Chapter 6: Is a Mining Company Doing Foreign Trade Wrong?
Talulah looked at the house in front of her, her expression somewhat hesitant.
Luo Su.
A legend in the Ursus financial sector.
His name, from Chernobog's high society to the minor officials in northern villages, was known to all, and even her subordinates had heard of him.
In her spare time, she had tried to calculate Luo Su's debt and was then directly shocked.
—The debt this man owed was comparable to Koschei's annual income from his territory.
"If this man were to jump off the city walls of Chernobog, government officials and the presidents of major banks would place rescue mats higher than the city walls."
She firmly believed this and couldn't help but have some additional thoughts.
For example—
Could they acquire some grain, cloth, and edible salt at a low price?
In the past, to obtain enough supplies to sustain the Reunion Movement, they often had to travel through a dozen villages.
It wasn't that Talulah wasn't disguised well enough, or that she was recognized as an Infected and driven out by villagers, refusing to trade.
The main reason was that the Ursus nobles' method of governing their territories was somewhere between anthropomorphic and inhuman.
Sustainable overfishing might even be a compliment to them.
Because they generally habitually overfished, and didn't even mind digging three feet deep.
Under the governance of this group of nobles who could become sworn brothers with the warlords of the Africa region, the villagers had nothing much to exchange at home.
Sometimes, Talulah might even need to run dozens of miles just to exchange for some salt.
This made Talulah sometimes think that it would be great if there was a fixed trading point.
If there was a fixed place to acquire resources, the Reunion Movement's life might suddenly improve a lot, at least they wouldn't have to run dozens of miles for a bit of salt.
It's just—
Anyone who could provide stable resources for the Reunion Movement would definitely not be a commoner.
Only nobles had that ability.
Unfortunately, in Ursus, discriminating against the Infected was politically correct, and even a national policy.
Ursus nobles all believed that the Infected should spend their lives in mines, be drained of all their value, and die tragically.
How could high-minded nobles possibly trade with Infected, who were even worse off than serfs?
Just as she was about to give up on the idea, Luo Su appeared in her line of sight.
Nobles on their last legs probably couldn't be as proud as they once were.
Talulah pulled out a rather bulging coin purse from her pocket; this was all the cash the Reunion Movement currently possessed.
Then, she looked at her companions who had followed along, a helpless expression on her face.
For something like trading grain, a dozen people would have been enough.
However, the Ursus nobles' great lack of virtue was deeply ingrained in people's minds.
Initially, Yelena was worried and decided to come along.
Then Patriot also came.
And then, a squad of Shieldguards followed suit.
"Talulah, even though we've come this far, I still hope you can turn back."
The Rabbit Miss next to her said very seriously, looking at the clearly aristocratic building ahead.
Nobles were despicable and cunning, shameless and cruel.
Trading with nobles was undoubtedly extremely dangerous.
Talulah: "..."
She looked at the long line behind her, her expression subtle.
"I hope we don't scare them away."
The Dragon Girl took a deep breath and walked to the gate of the small manor.
In the dim evening sun, the decaying gate made of black iron exuded a heavy aura.
The manor, visible through the gaps in the fence, was shrouded in gloom, with no lights visible in the sunset, appearing unusually desolate and dilapidated.
She tried to ring the doorbell; she stood at the gate, signaling her attendant to press the doorbell.
Unexpectedly, the gate burst open with a crash, dazzling light erupted from behind the door, followed by the deafening roar of a salute cannon.
Even the Red Dragon Miss couldn't help but have her entire vision captivated by the scene before her, as if the world had turned colorful.
This was not a metaphor.
It was because colorful confetti was literally plastered all over her face!
Talulah vigorously wiped her face.
She had simulated her first encounter with the down-and-out noble countless times.
In the successful scenarios, she would easily complete the trade, even forming a friendship, allowing for multiple future trades.
In the unsuccessful ones, she would naturally be severely discriminated against, part on bad terms, or even be reported to the Ursus army.
However, none of her various deductions ever included getting her face covered in small confetti from a salute cannon!
What exactly was that Luo Su fellow up to?
