Chapter 182：The first item

"What do you think is the reason for their attacks?" Dudian asked.

Old Fulin pondered for a moment before answering: "If I'm not mistaken, Milan family was preparing for a marriage with Burong family two years ago. Would it be because of that?"

"Marriage?" Dudian was startled. He was silent for asking: "What was the result?"

Old Fulin shook his head. "The little miss of the Burong family didn't agree to the marriage. Moreover, the Mel family secretly intervened to prevent the marriage too. After all, once the Burong and Milan families would get connected by marriage, then they would be the biggest force within the Mellon Consortium. The side that would be affected most would be the Mel family. Although the Mel and Burong family are interconnected in more than one way, you never know what is going to happen after the other two sides get blood relations."

Dudian looked at him.: "No wonder both of them came to make trouble today. Moreover, the young lady of the Mel family is not a simple and ignorant girl."

Old Fulin smiled: "She is a little cunning fox."

Dudian nodded in approval.

"However, you have humiliated Milan family today, so they won't just sit by and watch." Old Fulin sighed: "We are independent now and have no connections to the Mellon Consortium, but for now we should tolerate some mischievousness."

Dudian replied.: "They didn't deserve that today. It would end up as self-disgrace if we continued to play according to their tune. Milan family won't be interested in spreading out today's situation. There is no way to sue me as a person who has offended aristocracy too. Nevertheless, the other side harbors hostility, so there is no point in being polite. We don't know when they launch the next attack."

Old Fulin looked at Dudian as he secretly thought about the teenager. It seemed that he wasn't facing a teenager but a 30 years old adult who was cunning and ferocious like a fox. It made him think of some of the outstanding figures in history. Most of them had shown extraordinary abilities and talent when they were at his age.

Perhaps, this youth too will grow up to become an outstanding person in the future. But he won't be a good person for sure.

Old Fulin stared at Dudian:" The news about you being able to beat an intermediate knight easily would be spread out by tomorrow. Although it won't be reported in the newspaper in close circles, you will become a celebrity. However, being famous isn't necessarily a good thing."

"The Mellon Consortium will take an immediate action to silence me," Dudian said. "We have to make enough money as soon as possible to rent an underground passage so that we can hunt outside the giant wall."

Old Fulin smiled: "I can rely on you about this matter."

Dudian nodded as he thought about the workshop. He got up and said.: "I will go back."

...

...

It was curfew time as he left the Ryan Castle.

However, the soldiers guarding the streets didn't block Dudian's carriage as Ryan family's banner was plugged to the carriage.

Dudian checked the materials again to confirm that there was no error as he got back to the workshop. Then he lay to sleep on one of the boxes.

The next day.

Dudian went to the slave market of the commercial district. He spent twenty silver coins to buy twenty slaves. Most of the were dark-skinned and physically fit. Ten of them were male, while the other ten were female. They were aged eighteen to twenty-five years old.

The slaves were sold by the aristocracy, businessmen, and knights who could not support them anymore.

Dudian didn't take the ownership of the slaves onto himself, but transferred the slaves under the command of the Ryan family. He brought the slaves back to his small workshop. He had to teach them the production procedures.

The slaves were intelligent. Dudian selected the oldest around them called Harry to manage the workshop. He had worked as a steward in a knight's family.

All day long, Dudian taught the slave how to make the products and supervise the production line.

In the evening, Dudian counted the number of finished products. There was a bit less than thousand boxes.

"It is going to cost me two silver coins to make matches. If I want to sell them quickly, then the price has to be low. I should sell one thousand of them for twenty silver coins. The income would amount to one to ten ratio."

The first product that he had come up with matched.

Although it would be classified as alchemy, it isn't classified as an explosive so that they won't be banned. Moreover, its structure was relatively simple. He needed yellow, red phosphorus and few basic materials. Because of simple combination, he could come up with a perfect product which could be used in this era. There was no electricity, so the matches could quickly replace the fire sickle!

Nevertheless, the fire sickle's ignition efficiency was bad, and its weight was huge in comparison to a box of matches. Because of these two points, the matches had an advantage over fire sickles.

Moreover, matches were consumable items. There would always be a demand. After it would replace fire sickles, then the money he would be earning would be significant.

"If I earn twenty silver coins a day, then it would take me ten days to earn two gold coins." Dudian was calculating the profits. He thought about the work efficiency of the twenty pieces. It was their first time producing, so they weren't skilled but as the time passes they would be more productive.

"If I could use a machine to produce the matches." Dudian thought about the machinery. "If the era of machinery emerged then the production speed would increase many folds. However, right now the other consortiums would rely on their powerful financial resources and channels to pressure the inventors."

"In that case, I have to speed up the process a bit." Dudian's eyes were firm as he thought about the details. If the others copied his products, he would let them do so. He would check how they would be able to catch up with his invention speed!

Dudian rented a few dilapidated houses for the slave to live and went back to the Ryan castle for the night.

The carriage was about to enter the Yard town when suddenly the horses began to neigh in confusion and wag the carriage. The driver was worried about disturbing Dudian, so he whipped the horses in anger.

Dudian moved the curtain of the carriage to look out. There was no one around.

Dudian sniffed to check the smells, but there wasn't anything particular. However, there was a trace of doubt and chill in his heart. He sprang to the other side of the carriage in a rush.