Chapter One Hundred and One: Seeking Nectar

“Please, all of you, sit down.” Tina led the four of them to the dining table in the sitting room. “Do not mind our simple fare!”

At the sight of the dishes laid out before them—honeyed drinks, honey-roasted meat, a whole roasted fish, fish-fragrant shredded pork, and an assortment of fresh vegetables and fruit—the three members of the mercenary band and Matru all began to salivate.

“Um... does she have some grudge against me?” Charlotte asked timidly after taking his seat, glancing at Pearl.

Tina turned to look and understood at once. Pearl’s expressionless stare was likely meant to keep an eye on the four of them in case they made any hostile move toward Keane. Smiling, she explained, “Pearl means no harm. She has always been like this. She wears no expression, so she may look fierce, but she is actually a very kind girl. Right?”

“Mm.” Pearl answered coolly.

Once Charlotte realized the hostility was not aimed at him, he relaxed a little. Breathing in the fragrant aroma rising from the table, his stomach rumbled uncontrollably. He turned to look at his elder sister, waiting to see whether she would agree.

Felicis was hungry too. Meeting the eager gazes of her younger brother Charlotte and her subordinate Reddy, she nodded and joined her hands together. “Since this is Lord Keane’s kind hospitality, we shall not refuse! Thanks be to the God of Light!”

“Thanks be to the God of Light!” Charlotte and Reddy said at the same time, copying Felicis’s gesture.

Shouldn’t they be thanking me? What does the God of Light have to do with this? It is not like he fed them... Keane grumbled inwardly, though he still smiled on the outside. “Do not be polite, everyone. Eat as much as you like!”

“Thanks be to the Goddess of Justice!” Matru also clasped his hands, though the deity he thanked was different.

“This drink smells wonderful! I have never seen anything like it...” Charlotte picked up a cup first and took a small sip. His eyes instantly lit up. “Delicious! I have never tasted a drink this good before!”

“This is honey brewed by the forest elves. Ordinary people usually never get the chance to drink it,” Keane explained with a smile.

“Forest elves? That legendary race?” Matru cried out in astonishment. “There are actually forest elves in the Monster Forest?”

“That’s right.”

“But I heard forest elves generally dislike dealings with humans. Why would...”

“That is my secret,” Keane said with a chuckle.

The others exchanged glances and did not press further.

Matru took a sip of the honey drink and instantly looked invigorated. “Lord Keane! Lord Keane! This drink is simply miraculous! One taste and it is unforgettable for a lifetime! How much stock do you have? Could you entrust these drinks to me? I am certain I can sell them for a splendid price. Would you be interested in cooperating? I have a feeling this will sell extremely well!”

“Sorry,” Keane said with a shrug. “I only produce one bottle of this honey a day. It is extremely precious. I usually keep it for our own people, and only occasionally bring it out to entertain honored guests.”

“Then sell me a few bottles, at least! I’ll pay a high price! The smaller the quantity, the better—it can be sold as a rare treasure at auction! I imagine nobles and royalty alike would be very willing to pay dearly for a taste of forest-elven delicacies personally brewed by their hands!” By now, Matru’s eyes were practically gleaming with gold coins.

“Oh? Then what price are you offering?” Keane thought that if it was just a few bottles, it might be acceptable.

“Ten gold coins a bottle!” Matru said anxiously. “That already matches the price of a high-grade mana recovery potion!”

“Only ten gold coins?” Keane thought. I can make more than that just by opening a gold mine at random. He frowned slightly. “Forget it.”

“Lord Keane! Lord Keane!” Seeing this, Matru hurriedly called out, “Twenty gold coins! How about twenty?”

“I am keeping it for myself.”

“Fifty gold coins! Fifty gold coins a bottle!!” Matru’s eyes had gone red.

The three mercenaries stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Even Tina was quite astonished; fifty gold coins was an enormous sum!

Yet Keane remained unmoved.

“One hundred gold coins! I cannot go any higher! I am not even sure it could be auctioned at that price!” Matru shouted.

“Then why are you still willing to buy it at that price?” Keane asked in confusion.

“It is rare! This thing is far too rare! Even if I only break even, or even lose money in the auction, at the very least my chamber of commerce will gain fame! For a chamber of commerce, funds are important, yes, but reputation is also decisive! I want to become chairman of the largest chamber of commerce in the Beite Empire, and the first thing I need is fame! But after traveling through countless nations over the past few years, I have never found the decisive opportunity. Today, at last, I have found it! Lord Keane, you must sell it to me! With this treasure in hand, I have real hope!”

“Keane, one hundred gold coins a bottle—that is an outrageous price!” Tina whispered in his ear. “Now that more and more people are coming to our city, we will definitely need a lot of money in the future!”

“Mm.” Keane nodded. “All right. One hundred gold coins it is, but for now I can only give you five bottles.”

“Ah! Lord Keane, can you not give me a little more?” Matru said anxiously at once.

“If I give you more, we will not have enough for ourselves, let alone to entertain guests,” Keane said. “You can take these five bottles back and auction them off first. We can talk again when you return next time.”

“But... but the Monster Forest is so dangerous. How could I dare come here casually?” Matru wore a bitter expression.

“Well...” Keane stroked his chin and thought for a moment. “I have it. I will have my men patrol the outskirts and build a safe corridor. Anyway, now that we no longer need to hunt for raw meat resources, we have plenty. Rather than letting them continue with meaningless labor, we might as well have them maintain order. If the peace is better, travelers passing through will also be safer in the future. Perhaps I can even collect a little protection money!”

“What a brilliant idea, Keane!” Tina’s eyes lit up as soon as she heard the words protection money. Coming from a poor family, she was also highly motivated by earning money. “Not only can it make money, it can also protect the safety of passersby. After all, we may need to interact with the outside world in the future.”

“Then it is settled!” Keane laughed. “I will do my best to turn the forest’s outskirts into a safe zone. From now on, your chamber of commerce can come here with complete confidence! When I have the time, I may even build a road from the city to the passage outside the forest, so travel will be easier, won’t it?”

“Is that really all right, Lord Keane? Can such a terrifying place as the Monster Forest truly be made safe?” Matru asked worriedly.

“That is not something you need to concern yourself with,” Keane said with a smile. “I will turn this place into the safest paradise on earth. Oh, and next month the Holy Light City may come to attack my city, so remember not to come here then, to avoid getting dragged into it! Once the battle here is over, you are welcome to come anytime!”

Matru: “...”