Chapter 8 Servant (2)

Lynn descended the stairs and stepped into the courtyard, pushing open the wooden door. As he ventured outside, he felt a sense of surrealism, having spent three months confined within those walls. Only the lingering scent of blood in the air and the acidic odor of corrosive substances reminded him of the grim reality he faced.

“Stand up,” Lynn said to the lizard-man.

Having heard the conversation between Angley and Lynn earlier, the lizard-man rose respectfully and approached.

It was only after the lizard-man stood up that Lynn fully grasped his towering height. Looking up, the lizard-man must have been well over two meters tall. There was a charred mark on its chest, accompanied by black powder residue and a pungent smell of gunpowder, probably from a musket that hit its chest moments ago.

“Master,” the lizard-man replied with reverence. His hearing had been enhanced, and even though they were in the courtyard, he had clearly heard every word exchanged between Angley and Lynn.

Lynn scrutinized Lauren, realizing that employing both kindness and authority was the best way to win someone’s loyalty.

The control spell represented authority, instilling genuine fear and apprehension in Lauren.

However, it wouldn’t necessarily make him obedient.

Lauren’s response was somewhat peculiar. Despite being freed, he had chosen to return on his own. Wasn’t he supposed to miss his wife? Shouldn’t he seize the opportunity to escape and find her?

“Why didn’t you run away just now?” Lynn asked.

“Master, in my current condition, where could I escape to?” Lauren replied wryly.

“Angley promised me that if I cooperated with him in the subsequent experiments and tests, he would give my wife a substantial sum of money,” Lauren explained with reverence.

“Moreover, Master, you are an esteemed wizard. I am capable of serving you— I used to be a mere baker. Due to my prolonged exposure to baking, I developed severe lung disease, frequently coughing. But now, I feel much healthier,” Lauren glanced at Lynn, cautiously adding, “If you wish, Master, I can also bake bread for you.”

So, Lauren’s previous occupation was that of a baker.

Lynn glanced at him for a moment. Being a baker might sound like a decent profession, but in reality, it was quite strenuous. Lynn’s uncle was a baker, and he suffered from asthma and eczema. Moreover, their life wasn’t particularly affluent, facing hardships and exhaustion.

The profit margin for bread was not high, and bread tended to harden quickly. Only when it was freshly baked would it remain soft. So, in order to sell bread more effectively, Lynn’s uncle had to work late into the night, spending most of his time in the dusty bakery. All this effort just to have people come to the shop and buy a loaf of bread before they set out each morning.

Lynn understood Lauren’s situation. In his current state, the human world outside could no longer accommodate him. Therefore, he chose to seek shelter by following Angley.

“Alright, first, help me tidy up these things on the ground,” Lynn said.

Judging from their attire, they were probably constables from the nearby town at the foot of the mountain. Each of them was clad in standard imperial leather armor and carried a musket.

Lynn picked up an intact musket.

The musket was approximately 1.5 meters long and weighed around 5 kilograms. From the perspective of its weapon structure, it was a striking-type flintlock musket. Although it was far inferior to the modern firearms of later eras, it would still be more than enough to kill a person with one shot at close range within several dozen meters.

Accuracy was its only flaw. At close range, it was fine, but at a slightly longer distance, the accuracy of this flintlock musket was mostly a matter of luck.

Lynn collected all the flintlock muskets from the ground. These weapons could fetch a good price if sold. Although the kingdom officially prohibited firearms trading, there was still a thriving black market for them.

Especially in times of turmoil like the present, some wealthy individuals didn’t hesitate to spend money to arm themselves.

These flintlock muskets were genuine hard currency, and Lynn didn’t mind carrying a couple of them for self-defense.

Lynn continued searching the bodies and found over a dozen deerskin pouches, all small and designed to be worn around the waist.

Gently tapping them, there seemed to be something inside, making a slight jingling sound.

Opening one of the deerskin pouches, Lynn found that it contained paper cartridges wrapped in oil paper.

Lynn opened one of the paper cartridges and inspected its contents. It contained gunpowder and lead bullets.

“Master,” Lauren handed a brown bag to Lynn.

Lynn took the bag, and as he shook it, a crisp and melodious sound emanated from within.

Upon opening the bag, he found it filled with shiny silver coins and varying amounts of copper coins. The silver coins were mostly standardized, with a woman’s figure depicted at their center, her hands crossed protectively in front of her.

Looking up, Lynn noticed a striking resemblance between the figure on the coins and the moon in the sky.

He emptied the contents of the bag and was pleasantly surprised to discover an unexpected golden coin.

Over the years, the kingdom had minted various currencies. Typically, each new king would have coins minted with their own likeness. Depending on the kingdom’s strength at the time, the gold content of each generation’s coins varied. Furthermore, some regions would mint their own coins, leading to a difference in the value of coins.

In the common market, there were varying exchange rates between different versions of gold and silver coins.

Oddly enough, silver coins had standardized minting standards on the market, making them the most widely circulated and resilient currency in comparison.

