"Earl … … Earl!"
Arnold carefully bowed and greeted him. He suddenly had a bad premonition.
Colin came in front of Knight Weber and patted him on the shoulder with a smile, saying, "
"Knight Weber, I didn't expect you to have so many merchant friends in the Northern Frontier!"
"Actually … … Actually, I was only invited by Mr. Arnold to attend the gathering. I don't know anyone else." Knight Weber replied with a stiff expression.
He suddenly realized that he had been used by Arnold. Moreover, he had underestimated the importance Colin placed on this gathering of merchants in the Northern Frontier.
After coming to the Northern Frontier, Knight Weber increasingly felt the power of Colin's influence. This place was not like Imperial Dragon City. It was completely Colin's home ground.
Governor Sebas's warning appeared once again. Knight Weber finally made up his mind to withdraw from this quagmire.
"Earl, I just remembered that there is an urgent matter that needs to be dealt with. So, please allow me to take my leave!"
Colin looked at Knight Weber with a smile. Seeing that the other party was afraid, he could not help but feel a little regretful. However, he did not make things difficult for the other party. Instead, he nodded.
Knight Weber felt as if he had been pardoned. He did not look at Arnold, who wanted to say something but was hesitating. He hurriedly left.
The atmosphere in the tavern suddenly changed.
The merchants saw some clues from Knight Weber's miserable escape. They immediately realized that Arnold did not really obtain the support of the House of Saint Hilde.
At least, the true ruler of the House of Saint Hilde, Earl Angele, was not on Arnold's side.
Arnold's heart was in a mess. He did not know what to do.
In fact, it was not that he did not consider Colin's attitude.
As a merchant who had been in the Northern Frontier business for decades, Arnold naturally knew the changes in the Northern Frontier like the back of his hand.
Colin's rapid rise caught many people off guard, but Arnold had long noticed this new noble of the Northern Frontier who was highly appreciated by the Duke Of St. Hilde and Marquis García.
It was just that Colin had unwittingly stood on the opposite side of the Northern Frontier merchants due to the troll empire's terms of trade and the suppression of food prices.
Arnold had also gritted his teeth at Colin for a while, hating him for cutting off his source of income.
However, after Vera succeeded in inheriting the Dukes Of The North, especially after Governor Sebas bowed his head and admitted defeat, Arnold had no choice but to accept reality and take the initiative to get closer to Colin.
First, he sent an expensive enchanted armor to Colin through Senator Sebas as a way to test him.
The results were pretty good.
Colin received the armor and wore it many times in public.
As a result, Arnold let down his guard and thought that Colin had no ill intentions towards the Northern Wind Chamber of Commerce.
Who would have thought that the other party would suddenly turn up today without an invitation, and with a menacing look on his face? This time, Arnold was caught off guard.
"Mister Arnold." At this time, Colin turned around and smiled at Arnold who was standing stiffly at the side. "I hope you don't mind that I came uninvited this time."
"Of course not! It is my honor to have you at the Butter Bar! "Arnold felt bitter in his heart, but he could only pretend to be flattered on the surface.
Colin smiled faintly and said, "Actually, I'm only here to say a few things. I'll leave after I'm done. I won't disturb your gathering."
"Okay, okay, please speak." Arnold had no choice but to sit down obediently and pass the podium to Colin.
Of course, Colin would not be courteous and said loudly, "Everyone, I believe that you have already heard the news from Oliver. The House of Saint Hilde is prepared to collect food from all of you by means of loans.
I know that you have hoarded a large amount of food and are prepared to take advantage of the rising food prices during this famine to make a fortune.
To be honest, I was prepared to collect these food for free. "
As soon as he said this, the whole place was in an uproar.
But immediately, the merchants shut their mouths under Colin's cold gaze.
They knew that if they really angered this person in front of them, "collecting food for free" would really happen.
After all, the entire Northern Frontier was in the hands of Colin and his wife. Even the various lords did not dare to make a sound. What could these merchants without an army dare to do?
Colin took in the reactions of the crowd and did not pay much attention to these merchants who were angry but did not dare to speak up.
He said this because he wanted to lower the expectations of the merchants so that the following measures would not cause too much of a backlash.
"However, the benevolent Duke is compassionate and is not willing to take such extreme measures." Colin pushed Vera to be the good guy while he played the role of the bad guy.
Sure enough, the merchants immediately praised the Dukes Of The North.
Colin stretched out his hand and gestured for the crowd to quiet down. He then continued, "However, don't think that you can use this method to make money. I can tell you frankly that in a few days' time, I will personally go to Silvermoon City to purchase food.
