In medieval times, long-distance travel was often a battle against boredom, with no TV or smartphones to pass the time.
But I, at least, didn’t have a chance to get bored right now.
Not because of any mishaps, mind you.
“Chloe, young master is going to Guillaume City this time to buy materials for textile production. But why go all the way there?”
Chloe hesitated before answering cautiously,
“The Kingdom of Lyon has fiefs like the County of Flanders and the Barony of Amore, which are specialized in wool and cotton production. He could probably source higher-quality raw materials there.”
“Still, considering the transportation costs, wouldn’t it be cheaper to buy domestically?”
“Young master plans to smuggle them. Which means it’s better if fewer people in the Toscana Empire know about it. Even if the raw materials cost a bit more, it’s better to buy them from Guillaume City.”
The wool and cotton produced in the Toscana Empire are of decent quality.
Our mountainous terrain makes it hard to graze sheep in large numbers, so we can’t have massive farms with thousands of sheep.
The annual production is a bit low, that’s all.
And eventually, people will discover I’m running a textile factory, so...
When that happens, I’ll buy a fair amount of domestic wool and cotton to process and sell as textiles.
Of course, I’ll only purchase enough to align with the normal production rates of this world.
If I were to produce an endless supply of textiles, Duke Visconti and His Majesty might ask me to share the technology, which could spark an Industrial Revolution.
In other words, I wouldn’t be able to keep all the profits for myself.
It’s best to eat alone to fully enjoy the meal, after all.
Cris patted Chloe on the shoulder, praising her,
“You’ve been studying hard, haven’t you?”
“I want to be helpful to the young master, so I’m working hard. I hope that one day, like you, Cris, I can...”
At that, Chloe’s face flushed red like an apple.
Cris just chuckled as she watched her.
“I’ve never been in love, but our young master here is quite popular with women. Even the maids at the estate have their eyes on him, and I’ve heard noble ladies do too...”
“But still.”
“It might be good to gather a bit of courage. Ah, there’s the young master now.”
Chloe, still blushing, quickly lowered her head.
“Cris, I appreciate you teaching Chloe various things, but please, don’t tease her too much.”
“She’s just too cute not to.”
I almost agreed with her right then.
Chloe is undeniably adorable.
Then Cris leaned close to my ear and whispered softly,
“You know that girl loves you, don’t you? Perhaps you could reward her a bit more.”
I can’t help but smile whenever I look at Chloe.
Sometimes, while working, she blushes or goes to great lengths to look pretty in front of me.
It’s not like I’m so oblivious that I can’t recognize these signs.
“I think it would be wonderful if you and Chloe were to become closer.”
Then she added,
“After all...”
But I couldn’t hear the rest of her sentence.
Suddenly, a loud bell rang from the ship, followed by a shout announcing our arrival.
“We’re nearing Guillaume City! Prepare for docking! It’s time to show young master Fabio just what our Blue Merchant Fleet is capable of!”
It’s not a battle, so what skills are they talking about showing off?
These people really are overly dramatic.
For now, I pushed aside whatever Cris was about to say and got ready to disembark.
Though I’d like to take a break as soon as we land, I have a feeling there will be quite a few people eager to greet me.
Shortly after we arrived in Guillaume City, Captain Charles of the city guard greeted us with the utmost courtesy.
“Greetings, young master Fabio!”
I’m still a newly-minted knight, so there’s no need for the guard captain of a foreign city to be so deferential.
“Please, feel free to speak casually.”
“The mayor has ordered us to treat you as the city’s most distinguished guest. Thanks to you, young master, our city is experiencing unprecedented growth.”
Whenever there’s a bustling trade route, a city is bound to spring up there.
In the continent of Albania, nobles go to great lengths to develop cities on trade routes, even in deserts, as long as they lead to sought-after imports.
Becoming the only port with a three-year monopoly on seaweed has spurred the city’s growth significantly.
Land prices here probably rose faster than the price of apartments in Gangnam.
“Additionally, I’ve benefited from your presence as well. Look at my insignia.”
Instead of three diamonds, Captain Charles had a horse manure emblem on his insignia.
“Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thanks to young master Fabio cleaning out that useless treasurer and his faction, several positions above me opened up, and I was lucky enough to advance! I’m only 32, yet I’m already a major! I might even reach lieutenant colonel before I’m 40.”
On our continent, though titles are supreme, military and civil ranks offer privileges almost equivalent to noble status.
Once you reach a certain rank, you automatically receive a title.
For example, a commoner who saves up to advance to lieutenant and earns a few commendations can retire with the title of baronet.
From then on, their family enjoys the life of a minor noble.
So it’s no wonder Captain Charles is pleased about his rapid promotion.
“Our city has also decided not to impose the same customs duties on your goods as we do on other merchants. Seaweed is entirely tax-free, and other goods will be taxed at half the rate applied to others. This was just passed by the city council. And if you’re not too tired, would you like to meet with the mayor?”
They’ve “Thanos-ed” the seaweed tax and halved the rest. Even if I’m exhausted, I should go express my gratitude first.
“Of course, I’ll head there right away. Just let me leave instructions with my secretary, and I’ll be ready to go.”
This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.
“Thank you, young master.”
After I instructed Cristina on the unloading process and informed her of my whereabouts, I headed straight to the town hall.
This transaction seems like it’ll go smoothly.
Upon entering the town hall, Mayor Guillaume greeted me with open arms, almost as if he wanted to embrace me.
“Thanks to you, Guillaume City has seen tremendous growth. Merchants from all over the country are at my doorstep, begging to sell seaweed! Hahaha!”
The mayor’s influence here is practically at the level of a baronet, and the power of these great merchants is so strong that even most viscounts dare not challenge them.
I doubt any merchants would be groveling in front of him, but...
‘He’s exaggerating quite a bit.’
It’s a good sign that commerce is booming to the point where he can make such statements, so it’s no harm to me.
“Commerce is thriving so much that we’re planning to establish not five but seven commercial districts in our city.”
Seven commercial districts—meaning seven markets will be set up in this city.
In Joseon, ginseng once accounted for 10% of national tax revenue, and in France, sugar sales brought in 30% of state income.
I never thought seaweed would take on a similar role here.
All this is possible because I hold exclusive rights to seaweed production.
It’s always best to keep everything to oneself.
“Tax revenues are expected to double next year. With the population influx, I can hardly leave the office on time anymore.”
Government employees hate overtime as much as the French hate British cooking.
Yet here he was, laughing as though he was enjoying his extra workload.
“Well, since the city has grown so much during my tenure, Viscount Guillaume has promised to grant me a baronetcy within two years. Now, the position of mayor of Guillaume City can only be held by nobles ranked baronet or higher.”
Most mayors are selected from knights among the nobility.
The mayor of a large city, comparable to a metropolitan city, is chosen from among the barons, while important city mayors are selected from baronets.
This means Guillaume City now ranks among the important cities in the entire Kingdom of Lyon.
For a mayor with such accomplishments...
“I’ve got about ten years left in public office. I might end up as a bureau director in the Department of Commercial Law. If I’m lucky, I might even step into the world of hereditary nobility. It’s all thanks to you.”
“It’s an honor, Mayor.”
“Now, what brings you here this time?”
I got straight to the point.
“I’m here to present you with an excellent opportunity.”
I sounded like a merchant selling snake oil, but the mayor’s eyes sparkled as though he’d believe me if I said I could turn sand into rice.
Everything is going according to plan.