Chapter 145: Giant Dragon Logistics
The early spring territory was brimming with vitality.
Standing atop the city walls and gazing into the distance, the lush greenery stretched like an ocean. A gust of wind stirred the mountain mist, sending rolling waves of emerald across the landscape.
A recent spring rain had coaxed the sown grains to sprout promising shoots.
In the past, Baron Badma would have been in high spirits.
Yet now, he paced restlessly along the battlements, his expression fraught with anxiety.
Thanks to the introduction of the warlock Raymond, he had successfully connected with Tony's merchant caravan, despite having met them only once.
The two had agreed that Tony would deliver the goods while Baron Badma transferred payment via the Interconnected Bank.
For this, he had even gritted his teeth and paid a 30% deposit upfront.
According to the agreed schedule, Tony’s caravan should have arrived at the castle by noon today.
But no matter how long he waited, there was no sign of Tony.
Not even the subordinates stationed at the territory’s entrance had spotted the caravan’s banners.
"Lord Badma, could this... be a scam? Should I..."
A Grand Magus in a blue robe approached and whispered, making a slashing motion across his own neck.
His name was Amos, Baron Badma’s trusted assistant.
He had always disliked the warlock Raymond.
Outwardly, he scorned Raymond’s research into the dark arts of demonic summoning, but in truth, he was jealous of Raymond’s power and the status he had usurped.
"It shouldn’t be a scam. A 30% deposit isn’t worth the trouble of fraud, unless..."
Baron Badma’s eyes widened suddenly, and he hurriedly opened the internet to send a message to his subordinates guarding the warehouse, asking for an update.
"Lord Badma, everything in the warehouse is normal."
The reply from the warehouse eased Baron Badma’s tension slightly.
Unable to hold back any longer, he sent a voice message to Tony, a flicker of admiration rising unbidden in his heart.
The advent of the internet was truly a marvel.
Especially the Internet Social Platform—it was simply too useful.
"Hey, my old friend, where are you now? Didn’t you say you were almost here? Why haven’t I seen you yet?"
The moment the voice call connected, Baron Badma couldn’t help but complain.
"My dear Baron Badma, I really am almost there. Blame your castle for being too small."
Tony’s teasing words darkened Baron Badma’s expression.
"My castle may be small, but my territory is absolutely vast. With such a large territory, don’t tell me you got lost?"
Baron Badma retorted sarcastically.
He wasn’t exaggerating.
Though he was only the lowest-ranking baron, his territory was so expansive that some might mistake him for a count—especially since it encompassed an entire barren mountain range.
"Haha, I really did get lost. Ah—I see you now!"
Tony’s words left Baron Badma stunned.
See me?
He turned his head in bewilderment, scanning the vast stretches of verdant farmland outside the castle walls—there was nowhere to hide.
How could Tony possibly see him?
Before the deeply suspicious Baron Badma could voice his question, his vision suddenly darkened.
A massive black shadow loomed over the city walls.
"Look—"
"What is that?"
"Oh heavens!"
Gasps of shock erupted from within the castle.
Baron Badma's pupils dilated as he suddenly snapped to attention and looked up.
An enormous, oval-shaped metal construct resembling a dragon, with a massive airship cabin attached to its underside, slowly descended from the sky.
"An airship—!"
Baron Badma exclaimed in astonishment!
As a devoted user of the internet, he recognized this construct at a glance.
Yet, it did nothing to diminish the awe in his heart.
Why had the Internet God's magical creation suddenly appeared here?
Could it be... Could it be that the Internet God was preparing to attack the Kaman Union?
Before he could even turn to flee, a teasing voice rang out from above:
"Hey, dear Baron Badma, my apologies! The mountain fog was thick, and we overshot! Deserves to die, we didn’t realize until we reached Capella Ridge! Anyway, hurry and prepare some hands to unload the goods. I’m pressed for time and will be leaving soon."
Baron Badma froze.
He could hardly believe his ears.
This airship belonged to Tony?
How... How was this possible?
Amidst his shock, countless thoughts flooded his mind.
Finally, gritting his teeth, he turned and ordered his subordinates to prepare for the delivery.
