Facing Mixi's questioning and Li Wei's similar confusion, Penny had to stop and think for a mont before explaining:
"My plan is actually quite simple. The crossbows we're forging are prohibited from being traded. If we go to that market over there and get reported, we wouldn't have enough lives to die even if we had a hundred. Including when we go to sell weapons, it won't be easy either. We'd have to register with the guild first, and also pay taxes to the lord. After all these deductions, even if everything goes smoothly, how much could we really earn?"
"So I plan to find these mountain bandits and robbers. They definitely have channels for moving stolen goods. If we were just selling ordinary swords and knives, we'd be like fat sheep entering a tiger's den - basically seeking death. But we can continuously forge crossbows. These desperate n will agree - they won't refuse wealth that can be sustained long-term. And we'll have a stable sales channel. Of course, even so, this trade still carries many risks."
"So we also need to be prepared for combat. Wealth cos from taking risks - this is worth us taking the chance."
After hearing Penny's explanation, Li Wei was completely dumbfounded.
Wait, how could this be so abstract? Big sister, you really have an adventurous spirit!
Normally you look so shrewd, how did you co up with such a thod?
"Why don't we just wipe out this bandit nest? Even taking their heads to claim bounties would be better than this thod," Li Wei proposed. Really, he genuinely couldn't understand what was going through Penny's little head.
"Shut up, George! What we want isn't bounty money, but a trade channel. Once this trade channel is established, that will be the foundation for all developnt. Don't you understand this principle?"
Penny glared at Li Wei displeased. She had worked desperately to develop the handicraft industry, desperately searched for mines, risked her life to establish these advantages - could this be solved by simply wiping out one bandit nest?
What others might want is just to buy so salt, but she wants more. Establishing a trade channel would revitalize everything - the family would gain their first bucket of gold, the family could transform into a clan.
To achieve this goal, what does taking so risks matter? Even if she had to beco the bandit chief's wife, she wouldn't care!
That's right, when coming to find this group of bandits, she had even considered the worst possible scenario.
For a better clearance evaluation, what couldn't she sacrifice?
However, seeing Li Wei frown and Mixi also looking unconvinced, Penny had to soften her tone and continue explaining, "When we were fleeing earlier, we had dealings with this group of bandits. They robbed us at the previous intersection. At that ti, father was still alive - he recognized that bandit leader. He seed to have been a knight's squire from Castle Kahe, but was later wanted. His na is Anderson. Father used two bags of wheat to complete a transaction with him."
"Overall, this Anderson is quite reasonable to deal with. His forr identity also helps open up the underground black market. So I think we have a high chance of success this ti, but the prerequisite is to find their hiding place. At that point, even if we give them ninety percent of the profits, it would still be profitable for us. Do you understand what I an?"
This ti, Li Wei actually understood, and Mixi also seed thoughtful. Yes, with this background, Penny's approach did have so feasibility.
However, his personality and usual working habits couldn't allow him to take such risks. He didn't have a strong need to establish an external trade channel.
He imdiately said, "Sister, I recognize your reasoning, but I don't want to take risks. Can I keep watch for you two from a distance? Since you're so confident anyway, one more person won't make much difference. If there really is danger and fighting breaks out, I can still support you."
Hearing this, an uncontrollable flash of anger crossed Penny's face, but she didn't say anything, just coldly glanced at Mixi. "Do you want the sa?"
Mixi was thinking, hesitating, then smiled cheerfully: "This plan is indeed crazy, quite abstract, but as the saying goes, one must be crazy to survive. This is indeed the only way to break open the situation. Otherwise, those lords and guild profiteers would chew our bones clean. Let's do it this way - at worst we'll fight our way out!"
Mixi was actually quite confident. Could veteran players really be this aweso?
Alright then.
Li Wei felt inferior - he didn't have that kind of confidence. Without saying anything more, he put on his backpack and went deep into the nearby bushes, obediently lying in wait. At least if they couldn't win a fight, they could still escape.
Wait, no - he genuinely hoped Penny's plan would succeed. He could fully understand Penny's thinking. As refugees without any status, if their family tried to sell things like swords and crossbows in the lord's castle market, that would actually be even less reliable.
If they could convince these bandits and robbers, even with a one-to-nine profit split, it would be worth it.
For a mont, Li Wei actually felt so regret, because this ti he had completely offended Penny.
anwhile, outside, Penny and Mixi whispered conspiratorially for a mont, then actually cut each other's hair short. At first glance, they looked like two tomboys. Then they started using mud mixed with sweat to evenly sar their necks, faces, and arms. This ti they looked even more similar.
Of course, they didn't miss details like chest binding.
Once everything was prepared, the two of them already looked seventy to eighty percent like n. At this point, they ate so food before each carrying supplies and heading toward the mountain hollow ahead.
Li Wei maintained a distance of about a hundred paces, following through the bushes while remaining extrely vigilant and observing his surroundings, including the ground beneath his feet.
At this ti of year, he didn't need to worry too much about venomous snakes and insects, but since this was near the bandits' lair, he had to be careful of traps they might have set.
Even traps ant for catching wild animals could be equally deadly.
However, needing to observe carefully inevitably slowed his pace. In just a short while, Penny and Mixi had already climbed into the mountain hollow, while Li Wei lagged behind by nearly a hundred and fifty ters.
They really weren't coordinating properly.
Li Wei complained silently, but didn't dare to speed up. Now he not only had to guard against possible traps, but also worry about whether the bandits had deployed hidden sentries in the darkness.
When they were farther away, it didn't matter, but now as they got closer, the chance of being spotted by hidden sentries would increase.
It's not like hiding in the woods ant he could be reckless. With no wind now, the swaying of wild grass or startled birds and beasts could expose him.
At this point, he could only pray that the other side were all fools.
Like this, Li Wei carefully took almost several minutes to approach that mountain hollow. There was a low ridge here - after climbing over it, he could see the situation in the hollow. A cliff composed of over a dozen complete giant rocks sat within, connected to the mountain behind, forming an earthen mound. The top was quite flat, with a cave, but no people were visible, not even the smoke they had seen earlier.
As for Penny and Mixi, they had already crossed the river valley in the hollow and reached the bottom of that stone cliff.
Damn!
Li Wei inwardly groaned. Were you two really that skilled and bold?
The western side of the mountain hollow had plenty of trees and bushes that could provide good concealnt.
But crossing the river valley to reach that bare stone cliff - that place would be completely exposed.
If anything changed, he wouldn't even have ti to support them.
Just as he thought this, suddenly without any warning, Li Wei saw Penny and Mixi's figures shake, dust flew up from the ground, and both of them fell in.
A trap!
It was actually a trap!
"Clang! Clang! Clang!" Very intense broken bell sounds rang out, then seven or eight wild-looking things jumped out from all around. Their hiding skills were truly good, and their trap chanisms were also well made.
But they were too far away - Li Wei only vaguely heard so chaotic shouting, unable to make out more details. He only saw several wild n rushing over, picking up stones as big as human heads, and rcilessly smashing them down...
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