Chapter 375: So It Was That Lord
The guards did not show any particular reaction but treated Lynn like any ordinary visitor. One guard led him into a ground-floor room of the Rustbelt Trading headquarters.
He wasn't kept waiting for long before a merchant, whose hat was adorned with a feather, entered the room.
"Master Lynn, I hear you have a partnership you wish to discuss with us. May I know the nature of this collaboration?"
Lynn didn't bother with the posturing of asking if the merchant was the highest authority; he skipped the formality and simply took out the signet ring King Esterad had given him from his runic leather pouch.
"Does this look familiar?"
"This is..."
The merchant paused. He first politely sought Lynn's permission, "May I?" then received the signet ring from Lynn's hand. He quickly glanced at Lynn, then pulled out a magnifying glass from an unknown location and placed it on the signet ring, beginning a meticulous examination of the details. Lynn waited patiently for the merchant to study the item.
After a moment, the merchant put down the magnifying glass, pulled out a fine silk handkerchief, wrapped the signet ring inside, and carefully wiped it several times before handing it back to Lynn with both hands.
"Ah, you are one of the comrades summoned by That Lord. This is not a suitable place. Please, follow me."
The merchant respectfully ushered Lynn out of the room. The two of them passed through a heavily guarded spiral staircase and arrived at a luxurious suite on the second floor.
"Please wait just a moment, I will go and inform His Excellency, the Trade Prince, immediately."
This time, Lynn did not have to wait long.
A middle-aged man wearing a high top hat entered the suite. The man adjusted his hat. "Greetings to you, Lord Lynn. I am Oberstein, the Trade Prince of Rustbelt Trading."
The Trade Prince was the ultimate authority in Rustbelt Trading. Despite the 'Prince' title, the person holding the position historically had never been a member of the nobility.
This was why, when the Tyssen family was driven out of Kovir and Poviss, and Rustbelt Trading subsequently pledged loyalty to King Niedamir, the entire multinational corporation saw virtually no cleansing of its upper management.
Oberstein smiled and said, "The glorious deeds of you and the other two witcher Masters have long circulated here. That Lord even said that without the activity of the three Masters, he might have perished at the hands of that Griffin School witcher."
"It was the Cat School," Lynn corrected him. "Not the Griffin School. And, only two witchers, including myself, were protecting that Lord at the time, not three."
Oberstein visibly relaxed, and his eyes held a hint of greater familiarity. "It seems you are indeed Master Lynn, beyond a shadow of a doubt."
Lynn neither confirmed nor denied Oberstein's test.
Rustbelt Trading was a multinational corporation that received little mention in the original books or games... or perhaps, it was simply that Kovir and Poviss, in general, lacked much screen time in the original works, only being mentioned in passing by others.
Lynn only learned about them after arriving in this world and interacting with Esterad. Given that Rustbelt Trading openly pledged allegiance to Poviss's current ruler but secretly remained loyal to the Tyssen family, it was understandable that Oberstein would be cautious.
"Now that my identity has been confirmed, can we proceed to business?" Lynn asked.
Oberstein nodded. "I heard from my subordinate that you wish to form a partnership with Rustbelt Trading, Master Lynn? What kind of collaboration are you proposing?"
"Before I state my purpose, I hope Your Excellency can answer one question for me," Lynn paused, then asked, "Does Rustbelt Trading conduct business within the Kingdom of Kaedwen?"
Oberstein instinctively wanted to refuse. Such a commercial secret would ordinarily never be divulged. However, considering Lynn's special status and Esterad's firm instruction—the image of Esterad saying they must maintain good relations with Lynn if he arrived with the signet ring was vivid—the Trade Prince thought for a moment and answered without reservation: "Kaedwen severely lacks iron resources. Furthermore, because its relationship with surrounding neighbors is highly strained, iron ore must primarily be imported from Kovir and Poviss through Rustbelt Trading."
Lynn nodded slightly. Oberstein's answer was largely what he had anticipated. As resource-rich neutral nations of the far North, Kovir and Poviss held leverage, and even King Henselt, with his greedy and hopelessly foolish nature, was forced to rely on this northern kingdom.
"Then what is your opinion of the racial policies in Kaedwen? I'm referring mainly to the treatment of non-humans."
The Trade Prince once again considered whether to tell the truth or a lie. After a brief hesitation, Oberstein chose the truth.
"I believe King Henselt's actions are... somewhat inappropriate." The Trade Prince's inner voice screamed "idiotic," but he polished the sentiment before speaking.
"Population is a vital resource. Without people, armies cannot be replenished, fields go unworked, forests remain uncut, fish unharvested, and livestock unherded..."
"Just think, how terrifying would it be if these things happened? Undeniably, it would lead to the ruin of a nation."
"While I can understand that there are some people in this world who always place race first, believing one race is inherently bad and another inherently good, as a Koviri, I cannot agree with such methods."
"Do they truly not realize how childish this behavior is? King Henselt could have used ten thousand different ways to make those non-humans serve the Kingdom of Kaedwen more effectively. It is a pity he chose the absolute worst method."
Oberstein's attitude finally reassured Lynn, and he stated his objective. "I need you to go to the non-human settlements in Kaedwen and bring me the non-humans who are willing to leave. I will reimburse all their travel and living expenses. Additionally, for every ten non-humans you bring back, I will pay you one crown in commission."
One crown for ten non-humans might seem paltry, but it was worth remembering that there were approximately two hundred thousand non-humans in Kaedwen, making up about three percent of the total population.
Even if only half of them were taken away, that would still total ten thousand crowns. More importantly, this wasn't a dedicated trip for them. They already conducted business in Kaedwen, so this was simply extra income earned along the way.
However, the Trade Prince seemed to have misunderstood something, his face turning grim. "Master, I am not sure if you misunderstand us, but we do not engage in the slave trade."
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