Two days later, Loriste held a welcoming banquet for Grand Duke Fausta and the Duchess of Windsor. During the banquet, Grand Duke Fausta made a request to Loriste to purchase armaments. Loriste agreed after some thought. Fatty Shi would be in charge of the specific negotiations. As for how the negotiations would go, that could only be done after the banquet. What kind of agreement would be reached would depend on how fast Fatty Shi could sharpen his knife.
Since Princess Silvia, Fina, Carrie, and Daisy were all present at the welcoming banquet, the Duchess of Windsor couldn't find a chance to interact with Loriste in private. This made her look at Loriste with resentment from time to time. Loriste pretended not to see anything. Instead, he discussed with Grand Duke Fausta how the Chigda Kingdom had used the Commerce Union to annex the other six nations during the three-year war between the Commerce Union and the South-Central Kingdom.
Grand Duke Fausta also admitted that it was all part of his plan. Under the circumstances where the Commerce Union was pressuring the twenty-five nations in the south-central part of the mainland, the Chigda Kingdom had no choice but to use the Commerce Union to annex them. This was all because the Chigda Kingdom was threatened by the invasion of the Romon Empire and the Havestan Khaganate. Only when the Chigda Kingdom was strong could they withstand the invasion of the two great nations in the south-central part of the mainland. Because of this, they became allies with the Commerce Union. But now, because of Loriste's interference, this alliance was broken.
Due to Grand Duke Fausta's understanding of the times, he had allowed his family to arm the Firebird Legion and the Norton Family, thus avoiding a war and conflict. Now that the Fausta Family had paid the ransom, both parties were no longer hostile towards each other. This was also the main reason why Loriste was willing to sell them weapons and standard equipment. However, Loriste and Grand Duke Fausta had no intention of forming an alliance. They were too far apart. This was a distance where they couldn't provide effective support.
The banquet ended in a peaceful and pleasant atmosphere. The guests and hosts were all happy. Princess Silvia and the others had arranged to tour Morent City with the Duchess of Windsor in the next two days. They wanted to look back on the business miracle that the Duchess of Windsor had created here when she was young, and how she had built the Mermaid Merchant Guild and reclaimed her family's territory from a weak and lonely girl. Lollister sent Reidi to escort them on this nostalgic trip.
Three days later, Fatty Shi and Grand Duke Fausta came to an agreement on a huge arms deal. The Fausta Family would use ten million gold coins to purchase more than 100,000 sets of standard equipment from the Norton Family over the next five years to equip their two armies. At the same time, the Norton family also provided them with two battalions of Thunder Catapults and two battalions of War Chariots and War Ballistae. These catapults and War Chariots and War Ballistae would become the Chigda Kingdom's best defensive weapons against the invasion of the two southern powers.
The first thought that came to Laurist's mind when he received the contract was that the Fausta Family was really rich. They could even fork out ten million gold coins. His second question was why Grand Duke Fausta was willing to fork out such a huge sum of money to purchase the armaments produced by the Norton Family. Although the quality of the Firebird Legion's equipment was made of fine iron, they were still considered the best among the countries in the central and southern region. Otherwise, Lollister wouldn't have disarmed them and used them to equip the two city defense troops of the newly established Morent City.
Fatty Shi answered the question. According to Grand Duke Fausta, the Visia Chamber of Commerce, which had been destroyed by the Norton Family in the past few decades, had controlled the largest share of the arms trade in the thirty-four countries in the central and southern region. To the thirty-four countries in the central and southern region, the biggest regret was that they didn't have high-quality iron resources. They only had some low-quality small-scale iron mines. The mining rights of the only two medium-sized iron mines were in the hands of the Visia Chamber of Commerce.
This was also the main reason why the Visia Chamber of Commerce insisted on acquiring the territory of the Crimson Empire that had a large-scale iron mine. Apart from controlling the mining rights of the countries in the central and southern region of the continent, the Visia Chamber of Commerce also strictly guarded against the leakage of their smelting and forging technology. If there was a blacksmith in another country who had made some progress in smelting or forging technology, the Visia Chamber of Commerce would definitely think of ways to recruit the blacksmith into the chamber of commerce, or directly eliminate him. It was precisely because of the Visia Chamber of Commerce's commercial and technological monopoly that caused the countries in the central and southern region to lag behind in smelting and forging.
The Fausta Family had spent more than four million gold coins to purchase the equipment of the Firebird Legion from the Visia Chamber of Commerce at a high price over the course of four years. The Visia Chamber of Commerce had given them a preferential price on account of the fact that the Fausta Family was a staunch ally of the Commerce Chamber of Commerce. The Fausta Family had two family armed armies in total. Now that the Visia Chamber of Commerce had been destroyed, not only was it a blow to the Commerce Chamber of Commerce, it had also caused the Fausta Family to lose their source of purchasing armaments.
