Chapter 284:
It was no easy task to settle hundreds of thousands of refugees.
From building the settlements to accommodate them, to meeting the demand for necessities and food, it was enough to make any bureaucrat sweat.
The supply from Bargran itself was far from enough, and they had to rely on the merchants from Zaium.
Thanks to that, they made a lot of money.
They ignored their existing contracts and sold everything to Bargran, where they could make twice as much profit. No merchant would refuse such a deal.
Some nobles also joined the frenzy, and Zaium was in a stir.
But most of the nobles were skeptical about this huge project.
Theyre spending so much money just to settle some refugees.
Theyre nothing but beggars. They cant generate any benefit from them.
They might be useful as labor, but theyre the kind of people who wouldnt hesitate to k**l for a piece of bread. How can they control them?
They were all pessimistic, but the situation on the ground was different.
The security forces trained by Granden were no joke, and they succeeded in maintaining order in the settlements.
Also, there were not many complaints from the refugees, as they were supplied with enough necessities.
They had put out the urgent fire.
But as hundreds of thousands of refugees settled down, various side effects began to emerge.
It was the problem of raw materials within Zaium.
The empire, boasting a population of 100 million, needed a lot of materials for its size, and nearly 20% of them were sucked into Bargran.
The merchants put money in their pockets, but they also contacted the Bargran guild.
They wanted to import strawberries, potatoes, cottonseed oil, crustaceans, and high-quality ether stones from the floating continent.
The contract they wrote in the process was the starting point of the problem.
The guilds supply was limited and there were many competitors, so they put a lot of unreasonable clauses in the contract.
One of them was a penalty fee that was three times as much.
The deadline was until spring of 1040, so the merchants thought they would never have to pay this penalty unless a war broke out.
King Vandus is also a baron of the empire, so theres no one who can touch him anymore.
Were selling goods at a high price, so we have to bear this penalty. What can we do?
By the way, Ive never seen a contract with a longer penalty clause than the contract itself. Do they want to take our land if we cant pay?
The final payment is credit introduction This smells too bad.
It was so detailed that they doubted that Bargran wanted money at all.
As long as they supplied the goods as promised, there would be no big trouble.
But the merchants were shocked by the sudden imperial decree.
What? All personnel and materials are banned from leaving? What kind of nonsense is this?
Am I dreaming right now? Why are they blocking it all of a sudden?
They had no idea that it stemmed from the emperors inferiority complex towards Leobold.
The merchants in the empire tried to contact the palace using their connections, but they got no benefit.
The decree did not change, and eventually the imperial guard began to take over the border crossings and various roads.
They were really going to block the export of materials, and the merchants tore their hair out.
If they didnt supply the goods right away, they would suffer a huge loss.
One of them was Duke Prozhan.
He had secured several contracts with Bargran by using his connection with Leobold.
In fact, it was nothing more than a business relationship, but in a fierce market competition, even that helped.
The penalty clause was the same, but he thought it wouldnt be a big problem.
As long as we deliver the goods, money will automatically roll in. Its stupid to refuse that. We have to bring in materials even if we have to borrow money.
He was aiming for a higher rank with this opportunity.
Someone had to fill the spot left by Archduke Pangral.
To be honest, having an independent territory as an archduke was too ambitious, and even becoming a duke had many competitors.
There were no dukes in the empire, but there were more than 10 counts.
Duke Prozhan thought that money was the only answer to break through that competition and increased his trade volume drastically.
By winter, his entire county depended on trade with Bargran. It was no exaggeration to say that.
The total amount was over 200 thousand golds, and thousands of golds flowed out every day. The bureaucrats had to manage money without sleeping.
But then there was a problem.
The decree came down and all roads leading to Bargran were blocked.
The imperial guard even monitored the docks, preventing the airships from flying.
Duke Prozhan turned pale and barely met the emperor as a representative of the merchants.
You dont look well. Do you have to pay that penalty?
He seemed to have heard a lot of complaints from the merchants.
Your Majesty, I beg your pardon.
How much?
Excuse me?
How much is the penalty?
The contract is until March, so the penalty is over 300 thousand golds
It was a huge amount that even the countys finances could not afford.
The emperor clicked his tongue.
How did you make such a contract that resulted in such an amount?
Well, the supply was high and there were many competitors, so we had to pay a penalty for the difference.
Difference? You mean they claimed that you had to pay a penalty for the difference because you bought the goods at more than twice the price?
Yes
That is, they gave the right to sell a 1 gold item for 2 golds, and charged a penalty of 3 times the difference of 1 gold.
And that was not for a week, but for several months with automatic renewal. The penalty would inevitably skyrocket.
The situation was like this because Leobold set a trap well, but essentially it was because the merchants jumped in without looking back.
They thought they would never fail to supply the goods.
The emperor, who realized the situation, threw a box decorated with gold and jewels.
Youre all crazy! You fell right into his trap!
Hes not even a bush knight, but hes trying to rob you to the bottom of your pockets! I gave him some leeway, and hes trying to humiliate me like this?
