"Are you mainly dealing with saltpeter in the King's City?" Roland got straight to the point.

"No, Your Highness," Margie's smile was no longer perfunctory, and her words held a hint of intimacy. "I deal in many things, from gems to fabrics, from hotels to taverns. In fact, I wasn't in the saltpeter business until a month ago. It's just that the original owner of the saltpeter plant lost everything in my casino and had to mortgage the whole place to me."

Not only selling various goods, but also doing service industry... What is the origin of this merchant? You need more than just money to open a casino in the King's City. He tapped the table, and Nightingale was pinching the middle - which meant that the other party was carrying God's Stone of Retribution, and it was impossible to judge whether they were lying.

Wait... since it can't be observed, why did she pinch her right side so hard before?

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

He had heard that some merchants from the Fjords, after settling in the Four Kingdoms, had grown their businesses bigger and bigger, and the wealth they accumulated was unimaginable. After all, the Sea Folk are natural merchants, extremely adventurous and with a keen sense of smell, good at seizing business opportunities. Many people were fleeced after they made their fortunes, while others successfully gained a foothold, bribed local connections, and formed relatively stable alliances of interests. Could Margie also be one of those big shots?

With that in mind, Roland decided to state his demands directly, "I need a lot of saltpeter, the more the better."

"But the western part of the kingdom isn't exactly a hot place, especially the towns near the Impassable Mountain Range. Your Highness, do you really need that much saltpeter?" she asked curiously. "I have three saltpeter plants in the suburbs of the King's City, enough to supply ice to the nobles of a medium-sized city."

Three saltpeter plants! Roland was overjoyed, but his expression didn't change. "I plan to build a cold storage in the basement of the castle to store some perishable food. If you give me a good price, I'll take all the saltpeter."

"Since you've said so," she nodded, "I can transport all the saltpeter to Border Town and only charge you the market price. However..."

"However, what?"

"I don't really want gold royals, they're almost filling up my warehouse. I heard you have some very peculiar products here, if possible, could you use these instead of gold royals? I would be very happy to reach a trade agreement with you."

"Peculiar products?" Roland was stunned, it was the first time he had heard of someone not wanting gold royals.

"Yes, like the self-operating black iron creations," Margie leaned forward slightly. "Your servant said that this thing only needs to be lit and boiled, and it has amazing power. In fact, I decided to come to Border Town in person after hearing about this, otherwise, it would be more in my interest to sell the saltpeter directly to the King's City nobles - the further the transport distance, the greater the losses I suffer."

This is really a pleasant surprise, Roland thought. Although he didn't know how Barov's apprentice had gotten in touch with this line, or how they had talked about the steam engine, it was clear that this King's City merchant was very interested in it.

He was well aware of how amazing the profits of industrialized products were, especially mechanical products that only he could manufacture. He was originally worried that after Border Town no longer sold ore, the money moved from the Duke's Mansion would eventually run out, but he didn't expect that an excellent opportunity would now be in front of him.

"I see," the prince smiled slightly. "What you're talking about is called a steam engine, it can convert the steam generated by boiling water into power. The principle is very simple, but only Border Town can produce it."

"Does this thing really exist?"

"Of course," Roland spread his hands. "But it is very complicated to manufacture and quite expensive. If you are interested, you can come with me to see the real thing."

"With great pleasure," she said excitedly, getting up.

...

At the North Slope Mine, Margie's eyes almost popped out when she saw the steel monster making a piercing roar pulling the stone-filled mine carts out of the mine one by one.

"Your Highness, th-th-this... is simply unbelievable," she said in a trembling voice. "I thought your envoy was exaggerating before, but I didn't expect that what he said was far from enough... I'm afraid dozens of people together are no match for this... steam engine."

The female merchant wanted to take a closer look, but Roland stopped her. "The steam engine is very dangerous when it's working, don't get too close to it. Do you see those white fumes coming out? If you touch even a little, it will burn your skin."

"Do you only use it to transport ore?" Because the noise was too loud, she had to raise her head and ask loudly.

"There are two steam engines in the mine in total. The first one is responsible for pulling the mine carts, and the second one is responsible for draining the water from the mine." Roland replied. "In fact, from the time it was successfully developed until today, Border Town has only produced three steam engines. I have to use them where they are most needed. But its use is actually very wide. In addition to what you see, it can also replace windmills and waterwheels to grind wheat, and it is not affected by rivers and wind power. It can be used in any place that requires a lot of manpower or animal power, and it can even be installed on sailboats to drive the oars, and ships without sails can also sail quickly!"

He knew how much the seaworthy ships unaffected by wind force and direction meant to the people of the Fjords. Sure enough, Margie looked at Roland, her eyes almost glowing. "Name your price, I want to buy it!"

"This one won't work, the mine still needs it to maintain production. You can order a few new steam engines first, and we'll settle the bill when the saltpeter arrives."

"What is its price...?"

Roland led her to a location further away from the mine entrance, and the noise of the machine working was finally less harsh. "Five hundred gold royals," he said. The price was a bit exaggerated, almost equivalent to the annual income of a knight's territory. The ore cost of a steam engine is about twenty gold royals, plus the smelting fee, labor cost, and installation fee, it is only fifty gold royals. But after all, buying and selling is about bargaining.

"Then it's settled! I want to buy ten steam engines!"

"..." Roland was stunned. Ten units are five thousand gold coins! Almost equivalent to the accumulation of Duke Ryan for five or six years. There was not even any bargaining. Is this how big shots do business? He cleared his throat. "Are you sure? This is not a small expense. Moreover, the machine cannot be used forever once it is bought. You also have to constantly invest money to maintain it."

"I know, just like sea ships have to go to the shipyard every year to clean the keel of parasites and algae, and replace sails and ropes," Margie said nonchalantly. "I'll pay you for whatever needs to be replaced or added. If it doesn't work, you can give me another price and sell me the craftsmen who maintain and operate the machine as well."

Roland closed his mouth, he only had one thought in his mind: it's good to be rich. (.)