I built a manor in the Middle Ages

Chapter 83 Caravan Cooperation
Taking the heavy coins, Luc smiled slightly. With these two hundred sous, plus his own five pounds, a total of fifteen pounds, he became rich instantly.

This money is enough to buy a large amount of food, farm tools, clothes, and tools. It seems that trade is one of the most profitable industries. Maybe I can develop the estate while doing more trade.

I have a lot of resources, but I can't convert them into money. Maybe Hoffman in front of me will be a breakthrough.
Thinking of this, Luc began to assess Hoffman. This cunning merchant was indeed unreliable, but then again, how many merchants could be reliable? Compared to some Jewish loan sharks, Hoffman had at least been able to do business with the surrounding villages for so long, which showed that he still had some integrity, however rare.
Another point is that the other caravan is not large.

This just fits his current situation. Luc doesn't dare to cooperate easily with a caravan that is too large.

"Hoffman, I have a question for you."

"Oh? What's the problem?"

Hoffman was in a good mood after getting some good goods. It was indeed comfortable to trade with some down-and-out nobles. They were neither like the nobles who owned territories who collected heavy taxes, nor like the poor farmers who could only trade pitiful supplies. Hearing Luc's question, Hoffman turned his head and wanted to listen to what the knight from Upper Lorraine said.

"Hoffman, if I'm not mistaken, the goods you carry are mostly linen, farm tools, or pottery, right? Of course, there may be some valuable items, such as salt, but definitely not too many."

Hoffman raised his eyebrows. The fact that he traded with some farmers showed what kind of goods he had. He was not surprised by what Luc said, but he just didn't understand what Luc meant.

"I don't think a merchant would dislike Finney. So, most likely, you can't get a source of valuable goods, or you don't have much money to buy them, right?"

Hoffman shrugged again, refusing to deny it.

"Well, Hoffman, my question is very simple," Luc looked into Hoffman's eyes and smiled slightly. "If I could help you get some more valuable goods, how would you thank me?"

"What can you do?"

Hoffman's eyes slowly widened. A wandering knight whose principality was destroyed said he had a way to help me get the supply?

".What goods can you get?"

Finally, Hoffman asked tentatively with the aggressiveness of a businessman, but there was a strong suspicion in his words.

"A little fur, cider, a lot of charcoal, and a little salt."

Luc counted his achievements and told Hoffman his chips.

"Of course, charcoal is the main component."

"Charcoal," Hoffman rubbed his chin. Charcoal wasn't cheap; it was essential for high-temperature fuel in many iron smelting processes. Luc was right about one thing: he was essentially a general merchandiser, without a product that could truly be considered a pillar of his industry.

"With all due respect, Lord Luc, how am I supposed to believe that what you say is true?"

"You don't need to believe me. When you come next time, I will naturally bring enough charcoal and sell it to you at the price of raw materials. I'm just worried that you won't have enough coins by then, and you'll miss this opportunity to make a fortune in vain."

Seeing Luc's confident look, Hoffman touched his cracked lips, not sure whether Luc was talking nonsense or telling the truth.

"What do you wish for, my Lord?"

Hofmann doesn't see Luc as a savior, selling himself charcoal at a low cost.

"Dividends, I want your dividends."

Luke's eyes revealed a strange color. "I sell you charcoal at a price far lower than the normal trade price. What I hope to get is your dividend after the profit!"

Hoffman looked at Luc's determined gaze, thinking of his identity and the preface that forbade him to inquire about his background. He couldn't help but think of what was happening in Upper Lorraine. Although the Duke of Upper Lorraine had passed away, a man from Luxembourg was claiming that he had the legal right to inherit the Upper Lorraine region. It was said that he even went before His Majesty the Emperor.
Could it be that Luc in front of him wanted to?
Hoffman took a deep breath. He didn't care whether Luc wanted to accumulate wealth to restore the glory of his ancestors. He only cared about his caravan. If he could really master the charcoal business, he could gradually expand the size of his caravan like a snowball until he joined the guild.
As for competitors, those who dare to do business don’t care about this.

"One last question, sir. Why do you trust me so much in handing over the dividends to you in full?"

Hearing this, Luc couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, buddy, you seem to be confused. If I can really provide a large amount of charcoal, then you'll need me, not me. There are many caravans like you, but there's only one person like me. I trust my intuition very much. If I find out that you've deducted the dividends, believe me, I will immediately cut off all business with you."

