"Why is the Viscount of Lanwan asking me to borrow money? Hasn't she squeezed enough money out of our city-state with that despicable Economic Cooperation Agreement?"
Giovanni Draghi wanted to rebuke Robin Mancini with righteous indignation, but halfway through his sentence, he felt an involuntary pang of guilt and timidity, unable to maintain his momentum to the end.
"I... I think it's already a lot..."
"There are two main reasons why the Viscount is asking to borrow money from you..." Robin Mancini paused. He felt it was a bit awkward speaking to Giovanni across so many guards, so he couldn't help but ask, "Won't you invite me to sit down before we continue?"
Giovanni looked at Robin for a moment longer, then made a gesture inviting him to sit.
However, even after he took a seat, Giovanni's guards remained standing solemnly by his hand. Robin Mancini smiled helplessly and continued:
"The first reason is that business at the Exchange Houses in Badan and Carmela is very good. However, the currency for the Exchange Houses has to be transported from the Lanwan Viscountcy. Every month, the Badan Exchange House has to transport the exchanged Fuso back to headquarters to get enough Dir shipped over. The timing is quite inconvenient. So, we wanted to borrow some Dir from you for turnover, at least to help the Badan Exchange House get through the first month."
Robin Mancini's words were half-true. The inconvenience of currency transport was indeed a difficulty the Exchange House had to face, but it was not the primary one. The main difficulty was that now that the Exchange House had opened up the exchange of Dir, the amount of Dir in Charlotte's hands was limited. She had to increase income and reduce expenditure; otherwise, facing the city-states' immense enthusiasm for exchanging Dir, the Exchange House wouldn't be able to hold out for long. Finding people to lend money was one method of increasing income.
"Heh..." Giovanni Draghi sneered. "The price of Dir changes every day now. I just came back from the Exchange House opened by the Viscount of Lanwan; the exchange rate between Fuso and Dir has already risen to 1:3.4. Why should I lend my Dir to you?"
"You just came back from the Exchange House? Then that makes it easy," Robin Mancini laughed. "Did you see the deposit service at the Exchange House?"
"Deposit?" Giovanni recalled for a moment; it seemed there indeed was such a thing, so he nodded.
"You just need to open a deposit account at the Exchange House and deposit your Dir into it. During the deposit period, the Exchange House will pay you interest every month. When you need to use the Dir, you can withdraw it at any time. Of course, if the amount is relatively large, you need to notify the Exchange House in advance so they have time to prepare," Robin Mancini said.
Giovanni's first reaction was, "There's such a good thing?" But after savoring it carefully, he realized, Isn't this still borrowing money? It looked like the repayment time was slightly more flexible, but for huge amounts, the Exchange House needed time to "prepare in advance." Who knew if this preparation time was three to five days, or thirty to fifty days?
Refuse! Must refuse!
Giovanni had already made up his mind, but he still asked in passing, "What is the second reason?"
Robin Mancini glanced at the guards on both sides, still feeling it was a bit inappropriate. "Are you sure you want me to say it in front of them?"
"Of course," Giovanni said impatiently. "I already told you, they are my most trusted subordinates!"
The guards on both sides couldn't help but lift their chins, looking arrogantly at Robin Mancini.
"Alright then." Since Giovanni was so firm, Robin had no choice but to say it. "The Viscount of Lanwan plans to take down Badan within one or two months and wants to invite you to serve as an insider."
Bang.
Giovanni dropped the teacup in his hand, shattering it. He was completely unaware that the tea had soaked his clothes as he stared at Robin Mancini in shock. "What?"
Giovanni's guards all pressed their hands against the hilts of their swords.
It took a long while for Giovanni to come back to his senses. He pointed at Robin Mancini and said through gritted teeth, "The Viscount of Lanwan actually has such wild ambition!"
Robin Mancini laughed. "I heard Elder Giovanni has accused the Viscount of plotting against Badan in the Senate more than once. Why are you so surprised now that it's actually happening?"
Giovanni opened his mouth. Clearly, mouthing off in the Senate was one thing, but facing the reality was another.
In fact, even though the Soqya city-states were retreating in defeat in the war with the Lanwan Viscountcy—having successively lost the two cities of Ambratu and Dorukocha—most Soqya people only felt that Charlotte was a brutal bandit. They did not believe the Viscount of Lanwan truly intended to annex the entire Soqya Peninsula. The farther a city-state was from the Oran Empire, the more likely they were to think this way. After all, the Oran Empire and the Soqya Peninsula had coexisted peacefully for a thousand years.
