Cod, a great merchant in the Carroll region, whose family has been in business for generations, used to go out alone in his youth, is quite famous in the northern part of the South, is a sharp-eyed, daring but cautious businessman, a standard merchant who can seize all interests, but abide by the spirit of contract, his family business covers many fields of furs, spices and potions, because of the wide range of friends, there are channels in the plains of the Whitsunday and the east.

Parr is the eldest son of Cord – a young man with a talent for business, who will inherit his father's business.

Gawain looked at the Carol merchant in front of him and matched it with the information in his mind - this was the first time he had seen Cord himself, but he still knew a lot about the businessman's information, and he was impressed by two things:

The first is the reorganization of the Carroll Business Association, after the end of the Southern Border Unification War, the Government Affairs Department took over the Carroll area, and the original loose alliance of local merchants was reorganized and placed under the management of the Government Office, and the first big businessman to sign at that time was this Mr. Cod, and he also actively promoted the reorganization of the commercial order in the entire region, so as to enter the sight of the local consuls, and had a place in the government office.

The second was even earlier - after the rise of Cecil's alchemy potions, cheap industrial potions quickly spread throughout the South, and almost all merchants involved in the potion business were affected, and the family of Cord was no exception, but when the merchants fled or changed careers or joined Count Hossmann, this Mr. Cord did a surprising move: he did not hesitate to abandon all the family's finished potion business, and then started to buy and sell herbal raw materials and alchemical potions wholesale, He became one of Cecil's earliest suppliers of raw materials and wholesalers of alchemical potions......

A good businessman.

"Sit down, you don't have to be formal," Gawain chose to meet the businessman father and son in the study, naturally not showing a condescending attitude, "Betty - prepare refreshments and send them to the study." ”

There were tables and chairs in the study, and Ced and Parr calmed down a little nervousness, and sat down in the most modest posture possible—to be able to sit face to face with a nobleman of this rank was almost unimaginable for a merchant of their civilian background, and even if it was difficult for him to calm down with Cod's mind, the great merchant still did not lose his basic judgment—he noticed that this was the study, which was undoubtedly a good sign.

The living room is the most common place to receive guests, but the study is more private, and what can be talked about in the study is often not brought to the living room to talk.

There is a big business today.

Gawain observed the reactions of Cord and Parr, and smiled slightly: "Don't be nervous, today I'm going to talk about your area of expertise - Padraic recommended you to me." As far as I know, Mr. Cod, you have a wide range of trade routes. ”

"It's all about making a living," Cord pondered every word, "and it's nothing in front of you." ”

"Don't be modest, the value of a merchant is important to the principality - Mr. Cod, I heard that you even have business in the East?"

Cod chuckled in his heart, and for a moment he didn't know how to answer, and sweat slowly broke out on the back of his neck.

The Eastern Frontier and the Kingdom Army are at war...... Although the southern border was not involved in the civil war, merchants with a wide range of trade routes were more or less affected.

In addition to the south, Cod's business was in the plains of the Whitsundays, and at the same time, he had some dealings with merchants in the east.

Due to the change in the situation at the Rock Fortress, the current trade route to the Whitsunday Plain is slightly difficult, in order to avoid losses, many merchants who do business with the Whitsunday are thinking of other ways out, and Cod has also strengthened his ties with the East Frontier - through the land corridor in the Gülen region as a transit, he has recently sent several large shipments there, mostly potions......

He did not violate Cecil's laws, all taxes were paid, and all goods were registered, but the duke suddenly asked about this at this moment...... Should the answer be yes or no?

Gawain Cecil was the founding Grand Duke of Ansu, so who did he support in this civil war? From the point of view of legitimacy, he may be supporting the Kingdom Army...... But let's be honest, who is 100% orthodox on both sides of the civil war now......

Countless thoughts passed through Cord's mind for a moment, and the huge number of interests weighed one after another, but he had to answer, so after a short two seconds of hesitation, he spoke: "...... There are indeed some channels, but because of the impact of the civil war, the channels are not very smooth......"

"To me, the Eastern Realm is the same as the Kingdom Army," Gawain said unhurriedly, "and it's just a junior fight. ”

Kede's face was straight: "But the channel has been much smoother recently. ”

"That's good," Gawain nodded with satisfaction, "the Duchy needs your business. ”

Cod controlled the change in his expression well, but his breath was still choking.

Big! Bear! Meaning!!

Bigger business than he could have imagined!!

The big businessman's face almost glowed: "I am willing to serve you - this is the highest honor of our entire family!" ”

Gawain nodded with satisfaction again, and then said, "Then, you should know about this business......

Cod listened carefully, not daring to drop a word.

Just as he expected - the Duke was going to do business with the East, and he was going to sell potions to the East.

It's a bigger deal than it is open, but it can't be done with too much fanfare, so it needs an agent.

Cord and his family will be the agents, carrying out the duke's will and managing the flowing gold.

The Duke's offer was a good one—although from now on the family would no longer have all the profits from the potion business in the East, and would need to hand over more than half of the proceeds to the Duchy, but this part of the "loss" was nothing compared to the upcoming gains.

