That's not how you use a witch!

Chapter 12 I'm not going anywhere

"Nephew Ronan, let me be frank, I'm here for the matter of pig iron trade."

After a moment of awkward silence, Vance spoke up.

"Recently, the high-quality and inexpensive pig iron from Thornlands has become very popular among merchants in the West, and people are spreading the word that a new iron mine has been discovered in Thornlands."

As a neighbor, I'd love to see Thorn Territory thrive, but only if Mountain Territory isn't affected. My people need to eat too, don't they? Our pig iron orders have dropped significantly; if this continues, many of my people will go bankrupt.

I believe that only mutually beneficial and stable relationships can last. I'm sure His Excellency the Duke of the West would not want to see any serious disputes arising between territories due to trade…”

Vance, using the most tactful possible language, reminded Ronan: "Give the elders some face! If you really embarrass me, I'll have no choice but to complain to the higher-ups!"

Frankly speaking, this accusation was actually quite weak, and could even be described as aggrieved, but it was already his limit.

However, Vance's original plan before entering Thorn Territory was much more aggressive.

As an elder, he didn't think he needed to be overly polite to the younger generation; as a local lord, he didn't take this stinking outsider seriously either.

Carrying a witch, a humanoid strategic weapon, is also intended to demonstrate military power and achieve the effect of subduing the enemy without fighting. On this basis, a combination of soft and hard tactics, and a blend of kindness and severity, can be employed.

If Ronan is sensible, he will proactively reduce trade volume as a gesture of goodwill, and may even supply pig iron to the Mountain Territory at below-market prices as compensation.

If he doesn't know his place, Vance will take a hard line and let this young upstart know that he's still got it.

But now, Vance doesn't think that way at all.

In the event of war, his bunch of good-for-nothings are completely unreliable and will undoubtedly be crushed instantly by the invincible militia of the Thorn Territory.

As for his witch?

"Please have a drink."

As the servant poured tea for Vance, Madel also poured a cup of lavender tea for Lilith.

His slightly narrowed eyes exuded a powerful aura, as if to say, "Try not drinking it."

"QAQ Thank you..."

Lilith nervously accepted the tea, practically shrinking into her chair. Her witch's intuition told her that Madale was far more powerful than her, and that if a conflict broke out, she would be taken away before the tea even cooled.

Lilith looked at Vance pitifully, as if asking her boss when they could leave this terrible place.

Vance looked up at the sky and sighed—clearly, he couldn't count on his witch either…

At this point, his negotiations had effectively failed. What cannot be obtained by force cannot be obtained by words either.

Ronan could have easily refused his request, since it was just normal trade and there was nothing wrong with it.

While it might be considered ethically disrespectful for a junior to be assertive towards an elder, nobles are all shrewd individuals. For the other lords of the West, the high-quality, inexpensive pig iron is far more practical than such formalities.

Even if the matter were brought to the Duke of the West, Ronan would at most be reprimanded or fined some ironware and ingots.

Afterwards, the Duke will most likely be wary of this territory with huge iron-producing potential and use various methods to restrain Ronan, but that will only make Ronan uncomfortable, not Vance.

No matter how you look at it, the future of the mountain territory is bleak.

To Vance's surprise, Ronan did not respond or question him forcefully; instead, he nodded rather sincerely.

"Uncle Vance hit the nail on the head. Only mutually beneficial and stable relationships can last. In fact, that's what I think too. Even if you hadn't come, I would have visited you sooner or later."

"Visiting me?"

Vance raised an eyebrow, unsure of what this kid was up to.

"Are you perhaps curious why, despite its abundant iron reserves, Thorn Territory has absolutely no smoke? This seems illogical, doesn't it?"

Ronan said in a seductive tone.

"Well... I am indeed a little curious..."

Vance had a bold guess, but he wasn't sure whether to believe it or not.

Before he could even think it over, Ronan made the decision for him: with a snap of his fingers, Maddale conjured a lump of raw iron out of thin air right in front of Vance. The whole process was remarkably quiet, producing neither smoke nor any sound whatsoever.

Then came the process of forging wrought iron with bare hands.

Then came the crafting of weapons and armor by hand.

