[Employer: Earl Medger]
[Quest: Maintain order in the trade market outside Castle Cerwyn daily (This quest is settled monthly; rewards are random)]
[Reward:
91 Gold Dragons (Claimable)
One bag of Frost Spirit Rice (Unclaimable)]
"A whole month has finally passed! If this quest reward didn't drop soon, I really wouldn't have been able to hold out!"
As soon as Don Quixote closed the wooden door, he rubbed his hands together, unable to resist checking the quest panel.
With two extra mouths to feed, plus the costs of buying loyalty and greasing palms...
His expenses this month had skyrocketed.
But that wasn't the main issue.
A little food and drink here and there—especially the kind of grub commoners ate...
Really didn't cost that much.
Even spending lavishly, he only blew through about 1 Gold Dragon a month.
If that was all there was to it, maintaining his current comfortable lifestyle would be a breeze.
After all, his salary from Earl Medger was exactly 1 Gold Dragon a month.
A month ago, he had 3 Gold Dragons, 427 Silver Stags, and 78 Copper Pennies.
Minus the 1 Gold Dragon 'warming fee' he gave Lady Ella.
He still had 2 Gold Dragons, 427 Silver Stags, and 78 Copper Pennies left.
More than enough to sustain his current standard of living.
However, he had taken on a massive hidden expense.
As a mere commoner—and one currently making a living under House Cerwyn's roof, no less...
Building his own faction out in the open would just be asking for trouble!
So, he took a more roundabout approach.
He secretly sought out reliable and capable local hunters.
And bought their catches at premium prices.
He purchased their prey at ten to twenty percent above the average market rate.
He essentially established long-term, stable trade relations with any reliable and skilled hunter, without being overly picky.
He planned to slowly position himself as the provider for these impoverished people!
To make them realize, step by step...
That trading with him, Don Quixote, meant a better life!
And that if they ever left him...
They'd be right back to their old, precarious existence!
He had already established stable trade with seventeen hunters.
It was a significant ongoing expense.
As for the game he bought...
He offloaded the lower-quality catches at the trade market for average or slightly below-average prices.
Making sure not to create a noticeable gap in the meat market within Cerwyn territory that might catch House Cerwyn's attention.
The high-quality, tender meats were kept for their own consumption.
Don Quixote, Cole, and Adele were training hard every single day.
They couldn't possibly keep that up without a massive supply of meat.
————
"Claim!"
Don Quixote commanded silently.
In a flash.
91 gleaming Gold Dragon coins materialized out of thin air before him.
"Oh, sweet Gold Dragons! Shiny Gold Dragons! So many Gold Dragons!"
Don Quixote grinned like an idiot as he picked up the 91 Gold Dragons one by one and tucked them into his leather coin purse.
It took a good while...
Before he finally snapped out of it and checked the quest reward for next month.
[Frost Spirit Rice:
A miraculous strain of rice created by a master Ice Mage who spent most of their life researching in the extreme cold.
Consuming a large quantity permanently grants resistance to cold and immunity to low-level Ice Magic attacks!
Furthermore, it can enhance physical constitution!]
"Incredible!"
Don Quixote was instantly overjoyed:
"This is amazing stuff! I'll be able to power up quickly again!"
Thinking of this, he checked his stats panel once more.
[Name: Don Quixote]
[Identity: Knight]
[Spirit: 1.99]
[Vitality: 2.27]
His Vitality was growing slower and slower.
A whole month of training had only increased it by 0.1.
And his Spirit value had been stuck at 1.99 for over ten days without budging.
However, his actual combat ability had improved significantly.
"I hope this Frost Spirit Rice really has the miraculous effects it claims.
"Breaking past 2 in Spirit and getting another massive boost to Vitality might all ride on this Frost Spirit Rice!"
Don Quixote buzzed with excitement and anticipation.
————
A large iron spit pierced through a whole snow rabbit.