Badan was quite far from the border of the Oran Empire. When Giovanni shouted every day that Charlotte was despicable, shameless, and insatiably greedy, it was mostly to find excuses for his own defeat and to cover up the timidity in his heart. If one were to ask if he thought the Viscount of Lanwan wanted to annex Badan, perhaps he believed it a little, but certainly not much.
"The ink on the peace treaty between the Viscount of Lanwan and us hasn't even dried yet, and she's already plotting to launch the next war?" Giovanni looked at Robin's expression, which seemed like a sneer, and felt a sense of humiliation.
"Isn't that only natural?" Robin Mancini spread his hands and said. "The Ivy Alliance's last troops were summoned to Fedi. Inside Badan City, there are now only a few patrol teams hunting thieves; it is incredibly empty. How could the Viscount miss such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"
"Since the Viscount of Lanwan intends to invade our city-state, and you still dare to speak such nonsense here—aren't you afraid I'll kill you?" Giovanni gritted his teeth.
The surrounding guards had already drawn their swords. They were just waiting for Giovanni's order to hack Robin Mancini to death with random strikes.
Yet Robin Mancini continued to smile with ease. He crossed his legs and took a sip of tea. "Since I came, I naturally considered the possibility of being killed by you in advance. But Mr. Giovanni, what is the use of killing me? I am merely the most incompetent knight under the Viscount's command; neither my wisdom nor my swordsmanship is presentable. Killing me will not change the fact that the Viscount of Lanwan can easily take Badan.
"Mr. Giovanni, what you need to consider now is: after being incorporated under the rule of the Viscount of Lanwan, how should the people of Badan position themselves? And you... how should you position yourself?"
Giovanni fell silent.
"I have been in Badan for a while now. Living in this beautiful and affluent city-state is indeed pleasant, but from time to time, I also hear some harsh voices. For example, 'Giovanni Draghi's incompetence caused the disastrous defeat at Dorukocha,' or 'Giovanni Draghi is no longer fit to serve as an Elder.'" Robin Mancini gradually put away his smile and lowered his voice. "Mr. Giovanni, facts have proven that your political career in this city-state is likely coming to an end. My arrival might not necessarily be a bad opportunity for you."
Giovanni still did not speak, but his fists gradually clenched tight.
"If you become one of the first batch to pledge allegiance to the Viscount, perhaps you could become the dictator of a city-state, just like Mr. Jonathan Hackman."
After saying this final sentence, Robin Mancini spoke no more, simply waiting silently for Giovanni's response.
Giovanni lowered his head, remaining silent.
The room was terrifyingly quiet for a time.
Unknown how much time had passed, Giovanni suddenly called out, "Reva."
"Sir." A guard who looked the most fierce and astute looked toward Giovanni.
Giovanni raised his right hand and made a gesture with his middle finger and index finger crossed.
The guard named Reva understood. His gaze swept around the circle, and then he suddenly thrust his sword into the waist of the companion beside him.
"Ah..." The suddenly stabbed guard let out a scream.
Before the others could react, screams rang out one after another.
Acting simultaneously with Reva were two other guards. These three clearly had skills and Transcendent strength a cut above the other guards. In just a few moments, the originally ten or so guards in the room were reduced to just three.
The blood of the victims flowed all the way to Robin Mancini's feet. Robin Mancini suddenly felt a bit of regret—not regret for making this trip, but regret that he had worn his newly bought boots today.
"Now, only my confidants truly remain here. Please, tell me exactly what the Viscount needs me to do."
Giovanni's voice was slightly hoarse.
*
Soqya Peninsula, Ambratu County.
Charlotte stood by the seaside, blowing in the sea breeze and eating dried fruit while gazing at the Pearl Sea before her and the patches of sails upon it.
"You should expand the harbor here," the travel-worn Madame Winona complained to Charlotte with dissatisfaction.
Charlotte smiled and said, "Wait until I've dug the Lanwan Canal through. Next year, you can dock your merchant ships directly in Fairy Lake."
