The New Civilization of Witches

Chapter 120: Ransom part 2

Roland looked at Petrov with an interested look and laughed. “You were the first to ask me that,” he said.

He picked up the cup and took a sip, then said in an ordinary tone, “The Longsong Fortress is undoubtedly mine, even if I am not here.

What I really need is someone or family to run Longsong Fortress on my behalf. Therefore, what you should ask me is not the ransom, but “agency” fee.

Agency ... Petrov is no stranger to this word. Many nobles had no time or interest in trade, while they had great results in their territory.

Some keen-sighted entrepreneurs will help them sell things. To obtain this right from the nobility, the businessman had to pay a sum of money up front as a deposit.

“How many pieces of noble gold do you need?” he took a deep breath and tried to calm himself.

“It's a long process, so you don't have to pay everything at once.” Roland paused, and then said, “30 percent of Longsong Fortress's monthly tax, as well as supplies worth 1,000 points. The rest belongs to you.”

“Not too outrageous,” thought Petrov. As long as he could control Longsong Fortress completely, this price was even reasonable. He confirmed that His Majesty was not joking. The prince really wanted to keep his promise.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Petrov thought to himself. He and the prince were not enemies. The Duke has failed miserably, and his sons will be deprived of his inheritance.

If the Coalition forces cannot defeat the prince, then who can stop him from controlling the Western Region? Aligning oneself with a stronger power was the basic principle for the continuation of nobles.

If he could gain the trust of His Majesty before the other four families, then Honeysuckle would have the largest domain in the Western Region.

“Your Majesty, why don't you want to stay here? This castle is bigger than the one in Border Town.”

“What do you want to ask is why I didn't run Longsong Stronghold myself?” Roland looked at Petrov who was slightly embarrassed and laughed.

“There are many reasons. The power struggle here is too complicated, and straightening the relationship takes too much time, let alone profiting from it.

Supporting a local noble family that can rule better than me, is a mutually beneficial deal. There are many other reasons you can think of slowly. ”

The prince started playing with silver trophies.

“By the way, if you are chosen as an agent, will you take revenge on Duke?”

“Of course not, Your Majesty!” Although the question was a little unexpected, Petrov answered immediately.

[Duke is gone. The five families now needed to think of how to carve out their territory. Who cares about revenge?] Thought Petrov.

However, Petrov also knew that this was not the real reason why His Majesty did not want to stay in Longsong Fortress. [The power struggle is too complicated and difficult to straighten out? With his oppressive might, he could completely annihilate the opposing force within a span of one to two years. All the royals will forget the loser Ryan, just like Ryan did in the past. However two years was not enough to build the Border Town into a big city like Longsong Fortress.]

[His Highness Roland may have a more complex plan.]

“Then, this city ..”

“I'll be happy to be your agent, Your Highness!” Petrov. But he immediately seemed hesitant. “But, king, no, I mean your brother, may not agree with this result. If he arranges a new duke for the Western Region, I won't be able to oppose the king's city.”

“You don't need to oppose them.” Roland threw two letters in front of him. “See this, and the documents I found in Duke Ryan's office.”

Petrov quickly scanned the contents of the letter, and could not hold his breath.

The first seal looked like a secret letter. The new King Timothy and Queen Clearwater fought in Eagle City and suffered a major failure? The contents of the second letter were even more terrifying. The document was only half-written but stated Duke Ryan wanted to annex the north. His intention to become an independent king was clearly revealed on paper. The letter was incomplete, so it was impossible to know who the intended recipient was.

He understands His Majesty's intention — no resistance is needed because the new king himself is already going through difficult times. Otherwise, the duke would definitely not want to be independent. His elite knights were enough to obliterate the Western Region, but were still far from the king's city knights.

[The prince doesn't have to bother to trick me. Acting as an agent for Longsong Stronghold was not a one-sided transaction. If I am unable to establish a solid footing in Longsong Fortress, Your Majesty will not gain any advantage either. Moreover, the duke appointed by Timothy would definitely become an enemy of Prince Roland.]

If the Honeysuckle Family wants to defeat the other four great families, then I will have to rely on the prince's support. Instead, to ensure my interests were better protected, the prince should also help the Hull family to hold the position more steadily.

As soon as he thought of this, Petrov stood up slowly and bowed to Roland. “Hull Family is at your service.”

“Good.” The last one nodded. “Currently it is still not decided whether you should be his agent. Let me ask you a few questions.”

“Please, Your Highness.”

“How will you face the forces that are against you?”

“How much do you estimate about monthly taxes? How will you guarantee to provide supplies worth 1,000 points?”

“What actions do you have if I ask you to grow the business on a large scale?”

“…”

Petrov thought His Majesty only wanted to take this opportunity to obtain information about the nobles in the Western Region. He did not expect the latter to ask such strange questions if he was appraised for his general administrative or business knowledge.

A series of questions followed and Petrov racked his brain to answer them one by one. His Majesty seemed to be increasingly impressed with each answer. In the end, he clapped his hands and said, “Yes, we'll stop here today. When you have collected a ransom of 3,000 points, you can return to redeem the earl. Rest assured. He will be well received today. ”

“Your Highness, about agent rights ..”

“It will be announced on that day.” Roland implied that it was time for the knight to escort the guest out.

Petrov left the hall with mixed feelings. He then saw Carter return the Stone of God's Retaliation to him — it was still blue and translucent, and was worth 50 gold royals.

*******************

“So what do you think?” Roland looked at Nightingale who had appeared from the side.

“Well, he said more or less the truth,” he shrugged and said, “He is much more sincere than he was interviewed before. By the way, do you think it's a good idea for you to repeat the same for everyone? What about those letters? Shouldn't it be highly classified? ”

“Not everyone,” prince look around the list and say, “They are from five big families. This grand noble was the only one suitable to manage Longsong Fortress.

For those who were not strong enough, even if they were to obtain this position, they would not be able to run Longsong Stronghold properly. Rather, this would only cause the various powers to start endless internal strife among themselves.

As for Timothy Wimbledon being defeated in Eagle City, it was not really a big secret. It would soon spread throughout the entire Kingdom of Graycastle. I'm just trying to speed up the process. ”

[Both of these messages came at the right time,] he thought, [If the Second Prince had not suffered such a defeat, it would probably be much more difficult to recruit — agents if the use of coercion was necessary, he thought, the result will not be so perfect.]

“Jadi ... Have you decided to choose it?”

“If everything goes according to plan,” Roland said with a smile, “Anyway, he's the first person to take the initiative to ask about this matter. Subjective initiative has always been the most important quality of a staff.

I had not expected to find among the five families such talents who were proficient in administration and commerce. I think they are only good for riding horses and fighting and killing. ”

He found Petrov Hull's name on the list and used a quill pen to draw a circle.