Talulah took a deep breath, almost pushing her senses to their limit, trying to find traces of Luo Su.
Then, she saw a little girl dressed like a magician from a story and a young boy with yellow hair and fox whiskers waving strange flags, with the words "Warm Welcome" fluttering in the wind.
To one side, a very tall girl was covering her face, and an even taller silver-haired beauty was holding a watermelon, intently enjoying the frozen watermelon.
What on earth was going on?
This Dragon Girl Miss felt her brain was close to crashing.
No, it wasn't just her; FrostNova, standing at the entrance, and Patriot and the Shieldguards a little further away, were equally dumbfounded.
They had prepared for negotiations and leaving with grain, and they had also prepared for the nobles' bad attitude and a full-scale advance, but they had never envisioned how to deal with the scene before them.
"Oh, my dear God, have you finally deigned to visit the mortal world?"
A very smooth, translated tone, carrying the vulgarity of a merchant.
While the Reunion Movement members suspected they had run into a 'prank movement,' a very handsome fellow strolled over, eagerly shaking Talulah's hand.
"Come, come, quickly sit!"
The young man frantically pulled out a chair from who-knows-where, then gestured for Naruto to create a Shadow Clone to serve tea and water.
The enthusiastic scene left Talulah bewildered.
Was this an Ursus noble?
Are you sure it wasn't a Victoria profiteer?
Talulah's thoughts were a bit chaotic.
"...Old stubborn...What is that Luo Su fellow up to?"
At the main gate, FrostNova looked at her adoptive father with a complex expression; she had grown up on the ice plains and had never seen Ursus high society.
In contrast, her adoptive father was the best field commander in all of Ursus, and also a descendant of the royal court, with a much broader perspective than her, so perhaps he could understand the current situation...?
In response, the huge man also fell silent.
What could he say?
He had never seen such a display either!
Confusion, incomprehension, and various strange feelings made Talulah's hand, holding the teacup, tremble slightly.
Although she didn't know what had happened, it seemed Luo Su had learned of her need for cheap grain, and she had lost the initiative, feeling as if she had fallen into a trap.
Thinking this way, it seemed understandable why the fellow in front of her was so enthusiastic.
After all—
A fat sheep, who doesn't like one?
At this thought, Talulah instantly became alert; the Reunion Movement was quite poor and couldn't withstand the depredations of a profiteer.
"Mr. Luo Su, I still have some matters to attend to..."
She said seriously, and immediately stood up, just like Hui Hui who was about to make a run for it earlier. No, that's not right, Hui Hui was, after all, a defenseless mage, but this fellow was a Red Dragon, and she could run much faster than Hui Hui!
In almost a blink of an eye, she was practically bolting out the door.
Looking at the swiftly departing figure, Luo Su was somewhat shocked. How could this fellow run so fast?
Could it be that learning fire magic comes with an additional specialization in running away?
[Stop daydreaming, quickly catch her, don't let her run away!!]
In his vision, the prompter was frantically prompting, like an anxious eunuch watching an emperor not favor a concubine.
"I don't need you to remind me of this; even for the sake of the lottery, I won't let her run away!!"
Luo Su held a staff inlaid with Originium and unhesitatingly activated his Originium Arts on Talulah.
Reality Distortion.
Through mental interference, twist the target's language, actions, and intentions.
Making a strike into a push, an advance into a retreat, an escape into a charge...a rather sinister and bizarre Originium Arts.
Its only drawback was an absurdly high consumption, so its duration was quite short.
But sometimes, one or two seconds of cognitive error were enough to change the situation.
For example—
The Red Dragon girl suddenly crashed into Luo Su. She looked up at his handsome face, full of disbelief.
"You are truly too enthusiastic."
"However, it's better for unmarried ladies not to abruptly embrace strange men, as it might affect your reputation."
In the Dragon Girl's disbelieving gaze, he spoke like a gentleman, with a hint of distress.
"But—enthusiastic ladies always bring joy."
"Given your enthusiasm, I'd be delighted to provide you with all the goods you need."
The young man elegantly handed her a glass of champagne and a list of goods, chuckling softly.
"All goods."