Chapter 409 Griffin Territory
The foal struggled to pull its hoof out of the mud.

It was noon, and summer was about to begin. Walking in the tree-lined path, I didn't feel the slightest bit of coolness. Instead, I felt a little breathless because of the stuffy humidity.

The King of Ashes was spewing his crown in the distance. Thick boiling clouds were floating in the sky, and from time to time, gusts of white ash were blowing.

The veil covering her mouth and nose was gently lifted.

Hatton, a young man in cloth, was gritting his teeth and pulling the reins of a pack horse. This thing was no longer an ordinary horse. It had horns on its head and sharp teeth. If it were not in the estrus period, its temperament would be relatively docile. Unfortunately, April and May were the estrus period.

Fortunately, I didn’t stay here for long.

"what?"

He saw something shiny in the mud ahead, as well as some scraps of meat and traces of digging holes by wild animals.

Perhaps a traveler had accidentally been attacked here. He had often heard of such cases.

"A black gem?" Hutton bent down and picked up the stone with a look of surprise on his face.

He wiped it on his clothes and raised the gem above his head.

The beam of light that passed through the gaps between the forest leaves just hit his finger, and the black gem emitted a magnificent and dazzling brilliance in the sunlight.

gorgeous!

Putting the gem into his pocket, Hutton continued on his way. He had to reach his uncle's house before dark. As early as five years ago, his family was a wealthy businessman, and even a year ago, the family lived a good life.

It was not until his father died that he prepared to find his uncle and learn business skills according to his father's will.

Following the lengthening shadows of dusk, Hutton finally arrived at his destination. There was a residential area in front of him, and in the distance was the Griffin Castle, hovering in the sky like a griffin, overlooking the village.

After asking a few people on the roadside with the letter, Hatton finally got the confirmed location and came to the edge of the village, near the woods.

This was a three-story manor with a circular courtyard, a neatly trimmed lawn, and a kitchen built of stone. The door of the kitchen was open, and Hatton saw the oven.

A woman wearing a long skirt and a headscarf was stuffing dough into the oven. She must be the worker doing odd jobs. Further away, he also saw a man chopping wood with an axe to make a bucket.

Generally speaking, many families with some money would hire such a family. The woman would do odd jobs like cooking and washing clothes, while the man would do some repair work and occasionally work part-time as a patrol officer and bodyguard.

"Are you Hatton?" a brisk voice came.

Hatton turned around and found a girl with short chestnut hair. She had freckles from her cheeks to her nose. She was a little thin, with a slender neck. She tilted her head slightly when she spoke, like a little deer.

"I am, you?" Hatton asked puzzledly.

"Nunali!" the girl said, "I heard from my father that you would be here in the next few days."

Hatton's arrival was welcomed. His uncle and his family of four set up a table full of dishes, including meat, bread, and even milk of unknown origin.

It has a strong milk flavor, but also an earthy smell that is hard to erase. It is said that this smell is difficult to get rid of even after boiling. Although the taste is a bit strange, in this era, being able to drink milk at every meal is a life that ordinary people dare not even think about.

The fact that the Griffin region allows some people to have "no worries about food and clothing" is also related to Miss Feng Lei.

At the dinner table, they silently thanked Miss Dorothy for her help.

Then my uncle brought up the business, but with even more bragging.

"...Rather than merchants, we should now be called bloodless nobles, finance ministers who maintain the stability of the territory, or..."

"Or a milkman who carries milk." Auntie replied bluntly. She couldn't stand her husband's boasting.

"Hatton has just arrived, you have to teach him what to do next instead of talking nonsense here without any boundaries."

Nunnally and her brother, Adams, who was a year older than Hatton, laughed together.

My uncle put down his wine glass, and his cheeks turned slightly red, perhaps because he was angry or because he drank too much.

"The job is not difficult. It's just about carrying money from one side to the other." The uncle dipped the bread in the broth and put it in his mouth. A lot of it stuck to his beard. "This is how merchants work. They buy from low-priced places and sell to high-priced places. Our business is much better now. We can go directly to Goliath from the north to the south. The people in the royal city like our products very much, such as custom-made furniture, clothes, and food."

The uncle suddenly paused and said to Hatton, "Tomorrow, Miss Dorothy will hold a banquet. I will take you with me."

Hatton was surprised: "Can I participate too?"

He found that Adams was looking at him with envy.

In the past, this was Adams' opportunity.

However, Hatton felt that Adams did not want to eat the delicacies of the aristocratic banquet, but he was not sure what they were.

"We are bloodless nobles," the uncle pointed at himself and said with a smile, "We don't have noble blood, nor the title of nobles, but we can still get the treatment of nobles. Merchants are now the blood that maintains the stability of the territory. People can't live a stable life without us."

That night, Hatton and Adams stayed in the same room.

Hatton took out the black gem and looked at it quietly in the broken moonlight until Adams's drowsy voice sounded: "Hatton, are you still awake?"

"I'm going to sleep now!" He quickly put the black gem away.

The next day, Hatton attended a business banquet hosted by Miss Dorothy.

