Chapter 80 - Awakening

“This account isn’t one I’m settling with Uncle Klay—you don’t have the final say, we must respect the opinions of the parties involved,” Gaven called it quits while he was ahead, his attitude clearly not as strong as it was yesterday.After all, acting shouldn’t be taken too seriously.

I certainly can’t kick Hanson out of the game just because of a few harsh words from him; that would be too cruel and could easily chill the hearts of these Business Owners, backfiring instead.

“Hanson, say something.” Klay was beside him, incessantly winking at Hanson.

“Sorry, Brother Gaven, I really was a bit muddle-headed yesterday, and my brain couldn’t catch up.

Now I’m completely clear-headed.

This is Brother Gaven’s territory, and it’s entirely up to you.

If you let us in, we’ll go in; if you don’t, we won’t.

It’s all about doing business—wherever we can make a profit, why not do business there?” Hanson’s attitude indeed took a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

Whether he figured it out last night or simply didn’t want to quarrel over money and decided to soften up instead, I didn’t know.

“Normal.

Everyone has moments of stubbornness,” Gaven took the opportunity to dismount gracefully, “It takes two hands to clap, and my attitude was also a problem yesterday.

When the anger rose, I couldn’t suppress it.

This box of Crystal Stones, I’ll take it back for now.

This is the second trade I want to discuss with everyone.”

“How do you plan to conduct this trade, Brother Gaven?” Immediately, all the Business Owners perked up.

They had been itching to know, but couldn’t bring it up themselves and were waiting for Gaven to speak first.

“I believe everyone has understood the nature of these Crystal Stones since yesterday.

Their pricing is a bit special.

If we go by the base price, I certainly won’t be happy, and if we go by the high price, none of you will be able to afford it,” Gaven got straight to the point, “My idea is for everyone present to take a few samples and find a market themselves.

Once a market is established, you can come back to me to purchase the goods; it won’t be too late.

What do you think?”

He then added, “Three samples per person will be given as a token of friendship from me.”

“This method is very suitable, beneficial for everyone.”

“I think it’s workable, let’s do as Brother Gaven suggests.”

“Brother Gaven really is generous.

With this move of yours, you’re going to be giving away half of that chest of Crystal Stones.”

The Business Owners discussed with various opinions, basically agreeing to Gaven’s method.

After all, the market for such items wasn’t as broad as that for iron ore.

As long as they could buy in cheaply, there was no worry of not selling them.

Securing a market before purchasing stock was the consistent approach for these expensive gems, at least among these Independent Business Owners.

The two parties then discussed and finalised some specific details, leaving the loading and unloading of goods to the Gnolls.

Everyone was a seasoned player; once past disagreements were glossed over, no one brought it up again, focusing instead on flattering each other in the workplace and planning how to make a fortune.

The Maiden Priestess, who had been following Gaven and watching everything, was stunned and couldn’t keep up with the swift face-changing speed of these old foxes.

The seemingly youngest Gaven was in fact the most skilled among them, holding his own against a group of Business Owners without faltering.

Mr.

Gaven was truly talented, even in business.

How had I not noticed this before?

After seeing off the caravan, Gaven couldn’t help but sigh deeply, feeling more exhausted than after a battle charge.

He lamented that he still had too few capable individuals at his disposal, and he must cultivate professionals in this area.

He needed not only individuals to deal with these merchants but also those who could independently conduct business on their own.

Relying on the caravans formed by these Business Owners was a makeshift choice forced by circumstances.

If possible, he would prefer to enjoy the full profits—from not just selling iron ore or refined iron but directly selling premium weapons and equipment.

To achieve this plan, it was going to be a long and arduous task; he could only take it one step at a time.

At the very least, training his own merchants would require branching out from the Rocklands and the Gnolls, gaining members from other races, especially human foundations.

The Gnolls naturally had a disadvantage in this area.

“Lord, Lord, awake…

awake…” A Gnoll bounced and hopped towards Gaven.

“What’s awake?” Gaven leaned on his staff, straightening his back with effort as he asked.

Ever since the caravan had left, he had done nothing else but lead nearly two hundred gnolls in digging holes, watering, and planting all over the hills, preparing for the surrounding wilderness to be filled with various fruits, melons, and vegetables by this summer and autumn.

However, farm work and physical training were two entirely different things.

Maintaining a repetitive mechanical action for a long time had caused even him, a professional, to suffer from back pain and soreness.

“The Dragon Seeker…

A Dragon Seeker has awakened,” replied the gnoll.

“Finally awakened, let’s go, let’s go back and see,” Gaven said, handing the hoe he was holding to another gnoll.

He was ready to extract himself from this task.

It wasn’t that he was indulging in some noble ideal of experiencing life or being hands-on.

He was purely compelled by necessity, as the gnolls were quite inept at farming.

When he told them to scatter seeds all over the hills, they had actually tried to do exactly that, tossing large handfuls of seeds to the wind.

Even if the crops he had chosen were tough, it would all be in vain if they didn’t even have a chance to take root and sprout.

He had no choice but to step in personally and teach them by example.

The Maiden Priestess, on the other hand, was quite adept at this.

It was understandable, as she might not have been a pure country girl, but she came from a small town where the church was mostly self-sufficient, and she wasn’t a stranger to farm work.

After a few days of training, the gnolls’ planting squad was on the right track, even more efficient than him at times, mainly because they were closer to the ground and often didn’t even have to bend down.

This would be a long-term job.

The sowing squad would continue to plant until the end of autumn—intent on embracing the concept of widespread seeding to the fullest.

After all, they had the land for it.

It was now the ninth day after the Dragon Seeking Ritual Ceremony. The source of this content ɪs NovᴇlFirᴇ(.)nᴇt

The ceremony required much more time than Gaven had imagined.

Over these nine days, Blackwell Plaza had been bustling with activity.

The forty-nine gnolls undergoing the Dragon Seeking Ritual were like forty-nine colorful human torches, burning throughout the long nights.

Although the Blackwell Tribe had not organized another Dragon Seeking ceremony since then, they did not forbid the gnolls from entering the Dragon Seeking Meditation on their own.

Compared to meditating privately, these gnolls preferred to do so in the presence of the forty-nine who were in the midst of the ceremony.

It was unclear whether they wanted to bask in the light of the ceremony already underway or because the magical elements that were abundant here were purer.

Gaven had only set one rule: no one was to come within three steps of the Ritual Array, but beyond that, he didn’t intervene.

He had discovered that doing so benefited the gnolls participating in the ritual.

When those gnolls started the Dragon Seeking Meditation, it was inevitable that they would draw magical elements to gather around them.

Although they would compete with those in the ritual for these elements, the meditation was short-lived and they could not completely absorb and use them.

Once the meditation ended, not only the stolen elements but also those drawn nearby were absorbed by the Ritual Array, benefitting the Dragon Seekers.

While a single gnoll’s meditation did not draw in a substantial amount of magical elements, the frequent and numerous meditations added up.

The Blackwell Gnolls, who had just learned the Dragon Seeking Meditation, were very enthusiastic about it, engaging in it whenever they had free time.

They would usually meditate twice daily during breaks (corresponding with mealtimes) for about ten to fifteen minutes each session.

As for how much benefit this provided, there was no way to measure it.

When Gaven hurried back at the news, the gnoll who had just finished the Dragon Seeking Ritual was voraciously devouring his meal.

Nine days without food or drink was a considerable strain on his body, despite the sustenance from magical elements.

He looked visibly thinner compared to before the ritual and his scales had developed white rings, making his appearance somewhat unique.