Chapter 15: 14. Merchant Larkin
Chapter 15 14. Merchant Larkin
Night at Handanal County Forest Farm, the sky is full of stars.
The mountain wind blows away the heat of the day, and from time to time there is a whimper of a leopard cat in the distant woods.
The merchants in the temporary market put away their stalls, leaving only untidy tents along the road. Only the open-air tavern at the end of the market has not yet closed. Magic pillar lamps with moonstone wicks are lit around the tavern. This open-air tavern opened in On the grass on the slope, there are three tents. The owner mainly deals in self-brewed ale and some simple food.
The table in the open-air tavern is a few tree stumps brought back by the tavern owner from the forest farm. On the table, circles of tree rings can be clearly seen. layer of varnish. The bench is even simpler. The ready-made log in the forest farm is sawn in half from the middle, and four wooden legs are nailed on it, so it becomes a bench.
But it’s so late, almost all the guests who are still drinking here are not soldiers in the barracks, but some merchants who have closed their stalls in the market.
There is also a curfew in the barracks, and those who dare not risk being punished drink here.
The iron fork of the grill is wearing a lamb leg. The roasted lamb leg has been cut three times repeatedly, and the leg bone is exposed at the edge. The charcoal under the grill is about to burn out, and the last few pieces of charcoal are buried in the silver. In the charcoal ash of the earth, only when the wind blows, will there be a trace of sparks.
The dining table was full of empty wine glasses, and He Boqiang was spreading a piece of crispy barley cake on the table, and put a few pieces of roasted lamb leg on top, and then carefully folded the baked barley cake in half, The crispy baked wheat cake made a soft 'click' sound, the cracked cake crumbs and the fat of the leg of lamb splashed on the table, and he took a big bite. This should be He Boqiang's first decent meal in this world gourmet food.
There is also a sharp-edged Roman sword on the table. According to Larkin, this Roman sword was personally forged by the most famous blacksmith in Tarapagan. The texture on the blade is fine and uniform, and the silver-plated mouth is hard He said that it was made of sterling silver, and the sword hilt was wrapped with a thin rope made of Ulu grass. This kind of thin rope not only absorbs sweat, but also won't slip even if the grip is stained with blood.
Although the blood stains on the Roman sword have been wiped clean, there is still a faint smell of blood on the sword, but He Boqiang thinks this may be his illusion.
Larkin held a large wooden cup full of ale in his hand, blushed all over his face, and said enthusiastically to a bearded businessman drunkenly: "Look, this is the sword that cut off the head of the native leader. , the color of the heavy sword made by this stacked forging method will change from bronze to dark red after absorbing the blood of the enemy, do you see a trace of blood red in the texture of the blade?"
The bearded businessman was also drunk, his eyes were fixed on the Roman sword on the dining table, and he asked in surprise, "This sword really cut off the head of the native leader?"
Larkin quickly picked up the Roman sword, and said proudly: "How can there be fakes? What we businessmen talk about is integrity."
After finishing speaking, Larkin picked up the heavy Roman sword and cut it towards the edge of the dining table. The blade was deeply embedded in the wooden pier, and Larkin, who was drunk, could not pull it out. In the end, Ulyse Si helped the boss solve the problem.
After finishing the last sip of ale in the cup, Larkin waved to the tavern owner sitting by the entrance of the tent, motioning for him to pay the bill.
At this time, the bearded businessman stood up, held Larkin's hand, and said to the tavern owner: "I'm serving us two... oh no, four beers, I'm treating you to this meal. It's still early, and I haven't had any recently What war, we can sit down and drink slowly."
The owner of the tavern poured four large glasses of beer from the barrel without saying a word, and asked the young shop assistant in the tavern to bring them to He Boqiang's table.
After drinking for a while, the bearded businessman finally asked Larkin after both of them had flushed faces, "Do you want to sell this sword?"
Larkin raised his head drunkenly, shaking his head like a rattle, and said decisively to the bearded businessman: "I still want to keep such a good sword and take it home and hang it on the wall of my house to decorate the living room, idiot Will sell!"
The bearded businessman grabbed the hand of the businessman Lakin, with a very rich expression on his face, "Lakin, let me tell you! Look at our friends, we are all businessmen who have left their hometowns, and we are all from Osorno County, since everyone is from the same township, we must help each other when we encounter troubles. The food I transported from Osorno this time was exchanged for silver coins, but there is nothing else to gain. If I To bring home such a Roman sword that symbolizes victory, my friends at home will be very envious of me..."
Larkin hesitated, but still said: "Otto Tada, I still have a few brand new Roman swords in my tent, all of the same quality, and they are of good quality and cheap..."
The bearded businessman named Otto Tada seemed unwilling to reason with Larkin anymore, he patted the table and said, "I just like this one, I like the texture of this sword."
Larkin looked a little embarrassed, rubbed his forehead, and said to Otto Tada: "Uh, I think maybe you won't think so when you wake up tomorrow, maybe you should calm down."
"I'm calm already."
Ottotada had a long belch and a beer belly. His body outline was like that of a thick dwarf, but he was much taller than a dwarf.
Larkin drunkenly said to the bearded businessman Otto Tada: "Oh, well, since you insist on..."
…
I have to say that Larkin is a very qualified businessman. He can maximize the benefits of all the items around him, which is what He Boqiang admires most.
In the few days after the battle to encircle and suppress the aborigines, Larkin first sold the flag long staff held by the aboriginal leader captured by He Boqiang to a magic material merchant in this street market, and then sold the The tattered animal skins stripped from the natives were sold to a tanner in the street market, and now even the Roman sword that beheaded the native leader was about to be sold by him.
He Boqiang still felt a little sorry for the Roman sword, and wanted to keep it.
Since killing those aborigines, He Boqiang has a feeling of urgency in his heart these days, as if the fighting blood in his body is fully awakened, and only when he holds the Roman sword, he feels that he is real.
However, before Larkin came here, he promised He Boqiang that if he could sell this Roman sword, he would not only give He Boqiang a brand new Roman sword, but also a small round shield covered with iron, so He Boqiang felt that this Still worth the trade.
(end of this chapter)