There was, however, a humorous incident in the past when a notorious miserly marquis’ family had their private mint, which produced silver coins with significantly lower silver content, resulting in them turning black.

He then attempted to use these blackened silver coins to trade with other nobles, but naturally, he wasn’t successful.

Subsequently, the marquis devised a crafty scheme— using these blackened silver coins as payment for his knights and subjects under his rule.

This caused quite a commotion, and it was said that during a hunting trip, the marquis suffered a fall from a horse and was left partially paralyzed. Not long after, he passed his title to his son and eventually passed away.

After the new marquis ascended, he quickly made amends by providing proper compensation to his subjects, and all the previously issued blackened coins were recalled and reminted.

Thus, an uncanny unspoken agreement was maintained between the major nobles and the royal family, ensuring the resilience of the silver coin currency.

However, there were too many muskets here, and Lynn couldn’t possibly carry so many.

If only he could use spatial items to store the muskets inside, that would be great.

“Accompany me to the town,” Lynn said.

“But your current appearance won’t do— you need to conceal it a bit,” Lynn thought for a moment and had Lauren follow him inside the house to tear down one of the curtains from a room.

The curtain was old, covered in dust, and had holes chewed by insects in some places.

Lauren draped the large curtain over himself, covering his body.

Two holes, one large and one small, were conveniently positioned near his eyes, and following Lynn from behind, in the darkness of the night, he looked like a ghost donning a cloak.

The small town was situated not far from the foot of the mountain, and several figures could be seen in a few houses on the outskirts of the town. The recent gunshot had startled the inhabitants inside.

From a distance, it appeared to be a small medieval-style European town nestled in the mountains, with many buildings featuring a combination of half-timbered and stone structures. Among them, scattered throughout, were wooden thatched cottages.

The uneven cobblestone roads covered the ground, but many places were damaged, with weeds growing in the cracks.

At the heart of the town, a vague outline of a small castle could be seen, likely the residence of the town’s nobles.

As they got closer, Lynn caught a whiff of the smell of cow dung and horse manure wafting through the air.

Walking through the town, Lynn knew where to go to rent a carriage or sell his muskets.

Following the sound, on a street near the southern edge of the town, light spilled out from the windows of a large building. Above the entrance of the building was a prominent sign with a giant carriage and a red leaf symbol.

Approaching, Lynn looked up and saw the sign of the still-operating establishment. “Red Leaf Inn.”

An inn, a common sight throughout the kingdom. Virtually every small town or city had one.

A place for travelers to spend the night, gather for chat and drinks, and also serve as a hub for renting horse-drawn carriages or engaging in certain trades.

Lynn pushed open the wooden door, and immediately, a cacophony of noise and indescribable odors assailed him.

The mingling scents of beer, ale, sweat, various foods, cheap perfume, and the burning of tallow candles on the wall shelves filled the air.

The atmosphere inside the inn’s hall was stuffy with little circulation, but it was much warmer than outside.

In the center of the hall was a small stove, with wooden tables and stools where drunkards and travelers sat in small groups of twos and threes.

A waiter was busy cleaning up the vomit left by some of the drunkards.

As the wooden door was pushed open, a cold draft rushed in.

The nearby patrons noticed Lynn as he walked in and then shifted their gaze to Lauren standing behind him.

The air in the inn seemed to suffocate, overwhelmed by Lauren’s eerie appearance and imposing stature. Even in a small town like this, finding a man over two meters tall was extremely rare.

A neatly dressed waiter approached them. “Good evening, sir. What can I assist you with?”

“Is your boss available?” Lynn asked directly.

“Please wait a moment,” the waiter replied and went to inform the innkeeper.

After a short while, a tall and lean man in his early thirties, with a goatee, came down the stairs. He glanced at Lauren standing behind Lynn and then back at Lynn. “Please follow me this way.”

They ascended the wooden stairs to an upstairs room by the window.

The man spoke, “What can I do for you, sir?”

“I want to purchase a carriage to travel to Bangor Port,” Lynn said.

Lynn was still wearing the clothes he had on when he fled, and as an innkeeper himself, he had traveled extensively in his youth and had met many people. He could gather a lot from someone’s demeanor.

However, standing behind Lynn, Lauren’s peculiar attire, with a burly figure draped in what seemed like a curtain, made him somewhat inscrutable. Moreover, it gave off a faint sense of danger.

Nevertheless, he didn’t think it was an actual curtain— it should be some unique style of clothing.

“Our inn does offer carriage rental services. We belong to the official inn guild and cooperate with many inns across the country. But if you’re not a frequent carriage traveler, there’s no need to buy one specifically. Though carriage purchase isn’t overly expensive, the subsequent care is quite troublesome. It requires feed, grain, and coarse salt, not to mention hiring a coachman. The daily upkeep cost is about one silver coin,” Ted explained.

Lynn pondered— if he bought a carriage, he would also need to hire a coachman. When they reached Bangor Port, they probably wouldn’t be going elsewhere, and maintaining the horses would require a stable. Upon further consideration, it seemed rather troublesome.

