"Protest! On behalf of the Merchant Union, I strongly protest against the Norton Family! You have violated the promise of respecting private property! You have robbed the families of the Merchant Union of their wealth and restricted their freedom … "Cate was furious. He glared at Fatty Shi, and his voice was a little hoarse due to his agitation.
Fatty Shi picked his ears with his fingers and replied calmly, "Cate, please don't be so agitated. We accept your protest. So, should we discuss the transportation of the families of the people you have paid to the Mana Hill Plains and the border of Mawei Fulin Province? If you send a carriage to transport them, the cost of a carriage to and fro will be one Gold Ford. If you ask us to help you transport these people, including the cost of food, drinks, and carriage, it will only be two Gold Ford. This is because you are an old friend of ours, and we are giving you a 50% discount. If it were someone else, it would be three Gold Ford at the very least. And that doesn't include food and drinks … "
Countess Kate slumped in her chair, as if she had thrown a punch in the air. Instead of hitting the enemy, she sprained her waist. He covered his haggard face and sighed in his heart. Who the hell was a merchant? Didn't they say that nobles cared about their reputation and only merchants cared about profits? Why was the Norton Family doing the opposite? They did not care about their reputation at all. All they cared about was Gold Ford. Gold Ford! Gold Ford! They were more like merchants than merchants …
At the beginning of the negotiation, Cate thought that everything was normal. Two million Gold Ford was given to all the Master Swordsmen, Gold-tier Swordsmen, the Merchant Union, and the nobles, as well as their families, servants, and personal guards. However, the bill that was handed to Cate enraged him.
"I don't believe that these two thousand people have spent 800,000 Gold Ford on food and drinks over the past 50 days! 80,000 is more like it! Bring me the menu! I want to see what they eat every day! "Cate was furious.
"I'm sorry, Cate. You should know the current situation in Moronte City. As a matter of fact, we have spent a lot of effort to provide food for these VIPs and the banquet and ball for them, so the cost of the food and service is a little high. I believe you can understand this. In addition to this bill, there were more than a dozen IOUs. These were the bills that the Great Swordsmen owed after they lost all their money. They were not much, only about two million Gold Merits in total. If you don't pay off these IOUs, we won't let them go. Anyway, your Chamber of Commerce has to pay them an annuity every year. You can use their annuity to pay off these IOUs first … "Fatty Shi suggested politely.
Earl Kate was enraged. "How dare you! Your family also runs a casino! "
"It doesn't seem like a big deal, does it?" Fatty Shi replied disapprovingly, "Earl Kate, you have to understand how sad it is for a man to lose his freedom. So many Grandmaster Swordsmen and Gold-tier Swordsmen have become our family's captives because of the Trade Confederation. Losing their freedom will cause them to lose their appetite and health. That's why we are trying to make everyone happy even if they are captives. This way, they can better serve the Trade Confederation after they regain their freedom. At the same time, gambling is a good way to kill time … "
"Stop! Don't say anymore … "Earl Kate flipped through the IOUs and quickly found something strange." Baron Shredder, can you tell me why these IOUs are all from the Grandmaster Swordsmen? Why didn't the other Gold-tier Swordsmen, the Chamber of Commerce, and the nobles of the Alliance write IOUs? "
Fatty Shi shrugged. "It's simple. We don't allow them to write IOUs. We believe that you will pinch your nose and pay for the IOUs from the Master Swordsmen. But if the Grandmaster Swordsmen, the Chamber of Commerce, and the nobles lose all their money, you will definitely ignore them. You might even leave them here. That's why we don't allow them to write IOUs and borrow money to recoup their losses … "
Although the truth was hard to hear, Earl Kate had to admit that Fatty Shi's words made sense. The Trade Confederation desperately wanted to ransom these captives to strengthen the Chamber of Commerce's armed forces. So in the end, Earl Kate pinched his nose and paid for the Grandmaster Swordsmen. Originally, they had agreed on two million, but in the end, they paid five million.
Although the negotiation process was full of twists and turns, at least one thing was resolved. Earl Kate wanted to strike while the iron was hot, and ransom the hundred thousand residents of the inner city who had surrendered. Most of these residents were the families of the Chamber of Commerce's armed forces and middle management. Ransoming them would help maintain the morale of the Chamber of Commerce's armed forces. At the same time, it would make the middle management more loyal to the Chamber of Commerce. This was also the best way to win people's hearts.
