The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

"Good boy." Anna patted the horse's head.

Seeing this, Little Ma suddenly lost interest in the hay in his mouth and wanted to join Anna for a share.

"You come back here!" Viner grabbed Little Ma's tail.

When his tail was suddenly grabbed, Little Ma instinctively prepared to kick backward, but realizing that it was not someone else but Via behind him, he pulled his leg back halfway up.

"Hiss." Little Ma stared at Vina with a resentful look in his eyes.

"Don't you think what you've done is stupid enough?" Wiener criticized.

It's fine that he let Little Ma take Anna's horse out to play, but he didn't let it treat someone else's horse like a toy.

Little Ma didn't say a word, but just pawed at the ground with his front paws, his eyes becoming even more resentful.

"You're really going at it with a horse. Here, you get a share too."

After feeding her own horse, Anna took out a new carrot and went to Pony.

Seeing this, Little Ma immediately stuck his tongue out at Vina, then ran to Anna's side and nuzzled her hand with his head. Finally, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, he retreated a long distance with a carrot in his mouth.

"This guy is really something." Viner shook his head helplessly.

“No matter how smart it is, it’s still like a child. You have to coax it properly; scolding it won’t work,” Anna criticized Vener.

Then dozens of carrots were poured into the manger.

"You have to eat together," Anna reminded Little Ma.

Little Ma initially wanted to shake his head, but in the end, he reluctantly nodded.

"That's enough, don't keep the village chief waiting too long," Viner urged.

"Ah."

The two continued walking into the courtyard and bumped into the village chief, who had come out to investigate after hearing the horse's commotion.

“I was worried you’d suddenly run away again!” The village chief grabbed Viner’s hand and pulled him into the house.

"It's really not that bad, village chief. You're making it sound like I've never left without saying goodbye."

The village chief was still quite healthy for his age, but he was far less robust than the herald.

Fearing that he might accidentally hurt the village chief, Vina had no choice but to be dragged back into the house by him.

"Yes, you came to inform me. What about the others? Did you say goodbye to them?"

While criticizing her, the village chief pressed Vina into a seat, then quickly changed his attitude and greeted Anna with a sincere smile.

"I'm so sorry, Miss Anna, you must have found this amusing."

"Not at all, this is the first time I've seen Vena like this. I have to thank you, Village Chief," Anna said with a smile. "Besides, Vena and I are the same age and good friends. You can just call me Anna, Village Chief. There's no need to be so polite."

"Okay, then I'll just call you Anna. You see, Vena didn't even say goodbye before coming back, so I didn't have time to make many preparations. It's just some ordinary home-cooked meals, please forgive me."

I made stew with vegetables I grew myself, stored up dried cured meat for the winter, prepared roasted pheasant skewers after killing a chicken on the spot, and made onion soup to whet my appetite.

Although it wasn't a particularly lavish meal, it was still quite thoughtful.

"My daughter is already very content with that."

Anna was not being polite.

The village chief's elaborate family feast was far superior to the dry rations used to stave off hunger during the march.

Although the Miku Squadron held a key position in supply operations, it was treated the same as the other companies.

There is no truth to the claim that while other squadrons were eating rough and unpaved food, we were feasting on meat and fish.

Vina didn't care about formalities anymore and reached for the pheasant skewers, but the village chief glared at her and scolded her.

"The guests haven't even started eating yet!"

"I was just worried she'd be hungry."

The meat skewers in her hand were diverted halfway and placed in Anna's bowl, after which Vina took another serving.

"Thanks."

Anna thanked her gently, then gracefully picked up the meat skewers and savored them.

She slowly opened her small, delicate lips, gently bit one end of the meat skewer, and took several bites before finally chewing and swallowing it.

"It's delicious," Anna commented.

Meanwhile, Viña had already eaten her third skewer.

"Then eat more."

The village chief was very happy to see his skills recognized.

“Ah, no rush. Village Chief, has Venere not yet explained my daughter’s purpose to you?” Anna asked.

The village chief looked at Vina with a puzzled expression, and Vina looked at Anna with the same confusion.

"No," they both said in unison.

“Then you’ll have to give Vena a good talking-to afterward,” Anna said slowly and politely. “My daughter has come here with another mission: to represent the Valentin Merchant Guild in conducting an investigation of Lumiel Village.”

"The results of the inspection were very satisfactory, so may I ask, Mr. Village Chief, would you be willing to accept the assistance from the Valentine Chamber of Commerce?"

Chapter 202 The drunkard doesn’t care about drinking

The village chief, being an old and shrewd man, could certainly see that Anna's true intentions were not what they seemed.

After all, only they know their own situation; there's nothing in the entire village of Lumiel that would interest the Valentin Merchant Guild.

Except for Wiener.

The village chief tapped his index finger on the table repeatedly, and after thinking for a while, he responded.

"So what are Miss Anna's conditions?"

"If it's for that brat Vina, then there's no need. Lumiel Village won't become a shackle for that kid."

The village chief's attitude was firm.

Viner's contributions to Lumiel Village were already significant; in fact, Lumiel Village owed him a tremendous debt of gratitude.

If Anna is trying to win over Vina by bestowing favors upon the village of Lumiel, the village chief will be the first to object.

“What if I say there are no conditions?” Anna continued to ask.

"Then there's even less to discuss. You're a businessman; there's no such thing as a free lunch, and I don't need to remind you."

