Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 115 Rooney

"Mr. Barto, you flatter me." Chu Sheng gripped his fork tightly, maintaining his smile. "The trade market is still in the planning stage. Specific details will be announced after the Gray Domain and Cat Territory have reached an agreement. However, if your esteemed merchant guild is interested in setting up shop here, you are welcome to do so at any time."

Barto's eyes lit up: "That's wonderful! If I'm lucky enough to get a spot in the first batch, I'll definitely visit in person to express my gratitude!"

As expected, these merchants' intuition was extremely sharp. The Sacred Tree Forest, which previously occupied a vital transportation route but remained isolated from the outside world, would undoubtedly attract a flood of profit-driven merchants once it was opened as a free trade market!

Just then, a drunken businessman at the table slammed his fist on the table and glared angrily at his companion.

Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

"You scoundrel, hold on! I wouldn't stoop to tarnish the word 'hero,' I'll just call you a spineless clay sculpture!"

"I've been watching you for a long time! When you see someone from a wealthy family, your back immediately turns like snow in spring, limp and melting into a puddle; your knees bend faster than ripe gluten, bending even faster than a worm; and the smile on your face is thicker than a rotten persimmon."

"Turning your face to that powerless, inferior, and honest man, you furrow your brows, looking as arrogant as a man baring his teeth at the temple gate; the breath you exhale is louder than a wild bull in July; you hold a tiny bit of power in your hand, yet you act as if Mount Tai is pressing down on you, as if you are not holding two pages of documents or a few servants, but the eighty thousand miles of imperial banners!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Sheng coughed.

"Is the hero alright?" Barto asked with concern.

"It's nothing, it's nothing." Chu Sheng picked up the honey lemon water and took another big gulp. "My throat is a little dry today, probably from riding a horse and catching a chill this afternoon."

Barto immediately had a look of sudden realization: "The temperature difference between day and night is large in Pegasus Territory. You may not be used to it when you first arrive."

I have some throat lozenges I brought from the south in my carriage; I'll have someone send a few jars to the lord's manor tomorrow.

"Mr. Barto, you're too kind," Chu Sheng said, his voice slightly weak.

The merchant continued his insults, clearly quite drunk: "You always lament that you're a dragon trapped in shallow water, thinking yourself extraordinary and looking down on everyone else. Today I'm going to have a word with you. What kind of dragon are you? You're clearly a toad at the bottom of a well, your belly bulging so loudly that you think the whole world can hear your clamor."

"What do you call extraordinary? A mouse climbs onto a scale hook and weighs itself! A grasshopper puts on a thimble and pretends to be a general in armor! When you see a real tiger or leopard, you shrink your neck and hide your head, wishing you could crawl into a crack in the ground; but when you see a deer, rabbit, or elk, you bare your teeth and bar your mane, looking very majestic!"

"They're utterly cowardly and bully the weak, they're all skin and bones, yet they've developed a snobbish and opportunistic mentality!"

Chu Sheng couldn't help but clap and cheer.

Well said!

He glanced at Mrs. Mira out of the corner of his eye.

She took a sip of red wine with a graceful smile.

Barto continued his rambling, talking about everything from grain prices in the south to fur prices in the north, and then mysteriously shifting the topic to the metal monster the dwarf kingdom had recently created.

Chu Sheng was stunned. It seemed that this Barto was no small fry. He actually knew about the top-secret information that Mira had only recently obtained.

Mrs. Mira obviously heard it too.

Barto said his merchant guild imported a batch of ore from the Dwarven Kingdom last month, and a hired cat-man guard wandered around and witnessed the testing of the ore.

After a dwarf crawled into the metal shell, he was able to smash a granite slab half a person's height with a single punch, which startled the cat-man guard so much that he hissed in shock.

Chu Sheng didn't hear any useful information, so he just mumbled "uh-huh" to get through to the man while the merchant continued cursing.

