Chương 160: [The Sage]'s Business Empire

"this----" Jill looked at Frillie, who was sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book, with some confusion.

Frillie didn't even look up; she simply flipped through a page, her gaze slowly moving along the words on the magic book.

"Don't worry about me, you guys keep talking."

Jill maintained her politeness and looked at Shane.

Shane didn't mind Frillie's insistence on sitting in on the proceedings.

Although Frilian didn't say much, Shane understood that the white-haired elf was worried about him. After all, dealing with politicians and businessmen can be a bit troublesome.

He smiled and said, "It's alright, let's continue."

Seeing that Shane did not object, Jill and the middle-aged man behind her exchanged glances and had no choice but to continue, "Mr. Shane, first of all, the city hall is very grateful to you and your teammates for taking action against the sea monster that came ashore last night."

"The port hasn't been attacked by a sea monster of this size in many years. It's all thanks to you and your companions."

As he spoke, Jill took out a bronze badge.

He handed it to Xia En with great respect.

Xia En took it.

This is a bronze badge bearing the city's emblem. The obverse features the sailing ship emblem of Neutoral, surrounded by a pattern of waves and anchor chains. The reverse is engraved with the four characters "City Friendly" in cursive script.

He looked at Jill with some confusion.

"This is a small token of our gratitude from the City Hall. Please accept it. From now on, you and your team will always have the friendship of [Neutoral Port]."

Shaun did not refuse; he had already received one of these honorary commemorative badges at the city hall in [Gostan City].

"How are the two surviving sailors? Has the city hall found any details about the attack?"

Jill's smile faded slightly, and she sighed.

"Of the two, the one with the less severe injuries has already woken up."

"According to him, their cargo ship, while fleeing from a group of pirates, panicked and strayed into dangerous waters known to be inhabited by sea monsters. Both the cargo ship and the pirate ship were swept away, and in the end—only the two of them managed to drift back clinging to a piece of hull plank."

He paused, his tone heavy.

"The city hall has initiated the compensation process for the injured and the families of the victims, and will do its best to ensure their future livelihood."

"As for maritime security, we have increased the number of patrol vessels to patrol the surrounding waters around the clock to prevent sea monsters from landing again, and we plan to set up early warning magical beacons on several key shipping routes. Hopefully—such tragedies will be fewer."

"That's good."

Xia En nodded.

In this era, facing the vast ocean and its unknown dangers, this is the limit of what the city hall can do.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities intertwine, and the lives of ordinary people sometimes seem so fragile.

At this time.

Jill hesitated slightly before speaking again, "As for the commission—perhaps this is a bit presumptuous. We've noticed that you seem to be skilled at crafting magical items with unusual effects?"

Xia En raised an eyebrow slightly.

Jill stepped aside, making way for a middle-aged man who had been standing quietly behind him.

The man was also dressed in a suit and tie. Although he was slightly balding, he had a capable demeanor and sharp eyes.

Jill introduced, "This is Mr. Lloyd, the guild master of the Nnoitoral branch of the Adventurers' Guild in the Swordthroat region."

Lloyd stepped forward, smiling as he extended his hand to Shane.

"Mr. Shane, I've heard so much about you."

"Not long ago, several very interesting magical items appeared in the sales records of the Adventurers' Guild in [Kel City]. After tracing them, we confirmed that they were made by you."

Upon hearing this, Frilian, who was standing to the side, closed her magic book and looked up.

Xia En's expression also turned serious.

"You are investigating me."

There was no doubt in his statement.

Upon hearing this, Lloyd immediately apologized.

"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Shane. We didn't investigate you, nor did we mean any harm. It's just that one of those magical artifacts ended up in [Neutoral Port], and its wonder is truly amazing. We really wanted to get to know the person who made it, so—if this offended you, please forgive us."

Lloyd was sincere.

They adopted a very humble attitude.

Shane and Frilian exchanged a glance, neither of them rushing to speak.

Frillie had warned him about the possibility that his identity as a "sage" might attract the attention of merchants or the magic world when he first sold his homemade armor.

Xia En was already prepared.

I just didn't expect them to come to my door directly.

