Folke pulled out a coin pouch and slammed it heavily into Kakafiel's hand.
He wanted to see what kind of tricks this guy could pull.
“Of course,” Kakafiel said, his hand sinking slightly under the weight.
“A man of his word indeed.” Ignoring Folke's slightly angry gaze, Kakafiel casually opened the coin pouch right in front of him.
“Keduo, bring all the remaining clothes over.” After confirming there was no issue with the money, Kakafiel called over the gray dwarf from earlier and handed the pouch to him. “Just like before.”
“Yes, Boss,” the gray dwarf named Keduo replied with a nod. He then called over the other drivers and servants and began busying himself.
“How much do you plan to sell them for?” Folke asked Kakafiel as he watched the servants work.
“Still two gold coins,” Kakafiel smiled. “I can't go disrupting the market like you did.”
“Hmph, dishonest merchant...” Lange snorted from the side.
“You shouldn't put it that way. No one wants everyone to survive and live well more than me—otherwise, how would I make money? I operate strictly in accordance with imperial law. You nobles are really amusing, attacking a law-abiding citizen over this.”
As Kakafiel spoke, he fished a Dandelion Badge out of his pocket. “Besides, I am a member of the Church of Truth's Dandelion Chamber of Commerce.”
Lange instinctively wanted to retort, but he couldn't find the words at that moment. He could only resort to attacking the man's character. “We aren't like some people...”
“Save your breath, Lange.” Folke raised a hand to cut Lange off, then cast a cold side-glance at Kakafiel. “I will be watching you.”
The argument and the wager among them piqued the interest of the mysterious knight leaning against the wall. He picked up the Recovery Potion and the gold coins Folke had left on the ground, looked them over, and ultimately pocketed them anyway, settling in to wait for the show to begin.
“I can sell it to you—for three gold coins.”
The woman who had begged to buy someone else's coat earlier had finally found someone willing to sell—a burly man.
He had previously squeezed his way to the front using his robust physique.
Clearly, he didn't particularly need the cotton coat to begin with; he had only rushed to buy it because it was cheap.
“A cotton coat bought for one silver coin, and you're selling it for three gold coins!” the onlookers began to accuse.
“Hmph, why don't you sell one to her then? Buy it or don't, it's a voluntary transaction. If you're so kind-hearted, don't just stand there watching! You pay for it then.” The burly man made a provocative gesture toward the objector.
“Tch, all talk and no action.” Seeing that the other party didn't respond, the burly man turned his gaze back to the woman.
The price of three gold coins made the woman hesitate. She turned her gaze back to Keduo and the others who were unloading the cargo, hoping for the price of the new cotton coats.
She worried both that the upcoming coats would be too expensive for her to afford, and that they would be so cheap that she wouldn't be able to grab one, just like before.
At this point, because of the earlier one-silver incident, the crowd gathering around was growing larger.
The price difference of the cotton coats had tempted many. One silver coin was only the cost of three loaves of bread and a few pieces of fruit—something an ordinary person could save by skimping on a day's worth of food.
To buy one and resell it was practically pure profit!
With the cold wave drawing near, there was absolutely no fear of them going unsold. If the coats originally cost two gold coins in the early stage, who knew how much they could be resold for later.
“Young Master...”
Lange desperately wanted to intervene. He couldn't distinguish right from wrong at the moment, but he could clearly see that people were suffering.
In his eyes, the noisy squabble felt like invisible slaps, striking heavily against their faces and hearts.
“Wait a little longer, Lange. Don't worry, no matter what, I will take responsibility. The fault lies with me... I was too impulsive and failed to consider the immediate consequences.” Folke held Lange back and said reassuringly, “There won't be a next time.”
At this moment, Folke realized deep down that many things could not be achieved through hot blood alone.
Folke vowed in his heart—no matter what, he would never make such a hasty intervention again.
He wanted to learn, and he wanted to understand the things he once looked down upon. Only in this way could he change the status quo!
‘If I can't even save a single person... how can I save a country? Folke, oh Folke, your ability is still far too lacking.’ Watching the scene before him, Folke deeply felt the same guilt Ogre experienced when Serandic was severely injured. It was a sense of guilt that the situation had been caused by his own actions.
