"Whether they return to Sedona City on time isn't a concern?"
Everyone present was momentarily stunned. What did that mean? Could there be another source of income?
"Young Master, if the royal capital's fleet doesn't return to Sedona City on schedule, we won't have the funds to pay the workers' wages." Annie said seriously, her expression solemn.
What Annie said was entirely possible. Delays could happen due to river routes or poor sales in the royal capital. Even a two-week delay could trigger a financial crisis in Sedona City.
Not to mention that come spring, Lucas would need to buy many draft horses, and with the entire city essentially working for him, the payroll would be staggering.
"Don't worry, I'll figure something out when the time comes," Lucas said with a light chuckle. "Besides, the fleet hasn't even set sail yet—how can we assume it won't arrive on time?"
Since the hot air balloon hadn't been built yet, it was hard to convince the beast-eared girls that such a thing was possible. Saying he could fly through the sky and reach the royal capital in a few days would sound like a wild fantasy.
Flying a hot air balloon was risky, too. Strong winds could easily blow it off course. Navigating relied heavily on reading wind patterns—adjusting altitude if the wind direction was wrong and using low-altitude gravity to correct the flight path. Fuel was another major challenge, as maintaining flight over long distances consumed a significant amount.
Manpower, fuel, and other factors all needed to be tested before the hot air balloon could be put into use. It was only meant as a last resort—a backup plan if there was no other option to transport gold coins from the royal capital.
In fact, if birdfolk beastkins were available, the risk would drop by 50%. They could easily handle navigation issues: when the wind was favorable, the balloon could rely on it for propulsion, and when there was no wind or the direction was off, the birdfolk could help pull the balloon and keep it on course.
After all, a hot air balloon could carry much more weight than a single birdfolk could. It could also be useful for transporting special trade goods, like perfume, which required secure and speedy delivery.
"It's just... what if something goes wrong..." Annie's eyes glimmered with worry. The money from that shipment was no small sum. She feared the coins might be embezzled or that the fleet could encounter trouble along the way.
"Don't worry. Joe isn't the type to focus on short-term gains." Lucas said with a light chuckle. He understood what the fox-eared girl was worried about. But unless Joe's family were complete fools, they wouldn't dare to embezzle the gold coins.
After all, what was better—earning a quick fortune or maintaining a steady income for years? Anyone with common sense would choose the latter. Building relationships and connections took time, and as long as Lucas controlled the supply of perfume, Joe's family would remain dependent on him.
"If only there was an auction," Freya muttered, poking her chin thoughtfully. "I could, you know... relieve some rich, greedy merchants of their excess gold."
Freya had never actually done anything like that herself—she'd only heard stories from Bella. That snake-woman had been a notorious bandit leader. Whenever she got wind of a slave auction, she'd stake out the event, wait for the right moment, and then lead her crew to ambush wealthy targets, making off with large sums of gold.
The wolf-eared girl had suggested it partly because of Annie's worried expression—and maybe also because of Lucas. Bella's stories must have come to mind at the right moment.
"Ah! That's it!" Annie's brown eyes lit up with excitement. "Young Master, we could host an auction and invite merchants to bid. I could even put up my limited-edition lollipops for auction!"
The "limited-edition" lollipops she mentioned were the ones Lucas had given her. It seemed she truly cared about Lucas—enough to consider auctioning off her precious treats.
Mina's blue eyes also lit up with enthusiasm. "I can auction off all my cola!"
As the cat-eared girl with the largest stash of cola—four whole cans—she'd been hoarding them while others enjoyed theirs, unwilling to drink them herself.
"We could auction off perfume," Nicole suggested with a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "I think I only have one can of cola left..."
She had given some to her parents to try, and the last can she had was one Lucas had recently given her.
"I have one too!" Ayesha raised her hand excitedly, her purple eyes sparkling with joy. Finally, she could contribute something.
"..." Freya turned her head away awkwardly. Since she'd arrived a bit later than the others, she hadn't had the chance to stash any cola—and the ones she did get, well... she'd already drunk them all.
Helen wasn't around—she had taken Amelia to school. Lucas had put in quite a bit of effort to convince the girl to attend. Otherwise, she probably would've offered up a can of cola as well.
"Stop!" Lucas quickly waved his hand with a wry smile. With all the beast-eared girls jumping in, it almost felt like he was about to go bankrupt.
Worrying about things that hadn't happened yet—perhaps this was what people meant by being prepared for a rainy day. It did match his usual way of doing things.
Still, the idea of an auction was worth considering. But instead of hosting one in Sedona City, it might be better to participate in auctions held in other cities.
"Young Master? Is the suggestion not good?" Annie asked softly, blinking her eyes. "There are quite a few merchants in Sedona City—they must have a lot of coins in their pockets."
"Good idea! But not right now. The merchants in Sedona City don't have much coin on hand," Lucas said with a nod, then shook his head slightly. "Besides, they're saving their money for spring trading—they won't spend it on luxury goods. If we're going to hold an auction, it'll have to wait until next year."
By then, merchants would have returned from their trade routes with more money, and the number of wealthy merchants attracted to Sedona City would be even greater. That would be the perfect time to host an auction.
"Ah... so it won't work?" Annie blinked, then lowered her head in disappointment. Another idea shot down. Did they really have to wait until the fleet returned with profits?
Please, let nothing go wrong, she prayed silently. Young Master's already working so hard. Heaven, please help him get through this winter safely.
"Yeah, now's not the time to host an auction," Lucas said, shaking his head. Then he raised an eyebrow and added, "But... we can attend an auction."
"Huh? Attend an auction?" Annie, Mina, Freya, and Ayesha all exclaimed in surprise. They hadn't considered that possibility.
"But, Young Master, we don't know where any auctions are held." Nicole said softly. She had already thought about this before.
"That's something we can ask Dahlia and her crew about. They might know of some auctions." Lucas replied calmly.
If they could attend an auction, he could bring some glassware or special ceramics to auction off. Those items would undoubtedly fetch a hefty sum of gold coins. That way, even if the fleet's return was delayed, there would be no need to worry about a financial crisis next year.
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