Our Count, Your Excellency, welcomed me very warmly.
“Haha, even if we must be cautious of those who believe in the Deus, you and the Visconti Duke family are exceptions. Though our gods may differ, aren’t we on the same side looking out for each other?”
That’s just how life works.
Sweet things are swallowed, and bitter things are spat out.
It’s so common for today’s allies to become tomorrow’s enemies based on profit that it’s startlingly normal.
But even the most wicked of con artists won’t betray you when their “self-interest” and “your interest” align.
Why? Because backstabbing would cost them the benefits they’re currently enjoying.
Count Nador and I are tied together through gunpowder trade; so as long as this is beneficial for us both, we’ll stick together to the end.
“I pray that the blessings of the gods be with you, Your Excellency.”
“Gladly accepted. By the way, what brings you here this time?”
“Don’t you need more gunpowder and flintlock guns? We will serve you well this time.”
The wars happening in the Toscan Empire usually take place within relatively predictable bounds.
When the followers of Deus go to war, they must issue a ‘declaration of war’ in advance.
A couple of hundred years ago, they even agreed on the battlefield and timings to fight like knights, though not so much anymore.
Resources are consumed at a level that usually doesn’t stray far from what the Ministry of Military Affairs and the War Ministry (a temporary institution made when war breaks out) assesses.
So when someone suddenly shows up demanding more purchases, the countries of our Albania Continent can’t help but be troubled…
“Count Nador has been at war with dozens, no, hundreds of tribes constantly.”
Moreover, the frequency of battles is so high that there’s never enough gunpowder.
“It’s true that gunpowder and flintlock guns are never enough. But isn’t gunpowder always in short supply in the Toscan Empire?”
Until last year, there was a chronic gunpowder shortage. However, lately, they’ve been overflowing, pleading for someone to buy it.
“Except for the countries on the Albania Continent.”
“Actually, after trading with you, I’ve greatly increased gunpowder production. So now I can pass on a larger quantity.”
The most critical aspect of selling goods is to never let the other party feel like they’re getting ripped off.
That’s why traditional market traders always grumble, “Oh, selling it at this price won’t leave me anything,” and even CEOs of major companies say things like, “Your company is in trouble.”
Why do they cling to such lies and grievances?
If customers feel they’re being taken advantage of, those ladies buying goods from traditional markets will definitely try to haggle down the price.
CEOs also know that if they won’t put on a façade of struggle, employees will ask for higher bonuses, effectively shrinking profits.
I know if I started bragging about how I’ve innovated gunpowder production to yield seven times the output, those guys would probably suggest I needed a “Thanos snap.”
“Gotta deceive them just enough, right?”
“By the way, wouldn’t it be enough to have just gunpowder for war? Money is also necessary. How desperate you must be that a sage on our continent once said: ‘What you need to win a war is money, money, and more money.’”
I can’t recall who said it, but it was a saying from some great figure in Rome.
It’s also a truth taught to all military academies around the world.
“It makes sense. So how much are you selling?”
“I’ll sell an additional 2,000 flintlock guns and 40 tons of gunpowder. I believe I can steadily supply up to 60, maybe even 70 tons each year from now on.”
“Thank you for that. However, will you continue to accept only gold as payment?”
“We also accept other forms of artwork. However, I have no intention of accepting black slaves.”
The slave trade is a matter of conscience, and when calculated from various perspectives, it’s exceptionally inefficient.
What would I do bringing in black slaves when I don’t even have colonies in the New World?
Am I going to chase away serfs and blow up the poverty levels?
“Slaves are great; just give them a bowl of rice, and they’ll work all day without a break!”
Serfs know they have to work in order to survive.
With the thought that if they work a little harder, they can eat their fill during harvest season, they put in their effort.
In our territory, which rewards serfs with a form of performance bonus by reducing their tax rate, they even work on weekends.
But slaves know that even if they work hard, it’s only a bowl of rice at the end of the day.
“Working 16 hours a day doesn’t yield more than working just three hours intensely, right?”
So, thinking of upkeep costs, aside from the satisfaction of owning a slave, it’s just a net loss.
