What did you do with the dice?

Rusalka: "Stop, I don't want to listen to your crosstalk, nor do I want to be the supporting role. I also know that I can't kill him, so I can only rely on you, Brother Fei. Come up with a couplet to kill him and let me vent my anger."

So Sanitieta and Rusalka closed the PL channel. Sanitieta smiled and stepped forward to shake Clown's hand, saying, "Mr. Clown's timely assistance is of course deeply touching to my lord. No problem, I'll definitely give you priority in future business matters."

"Thank you so much! This is just a small favor, how can it be called timely assistance? If it weren't for the brave and wise lord who kept those rats and scoundrels in the mountains and forests at bay, how could I have dared to transport the salt so confidently? Of course, no one expected the price of salt to drop so quickly at first. The envoy almost killed me when he bargained for the price."

"hehe."

Rusalka felt that he was being too deliberate. Before the price of salt dropped, he thought it was natural to raise the price. After the price of salt dropped, he felt that he had made a lot of money and was complacent. This is probably what happens when a villain succeeds.

Sanitieta shook his hand and changed the subject, saying, "But recently, we've discovered some illegal salt has been released into the market. After careful scrutiny by the Lord, we've discovered that some lawless and daring merchants are brazenly violating the ban and selling salt in the market! This behavior has completely disrupted the market order and the interests of both you and us."

Clown thought, "My interests are being undermined, aren't they? I'm afraid you're just mad because you can't sell my salt." But he still put on a righteous look and said indignantly, "How despicable! These damn cowards! Before, none of them dared to sell salt, fearing they would offend someone who didn't even exist. Now, seeing how much we can make, they've thrown all their shame into the wind and even set their sights on the Lord. They're a bunch of scum! Beasts! They must be severely punished!"

Sanitieta said with great emotion, "Yes, thankfully, the Lord has already apprehended several caravan leaders who were the leaders of the violations, but they keep saying nothing happened. How can this be true? The evidence is all there."

Clown wondered how these scoundrels could be caught selling salt in secret. He wondered how stupid they had to be to be caught in the act, so he couldn't help but ask, "What evidence?"

Sanitta looked at him intently and said, "Of course it's you."

"what?"

"Look, it's written in our contract. If other merchants break the rules, you have an obligation to report them if you know about it. After all, we're all in the same business, so you're definitely more familiar with how they're smuggling, right?"

"But I didn't..."

"Oh? You mean you want to shield those smugglers?" Sanitieta flipped the agreement over and pointed out, "Please read Article 18. If you choose to shield the smugglers after they are caught, you will destroy the foundation of our salt sales cooperation. It's equivalent to introducing a third party to interfere with the contract. You will have to pay double the lord's losses. You agreed to that, right? How about I calculate how much we have lost due to those smugglers?"

Clown thought to himself, he had indeed agreed at the time. The lord had caught the smugglers and was punishing them, so why would he protect them? Was he crazy? This seemed completely useless to him at the time.

"But, I...how could I have protected them?"

Sanitieta said, "That's strange. You clearly knew they were smuggling, but you didn't report it or provide evidence. What else could this be but shielding someone? Does shielding someone only mean they can openly and honestly recruit someone else to sell salt with them? I don't think the laws of the kingdom, or even the rules of your Merchants' Association, are that biased. If you're not satisfied, you can apply for arbitration, a lie detector test, or anything else."

Crown's expression froze, but he cursed in his mind. Of course he knew that some merchants were smuggling.

But the reason why no one reported it was because all the merchants who came here knew that the lord condoned the smuggling. They came from the west openly to make the last profit. Some people even sold salt openly in the market, and the lord never sent anyone to manage it. Who would report it?

Clown looked at Rusalka, who looked very pleased. "This is not fair. Lord, you know I didn't report it simply because I didn't know who was smuggling."

What I mean is that there is so much smuggling going on, and if you don’t care about it, how can I?

Sanita put away the sheepskin receipt and said, "Yes, that's right. So we don't blame you for not reporting the problem. After all, it was also due to our previous poor supervision."

When Crown heard Sanitta admit his mistake, he felt a chill in his heart. He knew this group of nobles too well. Once the other party started to lower their posture, it meant that he had already secured victory and was about to make the other party bleed heavily.

As expected, Sanitieta continued, "Now that we've apprehended the people for Mr. Merchant, all you have to do is report them one by one and provide witnesses. How convenient is that? We won't mind your previous inaction due to lack of intelligence."

And report them one by one?

Of course, this cannot be agreed to. If the news of reporting a colleague gets out, it will be difficult for Crown to survive in the future.

