In his memory, the territory of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild was located within the range of the Crimson Mage Tower, and they paid him 5 gold Pucks every month as protection fees.
They could be considered acquaintances.
Under the watchful eyes of several smaller merchant caravans, Li De walked over to the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild's camp. He could clearly sense the surrounding guards breathing a sigh of relief.
Since it was still dark, the caravan wasn't ready to depart yet, and the night watch guards of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild were on high alert.
Seeing Li De standing still, the guards felt a headache coming on.
What did this mage lord want? They had already encountered bandits once on the road. Were they about to face another nightmare right outside Green City?!
A guard captain wearing a half-body gray leather armor gritted his teeth and walked up to Li De, both wary and with a forced smile.
"Esteemed mage, is there anything you need from us?"
Li De looked at him indifferently.
"I am the master of the Crimson Mage Tower."
This statement instantly made the captain relax. He was aware of the Crimson Mage Tower. The Golden Wheat Merchant Guild paid protection fees to them every month, and he had accompanied the guild on several occasions to deliver the fees.
Although he had never met the master of the mage tower, he was certain that the master would recognize the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.
"Lord Li De, it is an honor to meet you. The Golden Wheat Merchant Guild is delighted to serve you. I will have someone summon the vice president immediately. Please wait a moment."
Li De's name was naturally no secret within the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.
Li De nodded, not refusing the offer.
In this world, mages and nobles undoubtedly stood at the top of the pyramid. For these merchants, not to mention a guard captain, even the guild leader wouldn't have the right to sit on equal footing with Li De.
Li De glanced around at the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild's thirty or so carriages. A single shipment of this scale suggested that the guild was quite prosperous.
Unfortunately, more than half of the carriages were empty. It was unclear whether the goods had been stolen by bandits or lost along the way.
Curious, he asked, "What does the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild mainly trade in? Were all these goods stolen?"
The captain shook his head, his expression downcast. "We mainly deal in cloth and grain. The Beastmen from the south breached the border defenses, and our caravan encountered a group of Beastmen looting along the way. We suffered significant losses."
"That's correct, Lord Li De. This is the greatest loss the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild has ever faced. The Beastmen stole all the cloth and grain we were transporting to support the soldiers at the border."
A middle-aged man dressed in luxurious merchant attire approached Li De with a bitter smile. He had golden hair, and his shrewd brown eyes were particularly striking.
"Lord Li De, this is the president of the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild, Laurent Orlando."
"You may leave now. Wake up the caravan and prepare to return to the city. I will accompany Lord Li De."
"Yes, President Laurent."
Li De nodded slightly at Laurent Orlando. He had seen this man before, in the memories of the Vampire Progenitor.
Moreover, the man had a good reputation, and his business acumen was considered top-notch.
"Hello, Laurent. I originally intended to rest with a caravan until sunrise before returning to Green City. I didn't expect to encounter the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild.
I deeply regret your misfortune, but hardships will pass. I believe a single setback won't bring down the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild."
The Vampire Progenitor had spent most of his time in Green City studying magic, paying little attention to other matters.
As a result, Li De's knowledge of Green City's merchant world was practically nonexistent. He planned to learn more about the market situation by interacting with Laurent.
Purchasing a large amount of grain would inevitably require cooperation with a merchant guild. He didn't have the energy to handle it all himself.
Laurent's eyes showed a hint of surprise, as if he hadn't expected the usually aloof mage to be so approachable.
"Lord Li De, hope always exists, but this time, luck is not on my side."
After saying this, he shook his head, not wanting to dwell on the topic, and gestured toward a tent in the center of the caravan.
"Please, Lord, rest in my tent for a while. We can return to Green City together after sunrise."
Li De nodded slightly, not pressing further. After expressing his thanks, he followed Laurent to the central tent.
The space wasn't large, with a wool carpet covering the floor. A small table held some bread, and a half-rolled-up blanket lay nearby, clearly where Laurent had been resting.
The two sat down, exchanged a few polite words, and then Li De took the initiative to ask.
"President Laurent, I'd like to ask, what is the current price of grain in Green City per pound?"
Laurent looked at Li De with some confusion. A mage asking about grain prices?
When had these lofty mage lords ever cared about the price of grain? Even if all the commoners starved, it wouldn't be their concern.
"Lord Li De, although I don't know why you're asking this, I must inform you of some bad news.
This year, because the Beastmen launched their war early, a large portion of the grain at the border was looted by the Beastmen before it could be harvested.
As a result, grain prices this year are the highest they've been in the past five years.
Currently, a pound of wheat costs 8 copper Pucks, double the usual price. And as the Month of Deep Winter approaches, the price is likely to exceed 10 copper Pucks.
By the Goddess of Life, the commoners at the border will have a hard time this winter."
After speaking, Laurent's expression turned grave, his eyes filled with pity.
When grain prices rose, the first to suffer were always the commoners. He could already foresee that many, many people would starve to death this winter.
From Laurent's brief words, Li De sensed the impending bloodshed and sorrow. In war, the greatest victims were always the commoners.
But this wasn't something a Vampire Progenitor could control. Shaking his head, he began to ponder another matter.
1 gold Puck could be exchanged for 100 silver Pucks or 10,000 copper Pucks.
In Green City, an ordinary person's monthly income was only about 10 silver Pucks, which had to support an entire family. It was easy to see how devastating the rise in grain prices would be for them.
1 gold Puck could buy approximately 1,200 pounds of grain at 8 copper Pucks per pound.
In Glory, a pound was a unit of measurement, roughly equivalent to half a kilogram.
1,200 pounds, if used sparingly, could feed two families of three for a year.
The 2,000 gold Pucks he had brought could buy enough grain to feed tens of thousands of people for a year.
This amount of grain would be more than enough for his farming plans in the ancient castle.
As long as they could survive this winter, by next spring, the fertile land behind the ancient castle could support hundreds of thousands of people.
The only problem now was acquiring this massive amount of grain.
Given the war with the Beastmen in the south, grain prices would continue to rise. He needed to complete the purchase as soon as possible while prices were still manageable and grain was still available on the market.
"How much grain does the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild have left? I have a business proposition for you. I need a large amount of grain."
Hearing Li De's words, Laurent's eyes lit up, but his expression quickly dimmed again.
"Lord Li De, by the Goddess, the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild is on the verge of bankruptcy. We no longer have the capital to make any purchases."
Li De was taken aback.
"Bankruptcy? Just from losing one shipment of goods, and it was only cloth and grain?"
Thirty carriages of cloth and grain were significant, but far from invaluable.
How could such a large merchant guild not withstand a single loss?
Laurent shook his head, his eyes filled with despair.
"We had contacted a seller at the border who discovered a vein of mithril and had produced a substantial amount of mithril ore.
You know how precious mithril is as an alchemical material. If we could transport it back to Green City, we would make a fortune.
But the ore required a full 1,200 gold Pucks. To secure this deal, I sold off most of the guild's assets and even borrowed 200 gold Pucks from the Green City Merchant Guild.
But those damned Beastmen... One day, I'll crush them one by one and drag them to the gallows."
Li De didn't need to hear the details to understand. Laurent had finally found a golden opportunity, only to have it ruined by the Beastmen.
"So, I'm sorry, Lord Li De. After sunrise, the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild will cease to exist. I can't fulfill your business request."
Bankruptcy? Recalling that the Golden Wheat Merchant Guild had a good reputation in his memories, Li De pondered for a moment. Instead of feeling disappointed, he saw an opportunity.
Perhaps this was a chance.