Chapter 57: Chapter 56: Arriving in Pasture City

The Ironhoof Clan existed even before the fall of the Orland Empire. Although it was only a small Knight’s domain at the time, it had quite a reputation.

Then, during more than two hundred years of chaos and war, it gradually grew and strengthened, eventually becoming a follower of the Wushan Clan.

After Lurans Wushan was enfeoffed as a Kingdom Marquis, the Ironhoof Clan was also elevated to a Viscount Clan, establishing its base in Pasture City.

The city, which had not changed hands for several hundred years, possessed a high degree of stability. This attracted trading companies from all over to conduct business here, making Pasture City one of the most bustling cities in the Wushan Territory.

The Ironhoof Clan’s primary business was horses of all kinds. They had everything, from old horses, draft horses, and pack horses to ordinary, fine, and excellent warhorses.

It was even rumored that the Ironhoof Clan’s pastures held warhorses with Magical Beast bloodlines. A single one of these precious mounts likely cost over a thousand Gold Coins!

But speaking of which, when it came to the finest mount, one had to look no further than the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast belonging to Lurans, the lord of Wushan Territory.

This wasn’t a horse; it was a genuine Magical Beast, and a Fifth-level Magical Beast at that, capable of matching a Silver Knight!

It was said that the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast possessed the bloodline of legendary dragons, giving it a dragon-like appearance. When outfitted in armor, it looked incredibly imposing.

His predecessor had heard stories of his grandfather’s military exploits since birth. It was said that when the Thunderbolt Wind Chasing Beast charged, it would generate a powerful electric field that mixed with Lurans’s own surging Fighting Qi, allowing them to sweep across the battlefield, virtually unstoppable!

Unfortunately, even as the direct heir and eldest grandson, Ronin had rarely had the chance to get close to this Magical Beast mount and could only steal glances from afar.

Magical Beast mounts were extremely rare, especially High Level ones.

Generally speaking, one first had to possess the ability to subdue the mount, defeating it in a head-on confrontation. Then, one had to break through its mental defenses in order to sign a Master-Servant Contract.

Defeating a Magical Beast was relatively easy, but breaking through its mental defenses and making it obediently agree to sign a Master-Servant Contract was extremely difficult. Some arrogant or untamable creatures would rather die than consent.

Besides these factors, Contract Scrolls were also extremely expensive and rare. Theoretically, only a Seventh-level Great Mage had the ability to create such a thing.

Great Mages were already rare, and those who could create Magic Scrolls were rarer still.

Therefore, people who didn’t know a sufficiently powerful Mage wouldn’t even have a way to buy one.

This made it extremely difficult for even nobles to obtain a powerful Magical Beast mount.

Ronin and his party found an inn at a small manor outside the city and stayed for the night. Early the next morning, they set out for the city proper.

Pasture City was truly a major city; to accommodate the horse trade, its roads were built to be exceptionally wide.

Along this Pasture Avenue, both sides were dotted with irregularly placed Knight Manors, a sight quite similar to the surroundings of Wushan Avenue.

However, the manors here didn’t seem to grow much grain. Ronin saw mostly pastures, with many farmers grazing cattle, sheep, and horses.

This was due to the Ironhoof Clan’s market focus. They specialized in the horse industry, with the sale of dairy cows and sheep as a side business. Consequently, the allocation for wheat fields was not high.

Many merchant caravans passed through Pasture City, so there was no shortage of grain merchants. The money earned from selling horses and other livestock was more than enough to buy plenty of grain.

’Once I finish developing the land in Mountain Forest Town, I could consider bringing any surplus grain to Pasture City to sell.’

’But then a question popped into my head. If Pasture City were put under a complete siege, how long could its grain supply support them?’

Ronin quickly pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

’We’re all neighbors, and Pasture City isn’t like Sain Territory—it’s never pillaged Mountain Forest Town. How could such a malicious thought even cross my mind?’

’Besides, Viscount Marvin Ironhoof of Pasture City is a Silver-level Knight. To maintain order among the merchant caravans and within the city, he has nearly a full Knight Order under his command. Who would dare make a move on Pasture City?’

