Chapter 24 : Chapter 24
Chapter 24.
Inside Logaris' study, the crystal on the magical communication device stabilized its glow.
A young and handsome face appeared within the projection.
The man had brilliant golden hair and bold violet eyes.
When he saw Logaris, he was briefly stunned.
Then exaggerated laughter burst from the projection.
“Well, well, look who it is! That bookworm!”
“So what happened? Did the snow in that backwater Northern Territory bury you alive? You actually remembered to contact me?”
Logaris had long grown immune to this level of teasing.
He adjusted his glasses and went straight to the point.
“Phoenix, I need a favor.”
“Oh? That is rare.”
Phoenix de August raised an eyebrow on the projection.
“Tell me then. What kind of trouble could possibly stump the greatest genius of Saint Arcadia Academy?”
Logaris ignored the second half of that sentence.
He projected the data of a list beside the communication device.
“Five thousand tons of high-quality coke, three thousand tons of high-grade iron ore, and three sets of large forging machine tools. I also need the base equipment for five magitech component assembly lines.”
Phoenix glanced at the list.
The teasing expression on his face faded slightly as he rubbed his chin.
“That is quite a large order. Are you planning to build a fortress in the Northern Territory?”
“An industrial project.” Logaris answered concisely.
“The price will be the cost price plus ten percent. I need a long-term and stable supply channel.”
After hearing this, Phoenix laughed without hesitation.
“That is a trivial matter.”
He snapped his fingers, and an attendant immediately handed him a sea chart.
“Those narrow-minded moles in the Northern Territory actually dared to interfere with your project?”
A trace of coldness appeared in Phoenix’s voice.
“I will have my fleet change course tomorrow. The first shipment of materials will arrive within three days. We will bypass those bloodsuckers in the royal capital and sail straight into Winter Harbor from the Eastern Sea.”
Logaris nodded.
“The compensation.”
He spoke without unnecessary words.
“One percent of the future shares of the ‘Heart of Winter.’”
Hearing the condition, Phoenix burst into loud laughter.
He waved his hand, and a complicated emotion flickered through his violet eyes.
“Forget about the shares.”
“Logaris, did you forget? If it were not for you back then, that damned curse would have wiped out the entire August family. My life itself was saved by you.”
“This little favor counts as repayment for that debt. If you mention compensation again, we cannot remain friends.”
Logaris was silent for two seconds.
“Very well.”
He ended the communication.
The room returned to silence.
Only Lilith was still processing what she had just heard.
The August family?
Was that not the Golden Griffin family that controlled more than half of the kingdom’s maritime trade and possessed wealth rivaling a nation?
That man actually owed Logaris his life?
Logaris ignored her shock.
He turned and picked up another document from the desk, handing it to Grayson, who had been standing there frozen the entire time.
“This is the list of the first shipment of supplies and the estimated maritime route. Send people to Winter Harbor to prepare for receiving them.”
Grayson accepted the document mechanically.
His fingers were trembling slightly.
He had heard the entire conversation clearly.
Phoenix de August.
The heir of the Golden Griffin family.
Even the Prime Minister of the royal capital treated that man with great courtesy.
Yet before Logaris, that same powerful figure had acted like an ordinary friend and even owed him an immense favor.
Just how unfathomably deep were this advisor’s connections?
“Also, inform Aaron.”
Logaris' voice interrupted Grayson’s thoughts.
“Tell him that in three days, every problem will be solved.”
“Yes… yes, sir!”
Grayson nodded heavily, clutching the document that felt as heavy as a mountain in his hands as he hurried out.
He had to report this to Her Highness the Princess immediately.
This was no longer a simple business issue.
It was a power capable of shaking the entire structure of the Northern Territory.
…
Three days later.
Inside the president’s office of the Winter Merchant Guild, the room was warm like spring.
Baroque leaned back comfortably in a soft sofa, leisurely sipping red tea imported from the south.
He was in an excellent mood.
Three days had passed, and there had been no movement from the Duke’s residence.
In his view, the young duchess must have run out of options and was desperately trying to raise money.
Before long, someone would surely arrive with a humble attitude to beg him for help.
He had already prepared his conditions.
Not only would he demand triple the price, but he would also require the abolition of the new tax laws.
Most importantly, the Winter Merchant Guild must be granted a share in the industrial park project.
He intended to teach that ignorant little girl a lesson.
In the Northern Territory, money was more useful than authority.
“President, your dessert.”
A maid entered carrying an exquisite silver tray.
Baroque nodded with satisfaction and reached out to pick up a piece of pastry.
Suddenly, the office door was violently thrown open.
One of the guild’s senior members stumbled in, his face pale and his words barely coherent.
“P-President! Something terrible has happened!”
Baroque frowned, nearly spilling his tea.
The man gasped for breath.
“The harbor… three fleets have arrived at the harbor!”
“Fleets?” Baroque set down his teacup. “Whose fleets? The navy?”
“No! It is… it is the Golden Griffin!”
The man’s voice trembled as he shouted the name.
“Their banners carry the golden griffin! Three entire fleets! They have filled the entire Winter Harbor!”
Baroque froze with the pastry still suspended in his hand.
Golden Griffin?
The August family?
Why would they come to such a poor region as the Northern Territory?
“What… what are they doing?”
“Unloading cargo! Mountains of supplies! Coke, iron ore, and machine parts we have never even seen before!”
The senior member looked as if he might cry.
“They also announced that from now on, all goods from the Golden Griffin Merchant Guild will be sold to residents of the Northern Territory at seventy percent of the market price, with unlimited supply!”
CRASH!
The porcelain teacup slipped from Baroque’s hand and shattered into pieces on the expensive carpet.
The color drained completely from his face, leaving it deathly pale.
Seventy percent of the market price?
Unlimited supply?
This was not business.
This was a death sentence for him.
The greatest advantage of the Winter Merchant Guild had always been its monopoly over resources.
Now that monopoly had been smashed to pieces by an unstoppable force in the most brutal and direct way possible.
Baroque felt a chill spread through his entire body.
He remembered the young man who had come to see him three days earlier—Aaron.
At that time, Aaron had said he was purchasing on behalf of the Princess.
So it had not been empty bravado.
Behind that newly arrived princess stood a terrifying power that Baroque did not even have the right to look up at.
At the same time, every merchant in Winter City received the news.
Those merchants who had previously laughed with Baroque and waited eagerly to watch the Duke’s residence fail were now fleeing faster than anyone else.
They rushed out of their homes immediately, carrying their most precious gifts, stumbling toward the Winter Merchant Guild.
They demanded to withdraw from all partnerships and completely sever their ties.
Immediately afterward, those same merchants hurried toward the Duke’s residence without stopping.
Half an hour later, in front of the Duke’s residence, dozens of prominent merchants of Winter City knelt humbly on the cold stone steps like prisoners awaiting judgment.
“Please allow us to see Her Highness the Princess!”
“We are willing to provide all services for the industrial park at reduced prices!”