Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

I was flattered by Danger's words. Was he going to train me as his successor? But I quickly calmed down and even laughed at my own naivety. It is true that I am now a Nordic Rocker who is not yet 22 years old. It is a pity that the former cook Roco, who is more than 30 years old, did not drink Meng Po soup. In my previous life, when I first entered society, I would be pleased with others' flattery and be tempted by the big cakes painted by the boss. But after rolling in that big dye vat for a few years, these ridiculous pretentiousness have long disappeared.

In this alien world where family background is extremely important, I am just a lucky person who was born into a mud-legged family. If it weren't for the internal and external troubles in Falkreath, people like me would never have the opportunity to stand out. Just a few months ago, my fellow countryman Lund was used by the nobles and was branded as a "cruel official". How do I know that this old fox in front of me is not trying to trick me into working for him?

Looking at Danger's kind face, I stood up respectfully and bowed deeply.

"I am sorry to have been wronged by your kindness. I have some self-awareness and only hope to serve you as a servant. I dare not have any unreasonable expectations."

The old fox waved his front paws.

"I think I'm still strong and should be able to live for a few more years. You should take advantage of this opportunity to gain more experience. We've been chatting for so long, let's take a break and have something to eat."

Danger took the map and walked out of the cabin first. Although he told his maid to go and rest for a while, how could Tecora take the polite words of her master asking her to leave seriously? While we were talking in secret, the woman was busy preparing ingredients for the day meal. We were not far from the newly built farm and fishery. Although the vegetables were not yet ripe and the large livestock such as pigs, cattle and sheep were far from being ready for slaughter, the farm owner Mathis still sent several chickens, and Baron Sengard also sent fresh trout.

Danger stood with his hands behind his back. With such an old-fashioned nobleman present, I couldn't offer to help, so I could only watch poor Tecora busying herself.

"I originally thought this girl's cooking skills were pretty good, but after tasting Eddie's cooking, I realized what delicious food is. I heard that those rare things like dumplings were invented by you?"

"I wouldn't say I invented it. A few years ago, I followed my uncle to trade horses and traveled to many places. By chance, I met a hermit master. Seeing that I was quite diligent, he taught me some of the techniques."

"Since you have such ability, why don't you persuade the lady of the lord to take the right path earlier? Although it may not achieve the same success as you have now, it is safer after all."

"I didn't follow Madam for long. When Helgen was destroyed by a giant dragon, I was there too, and then I was taken in by Madam."

"I see... I saw that you worked hard for the lady and even risked your life several times. I thought you had been following her for a long time."

"Madam treats me very well..."

Halfway through my words, I suddenly felt something was wrong. Why did this old fox suddenly care about the relationship between Rigel and me? Could it be that he knew about our relationship?

When Danger saw that I suddenly shut up, he just smiled indifferently.

"Don't be too nervous, my child. We are just chatting. To be honest, my lady has lived near Falkreath for many years, and I, as the lord, didn't even know about it. Haha..."

My palms were sweating. I didn't know exactly when Rigel came to the Pinewood Watchtower, but the huge underground cave was definitely not dug in a hurry. Danger's abdication happened only in the past year, which means he didn't know that there were such a large number of bandits around him. This was a slap in the face. I didn't know what to say, but it would be even more embarrassing if I didn't respond.

"Madam has always been cautious in her work, and the current situation is chaotic. Your Excellency was simply careless for a moment."

Danger shook his head.

"I'm not making excuses for myself. It's just that seven years ago, I lost my only son. He was less than thirty years old at the time, and like you, young, energetic, and full of vigor. I once thought that he would be a very outstanding lord. After that, I became very depressed, and all the affairs in the territory were thrown to other people. Looking back now, I really shouldn't have done that. It wasn't until you came to see me in Falkreath alone that I remembered that I had so many people under my rule, but I forgot my duties as a lord because of my own little personal affairs."

"This is not the slightest bit of a private matter."

