"Your Highness, I wanted to ask you when I entered the door," Hogg looked relieved, and he drank a pot of ice water from the barrel, "This picture is painted in the hall...... I'm afraid it's not something that ordinary people can draw, right? Pen ~ Fun ~ Pavilion www.biquge.info" He paused and said in a low voice, "This is ...... The work of witches?"

Roland looked at Margaery, who nodded, "Your Highness, rest assured, Hogg is an old friend of mine who I have known for many years, and he has no ill will towards witches. ”

"You guessed it right, it was indeed drawn by a witch. After a hot air balloon ride near the beach two days ago, Roland wanted to preserve the magnificent scenery, and since the castle parlor was poorly decorated and there were no paintings, he simply asked Soroya to turn the stone wall behind the main seat into a huge fresco. With the artistic background wall, the style of the hall instantly improved by several notches.

"I know," Hogg sighed, "that though they are advertised as minions of the devil, those strange abilities are truly enviable. Ordinary people can't fly into the air like they do and paint such a beautiful mural. ”

"You're only right in the first half," Roland shook his head, "and ordinary people can fly even without magic, even higher than eagles, and faster than swifts." ”

"You're so humorous," Hogg laughed, "unless we have an extra pair of wings and become lighter than birds." ”

Margaery was stunned, "Really?"

"Of course," laughed the prince, "I can prove it to you." ”

Exposing merchants to their inventions is also an effective way to build relationships and expand trade routes – from mugs to liquor, but whether they sell or not is another matter. Anyway, the caravan will stay in the town for a few days, and the normal business negotiation process should be to eat, drink, and have fun before signing at the end. And Anna is also interested in traveling in a hot air balloon, which is just the right time for her to take a break from her busy work schedule.

The Yuanwang was quickly inflated, and this time Roland simply called the witch who couldn't get to the hot air balloon last time, and Lucia timidly asked if she could take her sister up to have a look, and he agreed.

As the balloon slowly lifted up with the crowd, Margaery covered her mouth in surprise, and Hogg clung to the edge of the basket, not sure whether she was excited or afraid. Suzu was too short to see the scenery outside the basket, so Lucia had to pick her up, ride on her shoulder, cautiously approach the basket, and tell her not to move. Lightning, as a navigator and rescuer, has been circling the hot air balloon, occasionally grimacing at the bell.

In this way, the hot air balloon once again circled along the southern coastline, completing the aerial sightseeing tour.

......

Back at the castle, Hogg's legs were still shaking, and he stammered, "I never thought it would be so scary to look down from the sky, and I felt like I was going to fall at any moment." ”

"It would be nice to fly a few more times," laughed Roland, "and anyone who leaves the ground for the first time will have the illusion that he will vomit on a bumpy ship that he has never been to sea." ”

"You're right," exclaimed Margaery, "the view you have seen today is incredible, looking out over the sea from the air to the edge of the sea in an arc of blue. ”

"But Your Highness, I don't seem to be wrong," Hogg took a sip of iced liquor, "Ordinary people do fly into the sky, but it's still the witch's work. If it weren't for them, this big guy wouldn't have been able to fly. ”

"No, my old friend," said Margaery before Roland could speak, "didn't you notice? I also asked about Lightning, and she told me that if I filled the airbag with heat, the Lookout would be able to rise into the sky on its own. Flame is not a witch's prerogative, Your Highness, am I right?"

The fjord maritime merchants, who are worthy of gaining a foothold in the royal capital, are particularly outstanding in both observation and thinking skills, Roland smiled and nodded, "The heat rises, and the cold sinks, which is why it is called a hot air balloon." ”

"Is it really just a brazier?" Hogg wondered.

"That's not going to work, because in order to float in the air, you have to heat it continuously, and the wood itself is too heavy to carry too much, so you have to solve this problem in a special way. ”

"Can you do it?" asked Margaery, impatiently.

"Hmm...... It should be okay," Roland pondered for a moment, "but there is some trouble. ”

"That's great," she replied at once, "I wish I could buy four or five hot air balloons from you, not too big, just one person." ”

"You want to put it on the ship?" Hogg asked.

"Well, the mast can't be extended indefinitely, but the hot air balloon can, just tie a rope under the gondola so that it doesn't drift away with the wind. With a hot air balloon, lookouts can spot nearby pirate ships much earlier, and for maritime merchants, in addition to unpredictable storms and tsunamis, the most dangerous are the hordes of pirates. ”

"But I'm afraid the cost of it won't be too low," Roland estimated in his heart, "I expect to need more than a thousand golden dragons." ”

If it weren't heated by witches, the hot air balloon would have to be fueled with gas, and the easiest thing to get was undoubtedly gas. It's a pity that the coal mine in Gray Fort is in the area of Hanfeng Ridge, too far away from the border town, and according to the current traffic conditions, it is almost impossible to transport it. It is easier to switch to a hydrogen balloon, but it also needs to solve the problem of gas storage tanks - if it cannot be filled and discharged freely, it will not be practical.

"How about a thousand golden dragons per balloon?" Margaery bargained, "and if you make such a thing, I can guarantee that all the caravans that sail to and from the fjords will want to buy one or two." ”

"This time the Moonmoon Bay caravan didn't come with them, otherwise they would definitely place a big order," Hogg drank the liquor in his hand, "I don't need to, although the hot air balloon looks amazing, it is of no use to the mines of Silverlight City." I just hope to get my steam engine soon. ”

The price offered by the other party made Roland overjoyed, and the thousand gold dragons were his premium after increasing the estimated price by five times, but he didn't expect the other party to be able to accept the price of twice the price of the steam engine. But if you think about it, it's likely that a ship will carry more than that, not to mention the entire fleet of trading ships and sailors on board, and as long as they can avoid pirate raids, the deal is still a good deal for maritime merchants.

In addition, a thousand golden dragons are not a one-shot deal, whether it is hydrogen or gas, they are all consumables, and when they are used up, they must be taken back to the town to refill, which is another additional income...... Of course, if you buy a large number of gas tanks at one time, you can consider discounting or giving away the number of inflatable times. At this point, the 4S shop and the two barrels of oil are an example for him to learn and imitate.

Roland pretended to hesitate for a moment, and finally nodded, "Then it's a deal." (To be continued.) )