Chapter 21: The Goods Trade — The Gray Wolves Went Mad with Excitement

Reed hurriedly called to his men, “Quickly, set up camp over there, and keep it quiet!”

The mercenaries led their horses and carefully walked toward the clearing Liz had designated.

They began unloading their packs and building simple wind shelters.

Ulf brought a few men over, carrying several barrels of clean water and some roasted meat.

Though simple, to the starving mercenaries, it was nothing short of a feast.

While his subordinates were busy, Reed rubbed his hands together and walked up to Liz, who was supervising the setup.

A sincere smile spread across his face. “Lady Liz, once again, thank you for taking us in.”

“Well… although our Gray Wolf Mercenary Corps isn’t a large one, we still have some connections in the nearby towns.”

“I can see your camp hasn’t been built for long, right?”

“Are you running short on supplies? Things like salt, ironware, cloth, that sort of stuff?”

Liz glanced at him but didn’t deny it.

Holy Light Town was still in ruins and in dire need of everything.

The Angel’s protection ensured their safety.

But food, tools, and weapons—those tangible necessities—they still had to secure on their own.

And lately, hunting and gathering had become increasingly difficult.

Especially since yesterday, when the Lich had led a large number of ghouls into the area, scaring away all the nearby beasts.

However, purchasing supplies required a lot of money.

And this group of refugees, who had fled here in panic, had no savings to speak of…

【Holy Water can be used for trade; commission to purchase supplies.】

Liz’s eyes lit up instantly, filled with deep gratitude.

She hadn’t expected that the Angel would allow them to use precious Holy Water to exchange for supplies!

What a merciful and benevolent Lord!~

Overcome with gratitude, Liz calmly nodded.

“We do need some supplies.”

“Salt, iron nails, sturdy hemp rope, needle and thread, and weapons like longswords and spears—the more, the better.”

Reed thought to himself: Perfect! There’s potential here!

He quickly responded, “No problem! We can get all of that in Williams or the neighboring Oak Town!”

“The prices are negotiable too! So, uh… how would you like to settle it? Gold coins? Or barter?”

He figured a newly established camp like this wouldn’t have much gold on hand.

But completing a few small trades should still be feasible.

Then Liz untied a small leather water flask from her waist and pulled out the stopper.

A special, refreshing scent immediately filled the air.

It carried a faint warmth and holiness.

Reed and the deputy beside him, who had been eavesdropping, both felt their spirits lift.

Their weariness of the past few days seemed to fade away slightly.

“We don’t have gold coins,” Liz said calmly, “but we have this—Holy Water.”

“Ho–Holy Water?!”

Reed and his deputy exclaimed in unison, their eyes going wide.

They stared fixedly at the inconspicuous little flask in Liz’s hand.

The deputy even subconsciously took a step forward and sniffed hard.

No mistake about it!

That pure, radiant aura—he had smelled something like it once in a branch of the Holy Light Church in a big city, but it had never been this pure!

“Lady Liz, y–you’re not joking, are you?”

“You really intend to trade with that?”

Reed’s voice trembled slightly.

Holy Water!

In an age ravaged by the Undead Scourge, it was practically a second life!

It prevented plagues, neutralized rot and toxins, and could save a life in a critical moment!

And even a bottle of low-grade purification potion—brewed by some alchemist and barely half as effective as true Holy Water could fetch a sky-high price of one gold coin on the black market!

When their mercenary band took on life-risking missions, each man might only earn a few dozen silver coins—if lucky, a single gold coin.

One potion equaled their pay for a month or even several months!

Who could afford to use that?!

“This place is under the Angel’s protection—the sacred Lynn Church stands here—so it’s perfectly normal for us to have a reserve of Holy Water.”

Seeing the moment was right, Liz spoke with rightful pride, solemnly introducing,

“And you needn’t worry about its quality.”

“It purifies corruption, heals wounds, and drives away plagues—far stronger than those alchemical potions!”

Reed and his deputy exchanged glances.

In each other’s eyes, they saw the same gleam of wild excitement.

A business opportunity!

A huge business opportunity!

This remote backwater actually had such pure Holy Water!

If—if they could secure an exclusive deal…

“Lady Liz!”

Reed’s throat had gone dry from excitement. “This Holy Water… how do you intend to trade it? And how much do you have?”

“This pouch holds about the equivalent of six small bottles,” Liz said, weighing the flask in her hand.

“In exchange, we’ll take supplies worth around… hmm, two gold coins.”

She quoted the price thoughtfully.

Liz wasn’t entirely ignorant of Holy Water’s value.

But Holy Light Town was remote and dangerous to reach.

Trading at market rates with a mercenary corps was impossible.

They had to be given a bit of “grease,” after all—otherwise, who would be willing to risk their lives working for them?

Besides—to outsiders, Holy Water was indeed rare and precious.

Especially in this age when the Holy Light Church had collapsed.

But for the people of Holy Light Town, that wasn’t the case!

They had the Angel!

They had the Divine Sanctuary!

All they had to do was place ordinary water inside the Sanctuary for a while, and under the slow nourishment of the Holy Light, it would naturally become Holy Water.

The source couldn’t be simpler!

So, trading a flask’s worth for two gold coins’ value in supplies—delivered right to their doorstep—was absolutely a good deal!

Meanwhile—

“Two–two gold coins?!” the deputy almost bit his tongue, his voice cracking.

Good heavens!

That wasn’t a bargain—that was a giveaway!

If they auctioned off that flask, it would fetch at least twenty gold coins!

Ten times—no, more than ten times the profit!!!

“Deal! It’s a deal right now!”

Reed was so excited he nearly went mad.

Afraid Liz might change her mind, he immediately slapped his hand down. “Lady Liz! Rest assured!”

“The Gray Wolves will handle this trade!”

“We’ll make sure everything is taken care of perfectly! The quality will be guaranteed!”

“You just make a list—we’ll head out first thing tomorrow morning… no, at dawn, we’ll find a way to procure everything!”

He kept rubbing his hands together in excitement, then hesitated slightly.

“It’s just… the path through the forest is really dangerous.”

“There are too many ghouls—we barely made it through alive…”

Hearing that,

Liz’s lips curved into a mysterious smile. “That won’t be a problem.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep