Chapter 76 - Emotional Account
Chapter 76 of "Farming in a Parallel World and Becoming a God" begins with: Gaven, slightly reminiscing, organized his memories and said, âHanson, at first, you gave me half... See the full story!
Gaven, slightly reminiscing, organized his memories and said, âHanson, at first, you gave me half a cart of grain and a pot, which should be the investment youâre always talking about.But during the first delivery, when you brought three carts of moldy and stale grain, I had already given you a cart of high-quality iron ore, sufficient to offset the previous account.
The second time, you brought five carts of moldy and stale grain, and I similarly filled your wagons with high-quality iron ore, and if my calculations are correct, that transaction alone should earn you a fivefold profit, not a dime less.
Today is the third time, am I wrong in what I have said?
Of course, financial accounts can be settled this way, but emotional debts cannot.
Today, I will also make your emotional debts clear, Anna, did you bring the thing I asked you to get?â
âBroughtâŚ
brought it here.â The Maiden Priestess ran over, panting, still holding a small wooden box in her hands.
Gaven didnât even bother to look inside, picking up the box with one hand and, with a thud, tossed the small wooden box at Hansonâs feet, saying, âThis box contains our emotional debts.
If you think itâs fair, unload the grain from the cart, and if you still think youâre at a loss, take the grain back as it is.
In any case, after this, we part ways in business forever, with no further commercial relations.â
When the small wooden box hit the ground, its poorly secured lid popped open, and several crystal-clear Crystal Stones bounced out from inside.
A few Business Owners, obviously recognizing the item, exclaimed in low voices, âSpirit Crystal Stone.â
âYou recognize this type of Crystal Stone?
Why have I never seen it before?
Whatâs its value?â another Business Owner who didnât recognize the item asked softly.
âItâs difficult to assess because this type of Crystal Stone only shows its true value in the hands of special Spellcasters.
However, even by normal standards, with such quantity, itâs worth over a thousand gold.
If it falls into the hands of someone in urgent need, it could fetch far more than ten thousand gold.â
âHiss!
Even at a normal price, Hansonâs grain is enough to purchase a hundred carts.
This emotional debt is indeed costly.â
What made all the Business Ownersâ expressions change was the sight of the tall and burly Half-Ogre striding towards them, lugging four small wooden boxes of the same size and design.
No need to ask what was inside.
Apparently, Gaven intended to settle emotional debts not just with Hanson, but with the other Business Owners as well.
What a joke.
Only a fool would settle emotional debts with Gaven, especially after seeing so much Spirit Crystal Ore.
What does this indicate?
It implies that the other party has found a Spirit Crystal Vein.
This small box of Spirit Crystal Ore looks very tempting, but itâs a one-time deal; once accepted, even if they unearth a gold mine, it has nothing to do with you anymore.
If it were a naive, easily content farmer, he might just pick up the small wooden box and leave.
But for these Business Owners, making such a choice would be more painful than death itself.
Looking at Hansonâs face, it was clear that his demeanor, previously so fearsome, had largely dissipated, replaced with a pitiful look of pleading as he turned to the other business owners for support.
No one gets angry with money, especially these merchants whose eyes are only on profits.
As the case of Spirit Crystal Stones was brought down, any previous dissatisfaction among the business owners was smashed to nothingness.
The business owner who had been trying to smooth things over came forward again and said, âBrother Gaven, youâre too kind.
How could we measure our relationship in money?
Especially since weâve shared hardships together.
Like I just said, brother Hanson has this temper; he certainly didnât mean it that way.
Isnât that right, Hanson?â
âYes, yes, yes,â Hanson nodded desperately, seizing the chance to retreat and said, âI didnât mean that.
I just think you shouldnât shut us and our merchant convoy out, considering we are business partnersâŚâ
âYou may not mean that, but I do,â Gaven said with a cold face.
âThis is my home.
Letting you in is a favor; not letting you in is my right.
When you confuse favor with obligation, thereâs no need for us to do business.
Letâs part on good terms.
I value relationships the most, and now that our accounts of ârelationshipâ are settled, there will be no further dealings.
This is not open for discussion, and anyone who keeps rambling on will have their ârelationshipâ account settled in full by me.â
âYouâŚâ Hanson tried to say something else.
Another six or seven business owners leaped out, covering mouths, hugging waists, and pulling arms, dragging him back while muttering quietly, âWould you shut up?
If you keep spouting nonsense, youâll ruin all our business.â
This time, the pull was different from the last; it was both quick and ruthless, and a few business owners clearly employed grappling techniques, determined not to let Hanson open his foul mouth again.
That he hadnât been ruined by his foul mouth and temper after so many years in business was a minor miracle.
âYes, yes, we were wrong.
We failed to distinguish between primary and secondary concerns.
Brother Gaven isnât someone who forgets old ties.
If he wonât let us in, there must be a profound reason; we simply didnât get the measure right.â The business owner said, rubbing his hands, âBut every man makes mistakes, and we should get a chance to correct them.
Not for anything else, but in consideration of over a month weâve spent together, you canât just make our trip count for nothing, right?â
Upon hearing this, Gavenâs expression finally relaxed a bit, and he nodded, âUncle Klay, what youâre saying now sounds like something a genuine businessperson should say.
If you all had this mindset earlier, we wouldnât have had this unpleasantness.
Of course, weâll do business, but not today.
Everyone is too heated right now.
Letâs all cool off for a day, and we can talk about the rest tomorrow.
How does that sound?â
âBrother Gaven is very considerate.
Weâll camp here today and discuss any matters tomorrow,â responded Klay obligingly.
âBut where should our convoy set up camp?â
Klay wisely avoided bringing up entering the Blackwell Tribe again, knowing it was an explosive topic best left untouched.
âAs long as you avoid the main entrance, you can set up anywhere on the sides,â Gaven pointed out, âRest assured, my patrol guards protect not only here, but also the surrounding hills.
No one foolish will come to disturb you.â
Klay laughed and said, âBrother Gaven seems to have forgotten what we do for a living.
Weâve traversed the Rocklands more than a dozen times; how could we possibly be afraid right at your doorstep?â
âWell then, if thereâs anything you need, just let them notify me.
Iâve got other matters to attend to, so I wonât keep you company.
We can talk about everything else tomorrow.â Ęá´á´á´ Ęá´á´á´sá´ á´Ęá´á´á´á´Ęs á´á´ É´oá´ el FÉŞre.ná´t
After greeting them, Gaven turned away with the Maiden Priestess and the Half-Ogre, walking off and selectively forgetting about the box of Spirit Crystal Stones he had thrown on the ground.
Even after Gavenâs figure had completely disappeared into the Blackwell Tribe, the business owners still looked at each other in bewilderment.
One business owner couldnât help asking, âWhat does he mean by that?â
Klay, cautious, glanced warily at the surrounding Gnoll soldiers and said in a low voice, âDonât talk about it here.
Letâs set up camp first, and then gather at my place later.â
âOkay.â
âAlright.â
All the merchants responded in chorus.