A bush knight was the final destination of knights who fell into corruption for various reasons when there were no Goliaths and airships in the past.
They were still knights, but they had no money, so they occupied a suitable forest and robbed the peddlers.
Peddlers were rare in those days, so once they caught them, they robbed them to the bottom of their pockets. People called them bush knights and despised them.
The emperors comparison of Leobold to a bush knight was evidence of his anger.
Duke Prozhan waited for the emperors anger to subside a little and spoke cautiously.
Your Majesty, cant you lift the blockade for just a few days?
That wont do. This is my chance to starve him to death.
Do you intend to k**l the refugees?
They shouldnt have gone there in the first place. Dont you think so?
The emperor seemed to want to cut off the supply of materials completely and isolate Bargran.
Duke Prozhan was speechless, as he didnt expect the emperors inferiority complex to be so severe.
The emperor walked around his office, unable to hide his excitement.
Just hold on until spring, until spring comes. We cant produce food anywhere. Right now, hes acting all high and mighty because hes taking in the refugees, but thats all. Hell have to face the people who are starving to death in the settlement.
A chilling aura swept over him.
He felt a shiver down his spine when he thought of the emperor who boasted that he would starve millions of refugees to death out of pride.
But then again, they were just commoners.
They were nothing but numbers and had no influence on the political situation.
The emperor decided that lowering Leobolds reputation was more important than millions of commoners.
What more could he say if they were citizens of another country?
Duke Prozhan recalled the last page of the supply contract.
I have no choice but to exchange the currency in my territory for credits since I cant afford to pay money or land.
He had to abolish all metal coins and use only credits until his territory was absorbed or disappeared completely.
That was the final condition that could substitute for the penalty.
With that, one of the iron bars that had been blocking him was loosened.
Compared to that, the blockage of supplies was not much of a problem.
It was because Bagran had a huge production base on the floating continent.
The smart factory and smart farm that fed billions of people on Earth had started to operate.
***
The connection between Bagran and Zaium was completely cut off.
This was something unimaginable on Earth in the 21st century.
Even if the relations were not very good, civil exchanges would continue and trade was even more so.
They were so intertwined that it was rare for one side to suffer completely.
But Astera was a bit different.
Most of the goods were produced and consumed in the territory, and even if they circulated more, it was only within the country.
In other words, the export volume was not very high.
The massive export of goods in the winter of 1039 was an exceptional case, but the emperor blocked it firmly and caused trouble.
The goods and manpower that they had prepared lost their destination.
Zaium was in chaos with the problem of disposing of the piled up goods and the penalty, and Bagran was no exception.
The carpenters who came to work in the direct jurisdiction were stomping their feet, wondering how they would go back.
They say the airship cant enter. Whats going to happen to us?
They say the canal to Zaium is completely blocked! Do we have to sneak in?
Leobold read their complaints and called them in to comfort them.
Dont be surprised. The emperors measure is temporary. How long do you think he can keep all those goods?
Well, thats true.
Zaium Empire was boiling because of his decree.
They made so much profit that they threw themselves into it with money, but suddenly everything was blocked.
It was obvious who would get scolded.
It was because humans always cursed at whoever blocked their way first.
To most of the stakeholders, Leobold was a benefactor who gave them a fortune, and Emperor Barak was nothing but an obstacle.
He wouldnt be reckless enough to defy his decree, but it was clear that his prestige would fall.
The penalty would be a headache for most of them, and they would choose to introduce credits rather than pay money or land.
That was ultimately Leobold and Armas goal.
To push paper money into Zaium Empire.
Once they did, credits would become more useful over time, and Arma would take over the entire empires economic system.
The problem was the lack of goods at the moment.
The emperors order was very efficient anyway.
Blocking physical goods worked in most cases, and there was no need to mention the settlement where millions of refugees gathered.
If they couldnt get thousands of tons of food right away, they would starve to death.
But Bagran had already prepared for this as well.
Now we dont have to worry about anything. Lets get some food from the smart farm.
Yes, I understand.
The airship fleet that they had been hoarding like Altaran was mobilized.
They didnt even know what they were carrying and just went back and forth between the floating continent and Bagran, filling and emptying their holds.
They secretly used Settler ship as well, so the food transport volume was several times more than planned.
No one noticed the whole picture because only Arma had the authority to look at the numbers.
Only when the train brought more food than expected did the workers get a little surprised.
Why is there so much Do we have to work all night?
Where does this food come from? They say the canal to Zaium is blocked.
Hey, Hanson! Just do your job!
The people who had a lot of experience knew that it was a loss to think deeply about the strange things that happened in Bagran.
When the food was supplied to the settlement, the urgent fire was extinguished.
The food shortage that the emperor intended did not occur as the fleet continued to carry food.
Emperor Barak was furious when he heard this.
Why are they fine over there? Why!
He was angry because the empires interior was in a mess.
There were more than one or two top and nobles who had to pay the penalty, and they chose to introduce credits rather than money or land as if they had agreed.
