"Mr. Abel, I'm sorry that I didn't have time to meet you until now. ”

The smell of logs filled the study of Silvermoon Manor, and Lord Abel felt like he was in the fresh and natural morning forest. Years of business experience told him that the tables, chairs, cabinets, floors and windows in the study were made of mahogany from the dark forest, and within two months, they were all brand new furniture.

In fact, Abel had already realized that everything was new, new furniture, a new manor, a new village, a new town, a new territory, and a new Victor Wimbleton.

Once the little baron of the vase became a prince, he sat behind the desk, his temperament was calm, his expression was calm, and his eyes as deep as the night sky did not have the youthful immaturity of the past, but were replaced by the light of wisdom and confidence. The prestige of the young lord made Abel's heart mixed, and although he was hung out for more than a month, he couldn't feel the slightest resentment at this moment.

Abel didn't know why Victor had become so strange in just a few years, maybe because of the environment, maybe because of the bloodline, no matter what, he had to admit that the students of the past were now beings that he needed to look up to.

Victor didn't care about Lord Abel's complicated mood at all, he turned his head and ordered, "Dear Lilia, please prepare a cup of coffee for Teacher Abel." ”

Lilia smiled lightly at her man, and reached out her snow-white little hand to start making coffee, her movements dexterous and graceful posture that was pleasing to the eye. In a few moments, a cup of fragrant coffee was placed on the table.

"Your Excellency, are you accustomed to adding milk, or goat's milk?" asked Lilia, holding the silver kettle in her hand.

"Uh...... Nothing to add...... Thank you ma'am. Able stood up, saluted Lilia with a slight restraint, and then took the silver cup from her hand. Lilia lifted her skirt, curtsied, and returned to Victor's side.

Abel took a sip of coffee, and the mellow taste lifted his spirits. Victor asked, "Mr. Abel, how long have we not seen each other?" ”

"More than four years. Able put down the coffee cup and replied respectfully.

"4 years, 11 months and 27 days. Victor smiled and continued: "We have known each other for 10 years, 3 months and 11 days, and you have been waiting for me in Pinghu Town for 28 days. ”

Abel was stunned for a long time with his mouth open before he praised: "My lord, your memory is really good." ”

"People with a good memory are not easy to fool. Victor glanced at Abel lightly, and said to himself: "I know you are here to negotiate the purchase of jaggery, but I didn't expect you to come in person." ”

"Sophia now has three major merchant groups under her command, namely the Bucks Merchant Group, the Clover Merchant Group and the Sabertooth Tiger Merchant Group, among which the Buck Merchant Group is the most powerful. The stag's footprints can be found in the kingdoms of Gambis, Dodor, Neville, the savannah, and the Sassan Empire. As the head of the Bucks Merchant Regiment, you have 8 caravans, more than 4,000 men, more than 2,000 carriages, and at least 10,000 peripheral personnel who depend on the caravan for their lives. ”

"This 10 million pounds of raw sugar business is not a big deal for the Bucks traders, but it is important to my Randall family. So, all you have to do is line up a caravan and get a deal at the agreed price...... So why did you come to see me in person, even at the cost of staying in Pinghu Town for 28 days?"

"My lord, although you founded the Randall family, after all, you are half the master of the Marquis's Mansion, so it stands to reason that I should visit you in person. Abel said respectfully, but thought in his heart, "If you don't let the goods be delivered, can I not wait for you?"

Victor let out an "oh" and said as if he had come to an understanding: "It turns out that you work for me?"

Abel hurriedly explained: "My lord, I work for the Marquis of Sophia. ”

"Sophia......" Victor nodded, and then asked, "So...... Where is she now?"

"This ......" Abel looked embarrassed, but Victor said with a smile, "Can't you tell me......?" I guess you didn't even know she was there! Sophia is uncertain, and she's cooperating with the church on an important business. As for what it is...... It's not convenient for me to disclose. But I'm sure she didn't tell you. ”

Although he was shocked and suspicious in his heart, his face was silent, but he didn't know that the rhythm of his breathing, the frequency of his heartbeat, and even the subtle changes in his pupils could not hide Victor's perception.

