[Lord of Abundance] Chapter 11: The Open-Air Auction

 Chapter 11: The Open-Air Auction

As for those weeds that could produce even more seeds—Kun wasn’t insane.

In a world where the vast majority of the lower classes still struggled to fill their stomachs, planting useless, inedible weeds on the fertile lands of the Fengrao Domain?

Looking across the histories of both worlds, that kind of absurd lord would be dragged to the gallows the moment famine or war struck.

Green wheat might be cheap, but it could fill stomachs.

As long as the Fengrao Domain had enough food, it would attract more people. More people meant more hands to cultivate more land.

Everything would move in a positive direction. This much, Kun could calculate clearly.

He had high hopes for it. With the vast, fertile black soil of the territory, once this year’s wheat harvest came in, he should be able to light up the second—and perhaps even the third—segment of the Abundance Mark.

As for why, despite already possessing high-yield wheat seeds, he still came here to purchase more—

That involved the hidden limitations of the Abundance Mark’s ability to merge seeds: “Sharing.”

Simply put, the fundamental laws of the two worlds differed.

Crops from the other world could not naturally survive on Yongxu Continent.

If Kun used the First Aspect of Abundance—“Sharing”—to merge two local varieties of green wheat, then the resulting seeds could be replanted normally.

But if he merged wheat from two different worlds, even though the hybrid inherited the high yield of the other world, its seeds—no matter how full—could not be replanted.

Fortunately, whether seeds could reproduce didn’t affect the unlocking of his Abundance Mark.

North of the river valley in the Fengrao Domain, near Emerald Heart Farm, he owned about 350 hectares of fertile land—roughly five thousand mu.

And that didn’t even include the less fertile fields on the opposite side of the river, which belonged to the farmers.

In truth, this was only a small portion of the valley. Beyond it lay vast tracts of uncultivated land—simply because there weren’t enough people to work it.

One mu required about forty jin of wheat seeds.

Five thousand mu meant nearly one hundred tons of seed.

And he needed the same amount of high-yield seeds from the other world.

This was what gave Kun the biggest headache.

On this side, it was manageable. No matter how short on money he was, he could still afford one hundred tons of wheat.

But on Blue Star… that was another matter.

His friend Li Tianyun was utterly broke—so broke his pockets were cleaner than his face.

The simplest solution would be to bring gold coins from this world, melt them down, and sell them as gold.

But the problem was that Blue Star had strict financial scrutiny. Unexplained large sums of money were investigated even more rigorously.

“Sigh.”

Life was hard. Even a lord had to sigh.

Worse still, Li Tianyun himself couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

A terminally ill patient who was supposed to die within a month… surviving for two years was already suspicious.

That could still be explained as a “miracle.”

But if you added Kun—a “foreigner” who appeared from time to time, poorly disguised as some “Mr. Li Hotpot”—

Blue Star was a highly developed civilization. Surveillance cameras—mechanical “magic eyes”—were everywhere.

Even a high-level mage like Kun couldn’t evade constant observation.

As Li Tianyun liked to say: Nothing is difficult—if someone is determined enough.

Which really meant: keep a low profile.

A kilogram of high-quality wheat seeds on Blue Star cost about five to six yuan.

One hundred tons meant a full million yuan.

That was why, during his last visit, Kun had joked about stealing the formula for soda—because even an alien could be defeated by money.

If he truly couldn’t obtain the seeds, he would have to settle for local wheat—yielding only a third or a quarter as much.

Fortunately, he had plenty of land.

Even with lower yields, lighting up the second segment of the Abundance Mark after harvest should still be possible.

If pushed to the limit, he could try breeding high-yield local wheat himself.

That would save a large sum of money every year.

But breeding wasn’t simple.

Even with ready-made methods, translating and explaining them would cost him enormous effort.

In Kun’s view, anything solvable with money was the simplest path.

So he still preferred buying seeds, merging them, planting, and harvesting—efficient and straightforward.

As for which method he would ultimately use…

He would take it one step at a time.

