Chapter 217: A Windfall from the Sky

Reichweiler gave a surprised look that said, “Are you out of your mind?” “Is this the great idea you spoke of? Asking the Lord here for help? Do you think he would agree under these circumstances? The Territory has just been attacked, and the threat is far from gone. You want him to send troops to protect our Caravan? Suggesting an action that weakens the Territory’s own defenses at such a sensitive time. Do you want the Lord to think we are working with those attacking Cultists, or that there is some shady deal behind this?”

“How could I not have considered the problems you mentioned! Although the attack just happened recently, from a Lord’s perspective, Bolerum Territory achieved a great victory. Plus, with such a big event happening, the entire Duchy of Nohan is now strictly checking for Cultists. Those guys who just suffered such heavy losses won’t be able to launch a counterattack so easily in a short time! The next long period will be a safe time for Bolerum Territory. Even I, a second son of a noble family without inheritance rights, know this. The other side certainly won’t fail to see it either. Besides, what we are applying to hire is not their regular army, but retired veterans and young Militia. Nothing cannot be exchanged without touching their core interests. As long as we offer them a condition they cannot refuse, their cleverness will not let them refuse our request.” Georgia said, picking up his wine glass and taking a sip.

“You are right. I have seen quite a few Territories. I have never seen such powerful retired veterans and young Militia, nor do I know how they were trained. But are you sure we have a trade condition that the Lord cannot refuse? I don’t want to fail to persuade that Lord after finally reaching agreements with other Merchant Guilds.” Reichweiler’s face changed colors a few times as he asked inquisitively: “If so, not only will the previous efforts be wasted, but our current situation will also become worse. Since we have already started this action, if it succeeds, it will be great. But even if it fails, the punishment will surely follow! The risk here is so great. You must be sure of your hand! Even if you drag someone into the water, you must make the terms clear, right?”

It was clear that the fat man was a bit tempted, but his heart was still uneasy, and he could not make a decision. His hesitation did not mean his personality was like that; it was just that the risk of what he had to do right now was too great, forcing him to be cautious!

It was just like the Xiaogang Village in Fengyang County, Anhui Province, which was the first to implement the household responsibility system. If it succeeded, it would lead to promotion and a better position; if it failed, not only would he go to prison, but being shot might not even be an exaggeration!

“What do you think Bolerum Territory lacks the most right now?” Georgia put down his wine glass and snapped his fingers. The music in the room stopped immediately, and the dancing women, who were moving their waists, also stopped their movements. They quickly packed their things and left one by one.

After waiting for the artists to scatter one by one and confirming everything was clear, Reichweiler wiped the sweat on his forehead with a handkerchief and said: “Of course, it is population. Didn’t you see those notices encouraging childbirth earlier? Plus, in recent years, the Territory has continuously issued various preferential conditions to attract refugees to settle. Everyone knows that Bolerum Territory lacks labor and has a shortage of population. Indeed, given the development momentum here, this situation was completely predictable. Are we not also short of workers now? But we Merchant Guilds cannot take on the business of trafficking people! Even if I buy and resell slaves, I would be sent to the gallows by the people behind the Guild. Besides, with the strong Knight culture here, even if slaves were brought in, they might not be willing to buy them!”

“From a long-term perspective, Bolerum Territory always lacks population, which is almost the most serious bottleneck in this Territory. But let alone the two of us, even the ‘Shining Gold’ Merchant Guild, known for being ruthless, only dared to participate in limited transit trade in a few small countries near ‘Pamir’. They simply did not dare to transport those slaves to other places on the Western Continent. But what I am talking about is not population, but money. The financial gap in Bolerum Territory over the next six months to a year is huge. This is the opportunity we can use…” Georgia put down his wine glass again, deliberately making a face that showed his deep and unfathomable nature.

However, Reichweiler did not follow the script he had set. Instead, he jumped up directly from the chair he had been sitting on: “Are you really sure you are not joking? How could Bolerum Territory be short of money? Whether it is the Territory’s tax revenue or the Lord’s own industries, the profit created every year is greater than what my single Merchant Guild branch earns in the entire Duchy of Nohan. For him, money alone is hard to move! Such a joke cannot be made!”