“Young Master... I, I will work hard to help you!” Lange's clenched fists finally relaxed.
“Yes...” Folke nodded “calmly,” but his thoughts were becoming increasingly complex.
“High-quality stitched beast-hide cotton coats!” Keduo's shouting immediately drew many people.
Because of the previous one-silver coat incident, even more people swarmed around this time.
“Boss, how much for one?”
“Is it still one silver coin?”
“Give me one...”
“...”
Faced with the noisy clamor, Kakafiel stepped forward and cleared his throat. “Quiet!”
Seeing his boss speak up, the gray dwarf Keduo immediately bellowed at the top of his lungs, “QUIET!!!”
This gruff roar, unique to dwarfs, worked incredibly well. It quickly silenced the noisy surroundings, leaving only a few faint whispers of discussion.
Seeing that the surroundings had mostly quieted down, Kakafiel pulled out his Church of Truth badge and held it up for all to see. This indicated that all of his trade was recognized by the Church of Truth.
For commoners, although the Dandelion Chamber of Commerce wasn't as intimidating as Folke and Lange's noble attire, it was enough to deter those with stray thoughts.
As long as it was a legitimate transaction, and as long as the lord of the noble territory didn't object, no one could interfere. This was the true worth of the Dandelion Chamber of Commerce.
Even if the guards or the town mayor arrived, they had no right to stop Kakafiel from setting up his stall and selling goods.
“Ahem. I know what you're all thinking, but the one-silver cotton coats earlier were truly a special exception. That was entirely thanks to these two young noble masters footing the bill. If you want to show gratitude, you should thank them.”
After Kakafiel finished speaking, he gestured with his arm toward Folke and Lange, who were watching from the sidelines.
Folke and Lange, who had been watching peacefully from the side, were suddenly dumbfounded when they were pointed out like this. The burning gazes of everyone present focused on them, filled with countless mixed emotions.
“This guy...” Lange's anger, which he had finally managed to suppress, flared up again. He didn't know what trick the man had up his sleeve.
“Unfortunately, however, these two young noble masters have already run out of cash, so the next batch of cotton coats will no longer be sold for one silver coin.” Kakafiel's words echoed out once more. It served as a way to get Folke and Lange off the hook while also putting an end to any thoughts of asking them for help.
“Boss, just how much are you selling them for? Give us a number!” the burly man from earlier suddenly shouted.
His prompt immediately caused a commotion to rise again in the area.
“Yeah, just give us a number of how much you're selling them for!”
“...”
Facing the shouting, Kakafiel patted the gray dwarf Keduo beside him.
Understanding the signal, Keduo nodded and then yelled, “Three gold coins!”
“What! Three gold coins? You might as well rob us!”
“Exactly! If you buy from me, it's also three gold coins!”
“Let's disperse, let's disperse. What a dishonest merchant.”
“...”
Lange was even more bewildered by this scene. He asked Folke in a low voice, “Young Master... what is this guy doing?”
Looking at those who were dispersing and those who were still hesitating, Folke suddenly realized something. “He is filtering them...”
“What?” Lange was a bit confused. They had tried to do a good deed and ended up covered in mud, so how could this dishonest merchant's high prices count as filtering?
“The ones who truly need it will hesitate... If we want to give away clothes, we should give them to those who are hesitating...” Folke seemed to understand something.
Earlier, when he thought about how to filter who to help, he had thought about selling to whoever was in the most pitiful state...
But later he realized that it was actually very difficult to discern if someone truly needed help.
When funds were sufficient, he could offer help to many.
But what if funds were lacking?
When someone took up the aid, someone else would lose it.
Helping others openly might even make them a target of resentment, but helping them secretly made it difficult to identify the targets... and he didn't have the energy for that.
Thus, how to filter was indeed a science.
“Boss, can it be any cheaper?” someone asked tentatively.
“But I... only have two gold coins.” The woman from earlier, holding her bag of silver coins, looked somewhat at a loss.
“Should we go help, Young Master?” Lange asked Folke in a whisper.
Surely these were all people who needed help now.
