After visiting the steam engine on site, Roland and Margery returned to the castle office to continue negotiating the details of the business contract. If this kind of negotiation involves bargaining, it is common for the two sides to fight for a day or two, so the Minister of Finance is usually responsible for doing it, and the lord only needs to explain the quantity and the bottom line. However, the other party had already decided on the price, and Roland also saved a lot of effort accordingly.
"I expect the next arrival to be in a month's time, when three sloops laden with saltpetre will arrive with me," the businesswoman wrote quickly on the parchment, "about 90 percent of the market value. Three hundred and fifteen golden dragons."
"By that time, the town will be able to produce almost two steam engines," Roland deliberately lowered the number, "that is, a thousand golden dragons. You can make up the difference with golden dragons, or you can replace them with other commodities."
"What kind of goods do you need?"
"Iron, copper, lead, and green vitriol," he said, "are common minerals. But for the first three, I need not ore, but smelted metal ingots. In addition, I need ten sets of crystal glassware. , It doesn't matter whether there are carvings, kettles or wine glasses, but they must be the highest quality products produced by the Wangdu Alchemy Workshop. If the price exceeds the difference, I can make up for it or deduct it from the cost of the two steam engines for the next month. "
"You take me as your dedicated trader," Margery chuckled. "Although I don't operate a mine, I know a few colleagues who specialize in the ore trade. It's just that I never expected that a piece of The remote frontier land can also contain such great business opportunities. Few nobles live here, but they consume a lot of saltpeter; it is a town built for the North Slope mine, but it has to buy minerals from outside. In line with my business common sense, Your Highness, your territory is incredible."
A major feature of industrial production is that a large number of raw materials are swallowed and finished products are exported. Roland spread his hands, "The town will ask for more in the future. I think we can achieve a long-term goal."
At this moment, Margery suddenly widened her eyes and looked behind Roland with a look of surprise. The latter was stunned, and turned her head subconsciously, only to see the drenched lightning sticking in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, with her hands clenching her head. She held the glass, her face was full of panic, her face was pale, strands of hair stuck to her forehead, and water droplets kept dripping down her hair, as if it had just been fished out of the water.
Roland quickly got up and opened the window. After the lightning flew into the room, he threw himself into Roland's arms. His panicked expression suddenly relaxed, and he fainted.
"Nightingale, hurry up and call Nana." He said anxiously.
"Yes." A reply came from the empty side.
What's going on? She shouldn't encounter evil beasts or devils in the air. Does the other party also have the ability to fly? Roland roughly inspected Lightning's body and found that there was no obvious trauma, so he was slightly relieved.
"Your Highness, is she... the lightning you said?" Margery covered her mouth, slowly approached the prince, and carefully looked at the little girl in his arms.
Roland's heart skipped a beat, damn it, how could he forget her. He shouted out the door, "Sean!"
The guard walked into the office.
"I'm sorry, Madam Margery, I can only ask you to stay here for a while," the prince stood up holding the lightning bolt, "and take this businessman from the capital to the guest room on the first floor to take care of me, without mine. Order, don't let her out."
"As ordered!"
"What? No, Your Highness... Please wait," she suddenly realized, "I have no ill will towards the witch, not to mention she is Lei Ting's daughter, I will not tell the church."
"I'm just in case," Roland interrupted, "I'll come to you to verify later."
…
"Your Highness, she is awake," Nightingale said as she opened the door.
Roland nodded and followed Nightingale into the bedroom. The water bucket beside the big bed was still steaming, and the soaked clothes were hung on the side of the bucket. A group of witches surrounded the bed, Wendy sat at the head of the bed, and lightly combed the little girl's hair that was not completely dry. The lightning, which had no blood on her face before, was now a little ruddy. She leaned against two stacks of pillows, the quilt was pulled so high that only half of her head was exposed, and her eyes stared straight at Roland.
"How's it going?"
"No injuries, she was in a coma after her magic power was exhausted," Nightingale replied, "Wendy helped her wash her body, and she woke up not long after she was put into the bed."
He walked to the bed and smiled at Lightning, "What happened? Made you fly back in a panic in the rain."
"I found the ruins," she muttered in a low voice, "but there are devils in them."
This sentence made everyone's face change.
"Are you in?" Scroll asked.
"No," Lightning shook his head and recounted what happened. "The devil was guarding the door of the basement, and there were people calling for help. But I was so scared that I just ran away and couldn't find a way to save her." She shook her head. Shrinking under the quilt, "Am I not qualified to be an explorer?"
"No, you did a good job," Roland comforted. "Excellent explorers know how to judge the situation and don't deliberately take risks. You can't save her alone. Running away is the most correct choice."
"Are the witches in the stone tower?" Wendy pondered, "except for witches, no one can reach the depths of the Hidden Forest."
"Witches won't go there either," Scroll shook his head. "It's a relic from four hundred and fifty years ago. If it wasn't for a map to indicate the direction, it would be difficult to find the location of the stone tower in the vast sea of trees. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Roland asked.
"Unless someone has been living there." Scroll said slowly.
"You mean that they didn't set out from the kingdom, but they have continued their descendants there since 450 years ago, living a life of isolation?" The prince rejected this speculation in his heart and lived in the primeval forest. , what a concept! Haunting beasts, all kinds of terrifying insects and poisons, no stable food source... Even Mr. Bei, it is impossible to live in the forest for a long time. What's more, this world still has several months of snowy winters, plus evil beasts and devils are rampant, and settling in the hidden forest is simply a dead end. He looked at the lightning, "Is there any trace of smoke near the ruins?"
"No." The little girl shook her head.
"Maybe there is more than one map," Soraya said. "Maybe there are others who are looking for Taquila's whereabouts just like us."
"No matter what, we can't help them," Ye Zi sighed, "except for lightning, no one can go to the stone tower quickly."
"I'm afraid we won't know the real situation until we go there," Roland stroked his chin. "In short, it's good to be able to come back safe and sound. Tonight's class will be suspended for a day, everyone should have a good rest. When the time comes, the puzzle will naturally be solved. open."
Leaving Lightning's bedroom, he said to Nightingale, "Next, we have a problem to solve."
"Just let her take down the Stone of God's Retaliation," she laughed, "Leave everything to me."(.)