But if he doesn't do it, according to the contract, if he really wants to sue or even ask supernatural powers to arbitrate the contract, he may not be able to get the upper hand. After all, he did fail to report the matter knowing the truth. Even if he didn't come to find out, he had heard about it from his peers a long time ago that this place doesn't care about smuggling at all, so he would have a hard time passing the polygraph test.

Clown wiped the sweat from his forehead and bowed his head to Rusalka. "My Lord, isn't it a bad idea to try to fish in troubled waters like this? Those merchants who were reported and fined might smear your image behind your back. I understand your envoy's intention. How about this? I'll give you the third cart of salt for free and won't charge you for it, okay?"

Rusalka was overjoyed, but she maintained a cold expression and snorted, "Are you kidding me? They've violated my rules, disregarded my legislation, and are trying to tarnish my image? And why are you so concerned about their compensation? You're my partner, and you haven't breached the contract. Why are you so scared?"

Clown was a bit incoherent, mentally cursing the ancestors of Sanitieta and Rusalka while rapidly thinking of a solution. "My Lord, I think we can talk about this. I mean... this matter... we should find a way to achieve the best of both worlds, one that doesn't cost you money and doesn't damage our cooperative friendship."

Sanita tapped the folding fan in his hand and said, "That's very simple. I have a way."

Unable to come up with a good idea, Clown could only helplessly allow himself to be manipulated: "What can you do, sir? If it is suitable, I will do my best to cooperate."

Sanitita said, "Those bandits have committed so many crimes that they must have accumulated a lot of wealth. They don't usually rob other goods, yet they have lived in these mountains for several years. Someone must be secretly funding them."

Crown's expression was visibly stunned, and his eyes flickered as he said, "You're right, but I honestly don't know who's funding them. I can file for arbitration. This is absolutely true, and I'm definitely not lying."

Sanitta: "So you mean you lied before?"

Seeing that Clown was speechless, Sanita shrugged and said, "Don't worry. We won't pursue this matter with you. The prerequisite is that you have to help us find the people who funded them. It must be the group disguised as the caravan. If you can't find them, either you point out that you can do it, or you pay compensation."

Clown admitted defeat: "If I find it, will the matter be written off?"

Rukasa nodded. "I swear on my honor that this can be written off."

After seeing the other party breathe a sigh of relief, Rusalka felt that her honor was worth so much trust. You know, he really just opened his mouth and said a few words. In the 21st century, the four words "empty words" are not said in vain.

"Not only that, if you find the main culprit and cooperate with us to take them down, I can give you a tax exemption order."

Crown's dull eyes suddenly regained their spirits: "Lord, are you serious?!"

Border tax refers to the tax that a caravan needs to pay when entering the border of a territory. It is similar to a toll and is generally a fixed amount that is not large. It can also be calculated according to the type and preciousness of the goods. In recent years, the Pearl Tears Territory has collected very little border tax, and the amount can almost be said to be better than nothing, so it can attract a large number of retail merchants to pass through here.

Moreover, the taxes were not collected by the lord, but by the manager of the small village. They would be paid in the form of taxes every quarter. As for whether he collected more or received less, only God knew.

But for Clown, the tax exemption order not only means money, but also a symbol of "friendship and recognition of local lords". Although Rusalka is only a great knight, don't forget that he also has a territory of medium size and the achievement of reducing the price of salt.

If he doesn't achieve anything in the future and just lives a mediocre life, then I won't lose out.

But what if he became successful? What if a war broke out on the frontier while he was working? The status of a great knight would be greatly increased on the spot. What if he happened to survive and was promoted to viscount?

Then the value of this border tax exemption order will be far beyond imagination.

He had a keen business sense, so he felt that this was more than worth doing business. Moreover, he had to agree to this condition in the first place. This thing could be considered an unexpected surprise, and it was also a motivation for him to feel a little more balanced.

"I won't break my promise, but there are conditions."

Clown's heart was lifted: "What conditions?"

"The previous contract was valid for two months, right? So, the results must be released three days before the end of the contract. Calculating the days, you still have a month and a half. I'm optimistic about you."

Rusalka patted the latter's shoulder, seemingly scattering his soul. Clown sat down on the ground, wanting to cry but unable to. He could only say with a mournful face, "Thank you, Lord, for your mercy. I'll get things done right away."

He was only given one and a half months to investigate such a dangerous matter related to the struggle between nobles. This could really cost him his life.

Chapter 8 Lair

"Sir, this is the second batch of salt we've seized today. Will the next batch be released?"

A two-meter-tall, burly man, holding a large steel knife with a chain, looked ferocious, but now he bowed his head respectfully to a thin man in black robe in front of him, his attitude was extremely humble.

"put."

"As ordered."

Soon, the strong man retreated, and several strong men with equally unfriendly faces came towards him, bowed their heads and called him "boss".

