Vault

I smile a little when I see the merchant in front of me sign the contract. The contract says the merchant has permission to dock their ship in our port for ten days without getting taxed for it. Usually, a merchant ship can only stay for three days before they get taxed for using the port space.

Not only that, but the contract also says that Barius and his company have permission to take a block of size coming from the lake in our north. The lake near Dalagull where the temperature there is always at zero Celsius or even less.

In return, they will not try something funny like deciding to steal some of the payment even a little bit. They also cannot use a fake gold coin. They cannot take more than 10 blocks of ice with the weight of 10 kg per block. They also need to watch their guard or sailormen and tell them not to cause trouble unintentionally or intentionally. There are also some more rules I write.

If they break those, there will be a punishment.

If it was your ordinary contract, then they can break those rules just fine, but sadly for them, it was an unbreakable contract. As long as an individual work under Barius and Maria, they will be immediately included in the contract. Even the spy.

If they break the contract, they will die in the most painful way. However, if Barius and Maria did not order or ask one of his/her men to break the rule, they will do fine, but they will feel there is something wrong.

"And it is done. Can we talk about the business?"

"Of course. Your item is ready to be transported. Please follow me."

I then lead them to the warehouse near the docks, where I show them all the items they can buy. I really want to smirk at their surprised face but decide not to do it. Inside the warehouse are our newly harvested fruit and vegetable from my personal farmland. Not only that, but there are also more than a hundred barrels filled with Wine that just finished fragmented and ready to be sold.

When I see them snap from their thoughts, I give them a parchment listing all the items I am willing to sell.

"Here is the list of items we are willing to sell. Please take your time."

While waiting for Barius and Maria to read all the list, I walk toward one of the wine barrels and pick it up before opening the barrel. As I opened it, a sweet aroma hit my nose. I look at Rovul, the Master of Sea, who hands me a cup.

I pour the wine into the cup and give it to Rovul, who gives it to both Barius and Maria. I then pass another cup to Rovul and pour the wine into the last cup for me. Both Barius and Maria take a sniff of the wine before taking a sip.

I smile a little when I see them widen their eyes and immediately drink all the content inside the cup. I let my nose get close to the cup and let the fragrant aroma of the wine get sucked by my nose. A second later, I take a sip, and my taste buds get bombarded by delicious wine.

Rovul and I continue to drink the wine while our guests look at the list and have a conversation with each other before looking at me and saying.

"Lord Lionheart, we will buy 100kg worth of strawberries, 100kg of apples, 200kg worth of wheat, 20 barrels of wine, and one barrel of this drink called vodka."

I nod my head before looking at Rovul and say.

"Rovul, would you be kind and take care of their order?"

"Of course, My lord. Sir Barius, Lady Maria, please follow me. We will finalize the price in my office."

Before they go, I suddenly say.

"Then I leave you two with Rovul here. Don't worry. He has authority in this trade. You also did not need to worry about the price. The price is already in the parchment you see earlier. He will also give you a discount on this purchase as promised. Have a nice day."

After saying that, I walk to the castle with my guard.

~The Next Day~

"Ayas, how much gold do we have in the vault?"

"Almost one million gold, my lord."

"Do you think five hundred thousand gold is enough to build a fortress around the gate?"

"For a small to a medium-sized fortress, yes. However, if you want to cover all the gates, then it is not enough."

"I see."

"Sadly, you can't build you a permanent fortress there, my lord."

"Hmmm? Why?"

"Remember, my lord. The gate is the only path that the merchant can take from the south. The other northern lord will hate you if you do so. That means you are the only one controlling the trade route from the south. With the position of Sea Dragon City and Dalagull, you are also the one controlling the sea trade route, making you the only lord who controls all the trade routes in the northern region."

Dammit, I did not think of that. If I build the fortress, I control the two trade routes that come to the northern region. To the west, I control the sea trade route coming from the eastern continent. To the south, I will control the land route if I build the fortress. Meaning, there is only one trade route left. To the east. The sea trade route from the central and northern continent.

However, the merchant is rarely coming from the northern and central continents. The northern continent has the same export items as us: iron and other precious metals. On the other hand, the Central Continent already has all they need, and they rarely buy things from the other continent. They want to sell things, not to buy them. Once they buy something, they buy it in bulk and then sell it at a higher price to the northern continent or to us.

"Yeah, I don't think about that. My mind is filled with how to defend our land from the southerners, especially the southern noble."

"I understand, my lord. However, it would be best if you also thought about the feelings of our fellow northern nobles. Right now is springtime. Many merchants work in selling and buying goods from one other. If you block one of the three routes and own the other route, the other will see you as a tyrant, and either they will declare war in a trade route dispute between lords or be branded as a traitor."

"Traitor?"

"By sealing the only way to the north, the king will see us as a traitor that wants to gain independence and create our own kingdom. While we will support you if you want to do that, I don't know about the other lord."

"You are right. Haaaaa…. My short-sightedness almost doomed us all."

"You are still young, my lord. You still have so many things to learn. You think about the other attacking us like before, but you also need to think about the people near you. I know you only want to protect us from the southern people, but you also need to think about the consequences of your actions."

"I see."

After that, both Ayas and I walk to the vault where my family has stored their treasure for generations. The vault is under the ground next to the Lionheart family crypt. This vault is not my personal vault where the lord's personal money and backup money in case of emergency are stored.

Only a few people know about the location of the Lionheart family vault. We are not a wealthy family, but one million gold coins is not a small amount of gold. As we arrive in front of the vault, I see five guards standing front of the vault.

When we walk inside the vault, I can see row upon row of a chest filled with gold. Ayas and I came here because I need to increase the security in the vault. I'm too busy increasing the security around the castle and the nearby village. I forget to create security for the vault.

After thirty minutes, I finished creating a good enough barrier around the vault. I need to fill a jewel with my mana before I could create a high-tier barrier around the vault. However, the jewel needs a massive amount of mana before I can use it. It needs three times my reserve before I can use it.

For now, A bone-melting ward for a thief is good enough.