"Don't try to show off your petty official power in front of me. I can't tolerate such a scoundrel! Your little bit of power, if weighed, wouldn't even weigh as much as a steamed bun; if measured, it wouldn't even be as long as a cudgel; but when you wield it, it's three points more imposing than a great knight's holy sword."

It's funny!

"A true hero defies a thousand pointing fingers with a cold eye, yet bows his head to serve the people like an ox. You, on the other hand, only glare at honest men, yet bow your head only to climb the social ladder. You spout moralistic pronouncements, but are full of cunning and scheming. You boast of your vast knowledge, but I doubt you can even read a few characters, yet you dare to criticize history. Truly, a horse doesn't know its own face, and an ox doesn't know its own horns!"

Chu Sheng spat out a mouthful of lemonade.

Barto paused, startled. "Hero, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing!" Chu Sheng coughed a few times. "My throat still hurts. Don't worry about me, keep going. What happened to that tin shell?"

Barto, unsuspecting, continued to recount the test details of the dwarf metal monster with great enthusiasm.

He said that although the thing was strong, it was a bit sluggish and made a creaking sound when it turned, like a big rusty iron lump.

Chu Sheng was no longer listening to what he was saying.

He focused all his attention on the merchant, listening intently.

"I advise you to drop that arrogant face as soon as possible! Be careful, the strong wind might slip through your glib tongue, and the scorching sun might melt away your paper-thin authority!"

"A cowardly bully like you, so arrogant and self-important, dares to stand tall and puff out in front of others? You truly disgrace this peaceful world and the bright heavens. If I were you, I would have crawled into a hole in the ground long ago, lest I appear in this world and become a laughingstock for a thousand years!"

Just then, another set of footsteps stopped behind him.

Chu Sheng caught a glimpse of a dark green dress out of the corner of his eye; it belonged to a plump noblewoman. She and Mr. Barto from earlier shared a similar build, suggesting they had arranged to come together to offer a toast.

She walked over to Mr. Barto, first curtsied to Mrs. Mira, then turned to Chu Sheng and said with a smile, "Greetings, Sir! I am Mrs. Barto. My old man was so busy toasting himself that he didn't even wait for me; how rude of him!"

Chu Sheng forced a smile: "Mrs. Barto, you are too kind. Your couple is so loving that you even toast each other."

One cup is enough; I am not good at drinking.

Madame Barto covered her mouth and chuckled, picked up a glass of ruby-red wine from the servant's tray, raised it to Chu Sheng, and then took a small, elegant sip.

"My lord, please just have some lemonade. There's no need for you to force yourself. We just wanted to thank you in person for all the things you've done for the North."

"Oh?" Chu Sheng actually became interested. "Tell me more."

"You don't know, once the trade route through the Sacred Tree Forest was opened, the trade route from the North to the South became many times safer than before."

"Before, we needed to hire two mercenary teams for a single trip, but now a few guards are enough. This is all thanks to you!"

Chu Sheng wanted to respond politely, but the merchant was still cursing.

He grinned, revealing a smile that looked more like a grimace: "You're too kind, Madam."

Madame Bartholdi was completely oblivious to anything amiss; on the contrary, her smile grew even brighter at Chu Sheng's humility. Holding her wine glass, she launched into a long ode to Chu Sheng's youth, talent, handsome appearance, and promising future.

"To be honest, in my forty-plus years of life, this is the first time I've ever seen a 'Hero' like this. The younger generation is truly formidable!"

Barto stood by, awkwardly forcing a smile.

Chu Sheng quickly pretended to have choked on the lemonade, covering his mouth with one hand and coughing heavily.

Mrs. Barto asked with concern, "Are you really alright, Hero? Would you like the kitchen to prepare a bowl of throat-soothing soup?"

"It's nothing, cough cough—" Chu Sheng coughed and waved his hand, "I'll be fine on my own. Madam, go and offer your toasts, there are still people waiting behind."

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