r18novel Chapter 24 Wool Lining
Chapter 24 Wool Lining
Whenever Natalie's true identity as a girl is revealed, danger is often imminent.
Her hair stood on end, and she stared at Mick warily like a growling, vicious dog.
"Oh! Don't be nervous,"
Seemingly sensing Natalie's emotional fluctuation, Mick smiled and raised his hands.
"I was just saying you concealed your gender, I didn't mean anything else."
Natalie cautiously asked, "How did you figure that out?"
Mick grinned: "A normal boy's shirt wouldn't be stretched this tight around his chest."
Upon hearing this, Natalie quickly lowered her head.
Then she stared wide-eyed in surprise.
When?!
Natalie was both surprised and delighted. The next time she saw her mother, she could finally hold her head high with pride!
But at the same time, there is also concern, which means that she may find it difficult to continue dressing as a man in the future.
Mick said, "I understand that if you're going to travel on the road, it's definitely safer and more convenient for a boy than for a girl, but if the lie is too obvious, there's no need to lie."
Natalie remained silent for a long time. She didn't sense any malice from the old knight, so she accepted the suggestion:
"Okay, we are father and daughter."
"I am very touched by the deep bond between father and daughter, but if you really want to save him, given the current situation, you will have to look for some unconventional methods."
"What kind of folk remedy?"
"The doctor's methods are nothing more than bloodletting, cutting, and prescribing some poppy soup, but these will not help your father's injuries at all. However, there are many magical powers in this world, such as witchcraft, magic, and alchemy. If you can find a suitable blessing scroll or healing potion, I think your father's chances of survival will greatly increase."
Hope rekindled in Natalie's eyes: "Where can I find these?"
"These are all rare items, but they occasionally circulate in the market. You can go to town and ask around, and try your luck."
Natalie immediately inquired about the route to the town, took all her money, and set off.
I have to save him, Natalie told herself; it's something I owe him.
It was already afternoon when Natalie successfully entered the city.
She went to the market and asked around, but no one had ever heard of the Blessing Scroll or the Healing Potion. Some even mocked her for being delusional.
But Natalie knew these things existed; she had seen them before, and Goringburg contained various alchemical potions.
The search yielded no results, but Natalie did not give up.
She planned to go to the clinic to ask around, and at least buy some medicine for Bourne's injuries.
"You're very lucky," said the obese doctor. "I happen to have a bottle of treatment medicine here."
Natalie's eyes lit up: "Really?!"
"Of course it's true. A passing traveling merchant sold it to me, and I was immediately attracted by its miraculous healing effects, so I bought it. But I regretted it right away. This stuff is too rare, so it's expensive and ordinary people can't afford it at all. If no one buys it, then it's just a bottle of useless colored potion."
As he spoke, the doctor took a bottle of pinkish-purple medicine from a locked drawer and placed it on the table.
Natalie, as readily as a wealthy woman, declared, "I'll take it!"
"Ha, two gold coins!"
The doctor's face instantly lit up with a smile, and he held up two fingers, then rubbed his palms together.
Natalie pulled out all her and Bourne's assets, counted them carefully, and then looked at the doctor with a pitiful expression:
"I only have a little over three silver coins."
After saying this, the doctor's face darkened instantly:
"Three silver coins? That's too little. I'd be losing a fortune if it's less than one and a half gold coins. Let's go, let's go, don't even look if you can't afford it!"
Natalie was kicked out of the clinic.
She felt somewhat disappointed; although she had clearly seen the outline of hope, it still seemed so far away.
Even if the doctor were willing to sell to Natalie for one and a half gold coins, she would still be short twelve large silver coins.
But it took Bourne more than half a month to earn this little money. Natalie anxiously wondered, where can I get a large sum of money?
Natalie was wandering aimlessly through the town's streets when suddenly she saw a horse-drawn carriage ahead, with a man sitting dejectedly in the driver's seat.
Natalie recognized him; it was the traveling merchant who had brought her and Bourne to the village.
If I remember correctly, his name is Hogan.
Natalie stepped forward and greeted them:
"Mr. Hogan."
"Oh, it's you," Hogan looked up and recognized her. "How is your father recovering?"
"Not ideal."
"Is that so? I'm sorry."
"Mr. Hogan, thank you so much for taking my father and me to the village back then, and you didn't even ask us for travel expenses."
"Given your father's injuries, I really feel bad taking your money. It's said that merchants are profit-driven, but they're not heartless. Besides, it's just on my way."
At that moment, Natalie suddenly thought that perhaps this kind businessman would be willing to lend her money.
So he said, "Mr. Hogan, could you lend me some money?"
"Can I lend you money?"
