The next person Chen Hansheng and Calanda visited was Baron Goya, an old friend of the school in Suero.
After handing the prepared gifts to the butler Ines, they met the Baron in the reception room under his guidance. The Baron looked very good. Since cooperating with the school, his income in the previous year has quadrupled.
After shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries, the two men sat down on the sofa. The maid served juice to the three of them. Baron Goya said, "Team Leader Chen, I wanted to visit your office during the New Year. Unfortunately, you all went back to Montenegro. If you have time today, come to my place and we should have a good chat. Let's see how to expand our business to further places in the new year."
Chen Hansheng was touched by the directness of the locals and smiled slightly, saying, "Don't worry, Baron. We have prepared a lot of new products in the past period of time. If you do business with us Chinese, you don't have to worry about running out of business."
"I know, I know. Since you showed up, every room of mine has changed." He pointed his finger around the room. "Look, in this room alone, the mirrors, glassware, distilled liquor, furniture, oil lamps, textiles, and the clothes I'm wearing. You can say that every aspect has been affected by you. Recently, people in this circle have been talking about the Black Mountain Wizard being a drop of paint dropped into a water tank, and he'll soon dye the entire western part of the kingdom into your color."
"That's an overstatement," Chen Hansheng said. "We have actually absorbed a lot of good things from the Iberian Kingdom. It's quite fruitful."
"Oh?" Baron Goya asked curiously, "As far as I know, most of what you purchased are raw materials, right? What do you mean?"
"This influence is in all aspects. Look, half of the clothes I'm wearing are in local style. We have also absorbed local magic and alchemy, and many foods and drinks are also very popular with us. Of course, the greatest achievement is here." Chen Hansheng patted Kalanda's thigh, "This is the most valuable treasure I have found since I came here."
Baron Goya was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter. Karanda's cheeks flushed, but he couldn't hit him in front of the baron, so he lowered his head for the rare occasion.
"This is integration," Chen Hansheng said. "When everyone combines their strengths, the result will be greater than the sum of the two."
"That's a very interesting statement. I'm looking forward to you and Miss Karanda being able to come up with a very good result in the end."
"Thank you for your good words. Thank you for your good words. Haha." Chen Hansheng said with a smile.
On the other side, Kalanda picked up the cup and drank water, trying hard to cover his red face.
After joking, Chen Hansheng said, "Yesterday when I was shopping in the market, I found something interesting. I wonder if the Baron knows about it?"
He took out the iron cup and handed it to the baron.
The baron took it in his hand and looked at it for a moment, then asked, "I have never seen anything like it. Hmm, is this cup modeled after your cup?"
"That's right." Chen Hansheng said, "Although the texture and workmanship are very different, the style is almost the same. The stall owner I met in the outer city of Suero sold it to me for ten copper shields."
"Ten copper shields? I think this is a very good price. If I needed a cup like this, I would probably be tempted." The baron took the cup in his hand and weighed it, saying, "But I have never seen you sell cups of this style."
"Indeed, before this, these cups were only used for our own needs and have not yet been sold to the public."
"It's a very practical design. Although it may not be liked by the nobles, it should be liked by the common people who need to drink a lot of water after work." The baron said to Ines: "Have you seen this?"
Ines, who was standing by, stepped forward and carefully examined the cup, then shook his head and said, "Sir, there is nothing there, but I haven't been to the market in the past few days, so it must be something that came out after the New Year."
"Can you tell anything?"
Ines pondered for a moment and said, "The workmanship of this cup is very good, without cracks, pores or uneven surfaces. This shows that the material is very pure and the workmanship is also very good. Ordinary blacksmiths cannot do this. As far as I know, it was either made by a blacksmith serving the royal family in the capital, or by a dwarf craftsman, or by some magic tower that specializes in forging. The last possibility is that it was made in Black Mountain."
"Is it possible that someone on your side secretly took out the technology to do this?"
Chen Hansheng looked at the baron and the butler, trying to figure out something from their expressions. But it was obvious that both of them seemed calm. "It's possible. I want to find out that."
"I'm a little curious," the baron asked, "if someone on your side really got it secretly, how would you deal with him?"
Chen Hansheng said slowly, "It is not up to me to decide how to deal with this person. You should know that we have a committee over there, and I am just one of them. But I am sure that if it is our people who do this, they must have partners in the local area. If the committee really wants to take any action, it will not only hit our own people."
The baron nodded in agreement. "It's not easy to run a business or manage a family. However, the appearance of this kind of thing on the market will indeed affect our interests. People who could have bought our products will buy this thing because it's cheap. I agree with your idea. What do you want me to do when you come to me?"
“Find out the source of these goods.”
"Okay. As a partner, this is my responsibility." Baron Goya looked up at Ines and said, "Let's get our managers moving and find out who is behind these little things. We should not only check Suero, but also check all the places our caravan has touched. Let's arrange a reward. The caravan that finds the exact clues will get ten golden axes."
Chen Hansheng was thinking all the way out of the Baron's house.
"Do you think there's something wrong with the Baron?" he asked Karanda.
"I don't see any problem. He really doesn't seem to know about it," said Kalanda.
Chen Hansheng agreed: "I feel the same way."
However, Kalanda added: "But never underestimate the acting ability of the nobles. Every noble is a natural actor, the only difference is whether their acting skills are mature or not. If you trust them easily, you will suffer a great loss."
"Are you thinking about your own affairs again?" Chen Hansheng put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't worry, one day our power will have an impact on the empire, and we will seek justice for you."