Chapter 214 A Big Commotion
"Wh-what did you say? All the wheat has been bought up!?"
Kojimo stood up with such force that it seemed he would kick over his chair.
"Yes. Just now, Sir Robert appeared at the Sophia Merchant Guild and sold all the wheat they had. The deal is already done, and Sir Robert has taken the contract and promissory note with him. Also, since the Sophia Merchant Guild doesn't have a warehouse for the wheat, they have signed a rental contract for a warehouse in the Grandchester territory."
Kojimo was shocked by this report. Their plan was to buy the wheat at 70% to 80% of the price offered by the territory. He never expected that a merchant guild would come in and buy everything without any negotiation.
"What a situation... Does that mean we have to buy the necessary wheat from the Sophia Merchant Guild!?"
"Or we could buy the wheat directly from local farmers, but we don't know how much will be available. However, if the farmers find out that the territory's wheat has been bought up, the prices will rise quickly, so we need to act fast."
"I know that!"
The wheat from local farmers refers to the leftover wheat that land-owning farmers sell after paying their taxes, like land rent and head tax, in wheat.
Kojimo hurriedly passed this information to the merchant house that had transferred management rights to his son and advised them to quickly buy up the local wheat.
However, the movements of the merchant houses and merchant guilds involved in the collusion were within expectations. Right after the wheat trade was finalized, Pollux, the agricultural bureaucrat, ordered lower-ranking bureaucrats and tax officials to inform all wheat farmers. It was unlikely that any farmers would sell their wheat at a low price.
"Quickly inform the relevant parties about this. No, wait, let's do it after we buy the self-distributed wheat. If multiple buyers rush in now, the farmers will raise the prices."
Tonight, a meeting about future wheat purchases was scheduled with influential figures. Every year, this meeting is secretly held in conjunction with the hunting tournament, gathering powerful merchants from within Avalon. Moreover, this year, Baron Jilbafuchs, who runs a large merchant guild in Roisen, was also expected to attend.
The Ulrich merchant guild, managed by Baron Jilbafuchs, was planning to import wheat from Avalon to Roisen. In exchange for the wheat, they intended to export gold, iron, and other minerals to Avalon.
However, the likelihood of that plan facing a sudden setback increased, and Kojimo, who had spent time building connections, couldn't hide his anxiety.
"Anyway, hurry up with the purchase of the self-distributed wheat. Let's discuss the future at tonight's meeting."
Kojimo wanted to improve the impression of the merchants attending the meeting, so he contacted the brōtḥel where the meeting would take place and arranged for the finest food, drinks, and beautiful women. However, this meeting was already under Sedrick's surveillance.
"Sophia... what does 'items that women might like' even mean? She's shamelessly getting into the wheat business! And what's with those golems? They dance weirdly and even catch thieves and spies... just how much money do they have? Plus, those golems are not for sale! It's so annoying."
As Kojimo muttered to himself, one of his subordinates spoke up.
"The Sophia Merchant Guild always pays cash to female artisans and home workers. How about putting pressure on the workshops that supply glass products, thread, fabric, paper, and ink, so they won't sell to the Sophia Merchant Guild or raise their prices?"
"If we could do that, we would have done it already! The Sophia Merchant Guild has contracts directly with the workshops. Plus, unlike other merchant guilds, they don't force exclusive contracts, and they pay better. If we apply too much pressure, we might be the ones cut off. The only thing we could possibly do is with paper, but they can just get that from other territories."
Kojimo paced back and forth in the room, desperately thinking.
"I have no idea what Sophia's true identity is. It's clear she has a newly created status. But it seems she resembles Miss Sara, Sir Arthur's lost child. If that's the case, she's likely a relative of the woman who eloped with Sir Arthur."
"So, you mean Adelia, the daughter of the Genoa merchant?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right. She visited the Grandchester territory for business and eloped with Sir Arthur. I've heard she was known for her beauty, but I've never actually seen her."
"I remember. She was a very beautiful girl, and she must have had many suitors. I heard she passed away, but could it be that she is actually alive?"
"Perhaps it's not her but a relative. It's highly likely that the funds are coming from Adelia's family. We need to quickly find out which merchant family in Genoa is related to Adelia."
"Understood."
At that time, Baron Jilbafuchs, who had just left the Sophia Merchant Guild, was also thinking about Sophia.
'She looks surprisingly like Sara from Grandchester. Considering Sir Robert visited, she's probably a relative on her mother's side. Could she be the mistress of someone connected to Grandchester? If she can invest in such a large merchant guild, it might be Marquis Grandchester himself. If I dig any deeper, I might get hurt. She is a precious beauty, but it can't be helped.'
However, when he returned to Grandchester Castle, there was a commotion like a disturbed beehive. It seemed that 2 knights from the Crown Prince Gerhart's escort and their attendants had threatened Marquis Grandchester's granddaughter to come to Roisen with Crown Prince Gerhart.
Baron Jilbafuchs was astonished when he heard the story. The leader of the Grandchester Knights was personally taking the knights involved to explain the situation.
According to the knights, they claimed, "We didn't mean to threaten her; we just politely asked." But just imagining the situation where multiple knights surrounded an 8-year-old child made it clear that their reasoning didn't hold up.
Crown Prince Gerhart officially apologized for the knights' excessive actions and decided to disarm the rogue knights and put them on probation. The Grandchester side also did not seek severe punishments like stripping them of their titles, but only protested to prevent a recurrence.
This was the result of a shared view between the Grandchester family, who did not want to escalate the situation, and the Roisen royal family. If Sara were to cause a deterioration in the relationship between the two countries, it would not just be a minor issue; the Roisen side thought that if multiple knights threatened a young child, a scandal would be unavoidable.
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