"Come on, my child, don't make excuses for me. As a noble, I can decide the life and death of thousands of people with a single thought. There are so many families in Tianji who have lost their children. Who among them can abandon their obligations like I did? If farmers don't grow crops and soldiers don't serve..."

Danger pointed at me and then at himself.

"This is a disaster for people like you and me. If I hadn't been so negligent in government affairs, my nephew's childish plot would not have been enough to take the throne from me. You asked me why I was fighting against General Tullius? This is the answer: I am doing what I should have done long ago."

I am actually quite curious about the cause of death of Danger's son. Both he and Tager are over 50 years old, which is considered old in the other world, but both brothers are in good health. Maybe the Stun family really has the blood of the Holy Spirit, so the clan members are exceptionally long-lived. If so, Danger's son may have died an unnatural death. However, it is really against human nature to let an old man recall the pain of losing his son. He was unwilling to elaborate, so I didn't ask.

Tecora made chicken soup and grilled fish, and brought out the bread and mead she brought from Falkreath, and then invited Danger and me to sit down. As for Lydia and the other two followers, they had to solve their own meals, and Tecora didn't care. The Nords didn't have the rule of "not talking while eating or sleeping". The old fox shook the half grilled fish in his hand and continued to talk about work.

"The fair with the Rich wasn't very successful. They didn't have much to offer, and we couldn't afford to buy leather and meat. But Eddie ordered some juniper berries from them for brewing. And what the Rich wanted to buy most was iron..."

"Iron can't be sold casually. We have to control it."

Danger showed a surprised expression.

"I thought so too. But your steward, Lund, sent someone to sell some iron ore. Fortunately, the quantity was not large, and the market was really too quiet, so I didn't stop him."

"This matter was my negligence. I forgot to tell him clearly in advance. Lund has been farming in his hometown and lacks understanding of political affairs. I hope that you can show leniency this time and we will not do it again."

The old fox smiled calmly.

"It's okay. I thought it was your plan and was thinking about how to convince you, but now it seems that I was worrying too much. Lord Horic has a good opinion of Lund, and it was an unintentional mistake. I will definitely speak to him. However, Nanya's chief steward also knows about this, and I'm afraid you will inevitably be impeached by her again."

When I talk about this elf, I get a headache. I thought she was brought up by Danger and we would get along well, but she always opposes me. It was because she kept biting me that the plan for the Lundegai Villa was abandoned halfway, and now this has happened again! Danger and I looked up at the same time, and the old fox raised his glass and motioned for me to speak first.

"I am ultimately in the wrong in this matter. If the Nanya steward wants to investigate, I have nothing to say. In order to avoid such a situation from happening again in the future, I have thought of a way. Your Excellency, please see if it is feasible. At present, the territory we control only has this iron mine next to the Bloody Throne, and the output is not much. Why not let the Lords' Council come forward and buy all the iron. As for whether we keep it for ourselves or sell it in the future, it will be decided by the Council. In this way, Lund only needs to be responsible for mining more, and he will not act on his own and do the wrong thing with good intentions."

"I'm afraid this method is not feasible. You are not unaware of our current financial situation. We originally planned to recover the lost property of Baron Sengard through the market with the Reachmen, but they were very cautious in spending money. General Tullius's beloved nephew was exchanged for Lord Skade. Now that Morningstar City has been lost, I can't ask for the ransom. Besides, if you negotiate business with the Nanya steward, the price will definitely not be high. If the Lords' Council really steps in, they will most likely buy the iron ore at a low price. Can you bear it?"

Danger looked kind, like an elder who was thinking of the younger generation. I remained respectful on my face, but I sneered in my heart. We are all thousand-year-old foxes, why are you playing Liao Zhai with me?

"Your Excellency is wrong. This mine is not owned by me alone. You and Baron Horrick both have shares. I think that the Nanya Governor should give a relatively fair price for the sake of the two adults. If the two adults think it is reasonable, but I am still not satisfied, wouldn't it make me look too greedy? On the contrary, if the Nanya Governor lowers the price too much, the mine will not be profitable and will inevitably close down in the end. If it really comes to that, the ones who suffer losses will not only be the three of us, but also everyone in the territory who needs iron. The Nanya Governor has been in office for many years, and I don't need to teach her this principle. This is one reason."