“You really are something! Governing a Territory is not like running a Merchant Guild. If we do not turn over most of the profits to the main Guild, the remaining balance after expenses would indeed be shocking. But a Territory is different. As a former second son of a noble family, I know that to support such a powerful army of 2,000 people in a Territory like Bolerum Territory, including the few warships of the Navy, the minimum cost every year exceeds 100,000 Gold Coins. Plus other expenses, the Territory’s annual financial surplus is not as much as you imagine.” Saying this, Georgia put his hands together, and a hint of pride appeared in his eyes. “Furthermore, after this attack, the compensation given to all personnel in various aspects is rare on the Western Continent! Most importantly, the reconstruction of destroyed houses, the Lord himself took full responsibility. This is a real bottomless pit! Although the published notice said that the longest installment period for the people of the Territory is 20 years, an interest rate of less than 10% per year, in our view, is probably considered a loss-making deal. From these situations, it is clear that the young Lord here is using money to exchange for the cohesion within the Territory! Do you think he is short of money?”

“But even so, to pay a price that is enough to make them heart-throbbing. The cost, based on our own savings, would probably hurt us deeply, right? Could it be…” Reichweiler said with a strange smile. It seemed he had understood the hidden meaning in Georgia’s words.

Georgia gave a matter-of-fact expression and said: “You are thinking correctly. This is for requesting protection for the Caravan, so the fee naturally should be paid by the local Merchant Guild, and our behavior is in accordance with the regulations. When an emergency occurs and the main Guild and other branches cannot provide timely help, to ensure the normal flow of goods and the reputation of the Merchant Guild, the regulations allow us to request the help of Mercenaries at a price not exceeding three times the normal value.”

In his words, there was even a hint that he was following the rules completely. Logically, there was not a single word of unreasonable argument. After all, when helping the public cause, there is no reason to spend money from one’s own pocket. Since others could exploit loopholes in the rules to deal with people like Georgia, they certainly have the right to fight back with the same or similar means. This is the simple truth often said by ordinary people. Everyone is playing games without breaking the rules, and in the end, it depends on who is one step ahead.

“What you said, I have understood. This practice can be said to be used by every Merchant Guild. However, originally, this regulation should be used to save the day when a city is attacked. Unfortunately, there is no time limit in it, and the usage is also somewhat vague, indeed a loophole that can be exploited. As long as this last bit of money does not end up in our pockets, we can say everything is done according to the rules.” Reichweiler’s eyes spun around as if he had come up with an idea. “By the way, for our Earth Journey Merchant Guild, the upper limit for this money is four times, not three times like your Ivy League Guild.”

“So, does this mean you agree?” Georgia already understood that Reichweiler was ready to join this plan.

Reichweiler immediately turned into a look that seemed honest and simple and said: “Of course. Although this practice will reduce the profits we turn over this year and lower our evaluation, if we win this bet, it concerns our status and position for the next few decades! Whether we eat meat or chaff for the rest of our lives depends on this one time. Even if we lose, we will just sit on a cold bench for a lifetime, and at the same time, we can annoy those who think they can get things without paying just because of their status. Anyway, even if we go back now, we will just be sitting on a cold bench, right?”

“Then the next actions need to be faster. The longer we drag on, the more unfavorable it is for us. I will make the contact…” Georgia and Reichweiler started whispering again.

These regional managers of the Merchant Guild branches were, in fact, equivalent to senior professional managers who owned shares in some subsidiary companies. Their own income was considered to be in the upper class in this world, but they were not necessarily millionaires.

As for corruption, do you think such behavior is easy in a world where supernatural abilities like Charm and Hypnosis exist? As for temporary misappropriation, it often depends on the professional ethics of these managers. Of course, as long as the money that finally reaches these high-level hands is not a penny less, the other party would turn a blind eye and treat it as a kind of alternative benefit.

This is also the reason why these managers, after discovering the commercial value contained in Bolerum Territory, wanted to stay here for a long time. As the commerce here continued to prosper, the liquid funds in their Merchant Guild’s hands would become more and more. The increase in the volume and channels of commodity circulation also indicated that the opportunities to make money increased exponentially.

The wealth that can be earned by rolling money with money, under the condition of having suitable channels and information, is often beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Just setting up a simple cargo operation is enough for them to earn a fortune. No wonder these guys reacted so strongly when they knew someone was coming to snatch food. Cutting off someone’s source of income is like killing their parents, and this saying is not an exaggeration at all.

In fact, the actions of those Merchant Guilds were indeed very fast. Less than three days later, George received their banquet invitations.