The Norton family did not object to the freedom of these 100,000 residents. Fatty Shi nagged for a long time and named a price. For example, one Gold Ford for the children and the elderly, two for the women, and three for the young and strong men. He was going to send someone to the prison camp to see how many men, women, and children there were, and then make a detailed list of the people to calculate how much they were worth …
"Don't bother. I'll give you a million Gold Ford. Just pack it all up. It'll save you time." At this moment, Earl Kate showed off the wealth of the Chamber of Commerce. He was very happy to see Fatty Shi's face slapped by Gold Ford.
"Deal!" Fatty Shi was also very happy. He did not care about being slapped in the face by Gold Ford.
But when Earl Kate saw the so-called first batch of 3,000 residents of the inner city outside the east gate, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He was completely dizzy. Rather than calling them residents of the inner city, it would be more accurate to call them refugees. Their clothes did not cover their bodies, and they had nothing on them. They were barefooted and their hands were bare. The only difference between them and refugees was that their flesh was very white and tender, and their skin was delicate. It could be seen that they were used to living a good life.
After asking around, Earl Kate found out everything that had happened in the prison camp. When the 3,000 released residents saw Earl Kate, they swarmed around him like they had seen their own parents. They began to complain. Some accused the Norton Family of selling their food at a high price, some demanded that Earl Kate take back the loot they had taken from their captives, and some demanded that Earl Kate pay for a good meal first …
Earl Kate was dizzy. With the help of his guards, he squeezed through the crowd. Then, he found that his clothes had been torn. Not only were all his gold and silver coins gone, but even his wedding ring had been taken. Earl Kate did not care about being angry. He was almost numb. However, Earl Kate still remembered his duty. He immediately asked the Norton Family guard in charge of him to see Lollister.
After Earl Kate arrived at Morent City, other than seeing Lollister for the first time, he was placed in the former grain warehouse outside the east gate. There was a courtyard with two entrances. The walls were even higher than the house inside. It was probably where the grain warehouse manager kept his mistress. So, this courtyard became the living quarters for Earl Kate and his eight guards. Fatty Shi arranged a hundred guards to surround the courtyard with tents, effectively cutting off the connection between Earl Kate and Moronte City.
The first time Earl Cate complained to the Norton family was because he felt like he was under house arrest in this courtyard. The guards at the door did not allow him and his guards to step out of the door. He could ask for anything he wanted, even if it was a woman. There were many brothels in Morant City anyway. At most, he could hire a few dozen butchers to set up a meat screen for Earl Cate, and he would pay the bill himself.
Earl Kate wasn't allowed to step out of the yard, and Fatty Shi's reason was that it was for Earl Kate's safety. So, every negotiation was conducted with Fatty Shi in the yard. From the information revealed by Fatty Shi and Earl Kate's imagination, it was easy to conclude that the people of Morent City were in turmoil. The Norton Family's armed forces were busy suppressing the rioting people. The main reason they did not allow him to enter the city was because they were afraid of being exposed.
Even the released master swordsmen and executives of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as the nobles of the Alliance, said that they often saw fires burning in Morent City. Some time ago, the Norton Family had organized many fishing boats to fish. It was obvious that the food supply in Morent City was not enough. Also, security seemed to be a problem. For example, this time, they did not go ashore at the docks. Instead, they took a big detour along the White Milky Way to the grain warehouse outside the east gate. Along the way, they saw the heavily armed Norton Family. There were many bloodstains on the riverbank, and many wounded Norton Family soldiers were sitting on the ground, their wounds just finished being bandaged.
Based on these descriptions, Earl Kate learned that although the Norton Family had occupied Morent City, they did not gain much from it. Just as the executives of the Trade Union had predicted, they had fallen into the trap that was Morent City. This could be seen from the fact that the Norton Family had taken the initiative to send the freed master swordsmen and 2,000 other executives of the Chamber of Commerce to Mawei Fulin Province. Although the Norton Family had Lollister, the Blood Saint, they were worried that the freed people of the Trade Union would join forces with the rioting people to cause more damage to the Norton Family's armed forces.
