Chapter 99 : Chapter 99
Chapter 99. If It Can't Be Done, Make It Happen (3)
The surprise was brief.
Silence lingered in the mansion's reception room.
And in the silence, what I faced was, unexpectedly, a look of suspicion.
Why was I receiving looks of suspicion despite making a proposal favorable to the lord?
The reason was none other than this.
My proposal was too unconventional.
“Will that be alright? With 8%, it won't be easy to even cover labor costs.”
Sure enough.
The lord threw a sharp question at me.
It was clear he suspected I might be a swindler.
However, I had proposed the figure of 8% with my own rationale.
For that reason, I explained with confidence.
“We'll just be able to cover the labor costs and will have almost no money left in our hands. But even so, this is a profitable business for us.”
“A profitable business? Why?”
“Because with this, our Billem Caravan, which had to focus only on the food business, will gain the symbolic value of having opened a food trade with the Tyrkollu family.”
I had originally planned to propose a low profit-sharing ratio with this in mind.
Until I met the lord, I was going to propose a 12% profit-sharing ratio.
I judged that this way, the lord wouldn't suspect me of being a swindler and would be tempted by the favorable conditions enough to accept the deal.
In conclusion, 12% was the bottom line of the deal's conditions I had thought of in advance.
‘And with a 12% profit-sharing ratio, the probability of this deal succeeding is about 58%.
Because if there's no big difference in conditions, people usually prefer to do business with a stable partner.’
But upon actually meeting the lord, it seemed possible to adjust the profit-sharing ratio.
This was because I had confirmed that the treasurer recognized the Billem Caravan and that the lord was interested.
‘In other words, it means that even if I lower the deal's conditions further, the lord will have no choice but to trust me. Because to the lord, I am no longer just the leader of a vagrant caravan. And if I can persuade the lord while lowering the profit-sharing ratio to 8%, the success rate increases to over 92%.’
The reason I had just mentioned the food business in response to the lord's question was to remind him that the Billem Caravan was the creator of the Billem Meatball.
Moreover, since I had now clearly stated the reason why I wanted to lower the profit-sharing ratio, the lord had no choice but to withdraw his suspicious gaze.
“In the end, you mean to say that by opening a food trade with me, you will increase the possibility of trading with other domains.”
“That is correct. In fact, before meeting you, my lord, I visited three other domains and attempted to make a deal. But the results were not good. It would have been better if they had at least replied that a deal was impossible because they were already trading with another caravan. There were numerous cases where I couldn't even set foot in the reception room. And I judged the reason for that to be a lack of recognition.”
“It is certainly true that nobles have a strong tendency to handle matters within their own experience. I understand why you are trying to make this deal happen, even to the point of overextending yourself.”
As expected, the lord began to be persuaded by me upon hearing the ‘certainty of identity’ and the ‘rational reason for the deal’.
However, that didn't mean everything was settled.
The lord inevitably still had questions.
‘He'll probably ask that question.’
I thought, and as expected, that question poured out from the lord's mouth.
“But apart from the good proposal, I am also uneasy that the Billem Caravan has no experience in food trading. Can you perhaps alleviate this anxiety?”
At some point, the lord had bypassed the treasurer, who had been repeating his words like a parrot, and was now speaking directly with me.
In fact, this alone was a positive sign, and fortunately, I had a way to quell the lord's anxiety.
With that, I took out a letter from my bosom and politely held it above my head.
“This is a letter of recommendation from the 1st Platoon Leader of the Vinchih garrison. It will likely be the answer to your question, my lord.”
The lord gestured to the treasurer with his eyes, and the treasurer received Abtal's letter of recommendation from me and delivered it to the lord.
This letter of recommendation, which I had exchanged for a hefty money pouch, stated that the Billem Caravan was larger than it seemed and was a trustworthy establishment.
For that reason, after reading the entire letter, the lord had no choice but to nod.
At the very least, it was proof that the Billem Caravan would sell the food purchased from him to a safe business partner.
“It is still true that I am uneasy, but with this much, it seems entrusting the food trade to the Billem Caravan is not entirely impossible. However, I also need time to think, so let's discuss this again in a few days. For now, you may leave.”
The lord promised a next time, and I left the mansion with my party.
But I was certain that this deal would absolutely not fail.
***
A week later.
I was summoned by the lord and was finally able to finalize the deal.
“It was true that your caravan made no achievements even after visiting three domains. But to finally get a good result thanks to our lord's grace. Do not forget this gratitude.”