“How much is the rental fee for a carriage?” Lynn inquired.

“That depends on what type of carriage the guest wants to rent,” Ted replied.

“If the guest is in a hurry, the whole carriage can be chartered. If not, you can wait for a shared carriage. The shared carriage charges per person, and if there are fewer passengers, the price will be more favorable. Chartering the whole carriage is a bit more expensive.”

“Charter,” Lynn said calmly.

Shared carriages were too troublesome, and his teacher’s identity was too sensitive, making it risky to share a carriage with strangers. Lynn wasn’t worried about himself but rather concerned for the safety of the other passengers if they were to travel together.

“There are two types of chartering. One is where the guest takes care of their own accommodation and food expenses, which would offer a more favorable price. The other is a full-service package provided by our inn, including accommodation at various inns along the way. Both options are charged based on the distance traveled. For flat roads, it’s 8 silver coins per hundred miles, and for mountainous routes, it’s 12 silver coins per hundred miles. If you choose the full-service package, an additional 1 silver coin will be charged per day,” Ted explained.

“Don’t worry, sir. Our carriage is equipped with a distance drum. For long journeys, it will be sounded every ten miles, and if the distance is less than ten miles, it’s considered a free gift to the guest,” Ted smiled.

After all, each long-distance journey was a big deal. In this small town, there were not many people willing to embark on such lengthy travels. Most people preferred short trips, and only when they were in a hurry would they opt for a rental carriage.

For many farmers, a long-distance journey would cost most of their life savings.

Lynn pondered, silently estimating the cost. The distance to Bangor Port was probably seven to eight hundred miles from here, and he wasn’t sure how much of it would be through mountainous terrain or flat roads.

If calculated based on Ted’s prices, the journey to Bangor Port would cost nearly a hundred silver coins.

One silver coin in the market could be exchanged for 20 copper coins.

Seeing Lynn lost in thought, Ted added, “Our inn happens to have a carriage available now. If the guest is ready, we can set off whenever you wish.”

“Tomorrow morning, come to pick us up on the main road outside the town,” Lynn said.

“Do you mind telling me the destination?” Ted asked.

“Bangor Port.”

“Bangor Port is about 760 miles away from here, and we need to pass through the Sagunto Mountains midway. If you require full-board service, the journey will take approximately thirteen to fifteen days, barring any unforeseen circumstances. The price would be 92 silver coins. How does that sound to you?” Ted explained.

“If you are a regular guest, there is no need for a deposit. However, since we are meeting for the first time, we require a sixty percent deposit in advance,” Ted added.

“I have another matter to discuss with you,” Lynn said.

After speaking, Lynn glanced at Lauren behind him.

Lauren obediently stepped forward and placed the bundle he had been carrying in his arms on the table.

A crisp sound resonated as the contents inside hit the table.

Ted was momentarily stunned but quickly seemed to realize something. He looked at Lynn with a hint of surprise in his eyes, which flickered slightly.

His gaze fell on the tightly closed door, and he lifted the burlap covering the object on the table.

He saw the flintlock muskets placed on the table.

He appeared somewhat wary as he looked at Lynn.

Having a few flintlock muskets wasn’t a big deal, but being able to produce six at once was extraordinary.

In this remote little town, there were only two places where someone could have access to such a number of flintlock muskets— one was the Baron Badwar residing in the town, and the other was the local constable’s office.

Of course, there was also the possibility that they came from elsewhere and were trying to sell the flintlock muskets here.

Though flintlock muskets could fetch a good price in the black market, they were not too expensive. Despite strict control, they were not overly difficult to manufacture, and the required materials were not too scarce. After all, they were already widely equipped in the military.

“I can buy one musket back from you for 40 silver coins,” Ted offered. 

Sensing that Lynn was not entirely satisfied with the initial arrangement, he added, “Actually, this price is already quite favorable. After all, not just anyone can afford such a musket, and finding a buyer can be quite troublesome. If I can’t find a buyer, I’ll be stuck with them myself.”

“Deal,” Lynn said. “I’ll sell you all six. Part of it will cover the carriage fee, and the rest will be settled later.”

“Please wait a moment, sir,” Ted nodded, then left the room.

As Lynn watched Ted’s departing figure, Lauren turned his attention back to him. “Master, do you think he will betray us?”

“I don’t know, but he won’t do anything rash until he’s certain there’s no one behind us,” Lynn replied.

Merchants are profit-driven, and the smarter they are, the more they consider. Before confirming that there’s no one behind us, Ted wouldn’t dare to take any rash actions.

By the time he finished investigating anything, he and the teacher would have already left.

With money, there were many ways to reach Bangor Port. Lynn wasn’t worried about being reported. The town’s defense forces had suffered significant losses, and they wouldn’t have the resources to pursue them now.

Of course, all this was based on the premise that his teacher was a powerful wizard.

Once the teacher asked him to find a carriage, he did just that. The remaining safety issues were no longer his concern.

When it comes to fighting, the teacher would be at the front, and all he had to do was cheer from behind.

——
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