The merchant fell to his knees as soon as he saw Luke and said, "Forgive me, Your Majesty, for bringing you to my feet. I couldn't think of any other way to reach you."
Luke smiled and said, "No problem, don't worry about it." He then added, "In that case, let's talk. You had to stay outside the walls due to road construction, so please pass through the buffer zone; you have permission to enter."
It was clear that a deep conversation was about to begin.
Luke had no idea how this merchant had found this town. After all, the very existence of someone crazy enough to come here was unimaginable.
Still, it wasn't a bad thing.
A lively merchant was the only thing needed for this town to be considered a town truly. Whether the merchant was low-level or high-level didn't matter. If the merchant was a member of the Merchants' Guild—and Luke could see that the merchant in front of him was—then everything would be easier.
After all, the town had ears. Rumours spread easily.
Luke had to figure out what to do—either bring this merchant under his command or somehow keep him tied to the town.
When the merchant entered the town, Luke greeted him in the large tent located in the centre of the town. Dozens of sweet and warm drinks were laid out on the table inside the tent, and it was time to talk:
"To be honest, I'm curious," Luke said calmly.
"What, Your Majesty?" the merchant asked politely.
"How did you find this place. I mean, come on... In the middle of nowhere, in the middle of winter, where the temperature can drop to -50 degrees Celsius, who would look for a place like this, and why?" Luke asked with great curiosity.
When the merchant heard this question, he chuckled softly and said, "Ah! Yes. A logical question, Your Majesty. Still, there's a simple answer."
When Luke tilted his head curiously, the merchant uttered the following word:
"Money."
"Money?" Luke asked.
"Yes, sir. This region is home to many magical creatures. If you have a magic bag and know a little about fighting, you might be able to find a high-quality, well-furred, healthy-horned rabbit or a mutant bear whose claws can be used in alchemy. This means a lot of money for a merchant."
Luke could tell from these words that the man in front of him was a real merchant and exactly the person he was looking for.
"Hahaha!" Luke laughed immediately and then asked, "What is your name?"
"Elvis Dust, Your Majesty, it is a great honour to meet you. It is a great honour to speak face to face with the Light of Hiera," replied the merchant, introducing himself as Elvis.
"There's no need to be so formal in my presence, Elvis. You should sit down; it seems we have a lot to discuss," Luke said suddenly. He served Elvis a cup of hot tea as he sat down, then took his seat.
"How about a deal?" Luke said suddenly. This question immediately caught Elvis's attention.
"A deal, sir?" Elvis asked.
"Exactly. What would you say if I told you that I could be flexible in this area, which could even become a city in the future?" Luke said.
"What kind of flexibility... it depends on what those privileges are, Your Majesty," Elvis replied.
"As you can understand, this area belongs to me. It's a huge area of nearly four thousand kilometres, all under my ownership. This area does not belong to the empire; it belongs entirely to me. So any hunting you do here could be considered a crime if I don't give you permission. However, I can grant you flexibility in this matter and others." Luke said suddenly.
This was a statement that could be interpreted as a threat.
Luke continued speaking without giving Elvis a chance to respond.
"I will help you open a shop here. You will sell the rare magical monster corpses we will sell you at a low price here at a reasonable price in the capital or wherever you sell them, and you will spread the name of this town. I will also issue you a hunting permit, and wherever you are in my territory, I will allow you to hunt the game I permit you to hunt and collect the things you can collect."
When Luke finished speaking, it seemed as though he had granted Elvis the right to speak.
"So, in short, with every sale I make, I'll be spreading the word about this place. In a friendly way. Since this vast region is in your hands and you've granted me special privileges, there's no reason for me to refuse, but…" Elvis blurted out.
"But?" Luke asked.
"If possible, I'd like to request a tax deduction. It doesn't have to be much, maybe 3% or even 2%. As a merchant, I need to put extra money in my pocket from sales and subsequent income. To be honest…" Elvis replied.
When Luke heard these words, he smiled and then said, "As you wish. For every magical creature, item, and similar thing you take from me… pardon me, let me correct what I said." Luke suddenly interrupted and began speaking again:
"I will make a list, a list that can be expanded in the future. The sale of the items on this list will be completely prohibited, and if you try to learn how to make them, I will sentence you to death. You can see how serious I am about this. Except for these things—that is, things added to the list and things that will be added to the list—you will receive a 15% discount on the tax for everything else you purchase, and this agreement will remain in effect until your death. Do you accept this?"
Luke's words caused Elvis's eyes to widen considerably. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the young merchant's eyes grew as large as saucers.
He had to come up with a response immediately. He could not let this opportunity slip away.