With just a single glance, he made his companion, who was about to speak, fall silent. The burly man in the lead wasted no words; his broad, well-defined face showed more straightforwardness and candor than anything else. His steady gaze fell on Harold's face as he said directly, “If you have something to say, just say it. I don’t like beating around the bush.”

Harold nodded and spoke frankly, “I have a bad reputation, but I like to lay things out clearly. You barbarians aren’t very good at business, and I’m afraid the goods you brought will hardly get you enough grain for your needs. If you trust me, why not let me handle things for you? I think you might be pleasantly surprised.”

The leader’s heart stirred, and he once again fixed his deep gaze on the other’s eyes. But to his surprise, the other man still wore that same roguish, slightly amused expression, showing little sincerity. Instinctively, the leader wanted to refuse. He never trusted commoners, and even this forced transaction was something he only did out of necessity. Though he didn’t know exactly how much profit those greedy merchants made from these deals, he knew the grain they promised was far from enough to meet his needs. No matter how he bargained or tried to find other merchants, everywhere he went, his appearance marked him as a barbarian, as if the words “easy to bully” were carved on his forehead. The merchants all refused to raise their prices, even bluntly telling him that prices were the same throughout all of Cyprus and the Homer region, and would never change. This was what had driven him and his companions to such a desperate situation, leaving them no choice but to come to the tavern to drown their sorrows.

The words of refusal that had risen to his lips were swallowed back. As a leader, he couldn’t judge things solely by personal likes and dislikes—that would be too irrational. The broad-faced man thought for a moment and said, “Why should we trust you?”

Shaking his head, Harold showed a look of regret on his confident face. “Simple—because you have no other choice. The Cyprus merchants’ guild has long since formed a tight organization; you can’t break their monopoly, at least not right now. I’m afraid trusting me might be your only wise option. Although I can’t guarantee absolute success, compared to what you can get now, what I offer is much more tempting. And as long as I make the first deal, the merchants’ united front will likely fall apart, and in the end, you’ll be the ones to benefit. So for this first time, I hope you’ll give me your best goods.”

Finally understanding the meaning behind this seemingly idle fellow’s words, the leader quietly accepted the proposal in his heart—of course, only if what the other promised could be delivered. But there was still one question he needed to ask: “Aren’t you afraid of retaliation from those merchants?” After all, if he ruined such a big deal for them, the merchants wouldn’t just swallow their anger. These people, with their powerful economic strength in Cyprus, would make anyone think twice before crossing them. The straightforward nature of the barbarians made the leader first consider the other’s situation. As a leader, he also knew that how someone handled the aftermath was a way to judge whether they truly intended to complete the deal. For outsiders like them, this was the only simple way to judge the other’s sincerity.

“Heh, the merchants are indeed powerful, but they won’t bother us. You don’t need to worry about that. Cyprus is, after all, still part of the Kingdom of Nicosia, and still belongs to Grand Duke Philip. This is a land of law and order—illegal acts won’t be tolerated.” With a sly smile, Harold spoke vaguely, not giving a direct answer, but the confidence he showed put the other at ease.

After a moment’s hesitation, the leader finally nodded in agreement, reluctantly accepting the deal. Seeing the other had agreed, Harold wasted no time and immediately had Potter, who had been standing by watching the negotiations in confusion, draft a sales agreement, then took the barbarian leader to a secluded spot to sign it.

Although the barbarians spoke the mountain dialect, they had no written language of their own. All contracts were written in the common language of the buyer’s region. Taking advantage of the barbarians’ ignorance of contract law and their inability to read, almost every merchant played tricks in this area, causing the barbarians endless suffering. In the Homer region, no one was willing to truly help these barbarians, and the legal officials looked down on these rough, simple people—even their complaints only earned them a whipping. Seeing the other party solemnly explain the contract terms to him, the barbarian leader felt in his heart that perhaps he had made the right decision. If he was being deceived, he would just have to accept it. At least the other’s caution at this moment made it impossible for him to tell truth from falsehood.