Folke hesitated for a moment, but still shook his head. “No need to rush... Let's watch a bit longer.”
Haste often failed to produce the desired outcome.
“Exactly, Boss—isn't this too much of a rip-off!”
“Even the cheapest silver-scale light armor is only fifty silver coins—half a gold!”
Some who had gotten lucky earlier stood up at this moment, joining those who hadn't bought a coat in accusing Kakafiel.
The sunlight, having just passed dawn, shone upon their backs—they looked so dazzling in the light.
“That's just the price. What, can silver-scale light armor keep you warm? Don't have enough money? That's fine too—just buy it on credit and sign a truth receipt.” Kakafiel's words once again attracted the attention of many.
“I only have two gold coins...”
The woman from earlier finally squeezed her way up. This time, everyone made way for her; no one tried to compete with her anymore. Everyone wanted to see what Kakafiel would do.
“Do you really only have two gold coins?” Kakafiel leaned down to confirm.
This made the woman's gaze flicker defensively.
She certainly had more than two gold coins, but her life couldn't rely solely on a single cotton coat. What she brought was the hope of her entire family.
“Then let's do this: one cotton coat is two gold coins, and you'll take two gold coins on credit, for a total of four gold coins. Once you sign the truth receipt, I will apply to the Church of Truth to enforce it within five months.” Kakafiel's response turned away some of the onlookers.
Some had already gotten a good bargain, while others didn't need a new coat at all.
They were confident they could survive this harsh winter, so they were unwilling to take on this truth-binding loan that had to be paid back in full.
In all honesty, this loan wasn't exaggerated—but no one wanted to carry such a burden on their backs.
Not to mention, if an accident occurred and they couldn't pay it back, they would be done for.
“What if I only have one gold coin...” another young man asked.
“Then you take two on credit and pay back two. That is also my absolute limit; each coat requires a deposit of at least one gold coin.” Kakafiel grinned, revealing his white teeth. “Be quick—time is money, my friends. If you miss my stall, there won't be anyone else selling them. Once I'm done here, I have to go to the next town.”
Kakafiel was telling the truth. Though he had entered the market late, he was the largest traveling merchant in this region.
If they missed him and wanted to buy later, the price would only go up, not down.
Upon receiving this definitive answer, the crowd instantly thinned out, leaving only a scant hundred or so people behind.
Kakafiel's quote also drove away the middlemen who had wanted to stay earlier; none of them had the capital to buy up all of Kakafiel's goods.
With several carriages of cotton coats pulled out, the quantity was enough for everyone present to have four or five sets each.
“Four gold coins... dishonest merchant!” Beside them, Lange had thought Kakafiel would come up with some great trick. In the end, the price had actually doubled, completely unlike what he had claimed before.
“I want one set, with two gold coins on credit...”
“I want two sets! On credit as well...”
“Give me one too...”
Yet to their surprise, sales went exceptionally well this time around and incredibly smoothly.
The middlemen who had been waiting for an opportunity to strike could only sigh and leave in the face of these smooth transactions.
The truth receipt was certified by the Dandelion Chamber of Commerce and imperial law. Both parties would receive varying degrees of protection under imperial law during this period, with everything dictated by the truth receipt. It was valid as long as one party held it. In other words, not only could no profit be squeezed from the people who bought the coats, but they also couldn't take on secondary debts.
After all, Kakafiel belonged to the Dandelion Chamber of Commerce.
“Two gold coins on credit. Keduo, give her that blue cotton coat...”
“Four gold coins on credit. Keduo, get him a gray cotton coat...”
“...”
After completing the final transaction, Kakafiel smiled at the last buyer who had signed the promissory note. “Keep your receipt safe. If you lose your copy of the IOU—and I just happen to do some tampering on my end, then you'll be out of luck.”
Then he patted his pocket.
“Is this what you wanted me to see?” Folke's cold voice came from behind Kakafiel.
Pulling off such a stunt just to continue squeezing profit from the commoners' future? Selling to him for two gold coins, yet charging the commoners three gold coins! To think he had actually believed this guy had some brilliant plan—indeed, all merchants were the same!