At that time, a large amount of food will enter the Northern Frontier market just like last year. Even if the price of food wants to rise, it will not be able to!
Also, don't think about going to the half-elf kingdom to purchase food and hoarding it because I have already reached an agreement with Queen Aisha. The half-elf kingdom will only sell food to the House of Saint Hilde! "
The merchants looked at each other and their hearts were beating fast.
However, they still believed in Colin's words.
After all, the half-elf kingdom's food last year was all bought by Colin alone and Queen Aisha had even sent the Silvermoon Guard to help Colin guard Icestone City. Therefore, there was no need to doubt Colin's control over the half-elf kingdom.
Colin looked at the anxious merchants and his tone softened a little.
"Therefore, if you don't want the food in your hands to rot in the warehouse, then you should take this opportunity.
This time, the House of Saint Hilde will be publicly collecting food. Everyone who is willing to lend their food to the House of Saint Hilde will receive a bond of equivalent value. "
Colin clapped his hands as he spoke.
Then, a group of attendants filed in and distributed the bond samples that they had prepared.
Arnold also received one and discovered that this so-called "bond" was made of an unknown material. It was a bit like papyrus, but thinner, whiter, and smoother.
The value of the bond was written on the paper. It ranged from one pound, five pounds, ten pounds, to a thousand pounds. Moreover, it also stated that the maturity of the bond was three years later and that there would be an interest of eight percent per year.
Actually, this was a bond that Colin had designed based on the paper money on Earth to be used as a shadow currency.
Colin waited for everyone to receive the bond samples before emphasizing: "Anyone, take note, anyone who comes to Lion's Roar Fort with these bonds on the due date can exchange them for food of the same value. Of course, there will also be interest during this period."
The merchants held these bonds and began to whisper to each other and discuss.
Paper money had yet to appear in this world, so when the merchants looked at these bonds of various denominations, they did not think of the real use of these things.
Right now, they were only attracted by the interest of the eight percent per year and felt that this was indeed a good deal.
If the price of food in the Northern Frontier continued to rise, the merchants would naturally not be willing to lend their food to the House of Saint Hilde. However, Colin had clearly expressed his determination to stabilize the price of food, so the merchants naturally began to calculate the gains and losses.
Rather than betting that the House of Saint Hilde would not be able to control the price of food, it was better to use the food to exchange for these bonds.
At least this was a business that was guaranteed to be profitable.
If they continued to hold on to their food and go against the House of Saint Hilde, they would definitely offend this murderous Count Angele in front of them.
They were also clear that this young count did not rely on marrying the Dukes Of The North to obtain his title. He had truly killed his way through the ranks. It could be said that his road to becoming a count was paved with blood and corpses.
"Count Angele, please rest assured. Our Northern Wind Merchant Association will definitely take out all of our food and exchange it for these bonds!" Arnold was the first to express his stance. This fellow was now only thinking of how to curry favor with Colin, not to mention that this business would not cause him to suffer a loss.
With Arnold taking the lead, the rest of the merchants also began to shout out, expressing their willingness to lend their food to the House of Saint Hilde.
Colin nodded with satisfaction. In fact, he was also clear that although there was profit to be made, it was impossible for these merchants to really take out all of their food. It was estimated that many of them wanted to take out a portion of their food and wait for the situation to develop before considering whether they should continue to use their food to exchange for bonds.
However, Colin was not in a hurry. The establishment of a bond's credibility also required a process.
He believed that after the first batch of bonds matured and was successfully exchanged, the merchants would believe and recognize the value of these bonds. Finally, they would equate the bonds with food.
At that time, Scholar Sonny's new farming and animal husbandry system would gradually be rolled out. The market's demand for currency would also increase, and Colin could also take the opportunity to announce that bonds could be used to pay taxes.
This way, the bonds would truly have the function of currency.
Moreover, the merchants would gradually discover that these paper bonds were actually more convenient to carry around and trade. Thus, they would be more willing to accept bonds as a substitute currency.
In this way, the House of Saint Hilde would have the actual right to mint money.
Perhaps the imperial family would gradually react, but by that time, the Northern Frontier would have been completely developed. Colin would not have to worry about the imperial family's questioning.
Thinking of this, Colin's mood became more and more carefree.
He spoke again, "Thank you for everyone's support! Now, I'll talk about the second matter. "
He looked around and finally stopped his gaze on Arnold's face. He said with a smile, "Don't worry.
He smiled and said, "I'm preparing to establish a Northern Frontier Foreign Trade Company. If everyone is willing, they can invest in it."
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