Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Iron Peak County is not directly connected to the Red River Tribe's grazing grounds. Transporting goods from other places to Wolf Town and then to Revodan, before transferring them to the Red River Tribe, is like making a big detour.

Transporting goods from Vineta and The Federated Provinces to Paratu usually takes the water route. It's challenging enough to sail upstream, let alone overland, which makes the cost of goods surge significantly. Moreover, the road conditions in Iron Peak County are poor, which also increases costs.

For goods like fabric that have a low unit price, transportation costs are normally one to two times higher than the value of the goods themselves. If there's a detour, transportation costs could rise to three to four times the value of the goods."

Winters concluded, "We must strive to produce and process as much as possible within Iron Peak County before sending it to the wilderness in order to make the price affordable. If the Red River Tribe wants to sell raw materials such as leather to regions beyond the wilderness, they should also process it themselves first, transport it to Iron Peak County for further processing, and it's best to have the goods be finished products when they leave Iron Peak County to be competitive.

I've already sent someone to scout the land route from [Iron Peak County to Vineta]. If..."

Winters talked on and on about business, which greatly surprised Andre and Bard.

Senior Mason might not know, but Andre and Bard knew Winters inside out.

Winters Montagne, a man who couldn't even keep his accounts straight, never counted the cost when spending money.

When he went shopping, he wouldn't even bargain. Whatever price the seller asked for, he paid without haggling. If he thought it was too expensive, he would simply walk away.

His understanding of business came solely from growing up in Sea Blue and Guidao City, absorbing the knowledge by osmosis.

But to speak as fluently as he had today was completely unprecedented.

Andre and Bard locked eyes with Winters, asking silently with their gazes.

Realizing their looks, Winters coughed lightly and explained casually as if it were by chance, "Miss Navarre told me."

"I get your point. You want to establish forges and smelt iron in Iron Peak County and then sell it to us in exchange for people, horses, and hides. Isn't that what you implied when you told my brother about the iron mines?"

Little Lion slouched back in his chair, saying nonchalantly, "Actually, we also knew about the red iron in the Hanlan River. My brother sent people to explore upstream for mines. The problem lies in the steppe's lack of fuel for smelting iron and absence of blacksmiths."

"The Newly Reclaimed Land has forests, a vast expanse of them."

"But according to what you said, the further the transport, the higher the cost. Have you considered the distance of transporting iron ore from the upstream areas of the Hanlan River to here?"

Winters' pupils dilated slightly.

The things Little Lion mentioned earlier were all part of a bargaining tactic, but the real message was in his concluding remarks.

"White Lion has a proposal for you," Little Lion sat upright and spoke earnestly, "Send us the iron smelters you have, the true masters who really know how to establish a forge and smelt iron. My brother is willing to help you ransom back the captives."

Little Lion fixed his gaze on Winters, stressing slowly, "Not just the captives in Red River Tribe's hands, but all the captives. You want to start a rebellion? Those captives are all seasoned veterans. If you save them, they will be eager to die for your cause."

Once these words were uttered, Andre felt somewhat tempted. They were seriously lacking in seasoned soldiers.

The majority of Bard, Andre, and Mason's hundred-man team were fresh recruits from Revodan, with veterans from the wilderness serving as Centurions and sergeants.

"Do you think I could agree to your terms?" Winters countered.

"I suspect not, but it doesn't hurt to try," Little Lion smacked his lips, "Even if you manage to mine the iron ore, have you pondered over how you'd transport it here? The distance is indeed considerable."

Winters smiled, revealing a row of neat teeth, "By water."

Little Lion's eyes narrowed.

"If we can extract iron sand, we'll use the waterway. From the Hanlan River into the Ashen Stream River, the journey is downstream. It's upstream to Iron Peak County from Ashen Stream River, but we can use trackers to pull the boats. I've seen trackers dragging ships, a dozen men can pull a large ship. Your tribe has plenty of beasts of burden, so there's no need for manual labor.

Your Red River Tribe will have to put in some effort too, it's best if you can take control of the wilderness west of the Newly Reclaimed Land. Although I don't know who owns that area, it's certainly not yours. We need to control the entire route first to ensure the safety of the transports."

"Water transport might be feasible, even if it presents some difficulties," Little Lion suddenly sighed, "But do you know who controls the land to the west of the Newly Reclaimed Land?"

A sense of foreboding suddenly seized Winters, "Who is it?"

"The Fire Bakers," answered Little Lion with a complex expression, "West of the Newly Reclaimed Land, past the unclaimed lands, all the way to the far west Ete River, are the grazing grounds of the Terdon Tribe."

The tent fell silent for a moment.

Without another word, Winters walked over to the bookshelf, and when he returned, he was holding a map.

He spread the map in the middle of the table, and the others gathered around it.

Senior Mason traced the waterway with his fingertip and said, "Taking the route through the unclaimed lands won't lead us directly through the Terdon Tribe's territory."

Winters was also aware of that fact. The critical question was whether the Terdon Tribe would intervene.

The hundred kilometers of no-man's-land was a place where Hurd's light cavalry could pass like the wind, nothing was able to prevent the Fire Bakers from sending troops into that area.

If the Fire Bakers did not agree, the business deal might fall through.

"We still need to keep it a secret, as secret as possible." Winters was somewhat irritated, gritting his teeth, "I am determined to make this deal happen, and if the monkeys with their red-butt faces refuse, they can answer to my saber first."

"Reporting!" someone shouted from outside the tent, breaking up the discussion.

Winters put away the map, glanced one more time at Little Lion, and then stood up to leave the military tent.

A sentinel was waiting outside.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Sir, an officer from Revodan has arrived," the sentinel replied somewhat anxiously, "He's asking for you by name."