"Pri... Chief, we don't have enough warhorses..." Sally pleaded anxiously.
The beastkin tribe only had about two thousand warhorses in total. Selling a quarter of them all at once would be a heavy blow to the tribe's strength, especially now that spring had come and they had to be wary of raids from other tribes.
"That's enough." Perry raised her hand to silence the monkey-eared girl. She looked at Lucas and said seriously, "I can agree to the five hundred warhorses. But I have one condition."
She couldn't refuse. He had already given her so many advantages—especially the wool. She didn't know what he planned to do with it, but from her perspective, she was the one getting the better end of the deal.
Perry was not a merchant, and she felt a little embarrassed to be taking such advantage. Since her two biggest problems—the draft horses and the sheep—were now solved, she would offer the warhorses as a form of repayment.
"Oh? What condition?" Lucas raised an eyebrow. Her agreeing to sell the warhorses so easily was truly unexpected.
"I want salt. Enough salt for my tribe's daily life," Perry said, her expression serious. This was the real reason she was willing to sell the warhorses.
"Salt?" Lucas understood instantly. He mused for a moment, seeing the anxiety in Perry's eyes, and said softly, "Done. I will increase the volume of salt exported to your tribe."
"That is wonderful!" Perry's face lit up with joy. Her three biggest concerns were now all perfectly resolved.
Even though it would cost five hundred warhorses, it was all worth it. The tribe's development could now accelerate.
"The steaks are here." Mina re-entered, followed by attendants carrying platters of steak.
The steak was from Earth. Lucas was still reluctant to slaughter Sedona City's own cattle. Besides, serving steak at this exact moment served his purpose.
"This is steak. Please, eat it while it's hot." Lucas picked up his knife and fork, elegantly cutting into the meat.
"Steak?" Perry paused. She knew what cattle were but had never eaten beef. Smelling the aroma, she licked her lips.
She snuck a glance at Lucas, then copied his actions, beginning to cut the beef, though her movements were awkward and clumsy.
"It's good," Perry said, her eyes widening slightly. The texture of the meat was excellent, though the flavor was a little lacking compared to the stir-fried dishes.
"This beef is actually delicious!" Sally was also amazed after trying it. It was much better than mutton.
"Your Excellency, I have one more business proposal for you," Lucas said, putting down his knife and fork and elegantly dabbing his mouth with a napkin.
"Ah?" Perry was startled and quickly put down her utensils. Her cheeks flushed. If not for the veil, her red face would have been obvious. She caught Sally's odd glance from the corner of her eye, quickly composed herself, and said, "Please, continue."
"This beef... you have seen it, and you have tried it," Lucas said, setting his napkin down. "I would like to commission you, Your Excellency, to help me raise cattle."
"Raise cattle?" Perry frowned. She hesitated, "How many do you need?"
Raising cattle wasn't an issue. She was willing to help raise ten or twenty, considering the scale of their other business.
"Ten thousand heads," Lucas said calmly.
Screech!
"What?" Perry shot to her feet, her chair making a sharp, scraping sound. She stared blankly at Lucas, her eyes wide.
"Lord Lucas... you're not joking, are you?" Sally asked, her mouth hanging open, struggling to swallow the bite of steak.
"No. I never joke about such things." Lucas's lips quirked. "Ten thousand head is still a small number for my plans, but I suspect your pastures aren't large enough for more."
"This... I will need to consider it." Perry took a deep breath and sat back down. Her heart was pounding. The sheer scale of ten thousand cattle had stunned her.
"Cattle grow slowly. I will purchase each head for fifty silver coins," Lucas said, lacing his fingers. "A large sheep is only worth about two silver coins, so this price is very high. Ten thousand heads would be five thousand gold coins. This is a truly massive deal."
But cattle were rare in this era. Only a high price would incentivize the beastkin to raise them. Paying a premium upfront was worth it to him.
"What? Fifty silver coins per head?" Perry's eyes went wide. This deal was bigger than all the others combined.
"Yes. In a few days, I will send over a bull for you to reference. I don't want other breeds," Lucas said lightly. There were plenty of wild buffalo in this era.
"Done." Perry agreed immediately. The deal was too big to pass up. She decided that when she returned, she would immediately begin planning to annex the surrounding tribes to expand her grasslands.
"Cows also produce milk, and I will pay a higher price for it than for sheep's milk. I will arrange for people to handle that as well," Lucas said softly. Cow's milk would eventually replace sheep's milk.
"Agreed," Perry nodded.
"If you have the time, Your Excellency, you should visit Sedona City." Lucas picked up the nearby red wine, swirled it elegantly, and took a sip. "You can also send your own trade caravans. There are quite a few beastkin living happily in Sedona City now."
"..." Perry frowned, pondering the intent behind his words. After a moment, she nodded. "Very well. When I have the time, I will visit Sedona City."
She was telling the truth. She really did want to see Sedona City. She had heard many rumors about it and wanted to know if they were true.
"Then I shall await your arrival," Lucas said, raising his wine glass.
"I will be there," Perry replied, raising her glass of orange juice.
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