After returning home from the banquet, George immediately felt that something was strange: “This kind of thing where someone gives a pillow when you are sleepy actually happened to me. Is this a coincidence or is there some shady conspiracy inside? Never mind, it’s good that I didn’t agree on the spot out of excitement. Now I should quickly send someone to investigate what the reason is! If there is no problem, that would be great. My cash flow has been really tight recently!”

Meanwhile, in the small meeting room of the banquet hall, Reichweiler said uneasily: “The Lord must have become suspicious. If it were me, facing such sudden benefits, I would definitely suspect whether there was a trap inside. You say, did we just act too impatiently? This matter must not be ruined!”

“You don’t need to worry about this. The Lord was obviously tempted by our proposal. However, it is inevitable that he would suspect, after all, there was an attack on the Territory just a short while ago. We are not afraid that he will not agree immediately; we are afraid that he is not tempted. As long as he is tempted, he will send people to investigate this aspect afterwards. Let him investigate if he wants to investigate. Let him know the reason if he wants to know the reason. However, while not hiding anything, we must highlight our image as weak victims. As long as we can achieve this level, this matter will be settled.” Christiana said, fanning herself with the goose feather fan in her hand. As the only female manager in these Merchant Guilds, her thoughts were relatively delicate, and her observation of others was sharper than others.

“What Christiana said is correct. We have already succeeded in half of this matter up to now. The rest can only wait for the other party to make a final response. I hope we do not have to wait too long, otherwise, we cannot wait that long! Now it is a race against time.” Caston’s words were said to Reichweiler, but also to everyone present, including himself. At this time, the most taboo thing was to panic.

“However, please allow me to point out a loophole here. We cannot leave any room for their investigation without hiding anything. The smarter the leader, the more suspicious they tend to be. The other party was able to develop this Territory to its current level in a few years. Can we say they are not smart and capable? So, to some extent, we still need to cover up a bit during the other party’s investigation. This way, we will not make them think that the contents they investigated earlier were what we prepared in advance for them to see.” As a noble son, Georgia was still quite familiar with the situation within the circle. He immediately started to find and fix the loopholes in the above issues.

Reichweiler’s proposal seemed to have another worry: “But this might greatly extend the time the other party takes to investigate, and what we lack the most right now is time!”

Georgia had to analyze the situation he was familiar with again: “This depends on the acting level of the people in my hands. If their skills are good, it will at most make the other party spend an extra day or two. Compared to the impact on the success rate, we can afford to wait for this amount of time. Moreover, our lack of malice towards this Territory is the biggest weight for our success. Knights’ intuition is quite sharp. As long as they realize we have no malice, things will be much easier.”

The above regional managers of the Merchant Guilds can be said to have deeply understood the essence of giving and gaining. You must give to gain! Those who want to get money that others have worked hard for without paying any price will not understand.

Perhaps in their eyes, these managers in Bolerum Territory were lucky to pick up a bargain. But opportunities are only for those who are prepared. If they had not been struggling hard in Bolerum Territory before, would they have encountered such good news? Those who see a benefit and want to come and pick the peaches are often the most hated by realists.

In fact, the development of the situation was just as the above few said. In less than two days, George roughly understood the other party’s motivation. Whether it was out of support for their behavior or looking at the nearly 4,000 Gold Coins that were about to be in hand, anyway, the difficulties encountered by these Merchant Guilds were smoothly overcome.

“It seems that the behavior of arranging people to register as Mercenaries in the Free City when I provided protection for the Gnome Caravan last time was quite forward-looking. Look, it is already being put to use in less than half a year. With this advance payment of 3,967 Gold Coins, my cash flow for these few months can finally be a bit more comfortable. Also, those young people after the busy farming season now have a place to go. If they keep training, the improvement effect is not big anymore. Let them go out to see the world is also good. Of course, I will still pay them their wages. When the first batch of them returns, I will send the money to their homes! So now, let’s treat it as reserve funds within the Territory.” George, who had just relieved the Territory’s cash flow, made a general plan for this windfall from the sky. However, the reason for his happy mood was not just this.

Of course, if this unimaginable mercenary deal was a surprise egg for George, then what satisfied him even more was the rapid improvement in his own strength.

The originally not very stable breakthrough, after a cleansing of the self-soul in the graveyard before, immediately became like the foundation being recast with granite. At the same time, the spiritual baptism made George’s perception ability further improved. Now he can relatively accurately identify the Magic Spirit Light on items. If anyone wants to frame him with cursed items, they can be said to have miscalculated.

This was just a small change in his own Knight Rank, plus the improvement from the Blessing of Order and the Visualization Method.