"Ah! Father, you mean this glove is very valuable?"
"Yes, Carly, this glove is cleverly designed. The five fingers don't hinder your work. You see, it's very well made here. The fur must be rabbit fur. Rabbits are hard to catch here, and there aren't many of them. Not many people would be willing to use fur to make gloves, especially in winter. This fluffy fur will be very warm and comfortable."
"Then I've lost out?"
"Of course, that Grandet wouldn't readily trade with you without some benefit in return."
"I'm not going to see him again, you cheapskate," Carly cursed inwardly at the person who had cheated her.
"By the way, Carly, since the outsiders are so generous, did you tell them that there are bandits in the jungle who specialize in robbing caravans to take them back? Even the lord can't do anything about them."
"Father, don't worry. I think this stranger is not simple at all. You didn't see the bow and arrow that big warrior was carrying. I feel like he could shoot through a cow."
The middle-aged man looked at the little girl with some disbelief.
"Really, Father, that bow is taller than me, and it gleams in the sunlight,"
"Well, let's hope so!"
The middle-aged man still had some goodwill towards Ed and his group; just because they gave Carly so much bread, he would offer them a small prayer.
But what the little girl Carly was really thinking was:
Where did this guy come from? He doesn't look very good, but his stuff is pretty good.
However, there were also some annoying ones who begged him to be their guide but kept lowering their price. Although he eventually gave her a lot, she was still somewhat dissatisfied.
But I still hope that more outsiders like this will come!
On the way back
Unlike the journey there, Ed paid a little more attention to his surroundings on the way back.
Because we were walking on the outskirts of the village, we rarely saw people, only occasionally someone cutting grass or grazing livestock.
And these people don't seem to be doing well, worse off than the current Gray Fortress territory, which can be seen from the appearance of their own team members.
After more than half a year of recuperation, most people in Gray Castle have regained their rosy complexions and become much stronger. Although their clothes are not very nice, their spirit is indeed unmatched by the people here.
"Master, these people are so thin and weak!" Adelaide said sadly.
Others shared the same sentiment; they had been in the same boat before, and if it weren't for the lord providing free lunches and tax reductions, they wouldn't have fared much better than these people.
They were fortunate to have met a benevolent lord.
"Hmm, Adelaide, there's a port market here, and the land isn't exactly barren. It's possible these people are slaves."
There is a difference between serfs and slaves; serfs may own a small amount of land and personal property.
Slaves essentially lost all rights and were merely human machines that could work.
"Master, can we come again and buy back all the slaves in the market?" Adelaide was also filled with sympathy for the slaves in the market.
"Well, Adelaide, it's difficult, but I will do it, though we need to bring something better to trade." Ed definitely wanted to buy; his iron ore still needed many people to mine it.
However, we need to solve the food problem in the territory first, otherwise we won't be able to feed the large population.
"Yes, we need to make better gloves and clothes," Adelaide said happily.
Because she exchanged a lot of salt for the gloves this time, she felt that the gloves could probably be exchanged for many people as well.
Upon hearing the word "gloves," Ed suddenly felt a pang of anxiety:
"Isn't it a bit too casual to set a price when you're new here? I hope you don't get ripped off by that little girl!"