CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159: TOTNES_1

The two stood on the deck, enjoying the river breeze and chatting leisurely. Perhaps because she was away from Ovando City, her nervousness had eased somewhat.

And through her, Lance learned about some of the things that had happened.

Her short hair hadn’t always been this way, nor had she always dressed as a man.

Having been immersed in it from a young age, she was very familiar with bookkeeping and even had a talent for it. Walter doted on his daughter, letting her play with the accounts to her heart’s content. Eventually, she was even the one auditing the merchant guild’s books.

But she only understood the numbers on the page and didn’t grasp the other intricacies of how a business operated.

Originally, while Walter was still around, she was under no pressure. However, problems started to surface after his disappearance.

Her mother, an ordinary woman, didn’t understand such matters, and her younger brother was still in school, even more clueless about these issues.

When she wanted to get involved, she was rejected because she was a woman, and the merchant guild began to fall into chaos. For a time, they couldn’t find anyone to manage it.

Left with no choice, she cut her hair short and donned men’s clothing, hoping to change their perception of her.

She did become well-known for a time; everyone in Ovando City’s social circles knew of such a person.

But while she had the spirit, she lacked the capability. In a whirlwind month of activity, she nearly bankrupted the business Walter had spent half his lifetime building.

"Am I really that foolish?" Tiffany looked to Lance, hoping for guidance.

She definitely made mistakes, Lance thought. If she had been more conservative instead of so aggressive, she wouldn’t have given York an opening. With the foundation Walter had built, the business could have survived for at least a year or so. However, one couldn’t really blame her. She had been forced into the position, after all. Her only mistake was thinking that bookkeeping was everything. No matter how good a policy is, it’s always people who execute it. She didn’t understand people, so she was naturally sidelined.

"No," Lance consoled her, seriously handing over the ledger. "Everyone’s talents and abilities are different. They can only shine when they’re in the right position. For instance, your bookkeeping is excellent—very organized and easy to understand. Not everyone has that skill."

"I truly believe in your abilities. You just haven’t found the right position for them yet."

After saying this, Lance gazed at the rolling river. He, too, was being pushed by his ancestor to take over Hamlet, wasn’t he? In truth, he didn’t understand much about it either. But the blade in his hand was sharp enough; anyone who didn’t listen and had no value could simply be cut down.

「...」

"Interesting, very interesting..."

Lance put down his quill and picked up the sheet of paper, its ink still wet, his expression excited. Before him lay the books and manuscripts seized from the secret room of the clubhouse.

After two days of deciphering, he had discovered something fascinating. Once the religious jargon was stripped away, these books and drafts revealed a formula and its method of operation.

The Aphrodisiac wasn’t a product of some evil cult’s rituals, but of Alchemy.

Of course, Lance preferred to call it a chemical extraction method. The principle was to purify the active components within herbs and then mix them according to specific proportions.

The entire process involved no bloodshed; it was purely an application of Herbology.

Come to think of it, in the game, the Old Ancestor once had a relationship with a Witch who was exceptionally skilled in Herbology and arcane Necromancy. Could this concoction be something the Old Ancestor researched when he... wasn’t performing so well anymore? Highly possible. After all, how could the Old Ancestor’s body withstand those daily orgies...

But none of that mattered now. Lance had found a business potentially even more profitable than refined salt.

What man wouldn’t pursue this, especially those lacking vigor? Compared to the low price of salt, this Potion could fetch a very high price, specifically targeting the wealthy.

The only drawback now was that he needed to fully decipher the formula and operational steps from all the verbose nonsense, then conduct practical experiments to verify its effectiveness.

If successful, his territory would never lack for money!

Just then, there was a knock on his cabin door, followed by shouts from outside.

"My lord, we’ve arrived at Totnes!"

Lance pushed open the door and stepped out. On both sides of the riverbank stretched vast expanses of fertile farmland where Serfs toiled, bent over their work. Farmsteads dotted the landscape at intervals, all connected by a broad road bustling with people.

Looking in their direction of travel, toward the horizon, one could see towering buildings and majestic city walls—a masterpiece of human engineering, the pearl of the Empire.

As the ship drew closer, the city appeared even more immense. Cargo ships of various sizes moved in and out of the harbor, and the riverbanks teemed with dense crowds transporting goods, showcasing its wealth and prosperity to outsiders.

To Lance, it indeed felt like stepping into a medieval city from a video game.

Dismas, having traveled extensively for many years, was somewhat impressed by the sight of Totnes but didn’t overreact.

Boudica, however, was utterly dumbfounded by the sight of the grand city. Her mind was clearly racing, struggling to process it all.

She had never left the Mountains in her entire life. After being captured and boarding the ship, she had been bedridden and unable to even step off deck until she heard they had finally arrived.

Only at this moment did she forget her physical discomfort, completely immersed in astonishment.

The sailors on the ship went about their duties as usual. They had evidently traveled this route so many times that the city’s splendor no longer held much impact for them.

"This is the inner harbor, the main docking area for river vessels," Tiffany explained, gesturing toward the city with a hint of pride in her voice. "Just a bit upstream is the commercial street. You can find all sorts of goods there. If you can’t find it there, you won’t find it anywhere in the Empire. Follow the river out to sea, and on the other side of the city, there’s the seaport, which specifically serves ocean-going vessels..."

And she had reason to be proud. After all, her family owned a shop here. Although it had cost Walter half his fortune, it was enough for Tiffany to feel like a local in Ovando City when she was there, and a local of Totnes when here.

"You handle the merchant guild’s affairs. If I need anything, I’ll find you at the shop," Lance said, cutting her short. He had no time to listen to her gradual introduction; he was already well-acquainted with Totnes.

"Dismas, you and Boudica go with her for now. This business negotiation probably won’t be easy; those people might try some tricks." Lance’s expression grew stern.

"Are you really planning to terminate the agreement?" Tiffany asked, a little conflicted. "Perhaps we could just reduce the quantity and keep this supply channel open."

So many people were desperate to do business here. People like Gene were incredibly eager to take over the supply channel her father had struggled so hard to establish. Yet, with a single word from Lance, it was to be severed.

That meant cutting off eighty percent of the merchant guild’s business directly. She worried it might be too drastic. Perhaps I should ask Father’s opinion...

"Just do as I say," Lance instructed. "I’m not the only one who has noticed the grain shortage. Those people are undoubtedly hoarding grain frantically. When you refuse to supply them, they’ll definitely raise their prices. Don’t pay any attention to how much they offer; just refuse."

Lance had no emotional attachment to the merchant guild. In his eyes, it was merely a tool, an instrument for making money. Painstakingly established channels? Traditional grain traders? In this day and age, they held no value in his eyes.

Tiffany, though somewhat regretful, didn’t argue further. She followed Lance’s instructions, organizing the cargo ships to dock and unload, and notifying the distributors to come and receive the goods.

As for Lance, he disembarked, plunged into the crowd, and strode directly towards the city’s depths.