All qualified businessmen would be invited, and they could bring a family member. The banquet was filled with all kinds of delicious food. The big businessmen remained motionless and elegant, while the small businessmen had already started stuffing their mouths with food frantically.

Some people may not have eaten since last night, leaving their stomachs empty just for this sumptuous banquet.

Hatton saw Miss Dorothy. She was wearing glasses and had a small face, which he felt was definitely not as big as his palm.

The skin is white and seems to smell like milk.

The most important thing is that she is really beautiful. Hutton thinks he has found the reason why Adams envies and regrets her. No one can resist such a charming noble lady.

And when Miss Dorothy talked about the recent changes in business development, Hutton could not help but feel admiration in his heart.

She was not a noble lady who only knew how to sit in a castle tower, comb her hair and listen to poetry, but a noblewoman with business acumen.

Hutton understood what Dorothy said about the future, and he himself felt very strange because his uncle had not taught him anything.

Unfortunately, Miss Dorothy did not look at Hutton or even his uncle when she communicated. She only communicated with those big businessmen who could grasp the economic trends, and more often she was the one who gave orders on what to do, formulated and improved the rules.

After the meal, Hutton found that many big businessmen were sweating profusely, but there were also many smiles on their faces. They must have received warnings while also gaining benefits.

In the days that followed, Hatton looked forward to meeting Miss Dorothy, but the parties were not held as frequently.

Every night, Hatton would take out the black gem.

Finally, Hatton and Adams got the job to go to the royal city together. Their uncle would not go with them, so the two young people would set off alone.

When they have more people under them, they will consider developing in multiple lines, selling here and then buying there, thus making more money.

"Don't we need to bring a sword or something?" Hatton only had a dagger in his hand, which he brought when he came here.

"Or hire the undead." Adams was more familiar with the operating habits here, but he didn't even have a dagger, only a necklace made of a lock.

"The money we earn from running for half a month is not enough to pay them half the commission." The uncle raised his hand and tried to slap Adams, but Adams dodged.

Those undead are noble transcendents, and they also have their own caravans. They will not transport worthless things such as rotten leather, salted meat and fermented cheese, but more precious potions, armor and weapons.

Only the undead are allowed to sell weapons and armor in this way. If ordinary people try to make their own, they will die.

It is said that Her Majesty the Queen, who is far away in the royal city, has added a provision to the law that the undead are also citizens, but they are obviously not ordinary citizens.

In short, they are people from different worlds, and the other party is high and mighty, so it is best not to contact them easily.

"Remember to pay attention to your surroundings when you are on the road. If you encounter robbers, throw the money to them and run away." The uncle kept reminding me over and over again.

The two men nodded in response, took the money and set off on their pack horses.

Travel during the day and find a place to rest at night, always in a crowded place. Although the disasters on both sides of the road are often cleared by the passing undead, some are inevitably missed. If an ordinary person encounters one, he will surely die. After nightfall, Hatton took out the black gem again, but this time it failed to escape Adams' eyes: "What is that?"

"A stone." Hatton hid the black gem in his arms, his heart pounding wildly.

"Is that what you look at every night? It's so beautiful."

"Can you show me?" Adams asked. His voice sounded like he was possessed, his eyes fixed on the place where Hatton hid the black gem.

"No, this is my baby!"

If someone tries to take your treasure, then...!
……

A few days later, Hatton, looking haggard, returned to his uncle's house.

"We encountered robbers," Hatton said with tears in his eyes. He didn't know why he suddenly became eloquent, nor did he understand why he didn't feel sad for Adams at all while crying bitterly, and he didn't even feel the slightest fear when he lied.

When the uncle's family of three hugged each other and cried, they noticed Hatton sitting there with a sad face.

My aunt thought he was frightened, so she came over and held him in her arms.

No one blamed Hatton. They even prayed with gratitude that at least Hatton came back alive.

When it got light again, the uncle set out early hoping to retrieve the body. He just asked Hatton where the incident happened and went there alone. He didn't even think of asking Hatton to lead the way. He was treated as a perfect victim.

The body was not found, perhaps it was eaten by some wild animal.

There were no major changes in the days that followed. Hutton and Nanali often chatted together, as long as they didn't talk about Adams. The dinner was also very sumptuous. And after Adams disappeared, Hutton was the only one who could go to the party with his uncle.

In transactions, Hutton's eloquence can play an increasingly important role. He can often find many reasons from various aspects, and then buy the goods at a very low price. Sometimes he doesn't even need to take them to another place to sell them. He just needs to find a group of people to sell them to at a high price, and bragging is inevitable in the process.

He could make a lot of money in half a day, but his uncle didn't seem to like his trading method very much and thought that his behavior should be called fraud.

It was another banquet. Hatton looked at the griffin soldiers standing neatly on both sides. They were wearing beautiful armor and holding ceremonial swords in their hands.

And when the giant beast coiled in the courtyard raised its head, Hatton's heart began to beat wildly.

dragon!
"It is said that that gentleman will be attending the banquet this time." The uncle was very excited.