"this……"

Vance stared wide-eyed, his heart filled with a mixture of absurdity, surprise, and bewilderment.

Witches possess all sorts of strange abilities, but since the beginning of this world, their only purpose has been to fight relentlessly, whether against evil beasts or enemies.

But at that moment, the young lord showed him through his actions: that's not how witches are used...

"This is the secret to Thornfield's daily production of thousands of pounds of pig iron, and now you see it. As you can see, Madell can actually create far more than just pig iron; it's just that creating pig iron produces the least amount of pollution and has the highest cost-effectiveness."

Vance nodded; if he had only been sweating a little before, he was now drenched in sweat.

"I will not reveal this secret. I swear to you on the honor of my noble birth!"

Vance patted his chest and said.

Upon seeing this, Lilith immediately nodded repeatedly, as if to say, "Me too."

Of course, Vance, as a viscount, knew perfectly well that noble honor was utterly worthless. If he were Ronan, he obviously wouldn't have believed him for that reason either.

"Yes...we can cooperate."

Vance realized that Ronan's words had a hidden meaning: the pollution from making pig iron was the least, which meant that the pollution from making wrought iron and weapons was much greater.

Although the militiamen each carried a spear, their armor coverage was not very high, which at least suggests that these sophisticated iron weapons were difficult to mass-produce for the time being.

While the Mountain Territory also has iron mines, it is primarily renowned for its numerous and highly skilled blacksmiths. In fact, aside from occasionally exporting small quantities of pig iron, the Mountain Territory regularly imports a significant amount of iron to meet the blacksmiths' processing needs.

Since it's all imported anyway, why not choose something from nearby? It would save on transportation costs!

"That's what I meant too. Uncle Vance truly is a lord with vision."

Ronan smiled with satisfaction after hearing Vance's suggestion.

Soon, the two lords signed a mutual aid contract:

Effective immediately, the Thorn Territory will regularly supply pig iron to the Mountain Territory at 20% of the market price, while the Mountain Territory will process the weapons and armor needed by the Thorn Territory free of charge. The supply priority between the two sides will be the highest.

Whether it is pig iron or finished products, they are all marked with the common mark of both territories when traded abroad, and the price and sales are unified. Neither party may engage in dumping at low prices without the permission of the other party.

Through the pig iron trade route, Vance also proposed other areas of cooperation, such as jointly repairing and maintaining surrounding trade routes, exchanging border intelligence, and sending blacksmiths to Thornlands to repair equipment for the militia at any time.

Ronan readily accepted these suggestions, some of which he had already intended to make, and others that he hadn't even thought of—otherwise, how could they say that experience is the best teacher?

"Well then, it'll be a pleasure doing business with you, Uncle Vance."

After the signing ceremony, Ronan raised his teacup, using tea instead of wine.

"It was a pleasure working with you; you're a very promising young man!"

Vance also finished his tea in one gulp. At this moment, all his previous anxiety and unease vanished, replaced by a sense of exhilaration and anticipation.

In his youth, Vance had made great military achievements, but he was neglected because he chose the wrong side, and even at his advanced age, he was still just a minor viscount.

His intuition told him that he had boarded the right ship this time.

……

After seeing Vance off, Ronan breathed a sigh of relief, a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

Despite having the upper hand throughout, he was just a lowly police officer in his previous life, and it was impossible for him not to be nervous when facing such a situation for the first time.

Fortunately, Vance was a shrewd man, which saved him a lot of trouble. If it had been someone who was completely unyielding, it's hard to say how the negotiation would have turned out.

After all, the mainstream view holds that witches should die in battle to atone for their sins, which is also the Church's doctrine. His use of Medallion as a melee warrior, while not utterly rebellious, could easily be used against him.

"At least now we have a way out."

On the way back, Ronan joked with Madonna, "If the Church comes knocking, I'll send you to the Mountain Territory. Vance certainly won't treat you badly."

However, instead of being happy to hear this, Madonna's face visibly fell.

"I'm not going to the mountain territory."

"Oh? Where do you want to go?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

The girl turned her head away.

"No matter who comes knocking, I will stay by your side to protect you."

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