—It wasn’t that he wasn’t afraid of a trap, but as a lowly baron, the strongest force at his disposal was the warlock Raymond, whom he had recruited midway—a man of dubious origins who obeyed orders but not summons.
What could he possibly do to resist?
There was simply no way to resist!
So, aside from secretly instructing his capable assistant, Grand Magus Amos, to flee the castle with him at the first sign of trouble, he had no other options.
At the castle gates, the airship slowly descended.
Baron Badma, accompanied by a crowd of trembling servants, approached to receive the goods.
Through the wide-open cabin doors, he could see stacks of cargo inside.
In addition, a few magic puppets were stationed at various corners of the airship.
Tony, whom he had met once before, jumped down from the cabin with a beaming smile. While scolding the servants to be careful not to damage the cabin, he strode toward Baron Badma, arms wide open, and embraced him warmly.
"Haha, Baron Badma, how have you been?"
"Not bad!"
"I can see you’ve made quite a fortune in Kazad-dûm! Truly enviable! I’m not as lucky—born to toil, always running around."
Tony mocked himself, yet there wasn’t a trace of dejection in his eyes.
On the contrary, the way he looked at Baron Badma and the castle behind him carried a faint air of noble lords condescending to the countryside.
Even though his own father was merely a baron.
"Just a bit of hard-earned coin! By the way... is this airship yours?" Baron Badma couldn’t help but ask eagerly.
"If only it were mine! I can't afford to buy an airship. To be honest, this is Lord Ajef's airship—I merely hired it."
"Hired?" Baron Badma was stunned.
"The generous Lord Ajef founded a company called Giant Dragon Logistics... yes, a company, similar to a merchant guild. Giant Dragon Logistics accepts cargo transport contracts from anyone, so this airship is technically under my hire."
Tony didn’t hide the truth—there was no point.
Though the internet hadn’t spread the news yet, any merchant who had been to Vias knew about it. It wouldn’t stay hidden for long.
"Alright, hurry up and check the goods. My time is tight—this airship is charged by the hour."
Tony urged them again.
Baron Badma, still processing the sudden revelation, instructed his subordinates to inspect the cargo.
Tony was an honest businessman.
The goods were not just complete—there were even extras.
After the inspection, Baron Badma was satisfied. Once the payment was settled, he couldn’t help but glance at the remaining cargo in the airship cabin and ask, "What’s in there? Don’t misunderstand—I mean, can I purchase some more?"
"Of course, but you’ll have to wait a few days. Those goods are already reserved."
"Fair enough. Same as before—30% deposit?"
"Deal!"
Baron Badma immediately ordered his men to fetch the money from the vault.
"Wait—you’re paying in cash?" Tony interrupted.
"Yes, is there a problem?"
"My heavens, of course there’s a problem! If it’s cash, I only accept pure gold or hard currency magic materials. Plus, the deposit must increase by 10%." Tony looked both disgusted and troubled.
"That’s not funny! I’m paying in actual cash!" Baron Badma found the situation absurd.
"Lord Badma, I’m not joking! Don’t you know the mages in Keville only accept bank transfers, not cash? To trade with them, we have to deposit the money first. Do you have any idea how troublesome that process is?"
Tony began venting his frustrations:
"If you’ve been to Vias, you’d know—Vias bank branches have opened five counters, and the lines still stretch outside the city gates every day! Who has time to queue? Whether it’s sending servants to wait or buying queue numbers, it costs a fortune. Even exchanging money through big merchant houses requires trustworthy connections—it’s a huge hassle."
"Not to mention, they only accept silver coins and gold coins minted by our Kaman Union. And even then, they inspect each one for gold content. Severely worn coins are outright rejected, and even slightly worn ones must be discounted—another hidden cost."
"Besides, as you know, money deposited in the bank earns interest. The 30% deposit you paid me isn't just that amount—it includes interest as well. If you pay me in cash now, I'd be losing out on that interest. Crunching the numbers, to be honest, if it weren't for our acquaintance, I wouldn't even take this deal. Charging you a 40% deposit would already be a favor for a familiar face."
Baron Badma listened as Tony counted off the intricacies on his fingers, laying out every twist and turn, and felt utterly unsettled.
A terrifying thought echoed in his mind:
Are the gold coins I’ve worked so hard to hoard in my vault... losing their value?
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