The merchants were better informed, as if they knew that it was the Lion Duke who used tough measures to demand that the Griffin Territory open trade routes to the north, and that now everyone could live a good life thanks to him.

As for the things about the war, I have never seen them with my own eyes, but from the legends I heard from people, they were no different from myths, so many people secretly called the Duke a living god.

Hatton nodded. No one in the Kingdom of Rand could escape the stories about Lind. Children loved to role-play, men respected him, and women admired him. In short, he was like a legend that appeared in various places in the country. Only Hatton felt a little uncomfortable when he heard Lind's name.

They walked into the banquet and found that the old Duke of Griffin Castle, Igor Griffin, was also present.

At the long table at the main seat, a handsome blond man dressed in a combination of gold, black and dark red, and wearing an exquisite lion badge, was chatting and laughing with the old duke.

"So high!"

Hatton sighed.

The old duke was a head and a half shorter than him. His height was not beyond the human limit, but it was also a height that was not seen in normal life.

Miss Dorothy was shorter.

However, she seemed to be very powerful. She was arguing with Linde with her hands on her hips, but Linde simply ignored her.

As if sensing Hutton's gaze, the Lion Duke turned his head and glanced over, nodding slightly and smiling at him. Hutton's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly lowered his head to show his respect, and then dared not look away again.

"Impossible. Don't even think about building your magic defense tower in the Griffin Castle. You can build it outside. I can give you a piece of open space."

Dorothy was very dissatisfied with Lind. He had taken William to the Great Rift battlefield before. No one would say anything even if William died there. But after the war, he actually wanted to kidnap William and take him to an unheard-of world.

Not only that, Lind also wanted to set up magic coordinates here to open the portal.

The ability to open the portal at any time seemed to Dorothy more like a passage through which Lind could allow his army to attack at will.

"What do you think, Igor?" Linde looked at the old prince.

He didn't have much interaction with the old man in front of him. The age gap between them was too big, and he suspected that the old man in front of him might have Alzheimer's. When he was chatting with Dorothy, the old Duke was always in an unconscious daze.

The old Duke has always been very nice to Linde, but he mistook Linde for a baron, as if he and Dorothy had fallen in love with each other at a ball.

"When will your wedding be held, Li De?"

"Father, his name is Lind!" Dorothy had to correct.

"Of course, our wedding will definitely take place." Linde did not give Dorothy any chance to refuse. He was a man who respected the elderly and loved the young.

"I'm a little sleepy." Old Prince Igor squinted his eyes and yawned.

The servant came and helped him back to rest.

Linde watched Igor leave, then turned around and found Dorothy, who was wearing glasses, glaring at him: "You shouldn't cheat a confused old man."

"I was taught that old people should be coaxed. He is too old and confused to recognize you, but he is still thinking about your fiancé... er, dance partner? So, make him happy. I don't mind sacrificing myself to help you act."

Anyone could see that Igor wouldn't live long.

He was really just responding to the confused old man. In a case like Igor, what was the point even if he really made it clear to him that he was not Li De but Lin De? Either Igor would forget about it as soon as he turned around, or he would continue to worry about Dorothy's marriage.

After hearing Lind's explanation, Dorothy suddenly sighed.

"Li Qi is a very..." Dorothy suddenly looked into the distance, her lenses reflecting the sunlight, and her tone became long.

"stop!"

Linde quickly stopped him.

Looking at the bewildered Dorothy, he felt relieved. Oh no, he almost increased his favorability towards her.

He was very familiar with this process. Next, Dorothy would definitely tell the story of her fiancé, and then uh, then um, then snap, and finally pull up her pants.

"It's best if we don't exchange feelings."

Lind prefers to communicate emotionally with men.

William, the Red Knight, Lance, the Red Mushroom Baron, Marcus, etc., as long as men have feelings and establish a trusting relationship, they will rarely betray and may even sacrifice their lives.

But it’s a little different for female characters. Their emotions fluctuate a lot, their favorability increases quickly but also drops quickly, so there’s no need to brush them.

Of course, another reason cannot be ruled out. Although Dorothy looks very beautiful, when she takes off her glasses and becomes Nobita Nobi (3_3), Lind still feels a little awkward psychologically. He was scared away because of these eyes.

Dorothy was still confused and didn't understand what Lind meant. She just wanted to sigh about the cruelty of war. The man who seemed pretty good, Reid, died in the first year after the magic ring was broken, but Lind interrupted her without giving her face.

"Okay, if you really want to talk." Linde had no choice but to act as if he had to listen.

The two of them were quarreling here, and the businessmen in the distance lowered their heads, wishing they were deaf at this moment so that they could not hear anything.

"No more talking!" Dorothy was certain that she and Lind could never get along.

It was not until the end of the party that Dorothy, who had returned to her room, finally realized what Lind meant.

She was so angry that she could only grit her teeth and vent her anger on the kitten, which was being petted and was full of confusion.

Then he turned over.

You want to pet the cat? Come on, scratch it down there too.

(End of this chapter)