"Hey, everyone! How are the bandits?"
"Secured."
"They are already tied and secured on the back of the first wagon."
"Good, add these two as well. Once they are secured, we will continue the journey right away. I don't want to delay our travels anymore, especially with passengers with us. Hmm? Where is turte boss?"
"I'm here."
"Why are you hiding in the wagon?"
"I'm not hiding in the wagon. I'm following the plan."
"I was not aware of the skills and capabilities of turtle boss, so I hid him inside the wagon."

I'm actually ok with staying out of battle. I have already decided not to focus on my battle skills in this life. This whole merchant thing is new to me, and I didn't have any place to learn about how to do things.

My entire strategy might be the basics of a merchant or a bit below that standard but I should be able to pick things up as I go.

"Ah, I guess that's ok for now. When it was only me and turtle boss, he was defending the carriage by himself while holding the enemy but now that we have enough people, we shouldn't involve him anymore in the battles. However, I need the both of you to know what turte boss is capable of. Even if we don't include him in the battle, I don't want you two to worry about his safety in case some small fries slip through the fence. Is that ok with you, turtle boss?"
"Hmm, I guess that should be ok. Our current numbers are still small, so we can't guarantee that we can fully defend the merchandise from all sides. I can watch for stragglers trying to get lucky if need be."
"Good, then we will have you join us during the morning and night training sessions."
"I'm not as specialised as the two of you, so take it easy for me."
"Yes, turtle boss." x2

I can't really tell risa's expression but I am sure that the ominous glint from Trina's eyes is real. Seriously, please take it easy on me.

The shield should give trouble to a brawler and an archer's attack but if there are two of them along with the agility of risa, she would easily slip past my defences.

"The bandits are secured, captain!"
"Good, let's continue! We need to reach the next town as soon as possible! We don't want to waste our food feeding them!"
"Yes, Captain!"
"Turtle boss, let's go."
"Ok."

"Hmm, Their injuries aren't that bad but these two have cracked skulls. They won't be able to leave bed for half a year at the very least. How about 5 silver coins for all of them?"
"Ok."

It isn't much but no name bandits like these don't really sell for much. We didn't waste food on them.

These bandits are used as free labour until they finish their sentence. The base and lowest price is 5 silver coins for 5 people. However, they subtract some depending on the level of their injuries. The clinic isn't cheap and in the end, they need to make a profit.

Most of the prisoners are sent to a labour camp like I did when I was on the human continent. Farms here are owned by different beastkin territories and they enjoy doing farmwork, like the oxkins.

The hated, or rather least liked, job is given to the prisoners, which is raising animals. Each territory raises a family of their counterpart animals. Those animals are treated like royalty, and are often brought out for festivals and ceremonies. They keep the population small, so it would be easy to manage.

Raising their animal counterparts only to sell them for consumption gives them a weird feeling. They do understand that those animals aren't their origins but no one really wants to do something that gives them the feeling of selling their own flesh.

That is why most livestock farms are raised, maintained and managed by the government here. They sell most of the meat and other parts to market and release a small part to the wild, to help with the wildlife population.

I wonder if the bandits I brought would get sent to shovel shit or feed the young. Either way, they would surely be put to work, much worse than planting on a farm field that speeds up plant growth.

"How was it turtle boss?"
"They weren't known."
"Tsk, we had bad luck, huh."
"Meeting bandits is bad luck either way. Come on, let's hit the market."

It's nearly the end of summer. This region has four seasons, so we need to prepare for that too.

The roads are not maintained during winter. The people leave their homes less too. Almost everything slows down.

I don't think our merchant group can make money by selling materials during winter. The important goods that people buy during winter are food, firewood, and clothing.

Firewood is easy enough to get. As long as we keep the wood dry, then we can stock up firewood. However, the price for firewood isn't that high. The only reason that people even buy firewood is because some are too lazy to prepare their own. It's too much work to prepare them and it takes up a lot of space but coal is too expensive in comparison.

Clothing can be doable for us but everyone already has winter clothing as long as they live in a region with four seasons. They are a good sell but the quality needs to be good. The best place to buy winter clothes is in the sheepkin territory but the place is near the wolfkin territory, which also makes quality winter clothes.

We'll have to travel there if we want to be active during the winter season. I guess we could modify the wagon into a sled. I wonder if the horses could run properly in deep snow.

"Ok, we will rest for the night and go do the usual wood collecting."
"Trina should have already booked an in for us. Where is it, Risa?
"North West near the entrance to the forest. I'll lead, the bridle please, turtle boss."
"Ah, here."

We are already inside the city, so she doesn't need to watch out for ambushes. There are pickpockets to look out for but it doesn't apply for us in the wagons. The only thing she needs to pay attention to are the pedestrians.

Cutting down the trees should be easier with more help. We always had to rush because of the competition but this time, we aren't competing with them.

The sale of wood is only small change. Even if we could load the wagon more thanks to the extra security, it won't earn us the profit I want. Along with the wages for our new employees and travel supplies, we could barely break even.

That is why we need to harvest the amount of wood we need from here and move to the beaverkin territory next. The furniture there will sell well, especially if we buy some fur and 'winterized' those furniture.

"This is enough. Trim the trees and load them up. We'll leave in the morning, so rest up tonight!"
"Yes, Captain!" x2

These two sure are resilient. They trained early in the morning, did a little sparring session with me right after, and we have been cutting trees after lunch all the way into the afternoon.

Their training looked tiresome and during our sparring session, they were very aggressive and relentless. I was defending myself the whole time and the only reason I won is because I outlasted them. I instantly lost when they teamed up though.

I need to be careful about that, though I would always have a bodyguard with me whenever I go out.

Next stop is the beaverkin territory. I would need to bargain with some crafters. I wonder if there is a way to hire our own personal crafter. If I want to sponsor a crafter then I need a lot of money. Maybe next time.

For now, I need to finish the route I planned and start preparing for our winter route.