Chapter 104: Getting The Ships
The room fell silent for a second before the old guild master laughed out loud, "An overseas voyage? Do you have any idea how much that costs? That requires massive funds, royal backing, and the official seal of the Emperor. A random woman like you couldn’t even afford the anchor."
Evelina leaned forward and placed her hands flat on the polished table.
"You all seem rather knowledgeable."
Hearing her say that, the men puffed their chests, visibly proud and accepting of the praise.
"Can you clarify my doubts?"
"Go ahead, girl. We can do you the favor," someone said smugly.
"Tell me, gentlemen. During the devastating blizzard last month, when the imperial supply lines froze and people were dying, how did the North survive?"
The old guild master frowned, caught off guard, "The winter linen. A mysterious tycoon distributed insulated fabric. They made a fortune and basically control the current clothing market.
But... why are you asking about that?"
"To tell you I am that tycoon you are speaking of," Evelina stated clearly, "I go by the name Evelina in the markets. That fabric you mentioned also belongs to me."
The laughter instantly died.
The merchants stared at her, their jaws dropping.
Before they could recover, Evelina dropped the second bombshell.
"And as for the backing you speak of," her voice turned ice-coldat this point, "I do not need the Emperor’s seal. Up until this morning, I handled the entire economy of the Alvarez Duchy so I have sufficient experience and authority to handle my affairs."
The room instantly fell into a dead, suffocating silence.
"The Duchess? Then, I am the Emperor!" the grey-bearded man sneered, wiping a tear of laughter from his eye, "Young lady, the Duchess of Alvarez is currently sitting in a luxurious palace, guarded by the fiercest soldiers in the kingdom. She doesn’t wander into harbor guilds alone, dragging her own trunk."
"People are getting wild with their jokes these days," another merchant mocked.
Without a word, Evelina reached beneath her cloak and tossed a thick stack of parchments directly onto the center of the table.
Thud.
The oldest guild master leaned forward, his cynical smirk freezing as his eyes locked onto the documents.
He picked up the top page with a trembling hand.
Stamped across the headers was the official commercial tax log of the winter linen supply lines, alongside the unforgeable signature of the North’s main ledger.
"These..." the old man gasped, his face turning pale, "The entire textile monopoly of the North is listed here. Signed by..."
He looked up, his throat completely dry as he stared at her.
"Up until this morning, I handled the entire economy of the Alvarez Duchy," Evelina calmly stated.
The merchants froze and looked at Evelina in disbelief.
"But it is all in the past. I have left the Alvarez name behind," Evelina continued smoothly, her gaze sweeping over their terrified faces, "As of today, I stand here purely as a merchant proposing a business deal."
The room instantly fell into a dead, suffocating silence.
"We know who you are, Lady Alvarez..."
"Evelina," Evelina cut the old man off.
"Lady... Evelina," the old man corrected himself, "Your reputation as a brilliant merchant in the capital precedes you. But... crossing the great seas to the East? That is a completely different ball game. As you must already know, it requires funds, that probably wouldn’t be an issue for you.
But you also need ships, and a crew willing to risk their lives."
Another merchant lord nodded in agreement, crossing his arms, "The northern seas are treacherous, especially now.
Without royal backing or the official seal of the Emperor, we cannot fund an overseas voyage. The risk is simply too high. We cannot throw our money into the ocean."
The other men around the table murmured their agreement.
In their eyes, sh was an ambitious businesswoman with big dreams but that was not enough to guarantee their returns.
An elegant smile played on Evelina’s lips.
"The risk is only high if you don’t know who is steering the wheel," Evelina said in a confident tone.
She reached into her cloak and pulled out a neatly rolled parchment, sliding it across the table.
"This is a flawless profit-sharing contract," Evelina explained, "I do not need your gold to buy ships. I want to lease them.
In exchange, I will grant this guild exclusive distribution rights to my new textile blueprints and the luxury goods I bring back from the Eastern Frontier.
According to my calculations, within the first three months of my voyage, your net profits will increase by four hundred percent."
The merchants frantically scrambled to grab the parchment, crowded around it like starved wolves.
They began reading through the clauses, their eyes darting back and forth across her neat handwriting.
The strategy was beautiful.
It was completely foolproof, and heavily favored their pockets while giving Evelina the freedom and control she needed over the vessels.
She wasn’t just asking for help; she was handing them a golden key to a literal mountain of wealth. And her past records left absolutely no room for argument.
The richest merchant lord in the North, a huge stern man who hadn’t spoken a single word since she entered, stared at the contract.
His eyes flared with wild ambition.
He looked up at Evelina and realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
To reject this woman meant rejecting the greatest financial boom he would ever see.
Bang!
The heavy sound of a fist slamming violently against the table echoed through the grand hall, making the inkwells rattle.
The man stood, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.
He looked directly at Evelina, a grinning resolve bursting across his weathered face.
"To hell with the royal backing!" he roared, his voice booming with excitement, "I don’t care about the Emperor’s seal! Your Grace... no, Lady Evelina, your strategy is flawless! I will personally give you my three best, heavily reinforced ships and my most loyal crew today!"
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