Victor confirmed his suspicions from these details, and he said confidently: "Sophia does not have the time or energy to pay attention to the matter of the raw sugar trade now. It's entirely up to you!"

"At the beginning, you left me in the Black Castle and left me alone to deal with the York family, but I hurried back to the royal capital with a caravan escort......" Victor stood up, paced two steps, shook his head, and said: "Afterwards, I always thought that you were the queen's person, because while you were defending the interests of the queen party, you were afraid that you would be killed by the York family like the butler arranged by Her Majesty Catherine. So, you're in a hurry to lead the team out of Blackcastle. ”

"To my surprise, Sophia managed to escape the queen's control, and you were not kicked out of the Chamber of Commerce by her? I lived in the Marquis's Court for a while, but I never saw you. This shows that you are neither Sophia's henchman nor the queen's person!But you are still in charge of the largest buck chamber of commerce!" Victor sat down again, he stared into Abel's eyes, and asked slowly, "Mr. Abel, I'm curious about who you play for?"

"Your Excellency, your eyes are like torches. Abel was silent for a long time, and said with a wry smile: "After the dispute between the Marquis and Her Majesty the Queen was settled, Her Majesty Catherine withdrew the people who had been placed in the Chamber of Commerce, and the Maple Leaf Chamber of Commerce loyal to Your Majesty was also disbanded by Lord Sophia. But I do play for Sophia-sama. ”

"That's right. I am not a member of Her Majesty the Queen, nor am I a confidant of Lord Marquis, and the reason why I am still in charge of the Stag Merchant is because Lord Sophia cannot do without my assistance. Lord Abel stood up, bowed solemnly, and said, "Lord Randall, you don't know. The history of the Bucks Merchant Group can be traced back more than 500 years, when the Rand Empire had not yet divided into three kingdoms. ”

"Originally, the Bucks Merchant Regiment was called the Black Sheep Merchant Order, formed by Steve, the butler of Earl Desmond Wimbledon. Fifty years later, my ancestor joined the Black Sheep Merchant Group as a chauffeur, and since then, eight generations of my family have worked for the merchant group, accumulated rich experience in the trade group, obtained the title of Lord, and witnessed the change and change of the business group. ”

"Earl Desmond Wimbledon was a vassal of the Friedrich family, so the Black Sheep Merchant Clan belonged to the Kingdom of Dordor, which was mainly responsible for trade within the Three Kingdoms and the savannah, and the tentacles of the merchant group once extended to the Sassan Empire. Later, the Sassan Empire occupied the steppes, and the sword was directed towards the northern part of the kingdom of Dordor. The war between the two sides caused the Sarsangian Empire and the steppe people to refuse to trade with the Duoduo, which directly led to the collapse of the Black Sheep Merchant Order. We have also lost our source of livelihood, but fortunately, the Wimbledon family of the Neville Kingdom recruited men to form the White Rhino Merchant Order, and we became Neville again. But the good times did not last long, and the Kingdom of Duoduo began to suppress the trading caravans between the Nevilles and the Sassan Empire, and the White Rhino Merchant Group struggled for more than 70 years and came to an extinction......"

"And yet, you are still there. Victor said thoughtfully. Lord Abel smiled and replied, "We're still here." ”

"The Three Kingdoms reached a compromise with the Sassan Empire, with the Wimbledon family of the Kingdom of Gambis forming caravans to meet each other's trade needs. The Bucks changed their name every time they changed owners, five times in total, but one thing didn't change, we always played for the Wimbledons. ”

"That makes sense. Victor nodded.

