Caesar followed her and immediately smelled the spicy smell of garlic and pepper, as well as the intoxicating sweet perfume. He followed the little fellow's finger and looked inside. The guards of the caravan were wearing red copper helmets and cotton linen jackets with linings standing on both sides. The slaves inside were carrying heavy brocades and high-quality wool in dozens of colors for people to choose from.
Black Dragon glanced at the flag and emblem hanging at the side and found that he actually had some impression of this caravan — Bukridge of the Northern Territory. This was one of the few caravans that had started to trade across the sea before the situation in Vilost had stabilized. Through the wealth gained from the trade between the two territories, this caravan had started to build its own armed forces and expand continuously.
According to the official records, Bukridge had more than 20 frigates of the previous generation that had been eliminated by the empire, as well as many privateers. It was in a state of semi-monopoly in the civilian trade industry. However, as this caravan was sufficiently low-key and obedient, and the various fees (protection fees) they paid were sufficient, the Blackwing Empire did not deal with this group of people. Under the circumstances of maintaining supervision, they were allowed to grow wild in the battlefield of Vilost.
While accompanying Luna, Caesar maintained his normal Drakonid form and squeezed forward with the little girl. Between the rows of stalls in Bukridge, there was a young merchant selling jewelry made from Vilost gold, including rings, brooches, bracelets, and various uncarved medals, as well as some other strange materials.
Beside the young merchant was a Villoster native tied up. He was silent and hairless, and sweat had seeped through his fur clothes. He bared his teeth and glared angrily at everyone who approached him. At the side, a buyer was arguing with a Buckeridge cloth merchant about the price of a certain foreign dye.
"I like to play on this street the most."
Luna pulled Caesar forward and said to him, "There are people everywhere, laughing and shouting. Actually, I often don't buy anything … Well, except for the occasional sausage, honey stick, roasted meat, nuts, and so on … Let me see what's new here."
"Jewelry made from Vilost gold."
They walked a little further and heard the merchant shouting in fluent common tongue, "I have gold jewelry used by the chiefs of Rislin, Picado, and Fele tribes, as well as necklaces, armbands, rings, and headbands. I have everything.
Come take a look. I guarantee that it's different from Airadia's gold. "
The merchant was very small, thin, and kind. His dark brown hair was combed into a style popular in the north, and he had cologne in his wavy. There was a fashionable black claw emblem on his chest. When Caesar and Luna stopped in front of him, the merchant bowed deeply. "Noble Drakonid and young noble lady, what do you need?"
"Is it true that the gold of Villostka is different from the gold we have here?
Why? "Luna asked curiously.
"Of course," the merchant said.
The merchant smiled. "Villostkin is better than ours. It's heavier and has an extraordinary luster. It looks like platinum, but it's actually much more translucent.
"It's said that in Vilost, the gold was as soft as flowing liquid. It only slowly hardened on the way back.
When we arrived in the Northlands, we hired the best craftsmen in Bukridge to make the gold we have now.
Of course, I'm not saying that other craftsmen can't do it, but this material is indeed rare in Airadia. You can take a look. "
Only then did Luna turn her attention to the gold ornaments. These gold ornaments were indeed different from the ones she had seen before. Under the sunlight, they were so white that they were transparent, almost like crystals. Only the center of the gold ornaments shone with a golden light.
Luna held up a pendant that had only been lightly polished and whispered to the Black Dragon, "Caesar, look at this. It's very similar to your eyes."
This pendant was oval-shaped, with an almond-shaped center. Strands of golden threads spread out like mist, like ink spreading out in water.
Caesar looked at it and couldn't help but smile. "How much is this?"
"Six hundred gold."
"So expensive?"
Luna was shocked. Although she was in the court, she still had a certain concept of money. She looked at it carefully. "I'm not lying.
"I'm not lying to you. We didn't grind this pendant. It was like this in the hands of the natives of Villoster. The appraiser later said that it was made of the best material in the batch. The core inside was formed completely naturally. It's complete and beautiful. Apart from this, it's hard to buy something like this even if you have the money," explained the merchant as he pointed at the golden kernel.
"Caesar, can I buy it?" asked Luna softly. "I want to give it to Odín."
Caesar was about to agree, but after some thought, he suddenly asked, "Can I buy it with a black wing certificate?"
The young merchant was stunned. The Black Wing Bonds sold by the Imperial Bank were quite popular in the Empire and even in the North. Their Buckeridge Trading Firm also helped people exchange Black Wing Bonds. Many people used Black Wing Bonds to exchange for gold coins, but it was still relatively rare to see people use Black Wing Bonds directly. Perhaps only the King of the North could do this.
After a short consideration, the merchant agreed with a smile.
After buying the pendant and handing it to Luna, Caesar didn't leave immediately. The dragon's intuition drove him to stay. The Black Dragon sniffed and walked past the exquisite gold ornaments. The afternoon sun shone on the floating dust, looking gentle and lazy. He left the display area of the finished gold ornaments. The pale yellow gold stones cast a translucent round shadow.
"Sir, to satisfy your personal preferences, we have reserved many unpolished materials for you to choose from. Are you interested in these?" The young merchant moved with him.
Caesar shook his head and continued to look. As his gaze swept across, he found something in an inconspicuous corner that attracted him.
He pointed at a jade-like, irregular black stone and said, "That thing looks good. Can I have a look?"
"This?"
The young merchant took the black stone with a smile. "Don't be fooled by the fact that I threw this thing in the corner. It's quite attractive. Before you, many powerful customers took the initiative to ask to see this thing. They believed that it was expensive, but in the end, no one made a move."
"Why?" Caesar asked.
"This is something directly brought back from Vilost. The customers value it because of its light weight and hard texture.
However, it will break directly if it bears too much force. It can't be cast, so there's no way to shape it, "the merchant said." After you understand, you will find that this thing has no practical use at all. "
"Can't be cast or shaped?
Are you sure? "
"I'm just a stall owner. How can I be sure? This is the official statement of the imperial research institute. Many magician's guilds have also studied it. In the end, everyone's statement is basically the same."
The merchant handed over the black stone with both hands. "This is my gift to you. If you are interested, you can take it back and have a look."
"You have a lot of this?" Caesar looked and asked.
"That's not it. This is something from the native tribes of Vilost. In the beginning, most of it was taken away by the empire. Now that the research institute has proven that it is useless, the control has been loosened, allowing us to have a chance to get some."
"Mm."
Caesar nodded and left the west side of the city with Luna. The merchant's knowledge was limited, after all. He had to ask the goblins at the research institute for the details later.