Early the next morning, a recruitment notice was posted outside the North Gate warehouse.
Alvan also had copies of the notice sent to the Mercenary Guild, carriage rental agencies, and several of the busiest streets in the northern district.
Although the Rosalinds had been in decline for years, the reputation of the Four Great Families still held some weight.
Now that they had just reclaimed the warehouse from the Castros, logically, there should have been plenty of people willing to try their luck.
Yet, even by noon, the front yard of the warehouse remained desolate and quiet.
Only four people actually walked in to inquire.
Two of them were far too old to handle long-distance transport.
One claimed to have worked as an accountant but couldn't even calculate the simplest cargo damage.
The last one was strong and healthy, but he immediately demanded a three-month advance on his salary.
His reason was that if he didn't pay off his debts by tonight, the casino thugs would chop off his hand.
After hearing this, Celine signaled the guards to escort him out.
Alvan watched the front yard empty out once again, his expression growing increasingly grim.
“We offered wages at the highest standard for caravans in the city. Even if they're unwilling to sign long-term contracts, it makes no sense that not a single experienced person showed up.”
“It's not that they don't want to come,”
Celine said, sitting behind a temporarily moved desk and flipping over an ignored notice.
“It's that someone doesn't want them to come.”
Just as she spoke, an old carriage pulled up outside the warehouse.
A middle-aged man wearing a leather apron walked in quickly and placed a coin pouch in front of Alvan.
“I'm afraid I can't rent you the three cargo wagons we agreed on yesterday.”
Alvan frowned. “But we already paid the deposit.”
“I'll return double the amount,” the man whispered. “First thing this morning, the Castros booked most of the rentable cargo wagons in the northern district for the next two months, paying twice the usual rate.”
“They also put out the word: anyone who helps the Rosalinds before the Northern Route agency is decided can forget about ever doing business with the Castros again.”
Alvan's face darkened slightly. “Do they even need that many wagons?”
“Of course not,” the man said with a bitter laugh. “But they can afford to pay just to let those wagons sit in their yards and gather dust.”
He apologized repeatedly, then quickly drove off.
The large carriage rental agencies in the northern district all had business dealings with the Castros to some extent.
To offend the Castros, who controlled a massive volume of transport orders, just for a short-term lease from the Rosalinds was clearly not a wise decision.
The simplest tactic of the wealthy was often to leave others with no path forward.
Alvan picked up the returned coin pouch, his voice heavy.
“The Mercenary Guild is also having issues.”
“The three mercenary squads that were originally willing to take on the trial run mission all changed their minds this morning. Several drivers who used to work for the Rosalind caravan have also signed contracts with other merchant guilds.”
Wagons, drivers, mercenaries.
In just a single morning, the Castros had blocked the three most crucial components needed to assemble a caravan.
They hadn't violated any contracts.
They had simply bought out all the resources at a higher price, completely cutting off Celine's path.
The sound of horse hooves soon echoed outside the warehouse again.
A messenger from the Golden Scale Merchant Guild arrived at the door, handing over a letter sealed with a golden scales emblem.
“The trial run rules for the Northern Route agency selection have been finalized. Please have the Rosalind family complete their preparations within seven days.”
The messenger did not linger; he rode off immediately after delivering the letter.
Alvan broke the wax seal and read the contents aloud:
“On the morning seven days from now, each participating caravan will organize five standard-compliant cargo wagons to depart from the Red Kite North Gate and head toward Greystone Station on the Northern Old Post Road.
The cargo, personnel, guards, and supplies along the way must be prepared entirely by each family.
The transported goods must be registered and appraised before departure, and actual transactions must take place at Greystone Station.
The Golden Scale Merchant Guild will conduct a comprehensive evaluation based on actual revenue, transport costs, cargo loss, casualties, return cargo, and the ability to secure stable, long-term orders.
The deposit may be secured using undisputed fixed assets within the Red Kite City-States.”
Alvan's expression relaxed slightly when he reached the end.
“The North Gate warehouse can be used as collateral, but five cargo wagons, enough goods, and personnel...”
He did not continue, because the Castros had already blocked off almost all legitimate channels.
Seven days might seem like a decent amount of time, but for an empty warehouse that had just been reclaimed, even putting together a team capable of leaving the city was extremely difficult.
Celine took the letter, her gaze falling on the simplified map attached to it.
And the location marked on it was none other than the station she was currently renovating.
She stared at the map for a moment, and a new plan quickly formed in her mind.
The Rosalind caravan didn't necessarily need to look for buyers along the way; she could become the buyer herself.
Crow Candle Castle was currently building roads and reinforcing its defenses, and it also needed cloth, salt, potions, ironware, and various daily necessities.
She could have someone pose as a northern buyer ahead of time and post a purchase list at the station.
By offering a reasonable markup based on the scarcity of goods in the north, this left-hand-to-right-hand trade would be flawless, no matter who inspected it.
More importantly, this would make the other families realize for the first time that the depths of the mist were not just filled with monsters and ruins.
There was a faction there with stable demands and a willingness to trade with the outside world.
Once the trading rules gradually fell into her hands, whether or not to reveal Crow Candle Castle would no longer be just a secret that had to be hidden.