However, Earl Kate did not expect that the Norton Family would start to act shamelessly when they released the 100,000 inner city residents. They wanted to take their belongings with them. Each of the inner city residents could carry more than 15 pounds of belongings. 100,000 people added together was a huge amount. Earl Kate would not allow such a huge amount of wealth to fall into the hands of the Norton Family.
As soon as he heard that the Norton Family had opened a bar, brothel, casino, and pawn shop in the prison camp, Earl Kate knew what the Norton Family was planning. However, his request to see Lollister was rejected by the guards who were watching over them. Even Fatty Shi, who usually came every day, came late after three days.
Earl Kate vented all his anger on Fatty Shi. However, Fatty Shi argued that the Norton Family did not go against Lollister's promise. The establishment of the bar, brothel, casino, and pawn shop was to better serve the 100,000 inner city residents. The Norton Family's armed forces fully respected the rights of the captives. They did not kidnap them, and even protected their lives. They also provided free food for them. As for the high prices of the goods, the Norton Family completely respected their choice. If they thought it was too expensive, they could choose not to buy it …
"Haha, two bowls of plain rice porridge is considered free food?" Earl Kate laughed coldly.
"Of course it is!" Fatty Shi answered without blushing, "Earl Kate, you must have no idea how happy it is to be able to drink two bowls of rice porridge. You know, the residents in the outer city have almost peeled off their bark … Oh, I'm sorry, I almost forgot the most important thing. I'm here to discuss with you about the transportation of the residents in the inner city who have been freed. If they continue to stay here, we are not going to provide them with food for free, because they have already been freed. You will have to pay for the food yourself. The current price of food is 100 pounds of potatoes for one Gold Ford. So, you should make up your mind. Do you want us to help you transport them, or do you want to pay the toll and transport them yourself? "
Earl Kate took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger in his heart. "May I ask something? Baron Shredder, why is it that the first time you are offering to transport them for free? I thought the cost was included in the ransom … "
The first time Earl Kate was referring to was when the Norton family had taken the initiative to transport the freed Master Swordsmen, Golden Swordsmen, executives of the Chamber of Commerce, nobles of the Alliance, and their families, guards, attendants, and other 2000 people to the border of the Mana Hill Plain and Mawei Fulin province.
Fatty Shi looked at Earl Cate with disdain. "Do you think I'm stupid? The first time, there were only 2,000 people. Next, there will be 100,000 people. If we transport them for free, then we will lose money. We might as well not release them."
"But I have already paid a million …"
"That is a different matter. You also said that it was a ransom. You paid it willingly. Now, we are discussing the cost of transporting these 100,000 people. It has nothing to do with the ransom. "
"You … You are too shameless. I … I protest …"
"I accept your protest. I am sorry. Have you made up your mind, my lord? Are you going to ask us to transport them for you, or do you want to send your own carriages? "Fatty Shi said impatiently.
"…" Earl Kate no longer had the energy to be angry.
"I … I want to see His Highness. I want to protest to him. Is this the sincerity of the Norton family when you said that you want peace? I don't see it. All the negative consequences will be borne by the Norton family! "Earl Kate roared, his face red.
Fatty Shi shrugged helplessly and spread out his hands. "To put it bluntly, Earl Kate, the last time His Highness met you was because we had dealings with Petersen before, so he gave you some face and said hello. Don't forget that you are just a small earl. You have no right to ask for an audience with His Highness. Remember, His Highness is not only a Duke, but also the Sword Saint of the Andinac Kingdom. So, you should discuss with me how to solve these troublesome problems.
As for the consequences, you can send your troops. My family has already said that we will return Moronte City to you. To be honest, we do not want to occupy Moronte City. This city is too troublesome. People die every day. Sometimes, I want to burn this city down. Oh, I got it wrong again. Lord Kate, why don't you write a letter to the Trade Union and ask them to send their troops to fight the Norton family's armed forces? As long as you can defeat our armed forces, you can recover the Mana Hill Plain and Moronte City … "
After saying this, Fatty Shi realized that Earl Kate was shaking his head with his mouth closed …
…
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