Previously, when he was replenishing supplies in [Kyle], he had too many golden leaves in his backpack, so in order to free up some backpack space, he disposed of a batch of "experimental" gadgets made from low-level entries.

At the time, I thought they were just some insignificant everyday items, but I never expected them to attract the attention of the regional guild leader.

"Which item was it that entered the port?"

"It's an iron pot that's always shiny with oil."

Oh, it's that big iron pot with the entry "naturally oily".

Xia En suppressed a laugh.

Lloyd's eyes gleamed with excitement.

"The guild's appraiser gave it a very high rating. Although it's not a powerful combat magic tool, it has demonstrated amazing practicality and stable magical effects in everyday life."

"Never before has any blacksmith been able to embed a magical formula so stably."

He paused, glanced at Gil, and continued to Shane, "In [Neutoral Port], fishing boats are often damaged by storms or attacks from small sea monsters, and they also lose their way due to extreme weather such as sea fog and storms. We have been searching for skilled blacksmiths to create some magical tools that can enhance the defensive capabilities of fishing boats or improve their navigational stability."

"It doesn't need to be as sturdy as a city wall. Even if it can withstand ordinary wind and waves, or provide early warning of nearby monsters or demons, it might be the difference between life and death for the crew."

Jill picked up the conversation, her tone sincere: "The city hall is willing to bear all the material losses in the development of magical tools."

"Of course, we won't let you work for free. We will pay you according to market rates, or we can try our best to meet any other needs you may have."

"Mr. Shane, would you be willing to accept this commission?"

After they finished speaking, they both stared longingly at Xia En.

Xia En touched his chin.

This commission isn't too difficult.

It is technically possible to attach defensive or warning terms to key components of the ship's hull or to objects such as compasses and rudder wheels.

However, the rewriting of entries is highly random.

It's impossible to estimate how much "support" is needed to obtain entries for a specific function—and whether it will ultimately meet expectations is also unpredictable.

"I can give it a try."

"But I need to understand the specific structure of the hull and the types of dangers that are commonly encountered, as well as a large amount of basic materials. Moreover, I cannot guarantee the production time or the quantity supplied."

"That's enough!"

Jill and Lloyd smiled.

"Your willingness to try is the greatest help. We have the materials and information package with us, and we will organize them and send them to you as soon as possible. As for supply, we understand, of course. We just hope that if you have any new small works suitable for civilian use in the future, you will give priority to cooperating with [Neutral Port]. We are happy to build a stable sales channel for you."

This was an unexpected surprise.

A stable distribution channel can help him quickly monetize those experimental, special-function artifacts, and also exchange them for some rare materials or intelligence.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." Shane extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you!" Jill shook hands firmly.

After the deal was settled and they received the ship's structural blueprints from Jill and a large quantity of basic armor from Lloyd, Shane and his party did not linger at the port.

They packed their belongings and began to continue their investigation of the lost items, following the possible route of the ancient book transport team.

Following the directions provided by the herbalist and the clue of the "snake repellent and mosquito repellent sachet," they chose the shortcut that traversed the hills and forests.

This road is indeed much more rugged than the flat but circuitous main road.

They found many traces left by travelers in the mountains and forests, such as the ashes of campfires and signs of camping, but they could not be sure that they were left by the [transport team].

afternoon.

They arrived at the first small village on the route.

The village is very small, with only a dozen or so households. It is built on a small piece of flat land in the mountains, and there is a huge old willow tree at the entrance of the village with leaves that have begun to turn yellow.

Several children, some of whom were about half-grown, were playing under the willow tree.

"Oh, you're asking about that group?"

The child squinted as he recalled, "About ten days ago, four people passed by in a packhorse cart covered with an oilcloth, so we couldn't see what they were carrying. They bought some dry food in the village and left, looking quite anxious."

You're heading in the right direction!

Everyone's spirits lifted.

"After they left, did anyone else inquire about them?"

"Yes, I have."

"Who is it?"

Xia En pressed for an answer.

Everyone else turned to look at them.

Someone has really set their sights on the transport fleet!

The child blinked.

"Aren't you guys?"

Xia En was speechless.

