Chapter 31 : Chapter 31
Chapter 31
In the name of the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild, Rylae had purchased food worth seventy million gold at double the price.
The only condition she had set was that if the delivery date was not met, they would have to pay ten times the contract deposit.
The merchant guilds of the three domains, who already held the distribution rights for the food, found it strange that a fledgling guild was purchasing such a large amount of food, but they decided to accept the contract after an internal meeting.
-What could possibly happen in Failsafe?
This is practically free money!
If a merchant can't even smell free money, they're not qualified to be a merchant!
-Even if we can't meet the delivery date, what can they do?
Even the Moner family can't touch the association now!
-You're right.
It's not like we'll fail to deliver anyway, but so what if we do?
That's just how contracts are.
That fledgling guild needs to learn that things don't always go as planned!
Hahaha!
It was because of the existence of the safe, empty main road where failure, just as the name Failsafe suggested, could not exist, and the superior position of the Merchants’ Association.
They believed that they would never have to pay the compensation.
“……”
Looking at the merchants sitting on the floor, a hollow laugh escaped my lips.
‘Yes, they must have had no choice but to think that way.’
In a world where power took precedence over law, they must have lived without fear.
They must have thought they could swindle or crush the Golden Goblin underfoot, just as they did when Lina's parents started their new merchant guild.
Thinking of it that way, it was a little disappointing that Lina was not here.
She thought of Roberto as her only enemy, not the association that seemed unassailable, but in truth, wasn't it the pigs before my eyes who had driven her parents to their deaths?
The thought that I was avenging her naturally made one corner of my mouth curve up.
“Yes, today, Guild Master Rylae suddenly came to me and said that she had acquired a debt beyond her means and that there seemed to be no way to collect it.”
The three merchants flinched.
The entire association was already on high alert because the food that was supposed to be delivered by this morning had not arrived.
For some reason, all three of the domains' merchant guilds were unreachable.
Having been robbed of their horses, carriages, food, and slaves, and with their travel speed slowed by their injuries, the three merchant guilds had not even reached Lier yet.
“Th-tha, Guild Master Rylae, it has only been half a day.
A-at the latest, by tomorrow morning……”
One of the merchants pleaded in a desperate voice, but Ian cut in with a cold tone.
“So I bought that debt.”
The three men simultaneously snapped their heads up as if their necks would break.
“The Centaur received a deposit of fifteen million gold, the Gold Crow ten million, and the Volturtle ten million.
According to the contract, you agreed to pay exactly ten times that as compensation, is that correct?”
“Yo-Young Lord!”
“We signed a contract with the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild!
We will somehow arrange for compensation, so……”
The managers of Volturtle and Gold Crow pleaded desperately, but Ian did not hide his continuous laughter as he continued.
“Now, the owner of that debt is me, so you'll have to give it to me.
One hundred fifty million for Centaur, one hundred million for Gold Crow, and one hundred million for Volturtle.
Haha!
My, what an enormous sum of money.”
“Tha-that is…….”
* * *
While the other managers exchanged glances with expressions of despair, Rojin, the manager of the Centaur Merchant Guild, who had been silent until then, opened his tightly shut mouth as if he had made a decision.
“Young Lord… is that truly the will of the Moner family?”
As Ian looked at him with amusement at his growling, threatening voice, Rojin, with murderous eyes, continued as if spitting out the words.
“It is our fault for not keeping the contract, but as merchants, this kind of thing happens from time to time.
If you, Young Lord, are so coercive with us……”
All eyes in the quiet room turned to Rojin.
“If you desire the compensation, we will have no choice but to raise the prices of the goods we sell in order to procure such a large sum of money so suddenly.”
Realizing that Ian was listening to him silently, he gulped and thought.
‘Yes, no matter how crazy of a ruffian he is, he wouldn't turn the entire domain upside down.’
If they needed one hundred million gold, they had no choice but to get that hundred million from the Moner family by raising food prices.
In the end, it would be the Moner family and its people who would suffer.
‘You may have come this far thinking you could do something, but the world of commerce is far more ruthless than you think, you fool.’
However, insisting on only the whip in front of the young lord was the worst of the worst strategies.
Now was the time to give the brat something to make him feel a sense of accomplishment.
“However, we cannot fail to admit our mistake, so as a token of our apology, we will compensate the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild with one million gold.”
After finishing his words, Rojin looked at Ian with a triumphant expression.
If he could just wrap this up, he would be able to gain more influence in the association, surpassing the foolish Volturtle and Gold Crow.
‘A merchant who tamed the ruffian…….’
As he was imagining that sweet fruit, Ian's low, sunken voice was heard.
* * *
“I don't need it.”
Ian looked at Rojin with amusement.
“If you want to raise the prices, go ahead.
I'll hang the head of the first one who breaks the domain law and raises food prices above the city gates.”
The Moner family's annual revenue was a little less than 200 million gold.
Of that, 100 million was spent on buying food.
Excluding the food bought from small and medium-sized merchant guilds, the food sales revenue of the three domains was less than 100 million gold a year.
In the first place, it was impossible for a single merchant guild to have a huge sum of 100 million gold in cash.
Especially for those who were nothing more than a front, with the domain taking most of their profits.
So, what would happen if the Moner family did not buy their food?
Just as the Moner family could not survive without the help of the three domains, the food sales revenue must have accounted for the majority of the three domains' income.
‘There's no better justification for starting a war than money.’
They just could not even imagine it.
The war had already begun.
“Centaur Merchant Guild, Volturtle Merchant Guild, and Gold Crow Merchant Guild, you are to send one hundred fifty million and one hundred million gold, respectively, to me within the three months stipulated in the contract.”