They have one thing in common: they all wear a dark red collar ring around their necks that emits an ominous glow.

After the strong man left, the woman in black robe turned around, stretched out her hand and pointed, and ice spikes flew out from her fingertips one after another, piercing through the salt bags behind her and spilling the salt inside all over the ground.

He said angrily: "These greed-obsessed pests have completely disrupted my plans!"

The price of salt has now returned to normal. Although the merchants are no longer willing to go to the Pearl Tears Territory for the normal price of salt due to his own intimidation, the salt stored by the lord this time is enough to ensure that they will not lack salt for a year or even several years, so it will be difficult to raise the price.

Should we switch to another type of food? Rice? No use. There are so many alternatives to basic food, and the lord's warehouses are well stocked. If all else fails, he can just release more food. These filthy low-lifes have no other skills, their ability to survive is like that of cockroaches. Staple food doesn't matter to them at all; as long as they have something to eat, they can survive.

Apart from salt, nothing else can be considered a necessity of life, and the things in that damn lord's house are all high-end goods shipped from the western road. That road is too wide and the caravan is too powerful, so he definitely cannot touch there.

Damn it, this plan had been implemented for several years and was almost ready to reap the rewards. As long as I provided financial support when their territory was dying and leaderless, I could easily help the patriarch win the hearts and minds of the people in this territory and gain the rightful jurisdiction.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the heir who appeared out of nowhere intervened.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but step hard on the salt blocks scattered on the ground again, twisting them left and right, as if he mistook the salt blocks for Rusalka. He only felt a little relieved when he crushed the salt into powder.

Although he could not kill a great knight openly, of course, objectively speaking, it was difficult for him to kill him quietly, but he heard that he brought back a trustworthy messenger with him. This messenger seemed to have no identity or background, and was said to be a wandering bard.

Then let's use him as an example to scare the monkeys and vent our anger first.

Just as he was thinking this, several people hurried in from the doorway: "Sir, this is bad, this is bad, something terrible has happened."

The man in the black robe suppressed the urge to hurl a flaming arrow at them, shutting their chattering mouths forever. He thought with disdain that they were indeed a bunch of criminals, completely lacking in self-cultivation and mental fortitude. He took a deep breath to calm himself and asked, "What's the rush?"

"Sir, something went wrong with our supply convoy."

"It doesn't matter if something happens to one team. We have four teams in total."

"Uh... when we arrived at the designated location, the supplies dropped off by the first team had already been emptied... and the second team has been intercepted. I'm afraid the other two teams won't be able to arrive so easily."

"What?!" The man in black robe sounded a little excited.

It's no wonder he was excited. These supplies are only shipped once every six months. On the one hand, it's difficult because they have to bypass the Pearl Tear Territory. On the other hand, only half a year's worth of supplies will be shipped at a time, and they will be delivered in two small batches because if too much is shipped, the target will be too obvious.

Therefore, there won't be much supplies left in this stronghold. If they are completely cut off, there are only two options left for them:

First, temporarily abandon the base here and go to the territory in the south to purchase supplies and then transport them here, but this requires things like carriages, and it will take a long time to gather them.

Second, retreating directly is equivalent to admitting defeat.

"I remember that the caravan escorting supplies should be equipped with a 10-man armed escort team, right? Who would dare to rob such a team?"

The leader thought for a moment and replied, "It is said that the leader is the newly appointed Lord Rusalka."

At that moment, the man in black robe thought a lot.

If the other party has already noticed the mastermind behind this incident and has some extraordinary means to launch a targeted confrontation, then there is little point in staying here. If the other party is determined to confiscate supplies, the only point in staying here is to have a fight with the great knight, which is not the result that the head of the family wants.

That's what his mind told him.

But his emotions and the pride in his heart would not allow him to do so. He had such a perfect plan, which he had been planning for several years. He even stayed in the forest for so long with this group of dirty, despicable and disgusting guys, just to prove that he had the means to be the first heir, and then he could naturally inherit the Pearl Tear Territory that he had conquered.

Asking him to give up now? How could he be willing to do that?

"Tell everyone to follow me, take your weapons and be ready for battle."

"Sir, do you want to go to war directly with the lord?"

"..." The black-robed man stopped and was silent for a moment. He pursed his lips, then gritted his teeth and said, "Let's see what happens first and wait for my orders."

"Ok."

Watching the black-robed man leave, the burly man spat and whispered, "Coward! How dare a great knight, a transcendent at that, scare you like this? Pah."

"Boss, let's go. I think they're going to fight this time. If we all join forces and kill the new overlord, we'll be free."

The burly man nodded. "I hope so. Let's warm up and get ready. The Great Knight is not that easy to deal with. If you want to survive and regain your freedom, you'd better be in high spirits!"

