Chapter 218 Unpleasant Meeting
It was called "Flower's Hideaway." This hidden mansion near the flower district of the capital was a high-class brōtḥel that only nobles and the wealthy could use as members.
Tonight, merchants dealing with wheat from Grandchester were gathered at Flower's Hideaway. For the past few years, it had become a tradition to meet here the night before the hunting tournament's opening ceremony, where the merchants would have a "discussion" to ensure efficient wheat purchasing.
The host of this meeting was Kojimo, the Guild Manager of the Grandchester Commerce Guild. Only powerful merchants who caught his eye were qualified to participate. Because of this, merchants who frequented the Commerce Guild showed respect to Kojimo and demonstrated appropriate "consideration" to be included in such meetings.
Baron Jilbafuchs was attending this meeting for the first time. He had arrived in Avalon before Crown Prince Gerhart and had visited several Commerce Guilds in regions with granaries, not just Grandchester. He hinted that Roisen had plans to import wheat and had been introduced to merchants interested in trade with other countries.
When Baron Jilbafuchs heard from Kojimo about the gathering of merchants for wheat purchasing, he was very hopeful. Roisen's food self-sufficiency rate was gradually declining, and they were pushed to the point where they had to export their mineral resources to survive. Moreover, for the past 2 years, there had been poor harvests, and if they couldn't import food, there was a high possibility of many starving to death this winter.
The alliance with the Coastal Union was due to Roisen's circumstances. However, Roisen's worsening food situation made the Coastal Union more arrogant. The rich countries of the Coastal Union, thanks to maritime trade, bought Roisen's mineral resources at unfairly low prices by dangling food in front of them. Moreover, they tried to increase their influence by marrying their princesses and noble ladies into the Roisen royal family, aiming to control Roisen's politics.
Ten years ago, Prince Adolf, who was purged, was planning an invasion of other countries, and this was largely influenced by the food situation. Prince Adolf was definitely a scoundrel, but he at least loved his homeland. He felt a sense of crisis as the country's power weakened year by year and thought about invading other countries while he still could, to improve the food situation. However, the King of Roisen did not approve of such methods and decided to import food from the queen's homeland.
As a result, a storm of purges swept through the Roisen royal family, leading to significant challenges not only in agriculture but also in commerce. The newly crowned Crown Prince Gerhart made a pact to marry a legitimate wife from Sardinia to gain support, but the countries of the Coastal Union began to target Roisen's wealth like beasts drawn to bait.
However, compared to the leaders of the Coastal Union, who took advantage of Roisen's weaknesses, King Avalon was a noble person. He was not a great power, but he showed a willingness to protect his own noble daughters from Prince Adolf and made no unreasonable demands when Crown Prince Gerhart came to apologize.
"Avalon is a trustworthy country. If possible, I want to establish a good alliance."
By forming an alliance with Avalon, an agricultural powerhouse, Crown Prince Gerhart and Baron Jilbafuchs aimed to keep the Coastal Union in check and correct the trade imbalance.
'But I really messed up...'
Asking Sophia about her background made Baron Jilbafuchs realize that he was also part of the blunder, worsening his headache. No, it might be his stomach that hurt more.
"Baron Jilbafuchs, is this where you are?"
The voice of Kojimo, who seemed like a friendly old man, pulled Baron Jilbafuchs out of his deep thoughts and back to reality.
"Ah, Lord Kojimo. Thank you for inviting me to this gathering."
"Not at all. There are many merchants and merchant guilds who want to connect with the people of Roisen."
Then, led by Kojimo, he exchanged greetings with many merchants. A representative from a large merchant guild, whom he had met in another territory, was also present, reminding him once again how important the wheat trade from Grandchester was.
However, the pleasant atmosphere didn't last long.
As soon as the opening remarks were over, Kojimo made a statement that rendered the meeting pointless.
"I'm afraid I have some bad news... All the wheat from Grandchester has been bought up. Without any price negotiations, I just received word that the newcomer, Sophia Merchant Guild, has purchased everything as of today."
"W-What!? I heard this year was a good harvest, but the price of wheat shouldn't have changed much from previous years. Are you saying they bought it all up!?"
"Yes. This afternoon, Sir Robert personally visited the Sophia Merchant Guild, and our informant has confirmed that a trade contract was signed."
'What!? That Sir Robert I passed by was there for such a contract?'
"I can hardly believe it. Does one merchant guild really have that much money? Wheat accounts for 70% of Grandchester's income! Are you saying that little girl's merchant guild has enough funds to match the annual budget of a small country?"
