Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 284:

Chapter 284:

It was no easy task to settle hundreds of thousands of refugees.

From building the settlements to accommodate them, to meeting the demand for necessities and food, it was enough to make any bureaucrat sweat.

The supply from Bargran itself was far from enough, and they had to rely on the merchants from Zaium.

Thanks to that, they made a lot of money.

They ignored their existing contracts and sold everything to Bargran, where they could make twice as much profit. No merchant would refuse such a deal.

Some nobles also joined the frenzy, and Zaium was in a stir.

But most of the nobles were skeptical about this huge project.

Theyre spending so much money just to settle some refugees.

Theyre nothing but beggars. They cant generate any benefit from them.

They might be useful as labor, but theyre the kind of people who wouldnt hesitate to k**l for a piece of bread. How can they control them?

They were all pessimistic, but the situation on the ground was different.

The security forces trained by Granden were no joke, and they succeeded in maintaining order in the settlements.

Also, there were not many complaints from the refugees, as they were supplied with enough necessities.

They had put out the urgent fire.

But as hundreds of thousands of refugees settled down, various side effects began to emerge.

It was the problem of raw materials within Zaium.

The empire, boasting a population of 100 million, needed a lot of materials for its size, and nearly 20% of them were sucked into Bargran.DiisCoover updated novels on

The merchants put money in their pockets, but they also contacted the Bargran guild.

They wanted to import strawberries, potatoes, cottonseed oil, crustaceans, and high-quality ether stones from the floating continent.

The contract they wrote in the process was the starting point of the problem.

The guilds supply was limited and there were many competitors, so they put a lot of unreasonable clauses in the contract.

One of them was a penalty fee that was three times as much.

The deadline was until spring of 1040, so the merchants thought they would never have to pay this penalty unless a war broke out.

King Vandus is also a baron of the empire, so theres no one who can touch him anymore.

Were selling goods at a high price, so we have to bear this penalty. What can we do?

By the way, Ive never seen a contract with a longer penalty clause than the contract itself. Do they want to take our land if we cant pay?

The final payment is credit introduction This smells too bad.

It was so detailed that they doubted that Bargran wanted money at all.

As long as they supplied the goods as promised, there would be no big trouble.

But the merchants were shocked by the sudden imperial decree.

What? All personnel and materials are banned from leaving? What kind of nonsense is this?

Am I dreaming right now? Why are they blocking it all of a sudden?

They had no idea that it stemmed from the emperors inferiority complex towards Leobold.

The merchants in the empire tried to contact the palace using their connections, but they got no benefit.

The decree did not change, and eventually the imperial guard began to take over the border crossings and various roads.

They were really going to block the export of materials, and the merchants tore their hair out.

If they didnt supply the goods right away, they would suffer a huge loss.

One of them was Duke Prozhan.

He had secured several contracts with Bargran by using his connection with Leobold.

In fact, it was nothing more than a business relationship, but in a fierce market competition, even that helped.

The penalty clause was the same, but he thought it wouldnt be a big problem.

As long as we deliver the goods, money will automatically roll in. Its stupid to refuse that. We have to bring in materials even if we have to borrow money.

He was aiming for a higher rank with this opportunity.

Someone had to fill the spot left by Archduke Pangral.

To be honest, having an independent territory as an archduke was too ambitious, and even becoming a duke had many competitors.

There were no dukes in the empire, but there were more than 10 counts.

Duke Prozhan thought that money was the only answer to break through that competition and increased his trade volume drastically.

By winter, his entire county depended on trade with Bargran. It was no exaggeration to say that.

The total amount was over 200 thousand golds, and thousands of golds flowed out every day. The bureaucrats had to manage money without sleeping.

But then there was a problem.

The decree came down and all roads leading to Bargran were blocked.

The imperial guard even monitored the docks, preventing the airships from flying.

Duke Prozhan turned pale and barely met the emperor as a representative of the merchants.

You dont look well. Do you have to pay that penalty?

He seemed to have heard a lot of complaints from the merchants.

Your Majesty, I beg your pardon.

How much?

Excuse me?

How much is the penalty?

The contract is until March, so the penalty is over 300 thousand golds

It was a huge amount that even the countys finances could not afford.

The emperor clicked his tongue.

How did you make such a contract that resulted in such an amount?

Well, the supply was high and there were many competitors, so we had to pay a penalty for the difference.

Difference? You mean they claimed that you had to pay a penalty for the difference because you bought the goods at more than twice the price?

Yes

That is, they gave the right to sell a 1 gold item for 2 golds, and charged a penalty of 3 times the difference of 1 gold.

And that was not for a week, but for several months with automatic renewal. The penalty would inevitably skyrocket.

The situation was like this because Leobold set a trap well, but essentially it was because the merchants jumped in without looking back.

They thought they would never fail to supply the goods.

The emperor, who realized the situation, threw a box decorated with gold and jewels.

Youre all crazy! You fell right into his trap!

Hes not even a bush knight, but hes trying to rob you to the bottom of your pockets! I gave him some leeway, and hes trying to humiliate me like this?

