studiobondurri Chapter 209: The Price of Changing the Rules
Chapter 209: The Price of Changing the Rules
Chapter 209: The Price of Changing the Rules
The airship Altemaho had returned.
The whole territory, not to mention the nobles, was in an uproar.
They had never expected that Altemaho, which was no different from a scrap of metal in the floating continent, would come back.
In fact, if anyone in Astera was asked, they would answer that it was impossible.
Altemaho looked as if it had not suffered any damage on the outside, which made people cheer even more.
“Oooh!”
“Open the dock! Prepare the ropes!”
As the staff ran over, the Denoba merchants hastily held a meeting.
“How did this happen? Didn’t you say that the possibility was close to zero?”
“Calm down. Altemaho may have returned, but no one knows if there is any cargo in the hold.”
“And there is no guarantee that it is worth more than 20,000 gold. We just have to demand as the contract says.”
They glanced at Baron Vandus, who had a calm expression on his face.
According to the contract, the cargo in Altemaho’s hold had to be worth more than 20,000 gold for the deal to be finalized.
And the price evaluation of that cargo was based on today’s market price at the central exchange.
“I don’t know what they brought, but it won’t be worth 20,000 gold. They say that gold nuggets roll around on the floating continent.”
“Haha, even that famous Elvrande open-pit mine is not that much.”
They all laughed, but they could not hide their anxiety.
If there was more than 20,000 gold in the hold, the deal would be completed normally.
That meant that the bond deal worth 33,000 gold would also be carried out normally.
Baron Vandus would take away 33,000 gold.
He might even demand a stake in the South Continent Company instead of gold.
As the situation reached this point, the merchants felt their mouths dry.
‘What did those intelligence guys do? They said there was a 99% chance that they wouldn’t return.’
‘They might not have gone to the floating continent in the first place. We just have to check the hold carefully.’
Soon Altemaho landed on the dock.
Leobold praised the crew under Granden who came down using planks as stepping stones.
“The voyage was successful. It’s all thanks to you. You’ve done a great job.”
Granden gave an awkward smile at the people’s cheers and looked at Leobold.
“My lord, I have a lot to tell you, but I think you should check this first.”
“What is it?”
“It’s gold from the floating continent. Let everyone see it and verify it with a scale.”
“Gold. It was worth risking landing on the floating continent. Who’s there?”
One of the merchants stepped forward.
He was a fat merchant named Zerod who was also a shareholder of the South Continent Company.
“It’s probably just ore anyway. You can’t weigh it with a scale. We’ll process it separately and let you know the content.”
It was a trick to buy some time, hoping that something would work out if they delayed until today.
But he was pushed by Leobold’s finger snap and leaned his head into the chest.
And he witnessed gold nuggets.
“Ooh...”
An unadorned exclamation escaped his lips.
No one handled gold as much and as often as merchants.
But that was all processed gold from refineries.
Even merchants who dealt with minerals would rarely see such gold nuggets.
Especially when they were full of chests.
Leobold brought a fist-sized gold nugget to his face.
“It’s quite heavy for gold. You should be able to confirm that this is real gold.”
“O-of course.”
Zerod took the gold and almost dropped it.
It was twice as heavy as silver he usually handled.
That alone told him that it was all gold and the merchants turned pale.
He said he would check it and left a clear bite mark on the gold nugget.
The clear yellow shine, heavier than expected weight, and soft characteristics were all perfect for gold.
There were such gold nuggets in chests full of them.
This amount of gold would easily exceed 20,000 gold in value anywhere on the continent, not just at the central exchange.
And in the hold, there were not gold nuggets but ore with clear veins of gold piled up like small hills.
The merchants who came closer and looked into the chests and hold showed a desperate expression on their faces.
Leobold crossed his arms and said,
“That settles the contract. Calculate according to today’s market price at the central exchange as promised. It looks like it will easily exceed 30,000 gold...”
“M-my lord...”
“And the bonds I bought... Tell the market that I will exercise all the rights.”
The market of Denoba was not a noble, but he was treated almost like a king and had a significant influence throughout Astera.
He could not refuse because the seal of the market was stamped on this product deal.
The merchants realized then that they were cornered at the edge of a cliff.
Now there were only two choices.
To fulfill the bond deal and go bankrupt or cling to Baron Vandus’s pants and beg.
Of course, even if they chose the latter, there was no guarantee that the damage would be reduced.
Still, they clung to Leobold’s pants like a kraken wrapping around their belly.
“My lord! I have something to say to you!”
“I have a family! A rabbit-like wife and fox-like children... No, that’s not it!”
Of course, Leobold had no intention of canceling the deal.
Who would be crazy enough to give up 30,000 gold?
He looked at the merchants and said firmly.
“I trust that you will fulfill the contract with the trust of Denoba merchants. Don’t you think the market is also looking forward to this deal? Let’s start trading quickly. There’s no time.”
No time?
At the same time, the clock tower at the dock rang once.
It meant that noon had passed an hour ago.
Surely the contract was until today, so they might have been able to do something if they delayed it.
The merchants found Leobold’s inexplicable smile suspicious, but they decided to resist for now.
“We’ll go bankrupt if we give you 30,000 gold like this.”