Although no further details were obtained, confirming that the transport team did indeed take this route is already an important development.

The group planned to replenish their water supply in the village before continuing their journey.

Just as they were fetching water.

Several children in the village were attracted by the exaggeratedly huge battle axe behind Shutark, and they chattered around him. The bolder ones even tried to touch the handle of the axe.

Shutark was among the children, happily answering questions like "Is the axe heavy?" and "What big monsters have you fought?" He even showed off a set of combat techniques to the children, eliciting gasps of amazement and admiration in their eyes.

In contrast.

The situation changed completely when the children curiously turned their gaze toward Viabel.

With his messy silver-gray short hair, sharp eyes, and habitual one-hand-on-hips-hips-posture, Viabelu seemed to naturally exude an aura of "I'll beat you up if you don't like it."

But because he is somewhat handsome.

It still attracted a little girl with pigtails.

The little girl looked up at him, her face flushed, and asked softly, "Big brother, why is your hair gray? Like an old man's—" Viabel squinted and said in a sarcastic tone, "Because—I'm a werewolf who eats children, and I specifically target children who like to talk to strangers."

The little girl froze for two seconds, her eyes quickly filled with tears, and she burst into tears, turning and running away.

The other children were also frightened by Viabelu's words and immediately scattered.

Why are you scaring the child?

Shutark looked at Viaberu with a puzzled expression.

Zain clicked his tongue.

Frilian and Philen also showed disapproval, especially Philen, whose gaze toward Viabel was somewhat hostile.

Shaen sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation: "Viabel, you—" Viabel, however, nonchalantly withdrew his expression and said arrogantly, "I'm teaching them the necessary vigilance."

As he said this, he raised his chin, completely oblivious to the fact that he had made the child cry.

On the contrary, he seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Hmph, just because a random, good-looking stranger looks tough, or carries a big axe and seems intimidating, doesn't mean you can just go up to him and ask him all sorts of questions. What if you run into a bad guy?"

"Those demons who like to disguise themselves as humans love to lure these kinds of children."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and walked out of the village first.

As Xia En watched his arrogant back, he recalled how, during the torrential rain, Xia En had seen him rush out without hesitation when he saw the sea monster might attack the hut on the shore.

This guy might be thinking of doing something "good" to remind children to be wary of strangers, but his way of expressing it is so awkward it's suffocating.

Are all northerners like this?

What an insincere guy.

Xia En shook his head and beckoned the others to follow.

Philon was fuming.

"He could have just spoken nicely—" Zain shrugged, looking unsurprised: "Many people who have stayed on the northern border for a long time are like this. You'll get used to it."

Frillie frowned, as if recalling some unpleasant memory, and chimed in with a complaint, "Indeed, it's awkward and troublesome."

The group continued their journey through the mountains and forests.

During the journey, we passed a stone bridge that had been in disrepair for many years.

Stones have fallen off the middle of the stone bridge, reducing its original width, which was enough for a carriage to pass, to only two-thirds.

The group found some large stones nearby.

Shutark's battle axe cuts and shaves, creating square blocks of stone.

Frillie used levitation magic to perfectly embed the stones into the bridge deck and the piers underneath.

Everyone worked together to repair the stone bridge.

Philen assumed that Viaberu would not participate in such an operation.

But on the contrary.

Viabeiru had no objection whatsoever; on the contrary, he was quite enthusiastic.

The little girl was very conflicted about this.

Although still angry, the level of anger has visibly begun to decrease.

During a break.

Zain and Viaberu talked about the situation on the northern border, and from Viaberu's account, everyone realized that something very serious had happened.

Since Simmel's death, the demons in the north, who had been lying dormant, have begun to stir again.

"It seems the demon race is brewing a new demon king."

This information from Viabel made Frilian frown.

Xia En and she exchanged a glance, and both of them saw the seriousness of the situation in each other's eyes.

Just then.

puffing-puffing-puffing The birds in the forest suddenly took flight.

Viabel summoned his staff immediately, his sharp gaze fixed on the sky.

"A monster is approaching."

Frillie stood up.

"Not just monsters, but a horde of monsters."