"Hiring you all is no problem,"
Tait sipped his wine, pondering slowly, "But about the price..."
Meanwhile, Gourmet Goose sat in front of him, nonchalantly, with two swords strapped to his back.
He had recently begun to feel like it was only a matter of time before he ended up with five swords on his back...
"The price is negotiable, Your Excellency,"
Gourmet Goose chuckled. "To tell you the truth, I’m not afraid of you driving a hard bargain. After all, it’s on our way. As long as you can keep a secret, even if we earn a bit more, it’s all pure profit... and we have it easy. The Shelly Region really isn’t dangerous... We are in for the long haul business; we won’t cheat you."
"You really don’t know how to do business..."
Tait, whose hairstyle matched Gourmet Goose’s, laughed upon hearing this, his speech tinged with a strange dialect, "Who reveals their bottom line right at the beginning?"
"Haha! If it were those professional mercenaries, they’d surely be trying to bamboozle you right now."
Gourmet Goose laughed heartily, exuding a stable and reliable temperament, "Saying things like how dangerous the route is or what perils might exist... as if it were just like going to war, just to dupe fools who know nothing.
"But I think you’re not the kind to be fooled. You look like someone in the know."
Gourmet Goose flattered him with a guffaw.
The two men exchanged a look and laughed.
Under the warm light, their shining bald heads twinkled.
They had to enter the city with the merchant caravan after all.
Which meant, the caravan they were to follow must have a selling point or a purchasing point in the Royal Capital. They would definitely not be like other caravans that travel far from home, completely clueless about the Royal Capital.
In such a scenario, to bamboozle the other party with "Jiu’er is a runaway young lady from the Royal Capital" was far too risky.
What if the other party casually asked "Which family’s daughter?" How would Gourmet Goose respond? Or what if there really was a young lady who had run away from home in the Royal Capital, and the caravan directly took Jiu’er to them? What then?
It was all too easy to stir up trouble.
So Gourmet Goose decided to reverse his thinking.
No longer were they three people escorting a young lady home...
It was two solitary mercenaries escorting two priests from The North Lands to the Royal Capital. As everyone knows, the priests of the Silver Baron don’t have personal savings; they are on long-term arrangements with the local church, so they’ve already been paid.
Now they plan to earn a little extra... by escorting the merchants into the Royal Capital with the two priests. In the process, they could earn the money for escorting the priests, and since the priests are also in the caravan, they could help heal any dangers encountered.
Of course, since they have two Transcendents and two priests of the Silver Baron, even though the journey is short, charging a little isn’t too much to ask, right?
This move had the comment section bursting with emojis of growing grass.
Throughout their journey, Gourmet Goose and his companions, not realizing at first, actually spent money hiring wagons... but as they caught on, they began hitching rides without spending a penny. And now, as they near the Royal Capital, they even plan to make some money off others?
The most outrageous part is that Gourmet Goose might actually succeed in closing this deal!
"Come on, brother, try this... This is a brew crafted by Wizards; you can’t buy it outside the Royal Capital circle."
Tait, smiling, poured a friendly glass of golden wine for Gourmet Goose.
The liquid was shallow, about a finger and a half deep—just enough for one gulp.
Tait offhandedly said, "I recall you mentioned just now... your name is Gourmet Goose, right? That name is quite a mouthful."
If you knew what this name really means, it wouldn’t just be a question of being a mouthful...
Gourmet Goose remarked inwardly.
Thankfully, when these folks pronounce their names, they go for the phonetic rather than the literal meaning.
Otherwise, the kid would probably be the unluckiest one...
"Indeed, it’s quite a mouthful; you can call me Goose or Old Goose. That’s what my friends call me,"
Gourmet Goose sniffed the drink lightly, replying offhand.
Judging by the fragrance of the wine... it must have quite a high alcohol content.
Given his identity as a player, Gourmet Goose wasn’t particularly worried about poisoning.
So without any apprehension, he lifted the glass and took a sip.
... Surprisingly, the taste was not bad, quite sweet and not heavy.
"What kind of drink is this?"
Gourmet Goose couldn’t help but ask.
"It’s called ’Honey Lips,’ a kind of honey wine made by the Wizards in the Black Tower, so the production is small,"
Tait chuckled, "Plus, it enhances beauty and virility, making the demand very high. The price always remains steep.
"—One of these bottles costs at least five pounds."
Upon hearing this, the Delicious Wind Goose was somewhat impressed.
... So that one sip I just had was worth dozens of silver coins?
With that thought, he felt the drink tasted even better.
When he logged off later, he decided to buy some mead to try...
Seeing the Delicious Wind Goose looking rather keen, Tait laughed and poured him another half glass, "You’re not from Noah, are you?"
The Delicious Wind Goose nodded, "But I’d been living in Noah long before I became a Transcendent."
"Then where is your homeland?"
Tait asked curiously.
The Delicious Wind Goose didn’t respond but merely nodded towards the east.
Tait guessed upon hearing this, "Are you from Winter? No, that doesn’t seem right... Are you from the United Kingdom?"
"Why don’t you guess I’m from The Holy Nation?"
"The Holy Nation— Ha!"
Tait couldn’t help but grin broadly at the notion.
Yet after pondering for a moment, he added, "Hmm... Though it’s possible. An exile from The Holy Nation?"
An exile from The Holy Nation? What’s that?
Hearing this unfamiliar term for the second time, Delicious Wind Goose made a mental note of it.
However, the Delicious Wind Goose just gave a mysterious small smile and said nothing.
The information he had gleaned was almost enough.
He should sign the contract first... to avoid unnecessary trouble.
It was at this moment that Tait grew silent.
His right forefinger tapped unconsciously on the table as he fell into thought.
"Look here, old goose."
He suddenly rubbed his bald head and sat up straight.
His breath, heavy with the scent of alcohol, filled the room as he exhaled deeply.
Tait, with narrowed eyes, looked at the Delicious Wind Goose and spoke in a hushed tone, "How would you like to... make some extra money?"
The Delicious Wind Goose was taken aback, "What?"
"Help me transport some goods."
Tait whispered, "What do you think of this wine?"
"It’s excellent, no, it’s exceptionally good. Rich and refreshing, sweet yet not cloying... What about it?"
The Delicious Wind Goose replied instinctively.
Upon hearing this, Tait squinted his eyes and gave a secretive smile.
He lowered his voice and whispered, "This is... counterfeit stuff."
The Delicious Wind Goose paused.
Brother, what do you mean by this?
Are you dealing in fake booze? Is it even okay to tell me this?
"Sign a contract first, then we’ll discuss the details."
As Tait spoke, he handed a contract to the Delicious Wind Goose.
The Delicious Wind Goose looked down and a screen appeared on his retina.
The system extracted the relevant content from the contract and listed it out for him.
Seeing the content of the contract, the Delicious Wind Goose’s pupils narrowed slightly.
Accidentally hook a big fish?