It seemed that in the meantime, the lord had been investigating whether my story was true.
The fact that the treasurer brought up the above story in the final stages of the paperwork was proof of that.
However, this didn't feel particularly unpleasant to me.
It was only natural to verify the credibility of the other party before an important deal.
‘If anything was unpleasant, it was perhaps the treasurer's tone.’
But I didn't even point that out.
It was inevitable, as I was disguised in a position where I couldn't make such a point in the first place.
For reference, the lord was not present at this meeting.
There was no reason for the lord to bother with the paperwork when there was a working-level official like the treasurer.
In any case, after concluding the deal with the Tyrkollu family, my party transported the food that had been piled up in Jengin Castle to Vinchih once and sold it to Abtal.
In this process, I had to hire additional manpower and purchase a cargo wagon, but I didn't feel it was a waste.
I was satisfied with having succeeded in a deal where I hadn't managed to secure a single one before.
‘Above all, what I want to gain from this deal is not money. I can earn enough money from the meatball business alone.’
It would be nice if the food business also did well and I earned more money, but that money was destined to flow to the Allied Forces, not my pocket anyway.
So, it was better to earn enough to show a reasonable level of performance and focus on intelligence activities instead.
It was for this reason that I thought the money I earned from the meatball business was sufficient.
Fortunately, Abtal, who would have to provide quality information in the future, was pleased with the success of my deal.
“You finally succeeded in making a deal with one domain? Congratulations. Your new business is finally spreading its wings.”
“It is all thanks to you, Commander.”
Although I had succeeded in the first deal, Jengin Castle had no surplus food to sell until the next harvest.
For that reason, I was able to move to make deals with other domains.
As a result, I was able to succeed in making an additional deal with the Pahad family.
On the way back to Vinchih, carrying food from Zamaril Castle, owned by the Pahad family.
I slowly reviewed the results of the deals.
‘Out of a total of six domains, I succeeded in opening food trades with two of them.’
For a result obtained by tackling it head-on, it wasn't bad.
In fact, I had succeeded in signing a contract with the Pahad family at a 14% profit-sharing ratio.
However, I wanted to achieve a better result than this.
I wanted to make a deal with at least one more place.
‘If the number of clients increases to three, I'll get closer to Abtal and be able to exert considerable influence over the Vinchih garrison as well.’
Then it would also become easier to access quality information and conduct the intelligence activities I wanted.
However, it was not an easy task to open a new deal with a place that already had a caravan it was trading with.
The only reason I had succeeded in making deals with two domains was that their deals with the previous caravans had ended, and for no other reason.
In reality, it was an impossible situation to increase the number of clients any further.
But I already had a way to make it happen if it couldn't be done.
‘I haven't just been wandering around without any thought until now. Let's use that method.’
Having organized my thoughts, I spoke to my party.
“After we sell the food to the Vinchih garrison, we will head to Jengin Castle again.”
“Jengin Castle? But wasn't there no food left there for an additional deal?”
I nodded at Ronda's question.
“That's right. There's no food. But there exists a weapon for us to open a new deal.”
I finished speaking, but not only Ronda but also Darien and Gaspar, who had been with me throughout this entire affair, tilted their heads as if they didn't understand what I meant.
It was a moment that showed how far ahead my thoughts were compared to others.
***
A few days later.
As soon as I arrived at Jengin Castle, I requested an audience with the lord.
And the next day, I succeeded in meeting with the lord.
“What is it? There's still a lot of time left before the harvest, isn't there? Besides, didn't I tell you to communicate through the treasurer from now on?”
However, the lord seemed to not want to talk to me much.
Perhaps because of his age, he showed a clear sign of not wanting to exert effort in unnecessary places.
In fact, the lord, whom I was meeting after a long time, did not look as well as last time.
The area under his eyes was dark as if he were tired, and his back was more stooped than before.
But this appearance was only for a moment.
As soon as he heard my question, the lord's expression changed abruptly.
“Was the name of the caravan that traded with you before our caravan the Sahar Caravan?”
“…It was. Why do you ask?”
“I heard that the Sahar Caravan committed some wicked deeds with the food they bought from here.”
“……”
“Would it be alright if our caravan takes the lead in teaching the Sahar Caravan a lesson?”
At the last words I added, the lord's gaze wavered.
How much time had passed like that?
The lord slowly opened his mouth and asked me cautiously.
“Is there…… a way?”