The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

“The battalion commander is a good man. But if everyone acted like me, the team would be impossible to lead.”

Buzz, however, was fully aware of his own actions.

From the moment he chose to distribute the military rations to the villagers, he was prepared to accept punishment.

“I will report it truthfully,” Anna said.

It can't be hidden.

Even if the knights under Baz can give a unified account, and there are so many villagers who have been helped, a little investigation will completely expose Baz's actions.

Anna's greatest effort was to report the events and their outcome without embellishment.

“Okay, that works.” Buzz nodded.

Even if they investigate, they will only hold him accountable for his mistake.

After all, the other knights were just following his orders.

"Is it worth it?" Anna couldn't help but ask.

Regardless of how this matter is handled, it will leave a stain on Buzz's resume.

Upon receiving the distress call, they immediately led their team to rescue their lives, fulfilling their duty.

Why jeopardize your promising future for these complete strangers?

Just then, the tightly closed door of the house closest to them suddenly opened.

A little girl dressed in thin clothes came out of the house carrying a pot of hot porridge.

The cold air made her face turn red, and it looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over, but she still staggered toward Buzz.

"What's wrong?"

Instead of answering Anna's question immediately, Buzz asked the little girl in the gentlest voice possible.

Even with his voice lowered, it was still thunderous.

“Father said that you have given all your food to us, so you have nothing to eat yourself.”

"No, that's not true. Look, this lady is just bringing us something—"

"No!"

The little girl didn't understand so many complicated things; everything in her world was very simple.

"You need to eat your fill so you'll have the strength to save more people!"

Chapter 175 Aid and Trade

The little girl's words seemed to have started something.

Doors were pushed open, and more and more people went out onto the street.

The sudden drop in temperature left them no time to change into warmer clothes, but even though their hands were shivering from the cold, none of them came out empty-handed.

Some dishes consisted of a pot of potatoes, others of a bowl of sweet potatoes, and still others of a vegetable soup made from the last of the vegetables left at home.

It might not be much compared to the food that Baz ordered to be distributed to them. For Emblem users, who consume a great deal of food daily, even if they ate it all, it would only be enough to fill a tooth gap.

But at least it showed an attitude.

They did not simply accept the goodwill unilaterally.

This scene deeply moved Anna.

She bit her lower lip tightly, her eyes flashing with complex emotions.

“Now we should have an answer, right?” Wiener said softly.

He had also felt this kindness before.

When he first set foot on this strange land, Vina had nothing, and it was the village of Lumiel that took him in.

It was the meals provided by the village chief and villagers that helped him get through the most difficult period.

This made Wiener feel that the world wasn't so bad after all.

But the good times don't last long.

Having just been assigned the blacksmith's job by the village chief, and only able to forge simple farm tools, Viña could only watch helplessly as Lumiel Village suffered annihilation.

If someone like Baz had stepped forward and offered a helping hand to Lumiel Village back then, things would probably have been different.

However, no.

Vina went from being the youngest villager in Lumiel Village to becoming a veteran of New Lumiel Village.

From that time on, Wiener learned that prayer was useless.

Monsters and thieves will not spare you just because you are devout to the goddess.

So he obsessively honed his skills, attempting to arm the newly established village of Lumiel to the teeth.

He proved to be right.

While the kids in the neighboring village were playing around with sticks, the new generation of Lumiel Village was already playing a game of heroism with their unsharpened village swords.

The once remote village, which even tax officials were too lazy to visit, became famous for the fine weapons forged by Vina, attracting many caravans and mercenaries to detour there.

Since then, Lumiel Village has never been "reopened".

"Cough-cough-"

Anna did not answer Vina's question, but instead cleared her throat with a few light coughs.

"Fellow villagers of Hanover! I am Anna, representing the Valentine Chamber of Commerce!"

"We have learned about the situation here from the Knights of St. Freya, and out of humanitarian considerations, the Chamber of Commerce is willing to provide assistance for the reconstruction of Hanover."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it was incredibly penetrating.

It immediately attracted the attention of everyone on the street.

"So, what's the price?" a man asked as he stepped out from the group of villagers.

The little girl who was the first to deliver food to the knights called out "Father" and quickly hid behind the man.

She only dared to peek out from behind her father, her curious little eyes fixed on the beautiful older sister.

"The Valentin Chamber of Commerce never does business at a loss. What do we need to give in return?" The man's tone was full of wariness.

