Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters-Chapter 879 - 8 Buying a Boat to Go Downstream

Chapter 879: Chapter 8 Buying a Boat to Go Downstream Chapter 879: Chapter 8 Buying a Boat to Go Downstream A respected lady was awakened in the middle of the night only to learn that her daughters had disappeared—both of them. What would be her reaction?

Winters could hardly imagine.

In the past, the Venetians dealt with such situations often using daggers smeared with deadly poison.

In recent years, their methods had become more civilized, with the poisoned daggers replaced by revolver guns hidden beneath cloaks.

Putting himself in that situation, Winters asked himself, what if some rascal dared to kidnap Ella? What then?

The result of his reflection was that after confirming repeatedly with Anna that she had no brothers, Winters felt an unusual sense of relief.

All in all, he had no desire to meet Mr. Leo.

...

However, given that Mr. Leo had come to Iron Peak County with his foster father, Winters vaguely felt that Mrs. Navarre’s attitude might have softened.

Winters had only met Mrs. Navarre a few times and could hardly recall her face, remembering only that she was a very gentle, kind, and amiable lady.

Perhaps the situation wasn’t too bad?

It was a no-win situation; drag it out as he might, Winters finally bit the bullet and met with Mr. Leo.

The meeting was very private, held in a small living room around a fireplace, with only Winters, Antonio, and Leo present because Winters imagined that Leo wanted to discuss “family matters.”

But soon, the atmosphere became serious and formal.

The reason was simple—Leo wasn’t there to help Mrs. Navarre find her daughters, he didn’t mention Anna at all.

“Civil Guard Officer,” Mr. Leo began formally and directly, setting the tone for the entire conversation, “could you provide me with the tariff rates of Iron Peak County?”

Faced with such a sudden question, especially on a completely unrelated topic, people usually can’t respond immediately.

To keep the conversation going, most people would instinctively utter a monosyllable:

“Ah?”

Or “Uh?”

Or “What?”

This is a normal human reaction, and also why many people, even though they have heard the question clearly, still want the other party to repeat it.

However, this reaction also means falling into a weaker position in the negotiations.

Although Winters had no idea what Mr. Leo was talking about, he had a unique way of handling such situations.

He remained silent, calmly staring into the other person’s eyes, waiting for Leo to explain on his own.

Leo didn’t plan to confront further and promptly clarified his purpose: “I have a batch of wool that I want to transport back to Vineta through Iron Peak County.”

…

Wool, the walking white goldmine, was Paratu’s largest export commodity.

Compared to wool trade, horse trading seemed like a tasteless small business.

Many years ago, it was the merchants from the Mountain Front Territory (now the United Provinces Republic) who first pioneered the wool trade.

These merchants traveled thousands of miles to Paratu from the Mountain Front Territory, first buying wool from herders, then purchasing wood from nobles to build boats. Finally, they sailed down the Ashen Stream River in their wool-laden ships, heading east towards the inland sea and back to the Mountain Front Territory.

The wool would be sent to spinning mills; the ships dismantled and sold as timber.

After calculating their profits and settling debts, the merchants would set out for Paratu again with their capitals, embarking on the journey of a new year.

This cyclical trade, called “Buy Boats, Sail East,” saw countless merchants tirelessly traveling back and forth between the Mountain Front Territory and Paratu.

The continuous supply of wool fed the thriving wool textile industry of the Mountain Front Territory, which in turn generated an ever-growing demand for wool.

During the era when Venetian city-states dominated the Inner Sea trade, cities in the Mountain Front Territory earned their first pot of gold through the wool textile industry and accumulated wealth over subsequent years.

Interestingly, because the Venetians firmly controlled transshipment trade, merchants of the Mountain Front Territory found themselves compelled to explore alternative paths to grow and strengthen.

Out of sheer necessity, these merchants developed a combined strategy of “workshop crafts and commerce.”

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Often, they were both workshop owners and traders. Moreover, due to having a common foe, the merchants of Mountain Front Territory were far more united than those of the Venetian city-states.

However, the disparity in scale was immense, and, barring any unexpected events, the Mountain Front Territory seemed doomed to a perpetual secondary position under the domination of the Venetian city-states.

Yet, fate granted the Mountain Front Territory an opportunity as the Venetian city-states, basking in their golden age and seemingly unstoppable, collectively embarked on a resolution—domination.

Endless discord among the Venetian city-states and significant advancements in fortress siege technology during this period ushered in a prosperous epoch for the Mountain Front Territory.

Once the city-state wars concluded, the victor—the noble Sea Blue Republic—was shocked to discover that the once submissive merchants of the Mountain Front Territory had become formidable sharks, tearing a substantial portion of the Inner Sea trade from the Venetians.

The Venetian city-states declined, while the Mountain Front Territory officially entered its golden age.

At that time—about half a century ago, the Duke’s dominion of the Mountain Front Territory was the wealthiest land in the Empire, the most dazzling diamond on the Emperor’s scepter.

In terms of area, the dukedom of the Mountain Front Territory was hardly significant. Yet, this small delta provided the Empire with one-third to half of its annual revenue.

But, as everyone knows, the story that followed is all too familiar.

The War of Sovereignty erupted, and this time, it was the Mountain Front Territory—now the United Provinces Republic—that was devastated.