----

Klein's intelligence was relatively reliable, having proven through practical actions that as long as one was willing to spend money, the Merchant Guild could become the world's largest spy agency.

After spending a large sum of money, he quickly identified several "abnormal caravans" that were not in the "Pearl Tears Leading Business Circle". After a series of tracking and investigations, he basically confirmed that those caravans were specifically used to transport supplies to certain people, disguised as caravans.

As for who to deliver it to after Pearl Tears, it's not for Rusalka anyway, so I'll report it first.

Rusalka and Sanitta were not polite either. They lamented that these people were so careless that they didn't even leave anyone to stand guard. At the same time, they led the militia to move all the goods unloaded by the caravan, and then continued to wait nearby for them to transport the second batch.

"Bidu-bidu--listen up to the convoy ahead, you've been surrounded. Please stop immediately, put your hands on your heads and get down to cooperate with our inspection." Rukasha used her ventriloquism to imitate the sound of a police siren, and brought with her a dozen militiamen who were acting in a pretentious manner, as well as a few ruffian adventurers wearing miscellaneous equipment that the merchant Crown had hired from somewhere. Anyway, a mob of more than 20 people surrounded the caravan that was taking a detour and whose path was getting narrower and narrower.

After confirming that they were really heading towards the path that had no direction towards the Pearl Tear Territory, Rusalka didn't bother to be polite. He didn't care that he had already hidden behind the carriage and began to adjust his memory spells, checked his equipment, and then silently coated his short crossbow with poison. He then handed the poison bottle to the old swordsman Sanita, who was standing beside him with twitching eyelids and was planning to protect him. He walked towards the leader of the guards of the opposite caravan - the one who was dressed the most fancy.

Of course, the other party would not cover their heads with their hands. Instead, they all held their weapons. Rusalka could even feel that several crossbows were pointing through the arrow holes in the carriage and aiming at her.

Maybe Sunita was a little panicked, but he was really not afraid. Not only was he not afraid, he was even very excited.

Only now did he realize that the combination of his talents might have really made his personality a little bit different from his own.

The other leader put on his helmet, stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, who are you?"

"Tama, of the Pearl Tear Sorrow Tribe, Rusalka Mermaid."

Seeing his own family and the other family members both confused, Sanita couldn't help himself at this time and opened the PL channel to curse: "Brother, can you be serious? Do you mean to kill everyone on the other side? Otherwise, if the news gets out, it will become a joke. Can you still have a little shame?"

Rusalka: "Sorry, man, I'm so excited to finally get into battle today. You know, ever since I dug out this legendary Level 3 armor from my family's treasure chest, my enthusiasm has been constantly tortured and extinguished by it. This is just a piece of weightless, built-in pockets, and super +2 white plate armor that looks like ordinary light armor. How can it be called 'legendary equipment'?"

Sanita: "Do you know why heavy cavalry is difficult to train? Because horses have limited weight capacity. Do you know why mages keep their distance when they see heavy armor? Because they know the opponent is strong and poses a high threat.

Your crappy equipment has the ability to disguise itself as a piece of cloth armor, which even the Eye of Truth can't see through, and it doesn't even have weight. If this isn't legendary, then are you?

So how did you know its properties?"

Rusalka: "As soon as I touched it, it recognized me. It said it satisfied the Paladin + Warlock class constraints. Then I learned about its properties. It seems to be harder than regular plate armor, with the data saying it's around 22 AC (Armor Value)? It can also automatically cut out the visor. Very good design, it makes my Holy Slash spin."

Sanitieta couldn't help but roll his eyes. What kind of outrageous thing was this exclusive divine equipment bound to novices? He was a little suspicious whether Rusalka had secretly given a red envelope to that DM before crossing over.

Sanita: "Then what else are you dissatisfied with?"

Rusalka: "But it has no magic resistance."

Even Sani Iron Tower was amused by him: "You still want it to have magic resistance? You're so funny, why don't you just ask the DM to send you a Wind Spirit Moon Shadow?"

In the eyes of the old swordsman, Sanita had just poisoned his weapon, and after handing the poison bottle to him, he started laughing to himself. His laughter was very creepy, and it scared him, a former adventurer who had seen a lot of storms and fought several life-and-death battles, and he couldn't help but shrink his neck.

Sure enough, those who dare to come back and inherit this broken place are all ruthless people. Fortunately, he is on his side.

Of course, no one knew about the two's quarrel in the PL channel, but after Rusalka's rather unbelievable self-introduction, the other leader, though he didn't understand a single word, still managed to recognize the pronunciation of "Rusalka". He looked up and down at the other's equipment, which indeed looked like that of a great knight. He cautiously took a half step back, gripped his weapon, and asked, "Are you the new lord?"