The old fox took a sip of wine and gently stroked his beautiful beard.

"So there is a second one?"

"Of course there are. The second reason is to deal with the financial constraints mentioned by the adults. If the mine is to find customers by itself, it is inevitable that money will be paid and goods will be delivered, which will inevitably involve a large amount of cash transactions. But if the Lords' Council purchases it, it will not be so troublesome. After all, we are family, and there is no need to ask for a clear balance of money and goods every time. For example, a batch of goods planned to be sold to Whiterun can be stored in the warehouse of the Bloody Throne first, and the mine's account books will record how much goods should be shipped and how much money should be received. When we receive the payment from the other party, the Lords' Council will keep the part they deserve, and then settle with the mine with the remaining part."

Danger twirled his beard and smiled.

"That's a good idea. In this way, Septim coins are just a string of numbers in the account book, and there is no need to have sufficient cash."

"Your Excellency is right. I have another point. The money owed for goods does not necessarily need to be paid in cash. As you know, there are still dozens of captives in the Bloody Throne, and their ransom may not be collected. I am thinking of selecting those who are willing to stay in the mine and let them work to redeem themselves. Then the ransom that should have been received by the lord should naturally be converted into payment for goods. In this way, the territory will be enriched with people, the lord's bad debts will be revitalized, and the captives will have a way out, and everyone will be happy."

I also reported to Danger about the road and furnace construction planned by Lund, as well as the site selection and pass construction that Lydia was responsible for. I also said that if these tasks could receive guidance and help from the Lords' Council, they would be twice as effective with half the effort. And this help could also be converted into payment, further alleviating the financial pressure. The old fox smiled and praised me for my thorough consideration, saying that he would support my suggestions during the meeting.

I'm not doing this because I despise money. On the one hand, the pie that Lund has painted for me this time is too big. It is really difficult to handle such a large-scale construction with the manpower and resources of my small fortress alone. The intervention of the Lords' Council can realize our vision faster. Compared with the huge benefits in the future, this little concession is really insignificant. Moreover, the situation near the Pale Pass is related to the safety of the entire territory. It is more appropriate to let the army of Falkreath take over.

On the other hand, Nanya has no personal grudge against me. She targeted me several times, most likely because the finances of Falkreath were really unsustainable, so she had to find ways to make money. The common people were too poor; my father and the Danger brothers were related to the lord; Baron Sengard now only had a title; the Montoya family had lost their titles; as for Rhodes and Soraf, although they had their own businesses before, they were all burned down with the city of Falkreath. Now that they have started over, I think they are not well-off. So, in the whole territory, I am the only one who can be considered a fat sheep: I have quite a few industries, but I don't have any decent backers.

In this case, I simply took the initiative to give her some benefits, which is much better than being hindered in everything like now. This time, I also dragged in two old foxes, my father and Danger. If Nanya is greedy, I will not be the only one to be offended. Besides, she has always been in charge of internal affairs. She can't come up with a solution to the problem herself. She only knows how to take advantage of others, which is definitely not a wise move. I also made it clear to Danger that if Nanya crushes the mine, the entire Falkreath will be in trouble, and my personal gains and losses are insignificant.

I even suspected that Nanya was just a pair of white gloves to Danger, just like Lund was to his father a few months ago. It was just that Danger handled the problem more smoothly and never forgot to appease my emotions. Of course, it could also be because I still had value in his eyes. In any case, the old fox approved of my plan, or in other words, he approved of my initiative to make concessions. In my eyes, this of course meant that he would protect my remaining interests.

Danger washed his hands at the service of Tecora, and then asked the poor maid to make a pot of pine needle tea for us, and then sent her away to eat.

"Mrs. Montoya said in her last letter that the Rich organized an attack on the serpentine defense position, but was quickly defeated. She is not sure about the specific casualties. This crow hag is so willful! She didn't even inform us of such an important decision in advance."

"I just happened to know about this..."