A bush knight was the final destination of knights who fell into corruption for various reasons when there were no Goliaths and airships in the past.

They were still knights, but they had no money, so they occupied a suitable forest and robbed the peddlers.

The emperor was outraged when he saw the palace maids carrying credits.

What do they trust and carry those paper scraps for!

Regardless of his anger, people were using credits very well.

Jerome, the capital, was very sensitive to fashion, so the introduction of credits was fast, and it accelerated due to this incident.

By the spring of 1040, there were hardly any shops that did not accept credits.

Especially in the social circle where fashion was important, it spread widely.

The noble ladies who dominated the social clubs boasted of their wallets imported from Bagran.

Who carries silver coins these days? Look at this sophisticated wallet design. Its completely different from a dirty pocket.

The thin leather wallet satisfied the desire of the noble ladies who wanted a high-quality item that was different from others.

Usually, noble ladies did not carry pockets themselves because they were cumbersome, but wallets were an exception.

They were light enough, thin and sophisticated in design, so they carried them in their arms, and this became the cause of fashion.

Bagrans paper money became widely used.

It was a remarkable change of fortune when he thought that Bagran had introduced metal coins made by Zaium when Leobold first arrived in Astera.

Zaiums economy was gradually eroded by Bagran.

Emperor Barak noticed this but did not dare to touch it.

He couldnt block the goods forever, so he loosened it up a bit in March and trade between the two countries resumed.

As a result, Bagran was able to successfully settle millions of refugees.

They learned that they could live as Bagrans citizens if they endured for two years.

He thought it was better to do something than to d*e wandering around.

He didnt mind living here.

Actually, the food was much better than in Gram Kingdom.

The settlement lacked freedom, but it had plenty of resources.

He couldnt complain, since he would be granted freedom after two years of hardship.

Arma, who secured cheap labor, assigned them to railway construction and airship building.

The national development plan gained momentum, and ether was supplied to every household.

The citizens of Bagran could enjoy a warm winter.

This winter is unusually cold, but were lucky.

From next year, we have to pay for it. How are we going to do that?

The rate plan doesnt seem too expensive. Honestly, I cant stand the cold after living in a warm house.

I heard that even the nobles in Zaium above suffer from the cold. Poor them.

It was true.

No matter how powerful or rich they were, the nobles couldnt heat their entire mansions or castles.

So they shivered every winter, and that was normal for them.

It was a hassle to take a bath, as they had to chop wood and make a fire.

This caused the nobles to have a foul smell in winter.

There was some heating using ether stones, but it was so inefficient that it was only used in clinics.

When the nobles of Zaium heard that even the commoners in Bagran had a warm winter, they coveted it.

They went down to Galisto and experienced the model houses themselves.

They were amazed that they could use hot water even in winter.

You mean I can heat my whole mansion for only 3 gold a month? Is that true?

Its not 3 gold, but 30,000 credits. Anyway, its possible. But you need to connect pipes, so the construction will be quite difficult.

Difficult construction meant a lot of money.

But it wasnt too expensive considering that they could have a warm winter in the long run.

Hmm How much will it cost?

Well, its not a short distance. And you have to wait at least a year. Galistos reservations are backed up.

I want it done right now. How much will it take?

Uh Ill have to consult with my manager.

There were many nobles in Zaium who tried to establish relations with Bagran like this.

The noble ladies were fascinated by the food culture of Bagran, and they even made it popular in the palace.

Barak Emperor didnt like this culture, but he was surprised when he heard that he could take a hot bath anytime.

Is that true? You just turn the faucet and hot water comes out?

Yes, Your Majesty. The citizens of Roselon have been enjoying this benefit since early winter. Taking a bath with hot water is their daily routine.

Huh

Shouldnt they have given him a hint before the commoners enjoyed such benefits?

Barak Emperor realized that his relationship with Leobold was not as good as before.

And he felt something ominous.

Was this Leobolds purpose from the beginning?

He wondered if his true goal was to infiltrate the empire through various channels and gradually expand his influence until he absorbed it.

If this was true, he couldnt stop him with any ordinary means.

War was impossible, as he had seen in the case of Pangral Archduke, and blocking the supplies would hurt Zaiums interests.

There werent many options left.

Do I have no choice but to borrow Altemas power?

He recalled the letter she had sent him through her envoy a while ago.

It said that he would accept him as his vassal.

He had sneered at it then, but now he thought it wasnt so bad.

Didnt Bagran have Zigarion as their guardian dragon?

Who would dare to say anything if Zaium joined hands with the strongest gold dragon?

It would be better if I could announce it as an equal cooperation relationship externally.

He sent her a letter with such contents.

Soon after, he received her reply.

Come and kneel before me.

It was a humiliating message, but Barak Emperor was willing to endure it as long as it wasnt exposed externally.

He felt inferior to Leobold, not to a dragon.

A secret airship left Jerome Imperial Road for Gram Kingdom.

At the same time, another airship flew from Elvrande to Gram Kingdom.

All of this was quietly observed by Siviri Satellite.