The paper scraps that he had blocked thoroughly were finally incorporated into the empires economy.
The emperor was outraged when he saw the palace maids carrying credits.
What do they trust and carry those paper scraps for!
Regardless of his anger, people were using credits very well.
Jerome, the capital, was very sensitive to fashion, so the introduction of credits was fast, and it accelerated due to this incident.
By the spring of 1040, there were hardly any shops that did not accept credits.
Especially in the social circle where fashion was important, it spread widely.
The noble ladies who dominated the social clubs boasted of their wallets imported from Bagran.
Who carries silver coins these days? Look at this sophisticated wallet design. Its completely different from a dirty pocket.
The thin leather wallet satisfied the desire of the noble ladies who wanted a high-quality item that was different from others.
Usually, noble ladies did not carry pockets themselves because they were cumbersome, but wallets were an exception.
They were light enough, thin and sophisticated in design, so they carried them in their arms, and this became the cause of fashion.
Bagrans paper money became widely used.
It was a remarkable change of fortune when he thought that Bagran had introduced metal coins made by Zaium when Leobold first arrived in Astera.
Zaiums economy was gradually eroded by Bagran.
Emperor Barak noticed this but did not dare to touch it.
He couldnt block the goods forever, so he loosened it up a bit in March and trade between the two countries resumed.
As a result, Bagran was able to successfully settle millions of refugees.
They learned that they could live as Bagrans citizens if they endured for two years.
He thought it was better to do something than to d*e wandering around.
He didnt mind living here.
Actually, the food was much better than in Gram Kingdom.
The settlement lacked freedom, but it had plenty of resources.
He couldnt complain, since he would be granted freedom after two years of hardship.
Arma, who secured cheap labor, assigned them to railway construction and airship building.
The national development plan gained momentum, and ether was supplied to every household.
The citizens of Bagran could enjoy a warm winter.
This winter is unusually cold, but were lucky.
From next year, we have to pay for it. How are we going to do that?
The rate plan doesnt seem too expensive. Honestly, I cant stand the cold after living in a warm house.
I heard that even the nobles in Zaium above suffer from the cold. Poor them.
It was true.
No matter how powerful or rich they were, the nobles couldnt heat their entire mansions or castles.
So they shivered every winter, and that was normal for them.
It was a hassle to take a bath, as they had to chop wood and make a fire.
This caused the nobles to have a foul smell in winter.
There was some heating using ether stones, but it was so inefficient that it was only used in clinics.
When the nobles of Zaium heard that even the commoners in Bagran had a warm winter, they coveted it.
They went down to Galisto and experienced the model houses themselves.
They were amazed that they could use hot water even in winter.
You mean I can heat my whole mansion for only 3 gold a month? Is that true?
Its not 3 gold, but 30,000 credits. Anyway, its possible. But you need to connect pipes, so the construction will be quite difficult.
Difficult construction meant a lot of money.
But it wasnt too expensive considering that they could have a warm winter in the long run.
Hmm How much will it cost?
Well, its not a short distance. And you have to wait at least a year. Galistos reservations are backed up.
I want it done right now. How much will it take?
Uh Ill have to consult with my manager.
There were many nobles in Zaium who tried to establish relations with Bagran like this.
The noble ladies were fascinated by the food culture of Bagran, and they even made it popular in the palace.
Barak Emperor didnt like this culture, but he was surprised when he heard that he could take a hot bath anytime.
Is that true? You just turn the faucet and hot water comes out?
Yes, Your Majesty. The citizens of Roselon have been enjoying this benefit since early winter. Taking a bath with hot water is their daily routine.
Huh
Shouldnt they have given him a hint before the commoners enjoyed such benefits?
Barak Emperor realized that his relationship with Leobold was not as good as before.
And he felt something ominous.
Was this Leobolds purpose from the beginning?
He wondered if his true goal was to infiltrate the empire through various channels and gradually expand his influence until he absorbed it.
If this was true, he couldnt stop him with any ordinary means.
War was impossible, as he had seen in the case of Pangral Archduke, and blocking the supplies would hurt Zaiums interests.
There werent many options left.
Do I have no choice but to borrow Altemas power?
He recalled the letter she had sent him through her envoy a while ago.
It said that he would accept him as his vassal.
He had sneered at it then, but now he thought it wasnt so bad.
Didnt Bagran have Zigarion as their guardian dragon?
Who would dare to say anything if Zaium joined hands with the strongest gold dragon?
It would be better if I could announce it as an equal cooperation relationship externally.
He sent her a letter with such contents.
Soon after, he received her reply.
Come and kneel before me.
It was a humiliating message, but Barak Emperor was willing to endure it as long as it wasnt exposed externally.
He felt inferior to Leobold, not to a dragon.
A secret airship left Jerome Imperial Road for Gram Kingdom.
At the same time, another airship flew from Elvrande to Gram Kingdom.
All of this was quietly observed by Siviri Satellite.
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