"You're a smart person. You should be able to tell the difference between a full meal and a full one, right?"

"Huh~" Hoffman fell silent. He had to admit that Luke had convinced him, but he was not too excited. After all, the other party was just talking now. He would have to wait until the next trade to know whether it was nonsense or not.

"Well, next time I'll bring enough gold coins, and I hope you can provide a mule cart full of charcoal."

"You know, I need to be careful with this first deal."

"Of course."

Seeing that he had agreed to the result he wanted, Luc looked at Hoffman's other products and finally bought a pound of grain and linen. In addition, after much persuasion, he paid two pounds to get one of Hoffman's mules. The other party could go to Cooper Castle to buy a new one, but Luc planned to return directly to the mountains.

Luc was counting his supplies. Seeing that no one was coming, Hoffman said goodbye to Luc and rushed to Telf Bridge.

Old Eike and Luc were counting the goods together. He did not have much objection to the cooperation between Luc and Hoffman. If Shanlin wanted to develop rapidly, food, population and money were indispensable. However, it was the first time he learned about Luc's origins.

"No wonder Lord Luc came from the north in the beginning. It turns out he is a descendant of the nobles of Upper Lorraine."

Old Eck thought to himself, and soon the two of them finished counting, tied the mule to the front of the wheelbarrow, and placed the goods that filled the cart neatly on it. Jill held the wheelbarrow from the back, and Old Eck led the mule to ensure its speed.

Several people slowly rushed back, and suddenly Luke stopped Old Ek and others and looked at the chaotic Twerf Bridge.

Right in front, the aggressive Hoffman kept his promise and brought his six guards with him. As soon as he arrived at the Twerf Bridge, he immediately launched an attack on the two brothers.

The two brothers discovered them early on, but thought they were just passing by. Led by the older brother, they even took the initiative to give way.

Unfortunately, he miscalculated this time.

Hoffman's guards were obviously mercenaries who had been fighting for many years. They pretended to be just passing by and walked slowly to the bridge. Then, the next moment, six of them drew their swords or spears almost at the same time. In almost the blink of an eye, the short man didn't even have time to react. His stomach, which had no armor, was pierced in an instant, and blood gushed out. When the victims around saw this scene, they were like boiling water. With a bang, they screamed and scattered.

This cunning but obviously not very smart man did not know why the other party wanted to kill him until his death. In his opinion, he was just collecting some "leftovers" that the nobles did not want, but he did not know that he had blocked other people's financial path.

Luc narrowed his eyes and ignored the dead guy. Instead, he looked at the tall guy. Unexpectedly, the guy who was a head taller than the others reacted surprisingly quickly. He subconsciously swung the long-handled axe with his strong arms. With a bang, he deflected the two daggers that were stabbing at him. The powerful counterattack made the arms of the two guards numb.

This was not the end. When the strong man saw his brother falling backwards, he raised his axe and roared. His roar could be heard from a long distance away. It was hard to imagine that he was just a farmer given his burly body.

The axe broke through the air and chopped towards the head of a guard who was unable to dodge. The guard quickly raised his wooden shield, but he didn't expect that the tall man would split the shield in half with one axe.

Luc looked at the scene and said to himself: "This guy is more suitable for using blunt instruments."

Although the tall man was very fierce, he could not withstand the siege of the crowd after all. The shield temporarily resisted his attack. The captain of the guard saw the opportunity and stabbed his arm with a sword. The pain caused the long-handled axe to slip out of his hand.

"Damn it! Tie him up now!!"

Hoffman never expected that six of his men would almost capsize after attacking two people. He shouted angrily to tie up the tall man, and asked about the guards' situation with concern. He was slightly relieved when he saw that nothing was wrong. His guards had all signed contracts, and if they died, he would have to pay a large amount of Finney compensation.

"Damn it! Drag him down and chop him up!"

Hoffman had a bad look on his face. Seeing that the short man lying twitching on the ground was not dead yet, he waved his hand and was about to behead both of them as a warning to others.

If you are not a noble, why are you collecting bridge tolls?

It's obvious that you are looking for death.

"Wait a moment!"

Luke squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly and hurried over. He pulled the reins in front of Hoffman and pointed at the dejected tall man.
"Wait a minute Hoffman, name your price, I'll buy this guy."

(End of this chapter)