Grem returned just as Roland finished the coffee in her hand.
“Miss Roland, I’ve found some information. That merchant is temporarily staying at the Greenbough Inn. He’ll be there for a total of seven days, but I’m not sure if he’s still there.”
“Greenbough Inn? Let’s go ask around.”
She stood up, only to notice that Grem looked a little worse for wear, as if he’d just been in some kind of wrestling match.
“What happened to you?”
Grem answered honestly, “I forgot my coin pouch, so the adventurers didn’t want to talk and even mocked me for being poor. So I challenged them to arm wrestling. I had to win five times in a row to get the information.”
“…Thanks for your hard work.”
It looked like she would have to take the initiative next time, or give her subordinate some money.
After they found the Greenbough Inn, Roland took the lead and spoke to the receptionist, getting straight to the point: “I’m Roland von Ackermann. I’m looking for a wandering merchant named Jasper. I heard he’s staying here.”
The young lady at the front desk had lived in the town for a long time and naturally knew which nobles were around. The Ackermann Family was one of them. Though only the lowest rank of Baron, she, as a commoner, couldn’t afford to be disrespectful.
“Alright, please wait a moment. I’ll need to check the registration book.” She picked up the ledger and flipped through it, then continued, “He checked in five days ago. He returned his room key this morning before heading out. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be back before noon.”
“Still have to wait?” Roland sounded a little impatient.
“That’s correct, as we have no right to restrict our guests’ freedom. I do apologize.”
Though she was displeased, Roland thought the man might have something she needed, so she suppressed her impatience and waited until noon.
A man in a red-brown trench coat entered the inn. After exchanging a few words with the receptionist, he walked over to Roland and asked affably, “Miss Ackermann, it seems you’re looking for me? Is there anything I can help you with?”
Seeing that his attitude was reasonable, Roland didn’t make things difficult for him. “I heard from some villagers that you’re a wandering merchant. I want to know if you have any Magic Tomes for sale.”
“So you’re a buyer! Of course I have what you’re looking for—after all, I recently had some dealings with people from the Order of Truth.”
“Alright, then name your price.”
“What I have is just a basic Magic Tome. Do you really need it that much?”
Roland warned him coldly, “Don’t ask questions you shouldn’t. I’m here to make a deal, not to trade information.”
“Forgive me, it’s a habit I’ve had to develop. To survive among hot-tempered adventurers and arrogant big shots, you can’t afford to miss even the smallest piece of intel.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“Sigh, alright, I’ll go get it for you.”
Jasper went back to the front desk to get his key and headed upstairs right in front of Roland. After a while, he came down holding a book.
“This Magic Tome was given to me by an old friend. It contains over a dozen of the most common first-tier spells. It’s considered a must-read for beginner mages. I have no use for it now—I’ll sell it to you for fifty Crystal Pounds.”
“You think I’m a fool? Fifty Crystal Pounds is enough to support a family for more than half a year in comfort, and you want to ask that for a book someone else gave you?”
“Quality goods, you know. For a merchant, having a keen eye for value is indispensable.”
Roland snorted, refusing to give an inch. “Forty. Not a coin more.”
“Deal.” Jasper agreed cheerfully.
Roland immediately realized she’d fallen for it. This guy had deliberately raised the price, waiting for her to bite.
After all, she had no experience with this sort of thing, and wasn’t familiar with market prices. He could have priced something worth only ten Crystal Pounds at fifty, and even if she haggled him down, he still made a hefty profit.
It wasn’t much money, but being taken advantage of like this really annoyed Roland.
“If every merchant was as greedy as you, I’d have to consider raising tariffs.”
At the mention of tariffs, Jasper’s face fell at once and he begged, “Please, anything but that! I need to make a living too—I’m only doing this out of necessity. Compared to what you make each month, these Crystal Pounds are just a drop in the bucket. Could you let it slide, for the sake of the God of Wandering?”
As the saying goes, people bustle about for profit, even more so those who trade for a living. If this world had streetlights, Roland swore she’d hang up every crook who tried to fleece her.
“Even if you invoke the Goddess of Hope, it won’t help you.”
Seeing his pleas were useless, Jasper sighed and became properly respectful. “Alright, alright, let me make it up to you. As a wandering merchant, I travel everywhere and sell odds and ends, so I know a lot more than most. What I’m about to tell you is extremely valuable—maybe it concerns the survival of the entire Empire, or even the whole continent. So listen well.”
Roland looked at him with contempt. “Mysterious, aren’t you. If the intel is really that valuable, why not tell the Emperor directly?”
“Because I’m not even sure if it’s true. If it turns out to be false, I’d be charged with deceiving the sovereign and thrown in prison. A bird longing for freedom having its wings clipped—you probably wouldn’t understand that feeling.”
“Cut the nonsense. Get to the point.”
“Ahem, then here it is—the information is…”
Leaving through the door with the Magic Tome she’d bought for forty Crystal Pounds, Roland was still thinking about what Jasper had just told her.
“The Demon Race…”
This term was not only familiar to her—she could even say she knew it inside out.
Whether in the popular stories of Heroes or in last night’s card game, this wicked race appeared, and their evil was said to far surpass even the Crimson Empire next door to the Empire of Brand.
Those Bloodkin, although they drank blood, at least kept up a facade of elegance. As long as you supplied them with blood, they wouldn’t go mad.
But the Demon Race didn’t care about elegance or manners. All they thought about was conquering the world and enslaving every other race beneath their feet. If the Hero’s party hadn’t succeeded in defeating the Demon King, the continent might really have fallen to them.
Jasper’s intel was simple: the Demon Race seemed to be showing signs of resurgence, though no one had actually seen any Demon yet—not even a low-ranking one. The reason he hadn’t hurried off was mainly to dig up more information to sell to someone else for a profit.
“Miss Roland, do you think what he said is true?” Grem asked.
“I’m not sure, but from his tone, it didn’t sound like a lie.”
“But the Demon Race…they were wiped out completely three hundred years ago. How could they possibly return?”
“Maybe they were never truly wiped out. Or maybe they really do have the power to come back from the dead. Even if the news is true, it has nothing to do with us. If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. If the Demon Race really appears, let Duke Edmond handle it.”
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