Since the three of them, including Viner, were not wearing the Knights' signature armor, and Anna claimed to be a representative of the merchant guild, the man clearly mistook them for another group.

The more trust a person has in the Knights, the more wary they are of the Merchant Guild.

Viner could almost see the veins on Anna's forehead twisted into a "#" shape.

She should have remained rational, but her compassion only earned her the villagers' suspicion, which would be unpleasant for anyone.

"Are you the village chief?" Anna asked.

"No." The man shook his head.

“I hope to be able to speak with the people in charge of the town.”

Anna didn't intend to persuade the villagers one by one; that would be too inefficient.

She wasn't sure if her impulsive decision would last until she regretted it.

“So just talk to me. My name is Avat. My father was so frightened that he can’t get out of bed. I can speak on his behalf,” the man continued.

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. The merchant guild intends to buy the pelts of these frost wolves. I’ve already spoken with Captain Baz, and he insists that the frost wolf carcasses belong to you,” Anna said.

"Uh, that's good."

When Buzz's name was suddenly mentioned, he had no idea what this girl, who was much younger than him, was up to. He just instinctively covered for her.

"Just the fur?" Avat pondered.

If that's the case, once the chill on the Frostwolf carcass dissipates, the meat can be shaved off to increase our meat reserves.

“Yes, we only need the fur. So the work of skinning the fur will also be your responsibility,” Anna affirmed.

"What about the price?"

"A whole frost wolf pelt can be exchanged for a load of grain."

Anna doesn't seem to intend to settle the matter with money.

Avat quickly began to calculate in his mind.

Each person needs at least five catties of grain per month, and it will take five months to survive until the spring of the following year. The forty-three households in Hanover Town need at least four thousand catties of grain to get through the winter safely.

Anna's offer was right on the line.

"You're being too greedy! A complete frost wolf pelt can be sold in the city for at least twice the amount of grain!"

Immediately, some villagers jumped out to voice their opposition.

"Then what are your thoughts?" Anna asked in return, not annoyed.

"I think it would be better to settle the payment in cash according to the market price."

The villager then delivered the explanation he had prepared beforehand.

It's currently harvest season, so there's still room for grain prices to fall.

As long as he has money, he can go to the neighboring village to collect grain.

“Umaru, this is not your place to speak!” Avat rebuked.

He knew Anna's offer was below the normal market price, but that wasn't how it should be calculated.

Caravans only pass through Hanover Town once every two weeks on average, but ordinary caravans are limited in size and cannot consume so many frost wolf pelts or provide so much food at once.

The only way to sell them for a high price is to take these furs to the city.

It's easy to go; just find a few clever guys and they can take the fur belts to the city to sell.

But what if we come back?

Expecting a few villagers to bring back four or five thousand catties of grain is like telling others that there is a big fat sheep here, so come and grab it.

Considering that the village's current food rations can only last for a week at most, Anna's suggestion is the best solution.

"On behalf of the town of Hanover, I agree to your request."

Awat needs to consider the needs of as many villagers as possible.

“A wise decision,” Anna nodded.

"We won't be able to skin all the frostwolf pelts until at least the day after tomorrow, so will the specific transaction time be set for that time?"

Avat hopes to finalize the deal as soon as possible.

“I won’t wait until then,” Anna shook her head. “I will give you some grain as a deposit first. Another caravan from the Valentine Merchant Guild will come within a week to collect the frost wolf pelts and settle the balance.”

"Aren't you afraid we'll go back on our word after taking the food?" Avat asked doubtfully.

“The Knights of St. Freya are vouching for you.” Anna looked at the knights led by Baz.

“Hanova will not let them down,” Avat assured them.

Chapter 176 Commissioner Anna

The Knights and the villagers of Hanover lined up in two separate lines to unload supplies from the two wagons.

Field and Vandley stood by the carriage to register passengers, while Wiener, who couldn't do much to help, maintained order.

"No rush, take your time."

Seeing a villager carrying grain nearly slip and fall due to the slippery road, Viña rushed forward to help him up.

“Ah, thank you very much,” the villager said gratefully.

With Viner's help, the villagers readjusted the grain on their backs and casually asked, "Young man, are you also from the Chamber of Commerce?"

"Uh, I guess so." Viner didn't bother to explain.

Anna's explanation led the villagers to mistake them for a caravan from the Valentine Merchant Guild.

But Viner knew that Anna said it on purpose.