"Yes, I want to buy medicine for my father, but I'm a little short of eleven silver dollars. Please, I promise I'll pay you back later."
"I'm sorry, businessmen don't lend money easily. Besides, I don't have any money right now. Do you see the goods in my truck? I've converted almost all my cash into goods."
Natalie keenly sensed that Hogan seemed somewhat uneasy when he mentioned the cargo in the truck.
"Is there a problem with these goods?"
Hogan stared at Natalie for a long time after hearing this, as if he had made up his mind, before finally speaking his mind:
"Those are wool linings, which are common commodities for traveling merchants. But as you know, since spring and summer this year, there has been plenty of rain everywhere, the pastures are lush, and the sheep are growing well. As a result, there is a surplus of wool, which has caused the price of wool products to plummet. The goods I have here are now worth as much as a pile of garbage."
"So what are you going to do with this batch of goods?"
"I don't know. Maybe prices will recover in winter, but how will my horses and I survive until then? Selling them abroad might be an option, but I still can't afford the huge travel expenses."
"If that's the case, why did you buy these in the first place?"
"Of course I didn't want to buy it, but the local chamber of commerce was too insidious. They drugged my drink and tricked me into signing a contract while I was unconscious, making me buy that batch of wool linings at the normal price from previous years. Afterwards, I wanted to protest, but I had no evidence, so I had no way to appeal."
After listening, Natalie pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked:
"So, does that mean all chambers of commerce are bad guys?"
"Of course, their actions are no different from fraud and robbery; at the very least, they are crimes!"
Hogan vented through gritted teeth, wishing he could tear the other person to pieces and swallow them whole.
Natalie said:
"You helped us before, so this time, let me help you."
Hogan was stunned, thinking he had misheard, until he saw Natalie's serious expression:
"You? You want to help me? How?"
"The mermaid has her own way."
Natalie replied without hesitation.
Natalie didn't explain much, only sending a bewildered Hogan to the village to wait for her news, while she immediately set to work.
She went to the chamber of commerce that Hogan had mentioned and told the staff that she needed to speak with the president.
A short while later, Natalie was taken upstairs.
The president was a strong man with small eyes.
He sized Natalie up for a moment: "Are you a boy or a girl?"
Just as Mick had said, Natalie's disguise was no longer very effective.
She chose to follow Mick's advice and answered truthfully, "I am a girl."
"So, young lady, what brings you here?"
"I want to join the chamber of commerce and work here."
"They don't accept children here. Where are your parents?"
"My father is dead, and my mother has disappeared."
"I hope she ran off with someone instead of ending up with chickens," the chairman chuckled sarcastically. "But even if you were a lonely little girl, I couldn't take you in."
Natalie said without any fear:
"I'm more useful than adults; hiring me would be absolutely worthwhile."
"Excessive boasting is not a good habit, even for children."
"I am not exaggerating. I can read and write, do arithmetic, and am proficient in all kinds of etiquette. I can communicate with even nobles with ease."
After all, Natalie herself was a child from a noble family.
These skills were merely basic for the sons of nobles, but were extremely rare among commoners.
After hearing Natalie's self-recommendation, the president's face showed a look of great interest.
He then gave Natalie two test questions.
Ask Natalie to draft a letter for him, and ask Natalie to perform a transaction calculation.
Natalie completed the test efficiently and saw surprise on the president's face.
Clearly, in his eyes, it was incredibly valuable for a child, especially a girl, to be able to master these skills.
In business negotiations, the presence of women, who can approach issues from angles that men might not consider, can indeed bring many advantages.
However, Natalie could tell that the president was still hesitant.
It seems impossible to immediately determine whether the cost of recruiting Natalie is higher or lower than the value it brings.
The young man, who seemed to be the president's assistant, whispered a few words in the president's ear.
The two men wore meaningful smiles and occasionally gave Natalie a lewd look.
"They're plotting against me," Natalie thought. "They're definitely not good people."
But it doesn't matter, the real hunter always appears as the prey.
Finally, the two reached an agreement.
"Alright, you can stay and work at the Chamber of Commerce," the president said.
He then offered Natalie a lower salary, but promised to provide her with room and board.
That's enough; things are proceeding according to Natalie's plan.
Mermaids always have their own ways of achieving their goals.
Before long, the president will definitely extend his evil clutches to Natalie.
But before that, the mermaid had already dived into the deep sea.
In the middle of the night, Natalie, who was sleeping in the Chamber of Commerce dormitory, suddenly opened her eyes.
She hadn't taken off her clothes, only put on her shoes, and began to move stealthily.
During the day, Natalie noticed a locked metal box embedded in a cabinet in the president's office.
She immediately concluded that it was the chairman's treasury.
