked, "Is there volcanic ash here?"

Novia thought for a moment and nodded. "Two hundred kilometers to the east, there is an extinct volcano. The volcanic ash produced there is almost the main source of clay for the surrounding pioneer lords."

Ron nodded. Two hundred miles is too far. It's inconvenient to transport by that. It would be more convenient to use the Conversion spell.

"I see!"

As long as he knows there is volcanic ash, he can improve the material ratio of the adhesive at night and produce a better building adhesive.

Novia returned to her chair and asked, "The bricks are good. How much do you plan to sell them for, Lord Ron?"

"These blue bricks are more expensive; one pound of potato starch can be exchanged for one blue brick. There's also a cheaper type of red brick; one pound of potato starch can be exchanged for three red bricks." After Ron finished speaking, he conjured a red brick out of thin air and presented it to Novia.

Novia examined him and her expression turned somewhat strange.

"These red bricks are inferior to blue bricks in many ways. I wonder why Lord Ron produces these things?"

Ron shook his head and said slowly, "Red bricks are indeed not as good as blue bricks, but red bricks are sufficient for ordinary buildings. Does your territory have such wealth that all its people live in stone houses?"

Novia instantly understood the purpose of the red bricks; since he was there to discuss business, he naturally had to negotiate a lower price.

"It's just that the price is too high; in the wilderness, food is the only hard currency."

Ron didn't look up, his voice as calm as if he were reading from an account book: "Yes, yes, you're right." Then he looked up and looked into Novia's eyes.

"Then this business deal is off."

"Please leave!"

Novia opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a moment.

Why isn't he following the usual procedure?

Shouldn't we start negotiating?

What kind of operation is it to directly kick someone out?

Ron's face broke into a long-lost smile: "The production of bricks is too low. We don't even have enough for ourselves. We can only sell a small amount. If you don't buy, we can sell to Harland Territory or other territories. Building materials are in high demand in the wasteland."

Novia was left speechless by those words.

Bricks are quite a hot commodity in the wasteland these days.

If they were to actually put these items out for sale on a large scale, there would even be a situation where supply couldn't meet demand. That's the source of Ron's confidence in selling his stuff so arrogantly.

Novia could only nod helplessly: "Ten thousand red bricks and ten thousand blue bricks."

"No!" Ron refused without even thinking.

Novia's lips twitched slightly. "What business are you talking to me about if not?"

After thinking for a moment, Ron said, "The production of bricks has only just been confirmed, and I can't determine the monthly output, so we can't sell them right now. But we'll be able to sell you this many next month."

"Then we'll come back next month." Novia also lost her temper, didn't want to talk anymore, and got up to leave.

"You can pay a deposit! Once it's produced, we'll give you priority," Ron said matter-of-factly.

Novia was so angry she laughed.

This is an attempt to get something for nothing, hoping that De Gea will provide them with food to help them through their difficulties.

Novia stood up, her face cold, and said, "I think we don't need to talk anymore."

Ron took a dough ball from Mrs. Moriel, which was seized from the goblin camp, as Thun had already told him.

This type of dough is called cliff potato, also known as ground rock potato. It is a vine crop that grows on cliffs in the Blackthorn Wasteland. The annual yield can reach four to five thousand catties. However, the planting requires cliffs that are twenty to thirty meters high. Therefore, although the yield is high, there are not many places suitable for planting it.

In Blackthorn Wasteland, most established lords' territories or subterritories are built on the edge of cliffs.

"I never imagined that the Blackthorn Wasteland would have such a wondrous creation as the Earth Rock Potato." Ron's words made Novia sit back down in her chair.

He hadn't expected that Ron, the new lord who had just arrived in Blackthorn Waste, would solve the problems of drinking water and food so quickly.

"Lord Ron, your territory is located on a plain, making it difficult to grow rock potatoes," Novia kindly reminded him.

Ron shook his head: "Since there's a high-yield crop like Earthrock Potato, the Blackthorn Wasteland isn't actually short of food. The only ones lacking food are us lords who just arrived this year. The old lords' granaries must be overflowing!"

Ron's words hit the nail on the head.

The Harland territory has only a little over two thousand people. Based on the yield of ground potato, planting a few hundred acres would be enough to feed the territory, so why do they still need to levy grain?

The reason was that the new lord was too busy expanding grain cultivation to discover this new crop.

After all, Earth Rock Potatoes only grow on cliffs and steep slopes, and most of these places are occupied by old lords or large goblin tribes. Unless the old lords say so, how could the new lords possibly know that there is such a magical crop in Blackthorn Wasteland?

The old lords could then use food to slowly bleed the new lords dry.

Finally, they silently swallowed up the other party.

If many Thun people knew about the Earthrock Potato, Ron would eventually be dragged down by the territory's food production.

Novia sighed helplessly, "Lord Ron, you are the most powerful new lord to have come to the Blackthorn Wasteland in the last ten years."

Ron smiled and waved, seeing him and Bud out of the pit courtyard.

The cavalry passed through the barbican again, through the semi-circular courtyard, and exited through the side gate.

Novia glanced back from her horse.

The setting sun cast a long shadow on the section of the blue brick city wall, like a giant beast lying on the ground, slowly closing its claws.

"Bard".

"exist."

"After we get back, I'll have Father send more men to keep an eye on Ashwood territory."

Bud was taken aback: "Didn't the young master say we'd only be discussing business today?"

"Today we're only talking business." Novia looked away and tugged at the reins. "But starting tomorrow, that won't be the case."

The cavalry raised dust as they headed north.

Ron stood on the barbican and watched them disappear on the horizon.

Old Hall walked up to him.

"Young master, after Novia returns, the De Gea territory will likely have designs on us."

"I know."

"Then what about you?"

"Still selling them bricks?" Ron shook his head. "Old Hall, tell me, if someone wants to hit you, would you rather they hit you with a wooden stick or with the iron rod you gave them?"

Old Hall frowned: "Of course, with a wooden stick."

"No, that's not right." Ron turned and walked down the city wall. "It's to leave them with no weapons. Give them bricks, and their defenses will get better and better, so they won't be in a hurry to attack us. By the time their defenses are complete, our walls will be built, and our guns will be ready. At that point, it's uncertain who will attack whom."

Old Hall paused in his steps.

"Young Master, what's wrong...?"

"A delaying tactic." Ron waved his hand without turning his head. "While they're building their walls with bricks, we're using the food we get from trading those bricks to feed our troops. By the time they finish building their walls, we'll already have the capacity to demolish them."