The village chief was a shrewd man, and he could naturally see how much Anna valued Vina.

Therefore, the less she desired from Lumiel Village, the more she agreed to the terms, the more she was selling Vena's favor.

This has now put Anna in a difficult position.

This was the first time she had encountered a situation where she couldn't even give money away.

Even if Viner were put in the village chief's current position, he would definitely agree first, adhering to the principle that "a fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal."

The village chief was waiting for Anna to state her conditions, while Anna was racking her brains to come up with reasons.

In this stalemate, Wiener spoke up.

"The village of Lumiel can regularly supply the Valentin Merchant Guild with a batch of weapons made by master blacksmiths for trade. In exchange, I hope the Valentin Merchant Guild will include Lumiel Village in its trade routes."

Viña did not mention any need for funds, but instead specified that the Valentin Chamber of Commerce should open a special trade route to connect Rumier Village with it.

If Lumiel Village is included in its trade route, then the roads leading to and from Lumiel Village will be repaired and expanded by the Valentin Merchant Guild.

With caravans representing the Chamber of Commerce coming and going, the village of Lumiel's reputation will naturally increase, attracting more merchants to come.

The idea is good, but it has a fatal flaw.

"Where did we get so many weapons made by master blacksmiths?" the village chief questioned.

"Those boxes behind the ancestral hall can be used as the first batch of items in the transaction."

“As for what happens next, Sagozi can handle it.” Viner put his hands behind his head, looking confident.

"When did Sargozi reach this level?"

The village chief still remembers the middle-aged man who volunteered to become the new blacksmith of Lumiel Village. His reason for staying in Lumiel Village was his desire to further improve his forging skills.

"Not yet, but soon, in about a month," Viner replied.

"Village chief, when you have time, could you also look around the village for children who are willing to learn forging and send them to Sagochi as apprentices to assist him? The village of Lumiel will still need them in the future."

The problem that had troubled the village chief for so long was resolved by Viner in just a few words.

"Leaving aside whether Sagozi is willing to take on these apprentices, if he really becomes a master blacksmith, will he still be willing to stay in Lumiel Village?" the village chief worriedly asked.

“That’s easy. Just tell him that I will check on his progress every now and then, and he won’t want to leave here,” Viner replied.

“Then let’s do it the way Vena suggested!” Anna, who was struggling to find a reason, quickly interjected.

Wiener's conditions were extremely prudent.

Putting aside other factors, it's like the Valentin Chamber of Commerce opening up a dedicated sales channel for a master blacksmith who is unwilling to move.

Even if this condition were to spread, the world would only think that the Valentin Chamber of Commerce respected talent, and it would earn them a good reputation.

Aside from not taking Sargozi's personal opinion into account, it was truly a win-win situation for both the village of Lumiel and the Valentin Chamber of Commerce.

"make a deal."

Vina reached out her hand to Anna, and with their hands clasped, the matter was considered settled.

"You young people are all so opinionated, I can't keep up with you." The village chief shook his head helplessly.

Even though the two parties involved have already reached an agreement, he has no choice but to accept it, right?

“I’ll talk to Sargozi about it; he shouldn’t refuse such a offer.”

"I'll send a letter to the Chamber of Commerce tomorrow, and someone should come to discuss the follow-up matters by the end of this week at the latest."

After the business was finished, the atmosphere at the dinner table became noticeably more lively.

After inquiring about their departure date, the village chief turned and went inside, bringing out a barrel of his treasured wine and inviting them to taste it.

Anna thanked her gladly and toasted the village chief without hesitation.

Then we arrived at Wiener's side.

"I don't drink."

Wiener showed no mercy.

Thankfully, this happened in private. If Vena had pulled such a stunt when the villagers were seeing off the newly appointed herald, countless people would have been embarrassed.

"Well, Vena, you're an adult now, it's okay for you to try a little, isn't it?" the village chief said tactfully.

He realized that the relationship between Vina and Anna was not as simple as that of ordinary business partners.

Hopefully, this will help Werner to get closer to her and that it will benefit their future development and their relationship.

“It’s alright, Mr. Village Chief, I’ll drink with you,” Anna said again, coming to Vena’s rescue.

The village chief, who had seriously underestimated Anna's alcohol tolerance, was already feeling dizzy after just a few drinks.

He's the kind of person who gets talkative when he's drunk, and as a result, he started revealing one of Venus's dark pasts after another.

The person involved turned ashen-faced upon hearing this.

Anna, who had also drunk just as much, remained unfazed, offering toasts and trying to elicit information, creating a lively and pleasant atmosphere.

Anna was usually only seen drinking tea because after witnessing her ability to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk, no one dared to challenge her to a drinking contest.

The old village chief unknowingly released a monster.

"Hiccup, I really have to thank you this time... Miss Anna. That brat Viner... he always keeps everything to himself... I hope you'll be more tolerant of him in the future."

Anna helped the village chief, who was already incoherent, into the master bedroom. After carefully settling him in, she slowly strolled back to the dining table.

This kind of thing shouldn't be something Anna, a guest, should be doing, especially since Venus is sitting there motionless like a dead person.

“The village chief meant well, but Vena, you’re going a bit too far,” Anna criticized Vena as she returned to the table.

It's not about making Wiener rack his brains to understand interpersonal relationships, but simply hoping that he can respond properly to other people's kindness.