Chapter 35: So This Is About Pawning Off His Daughter
As Alfonso spoke, Joshua finally understood why the man had invited him so solemnly.
Thinking about it, it wasn't really anything particularly major—it all came down to money, after all.
For a merchant, no matter how big the matter, it always boils down to money.
According to this middle-aged chamber of commerce president, just five days ago, all the chambers of commerce remaining in the Northern Lands had encountered the same problem simultaneously—the road to the southern Empire was unexpectedly blocked, and everyone was now trapped in the Northern Lands, unable to leave.
Roads blocked, trade interrupted—this was no joke for merchants. If Alfonso couldn't leave now, he would miss his next transaction. Not only would he lose a huge penalty fee, but his years of hard-earned reputation would also be called into question. Combined with various chain reactions, the entire Northfrost Chamber of Commerce would face a major crisis.
"It's said that the Black Forest in the central Empire has shown unusual activity. To prevent the situation from worsening and the chaos from spreading, the legion has sealed off the checkpoints along the road. No one can get through."
Looking exhausted, Alfonso pulled out a map and pointed to the Ural Mountains, which divided the Northern Lands from the central Empire. "Other than the Ural Fortress checkpoint, the only way south is to cross the mountains. I'm not crazy enough to willingly feed myself to magical beasts. The Moldova Territory does have the Magellan Non-Freezing River, which could be used for water transport, but there are very few ships that can sail on that icy river. The local chambers of commerce can't even get enough for themselves, let alone spare any for me."
"How come I don't know about this?" Joshua frowned. He thought for a moment and said bluntly, "If the blockade is caused by unusual activity in the Black Forest, even I can't do anything about it, let alone an Imperial Grand Duke. It's a bit awkward, but this is indeed a serious matter. There's nothing I can do."
"You wouldn't know because it's only a warning blockade for now. Civilians and adventurers can still pass through, so it doesn't affect ordinary people much. But for large groups like dragon carriage merchant groups that would disturb magical beasts, it's absolutely not allowed."
Alfonso was also very helpless. Faced with such an absolute unexpected situation and the unyielding checkpoint guards, he truly had no way out. "But my lord, if others can't do it, you absolutely can!"
His tone shifted, and he spoke with full confidence, clearly believing in his words.
Joshua rarely encountered situations where others had more confidence in him than he did himself. The black-haired warrior stroked his chin and said with interest, "Interesting. Go ahead, then. I'm curious to see where your confidence in me comes from."
"Dwarves."
Without further ado, the middle-aged chamber of commerce president uttered these two words, then emphasized heavily, "Dwarf tunnels!"
He pointed to the map again, this time to a lava lake near the Great Aias Mountains within the Moldavia Territory. "As everyone knows, Lord Count, your family has been on good terms with the dwarves for generations. You must also know that the dwarves' underground tunnels connect the entire Empire. Through the dwarf tunnels, we can easily bypass the checkpoint guards and head south. My request isn't high—just give me a chance to meet with their high-level leaders!"
As he spoke, Alfonso's expression grew serious, and he bowed to Joshua again. "I don't need you to step forward, my lord. Just give me a chance to meet with the dwarf leaders, and I'm confident I can secure the right to use the dwarf tunnels! That way, we can travel even faster than before, passing through snow-covered plains underground, leaping over mountain valleys and checkpoints, and heading straight to the southern Empire!"
"Your idea isn't bad, but the dwarves..."
Frowning, Joshua thought for a moment, then nodded, recalling many things. He murmured to himself, "Yes, the dwarves sent a letter three days ago. It was personally written by Master Ironbody Moria, an elder from my great-grandfather's generation. To write a proper reply, I had Ying flip through three bookshelves to find a suitable template... Alfonso."
His voice grew louder. Joshua picked up the map and circled the area near the lava lake with his finger. His expression turned serious. "You and I are not strangers, so I'll be brief—I do know the dwarves, and nominally, they are my subjects. My family has indeed been on good terms with them for generations. But as a newly appointed lord, my influence can at most get you a letter of recommendation, ensuring you won't be chased away the moment you approach the lava lake area. Everything else, you'll have to earn yourself."
"That's enough, Lord Count!"
Hearing this promise, Alfonso felt a great weight lift from his heart. The faint gloom on his face eased considerably, and he seemed to perk up. "Such a great kindness, I will surely repay you in the future!"
"No need."
Shaking his head, Joshua looked the middle-aged merchant straight in the eyes. "I don't need things like money."
As he said this, the warrior seemed to be thinking about something. He recalled some events that had happened in the Empire around this time in his previous life. After a moment of contemplation, Joshua chuckled lightly. "As it happens, if you successfully return to the southern Empire through the dwarf tunnels, I have a matter I need to entrust to you. As you know, as a newly appointed lord, I'm a bit tied up right now."
"Whatever your wish." Alfonso agreed without hesitation. "I swear by the name Carlos, I, Alfonso, will do my utmost to accomplish it!"
"No rush. We'll talk after the banquet ends."
Waving his hand, Joshua walked toward the door. But before he could reach it, the middle-aged merchant quickly ran ahead and opened it for him. The steward standing outside had originally intended to lead the way but was stopped by his master. Alfonso said naturally, "Allow me to guide you. The hall is this way."
The three walked forward and soon arrived at the hall. The middle-aged merchant stepped ahead and personally opened the door for Joshua. "Lord Count, please."
A soothing violin and piano concerto drifted from beyond the door, mingling with the chatter of guests and the light laughter of noble ladies. Faintly, Joshua could smell a subtle incense in the air. Alfonso had indeed spared no expense for this banquet—just the incense filling the hall alone must have cost a fortune.
As he approached, louder music and voices reached his ears. But just as Joshua stepped into the hall, a sense of alert suddenly rose in the warrior's heart. A faint fragrance wafted over.
This scent was not incense, nor was it food. It seemed to be a refined floral fragrance, mixed with female hormones...
Before he could think further, he entered the banquet hall. The moment Joshua stepped in, the entire venue fell silent. Even the three-person orchestra playing on the left made a small mistake, but no one cared about such trivialities in the suddenly frozen atmosphere.
A perfect awkward silence.
My intimidation stat is really too high.
Joshua sighed inwardly. It was fine that his charisma was low—he wasn't ugly, just lacking in affinity—but he had to lower his intimidation value. Otherwise, everywhere he went would fall silent, and the places he passed would be dead quiet. It was truly boring.
He swept the room with a sidelong glance, but halfway through, the warrior froze.
Wait... are they all women?!
There weren't many people in the banquet hall. Aside from the performing orchestra and the attending servants, there were only about thirty guests. But among those thirty-plus people, more than half were young women in formal gowns, behaving politely?
"What the hell is this?!"
Muttering under his breath, Joshua looked more closely and was relieved to see a few middle-aged men and their wives. Although there were many young women holding their breath and not daring to speak, there were only about a dozen of them.
A rough observation suggested there were about four or five chamber of commerce heads here. Those young women were likely their relatives, about two or three per family...
Turning his head to look at Alfonso, who was walking toward him, Joshua had a sudden realization.
Tsk. I should have thought of this earlier. A twenty-three-year-old unmarried count and territorial lord—this is a diamond-encrusted platinum amber bachelor. Merchants really are merchants, with such deep tricks. If I hadn't agreed to his request earlier, this would probably be the part where he starts heavily promoting his daughter.