With the support of the Duke, how many times will the family's potion business in the East expand in size? Ten times? Twenty times?

There will only be more than that!

He knew what it was like to be an agent of the nobility, and he knew that there were many people like himself who would have to fight for such an opportunity even if they lost most of their wealth: this was a path to high society and bloodline.

Good surrogates can earn a real knighthood for future generations, and they are willing to pay a huge price for this possibility.

Although the nobility of the South no longer has much real power, only honorary titles and limited hereditary benefits, on the other hand, the Duke does not require him to pay a huge price, and he can even earn a lot - there is nothing better in the world.

After explaining most of the things, Gawain looked into Cord's eyes: "So, do you understand?" ”

"Yes, Lord Duke, I understand perfectly," said Cod, nodding hurriedly, then pulling on his bow tie and cautiously asking as he calmed down, "but I don't understand...... Why did you choose me? ”

"You're capable, you're smart," Gawain leaned back in his chair, "besides, I didn't pick you specifically — Padraic recommended twelve candidates, and I just drew you out of twelve. ”

Cod blinked, a hint of realization on his face, and then he stood up and bowed his head deeply, "I see—Cod Baldwin, in the name of the family, will be loyal and will never betray your oath. ”

"You will," Gawain smiled and nodded, pulling out a stack of papers, "then let's sign the agreement—Padraic will contact you afterwards to prepare everything for the rest of your business." As for how to start a business in the East...... You shouldn't need anyone else to help you. ”

Cord solemnly took the stack of papers, and carefully read it twice from top to bottom—the duke's agreement was more formal than he had imagined, and even more professional than many of the contracts between merchants, and he saw nothing to question at all.

So he signed his name on it—and he let out a long breath as the last stroke fell.

The young man named Parr just watched quietly, remembering his father's teachings, and not saying a word or missing a word on such occasions.

After the contract was established, Cord's heart was completely relaxed, and then he looked at Gawain cautiously, with a hint of hesitation on his face.

Gawain was ready to return to his previous job at this time, but noticing the big businessman's reaction, he still asked, "Mr. Cord, what else is the problem?" ”

"Lord Duke—I have a very presumptuous question...... It could be a couple of questions, and I hope you don't offend," Corder pondered his words more cautiously than before, and only after getting Gawain's permission did he continue, "We saw the new vehicles on display in the plaza when we came...... The incredible magic car is impressive, I would like to ask about it...... Is it sold to civilians? If I want to buy it, what are the requirements? ”

Looking at the look of anticipation on the face of this big businessman, Gawain couldn't help but laugh: "Of course it is for sale, and like the mining machine, the magic guide car can also be bought and sold, of course, it will be very expensive in the beginning, just like the earliest mining machinery, but for a rich merchant like you who needs it, it is an affordable price." In addition, since this is a completely new thing, the factory production line is still being further adjusted, and some follow-up management systems have not yet been disclosed, so you will probably have to wait a while before you can buy it. And as for the conditions...... First of all, it must be trained to master its control methods, and secondly, it must comply with the traffic laws and regulations that accompany it, because it is a faster and more powerful vehicle than a cow or horse, and we must ensure its safety during use. ”

"Oh, I totally understand that," Cord nodded, "I've seen mining machines, and I can imagine how hard a vehicle powered by the same magic engine must be, and this kind of thing can run on the road, and you can't be careful." ”

Gawain was glad to see that someone realized the usefulness of something so soon after it was born, and took the initiative to touch and use it, and he saw that Cod still had something to say, so he encouraged: "If there is anything else you want to say, just say it—I'm not a strict person, and you don't have to be nervous." ”

"Thank you for your understanding, I still have a question," said Cod as he organized his language, "about the Magic Web Broadcast...... There are no broadcasting installations in the Carroll area, but there are ...... in Rock City further north and Kant further south."

Gawain listened to Cod's words, but sighed slightly in his heart.

What the businessman said was the truth, the current coverage of the Magic Net Broadcasting Device is indeed quite limited compared to the newspaper, this is because the production capacity of the Magic Net Terminal is limiting its laying, and the limited number of terminals determines that Gawain can only install them where necessary, Rock City is a front-line fortress, and Kant City is a new industrial city, these two places are naturally included, and the Carol area is ...... Development can only be put on hold.

"The Magic Net Terminal is limited, so it doesn't cover the Carol area in time, but you can rest assured that Cecil won't abandon any piece of land and the people there, and the next step will be to start installing terminals in secondary towns, including Carol."

Hearing Gawain's explanation, Cord first expressed his gratitude, and then said, "Then if the Carroll Business Association is willing to provide funds...... If we pay for the machines, lay the relay towers, and pay for the maintenance, can we install them first? I only have a small request ......"

Gao Wen was slightly stunned, and then showed a look of scrutiny: "What request?" ”

Cred cleared his throat and began to describe his thoughts: "Well, on the way here I inquired about a lot of things related to the Magic Web broadcast, and I thought of a ...... Things are somewhat similar to the 'show' on the magic web, but the content is different, and I want to use it to introduce the specialties of the Carol region and the business projects of our business association......"

