In his memory, the territory of the Golden Wheat Commerce was within the range of the Crimson Mage Tower, and the other party paid him 5 Gold Pucks as a shelter fee every month.
They could be considered acquaintances.
Stepping towards the station of Golden Wheat Commerce under the watchful eyes of a few small merchant teams, Lide could clearly feel the surrounding guards let out a sigh of relief.
Because it was still dark, the merchant team hadn't set out yet, and the guards of Golden Wheat Commerce who were on night duty were still vigilant.
Seeing Lide halting, the guards instantly felt a sense of dread.
What did this Mage lord want? They had already encountered robbers once halfway, could they face another nightmare at the gate of Green City?!
A guard team captain, dressed in half-gray leather armor, gritted his teeth and walked up to Lide, looking somewhat wary yet full of ingratiation.
"My Lord Mage, is there anything you need from us?"
Lide looked at him with a calm expression.
"I am the master of the Crimson Mage Tower,"
This sentence instantly made the captain let out a sigh of relief. He knew of the Crimson Mage Tower, as Golden Wheat Commerce handed over the shelter fee to them every month, and he had accompanied them several times.
Although he hadn't seen the actual master of the Mage Tower, he believed the other party must have an impression of Golden Wheat Commerce.
"Lord Lide, it's an honor to meet you. Golden Wheat Commerce is delighted to serve you. I will call the Vice President immediately. Please wait a moment."
Naturally, his name was no secret in the Golden Wheat Commerce.
Lide nodded, not refusing.
In this world, Mages and Nobles undoubtedly stood at the top of the pyramid. To these merchants, not to mention the captain of a guard team, even the president of the commerce didn't qualify to stand on par with Lide.
Lide turned to look at the thirty-plus carriages of Golden Wheat Commerce. The scale of this single shipment indicated that Golden Wheat Commerce had considerable strength.
Unfortunately, more than half of the carriages were empty. It was unknown whether the goods were stolen by robbers or lost halfway.
Out of curiosity, he asked,
"What do you primarily trade in Golden Wheat Commerce? Were these goods all stolen?"
The captain shook his head with a somewhat dejected look, "We primarily trade in cloth and grain. The Southern Border Beastmen broke through the frontier defense line. Our merchant team encountered a marauding team of Beastmen halfway, causing significant losses..."
"Indeed, Mr. Lide, the loss this time is the greatest since the establishment of Golden Wheat Commerce. The Beastmen stole all the cloth and grain we were transporting to support the border warriors."
A middle-aged man in a luxurious business suit, with a bitter smile and striking golden hair and shrewd brown eyes, approached Lide.
"Lord Lide, this is the president of Golden Wheat Commerce, Laurent Orlando."
"You may leave now and wake up the merchant team, prepare to return to the city at once. I will accompany Lord Lide."
"Yes, President Laurent."
Seeing Laurent Orlando in front of him, Lide nodded slightly. He had seen this man before in the Blood Clan Ancestor's memories.
Moreover, the reputation of Golden Wheat Commerce was decent, and their commercial ability could be considered excellent.
"Hello, Laurent. Initially, I wanted to find a merchant team to rest for a while and return to Green City after sunrise. I didn't expect to encounter Golden Wheat Commerce.
I deeply regret your misfortune, but hardships will eventually pass. I believe a single encounter won't bring down Golden Wheat Commerce."
The Blood Clan Ancestor spent most of his time in Green City researching magic, completely uninterested in other matters.
Therefore, Lide's understanding of Green City's commercial landscape was quite blank. He planned to get to know Laurent and understand the business situation from the side.
Purchasing a large amount of grain this time undoubtedly required collaboration with commerce, as he didn't have the energy to buy it himself.
Laurent's eyes revealed a hint of surprise as if he didn't expect the indifferent Mage lord to be so amiable.
"Mr. Lide, although hope always persists, this time luck did not favor me."
After shaking his head and not wanting to continue the topic, he gestured to the central tent of the merchant team.
"Please, rest in my tent for a while, and we will return to Green City together after sunrise."
