Claude still didn't know that the reason he was being followed was because of what he was wearing. He wore a grayish-blue linen shirt, a pair of coarse black trousers, a pair of black cowhide shoes and a black leather backpack on his back.
With this kind of attire, it was obvious that he was a commoner from another place. Moreover, he was very young, and the beard above his lips was still very fine. This was clearly a rookie who had never seen the world. For some people, this was the best target to attack.
Children of nobles born to nobles would mostly wear silk shirts and trousers to keep themselves cool in the hot weather. None of them would dress like Claude to go out on a long trip.
That was why the skinny man who was tailing Claude immediately noticed him and wanted to earn some money to spend. Unfortunately, he picked the wrong target. Claude didn't fall for it and told him to scram.
Mario Street could be regarded as the most famous commercial street in Whitewood City. Basically, all the mining companies and large trading companies in Limasosia County had set up shops and branches on this street. Even the national bank had opened a business office here. It was probably to facilitate the business transactions here.
Before he left, Oask mentioned that Dunkro was the biggest mining company in Whitewood. Almost half of the whiteroot powder in Whitewood was in their hands. That was why the whiteroot powder in their shop was of the best quality and had the most variety.
Next to the national bank was Dunkro's shop. Claude pushed the door open and entered. It was the first time he heard that whiteroot powder had different quality and varieties. He didn't have much of a choice in Whitestag and only cared about the price.
A box of whiteroot powder sold in the open-air market for three crowns and three thales was already something he was quite happy about. It was at least half the price Hurian asked for.
But when he saw the whiteroot powder Dunkro put on display as a sample, Claude really wanted to curse them for being unscrupulous merchants.
The whiteroot powder sold by the owner of the open-air market was of the lowest quality and had a lot of impurities. Dunkro only offered one crown and three thales for a box.
Hurian, on the other hand, was selling goods that were up to par. The price here was two crowns and four thales, while the old man was asking for seven crowns for Claude.
It turned out that the quality of whiteroot powder was related to the success rate of a concoction. The higher the quality of whiteroot powder, the higher the success rate of the concoction, the higher the quality of the concoction.
It was no wonder that the two boxes of whiteroot powder he bought at the open-air market often failed mysteriously when he was experimenting with alchemical formations. He had always thought that it was because he was too unfamiliar with the process and was unfamiliar with alchemical experiments.
After cursing the shop owner in his mind, he focused his attention on a silver box between the stands. It also contained whiteroot powder, but it was the most expensive at seven crowns per box.
The clerk at the side introduced it as the highest quality whiteroot powder their company could produce. There were three A symbols on the box, so he decided to call it triple-A for now. It was made from a special type of fossilized tree, which was extremely rare and precious.
It was said that triple-A whiteroot powder could improve the quality of a concoction during concoction. Due to its high price, few herbalists would buy it. Only a few famous herbalists in the kingdom would buy one or two boxes of it for the sake of concocting the best concoction.
If the clerk hadn't mentioned those famous herbalists, Claude might have just taken a look. But now that he mentioned it, he was reminded of Madam Maria.
Maria had sent him a letter saying that she would be going to Whitestag in September and would be staying at the wood for around ten to twenty days as a vacation.
If Claude hadn't received the conscription order, he would have waited for her at the wood because she said she would get him a pardon from Stellin X to exempt him from military service.
Unfortunately, Felidos interfered and wrote a letter of recommendation for Claude and got Bluefeather to give him a conscription order for officer training.
Regardless of whether Maria gifted Claude the wooden hut and 300 hectares of forest to cover the price of the four forbidden spells, or if she asked Stellin X for a pardon to tie Claude to the Normanli family, or if she asked Luan to pay the debt of 500 crowns on Borke's behalf, Claude had no choice but to accept the favor.
Even though Claude and Luan's plan to set up a real estate development company allowed Madam Maria to earn a fortune beyond her wildest dreams, it wasn't something Claude could accomplish alone. He needed the cooperation of various parties.
No matter how talented a person was, it would be hard for them to make a name for themselves if they weren't sociable. That was one of Claude's experiences in his previous life.
Claude was wondering if he should give Maria a gift, such as the triple-A grade whiteroot powder. Since he was already in Whitestag, he might as well buy some for her. He believed she would be delighted to receive it.
"Give me ten boxes of triple-A grade whiteroot powder," said Claude.
The attendant widened his eyes in disbelief, as if he hadn't expected Claude to spend that much. At the same time, he seemed to be wondering if Claude was joking. Could he really afford to buy the most expensive and highest quality whiteroot powder with that much money?
Claude took out his account book. "I believe I can withdraw money from the nearby bank, right?"
"Of course, Mister. The bank has always done business with our company. Our customers don't have to wait in line and can pick up their stuff whenever they want," an old man with a goatee explained with a smile as he appeared before Claude.
"Manager …" The clerk hurriedly lowered his head.
"Ivago, bring this mister to the bank," said the old man.
