Chapter 100: Auction

"I am, however..."

"It’s a bit different from what I imagined. I heard you were a noble, but your relationship with the common elves seems very close."

"Although I hold a title, I’m no different from anyone else here. When I have free time, I herd sheep right alongside them."

"Is that so?"

With Leon’s swordsmanship, Ethan had not expected him to be a genuine shepherd. ℯℯ𝘭.

Leon caught his surprise and smiled. "A shepherd needs formidable strength to protect the flock from wild beasts."

"I see."

"Of course, my situation is unusual. Many nobles are quite arrogant and think very highly of themselves."

"There must be even more of them in the royal capital."

"Indeed, quite a few. But you don’t need to worry." Leon’s voice was steady with confidence.

"If any of them dare to be disrespectful to you, I’ll teach them a lesson."

"So full of confidence, meow~"

"Without it, I wouldn’t have dared invite you here." Leon smiled, and Pearl seemed satisfied with the answer, it brushed its tail across his shoulder approvingly, then draped itself back over Ethan.

"Then we can enjoy the trip in peace, meow?"

"Enjoy it, sure — but we can’t forget the main business." Beyond the World Tree fragment, Ethan wanted to collect every useful crop the Elven Kingdom had to offer.

Leon nodded. "If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll do my best to find it for you." He paused, then brightened.

"Ah — right, perfect timing." He seemed to have thought of something and nodded in satisfaction.

Ethan and Pearl looked at him, confused.

He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it over. "Tomorrow, not far from here, there will be an auction. The items up for auction include the porcelain pieces you made."

"I see."

"I’ll give you the proceeds, and you can use them to buy whatever you need."

"That works. This way I won’t owe you a favor." Ethan scanned the paper.

"Will there be crop seeds?"

"Of course! Not only gathered ones, but also seeds obtained from dungeons. All sorts of rare and unusual things — you’ll definitely be interested."

"Then I’m looking forward to it."

"For tonight, you’ll stay at my place. We set off first thing tomorrow." Leon gestured at the stone building ahead of them.

"How does that sound?"

"I’ll be imposing on you."

Leon’s manor was worthy of a count, three stories of solid stone, a scale that made Ethan’s log cabin look like a garden shed. He was arranged to stay in the finest room on the top floor.

Pearl curled up on the soft sofa beside him. "An auction, huh... Have you ever been to one, meow?"

"Never. But as long as we buy what we need, that’s what matters, right?"

"I just need seeds. Anything you want?"

"Hmm... not really, meow." Ethan could make almost everything Pearl needed, and the magical items Lady Witch had left behind more than covered the rest.

Ethan patted Pearl’s head, a knock came from the door.

"Mr. Ethan, it’s time to dine."

"Already?"

Leon met him in the hallway with an apologetic smile. "Compared to your culinary skills, my chef might be somewhat lacking. I hope it suits your taste."

He led them to the dining room on the first floor. It was vast, long table, candlelight, two elven servants standing by. Otherwise, it was just the three of them.

"Where is everyone else?"

"Shepherds generally don’t gather in one place, my family places great importance on both magic amplification and animal husbandry, so they’re scattered across the pastures, always searching for suitable grazing land."

"That must be hard work."

"Being surrounded by nature isn’t hard. It’s the managing." Leon rubbed his temple.

"Territory affairs, trade with the Great Forest, selling the cheese and yogurt and wool — it all falls on my shoulders alone. Gives me a headache."

Ethan already knew Leon was capable, but he hadn’t grasped the full scope. He found himself admiring the man all over again.

The servants brought dinner.

"Meow, that looks incredible, meow~"

"Roasted lamb chops — my territory’s specialty — paired with wine brewed from fruits. Please enjoy to your heart’s content tonight."

Living in the Great Forest meant doing everything yourself, cooking above all. Ethan couldn’t remember the last time someone else had prepared his meal, he nodded, picked up a knife and fork, cut a piece of lamb, and put it into his mouth.

"It’s delicious!" The meat was impossibly fresh, tender, juicy, not the slightest trace of gaminess.

Leon beamed. "I’m glad you like it. Would you like more?"

He recommended dish after dish, every single one earned Ethan’s praise.

"I really want to learn these recipes." Ethan meant it, the seasoning was unlike anything he used in the Great Forest, herbal, fragrant, drawing out the natural sweetness of the meat without overpowering it.

"When you leave, I’ll give them to you." Leon looked pleased.

"Should we add mutton to our regular trade?"

"Sure." The wild game in the Great Forest was good, but this carefully raised meat had its own depth of flavor, lamb also held up well when preserved, salted, smoked, or dried. Ethan could think of a dozen dishes that would work, he decided to include it in their next exchange, then continued to savor the food before him.

After dinner, Leon made one more suggestion. "My territory’s wool can’t match elven silk, but it’s still top quality, quite a few of the garments you brought were made from it, if you’re interested, would you like to take a look?"

"Why not." The evening was young, and Ethan was curious.

Leon led him to a room deep inside the manor. Several spinning machines filled the space, humming quietly as they drew wool into fine yarn. Ethan watched the process, fascinated.

"These are my family’s pride — the crystallization of magical engineering."

"So you put wool in, and it weaves cloth?"

"Exactly, machines like these are rare, unlike elven silk, wool is a common fabric among elves, so the demand is enormous, that’s why my family has prospered."

"That’s wonderful."

"Shall we add wool to the trading list?"

"Hmm... I’ll need to discuss it with the beastmen when I get back." Most beastmen were accustomed to wearing leather, but wool could be a welcome addition, Ethan figured he first needed to gauge the demand.

Leon nodded his understanding. "After all, tailoring is an issue too."

"You don’t know how to tailor?"

"Haha, I’m not omnipotent."

"If you’re willing, you’re welcome to come learn the craft here when you have the time." Ethan thought that was a fine idea and nodded.

...

First thing the next morning, Leon brought Ethan to the auction house.

It wasn’t far from his territory, a massive stone building, its entrance already crowded with carriages that had poured in from all directions, Elves milled about in every open space.

"We’re here."

The crowd inside was thick, voices rising and falling like a tide, Ethan looked around with open curiosity.

"The items outside aren’t anything special," Leon said.

"The truly good stuff is all inside. Follow me."

Leon walked ahead, the elves in his path looked up in surprise, then parted without being asked.

"Why is that, meow?" Pearl asked from Ethan’s shoulder.

Leon scratched his head. "My noble rank is rather high..."

"How high, meow?"

"A count."

"That is quite high, meow~"

"Haha, thank you for the compliment." Leon changed the subject briskly.

"By the way, over there is where they sell seeds." Pearl, sensing the deflection, let it go.

Ethan followed him to the seed stalls. "What kind of seed is this?"

"That’s a Flame Grass seed."

"Flame Grass?"