I was a lord farming, how did I become an emperor?

Chapter 43 Craftsmen and Slaves
"We shouldn't have lingered in the border town; we should leave before we find our target!"

In the moving caravan, Luxen complained in a low voice to the woman beside him, "It's all your fault, Linda, for insisting on wandering around the border town!"

Reflecting on the events of the past two weeks, Luxem was full of complaints.

Having found no trace of the witch or any promising children in the border town, Lucien wanted to leave.

Linda wanted to relax and experience the exotic northern atmosphere, so she stayed for two more days.

As a result, they saw a group of church knights on the street.

The two had no choice but to leave the theater troupe and flee the border town overnight, heading to the nearby Eagle Ridge.

As a result, Eagle Ridge and the neighboring White Deer family got into a fight over a copper mine on their border, and the church knights also got involved, forcing the two to flee again.

If I hadn't known the caravan manager, I'd probably be homeless by now, forced to live in the wilderness.

"How was I supposed to know those church dogs would show up in the border town? And how was I supposed to know the Falcon family was connected to that Dawn Church?"

The woman next to her, Linda, rolled her eyes and retorted impatiently, "My ability isn't precognition!"

"This has nothing to do with foresight; we should be more careful wherever we are."

Luxen said with exasperation, "The destruction of the Legendaries was due to your witches' carelessness!"

"Shut up! It was your wizards' arrogance and haughtiness that crossed the taboo and angered the gods, which sparked the war!"

Linda tried to keep her voice down, but it was filled with anger. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have allowed the inherited knowledge of all spellcasters to be destroyed, most of the energy to be sealed, and everyone to remain at the apprentice level!"

"You fart!"

Lu Sen retorted, his face flushed, and his voice, which he didn't control, attracted the attention of those around him.

Noticing that they were being watched by others, the two glanced around and simultaneously shut their mouths.

After a long while, the two calmed down.

“Okay, I’ll be more careful from now on,” Linda said first.

"We'll be safe once we follow the caravan around the North and those church dogs leave."

No sooner had the two finished speaking than the caravan suddenly stopped, and the guards immediately drew their bows and arrows.

Lucien looked up and followed the gaze of the caravan guards. Seven or eight figures carrying bows and arrows appeared in front of him, blocking the caravan's path.

robber?

Luxen frowned and stared ahead in confusion.

Surely there are more than just a few robbers?
Judging from his attire, he seems more like a hunter who lives deep in the mountains.

A handsome young man dressed in dragon scale leather armor walked sharply to the front of the group.

……

……

“I am Rhodes Tulip, Baron Lord of Blackpine Ridge.”

Rhodes glanced at the caravan briefly.

The fact that no flags were flying indicated that it did not belong to any lord.

Nobles often do not personally organize caravans, believing that pursuing wealth is a lowly act.

However, the nobles did not want to give up the benefits brought by the merchants, so they accepted the dependence of some merchants.

These merchants were free to trade in the territories of the nobles they were affiliated with.

On the other hand, when trading in other territories, one can use the name of a nobleman to protect one's caravan from harm, thereby gaining the right to trade normally.

In return, merchants would give a portion of their profits to the nobles as a token of their gratitude.

Essentially, it's about paying protection money.

Of course, many merchants were reluctant to spend this money, such as Lawrence's Sands Caravan.

The caravan in front of us also looked like that.

Rhodes asked calmly, "Which caravan are you from, and who is your manager?"

Rhodes' words relieved everyone, and the caravan guards lowered their shields.

A tall, middle-aged man stepped out from behind and bowed to Rod.

"Good day, Your Excellency Lord of Blackpine Ridge, I am Simon Greenleaf." Simon wore a fawning smile, but upon meeting Rhodes's gaze, he showed a hint of fear and lowered his head as he spoke.

"My caravan carries some supplies and slaves needed for living in the North, and I hope to obtain the right to trade with you."

"Of course, I will pay the taxes according to your regulations."

Simon took out a bag of silver coins, which looked bulging and probably contained two or three hundred coins.

But Rhodes didn't answer; instead, he went around to the back and examined all the slaves.

Rhodes wasn't interested in everyday items, but he wanted everything from slave Rhodes.

Simon's caravan had only thirty or forty slaves, but it included all sorts of people.

The youngest is thirteen or fourteen, and the oldest is sixty.

However, they all looked healthy, unlike the ones Silver Dove brought from the depths of the North.

Simon noticed Rhodes' interest and offered to introduce them: "These slaves are of very high quality, and there is also a blacksmith, a brewer, and thirteen strong miners."

"A blacksmith and a brewer?" Rhodes turned to look at Simon.

Seeing that he had successfully attracted Rod's attention, Simon quickly went inside and pulled the two of them out.

The blacksmith's name was Bud, a middle-aged man with a full beard and as strong as an ox.

The brewer was a young woman named Katie, who also looked very strong and didn't resemble a delicate girl at all.

Rhodes asked the two men a few questions about blacksmithing and brewing, which they answered successfully, proving that Simon was not lying.

"My lord, are you satisfied?"

Simon's smile was full of confidence.

The price of artisans and ordinary slaves differed drastically, by more than tenfold.

If he can sell them, he'll make a fortune just from these two slaves.

In fact, Rhodes really wanted the two slaves.

However, Rhodes did not react at all and remained expressionless.

Rhodes waved his hand casually.

"It's getting dark. Let's take your caravan back to Frostleaf Town and settle down before we talk again."

Thank you for your invitation.

Simon bowed in thanks and then gestured for the coachman to continue on his way.

The caravan then set off.

Rhodes led the way with Raine and the hunting party, his mind wandering.

……

……

Meanwhile, in the mountain gullies to the northeast.

Gonle leaned against the salt-carrying cart, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, and asked Doron beside him.

How far are we from the town?

"It's at least thirty li away."

After looking at the map, Duolong looked up at the gloomy sky and sighed, "It seems we won't be able to make it back in time."

"Then let's not leave, let's set up camp here."

Gunle spat in annoyance after hearing this, and slammed his fist hard on the wild boar carcass.
"It's all that damned wild boar's fault! I'll have to sleep in the wild again tonight!"

Duolong put the map away and joked, "Boss, you don't have anyone to worry about in town. The weather's so nice now, it'd be so comfortable to sleep outdoors!"

Gonle leaned against the rock, pursed his lips,
"You have someone you care about, but they're not here."

"Hahaha……"

Everyone started to cheer, but Duolong didn't care.

Once this busy period is over and the new recruits have completed their training and are ready for their rotations, I'll go back and bring Katie over.

(End of this chapter)