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Rhodes asked as he met the leader of the caravan, under the guidance of his deputy.

“Greetings, sir. We are from the Haim caravan, and I am the leader of the caravan, Paul Martins!” Martins said respectfully. “May I ask how I should address you, sir?”

“I am Karl Rhodes, the secretary here,” Rhodes replied with a slight smile. “Mr. Martins, please come with me! The lord has agreed to meet with you!”

Martins’ face immediately lit up with joy, “Thank you, Lord, and thank you, Mr. Rhodes, for leading the way!”

Following that, the group headed towards Long Eagle Territory, led by Rhodes.

As they walked, Martins’ expression became serious.

The deputy noticed and asked, puzzled, “What’s the matter, Mr. Martins?”

Martins replied, “Look at these fields, such a large area, all connected together, and they’re even planting the same crop. Have you seen anything like this anywhere else?”

The deputy, who had also been impressed earlier, nodded in agreement upon hearing Martins’ words, “It’s indeed surprising, unbelievable! But I still don’t understand why you are frowning.”

Martins said, “You need to learn to see the essence behind things. Otherwise, in business, you’ll suffer losses!”

“Think about it. Such a vast stretch of fields, even in a count or duke’s territory, is rare, let alone here, where it’s just a baron’s land and a remote one at that.”

“When something defies the norm, there’s often significant information hidden behind it! Can you think of anything now?”

The deputy thought for a while and then frowned as well:

“Usually, the people of a remote territory are more foolish and lazy. For a small domain to have so much land planted uniformly, it doesn’t seem like something the locals would do voluntarily. It seems this lord is quite extraordinary!”

“Exactly! You’re finally getting it!”

Martins had just finished speaking when he suddenly noticed a villager passing by carrying a hoe. He was momentarily stunned:

“The people working in these fields don’t seem like the other domain’s residents either.”

The deputy was also taken aback, “Not only are they not thin and sickly, but they also don’t have that awful stench about them. Even their clothes are clean, only stained with dirt! This is…”

They suddenly looked at the ground, realizing they were now traveling on a newly constructed stone road in Long Eagle Territory, which they had overlooked while being amazed by the surrounding sights.

“This is so long! So neatly laid! Such large stones! Where did they find these?”

The entire caravan was stunned.

Even the seasoned wandering knights of the caravan, who had roamed far and wide, had never seen such a scene. They tapped the ground with their sword hilts, producing a dull, echoing sound.

Everyone else felt the solid ground beneath their feet, finding it somewhat unreal.

Martins, in particular, got down from the carriage and lay on the ground.

He tapped the stone with his hand, only hearing the muffled sound of his own bones hitting the stone, with no echo from the stone itself.

Unconvinced, Martins licked the stone with his tongue and was taken aback.

“Mr. Martins, did you find anything? Is this really stone?” the deputy asked curiously, crouching beside him.

Martins remained silent for a moment before nodding bitterly:

“Yes! It is indeed stone! And a type of high-strength stone I’ve never seen before!”

He grabbed the deputy by the collar, his eyes bloodshot, “Do you know? If this stone were made into slabs two fingers thick, it would be worthy of being used in the King’s Square in the capital! And these are just raw stones!”

He stared blankly at the road ahead, listening to the sound of swords striking the ground, murmuring to himself, “But here, it’s not just slabs; it’s entire stones! And they seem so naturally placed, as if they grew here!”

“I can’t imagine who could have the strength to transport such massive stones to pave this road!”

“This is a miracle! It must be a miracle!”

“My God, what kind of place is this!”

Martins felt like he was losing his mind.

“Is this stone really that good?” the deputy asked, swallowing nervously.

Upon hearing this, Martins seemed triggered and shouted:

“Good? It’s more than good! When I licked it, I noticed the stone felt slightly sticky to my tongue, and the moisture mark disappeared quickly, indicating that the grain is extremely fine! The quality is outstanding!”

He paused for a moment and added, “It’s even better than granite!”

The deputy, now with a point of reference, murmured, “The King’s Square is paved with granite.”

The surrounding villagers, seeing their reactions, began to talk among themselves, “Is that guy crazy? Licking the stone like that?”

“Haha, he’s probably just stunned by our Long Eagle Territory’s roads! If we hadn’t built it ourselves, we wouldn’t believe such a road existed either!”

“The Witch Lady’s power is beyond what these outsiders can understand!”

“Right! Luckily, we have the Witch Lady’s abilities. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to hold our heads high in front of these outsiders!”

“Exactly! These rich people from outside aren’t so great! They’re as amazed as bumpkins when they see our Long Eagle Territory’s roads!”

Initially, the villagers had been intimidated by the caravan, especially knowing that there were knights among them.

But now, seeing their reactions, they laughed out loud.

Even the knights were tapping the road with their sword hilts as if they were country folk who had never seen the world.

For a moment, the villagers felt a strange sense of pride.

They might never have imagined in their lifetime that they could feel superior in front of these wealthy outsiders.

“Don’t just praise our Witch Lady. I heard from my son that she said her abilities were all thanks to the lord. I think it’s our lord who’s truly remarkable!”

“That’s true! Too bad the lord likes to use his whip so much! I got whipped a few times during my prayers last time, and I’m still traumatized!”

“You’re still praying?”

“I said I used to! I don’t pray anymore after the lord said that if Ahura Mazda really existed, he would’ve come after him by now!”

“But since the lord is still perfectly fine, it means Ahura Mazda is nothing special! From now on, I only believe in our lord!”

“They’re almost at the castle. I wonder what our lord will discuss with them? I tell you, they’re just a bunch of bumpkins!”

Martins was still unaware that he had just been ridiculed by the villagers he looked down upon.

Everything he saw along the way left him utterly shocked. His business acumen and extensive travel experience were shattered at that moment, leaving his mind in a whirl.

In this state, he finally met Richard.