Lide nodded slightly, not asking more. After thanking Laurent, he followed him to the central tent.
The space was not large, with a carpet of wool laid out. A small table held some bread, and a half-rolled bed lay beside it, evidently Laurent's recent resting place.
After the two sat down and exchanged a few courteous words, Lide was the first to ask,
"President Laurent, I would like to know, how much is the grain price in Green City now per pound of copper pucks?"
Laurent looked at Lide strangely. When did a Mage need to care about grain prices? Even if all the commoners starved, it wouldn't be their concern.
"Mr. Lide, although I do not know why you are concerned about this question, I must inform you of some bad news.
Due to the Beastmen's early attack this year, a large amount of grain at the border was looted before it could be harvested.
So, the grain price is the highest in the last five years.
Now, the price of a pound of wheat has doubled to 8 copper pucks, and as the Frost Month approaches, it is likely to exceed 10 copper pucks.
By the Life Goddess, it will be hard for border commoners to survive this winter."
After saying this, Laurent's face was full of gravity, and his eyes showed a trace of reluctance. Once grain prices increase, commoners are undoubtedly the first to be affected. He could foresee many people starving this winter.
From Laurent's simple words, Lide felt the bloodshed and sorrow ahead. The ones suffering the most in wars were always the commoners.
But this was something he, a Blood Clan Ancestor, couldn't control. Shaking his head, he started to think about another matter.
One Gold Puck could exchange for 100 Silver Pucks or 10,000 Copper Pucks.
The monthly income of a common person in Green City was only about 10 Silver Pucks, which also had to support the family. The impact of rising grain prices on common people could be daunting.
1 Gold Puck could exchange for 10,000 Copper Pucks. The grain price was 8 copper pucks per pound, meaning a Gold Puck could buy about 1,200 pounds of grain.
In Glory, a pound was a unit of measurement, with weight similar to a pound.
1,200 pounds, saving enough to support two three-person families for a year.
He brought 2,000 Gold Pucks, which could be exchanged for a year's worth of food for over ten thousand people.
This batch of grain was undoubtedly sufficient for his farming plans in the castle.
As long as he could survive for a year, no, even survive this winter, by next spring, his castle's fertile land could support tens of thousands of people.
The only problem now was he needed to procure this large quantity of grain.
It was foreseeable that due to the Southern Border Beastmen's war, grain prices would continue to rise in the future. Taking advantage of the current prices being less than the extreme, and the market still having available grain, the acquisition must be completed quickly.
"How much grain does Golden Wheat Commerce have? I have a business deal to discuss with you, I need a large batch of grain."
Hearing Lide's words, Laurent's eyes lit up, but quickly turned dejected.
"Lord Lide, by the Life Goddess, Golden Wheat Commerce is going to be bankrupt! We no longer have the capital to purchase grain."
Lide was taken aback.
"Bankrupt? Just losing some goods, and only cloth and grain at that."
Although thirty carts of goods, primarily cloth and grain, were significant, they were far from valuable.
Would such a large commerce fail due to a single loss?
Laurent shook his head, his eyes filled with despair.
"We contacted a seller at the border. They discovered a Secret Silver Vein and produced a sufficient quantity of Secret Silver Ore.
You know how precious this alchemy material is. If I could transport it back to Green City, huge profits were assured.
However, these ores required 1,200 Gold Pucks. To manage this deal, I sold most of Golden Wheat Commerce's goods and still owed 200 Gold Pucks to Green City Commerce.
But... damn the Beastmen! Someday, I'll crush them one by one and drag them to the gallows!"
From the details, Lide could easily imagine their plight. They finally had a chance to make a fortune, only to encounter the Beastmen.
"So, I'm sorry Lord Lide, after sunrise, Golden Wheat Commerce will cease to exist. I can't make that deal with you."
Bankrupt? Thinking of the reputation of Golden Wheat Commerce, Lide pondered for a moment. Instead of being disappointed, an idea struck him.
Maybe this was a good opportunity.