Nancy and Obi were utterly dumbfounded. Only now did they truly internalize that Ayesha's personality was worlds apart from Lady Bella's.
"Heehee..." Annie let out a soft giggle. Watching the conflicted expression on the cow-girl's face, she immediately knew what was going on.
"Lord Lucas, we wish to conduct business in Sedona City," Nancy said, forced to open the conversation. She didn't specify the nature of the goods; after all, trying to sell stolen property wasn't exactly a point of pride.
Mina's eyes cast a peculiar look at the pair. If they hadn't known the nature of the cargo beforehand, the Master might have let them trade out of respect for Ayesha. But now…
"What are the goods?" Lucas asked, feigning ignorance. This was where the real game began.
"High-quality linen and premium ceramics," Nancy said, trying to maintain her composure. She wanted to pique Lucas's interest, ideally convincing him to buy the lot.
"Oh?" Lucas acted surprised. "What a coincidence. We happen to sell linen and ceramics here as well."
"That's right, Master. The five thousand bolts of linen Pichu ordered have already been moved out of the warehouse," Annie interjected perfectly, her fox tail swaying.
"Five thousand bolts?" Nancy and Obi exchanged a look, momentarily ignoring the fact that a Princess was calling a Baron Master. Five thousand bolts of cloth—that was a massive deal.
"Excellent. Arrange for an escort to assist them," Lucas said softly to Mina.
"Yes, My Lord." Mina nodded. She understood the subtext: mix intelligence officers into the escort team heading east.
"I'd like to see what your goods look like. If they're up to standard, I might take the whole lot," Lucas said airily, as if he were discussing buying a pound of wheat.
"They are all top-tier goods," Nancy affirmed happily. She didn't know exactly how Obi had liberated them, but the quality was undeniable.
"Is that so? Mina, have someone bring samples for inspection," Lucas requested, still playing the part of the curious buyer.
"As you wish." Mina stepped out. The performance had to be seamless.
Ayesha rolled her eyes and leaned toward Nancy and Obi. "Don't you realize the goods produced in Sedona City are the best in the world?"
"Miss Ayesha, ours aren't lacking either," Obi cut in. They had been on the back foot since entering the room; they needed to sell this haul for a good price to bring wheat back home.
"Well, we'll know once we see them," Lucas said, waving a hand and taking a calm sip of his juice.
It wasn't long before Mina returned with several samples. She stared at Nancy and Obi with an expressionless gaze that made their hearts skip a beat. Is he going to seize it? they wondered. The haul was worth a fortune, after all.
"Master, the samples are here." Mina placed the items on the desk.
"These are your goods, correct?" Lucas asked. He was ready to spring the trap.
"Yes," Nancy said, carefully inspecting the fabric and ceramics. She recognized the markings.
"These are indeed excellent. However, they are identical to the ones produced in my city," Lucas said, picking up a bolt of linen. "It's quite startling, really."
"What are you implying, Lord Lucas?" Nancy asked, her voice dropping an octave. She could hear the edge in his tone.
"What am I implying?" Mina stepped in, her voice cold. "These goods were manufactured right here in Sedona City."
"What?! That's impossible!" Nancy's face paled as she instinctively denied it.
"Miss, surely you've made a mistake?" Obi added, his expression darkening. He suspected they were trying to find an excuse to swallow their cargo without paying.
"No mistake. These items all bear the trademark of Sedona City." Mina pointed to a strange pattern on the cloth—English letters: 'Lucas.'
Lucas had used his own name as a trademark. Since no one in this era recognized English characters, it simply looked like an intricate, abstract design.
"Trademark?" Nancy was bewildered. It was her first time hearing the word. She hurriedly grabbed the samples and found the same strange pattern on every single one.
"It... it can't be true, can it?" Obi looked at Nancy, his throat suddenly feeling very dry.
"They... they are the same," Nancy nodded bitterly. The situation had turned into a massive embarrassment. They had robbed a merchant of goods sold by this city, only to try and sell them back to the original producer.
"You guys..." Ayesha looked at them in disbelief. "You robbed the Master's customers?!"
"You two have put me in a very difficult position," Lucas said with a stern face. Looking at their miserable expressions, he was secretly laughing. This was far too entertaining.
"We..." Nancy and Obi lowered their heads.
"If word gets out that I bought back goods stolen from my own clients, how will other merchants ever trust me again?" Lucas said without emotion.
Silence followed. Ayesha's face was flushed with anger. How could the Big Sister be so absurd as to pull a stunt like this?
"Let's do this. It's impossible for you to sell these goods inside Sedona City," Lucas stated. Nancy and Obi's faces crumbled.
"But... we..." Nancy stammered, desperation rising. Their territory was counting on them to bring back grain.
"Don't worry. You can sell them unofficially outside the city's borders. However, the price will naturally be much lower," Lucas suggested meaningfully, clasping his hands together.
"How much lower?" Nancy asked urgently. They needed every coin they could get for the wheat.
"Probably thirty to fifty percent below market value. And quite likely, the people buying them back will be the very merchants you robbed," Lucas said coldly.
"That little?" Nancy said bitterly. That wouldn't bring in nearly enough money. Even if they bought wheat, it wouldn't last the territory very long.
"Are you that short on funds?" Lucas asked, feigning ignorance.
"Desperately," Nancy whispered.
"Well, you have one item in your inventory that is unique to you. I might be willing to pay a premium for that," Lucas said with a faint smile. Beneath the table, he gently squeezed the cow-girl's tail.
Now was the moment to strike.
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