Madame Winona had just delivered the first batch of slaves to Charlotte. The Pearl Sea was the maritime region to the west of the Lanwan Isthmus. The Gangtu Empire and the Lesalei Kingdom were both west of the Lanwan Isthmus, but the Lanwan Viscountcy had no port on the west side of the isthmus. Therefore, Madame Winona's fleet could only dock at the port of Ambratu. However, coincidentally, the ships of the Ore Chamber of Commerce that Charlotte had sent to the Lesalei Kingdom to purchase the new summer grain harvest also returned today. The two fleets met, and the tiny port of the Ambratu City-State turned into a chaotic mess.
Madame Winona didn't pay much attention to the Lanwan Canal Charlotte mentioned. Her heart was now entirely filled with the matter of restoring her husband's title of Count: "I have brought you three thousand five hundred slaves on this trip, and two hundred boys and girls with aptitude, all under twelve years old. However, over a hundred adult slaves died on the way, and another hundred or so are sick. Slave prices in the Gangtu Empire are not cheap right now; do you think these losses could be..."
Charlotte waved her hand. "Please don't try to deceive me. Elm Tree Town does not lack traveling merchants from the Gangtu Empire. They all say that the Gangtu Empire has been made unlivable by your Emperor, so slaves must be very cheap."
Madame Winona was instantly rendered speechless.
"However, I am a kind person. Let's count these sick and dead slaves on my tab for now," Charlotte added.
You have the nerve to call yourself a kind person! Madame Winona criticized inwardly, though she praised aloud, "You possess virtues enough for me to engrave in my heart."
For a massive business deal like Charlotte's purchase of ten thousand slaves at once, many slave merchants would mix in a large number of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, because such slaves were not only cheap but also easy to buy in bulk. Yet, among the adult slaves Madame Winona delivered this trip, there were very few old or weak ones. This gave Charlotte a decent impression of her, which was why she was willing to take on that trivial "loss."
"That said, I didn't expect you to send me over three thousand slaves so quickly," Charlotte said with a smile.
"What is this to us?" Madame Winona lifted her chin slightly. "In a few days, the second batch of three thousand five hundred slaves will also arrive at Ambratu. After all, the Jolly family still held the title of Count of Mihevantin a few years ago; the family foundation hasn't been exhausted yet."
Charlotte nodded, then suddenly asked with interest, "Then, does Madame have any interest in cooperating with me on a business deal to make big money?"
"A business deal to make big money?" Madame Winona gestured with her lips toward the grain transport ship being unloaded and said, "Is it selling grain?"
Her tone clearly didn't place much importance on that business.
Charlotte shook the bag of dried fruit in her hand and said, "Although selling grain is also very profitable right now, that's not the business I want to talk about."
"Then what business is it?" Madame Winona asked in confusion.
"Do you know that the price of Dir has been rising fiercely lately?" Charlotte asked.
"Yes, I've heard. Do you want to invite me to hoard Dir with you?" Madame Winona laughed and said, "Although you pushed up the price of Dir, isn't the biggest buyer after the price hike still you yourself? I heard that the main way for those 'Dir merchants' to make money now is to first exchange Fuso for Dir, wait for the Dir to appreciate, and then go to your Exchange House to exchange the Dir back for Fuso. I'm very curious how you yourself are supposed to make money from this?"
Charlotte raised an eyebrow. "You think I pushed up the price of Dir?"
"Is that not the case?" Madame Winona asked back.
Charlotte laughed. She tossed the paper bag containing the dried fruit to Renee to hold, clapped her hands, and turned to walk toward Ambratu City. Madame Winona hurriedly followed.
Charlotte smiled as she walked. "Do you know what price some people in the city-states are already asking when selling Dir?"
"How much?" Madame Winona asked.
"One Fuso buys three Dir." Charlotte extended three fingers and waved them. "The rate of Dir appreciation among the Soqya populace has already far exceeded my Exchange House. On what basis do you say I pushed up the price of Dir?"
Madame Winona didn't know for a moment whether Charlotte was telling the truth or not; after all, she only knew the market situation on the Soqya side through hearsay.
"Actually," Charlotte added, "you just need to ask those traveling merchants coming and going on the Soqya Peninsula to find out. They should have started noticing it years ago: one Dir can buy more and more wool, leather, and grapes year after year. This shows that long before I set up the Exchange House, the Dir had already started to appreciate. It's just that, without the intuitive numbers given by the Exchange House, most people didn't realize that currency could also rise in price."
"Then who is really driving the Dir price up?" Charlotte asked again.
________________________________________
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