Chapter 136: The Young Count
When was the last time a traveling merchant had come to Blackstone Fork Village?
Three years ago? Four?
No one could remember anymore.
Blackstone Fork Village was simply too poor. Merchants had no interest in coming because there was a good chance they'd lose money.
There were always people willing to risk their lives for profit—but no one willingly did business at a loss.
Merchants weren't fools.
That was precisely why Levi's arrival filled the villagers with astonishment... and overwhelming delight.
Before long, word of the traveling merchant's arrival had spread throughout the entire village. Nearly every resident came pouring out to see him.
Shabbily dressed farm women, farmers carrying hoes over their shoulders, barefoot children—they all craned their necks to peer into the wooden crates, their eyes full of curiosity and longing.
Some gently ran their fingers over the wooden combs. Others beamed at the sight of the medicinal ointment. After years of farm work, scrapes, bruises, and knife cuts were a constant part of life, and even such a simple salve was priceless in the village.
Several farmers couldn't take their eyes off the brand-new sickles. Their own tools had long since rusted beyond repair and desperately needed replacing.
Of course, there were also those staring at the snow-white refined salt—families that were slightly better off than the rest.
The crowd buzzed with quiet conversations as questions flew back and forth.
But after browsing for quite some time, most of the villagers reluctantly set the items back down, their faces full of embarrassment.
Blackstone Fork Village had always been barren. This year's harvest had been mediocre, and after paying the old count's taxes, every household was left with little more than a handful of copper coins. No one had spare money for such goods.
An honest-looking old farmer rubbed his rough, calloused hands before stepping forward awkwardly.
"Mr. Merchant," he pleaded, "we truly need your ointment and sewing supplies. But the autumn harvest just ended, and all our money and grain have already been accounted for. Could you... could you let us buy on credit? Once we've managed to save enough copper coins, we'll repay every last one."
As soon as he finished speaking, many villagers echoed his request.
"Please, sir. Just let us owe you for a few days."
"My children's clothes are so torn they can't even be patched anymore. We really need them."
"Once winter comes and we earn some money from hunting in the mountains, we'll pay you back. Our lord has already given us permission to hunt."
"..."
That was simply how traveling merchants did business in this era—especially in remote villages like this. Selling on credit was commonplace.
The most valuable thing a traveling merchant carried wasn't silver or spices.
It was a ledger with sweat-stained pages and frayed corners, tied together with hemp cord, recording who owed three feet of cloth and who still owed two pounds of salt.
Most merchants owned a small plot of land back home and relied on loans from city merchants to keep their businesses running. That ledger was their single greatest asset.
Lose the ledger, and half a lifetime of hard work vanished with it.
Without it, they couldn't remember who owed them money, nor could they prove they could repay the merchants who supplied their goods.
Since villagers rarely had spare money before the harvest, merchants had no choice but to conduct business through bookkeeping.
Of course, that only applied to regular customers whom they knew well and trusted.
This situation clearly didn't qualify.
So Levi refused the villagers' request exactly as any ordinary traveling merchant would.
Frowning slightly, he deliberately adopted a cool expression and shook his head, speaking with the caution and stubbornness typical of a seasoned merchant.
"My good people, I travel from place to place making only the smallest of profits. I've endured wind and rain, crossed mountains, and risked encounters with wild beasts and bandits just to get here. These goods weren't cheap to acquire, and I never sell on credit. If everyone bought on credit, I wouldn't be able to stay in business."
"And if that happened, I wouldn't be able to come back to this village."
"And besides me... no other merchant is willing to come here."
His tone wasn't harsh, but it left no room for negotiation.
The villagers looked troubled and dejected. They hated putting down the items they wanted so badly, yet they simply couldn't afford them.
For a moment, everyone stood beneath the tree in awkward silence.
Then, steady footsteps sounded from deeper within the village.
There was no luxurious procession, nor any overbearing guards.
A young man in a dark purple noble's everyday robe slowly approached.
He was the master of this village and this fief—the eldest son of the old count.
Mykes.
Count Mykes was known for his gentle and compassionate nature. He genuinely cared for the people living under his rule. Knowing how poor Blackstone Fork Village was, he often visited personally to inspect their living conditions and occasionally exempted them from part of their taxes.
When he heard that a traveling merchant had arrived at the village entrance—and that the villagers were arguing over buying on credit—he came alone to see the situation for himself.
He enjoyed tremendous respect throughout the territory.
As soon as the villagers saw him, they all bowed in greeting.
With a simple wave of his hand, the gathered crowd stepped aside.
His gaze fell upon Levi's crates, lingering over the wide assortment of goods inside. Then he looked at the embarrassed expressions on his people.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke gently.
"Mr. Merchant, my people have lived in isolation here for many years. Supplies are scarce, and they have little money on hand. They have no intention of refusing to repay their debts. They're honest people. If you're willing to extend them credit, they'll certainly pay you back once they're in a better financial position," Count Mykes said.
Unlike most other lords, whose prosperous territories attracted plenty of merchants and therefore imposed strict controls on trade...
But Mykes's village was deep in the mountains, far from any major roads, and incredibly remote. Levi was the only merchant to visit in years.
