The First Barrel of Gold

"Exactly!"

Corvinus didn't deny it, glanced at Agif who was avoiding his gaze—clearly still feeling a bit embarrassed about last night—and then looked at his brother-in-law Fisher, asking, "Why did you come over?"

"Didn't I hear that you're making sugar again?"

"How much sugar did you make this time?" Fisher inquired.

Naturally, he had heard from his sister Agif, so he hurried over. His brother-in-law had actually sought out other wine merchants in the alcohol business. He didn't know whether it was because he didn't trust Fisher or if he was holding something back.

But regardless, he had already shared the first slice of the alcohol pie with someone else. He couldn't let others take what should have been his in the sugar business.

So, the first to grab the goods was the strongest!

"Are you in such a hurry?"

"I was planning to wait until the wine-making is done in a couple of days and then notify you to come and pick up the goods!" Corvinus said with a smile.

"No need to wait. There happens to be a joint caravan this afternoon, and I'll just have this batch of goods follow along," Fisher said firmly.

He was in no mood to wait!

Lest something go wrong in the meantime!

Joint caravan?

Corvinus nodded. A joint caravan was essentially a group of small merchants or speculative big merchants banding together. These caravans were usually quite large in scale.

Big merchants, due to the high fees charged by mercenary groups or the inability to find suitable ones, would join such joint caravans.

As for the small merchants, they couldn't afford mercenary groups.

But the journey was long and perilous, so these small merchants traveled together for safety.

Of course, it couldn't be avoided that some big merchants speculated. After all, traveling with a joint caravan like this meant no need for a mercenary group.

Obviously, his brother-in-law thought the same way.

Corvinus had Tyton and the others bring the hundred slaves into the backyard and first had someone prepare food for them.

After all, they were all dirty and had no strength left from hunger.

Corvinus chatted with Fisher for a while, learning a bit about the human kingdom from him.

It wasn't long before Fisher's transport team arrived.

A total of eleven thousand pounds of wheat had been made into approximately one thousand seven hundred and thirty-six pounds of maltose.

Fisher took it all!

"I'll be on my way first. I'll come again next time you make sugar, but this one thousand seven hundred pounds is still too little."

"I hope you can quickly increase the scale of sugar production here!"

"By the way, I'm also looking forward to the wine-making!" Fisher said excitedly.

Looking at the goods on the cart, he knew his business empire was about to rise.

"I understand!"

Corvinus nodded and watched Fisher's team leave.

Back in the hall, looking at the pile of gold coins on the table, Corvinus smiled.

Agif, chewing on maltose, looked at Corvinus's smile and said, "Is it really that great?"

"A total of just one hundred and seventy-four gold coins, and you're this happy?"

"Last night, you didn't seem that happy when I gave you five thousand gold coins!" Agif said discontentedly.

Corvinus glanced at Agif, picked her up, held her in his arms, and nipped at her red hair with his teeth, saying, "You don't understand. This is my first earning. Although it's not much, it means that from now on, money will keep flowing in."

Calculating the time, it had been seventeen days since he left the tribe and came to Canyon City. He had finally opened up two sources of wealth for the tribe. As long as they were well maintained, the tribe wouldn't be short of money in the short term, and he could start the tribe's plan to swallow other tribes.

Moreover, there was still much potential to be explored in wine-making, and many tricks to be played.

In the future, wine-making would be like a bottomless pit of endless wealth, unless he was no longer in control.

And he could also develop other businesses. The storehouse was not short of technology. As long as there was capital, he could rely on wine, sugar, and other goods to completely create a century-long, or even a millennium-long, trade route for the Silver Mane Tribe.

"By the way, if you hadn't mentioned it last night, I would have forgotten. You actually dared to scheme against me!" Corvinus blew away the hair in his mouth and bit Agif's fair face.

"Ugh, it was you who made the first move last night!"

"Also, don't bite my face. It's all saliva, so dirty," Agif's cheeks instantly turned red with embarrassment.

"Was it really me who made the first move?" Corvinus nipped at Agif's already blushing cheek, released her, and stared at her, asking.

"Mmm...!!" Agif's face turned even redder.

"Then stay tonight. I was so dazed last night that I didn't even know it was me who made the first move," Corvinus said.

Indeed, he had been very dazed last night, probably controlled by his dragon nature, and he didn't remember anything.

"Ugh... ugh... ugh, I can't tonight. I... I... it hurts there..." Agif covered her blushing face and stammered.

"Where does it hurt?"

"I just want to hold you and sleep. What are you thinking?" Corvinus teased.

"Ugh, I'm not talking to you anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Agif covered her face and directly wriggled off Corvinus's lap.

"Hahaha!!!"

...

In the backyard!

The werewolf slaves had taken a group bath, changed into new clothes, and stood in a row.

"Not bad, not bad!"

Corvinus glanced over the werewolf slaves. These werewolves, now in new clothes, were all young and middle-aged, though their bodies were emaciated. Just as that damned slave owner had said, in just half a month, these guys would regain eighty percent of the physique they should have at their age.

"Get them fed quickly and let them eat their fill!"

"Also, tell them that as long as they work for me for two years, they can shed their slave status, and even if they pay a sum of money, they can leave here," Corvinus said to Tyton.

"This... they are slaves..." Tyton was taken aback, and even Agif was surprised.

What were slaves? They were beasts.

Everything was in the master's hands. If nothing went wrong, they would work for their master for free for a lifetime. No matter how the master beat, scolded, or abused them, or even took their lives, even the gods could not interfere.

"Slaves? No, they are our own people. Don't you see they look like us? If we enslave our own kind, I believe even the beast gods would not forgive us!"

"Go, do as I say!"

"Yes, sir!" Tyton's face was respectful, but inside he was shocked. This young chieftain always played by his own rules, but every time the results were admirable.

He was even more shocked now!

They were all our own people. How could we enslave our own kind?

What a damned world this is.

And those damned slave owners.

"You really are a very special person. I said it before, I didn't understand why you attracted me so much."

"Now I understand!" Agif was very moved inside.

Especially, we look the same, we are all our own people!

She had never had this concept before. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and had never worried about food.

In her view, she was the nobility of the orc world.

But Corvinus's words began to change her thinking.