The New Civilization of Witches

Chapter 149: Merchants of the King's City Part II

“Are you mainly selling saltpeter in king city?” Roland went straight to the point.

“No, Your Highness.” The smile on Margaret's face was no longer a false formality but became more sincere and friendly. “I sell many products, from gemstones to fabrics, and I also run inns and taverns. Actually, I just started selling burps a month ago. The previous business owner lost everything in my casino and had to lay down a lien in his factory. ”

[He not only sells a variety of goods but is also involved in the service industry. What kind of businessman is he?] Roland knew it required more than just capital to operate a casino in the king's city. She knocked on the table, but Nightingale only pinched her neck, which meant Margaret was wearing the Stone of God's Retaliation that blocked her surveillance.

Wait ... If Nightingale couldn't detect a lie, why did she pinch her right shoulder earlier?

Roland coughed and resisted the urge to turn around and question him.

He had heard of some merchants from the Fjords, having settled in the four kingdoms, expanding their business and amassing tremendous wealth. After all, the Fjord natives were all born as businessmen who were not only brave and adventurous but were also good at sniffing out business opportunities. Although many of them were deceived by the government, some managed to establish themselves. By lobbying local authorities, they formed relatively stable alliances with several prominent figures. Could Margaret also be one of the successful ones?

If this was the case, Roland felt it would be best to keep the small talk and directly state his needs. “I want burps in bulk. The more, the better.”

“But the Western Region of the kingdom is not hot, especially for cities close to the Unpassable Mountains. Do you really need that much belching, Your Majesty?” Margaret asked curiously, “I have three factories in the outskirts of the king's city, which will meet the needs of the nobles in a medium-sized city.”

[Three plants!] Roland was internally elated by the news but still remained expressionless. “I plan to build a refrigerator in the basement of the castle to preserve rotting food. If you offer a reasonable price, I want to buy all your burp.”

Margaret nodded. “Well, since you are so forthright, I am willing to send all the saltpeter to Border Town and give you a 10% discount from the current market price. But ..”

“But what?”

“I don't really want gold royals. My barn is full of them. I've heard you have some unique products, which I'm very interested in using as a substitute for gold royals if you don't mind. I'm ‘ We will be happy to make a deal with you if you agree to these terms. ”

“Some unique products?” Roland's surprised. Margaret was the first person she knew who did not want gold royals.

“Yes. For example automatic machine made of black iron.” The merchant leaned his body slightly forward and said, “Your servant told me that it only takes boiling water to produce a huge amount of energy. In fact, this is what made me decide to come to Border Town directly. Otherwise, I actually would rather sell my saltpeter to the nobles in the king city. After all, Border Town was very far away, and the shipping cost was expensive. ”

[This was indeed unexpected,] thought Roland. Although he did not know how Barov's disciples found him and how they turned their attention to the steam engine, it was evident that the merchants from this king's city were very interested in him.

Roland knew very well just how great of a profit industrial goods could obtain, especially for the machines that only he knew how to make. He was worried that the money in the noble house would run out in the end after Border Town stopped selling ore. Now, a great business opportunity had just been presented to him.

“I know what you're talking about.” Prince smiles. “Name of steam engine. The mechanism of operation is quite simple, which is to convert boiling water vapor into energy. But only Border Town produces this kind of machine.”

“Of course.” Roland extended his hand. “But the manufacturing process is very complicated and it is expensive. If you are interested, I can show you.”

“I'd love to see it.” He rose up in joy.

…

When Margaret saw the roaring steel monster slowly pulling the mining car out of the mine in the North Slope Mine, her eyes almost glared under her eyelids.

“Your Highness, that, that ... very unimaginable.” There was a slight tremor in his voice. “I think your courier is just exaggerating, but the truth is actually more interesting than the description .. I'm afraid one ... steam engine could replace ... more than a workforce of dozens of people.”

Margaret wanted to take a closer look but was stopped by Roland. “Too dangerous to approach a steam engine in operation. Don't get too close to him. See that white steam gushing out? A little bit can make you burn.”

“Do you use it only to send ore?” Because the engine was too loud, Margaret had to stick out her neck and raise her voice.

“Total there are two in mine. The first one is responsible for pulling the mine car and the second one is to take water from the mine,” Roland replied, “In fact, the machine can also replace the windmill and waterwheel to grind the wheat. It will not be affected by water currents or wind and can save a lot of manpower and animal labor. It can even move paddles and thus be used as a power source for sailing ships. With a steam engine, you can operate a yacht even without wind. ”

Roland knew the meaning of a boat that did not need to rely on wind power and wind direction for the Fjords people. As she had expected, Margaret's eyes shone with excitement. “Make a quote. I want to buy it.”

“I can't sell this one to you, because mine need it for production. You can order some new steam engines in advance. As soon as your burp arrives, I will send you my invoice.”

“How about the price ..”

Roland led her to a quieter place some distance away from the mine. “500 gold royals,” Roland replied. It must have been too expensive, as it amounted to almost the same as the annual income of a knight in the region. The overhead for a steam engine was about 20 gold royals. The total was no more than 50 gold royals after adding the smelting fees, labor costs, and installation costs, but it created a huge space for bargaining.

“Then that's the deal! I want to buy 10 steam engines!”

“...” Roland was silent for a moment. 10 steam engines meant 5,000 gold royals, which was a five to six year savings from Duke Ryan's savings. Since Margaret didn't even bid, Roland wondered if this was usually the way a super-rich merchant ran his business. He cleared his throat and asked, “You sure? It's a big amount of money. Plus, it won't be a one-time investment. You also have to spend a lot of money for future maintenance.”

“I know. It's like keeping a boat. You have to clean it every year to get rid of algae and small sea creatures that nest in the hull and replace sails, ropes, etc.,” Margaret said haphazardly, “tell me what needs to be changed or added, and I will buy it. If it doesn't work, you can sell me the workers who maintain and operate the machines at the same time for another price. ”

Roland closed his mouth. There was only one idea in his mind: it was great to have such unrelenting money.