Chapter 38: The Merchant and the Cultist

The White Dove Merchant Association faced a similar dilemma. The timeline provided by Mingguang City was quite tight—the first batch of goods had to be delivered within half a month. Even with the full power of horse and cart, the journey from Holy Star City to Mingguang would take at least ten days.

If we missed the deadline, the compensation would just be a minor issue. However, offending that big boss in charge of receiving the goods would end the White Dove Merchant Association’s operations in the Holy Nation. But Afuri couldn’t show his impatience; he had to maintain a calm demeanor, acting like it was no big deal.

The reason was simple—if they didn’t want to wait indefinitely for the arrival of the knights, the caravan had to take a detour, which would consume more time and come with unpredictable risks.

While the Holy Nation was relatively safe, that security only applied to the official roads and cities. In the vast expanse of mountains and rivers, even the Church of the Goddess couldn’t oversee everything. Some impoverished and sparsely populated areas concealed hidden dangers.

The costs would fall on everyone in the caravan, along with the petty merchants borrowing rides.

If Afuri were to suggest taking the detour upfront, those sharp and greedy guys would undoubtedly raise their demands, claiming compensation for the delays and additional risks incurred because of the detour.

However, if he proposed an alternative that they could never accept, and the other party suggested the detour themselves, it would significantly reduce, or even eliminate, that unfavorable factor, lessening the losses for the Merchant Association.

It sounded simple, albeit a bit underhanded, but to be honest, in the three years spent with the President, Afuri had witnessed the ugly selfishness of humanity too many times. Just because the Holy Empire upheld light didn’t mean that all its citizens were truly just and pure.

Some people were blatant about their intentions, while others used light as a disguise, singing praises for the Goddess while hiding their unsightly sides in the shadows of the light.

As expected, just as Afuri had anticipated, the moment he threw out the bait, the merchants were instantly restless.

Perhaps some particularly shrewd ones saw through his trick, but given the current situation where everyone was in the same boat, they had no choice but to cooperate, as they still needed the protection of the White Dove Merchant Association.

With that, Afuri smoothly launched into the speech he had prepared.

“If no one wishes to wait… then very well. Although it comes with some risks, we must choose the detour. However, I need to discuss one point with everyone in advance. Although our White Dove Merchant Association’s escort team is well-equipped and trained, they are not true Temple Knights…”

“Once we leave the official road, the situation becomes unpredictable. If anything happens… I ask that everyone cooperate with our actions and follow our commands; otherwise, we cannot guarantee everyone’s safety.”

Hearing Afuri emphasize this, the earlier opposing merchant immediately became displeased and started to shout again.

“Hey, hey, hey! What do you mean by that, kid?! I paid for this! I’m the boss here; why should I listen to you?! According to the rules, the escort team should prioritize protecting us, right? If you take my money and don’t do your job, does the White Dove Merchant Association still want to stay in business?! Huh?!”

“…”

Dressed in standard merchant attire, Afuri took off his hat and discreetly assessed the wealthy man’s bulging stomach and nouveau riche demeanor, his gaze passing over the Holy Emblem on the man’s chest, and a hint of sarcasm flickered in his eyes.

Last time, to guide the situation, he purposely didn’t refute the man’s statements. Did this guy really think he was the leader among everyone?

“In extraordinary times, we must take extraordinary actions. Indeed, we have received your protection fee, but this is a win-win cooperation; there’s no hierarchy here… How about this? If Mr. Pierre truly doesn’t trust the White Dove Merchant Association, we can refund all the money we’ve taken from you, and we can part ways right now. You can then proceed with your goods on your own. How does that sound?”

“Uh… well…”

With just a few light words, Afuri left Mr. Pierre at a loss for words. Pierre seemed like he wanted to get angry, but couldn’t find a way to break through, so he awkwardly lowered his head and slowly retreated back into the crowd.

Hmph, just a clown.

Seeing that, Afuri couldn’t be bothered to deal with him any further.

“If no one has any objections, then it’s settled. I must hurry to study the detour route for the caravan, so I’ll take my leave for now. Please, do as you wish.”

With a few maneuvers, he sent off the pesky merchants who were just looking to eavesdrop and gain some petty profits. Afuri quickly turned and, out of sight, rubbed his frustrated head before putting his hat back on, preparing to return to his carriage.

He indeed needed to look into the specifics of the detour plan. Even if not for the safety of those borrowing rides, the caravan and the goods must not suffer a single mishap. This was a big business deal.

Especially considering that there had been reports of demons wreaking havoc in the eastern part of the Holy Nation recently, even their western side had begun to see sporadic sightings. As a devout cultist of the Goddess, he had to be careful.

Just as Afuri approached his carriage and was about to climb in, he suddenly noticed several young girls walking toward him.

“Hmm? I remember them…”

Those ruckus-makers earlier were not all the passengers borrowing rides from the caravan. In reality, the truly capable individuals wouldn’t care about such trivial benefits, and during unexpected situations, they usually chose to go to the scene themselves to gather firsthand information.

At least the President of the White Dove Merchant Association, the one Afuri admired greatly, always acted this way.

“Are they here to check the damaged official road? These girls look young but seem knowledgeable. They were quite generous earlier, and there are two rare and noble Winged People among them. Are they important figures from the Winged Nation?”

“If it’s them, perhaps…”

No, upon further thought, he decided against it.

After some consideration, Afuri ultimately put aside his idea of inviting them to discuss matters. Although these girls might be capable, he hardly knew them well enough to trust their character at this point.

Moreover, they had shown clear disinterest during the earlier payment process, indicating they didn’t plan to involve themselves further. Thus, there was no need to force their help.

After all, debts of gratitude could sometimes be harder to repay than straightforward transactions.

So, they brushed past each other in silence, and soon after, the caravan set off again.

As for the detour route, the options weren’t abundant. To get from Holy Star City to the next main city, New Yaster, if they didn’t take the official road, there were only two open routes that could accommodate carriages and large cargo vehicles. Both had been used in the past but had gradually fallen into disuse after the official road was built.

One of the routes, while wide and flat, posed no significant risk, but required a lengthy detour to the north, crossing a tributary of the Star River, which would take at least another week—an untenable option for the eager caravan.

Thus, after weighing the options, Afuri chose to detour south, traversing a sparsely populated, tranquil forest known as the Holy Spirit Path before returning to the official road to continue onward.

If all went well, this detour would only add about a day to their journey compared to the original route, making it relatively cost-effective.

Of course, it also came with some… extra risks.

   

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