Chapter 149 A Bunch of Profiteers

The wild boars were only about one and a half meters tall. Combined with the goblin prefect, who was less than one meter six, looking up at Sun Licheng—who was at least three meters tall and mounted on the back of a yak—they were forced into a posture of仰ing upward, and their imposing momentum instantly dropped by several notches.

"May I ask where your Excellency comes from, and where you are headed?"
Atuli asked, tilting his head up.

Sun Licheng wore a smile and said to Atuli, "We are a caravan from the Crimson Flame Tribe, heading toward Stone Bridge Keep. I wonder what guidance the esteemed prefect might have for us."

"A caravan?"
The prefect looked somewhat doubtful.

Looking at the fully armed ogre and Caroline—especially Caroline’s gleaming golden chainmail—this was certainly not something an ordinary caravan could possess. Yet, looking at the massive amount of goods laden on the yaks, he had to admit that this truly was a caravan.

The prefect thought for a moment and said to Sun Licheng, "We welcome all merchants. If it is convenient, won't you accompany me to the prefectural office for a chat? We happen to need some goods and can see if we can make a trade."

Sun Licheng looked at the formation of the wild boar cavalry and knew that this invitation had to be accepted no matter what, so he nodded in agreement.

Seeing that Sun Licheng offered no resistance, the prefect couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Soon, led by the wild boar cavalry, the massive caravan set off toward the prefectural office.

Along the way, through the introductions of Chapman the rabbit-man, Sun Licheng gained a preliminary understanding of the goblin administrative system.

The goblin kingdom employed a two-tier administrative system of provinces and counties, with the royal family simultaneously acting as the actual rulers of the largest central province. The highest official of a province was a garrison commander, while the highest official of a county was a prefect, equivalent to a county magistrate on Earth. Because the goblin kingdom remained quite backward, these offices were generally held by the chieftains of major tribes.

Since the goblin before him claimed to be a prefect, it meant his official rank was already quite significant.

"Then his armor looks rather ordinary to me."
Sun Licheng said doubtfully, comparing Atuli and his subordinates to the goblin Eastern Legion; the gap between them was immense.

"You've seen a regular goblin legion?"
Chapman asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes, I have seen the goblin Eastern Legion."
Sun Licheng nodded affirmatively.

"Well, that explains it. The goblin kingdom currently has four legions: the Royal Legion, the Maxcal Legion, the Eastern Legion, and the Northern Legion. The Eastern Legion is the most elite legion in the goblin kingdom; not only are its soldiers well-trained and provisions ample, but its equipment is also top-notch, and it has long been deployed in the east to guard against the Orc Empire. The Royal Legion belongs to the royal guards; its equipment is exquisite, but its numbers are very small, stationed solely in the royal capital. The Northern Legion, while called a legion, is more like a beggar group composed of low-level serfs and exiled criminals, defending against the barbarians of the God-Forsaken Land in the northern frontier. As for the Maxcal Legion, it is primarily stationed in the Great Plains to maintain public order and has the largest number of personnel, but its weaponry and equipment fall far short of the Eastern Legion and the Royal Legion. Therefore, even a prefect won't have very good military equipment, because even if they want to buy it, they can't get it—this is also a necessity of kingdom control."
Chapman patiently explained to Sun Licheng.

Sun Licheng was suddenly enlightened. Only then did he realize how much importance the Goddess of Silver Moon attached to him; the most powerful legion in the goblin kingdom had been dispatched just like that.

After walking for about forty minutes, they arrived in front of a small stone fortress. Seeing the hawk-like flag fluttering above, Sun Licheng knew they had arrived.

"Please enter."
Atuli stood in the courtyard of the fortress, gesturing to Sun Licheng—who had already dismounted from his yak—before walking into the stone castle.

Having already built several castles of his own, Sun Licheng was very familiar with this type of military fortification. With just a glance, he knew that the goblin architectural craftsmanship was merely at a serviceable level.

The great hall of the stone castle was clearly used for council meetings, featuring a throne at the very back and two rows of wooden chairs along the sides.

After everyone was seated, Sun Licheng introduced his caravan to Atuli once more.

"So you are a Chosen One. Forgive my lack of respect."
This world held a deeply respectful attitude toward gods. Hearing that Sun Licheng was a Chosen One of the God of Magma, the prefect's attitude became even warmer.

"Where on earth did your caravan acquire such armor?"
After chatting for a moment, Atuli finally brought up his main point.

Sun Licheng was startled for a moment, but quickly let out a sigh of relief.

When it comes to armor and weapons, the former was actually more important and much harder to acquire. If one needed weapons, stones could be found everywhere, but obtaining a good set of armor required fine raw materials and skilled artisans. For a martial man and a county prefect who could only afford to wear leather armor himself, how could Atuli not be moved upon seeing Sun Licheng and his companions' armor?

However, knowing how to answer was a delicate technical skill. The Crimson Flame Tribe was not far from here; if he claimed the armor was produced by the tribe, would it bring trouble to them?

Just as Sun Licheng was hesitating, Chapman chimed in from the side, "Respected Lord Prefect, we traded for this armor from the distant sandy lands. If you like it, we can gift you a set, though it won't be as fine as the one worn by the esteemed Lady Caroline—after all, a divine envoy is exceedingly precious."

Sun Licheng was slightly stunned, but immediately understood. Chapman had clearly seen through the prefect's intentions, so he nodded and said to the prefect, "Our trip to Stone Bridge Keep this time is also to see if there is an opportunity to trade for better goods. If we happen to encounter superior armor, we will definitely bring a set back for you, respected lord."

A look of obvious disappointment flashed across the prefect's eyes, but he quickly concealed his emotions and thanked Sun Licheng—after all, his identity as a Chosen One carried considerable weight.

Before long, Chapman shouldered back a set of brigandine armor. This was a product of the Crimson Flame Tribe, with bronze plates beaten by Henry and then laced together piece by piece by the laborers. Because Henry's craftsmanship had progressed rapidly, these plates were made quite uniformly, giving this set of brigandine armor the appearance of high quality.

With the rabbit-man's help, the prefect put on the brigandine armor, took a few steps, and looked thoroughly satisfied, his face instantly blooming with smiles.

That evening, at the enthusiastic invitation of the prefect, Sun Licheng and his party rested in the castle for the night.

At the banquet, because Caroline found the goblin food unpalatable, Sun Licheng had no choice but to have his people retrieve cassava flatbreads, roasted meat jerky, and Amber Light.

Invited by Sun Licheng, the prefect tasted the food and was instantly conquered. For these goblins, whose culinary arts were still stuck in the stages of roasting and boiling, where else had they ever tasted food with such rich flavors?

And then there was the wine. The prefect's office did hide some inferior fruit wine, but even then, such wine was only enjoyed during major celebrations. Although the alcohol Sun Licheng produced was blended, it still outclassed those inferior wines by a hundred thousand miles.

By the end of the meal, the prefect insisted that Sun Licheng leave behind the majority of the food and wine. But how could Chapman allow that? Relying on the reputation of the Chosen One and after a series of tug-of-war negotiations, the caravan traded the cargo of twenty yaks for one hundred yaks and goods packed onto the backs of an additional one hundred and twenty yaks.

Watching the prefect, who looked as though he had taken full advantage of them, Sun Licheng was left speechless.

"Sun Licheng, this guy is far too greedy. Relying on this food, wine, and armor, he can easily trade it back for goods worth two hundred yaks—and that's assuming he isn't being too greedy."
The rabbit-man said indignantly. Chapman clearly felt that Atuli had used his official position to drive the prices down far too ruthlessly.

"Good grief. They're all profiteers."
Sun Licheng sighed internally.