Laurist immediately understood. Back then, he had hoped to sell the weapons and equipment produced by his family through the Peterson Chamber of Commerce, opening up a new source of income for his family. He had even ordered people to meticulously produce a set of exquisite blueprints and price lists for the Peterson Chamber of Commerce. In the end, other than the Peterson Chamber of Commerce buying the weapons and equipment of an entire army at a low and preferential price, the Chikder Chamber of Commerce had bought the standard equipment of an entire army as an apology. After that, no one else came to visit.
Back then, Laurist had been wondering why the high-quality armaments produced by the family couldn't be sold when the Commerce Chamber of Commerce and the countries in the central and southern region were in a state of hostility, and war could break out at any time. Only now did he understand that the armaments market of the Commerce Chamber of Commerce and the countries in the central and southern region were all controlled by the Visia Chamber of Commerce. The Peterson Chamber of Commerce wouldn't offend the Visia Chamber of Commerce for the sake of the Norton Family, so they hadn't carried out any promotional activities at all.
Fatty Shi understood this very well, which was why the arms agreement with Duke Fausta gave him a lot of preferential treatment. He also got Laurist's approval to sell a batch of the Thunderbolt Catapults, War Chariots, and Steel Crossbows to him. The current situation was obvious. After the fall out with the Commerce Chamber of Commerce, the Fausta Family had to make amends with the other countries in the central and southern region. That way, they would be able to get reinforcements if they were attacked by the two strongest countries in the southern part of the continent.
Fatty Shi believed that the arms agreement with the Fausta Family might be able to open up a trade route for the family's weapons and equipment to the countries in the central and southern region. This would allow them to take over the armaments market that the Commerce Chamber had monopolized. Although the Commerce Chamber of Commerce had decided to establish a new Visia Chamber of Commerce after the destruction of the Visia Chamber of Commerce, the Norton Family could take advantage of this gap to rope in the countries in the central and southern region that were hostile to the Commerce Chamber of Commerce through arms deals. They would continue to attack the Commerce Chamber in all aspects until they were no longer a threat.
Laurist agreed with Fatty Shi and signed on the agreement. This meant that the arms purchase agreement between the Norton Family and the Fausta Family had come into effect on that day. However, the Duchess of Windsor immediately asked Laurist for an audience through Princess Silvia. She had found a business opportunity in Moronte City and wanted to reach an agreement with the Norton Family for the Mermaid Chamber of Commerce to be the sole agent of all the goods produced by the Norton Family in the central and southern regions of the continent.
Since it was official business, Laurist rejected the Duchess of Windsor's request. However, he sent Fatty Shi to negotiate with the Duchess of Windsor. He agreed to let the Duchess of Windsor represent the Mermaid Chamber of Commerce and the Norton Family to be the sole agent of their goods, but only within the Chigda Kingdom. The markets of the other countries in the central and southern region and the two strongest countries in the south of the continent would be shared by the private ship owners who came to Moronte City to purchase goods.
Currently, the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet could only control the southern sea by force. They did not have the ability to form a few large merchant fleets to monopolize the goods of the countries along the Sunshine Sea's golden coastline. This required time and connections to develop the markets of the various countries. Laurist did not want to use the monopoly of the commercial alliance. Although it could bring more profits to the family, it would have a detrimental effect on the recovery of Moronte City's business in the long run.
It was better to share the profits than to be happy alone. Laurist did not mind letting the private ship owners share the profits. To the markets of the countries in the central and southern regions of the continent, these private ship owners were the real local tyrants. They were well-informed and had a wide network of connections. Only through them could they effectively seize the market share controlled by the commercial alliance. At the same time, they could provide the Norton Family with accurate and quick intelligence. Finally, they could enliven the business atmosphere in Moronte City and expand the market's commercial investment. Although the Norton Family had to pay a part of the profits, they gained more in other aspects.
The Duchess of Windsor had sharp eyes. She had indeed honed them now. She saw the huge profits from being the sole agent of the goods produced in the Norton Family's territory. However, she did not understand that monopolizing this profit would make her Mermaid Chamber of Commerce the target of public criticism. Under Fatty Shi's insistence, she could only sign the agreement to be the sole agent of the Chigda Kingdom's market.
Before leaving Moronte City with Grand Duke Fausta on their return voyage, the Duchess of Windsor wrote a long letter to Fatty Shi and gave it to Laurist. In the letter, the Duchess of Windsor complained about Laurist's coldness and heartlessness. She recalled the beautiful time when they were in love in Moronte City. She said that she would always miss those romantic days. If time could be turned back, she would definitely stay by Laurist's side, even if she had to give up her family's territory. She saw happiness and contentment in Princess Sylvia. She said that she was very jealous that Princess Sylvia could have the same happiness as Lollister …
At the end of the letter, the Duchess of Windsor blamed Grand Duke Fausta's troops for the loss of the Fausta Family and the negative impact within the Chigda Kingdom. She also complained about Laurist's insensitivity and the restrictions he placed on the development of the Mermaid Chamber of Commerce. However, she was confident that the Mermaid Chamber of Commerce would be completed in the next two to three years. When that time came, she would open a branch in Moronte City. She also hoped to open a branch in the Norton Family's territory …
Women … Laurist smiled bitterly as he burned the Duchess of Windsor's letter on a candle. If there was medicine for regret in this world, he believed that women would be the biggest customers of this great medicine. In Laurist's heart, his first love was the elf-like girl who danced under the silver moonlight, and not the elegant and beautiful Duchess of Windsor. Time was the biggest force behind the destruction of all beautiful memories.