The expression on Gawain's face did not change, but his heart was already shocked, and he listened to Cod's words, but his eyes couldn't help but fall on the unfinished plan.

Cod, on the other hand, was already in the groove, his nervousness finally subsided, and his words became more and more fluent: "People say that Carroll has no specialty, but we actually have a good cheese there, which is simply delicious with the local ochre wine, but few outsiders know about it, and it is difficult to sell. This time I heard that I was coming to Cecil City, a few of my friends dragged me to discuss for a long time, they wanted to rent a small place on the 'newspaper' to introduce this specialty, but no one knew exactly what to do, we studied all the laws published by the government department, and found no provisions prohibiting this, so I decided to try my luck here, but after seeing the broadcast of the magic web, I thought it was even better than the newspaper......"

Gawain couldn't help but interrupt the other party: "You still want to put an ad in the newspaper?!" ”

"Advertising?" Code was stunned for a moment, this was a word he had never heard before, but Gawain used the root word method, which was a combination of the two roots words "widely disseminated" and "informed", so he reacted slightly and understood the meaning, "Ah, so you already envisioned this thing?" ”

“…… No, this is what you created," Gawain pinched his eyebrows and waved his hand, "Go on, Mr. Cord, go on, all your thoughts, all your thoughts, say it." ”

"Yes. I think Magic Net Radio is a better thing, you see, it's more impressive, the footage of the event can show the goods directly, and it spreads faster than the newspaper – but it would be better if you could also 'advertise' in the newspaper because the newspaper is more widely distributed......"

Cord seemed to be emboldened by Gawain's encouragement, and he said with such excitement on his face that Parr next to him was dumbfounded: this young man had not seen his father so excited in years.

"Actually, we also considered whether we should spend our own money to buy printing presses and print our own propaganda things, but the government affairs department told us that this is illegal......

"There are a lot of businessmen in Carroll who are buying machines and want to build textile mills and brick factories, and the government department has approved our request, but we have a hard time recruiting people, and the things we make are not easy to sell...... We produce in strict accordance with the requirements of the Government Affairs Department, but it is too difficult to get things out there......

Gawain listened to the big businessman's story one by one, and when the other party finally finished speaking, he exhaled softly.

"Lord Duke," said Cod, who seemed to realize that he had been a little too bold just now, and a look of unease appeared on his face, "I am just a bold idea, you can ...... it"

"These ideas are interesting," Gawain interrupted, "and valuable." ”

Cord looked overjoyed: "That...... Do you agree? ”

"I think it's feasible – of course, it requires careful planning and institutional constraints," Gawain nodded, "Can you imagine what would happen if merchants were allowed to publish their own advertisements in newspapers and on the radio?" ”

Cod frowned and thought about it, and said as he thought: "Things will be easier to sell, and there will be many people who know about the specialties from afar......"

As he spoke, he hesitated slightly, but continued: "...... There may also be people who make up exaggerated descriptions or even outright false information...... If the situation gets out of hand, people will stop believing even what is on newspapers and radio programs......"

Gawain nodded secretly - this is indeed a smart person and a qualified businessman.

Before advertising was really born, he had already thought of false advertising – even though it didn't seem like he was going to use it.

"As you say, Mr. Cod, this new thing needs to be treated with caution," Gawain said, "before we let it go, we must formulate strict rules to prevent people from cheating, to prevent people from cheating the audience, we must set up a review system, we must also set up a punishment system, and on the other hand, we must set up a management system for those responsible for auditing in the government affairs department, so as to prevent them from abusing their power for personal gain and using the audit qualifications as a tool for profit......"

Strict institutional constraints—Ced unconsciously remembered the soldiers in front of the outpost who didn't accept a single copper plate.

Although he did not know what means the duke used to restrain the soldiers, it must have played an important role in the strict system and discipline.

The big businessman bowed his head in front of Gawain and was convinced: "Governing a piece of land is more complicated than I imagined, and I take everything for granted. ”

"It's complicated to govern a piece of land, but I'm even more glad that there are people like you who are diligent and willing to think about it, and every question you ask is making the land more progressive," Gawain stood up, he left his desk, walked in front of Cod, and reached out his hand, "Mr. Cod, thank you for your contribution to Cecil. I will remember your needs, please go back and wait for the good news. ”

The merchant left with his son in fear, and Gawain stood quietly in the study for a moment, then turned back to his desk and sat down.

He looked at the plan he had drafted, at the half-finished provisions, and after a moment of thought, he raised his hand and brushed it over the paper.

The unfinished page of paper was instantly reduced to ashes.

Gawain then reached for the blank manuscript paper next to him, ready to rewrite the proposal, but before that, from the empty windowsill, there was an amber underwhelming voice: "Oh Huo—write in vain." ”

Gao Wen threw a ball of paper without looking back, and listened to the exclamation of "Mom" from outside the window, he picked up the pen again, took out a special notebook from under the desk, opened it, and wrote a few words in Chinese characters on it:

Ansu 736 fog month 8, a new lesson.

The people don't need you to teach.

Don't make such mistakes again.

(Recommend a book, "Dungeon Player", a dungeon production and construction story full of sand sculpture (crossed out) fun, and there is a shortage of books to read.) ）