The merchant, who was spitting as he spoke, was the guildmaster of a major merchant guild that holds power even in Avalon's capital. This guild is supposed to be one of the special merchant guilds allowed to handle many grains besides wheat and also involved in the distribution of salt.
"The true identity of Sophia, the guild master of the Sophia Merchant Guild, is unknown. It seems that her status was cleverly created recently. Moreover, it has been confirmed that Sophia has been visiting the home of Sir Jeffrey, the leader of the Grandchester Knights, which suggests she is likely connected to the Grandchester family."
"Even if that's the case, what benefit would Grandchester gain from monopolizing wheat?"
At that moment, Kojimo interrupted.
"Everyone, please calm down. It is clear that there is some secret agreement between the Sophia Merchant Guild and the Grandchester family. They have probably realized that we are manipulating the wheat prices."
'W-What!?'
Here, Baron Jilbafuchs realized that this meeting was a place for collusion.
'Darn it, I didn't intend to get involved in such a conspiracy...'
"Hmm. So what if they noticed?"
"Perhaps they are only selling to the Sophia Merchant Guild on paper. If they know it won't be cashed, they can write as many promissory notes as they want. We, who are struggling without being able to buy wheat, might be targeted to go buy from the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"Hmph... how wicked."
'Isn't it wicked to unfairly drive down the price of wheat through collusion?'
Baron Jilbafuchs, who was listening to the conversation, had doubts but chose not to voice them.
"If that's the case, we have no choice but to dry up the Sophia Merchant Guild and force them to release the wheat."
"Does that mean we won't buy products from the Sophia Merchant Guild?"
"At the very least, buying wheat at the price set by the Sophia Merchant Guild is unacceptable."
"But if Grandchester doesn't cash the promissory notes, the Sophia Merchant Guild might never sell the wheat."
Then the big merchant from earlier had a sly smile on his face.
"Since they are selling everything to the Sophia Merchant Guild, they will eventually have to turn the promissory notes into cash to secure the budget for the territory. Even in the wealthy Grandchester, I don't think there is much leeway in executing the budget. If that's the case, we should just keep cashing in the promissory notes issued by Grandchester and those issued by the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"Are you saying they will be pushed to the point where they have to sell wheat to survive?"
"Exactly. The more they are pushed, the more we can look down on the Sophia Merchant Guild."
"Hahaha. I see. So, we just need to wait with our mouths open for the ripe fruit to fall."
Just listening to their conversation made Baron Jilbafuchs feel irritated. Of course, he ran a merchant guild himself, so he didn't think business could be all about nice words. However, he couldn't agree at all with the way the big merchants gathered to collude and monopolize profits. It also bothered him that Kojimo judged he would participate in such collusion.
But no matter how uncomfortable he felt, he couldn't afford to worsen his relationship with the merchants of Avalon at this moment. At least, he couldn't act carelessly until he discussed countermeasures with Crown Prince Gerhart and the king.
For now, Baron Jilbafuchs decided to leave the situation without causing a scene, so as not to worsen his position by getting involved in the collusion.
"Then, if that's the case, someone like me who is an outsider can't do anything. If the situation changes, I would like you to arrange for me to meet the merchants who will come here again."
Kojimo responded with a cheerful smile.
"Ah, yes. Suddenly facing such a situation, Roisen must be confused. After we resolve the issue, I will make sure to set up a time for us to talk slowly."
"Understood. I appreciate it."
"By the way, Baron Jilbafuchs, how about enjoying the flowers here tonight?"
At Kojimo's suggestion, Baron Jilbafuchs felt irritated. He was accompanying the Crown Prince for diplomatic reasons, and he felt unpleasant being judged as a man who would play around in a brōtḥel.
However, the next moment, he remembered Sophia and felt a bitter feeling.
'...No, I can't deny that I was being frivolous. It's true that I acted flirtatiously towards the guildmaster of the merchant guild, who I visited at the request of His Highness Gerhart.'
"No, I think I'll pass today. I also have a report to make to His Highness Gerhart."
"I see. That's unfortunate. The flowers here are known for their beauty even in Avalon..."
"I'm sorry to make you worry. Let's meet again if there's another opportunity."
After saying just that, Baron Jilbafuchs quickly left the brōtḥel. But inside the carriage, he noticed that his body had taken on a sweet scent, and he felt like he was covered in something terribly dirty.
"I want to take a bath as soon as possible."
Muttering to himself in the carriage, he returned to Grandchester Castle with a very tired expression.
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