Davis, the new mayor of Baker City, is a tall, thin man with a fair face, and is somewhat arrogant and disrespectful. This was the first impression he left on Rhodes.
When he met Rhodes, he was sitting on an ivory white chair, looking aloof. His servants and guards stood on both sides.
"Are you the Lord of Blackhammer Castle, Rhodes?"
He asked. A pair of blue eyes glanced at Rod and Caroline. Then he returned his gaze to his desk and continued to look at the documents in his hand.
"Yes."
Although he was unhappy, Rhodes still maintained proper courtesy and etiquette.
"I have read your request. Simply put, I do not agree to sell you guns and ammunition at such a low price."
Davis said coldly. He didn't even look at Rhodes in the eyes, but his lips were moving, looking like an aristocratic young master. Caroline was already feeling unhappy, but she had promised Rhodes not to speak, and even more
No action. So, for the time being, I endured silence.
"Sir, is this price low?"
Rhodes asked rhetorically.
"Low, of course low, 1.5 times the original price. Didn't you know that various parts of the empire have begun to restrict arms trade? At least three times before shipment can be made."
Davis said, throwing the document aside and turning his gaze back to Rhodes. At the same time, he lay half-lying and crossed his legs.
"Your Excellency... Kislev and the Empire are old friends. I heard on the way here that the price of firearms on the market has indeed increased, but it is not triple the price. What I want to ask is, why are they exported to
Firearms in Kislev demand such high prices? But not elsewhere.”
Rhodes asked as politely as possible.
"The investigation is clear? Who did you investigate it with? The third-rate merchant who walked out of here just now? Or the mirage market? Let me tell you why exports to you require such a price. Because the pirates in the north are more rampant, and the empire
It is a country that abides by its promises, especially in the Oster Territory. We must be responsible for all ships that go out to sea. The Gulf of Kislev is full of pirates, so our escort costs have increased."
Davis said. He crossed his arms and stared at Rhodes condescendingly.
"As long as you sell the goods to me, the escort issue can be completely handled by me personally."
Rhodes returned. He thought of the Norsca Raiders. With these people protecting the merchant ships along the way, they almost didn't have to worry about being robbed again.
But Davis still looked dissatisfied.
"It's up to you to solve it yourself? Do you have divine power or do you have three heads and six arms? Can you escort the entire ship by yourself?"
Mayor Davis scoffed.
"Don't worry about this, I have people."
Rhodes answered with restraint.
"Needless to say, I don't trust you people, the plunderers? Lady Kislev? Without the escort of imperial soldiers, I bet that the merchant ships would not be able to reach the north at all."
Davis took a sip of hot tea and continued——
"Three times, three times the price, there is no room for negotiation. Take it away if you want. If the money is not enough, please leave here. I still have a lot of things to do, and there are many poor people like you who are looking for me. Black
Hammerfort? What kind of place is it? Why have I never heard of it before? It seems like it's not marked on the map, right?"
Davis' arrogant look finally made the Frost Witch next to Rhodes unable to bear it. She was about to curse, but Rhodes grabbed her wrist and forcibly stopped her.
"In your eyes, is this trade just a matter of money?"
Rhodes asked rhetorically.
"Then what other problems do you think there are?"
Davis, the mayor of Baker City, asked the same question.
"In the recent Battle of Evil Moon, my people risked their lives, repelled hundreds of beasts and werewolves, and defended the northern defense line. However, we are short of manpower and need firearm support from the empire.
This is the common obligation and responsibility of all mankind on this continent, isn't it?"
Rhodes said neither humble nor haughty.
He stared at Davis, this tender-skinned imperial official, with questions in his eyes.
But the newly-appointed mayor obviously didn't take Rhode's words seriously, let alone Rhode, a foreigner. His eyes wandered, and he didn't even look directly into Rhode's eyes. He just looked lazily.
Half lying on his office chair, he replied in a low voice——
"Hundreds of beastmen? Huh, your castle is really strong, and your people are really brave. How did I hear that in Kislev, once a team of hundreds of beastmen appears, your Ice Queen will send
The regular army went to annihilate them. What? This time, she didn’t take the intruders seriously?”
Davis said, with an expression on his face full of contempt.
"We wiped out the herd before the news reached the capital."
Rhodes could only explain it this way.
"Haha, the news from Kislev spreads really fast."
Unexpectedly, Davis was still dismissive. Rhodes wanted to crush him to death, but in this situation, he could not use violence, and this was in the empire. Once he did, the consequences would be serious.
For the sake of survival and future, Rhodes endured it. But Caroline, on the other hand, looked furious. If Rhodes hadn't been holding her tightly, she would have gone crazy on the spot. The issue involved then would not be personal issues, but Kisili's.
There is a diplomatic issue between the husband and the empire. The Snow Queen will definitely be angry. Rhodes does not want to cause such a big trouble at this time.
…
"You shouldn't have stopped me. Aren't you angry at those words?"
After returning from the municipal official residence, Caroline was indignant. She was extremely dissatisfied with what she had just experienced. Baker City is just a city. Like Blackhammer Castle, it also belongs to a territory. In theory, the status of the two is equal. However,
, the performance of that imperial official was simply contempt. He despised Kislev, and also laughed at the embarrassment and remoteness of the north.
Caroline knew that if Rhodes hadn't stopped her just now, she would have slapped the proud mayor of Baker City in the face. He was simply a pretty boy who had never even experienced war, yet he mocked those who fought bloody battles on the front lines.
Fighting warrior.
"Angry. But what can we do? If we want to import firearms, we must import them from the Empire. This is the closest Imperial port to Blackhammer Castle. If firearms cannot be purchased here, it will be impossible to purchase them from other places. The cost will be higher.
At least, we cannot afford the transportation costs."
Rod took Caroline and explained.
"Then we don't have to go to him. Didn't the businessman you just talked to say that he could sell us guns and gunpowder at twice the price?"
Caroline continued to ask with a straight face.
"The biggest salt merchant and jeweler in Baker Harbor?"
"Isn't it?"
"Do you believe his lies? Baker Port is an important port city in the northern part of Osterland. The wealth of this city cannot be reached even by the ten Blackhammer Forts and Heidelberg combined. The largest salt merchant in Baker City will not
With this look, he will not get close to us because of a small order, let alone come here to ask the mayor to do something. On the contrary, Davis may want to have a good relationship with him. The principle of strong dragons not suppressing local snakes.
Haven't you heard of it? The businessman named Tours is just a local trader at best, and he doesn't have more than three ships in his hands."
Rhodes analyzed that, in fact, he saw that the businessman was unreliable from the beginning, but he just didn't want to expose him to his face. The richer the city, the more scammers, who know how to defraud other people's pockets.
It is also a skill.
"Then don't use firearms. I don't believe we can't defend the northern border without firearms. Maybe this Xie Yue is just an accident."
Caroline still felt aggrieved. She was hurt by Rod's tug, so she took her hand away and muttered dissatisfiedly.
"No, that's not an accident. Alvis has detected that the evil moon will become stronger year by year, and there will be more and more beastmen. They will become more and more manic and powerful.
Strong, sooner or later we will need more powerful weapons to defend the northern border. You know, etiquette is a must for diplomatic activities. Davis is an inexperienced kid. Sooner or later, he will pay the price for his arrogance and ignorance.