Chapter 102 The Mad Merchant of Hyratos
Brandon had been back in Hyratos for a day, and his mood was far from pleasant. On the day he brought the fur back from Eldoria, his father took it away without even letting him speak, offering only a few words of praise before sending him away.
"He didn't even care about me!" Brandon slumped in his chair, his face dark.
He realized that he was a tool in his father's hands, and if it weren't for the fur this time, his father might not have given him a second thought.
"So, this is what it means to be a noble," Brandon muttered, lost in thought.
Brandon held a lollipop absentmindedly, his mind drifting back to the days in Eldoria. He found himself missing the noble feasts at Lord Henry's mansion, and the cakes served as dessert afterward. Just thinking about it now made his mouth water.
"Nobility? Ridiculous!" Brandon chuckled at himself. He, a noble, was actually yearning for someone else's food.
But for some reason, he really wanted to go to the marketplace, where he could shop to his heart's content, exchanging a few copper coins for many things. The thought of it made him nostalgic.
Brandon took out four steel coins from his pocket. These coins, more exquisite than copper, could be exchanged for ten copper coins each. He suddenly thought, what if he introduced steel coins in Hyratos?
Brandon sneered, immediately guessing the answer. No one would use them because they wouldn't believe in such good fortune, and they would also fear being cheated, as this kind of scheme had been used by nobles before.
"Perhaps it would be a good idea to sell the goods and open a shop in Eldoria. I heard that the house there is almost ready," Brandon thought.
Brandon had little money left now. He had spent a lot of coins in the Eldoria marketplace, and he needed a substantial amount of money.
"Brandon, your banquet is ready, and everyone is waiting for you." a servant called out, interrupting Brandon's thoughts.
"I'll be right there!" Brandon nodded, got up, straightened his clothes, and sighed as he looked at the clothes with a few silver coins on them.
"Even the clothes of other people's butlers are better than mine. What kind of noble life is this?" Brandon said.
After a quick adjustment, Brandon forced himself to cheer up and walked toward the living room. Today, he had invited many merchants from Hyratos, and he planned to exchange the items he purchased from Eldoria for coins.
As soon as he entered the living room, many people greeted Brandon.
"Brandon, what new goods do you have this time?"
"You bought ceramic cups from me last time, and this time, I have new stock from the Royal City. Would you like to take a look?"
"Brandon, I brought seven horses from the North this time, and one of them is in excellent condition..."
This was not the first time Brandon had done something like this. Last time, he had organized a similar banquet to raise enough money for the cattle and sheep he gave to Lord Henry.
"Please, make yourself comfortable. We have a significant matter to deliberate today," Brandon said, gesturing for the attendants to bring the refreshments.
Plates of gray, fist-sized pastries were brought in, accompanied by murky water.
Looking at the refreshments, Brandon had no appetite for the pastries he used to enjoy. After tasting the pastries at Lord Henry's official department, he found them completely unappetizing.
"Wow! Eating pastries from Brandon is such a delight." one of the merchants exclaimed.
Another merchant added, "Indeed, the filling in these pastries is so rich, and paired with the bitter drinks, it's truly a rare treat."
The merchants enjoyed the greasy pastries, each one made with lard and wheat flour, immersing themselves in the experience while Brandon sat expressionless.
He thought to himself that if these people had tasted the delicacies at Lord Henry's official department, they would surely find today's food to be like garbage. He had thought the same way and had embarrassingly cracked a ceramic plate with his teeth.
"Alright, I've invited everyone here today to showcase something," Brandon said, instructing the servants to bring the items.
The servants entered with trays, each holding a variety of everyday items, such as wooden spoons, ceramic cups and bowls, and even trays of lollipops.
The merchants looked at each other in confusion. What was going on? Since when did nobles get involved in the trade of everyday items?
"Take a look at the samples first!" Brandon gestured, indicating to examine the items before speaking.
The merchants, suppressing their doubts, got up and approached the servants, picking up the items from the trays to inspect them.
"This wooden spoon is well-made. If taken to the Royal City, it should fetch two copper coins each."
"Wow, is this ceramic? It's so beautiful!"
The clean and white ceramic cups and bowls immediately caught the attention of the merchants.
"Brandon, how much for these ceramic cups and bowls? I'll buy them all."
"What do you mean? Are you trying to take them all for yourself? I can buy them all, too."
Brandon looked at the merchants expressionlessly. When they quieted down, he spoke, "The wooden spoons can be bought for two copper coins each."
"The ceramic cups and plates, priced according to their condition, thirty copper coins for one, fifty copper coins for one, one hundred copper coins for one..."
Brandon listed the prices of over a dozen samples in a row, stunning the merchants. Isn't it Expensive? No, not at all. In fact, they were much cheaper than expected.
"Wow! I'll take three hundred of those wooden spoons." A merchant immediately raised his hand and shouted, thinking that he could make a profit by selling them for several times the price in the Royal City.
"I'll take fifteen of the ceramic cups and plates, the ones priced at one hundred copper coins."
All the items were quickly sold out, even the lollipops, which Brandon sold for one copper coin each, making a substantial profit.
"Brandon, where did you get all these goods?" a merchant who had missed out on the items boldly asked.
"Eldoria!"
Brandon got up and left. He didn't know why he had mentioned Eldoria. If he had kept this information to himself, he could have bought all the goods from Eldoria and made even more profit by reselling them.
Perhaps it was because of Lord Henry's delicious food.
"Have the merchants gone mad? Will Eldoria become the next Hyratos?"
Brandon no longer cared about these questions. He wanted to prepare and then take his wife and children to Eldoria.
He had no intention of fighting for a noble title in Hyratos. He looked down on the nobility, who lived like country bumpkins.
