Even if the belly is defiled, the feast must still be eaten.
The atmosphere at the main meal was fairly cordial. The Fourth Prince neither mentioned the ore nor felt it appropriate to elaborate further.
When Prince ordered Maid to serve dessert, Perro tentatively remarked, "Your Highness, by tradition this should be ore delivery day, yet I haven't seen any ore at the dock." Roland set down his wooden stick and nodded. "Unfortunately, the North Slope mine cave collapsed recently. My team has been working to resume operations for a month now. But the debris from the collapse remains uncleaned. At this rate, the mine may not reopen until next year." "Collapse?" Perro froze for a moment. "Coincidence?" He quickly realized the other party didn't need to deceive him. Otherwise, a trip to the North Slope would have been enough. Spouting such a blatant lie would be like slapping his own face.
"So... the past two months?" "Not long enough. By protocol, such a meager stipend couldn't sustain my subjects," Roland emphasized the term "protocol." "Sir Ambassador, you must recall the Demon's Month two years ago?" Perro naturally remembered. The four-month-long bitter cold had starved nearly 20% of Border Town's population, all because of Magistrate Fereno's insatiable greed. There were dissenting voices within Noble, even calls for punishing Fereno afterward. But the matter was ultimately dropped—simply because he was the Duke's second daughter's husband.
When Prince brought up this matter now, Pei Luo felt a sense of foreboding.
"This time it's worse," Roland sighed. "If we proceed with the previous method, we might only get two months' worth of wheat. My people won't survive the winter, sir. The old trade system must be abolished." Perro opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words. Not a seasoned diplomat, he couldn't find a valid objection to such a compelling argument and could only stall. "Your Highness, I regret this matter. This tragedy will never happen again. I'll arrange for six families to jointly lend one month's grain, which your subjects can repay gradually after next year's harvest." "If I sell to Willow Leaf Town, there's no need for gradual repayment." "But..." "No buts," Roland interrupted. "They're willing to use Golden Dragons to buy stones while selling wheat, cheese, bread, honey... anything that can be bought with Golden Dragons. Even if you agree to lend one month's grain, Ambassador, would the other five families accept your terms? As far as I know, Duke Lane isn't one to make easy deals." Perro fell silent. The Fourth Prince was absolutely right—not just the other five families, but even his own father had proven difficult to persuade. To maintain their monopoly, they needed to revise the terms, but he lacked the final say. Though called an ambassador, he was merely a mouthpiece. Perhaps the Duke didn't want anyone negotiating privately with Border Town at all. Whether the target was the former Lord or the Fourth Prince, he would appoint different candidates each year and season, and these individuals were never the family's ruling figures.
No matter the outcome, he had to try. With that thought, Perro revealed his final card: "Thirty percent," he extended three fingers. "The fortress will purchase ore and gemstone rough at thirty percent below market price. I believe this should be higher than what Willow Leaf Town offered, Your Highness." Roland shrugged. "Indeed, higher, but the same old question remains. Can your words become a unanimous decision among six parties?" "I'll depart tomorrow for Changge Fortress. Once the agreement is reached, I'll bring the new contract." "But my people can't wait that long. You should know, reaching consensus among Nobles usually takes considerable time." "Your Highness, cooperating with the fortress is the better choice for both you and your people. Willow Leaf Town is too far away—even if it could provide shelter from the Demon's Moon," Perro's voice grew dry. "But the journey is fraught with... dangers." "Oh God, what am I doing here?" His heart pounded. "Am I threatening a Prince?"
"Ha ha ha ha," to everyone's surprise, Roland didn't fly into a rage but burst out laughing. "Sir Ambassador, you must be mistaken—I never intended to go to Willow Leaf Town." "You mean..." "Of course, I didn't plan to visit Song Song Fortress either," Roland said with a playful grin, his eyes fixed on the ambassador. "I'm not going anywhere." Perro momentarily doubted whether he was hearing correctly.
Fortunately, Prince didn't let the eerie silence linger. He continued, "This winter, I'll remain in Border Town. It will become the new frontier of the Kingdom of Graycastle. Don't be surprised, my friend—this isn't nonsense. Later, I can show you the newly built wall at the foot of North Slope Mountain." "The... wall?" "Exactly. A twelve-foot-high, four-foot-wide stone wall connecting North Slope and the Red River. With this, we'll be able to defeat the evil beasts in Border Town." Perro felt his mind was failing. The ambassador hadn't mentioned any walls when he returned last season. Wait—Back then, the Lord of Border Town still needed to fill vacancies. How could he possibly send limited manpower to build something like this? So the Fourth Prince started constructing the wall right after arriving? Even so, it's only been three months. What could they possibly build in such a short time?
Wait... What did Your Highness say earlier? A wall twelve feet high and four feet wide, connecting the northern slope to the Chishui River? Pei Luo calculated in his mind that such a massive project would take years to complete, not to mention the shortage of stonemasons to carve and grind the stones! Border Town isn't like Graycastle—most residents here are just laborers.
Before he could process the news, Roland's next words left him utterly stunned.
"Regarding ore sales, starting next year, I'd be willing to cut prices by half, sir, though not sell all to Changge Fortress. You might not need that much ore. I believe you'd prefer finished metal products like shovels and spades over low-margin raw ore." He paused, as if waiting for Perro to grasp his meaning. "As for gemstone roughs, they'll be auctioned to the highest bidder. While I'd love to buy them after cutting, Border Town currently lacks that capability." "Then you'd have enough to build a city wall in months!" Perro roared inwardly. What did' not needing so much ore 'mean? With just a thousand Golden Dragons produced annually – and even if output increased, it'd barely double! Two thousand Golden Dragons wouldn't be enough for the fortress? That's sheer arrogance!
He suppressed his indignation, striving to maintain his final courtesy. "I've noted everything you've said, Your Highness. I'll consult the six families immediately upon my return. But as for the city walls you mentioned... I'd like to see them." "Certainly," Roland smiled. "But there's no rush. You can always savor these royal pastries before setting off, Ambassador."