So before nightfall, she stole the keychain from the chairman's waist and, based on the shape of the vault's keyhole, removed and hid the possible keys before returning the keychain.
Natalie once cleverly stole money from everyone's pockets while being beaten up by a group of children.
If the target of the theft is just one person, it is even easier for Natalie.
She went to the office and inserted the key into the lock.
The iron box was opened easily.
It was indeed a vault, but the amount of valuables inside was far less than Natalie had anticipated.
There are only thirteen gold coins in total.
Natalie quickly figured out the reason.
Since the Chamber of Commerce used insidious means to force Hogan to sell his wool products, putting Hogan on the verge of bankruptcy.
Therefore, the original owner of this batch of goods may have already suffered huge losses due to the sharp drop in commodity prices.
This chamber of commerce probably won't last long either.
However, Natalie did not sympathize with them.
Being willing to take responsibility for one's own profits and losses is a fundamental quality of a businessman.
No matter how much misfortune they endure, it is not a reason for them to harm others.
So Natalie wanted to get justice for Hogan and also to give him some minor punishment.
Having stolen the money, Natalie immediately fled from the Chamber of Commerce building.
The city gates didn't open until dawn, and before that, Natalie had other things to do.
She went to the clinic again and knocked hard on the door.
Natalie only stopped when candles were lit on the second floor.
Then, the door opened.
The sleepy-eyed doctor looked at Natalie with displeasure, clearly annoyed at being disturbed from her sleep.
"It's you again. What is it?"
"I want to buy that healing potion."
"I said I wanted two gold coins."
Natalie didn't say anything, but simply took out her money.
Even in the dim light of a candle, the gold coins gleamed brilliantly.
The doctor's eyes widened, his sleepiness completely gone:
"Where did you get the money?"
"This is none of your business. Just bring the medicine."
Natalie exchanged the gold coins for a healing potion and then immediately went to the city gate.
So that when the city gates open, they can escape the town immediately.
As the sun rises in the east, the girl leaves the city.
It was already morning when she returned to the village.
Hogan arrived there as agreed and waited for Natalie.
Natalie stood beside him and asked:
"How much did the Chamber of Commerce sell you for this batch of goods?"
"Eight gold coins."
Natalie took out eight gold coins and handed them to Hogan.
Hogan stared at the gold coin in his palm, his pupils trembling with shock.
He looked at Natalie with an incredulous expression:
"What did you do?"
"I just got the money back for you."
"You stole money from the Chamber of Commerce?"
Natalie nodded.
"How could you do this? Even if it's for my sake...you'll be wanted by the police!"
Hogan paced anxiously back and forth before stuffing the gold coin back into Natalie's hand.
"Return the money to the Chamber of Commerce, and I'll go with you to apologize. Perhaps they will forgive you and won't tell the lord about this."
Natalie was already wanted by the king, and both she and Bourne were enemies of the entire kingdom.
Adding a minor charge of theft to her name is of little consequence.
Natalie handed the money to Hogan again:
"It's too late. I've already spent some of the stolen money."
After saying that, Natalie didn't give Hogan another chance to push her and turned to leave.
In this way, she would have repaid the debt she owed Hogan.
There are three gold coins left.
Natalie found Mick, who asked with concern:
"Where did you go last night? You haven't come back yet. I'm so worried about you."
Natalie took out the healing potion:
"I've found the alchemical elixir you mentioned. Now it can save my father, right?"
Mick took the bottle, and after confirming that it was not a fake, he looked at Natalie in disbelief, speechless for a long time.
For some reason, the way he looked at Natalie became serious.
Mick nodded, went to Bourne's ward, and gave Bourne the medicine.
Natalie saw that Byrne's face was visibly flushed.
She let out a long breath, her tense nerves finally relaxing completely in that instant, but then she felt an intense hunger.
"Sir, I'm hungry. Is there anything to eat?"
"I'll get you some bread."
"I want something hot, and I want meat too."
Mick smiled kindly:
"This is the first time I've seen you have such an appetite since you came to the village, that's a good thing... So, how about some charcoal-grilled smoked pork chops?"
"Pork is too greasy," Natalie said, not liking greasy food, a trait she remembered her mother shared.
"The jam in our village can cut through the richness, but unfortunately we ran out of jam not long ago."
Natalie tilted her head: "Why?"
"The future queen's wedding procession stopped in this village. Her Majesty seemed to really like my jam, so her count father bought it all. By the way, Her Majesty is only a year or two older than you."
Natalie had heard of this team.
If she wasn't mistaken, her mother was mixed in with the group.
She was somewhat resentful that she didn't get a chance to taste the jam.
"What a greedy girl, she doesn't even know how to think about others..."