The territory needed merchants.
Mykes understood that better than anyone. Unlike other lords, who were indifferent toward merchants, he was actually worried Levi might leave and never return.
That was why he spoke to Levi with genuine courtesy.
For a noble, that was exceedingly rare.
It wasn't that nobles didn't know how to be polite.
Rather, they seldom showed courtesy to commoners beneath their station—especially someone like Levi, who currently looked like a man from the very bottom of society.
Mykes's attitude was truly commendable.
As for Levi, he slipped effortlessly into character. He cautiously looked up at the count's eldest son before speaking in a humble tone.
"My lord, I'm nothing more than a down-on-his-luck traveling merchant. My capital is limited, and I simply can't afford unpaid debts. If I don't receive payment, then all the hardship I endured getting here today will have been for nothing. At this rate, I might starve to death on the road tomorrow."
Mykes nodded in understanding.
"I understand your difficulties. Making a living is never easy. It's just that this village is poor, and we truly can't gather enough coin in such a short time. Would you accept other forms of payment? Grain, lumber, hides—whatever the village has, we can use in place of money."
Levi's heart stirred, though he deliberately let hesitation show on his face.
He remained silent for quite some time, as though carefully weighing the pros and cons, before finally saying, "Very well. Since you put it that way, my lord... animal hides, eggs, honey, even high-quality pasture grass can all be accepted as payment. And if that's still not enough, I can allow the remainder to be paid on credit. The next time I return, you can settle the balance with coins—or whatever else you have."
The moment Levi finished speaking, everyone froze.
Then their faces lit up with overwhelming joy.
Pasture grass could be used as payment?
Just outside Blackstone Fork Village grew an exceptionally fine variety of pasture grass. Horses, cattle, and sheep all loved it, and some villagers even cut it to feed their geese.
It grew everywhere around the village—along field ridges, at the foot of hills, across patches of wild grassland.
It had virtually no monetary value and could be gathered freely.
Compared to parting with their precious copper coins, it was practically free.
A warm smile appeared in Mykes's eyes.
He hadn't expected this traveling merchant's demands to be so modest.
"So that's all," he said with a smile. "That won't be difficult at all. The hills are covered with pasture grass, and it's worth very little. Using it to pay for these goods couldn't be more suitable. Everyone may choose whatever they need. As for the pasture grass, the territory will gather it together."
After a brief pause, worried that Levi might end up at a disadvantage, he added, "Mr. Merchant, I noticed you don't have a cart. As it happens, the village has an old one. It's worn, but still sturdy. I'd like to lend it to you so transporting all that pasture grass will be easier. What do you think? You can simply return it the next time you visit our village."
That was Mykes's investment—and his goodwill.
For a noble to treat a lowly traveling merchant like Levi with such generosity was already remarkably rare.
Naturally, Levi wasn't about to be so ungrateful.
And so the trade proceeded in an atmosphere of mutual goodwill.
The villagers all received the things they wanted, every one of them smiling with satisfaction.
Lord Mykes smiled as well.
Since there wasn't enough time to harvest sufficient pasture grass that day, the hospitable count's eldest son invited Levi to spend the night in the village and leave the following morning after enough grass had been gathered.
Ordinarily, traveling merchants of the lower classes would never casually enter a village, much less spend the night there.
In those days, who could say whether the respectable villagers you met during the day wouldn't become bandits after nightfall?
But Levi was obviously no ordinary merchant.
So after a moment of hesitation, he nodded and accepted the invitation.
Levi spent a fairly pleasant night in Blackstone Fork Village.
At least none of the villagers came knocking on his door in the middle of the night, nor did anyone smash a cup as a signal.
There were, however, rather a lot of mosquitoes, fleas, and garbage.
Of course, none of that posed any challenge for Lord Levi, the Third-Ring Wizard.
With a casual cast of Gathering Technique, he created a clean living space for himself.
That night, he slept very well...
Not.
He barely slept at all, spending nearly the entire night meditating.
The next morning, refreshed and full of energy, he headed outside the village.
Beyond it lay a forest.
Bathed in the morning sun, the forest was bright and lively. Birds sang overhead as a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, echoing the villagers' cheerful spirits.
They had all risen early as well.
Armed with their brand-new sickles, they were scattered across the fields harvesting pasture grass.
When they saw Levi approach, some greeted him with warm smiles, while others tipped their hats.
"Good morning, Mr. Merchant."
Clearly, after yesterday's pleasant transaction, everyone had formed a very favorable impression of him.
Levi nodded in return.
Just then, he spotted the young count's eldest son, Mykes, striding toward him with his long legs.
"Fine weather today, isn't it, Mr. Merchant?" Mykes was actually the one who greeted Levi first.
That surprised Levi a little.
After all, Mykes was a noble, while Levi's current identity was nothing more than a lowly traveling merchant—practically a peasant.
Many nobles would have gone out of their way to avoid someone of his status.
Then Levi remembered.
In the fairy tale, this man's personality had always been gentle and kind. Acting this way wasn't surprising at all.
Perhaps that very quality was why the witch had chosen him in the first place.
---
I will post some extra Chapters in Patreon, you can check it out. >> /TitoVillar
---