Frey couldn’t help but complain softly, and the young man raised his head, just seeing the girl with a face full of disdain.
Brand couldn’t help but laugh, "Earl Najin is the current head of the Drags Family. This family, named after this place, has a long history; it’s not something ordinary small nobles can compare with."
The girl with the long ponytail was stunned for a moment, losing half of her confidence: "But, but he can’t take credit for everyone else’s achievements..."
"Those big shots have different purposes from ours, we won’t have much interaction with them." Brand chuckled, "Besides, there’s no need to get angry with these rural farmers. Of course, you look down on those nobles because you know what kind of people they are deep down. But these rural farmers don’t know that. In their eyes, nobles are high and mighty, that’s just how they think, and it’s understandable."
Frey paused for a moment, then remembered that she used to think the same way—believing that city people were arrogant and knowledgeable, and nobles were high and mighty, ruling over regions. She couldn’t help but glance at the young man across the table. It seemed that after meeting Brand, she gradually grew and understood much more than before.
Those things that used to seem profound now appeared plain and ordinary. What exactly led to this change? Or is Brand truly so magical?
Brand noticed her pondering and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"I’m wondering if I’ve changed?"
"People inevitably change, Frey. It’s just about understanding where the differences lie."
"Hmm?" The girl was slightly stunned, looking at him with her light brown eyes full of confusion.
"Wisdom means you see and understand more than others. The more you see and understand, the more the world appears plain and ordinary in your eyes." Brand answered.
"What about you, Brand?" Frey thought for a moment and couldn’t help but ask the question she had been wanting to ask all along.
"Compared to you guys, you could say that. But once you understand more, the world actually becomes complicated in your eyes, making you feel a profound sense of knowledge and fear without bounds—" The young man pondered for a moment and replied.
Frey thought for a moment and slowly shook her head.
Brand chuckled, "You will understand—" But then he saw Miss Merchant resting her chin on the table, looking over pitifully, which immediately tested his good temper.
"What are you up to now?" He asked.
"Nothing." Romantic denied flatly.
He was momentarily speechless.
It’s undeniable that Miss Merchant’s erratic thoughts often left the young man at a loss for words, so Brand thought for a moment and decided to change the topic, "By the way, you’ve been scribbling something since yesterday?"
Romantic’s eyes lit up instantly. She sat up and replied, "I’ve been calculating prices, Brand."
"Because since the end of Flower Moon, the price of grain in Ankeze has risen by more than fifty percent. If the war continues into winter, Miss Merchant Romantic will complete her first business transaction." The future Miss Merchant answered methodically.
Romantic’s words surprised both of them. The past few days, seeing this girl happily playing alone in Ankeze, they thought she was on another ’adventure,’ not realizing she had completed a market survey unbeknownst to them.
However, Brand was astonished by Miss Merchant’s sharpness, while Frey was simply surprised that her friend had such a serious side.
"It looks like you won’t accomplish it," Brand became interested and couldn’t help but respond, "The war will last until mid-July at most, Miss Merchant, your first plan will fall through."
"Really?" Romantic couldn’t help but ask.
"Almost certainly." Brand thought to himself, it should be one hundred percent. However, he was more interested in seeing Miss Merchant’s disappointed expression, only to be quickly disappointed.
"Hey, Brand." Romantic blinked, "I heard that Brags has been transporting wine and food from Drage, Ankeze, and Bu Qi Region annually, right? Ankeze and Drage have always been important grain-producing regions in Southern Golan-Elsen, correct?"
Brand couldn’t help but look at Little Roman, thinking she even found this out.
"In this case, Brags has a population of 35,000. Due to entering a state of war, they should have stopped brewing wine since the end of May, right?"
"If the nobles received advance notice, it might have started as early as the beginning of May—" Brand couldn’t help but think that the signs of war actually manifest in every aspect, but ordinary people rarely notice them.
Miss Merchant counted on her fingers, "In this case, if the war ends in mid-July, Ankeze alone might not be able to support two celebrations. Brags will have to source wine and food from the North, crossing the Grey Vulture Mountains, which means the price of wine in this region will likely skyrocket due to losses."
Brand was stunned hearing this and couldn’t help but ask, "Who told you this?"
"Aunt often says that ignoring the wisdom of elders will bring divine punishment." Romantic looked at them with sparkling eyes and answered seriously, "There’s Old John from the Manolan Family, and there’s Mr. Anton, and the limping Caven. Romantic is quite liked by them, you know. Some of these elders have been brewing wine for Brags for most of their lives—Oh! Brand, do you want Miss Merchant Roman to introduce you to one of them? They’re quite impressive."
Brand couldn’t help but look at Miss Merchant whose tail seemed to be wagging skyward. He believed that her personality would indeed be liked by many, but ’Lord Roman’ was something else entirely.
"So you want to seize the opportunity at the end of the war to make a profit? Is that your plan?" He asked.
Miss Merchant nodded fervently.
Miss Merchant continued to nod fervently.
"Wait," Frey stepped forward timely, frowning, "Brand, you wouldn’t seriously accompany Romantic in this craziness, right? We don’t have much money left."
"Frey, maybe Little Roman will give us a pleasant surprise."
But Frey certainly didn’t believe in such luck.
(PS. Asking for votes, there are always some negative comments in the Book Review Area, it’s saddening.) (To be continued, to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, for more Chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)