“Oh, isn't this the young noble master of the Cromie Family? In light of the fact that you bought so many of my cotton coats, let me gift you two sets. Keduo, bring two sets for the young master.” Kakafiel held up his Dandelion Badge and waved it in front of Folke, showing that everything was perfectly legal and reasonable.
“Do you have any idea what you're doing?” Lange desperately wanted to draw his sword and fight this guy to the death.
“Young Master, please inspect the cotton coats first.” The gray dwarf Keduo gave an honest smile and handed the two sets of cotton coats to Folke and Lange.
Lange wanted to refuse, but Folke proactively took the clothes.
“Lange, give the coats to those in need in a bit.” Folke picked up the two different-colored cotton coats and began to inspect them. Since he had already waited for so long, there was no harm in waiting a bit longer.
After a moment, Folke's expression suddenly changed. He quickly raised his head to look at the people who had bought the clothes on credit.
Although those buyers hid it very well, under Folke's sharp observation, they still revealed a tiny flaw.
It was a faintly pleasantly surprised expression...
Though it flashed by in an instant, Folke still caught it.
“What's wrong, Young Master?” Sensing that something was amiss, Lange approached as well.
“Lange... apologize. Forgive me—I apologize for my previous rudeness to you, Mr. Kakafiel...” Folke performed an interior noble bow of respect toward Kakafiel.
“Young Master?” Lange was a bit dazed.
“Apologize.”
Under Folke's unquestionable tone, Lange finally prepared to apologize and bow.
By now, Kakafiel had finally caught on. He hurriedly went over to stop them. “Don't, don't, don't. Do you two still want to let me run my business?”
Seeing that Kakafiel stopped them, Folke didn't insist further.
“What on earth happened?” Lange asked in a curious whisper.
Folke scanned the surroundings. Seeing that the crowd had mostly dispersed, he leaned in and whispered his discovery into Lange's ear.
It turned out that Kakafiel had hidden gold coins in the lining pocket of every single cotton coat. The quantity depended on the color of the coat; some had three, others had four.
When subtracting those, each of his coats actually only sold for one gold coin.
In fact, he had even “lent” gold coins out to help them tide over their difficulties.
“Aren't you afraid you won't get them back?” Lange's gaze toward Kakafiel turned very strange—he hadn't expected Kakafiel to play such an elaborate trick.
“I am not one of those nobles. What good does it do me if the commoners die? Only when they are alive can I make money, my friend. No one wants the empire to thrive more than me—helping them tide over their difficulties is helping myself.” Kakafiel spread his hands and waved the promissory notes he had collected.
Lange: “You really are an oddball.”
“Not at all. Overall, I still made a profit. I should also thank you both for providing me with the funds.” Kakafiel took an empty bag from the gray dwarf Keduo's hands.
It was the payment Folke had made after losing the wager.
All of this money had been “distributed” by Kakafiel in another manner.
Obviously, the cotton coats Folke had sold earlier contained no gold coins.
“This time, I accept my defeat wholeheartedly.” Folke took a deep breath, then slowly let it out—he had learned some things that books would never teach.
Kakafiel's method was indeed the most efficient and yielded the best results.
It helped the people, prevented those who were helped from being targeted, and to a certain extent, leveraged the protection of the Church of Truth.
And... he even made money—assuming, of course, that those people could ultimately pay him back.
“My friend, true justice can only be strived for by oneself. Aid that is merely waited for will vanish sooner or later with the departure of a hero. They could have otherwise endured the darkness—do you still think your previous actions were correct now?” Kakafiel asked Folke with a smile. He was referring to Folke's arbitrary acts of charity.
“No matter how big or small the matter is, I believe this world will always need heroes.” Folke shook his head, then added, “I was merely lacking the correct direction...”
“My friend, your ideals are far too lofty, hahaha... but I also look forward to that day.” Kakafiel wasn't angry because Folke shook his head; instead, he laughed.
“What are you laughing at?” Lange asked, puzzled.
“It's nothing, just feeling a bit nostalgic... It would have been great if I had met you guys sooner.” Kakafiel's smile gradually turned into one of helplessness. “My friend, perhaps you really will become a hero.”