After finishing his words, Ian stood up from his seat, not hiding the smile that spread across his entire face.
He had a lot to do today, so he couldn't afford to spend any more time here.
“Young Lord!
Young Lord, please wait!”
“What in the world is that……!”
“Gu-Guild Master Rylae!
Let's talk for a moment!”
The three men clung to Rylae and Ian, trying to stop them.
“If I may give you some sincere advice, run away right now.
As far as you can.
To a place where even a demon chasing you can't find you.”
Rylae lightly patted the shoulders of the clinging merchants one by one as if in encouragement, then followed Ian and left the association with Reina.
* * *
Rick and Lina greeted Ian's party as they headed to the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild to review their future plans.
“Lord, you've arrived.”
“Boss-laaaady!
I really missed you!”
Ian frowned at the sight of Lina, who gave a slight nod with a chilly voice, and Rick, who was shouting at the top of his lungs towards Rylae.
“The guild master seems to treat her subordinate really well.”
“It's all thanks to you, my lord.
It seems that boy has finally realized what a good boss I am.”
As I looked at Rylae with envious eyes, Reina, who was standing behind me, whispered quietly in my ear.
“I've always missed you too, Young Master.”
“Huh?
Uh……?”
Startled by Reina's unexpected surprise attack, I jumped back to create some distance.
My heart pounded as if it would explode.
“Don't do that anymore.
It's bad for my heart.”
“Fufu… the Young Master is very shy.”
“It’s because Reina is too comfortable with me.”
I forced myself to turn my head away from Reina and asked Lina, who was grimacing as if she had seen something she should not have.
“Did things go well where you went?”
“Yes.
We obtained 20 slaves and 16 carts loaded with food.”
16 carts… that was less than I thought.
“Rylae, how much food have we gathered in total?”
“A total of 60 carts' worth.”
“Far less than I thought.”
“Seeing as they didn't touch the food, they must have planned to mix it with sand after bringing it to the domain.”
“Then, based on the food distributed in the domain, it would be 120 carts' worth.
How long can we last with that?”
No one knew how the war would unfold.
I would have to see how the situation developed, but if there was no conflict among the three domains, it could take more than six months.
If there was not enough food to consume during the war, a war could not be started.
“It will be tight, but I think we can last for about four months.”
For food plundered in just two days, it was an enormous amount.
It meant that the game of chicken could continue for four months.
However, it was not enough to wage a war.
“Then let's move on to the next phase as planned.”
At Ian's words, Rylae asked with a worried expression.
“Will the Security Department make a move?”
“We have to make it so they have no choice but to move.
For now, let's try to move the Auditor's Department rather than the Security Department.”
The one who managed the Security Department was the garrison commander, Mogul, who had been stroking his ominous axe in the meeting room.
Since I could not trust him, I had to use someone I could trust for now.
For instance, a responsible Head of the Auditor's Department who truly loved this domain.
While the Head of the Auditor's Department, Bain, shivered from a sudden chill, Ian grinned and headed to the Auditor's Department with the Black Noble Troop.
* * *
“What did they say at the domain?”
“They said both Centaur and the Lyt domain have lost contact with their merchant guilds.
Neither the Security Department nor the garrison moved, so it wasn't the Moner family.”
“Ahem… I wonder what in the world happened.”
After Ian left, a tense atmosphere lingered in the Merchants’ Association.
He did not know what the young lord was thinking, but Rojin, the manager of Centaur, who had read the madness in his eyes, put a hand on his forehead and pondered over and over.
“I talked big, but we can't raise the food prices any further.”
“We have no choice but to add more sand to the wheat we're selling now.
We're already short on goods to sell, so we have no other choice.”
“Even now, complaints are sky-high about us selling sand.
You're saying we should mix in more sand?
Will the domain's people really stand for it?”
But there was no other way.
“Can't we get help from the domain?”
“I heard Count Lyt flew into a rage as soon as he heard the words ‘one hundred million’.
His daughter, Lady Snail, will be fine, but I'll have to risk my life.”
The manager of the Gold Crow merchant guild said, unable to hide his anxiety as he constantly wiped his face with his hand.
“One hundred million gold in just three months.
Doesn't that mean we have to earn more than thirty million gold a month?
To have to earn more than three times our current income……”
At those words, the manager of the Volturtle merchant guild next to him added in a completely dejected voice.
“The situation isn't any better on our side.
Even if I pay back the debt to the young lord, Count Merchen will probably punish me for the decrease in revenue.”
The three men exchanged glances and spoke simultaneously.
“I guess we have no choice.
Let's mix in a little more sand.”
“What other choice do we have?
We're all just trying to survive.”
“Then I'll take it that everyone agrees.
Starting tomorrow, we'll fill 70% of the wheat sacks released to the market with sand and chaff.”
At Manager Rojin's words, the other two nodded as if they had no choice and rose from their seats.
After the managers of the Centaur and Merchen merchant guilds left, the manager of the Lyt merchant guild, who had remained behind saying he had something to do, examined the note he was holding tightly in his hand.
A memo that the Golden Goblin's Guild Master Rylae had secretly passed to him while patting his shoulder.
On the paper, which was so soaked in sweat from his nervousness that its original form was hard to recognize, a short sentence was written.
[Full inspection of all food stores scheduled for tomorrow at dawn.]
The manager who confirmed the memo trembled.
‘No, if I lose even the food I have now here…….’
He could not possibly handle the aftermath.
A merchant who had lost all his goods was no different from a beggar.
The manager of the Lyt merchant guild, who chewed and swallowed the memo in his hand lest someone see, stood up with his fists clenched as if he had made a decision.
“First, I have to go to the Golden Goblin Merchant Guild.”
If only to survive, he had to find out the intention behind this memo.