The old man with the goatee said in a deep voice. It was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the performance of this shop assistant called Ivago.
Claude withdrew his money from the bank next door without a hitch and returned to the shop.
This time, however, he was treated like a VIP. The moment he entered, he was warmly welcomed and sat down. Immediately after, he was asked if he wanted some tea or wine.
Claude asked for a cup of black tea and a young attendant brought a basin of warm water for him to wipe his face with. The weather was too hot and it was easy for him to sweat. In the end, two attendants stood behind him with fans to fan him to cool him down.
The triple-A grade whiteroot powder was stored in silver-plated copper boxes. The amount was the same, half a catty per box.
Every box was personally brought to Claude for inspection by the manager. After that, he closed the box and sealed it with pewter before putting a seal on it.
In the end, the manager asked Claude if he wanted to take it himself or have someone deliver it.
It can even deliver goods?
Claude was overjoyed.
Originally, he wanted to throw them into the carriage and ask Oask to deliver the ten boxes of whiteroot powder to Anna. Then, he would write a letter to his sister and ask her to give it to Maria as a gift when she went to the wood for her summer vacation. It would be perfect for Maria to use when she was doing her experiments in the wood's potion lab.
However, the ten boxes of whiteroot powder were worth 70 crowns. Claude had heard Oask mention that he planned to go somewhere else after sending Claude to the camp. He wanted to see a few old comrades and see if there was any business to be done there.
As such, Claude felt that it wouldn't be appropriate to ask Oask to bring the powder back. After all, he wasn't going back to Whitestag directly.
However, when Claude asked for the ten boxes of whiteroot powder to be delivered to Normanley Wood in the outskirts of Whitestag, the manager hesitantly told him that the distance was too far and that he would have to pay a bit more, around a crown.
So be it. Claude was now filthy rich. Even after spending 70 crowns on the ten boxes of triple-A grade whiteroot powder, he still had more than 1,600 crowns in his bank account and around ten crowns in his money pouch.
He handed a crown to the manager and asked for a pen and paper. He wrote a letter to Angelina and asked the delivery man to deliver it to her. Then, he took the company's name card and the delivery agreement. He would write it back after he settled down in the camp and the delivery man would then send it to him with Angelina's receipt.
After he was done, Claude left the tavern. It was getting late, so he went back to the tavern for dinner and a good night's rest. He still had to continue his journey the next morning.
What he didn't notice was that the moment he left the tavern, the manager whispered something into Ivago's ear before Ivago left in a hurry.
Just as he left Mario Street, a carriage passed by in front of him.
Claude stopped for a moment and waited for the carriage to pass before crossing the street.
He didn't think that two people would suddenly appear behind him and he would have two sharp blades pressed against his waist.
The skinny man who had been pestering him earlier appeared before him again. Only, he was accompanied by two burly men who smiled at Claude wildly.
"Kid, weren't you acting all cocky just now? How dare you tell me to scram? Now that you're in my hands, you better kneel and beg for mercy."
The two sharp blades at Claude's waist pushed forward forcefully, causing his shirt to be torn. A voice behind him said, "Second Bro, are you saying that we should do him here?
There are too many people coming and going here … "
The skinny man was taken aback. "When did I tell you to do him?
I only told him to kneel and beg for mercy.
But you're right. This is a street. If there are too many people, the police will be alerted.
Take him to the alley over there. I'm going to skin him properly. "
Claude expressionlessly was dragged into a dead end by the two men behind him. The skinny man brought a small paper box to Claude and said, "Kid, didn't you say you couldn't afford whiteroot powder? Didn't you buy a few boxes at Dunkro? You said you didn't have money, but I saw you take out a crown from your purse.
How dare you lie to me and refuse to buy my whiteroot powder? Are you looking down on me?! "
"I bought it for someone else. Of course I can't afford it. Also, they specifically asked me to buy it from Dunkro," said Claude.
"I don't care. Not buying my whiteroot powder means you're looking down on me. The consequences will be severe and I'm very angry.
Even though I really want to beat you up, strip you naked and throw you into the mines, I'm a businessman. Peace breeds wealth. So, I'll give you a chance to apologize to me. As long as you use all the money you have on you to buy this box of high-grade whiteroot powder from me and sign this contract, I'll forgive you this once. "
The skinny man took out a piece of paper from his pocket. His intentions were clear. If he were to steal Claude's money, it would be considered robbery and a crime. If he was caught, he would be sentenced to hard labor.
But if he signed the contract in the name of buying and selling, it would be useless even if the victim went to the police. At most, the buyer would go back on his word.
Commoners could only count themselves unlucky to encounter such a thing.
If the skinny man knew that Claude had spent 70 crowns to buy ten boxes of triple-A whiteroot powder from Dunkro, he would definitely reconsider whether or not he could afford to offend such a person.
Unfortunately, when the skinny man saw Claude follow the clerk to the national bank, he hurriedly went to look for his friends to deal with Claude. When he returned, he saw Claude handing the manager a crown and writing on a piece of paper.