“I’d like to have slaves, but other nations don’t look kindly on ‘black’ slaves. It harms the Empire’s prestige, so I begrudgingly refrain.”
“There’s no animal that can be exploited as cheaply as a slave.”
While it might seem cheap aside from the purchasing costs, once you tally all the other expenses, it’s a loss.
The fact that slavery disappeared in America post-Civil War isn’t due to a rise in “human rights consciousness” but rather a matter of “cost efficiency,” which is essentially an accepted theory.
“Is it alright if we take a look around to see if there’s anything we’d like to buy?”
“Go ahead. You’re someone I can trust.”
With this, I now have the authority to transact with all traders in the vicinity of Nador.
Now then, it’s time to take the next steps for the wisdom of Britain, right?
There’s an evil act by Britain that we commonly don’t know about.
Well, back then, before Britain evolved into a ‘hateful country’, it was a rather common and petty crime…
When a certain bigoted emperor, not the Holy Roman Empire or anything divine, sat upon the throne, the technique for creating a ‘foundation field’ was invented.
Once Britain learned about this, they executed their cunning plan.
It wasn’t outright thievery; they brought gunpowder manufacturing technology that benefits the world to Britain after paying 130kg worth of gold in printing and transport costs.
To put it simply, it’s akin to transferring nuclear missile manufacturing techniques onto a USB.
“The one who sold this technique was undoubtedly a high-ranking official in the Holy Roman Empire or a key figure who surely understood the enormous value of the technology.”
However, they couldn’t resist the allure of saying, “Hello, I’m a gold bar!” and ended up selling it.
“Of course, Nador must have such traders as well.”
If they’re trading with local pagan tribes, that’s like our country’s equivalent of scum engaged in black market trading with North Korea.
In a gathering of trash, there’s bound to be someone who, lured by big money, would sell their organization.
If someone has sold out their own country, why wouldn’t they sell their organization too?
While I was comfortably resting, leaving all the bothersome tasks to my subordinates…
I finally got the contact I’d been waiting for.
“Baron, an executive from the Akbar organization wishes to see you urgently.”
As I had anticipated, there was indeed a rotten person among those engaged in bad deeds.
Had there been a traitor in our merchant association, I’d have granted them the mercy of immediately sinking them in the middle of the sea.
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
A person who betrays a group as utterly radioactive as this is a good person by default.
It’s like the same logic that while the Communist Party is bad, someone who abandons the Communist Party and surrenders becomes an ally.
“Thoroughly inspect for any weapons he could bring in and let him in.”
Even so, I cannot entirely rule out the possibility that this guy is an assassin.
While I don’t know if there’s a religious zealot assassination organization like Assassins in this world, caution is still warranted.
Before long, a fellow who looked like a skin-colored version of Lee Wan-yong walked in.
I don’t want to discriminate based on appearance, but had someone looking like him shown up for an interview in our association, I would have surely turned them down.
Just the appearance suggests they might sell not only their country but also their family.
“Just by looking, I can’t even imagine what they might sell.”
“Greetings, Medici Baron. I am Abdallah, an executive at the Akbar organization.”
“Pleasure to meet you, seeing someone as excellent as yourself cheers me up.”
Truthfully, I’m not all that pleased, but what does social interaction even entail?
Even if it’s uncomfortable, it’s about treating people with a smile.
“But are you really offering 3,000 gold coins?”
Seeing them bring up the money first raises my trust a notch.
Well, traitors don’t tend to lie when they’re betraying their allies.
When they’re driven by greed, their mindset is too clouded by money to lie.
When those two tendencies come together, their credibility rises as much as or even more than an average loyalist would.
“Is that all you plan to give? If it helps, I could offer twice as much.”
Once we start selling gunpowder to Ifriqiya, I could easily raise the price to 3-4 times its current value.
But saving on initial investment costs would be foolish.
Abdallah pulled out a booklet that, judging by its look, contained first-class confidential information.
“This map outlines the geography of northwestern and western Ifriqiya. It’s also our trade route.”
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