Another held a whole grouse.
The two spits slowly turned over the fire pit.
The thicker layers of fat blistered and turned a golden brown over the heat, dripping hot oil into the flames below.
Sizzling and popping as it hit the fire, sending up tiny showers of sparks.
The skin roasted tight and crisp, gleaming with grease.
The mouthwatering aroma of roasted meat began to fill the air.
Making Adele, who was sitting nearby, practically drool, her face lighting up with joy.
Adele licked her delicate lips, unable to hold back:
"My Lord, how much longer until it's ready!
"I want to eat it now!"
After spending a month together, Adele had grown much closer to Don Quixote and relied on him even more.
And under the influence of Don Quixote's mindset...
She was beginning to open up.
While she still carried some of the submissive, servant-like mentality of the weak, it had noticeably lessened.
Don Quixote used a clean dagger to score the meat every now and then, stuffing crushed wild onions into the cuts.
He glanced at Adele and suddenly gave a mischievous grin:
"Can't hold it in anymore? Just wait a little longer.
"The release is always so much more satisfying and comfortable after you've held it in for a while."
Hearing this, Adele rolled her eyes.
Lord Don Quixote was being indecent again!
Before long.
Don Quixote stood up, grabbed the two large iron spits, and set them down on a clean, flat iron platter nearby.
He carved the meat.
After slicing the crispy snow rabbit and golden grouse into manageable strips and pieces...
Don Quixote and Adele began to leisurely enjoy their meal, washing down bites of meat with sips of ale.
Just as the two of them had polished off more than half the roasted meat...
A figure on horseback approached rapidly.
Nathan swung down from his horse, caught a whiff of the rich aroma in the air, and swallowed hard.
He quietly waited for Don Quixote to finish the piece of roasted meat in his hand before respectfully saying:
"Lord Don Quixote, Captain Liam just brought over last month's pay. When he didn't see you, he handed it to us."
Don Quixote nodded.
It was currently his squad's shift to patrol.
But he hadn't felt like going today, so he just skipped it.
And usually, when that happened, Cole would tag along with Nathan and the others.
Helping Nathan and the guys out with chores while keeping an eye on things in the trade market and reporting back to him.
Nathan handed 1 Gold Dragon to Don Quixote and continued:
"My Lord, Miss Elise from the Iron Axe Tavern is looking for you over at the trade market. It seems to be something important!"
Hearing this, Don Quixote was a bit surprised:
"Got it. I'll head over in a bit."
He paused, pulled out 6 Silver Stags, and handed them to Nathan with a smile:
"You guys worked hard today. Go grab a drink and relax after your patrol, and take Cole with you.
"Oh, and keep an eye on him for me. Don't let him drink any ale—he's got training tomorrow!"
Nathan eagerly took the 6 Silver Stags and said respectfully:
"It was no trouble at all, My Lord! Ever since you publicly taught those arrogant outsiders a harsh lesson, the drifters, foreigners, and even the locals in the market have been behaving themselves and following the rules!
"No one dares to start trouble. We were bored out of our minds all day and didn't see a single conflict!"
Don Quixote smiled.
After a month of development, the trade market was bustling with people coming and going every day, but the rules of trade still weren't perfectly standardized.
How could there be no conflicts?
It was just that conflicts varied in scale. Nathan and the guys were perfectly capable of handling the minor disputes.
As for the major ones, his cabin wasn't far from the trade market, so he could be there in no time.
He knew Nathan's personality.
The man kept his head down, worked hard, and didn't like to complain about the small hardships he endured.
Don Quixote suddenly asked:
"Nathan, I heard your son is ten years old now."
Nathan didn't understand why Don Quixote was asking, but he nodded and quickly answered:
"Yes, My Lord, my son is a little over ten."
Don Quixote smiled:
"I'm still looking for another squire.
"If you think I'm a reliable man, would you consider introducing your son to me?"
...