Fortunately, Jason Liu was very hungry, so he ended up eating most of his meal. After finishing half a long loaf and a plate of roasted venison, he was finally full.
Old Rhode came over with a knowing look and handed him a glass of water as Jason prepared to pay. The meal cost him 55 Bronze Stars. Jason gave Old Rhode 1 Silver Deer and got back 45 Bronze Stars, greasy from the table.
"Rhode, do you know if there's a place to buy a house around here in Winter Town?" Jason asked as Old Rhode was about to leave.
Jason had decided to buy a house in Winter Town to have his own place. Having a house would not only give him a more secure base, but it would also make it easier to store the growing number of items he was bringing each time he visited.
Old Rhode gave him a surprised look. "Sir, you want to buy a house here in Winter Town?"
Jason nodded. "Yes, it'll make things easier for business."
"Well, you're in luck! I happen to know a family on the street who wants to sell their house and move to the Riverlands." Rhode raised his hand slightly, rubbing his thumb over his fingers—a clear hint that he'd like a little extra for his help.
Jason caught on right away. Smiling, he placed a Silver Deer and the 45 Bronze Stars on the table. "Help me buy that house, and these are yours."
Old Rhode's eyes lit up as he greedily eyed the silver and bronze coins. He nodded quickly. "No problem, my lord. I'll make sure you get that house!"
With the fee settled, Old Rhode seemed more than motivated. After giving a quick word to his wife, the plump auntie, he led Jason through a narrow alley until they reached a two-story wooden house.
"Hey, Richard, are you still alive in there?" Old Rhode shouted, banging loudly on the door. "Come on out, there's a nobleman here who wants to buy your house. Open up, you lazy old fool!"
A voice grumbled from inside. "Calm down, Rhode! You're about to break my door down!"
The door opened, and a gray-haired old man appeared, squinting at them. "Did you say a noble wants to buy my house? Really?"
Seeing Jason standing there, Richard's expression shifted to one of respect—common folk in Westeros were usually cautious around nobles.
"Come in, my lord—" Old Rhode eagerly turned to Jason, ignoring Richard's grumbling. "Come on in and have a look. Richard may be a lazy old man, but this is the biggest house on the block!"
The owner, Richard, forced a friendly smile and ushered Jason inside to look around.
Jason followed Rhode inside. It was a modest two-story wooden house, covering about 200 square meters, with a small yard at the back. The place hadn't been occupied in a while, so it had a musty smell and was a bit cluttered.
The ground floor faced the street and could work as a store, while the second floor could be used for storage and living space. Looking through the second-floor windows, Jason noticed that this was indeed the largest house in the area; most of the other houses had only one or two rooms with less than 100 square meters.
Despite the slight mess, the house was suitable. Jason turned to Richard and asked him for the price.
"220 Silver Deer," Richard replied, which was the same as 2 Golden Dragons and 20 Silver Deer.
This price was quite fair to Jason, so he didn't bother to haggle. He paid Richard 220 Silver Deer, making Richard beam with gratitude as he agreed to pack up and head to the Riverlands.
After completing the transaction, Jason kept his promise and handed Old Rhode the Silver Deer and 45 Bronze Stars. He even added an extra Silver Deer, instructing him to hire people to clean the place thoroughly.
Old Rhode quickly agreed and said he'd find someone to clean it right away, so Jason could move in by nightfall.
With money in hand, Richard simply packed a few clothes and left. Old Rhode, who had also received his payment, promptly found four sturdy women to help clean the house. Within two hours, they had the entire place tidied up.
Of course, since the house was almost empty—Richard had taken anything he could—the cleaning was quick and easy.
After sending off Old Rhode and the cleaners, Jason locked the door, went to the second floor, and returned to his rented house.
There, he grabbed his backpack and began moving supplies—gel pens, refills, A4 paper, and bars of soap—from the rented house to his new home in Winter Town. He planned to sell pens and paper at the Winter Town market that afternoon and was even thinking of introducing soap as a new product.
After moving everything over, Jason took 750 gel pens, 4,000 refills, 4,000 sheets of paper, and 100 bars of soap downstairs to the storefront.
He was especially eager to see how people would react to the soap.
Once everything was set up, he locked the house and headed to the market nearby.
As soon as he arrived, the merchants who had been waiting for him crowded around. This time, there were even more merchants than before. News had spread that someone who bought a gel pen from him had sold it to Winterfell, and word was that Sansa Stark, the daughter of Lord Eddard Stark, had tried the pen and loved it.
Whether true or not, rumors had flown around Winter Town, even suggesting that Lord Eddard himself had used the pen and praised it.
The merchants who had been hesitant before were now eager to buy.
Jason didn't waste any time. "Follow me, everyone," he said, leading them back to his store, where he had laid out the pens and paper.
One merchant stepped forward. "Master, I'd like 50 gel pens, 300 refills, and 200 sheets of white paper!"
Another chimed in, "I'll take 100 gel pens, 500 refills, and 500 sheets of white paper!"
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