As a large number of private ships from the southern seas arrived at Hidden Gold Bay, the business atmosphere in Moronte City became as lively as Laurist had expected. Just the taverns and brothels that served the private ship owners and sailors opened more than 20 new service facilities in half a month. This increased the tax revenue of Moronte City's autonomous committee. More and more city residents threw themselves into the wave of business.
Schwald, who was at Cape Romani, had also sent a letter. After more than three months of hard work and the efforts of a hundred thousand young captives, they had finally used a large number of old warships and ships loaded with earth and stones to fill up the reef area. Apart from a sizable lagoon in the middle for the warships to dock, the rest of the reef area had been connected into a solid land base. What Schwald wanted to do next was to build a tall fortress on this base, turning it into an important base for the Norton Family's North Sea Fleet to control the southern seas.
Along with the letter was a list of construction materials. From the scale, it was obvious that Schwald wanted to build a fortress that would go down in history. Lollister was more than happy to fulfill Shihuard's wish. Moreover, this list of construction materials would bring the business atmosphere of Morent City to a whole new level. It would stimulate more citizens to devote themselves to the supply of construction materials. With a wave of his pen, Laurist erased the original name of Castle Romani and changed it to Fortress Schwald. This was an affirmation and reward for Schwald's efforts.
Three months passed quickly. The frontlines of the Mana Hill Plains were still peaceful. Although the Commerce Alliance did not come to an agreement with the Norton Family, there were no conflicts at the frontlines. Apart from the news that the Commerce Alliance was still recruiting soldiers, the Norton Family and the Commerce Alliance were strangely in a stalemate of peace.
The Trade Federation's armed forces had adopted the defense strategy of the Deep Trench Stronghold in the provinces around Maweifulin and the Mana Hill Plain. On the other hand, the Norton Family's armed forces also adopted a defensive strategy in the six fortresses around the Mana Hill Plains. The Hunters were responsible for patrolling and guarding the Mana Hill Plains. They had no intention of attacking the defensive positions set up by the Trade Federation in the surrounding provinces. Both sides were defending against each other, neither willing to take the initiative to attack.
Laurist did not have the time to think about what the Commerce Alliance was up to. Two months ago, the Commerce Alliance had spread the news of the Norton Family's bloody atrocities in Moronte City to the countries in the central and southern regions. They accused the Norton Family of killing nearly a million residents of Moronte City. Moronte City, which used to be the number one commercial city in the Galinthia Continent, was now shrouded in a reign of terror and turned into a ghost town. In a short period of time, this shocking news had spread throughout the Galinthia Continent, and the Norton Family's name had spread far and wide.
All the newspapers in Moronte City belonged to the various Commerce Alliance. After the Norton Family took over Moronte City and the Mana Hill Plains, the newspapers and the shops of the Commerce Alliance were all closed down. All the newspaper staff were residents of the inner city, so they were sent to the prison camps until they were redeemed by the Commerce Alliance. Many of the newspaper staff still remembered the treatment they received in the prison camps. They hated the Norton Family's methods of squeezing every last bit of gold from them. Therefore, after returning to their respective Commerce Alliance territories, they began to use their rich experience to fabricate the atrocities of the Norton Family's armed forces. From time to time, they would fabricate stories of people who survived the massacre …
What was funny was that the residents of Moronte City did not know that they had become skeletons and rotting corpses in the wilderness according to the Commerce Alliance's propaganda. Instead, the news was brought to Moronte City by the private ship owners of the southern seas. Before Laurist and the Norton Family could react, the Commerce Alliance's lies about the atrocities were already exposed by the private ship owners. More and more goods from Moronte City became evidence that the Commerce Alliance was lying. Grand Duke Fausta personally came out to explain the current situation of Moronte City. He also praised the Norton Family for making Moronte City a vibrant city with limitless potential for development.
The Commerce Alliance's lies about the Norton Family's armed forces massacring the city fell apart. Other than increasing the hatred of Laurist and the Norton Family's armed forces, there was no other effect. Now, Laurist and the higher-ups of the Norton Family were busy instructing Moronte City's autonomous committee to form a garrison team. They were in charge of maintaining the city's order and security. They were also discussing the autonomous committee's request to conquer the Crystal Hills. At this moment, Laurist received an unexpected piece of news. The second prince had arrived at Moronte City with little luggage.
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