“I think you are the true hero.” Folke earnestly extended his hand. “It's not too late to meet now either—are you interested in working for me? Let's reintroduce ourselves. I am Folke Cromie.”
Folke stated his family name.
Kakafiel, looking at Folke's extended hand, shook his head. “My apologies, but I will not leave this place. My ideals aren't so grand—I only want to be a good frontier merchant. My greatest dream is merely that one day, nobles like you will see a chamber of commerce named after me.”
Folke gave Kakafiel a profound look, and in the end, he lowered his hand. “Kakafiel, is it? I've memorized your name. You have changed my perception of merchants... Just like that fellow did. I hope to see your chamber of commerce in the interior one day.”
“May it be as you wish,” Kakafiel said, clasping his hands together in a salute toward Folke.
“Let's go, Lange... we should get on with what we ought to do.” Folke threw the two cotton coats into his void pocket, then called for Lange to leave.
He felt that it was necessary for him to re-evaluate himself...
“Yes, Young Master.” Lange cast a deep look at Kakafiel, then followed Folke away from the town entrance.
Watching the two leave, Kakafiel smiled and put it out of his mind.
“Keduo, pack the goods up again.”
“Yes, Boss.” The gray dwarf Keduo quickly called out and directed everyone to get busy.
“Having watched the show for so long, friend—surely you don't hold a grudge against me?” Kakafiel walked up to the mysterious knight and put down a canteen of water.
“Very interesting... but it has nothing to do with me.” The mysterious knight looked up at Kakafiel, then turned his head away dismissively.
With his keen eyesight, he naturally knew what Kakafiel had done.
“You haven't eaten in a long time, have you?”
Undeterred, Kakafiel pulled out a piece of gray bread from his pack, untied a small bag of dried meat from his waist, and placed them down beside where the mysterious knight had turned his head.
“What are you trying to do? If you're looking for my gratitude, save your breath.” The mysterious knight turned his head back.
“Why must there always be a reason? You guys are really something.” Kakafiel gave a helpless smile. “I truly couldn't stand that noble kid's habit of throwing money directly at everything, but I also believe this world still needs warmth and aid.”
“Hmph... Warmth and aid. How nicely phrased—it is nothing more than satisfying your own emotions.” The mysterious knight let out a cold snort.
“Hey, pal, I bet something exceptionally terrible happened to you, making you resent this and hate that, eh?” Kakafiel waved his hand, not minding the attitude.
But his words caused the mysterious knight to glare dead at him. “Do not force me to kill you.”
“Oh, look... I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was—since it has already happened, don't let things get any worse. Living is hard enough as it is, you might as well try to be happy.”
As Kakafiel spoke, he pulled out a name card and placed it beside the mysterious knight. “This is my name card. If you don't mind, you can take this card and wait for me at the Church of Truth in any frontier town. I will show up in a week at most.”
The mysterious knight: “...”
However, Kakafiel's earlier words seemed to have worked. After some hesitation, the mysterious knight eventually picked up the badge Kakafiel had left.
“Now that's more like it. You've got your health and limbs, you are fully capable of restarting your life. Only in this way can you be worthy of those comrades of yours who died—the deceased are gone, and we, the living, must stay strong. Only by living well can you honor those who have already departed.”
Seeing the knight pick up his card and badge, a smile finally appeared on Kakafiel's face. He then turned around to leave.
Whether the other party was willing to come was their own business; at least it seemed this guy had regained his fighting spirit, which was far better than wallowing in depression.
“Wait! What is your name?” the mysterious knight called out to Kakafiel.
Although he had heard Kakafiel introduce himself earlier, he still chose to ask—because it was an attitude of recognition.
“I am Kakafiel, the future greatest merchant of the frontier lands.”
Kakafiel took off his hat, turned around, and said with a smile.
“Kakafiel...” The mysterious knight clutched the card and badge, eventually standing up.
“Are you going to tell me your name?” Kakafiel asked with great interest upon seeing the knight stand.
“Yes,” the knight nodded.
“My name is—Goler...”
“Goler... Hmm, sounds a bit strange, but it's nice to meet you.”
...
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