After entering Pasture City, Ronin’s group split up.

He had Tom accompany Gallon and the Guards to purchase a batch of pig iron. Once they returned to Mountain Forest Town, he would need Carlos to forge all sorts of tools.

Mountain Forest Town had no iron ore, so its demand for pig iron was quite high. This time, Ronin planned to purchase two thousand pounds to start.

On the market, the price of pig iron varied depending on its quality, generally falling within the range of 40 to 55 Copper Coins per pound, which was an acceptable price.

However, once that pig iron was forged into tools or weapons, there was no telling how much its value would increase.

Ronin didn’t have Macken accompany Tom this time, which was, in fact, a test for the Professional Knight.

’I can’t keep David or Macken tied to Tom forever; it’s a waste of a Transcendent’s value. Sooner or later, I have to give him a task to handle on his own.’

’Tom has worked hard without complaint during this time, and his performance has indeed been acceptable.’

’If, after all this, it turns out he was just feigning his surrender and plans to cause trouble, then I can only lament that his acting is so good it even fooled me.’

What Ronin didn’t know was that, in Tom’s eyes, this newfound freedom was a sign of the Lord’s trust in him.

Ever since surrendering, Tom always had either Macken or David by his side. He knew why the Lord had arranged it that way.

He was a newcomer, after all, and there could be no risk of Macken’s true combat strength being leaked. It was only natural that the Lord monitored him.

But today, the Lord was letting him, a Professional Knight, assist with a task. This meant the Lord’s trust in him had reached a new level.

’This is a good thing.’

Tom secretly swore to himself that he would ensure this task of purchasing the pig iron was completed without a single hitch.

Meanwhile, Ronin, Macken, and Elron began to wander through Pasture City’s trade district.

The trade district was huge, its roadsides lined with a motley collection of stalls. Some sold piglets, while others sold various livestock like cattle and sheep. It was chaotic and noisy, and the sanitation was a mess—much worse than any farmer’s market he remembered.

Ronin wanted to buy Magic Crystal Stones and Magical Beast Fur. Such items were unlikely to be found at small stalls; they would only be available in proper storefronts or the standalone buildings of major trading companies.

Trading companies, especially the major ones, could be seen as a considerable power existing outside the sphere of the nobility.

Of course, though they were described as separate, the owners of these companies almost always had ties to the nobility. Some were even retainers to nobles, or nobles themselves.

For example, the Kingdom’s Minister of Finance had more than one trading company under his control. They conducted business for the King, and also for the Minister of Finance himself.

The larger the trading company, the more prosperous its business, with shops in every city and town across the Kingdom.

There were several trading companies in Pasture City’s trade district, including those belonging to the Ironhoof Clan as well as ones from out of town.

Ronin went into the Ironhoof Trading Company first, only to find that they dealt mainly in warhorse-related goods. This included the sale of horses and accessories like saddles, barding, and reins, but they had no business related to Magic Crystal Stones.

However, they did point Ronin in the right direction—in the northwest corner of the commercial district was a building belonging to the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce, where items like Magic Crystal Stones could usually be purchased.

The Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce was founded by Count Bellaro Silva of the Oduin Kingdom and was the largest trading company in the Kingdom dealing in Mage-related business.

This Count’s domain was said to be very small, with an area comparable to that of a typical Baron’s Domain.

However, the Count’s business was thriving. The reason for this was Bellaro’s own formidable personal power.

Bellaro Silva was not just a Mage, but a long-renowned Eighth-level Mage whose strength ranked among the very top in both the Oduin Kingdom and the Tricia Kingdom.

His disciples and apprentices were spread far and wide, their exact numbers unknown.

This led some to say that the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce was merely a trading company in name, while in reality, it could be considered a Mages’ association.

After receiving this information, Ronin led Macken and Elron toward the Silva Magic Energy Chamber of Commerce.

He had thought it would take some time to find the Chamber of Commerce’s building, but upon arriving at the northwest corner of the trade district, he spotted the eye-catching structure at a single glance.

It immediately made Ronin think of two words: Mage Tower.

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