In that case, there was no need for her to fight with the other three families over the profits of a wagon or two.
Of course, before considering how to get the other families to do business according to her rules, she first had to put together five wagons that could actually reach the station.
Alvan was still frowning in deep thought.
“Should we increase the recruitment pay even further?”
“It's useless,” Celine said, folding the letter. “Even if we offer triple the price, once those people take the money this time, they still have to continue living in Red Kite afterward.”
As long as the Castros still controlled a vast number of transport orders in the northern district, local drivers, mercenaries, and craftsmen wouldn't dare to side with the Rosalinds easily.
But there was another group of people in the city.
They had no fixed assets, nor did they rely on the long-term business of any merchant guild to make a living.
As long as the rewards were appealing enough, let alone offending the Castros, they wouldn't hesitate even if they were asked to crawl into a monster's nest to find a wagon wheel.
“Take down the original notices.”
Alvan was slightly taken aback. “We're not recruiting anymore?”
“We're changing the recruitment method.”
Celine took out a blank sheet of paper and wrote two lines at the very top.
【Rosalind Family Northern Route Reopening Plan】
【Seeking the First Batch of Pioneer Assistants】
Alvan looked at the words on the paper.
“Pioneer Assistants?”
Celine did not explain and continued writing.
【Quest Details】:
1. Clear the warehouse, move debris, and repair the walls. Gold coins will be settled daily based on the amount of work completed.
2. Participants will also receive corresponding Pioneer Contribution points for every task they complete.
Basic potions and common repair materials can be redeemed immediately. Maps, rare materials, and station access will be unlocked after the Northern Route opens.
3. In seven days, the top ten contributors who pass the guard assessment will receive temporary guard qualifications for the first trial run of the Northern Route.
4. Outstanding performers will receive a Pioneer Badge issued by the Rosalind family, giving them priority for future Northern Route escort missions, station exploration, and special cargo commissions.
5. The contribution records of the first batch of participants will be permanently retained. Once the Northern Route officially opens, they will also enjoy discounts on station supplies and priority redemption rights for rare northern materials.
6. Successfully recommending skilled drivers or carriage repairers to participate in the assessment, who then pass the Rosalind family's screening, will award a one-time high amount of Pioneer Contribution.
If the recommended person ultimately joins the trial run caravan, the recommender will also receive bonus gold coins.
Celine thought for a moment and added another line:
Basic moving and repair tasks can be claimed repeatedly. Talent recommendations and first-discovery rewards cannot be counted multiple times.
Those who forge clues, deliberately damage goods, or steal others' achievements will have their partnership eligibility with the Rosalind family permanently revoked.
Alvan read through each point, his brow still creased with confusion.
“Gold coins and materials are one thing, but this Pioneer Contribution... will anyone actually care about it?”
“Ordinary people won't, but the Descenders will,” Celine said, putting down her pen.
Gold coins would attract those short on money, the Pioneer Badge meant an exclusive title, and the first trial run qualification represented a hidden questline.
Map fragments, rare materials, and subsequent special commissions indicated that this was not a one-off job that would disappear after completion, but rather a continuous quest chain that could be progressed.
Most importantly, it was the "first batch" and "permanently retained."
The players might not know if the Rosalinds would ultimately secure the Northern Route agency.
But precisely because the future was uncertain, joining earlier meant the initial advantage they gained would be much greater.
In her original world, wouldn't this be like a turnaround stock preparing for a major comeback?
If they bet wrong, it was nothing more than wasting a few days of time.
Once they bet right, how could latecomers ever catch up to their early contributions, exclusive titles, and faction privileges?
Moreover, as long as these people got used to accepting quests from the Rosalinds, she would always have a ready pool of labor available for all kinds of tasks in the future.
“Post the notices outside the taverns, squares, and Mercenary Guild where the Descenders frequently gather.”
“All tasks will be registered separately and settled as soon as they are completed. We won't require them to sign any long-term contracts.”
Alvan still hesitated. “The Descenders have always been difficult to control.”
“That's why we won't let them touch anything truly important.”
Celine tapped the desk. “They will only handle peripheral tasks. We still need to find others for the roles that require long-term commitment.”
They had a temporary solution for the manpower.
Now, there was only one problem left—the caravan.
It was already impossible to scrape together five cargo wagons from legitimate carriage rental agencies within seven days.
However, the black market frequently disposed of vehicles, pack beasts, and collateral assets left behind by bankrupt caravans.
Those things might be worn out, and their origins might not be entirely clean, but they wouldn't be on the list of things the Castros had bought out in advance.
Furthermore, the things traded in the black market had never been limited to just cargo wagons.
Celine lowered her eyes, her fingertip tracing a line from the Red Kite City-States on the map all the way to the north.
She was currently lacking vehicles, as well as a means to travel back and forth between Crow Candle Castle and Red Kite over the long term.
If a spatial item could really be found in the underground market, even if it was just a non-functional defective piece, it would be worth taking a look.
Since the Castros had blocked the path above ground, she would walk the path below.
And she just happened to be very good at finding opportunities in places others were unwilling to touch.
Rate on N.U.