“Elvrande won’t sit still if we give you a stake in the South Continent Company. They are the major shareholders, aren’t they?”
There was no one who could replace them.
But Baron Vandus said something unexpected.
“Then do as you please. If you drag on for a few hours, you can save money and maybe protect the stake of the South Continent Corporation.”
“...We can offer you some convenience instead of invalidating the deal. We can give you preferential fees for trading with Denova...”
“Why don’t you just withdraw your merchants?”
If they didn’t inspect the goods, the contract would not be established, so they didn’t need to play mind games and just withdraw their merchants.
Philip frowned and asked again.
“Are you sure?”
“I should ask you that. Are you sure you want to treat me like this?”
“We have the power to handle this situation.”
“If you have decided as the market of Denova, I can’t help it. But remember this. If you ever want to trade with us again, 30,000 gold won’t be enough.”
Philip couldn’t say that it wouldn’t happen.
It was a typical threat, but he couldn’t hide his uneasy feeling.
He ended the communication and reviewed the data on Baron Vandus and his territory from the beginning.
A mercenary of noble origin who became a lord suddenly.
He defeated the villains who oppressed his territory and made a lot of money from anthracite mines and bluefish.
And then he borrowed an airship from the royal family and sent it to the floating continent.
Anyone who knew the situation would say he was crazy.
Where did he send a ship to?
“But he succeeded...”
According to the testimony of the merchants, it seemed true that he secured gold worth at least 20,000 gold.
“Baron Vandus wouldn’t be unable to dispose of that much gold... If he takes time to dispose of it and helps the Bagran royal family financially...”
What if he acquires more airships and forms a fleet to send to the floating continent?
The possibility was very low, but he had already succeeded once.
Who could guarantee that there was no way to land on the floating continent?
Philip paced around his office for a long time.
He felt like he had made some mistake.
Meanwhile, time kept passing by.
Ding!
A loud noise came from the clock tower outside his office, and Philip looked up.
“4 p.m...”
Considering that the central exchange of Denova closed at 5 p.m., it meant that there was only an hour left in reality.
Even if they hurried to inspect the goods now, it would be difficult to finish the deal normally.
Of course, Philip had the authority to delay the closing of the central exchange.
But he couldn’t bring himself to touch the communication device.
Finally, the central exchange closed and the merchants reported with a cheerful tone.
“Thanks to your decision, we were able to protect 30,000 gold or the stake of the South Continent Corporation. We really appreciate it.”
“We will reward you later so you won’t regret it. Please take care...”
The merchants flattered him, but Philip was not comfortable.
He couldn’t shake off the thought that he shouldn’t have changed the rules like this.
‘If the arrival of the airship on the last day of March was not a coincidence, if he planned everything.’
If that was true, Denova might have to pay a price beyond imagination.
***
The furnace of the forge burned all night long.
Carson, the administrative officer, watched with a satisfied smile as the workers made gold bars.
He was happier that the contract was invalidated than that Altamaha returned with gold.
“It’s good that we didn’t get involved with those merchants, my lord.”
He didn’t seem to be aware of the various consequences that would arise from invalidating the contract.
He must have managed a considerable amount of finance as an administrative officer of a barony, but he seemed to have a limit in his vision.
But Leobold didn’t expect much from him either.
“It’s enough for you to take care of this territory’s affairs.”
He drew the big picture and Arma made detailed plans, so other talents just had to help them.
Anyway, according to the administrative officer, the expedition secured about 30,000 gold worth of finance for the territory.
That was only counting pure gold nuggets without touching them.
“The forge has been burning all night long, but there is a limit. And we can’t separate gold from ore here.”
“We’ll have to pay a fee and entrust it. Where would be good...”
“The closest place would be Count Lantis’s territory.”
“Lantis Baron...”
He was one of the great lords of Bagran Kingdom and had a considerable status in the east.
But as a lord, he was no different from a king in his territory, so he couldn’t really influence other territories.
He just gave him some concessions because it would be troublesome if he got on his nerves.
Anyway, Count Lantis’s territory was large, so it had enough facilities for refining.
Baron Vandus’s territory had enough finance but lacked talent, so it was difficult to operate a refinery right away.
Leobold nodded as he looked at the satellite image.
“That should be fine for entrusting. But we don’t have to reach out first.”
“We’ll just spread some rumors.”
“How much will our total finance be after that?”
“If we deduct the fee for refining ore, it is estimated to be about 47,000 gold.”
It was too much money for a barony to handle.
But for Leobold who had a plan to rule over Astera, it was just an excuse.
“Leave it to the administrative officer and use the rest of the money to buy airships.”
There were three airships in Bagran royal family now.
The remaining two were smaller than Altamaha’s but they were good enough for expeditions.
But Prince Ruad might make a different choice after hearing the rumor that he brought gold from the floating continent.
“Count Lantis might also encourage him. His usual tendency suggests that the possibility is very high.”
“He thinks I’m easy to push around.”
“As always, those who have power can change the rules.”
That’s right, it happened frequently on Earth as well.
The principle of power was more important in Astera, where it was a daily occurrence.
Leobold hoped they would make a wise choice.
If they tried to change the rules, they would pay a tremendous price.