"Are you in the royal capital for saltpeter?" Roland cut to the chase.

"No, Your Highness," said Margaery, who no longer had a formulaic smile at the moment, and said with a little more affection, "I deal in a lot of things, from precious stones to cloth, from inns to taverns. In fact, I didn't do saltpeter trading a month ago. It's just that the original owner of the salt factory lost his trouser pocket in my casino, so he had to mortgage all the field to me. ”

It not only sells all kinds of goods, but also does the service industry...... What is the origin of this businessman? You must know that opening a casino in the royal capital is not just something that can be done with money. He knocked on the table, but the nightingale pinched the middle—it meant that the other party was carrying the Divine Punishment Stone, and it was impossible to tell if he was lying.

Wait a minute...... Since it was impossible to observe, why did she pinch her right side so hard before?

Roland coughed twice, resisting the urge to turn back and ask.

He had heard that some merchants from the fjords had settled in the Four Kingdoms and had grown their business to an unimaginable amount of wealth. After all, Haimin are born businessmen, with a keen sense of smell and a keen sense of smell, and are good at seizing business opportunities. Many of them were sheared as wool after making a fortune, while others managed to gain a firm foothold and buy off local connections, forming a relatively stable alliance of interests. Could it be that Margaery is also one of the big dogs?

In this case, Roland decided to make a straightforward request, "I need a lot of saltpeter, the more the better." ”

"But the western realm of the kingdom is not a hot place, especially a small town near the mountains of the Desperate Realm. Your Highness, do you really need that much saltpeter?" she wondered, "On the outskirts of the royal capital, I have three nitrate-making fields, enough to supply the nobles of a medium-sized city with ice. ”

Three Salt Factories!" Roland was overjoyed, but the expression on his face did not change, "I plan to build a cold storage in the basement of the castle to store some perishable food. If you give the right price, I'll get all this saltpeter. ”

"Since you've said so," she nodded, "I can ship all the saltpeter to the border towns and charge ninety percent of your market price." But ......"

"But what?"

"I don't really want the golden dragons, they're filling up my warehouse. I've heard that you have some very strange products here, and if you can, can you replace them with the golden dragons, and I'll be happy to make a deal with you. ”

"Strange product?" Roland was stunned, it was the first time he had heard of someone who didn't want a golden dragon.

"Yes, like a black iron creature that can function on its own," Margaery leaned forward slightly, "Your servant said that this thing has incredible power just by lighting a fire and boiling water. In fact, it was when I heard about this that I decided to visit the border town myself, otherwise it would be in my interest to sell saltpeter directly to the nobles of the royal capital - the farther the distance, the greater the loss I would bear. ”

What a bonus, Roland thought. It is not known how Barov's apprentice got on this line or how he talked about the steam engine, but it is clear that the royal merchant was interested in it.

He knew very well how staggering the profits of industrialized products were, especially the mechanical products that only he could manufacture. He was originally worried that after the border town no longer sold ore, the coins moved from the Duke's Palace would always run out one day, but he didn't expect that an excellent opportunity was now in front of him.

"I see," the prince smiled slightly, "the thing you said is called a steam engine, which can convert the steam produced after boiling water into power, the principle is very simple, but only the border town can produce it." ”

"Does this really exist?"

"Of course," Roland said, "but it's complicated to make, and it's expensive. If you are interested, you can follow me to see the real thing. ”

"It's a pleasure," she said excitedly, getting up excitedly.

......

In the North Slope Mine, Margaery's eyes almost fell as she saw the steel monster that roared and pulled the minecart full of stones out of the mine little by little.

"Your Highness, this, this...... It's incredible. She said in a trembling voice, "I thought your messenger was exaggerating, but I didn't expect him to say much less...... I'm afraid that dozens of people together can't compare to this ...... Steam engine. ”

The businesswoman wanted to take a closer look, but was stopped by Roland, "The steam engine at work is very dangerous, don't get too close to it." See all those white gases coming out? Just a little bit of it will burn your skin. ”

"Do you only use it to haul ore?" she asked aloud as she had to raise her head because of the noise.

"There are two in the mine, the first machine is responsible for towing the mine truck, and the second machine is responsible for pumping water from the mine. Roland replied, "In fact, from the time of its development to the present day, only three steam engines have been produced in the frontier towns, and I must use them where they are most needed." But it's actually very versatile, and in addition to what you see, it can also replace windmills and waterwheels to grind wheat, and is not affected by rivers and winds. Anywhere a lot of manpower or animal power is required, it can come in handy, and it can even be loaded onto a sailboat, drive an oar, and sail fast without a sailboat!"

He knows how much a ship that ignores the wind and direction of the wind means to the people of the fjords. Sure enough, Margaery looked at Roland, her eyes were about to glow, "You can make a price, I want to buy it!"

"This one can't do it, the mine still depends on it to maintain production. You can order a few new steam engines and wait until the saltpeter arrives before you settle the bill. ”

"How ......much does it cost?"

Roland led her to a position farther away from the entrance of the mine, and the noise of the machine working was finally less harsh. "Five hundred golden dragons," he said. This price is set a bit exaggerated, almost equivalent to the annual income of a knight's domain. The ore cost of the steam engine is about twenty gold dragons, plus the smelting fee, labor cost, and installation fee, it is only fifty gold dragons. However, buying and selling is inherently a bargain.

"I'm going to buy ten steam engines!"

"......" Roland was stunned, ten is five thousand gold coins! It is almost equivalent to the savings of Duke Lane for five or six years. Not even bargaining, is that what the big dog does? He cleared his throat, "Are you sure? This is not a small expense. Also, you don't buy a machine and use it forever, you have to keep investing money in maintaining it. ”

"I know, just like a ship goes to the dock every year to clean the keel parasites and algae, and change the sails and cables," Margaery said unconcernedly, "I can buy it from you at your expense." If you really can't, you can make another price and sell me the craftsmen who maintain and operate the machine. ”

Roland kept his mouth shut, he had only one thought in his heart, it was good to be rich. (To be continued.) )