—

Lovos City, as the northern trade hub of the kingdom, gathered goods from across the entire northern region.

Monster pelts and magic cores from the Everdark Forest, rare potions from the Forbidden Scorched Lands, cold iron ore from the Permafrost Mountains, and products from various northern territories—

Everything could be found here.

Southern merchants only needed to bring cartloads of tea, spices, and silk to sell out instantly.

Then, at low prices, they could purchase valuable goods from mercenaries and adventurers—and if they made it back south safely, they would earn a fortune.

—

Kun’s carriage rolled to a stop at an open square in southern Lovos City.

Every half month, a large open-air auction was held here.

Not only were goods traded, but struggling lords would also sell grain, serfs, and tools at low prices.

This was Kun’s main target.

The carriage’s four large, unusual black wheels drew curious glances.

But anyone with a bit of knowledge, upon seeing the family crest—a knight bearing a banner beneath a crown of thorns—quickly looked away.

Some clever brokers, however, lit up with interest and hurried to contact merchant groups.

The Arlan family was a prominent noble house.

And the thorned crest… its meaning was obvious.

In the capital, such status meant little.

But here in the harsh north, even a minor noble was addressed as “lord.”

And most here were merchants who risked their lives for profit.

Money mattered more than status.

“Quite the lively market,” Kun said, looking around.

You’d never see such chaos in the capital.

On the auction grounds, a southern merchant in fur-lined robes stood atop a cart, shouting:

“Fine pottery! Premium white ceramics from Mian City—crafted by master artisans! Don’t miss out!”

People crowded eagerly.

Meanwhile, well-dressed stewards looked on with disdain and kept their distance.

Veterans knew better.

Mian City was indeed famous for its white ceramics—but the clay wasn’t local and had to be imported at high cost.

Such luxury goods wouldn’t be piled onto a random cart.

Too fake.

Too cheap.

Elsewhere, a veiled woman with a graceful figure moved through the crowd, offering flowers.

“Purple irises from the Sunset Desert—symbols of passionate love. Buy one, get one free. Only one silver coin. Care to gift one to your beloved?”

Irises were genuine magical plants.

Kun himself had studied them—flowers with mild racial charm properties.

Effective only within the same race.

True charm magic, however, was far more dangerous—and strictly forbidden.

Among noblewomen, iris extract was popular as nail polish.

More psychological than practical.

—

The area was packed with mercenaries and adventurers.

They spread cloths on the ground, displaying all kinds of strange goods—ores, bloodstained pelts, fangs, shriveled fruits.

Most were overpriced items waiting for a fool.

“What’s that?” Li Tianyun asked, pointing.

It was a metal cage, suspended in the air.

Inside were tiny creatures, no larger than a fist, with transparent wings like dragonflies and delicate faces like young maidens.

The merchant, a plump man, smiled greedily.

“Interested in flower sprites? Fresh from the Everdark Forest. Train them well, and they can do anything—carry books, serve snacks, even sit on your shoulder for decoration. Only one gold coin each—discount for bulk.”

Li Tianyun frowned, uneasy.

Kun translated calmly.

“Those aren’t flower sprites,” he said. “Look closely. Real ones fold their wings downward when resting. These keep them upright.”

“These are malevolent flower imps.”

“Malevolent?” Li Tianyun blinked.

Kun smiled faintly, speaking in Blue Star language so the merchant couldn’t understand.

“One eats petals and fruits, gentle as a child.”

“The other is smarter—and carnivorous. It disguises itself as harmless, but prefers fresh meat.”

“They’re small, but deadly. Every year, people die in their sleep—throats torn open.”

Li Tianyun: …

Not just fraud—murder.

Seems shady merchants existed in every world.

He turned and left without hesitation.

Kun followed, casting a meaningful glance at the confused merchant.

“Bah! Idiots who don’t know value!” the man spat, cursing.

But as he turned back to attract customers—

He didn’t notice the thin vine creeping along the ground.

Its tender shoots slowly extended…

reaching toward the iron cage.