Sophia was born in a small family in the Seuss Kingdom, although she started from the bottom of the Chamber of Commerce, she was young after all, and she climbed too fast, and she became a marquise in just a few years. In terms of Sophia's experience and character, she is not enough to control such a large chamber of commerce, and the chamber of commerce has not been defeated by her, which can only mean that there is a management team to maintain the operation of the chamber of commerce. Lord Abel's group of managers are the soul and brain of the Chamber of Commerce.

Over the centuries, no matter how the name and owner of the Chamber of Commerce have changed, its legacy has never been broken. The Chamber of Commerce is growing in size and has developed mature talent training and absorption mechanisms, logistics and transportation systems, goods procurement and sales networks, financial settlements and benefit distribution methods. It can even be seen as an independent organization.

However, any wealth must have a belonging, and wealth without attribution is illegal, and any force can snatch it. According to the Radiant Code, wealth and land could only belong to knights and nobles, so Abel and they had to be attached to a family. Now, the Three Kingdoms and the Sassan Empire have appointed the Wimbledons as merchant nobles in charge of their trade, and Abel has become nominal vassals of the Wimbledons. But the real majority shareholders of the Chamber of Commerce are actually the Three Kingdoms and the Sassan Empire.

The Sassan Empire and the Kingdom of Duoduo were at loggerheads, and neither was at ease with the other's dominance of trade. The Kingdom of Naville has rich mineral resources, the Sassan Empire has abundant food resources, and the Kingdom of Duoduo has trade routes, so it is impossible for it to sit idly by and watch the two neighbors look at each other and communicate with each other, so the Kingdom of Duoduo cut off the trade routes of the Navilles. As the rear of the Three Kingdoms, Gambis does not directly engage in war with the Sassan Empire, and is an ally of Dordor and Neville, so it is natural for it to dominate the Chamber of Commerce.

However, the Chamber of Commerce has made a huge fortune, which is owned by the Wimbledon family, and how do the backstage bosses of the Chamber of Commerce divide this wealth?

Victor closed his eyes and pondered, using the X-3 to deduce the mystery. First of all, the management team of the Chamber of Commerce has only a small part of the wealth, which is why they are able to pass it on. Secondly, the Wimbledon family is fragmented, and the family heirs are scattered in various kingdoms of the human world, and the scattered family obviously does not have the strength to retain wealth. The royal family of Gambis secretly instigated the Wimbledon family to fight among themselves, and those who succeeded in ascending to the throne had to pay political contributions to the kingdom, so that the royal family could achieve the purpose of harvesting wealth. On the other hand, the Kingdom of Duoduo receives a large amount of war aid from Gambis every year, and this money should be considered as a dividend from the Chamber of Commerce.

Neville's situation is somewhat special, if you look at it in isolation, she really didn't get a share of the wealth of the Chamber of Commerce, but from the overall consideration, she got the most benefits. The kingdom of Duoduo has been suffering losses against the Sassan Empire head-on, and Gambis is also losing, but the Kingdom of Neville has been able to avoid the main force of the Sassan Empire and sweep her logistical supply lines to the fullest, and the lords of Neville have been enjoying the dividends of the war. On the other hand, Neville is not only the most important source of minerals in the human kingdom, but also a strategic place to hold the northern wilderness. Once the kingdom of Neville collapses, the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, the church supports her, the kingdom of Seuss supports her, Gambis supports her, Duoduo depends on her, the kingdom of Borui needs it, the Sassan Empire has nothing to do with her, and as long as Neville tightens the minerals in his hand, the Sassans can't stand it. The Neville people hold minerals in their left hand and pinch the portal with their right hand, and as long as the pattern of the human kingdom remains the status quo, she is the big winner.

It is no wonder that the Kingdom of Neville has five Golden Knights, who are strong but have no intention of expanding. Victor muttered to himself, the only thing he didn't understand was what benefits the Sassan Empire had got?

With this question in mind, Victor decided to dig up a little more material from Abel's body.

"Mr. Abel, I can understand your neutral position, but why do you want to negotiate with me about the brown candy in person?" asked Victor with a smile.

Somehow, Abel saw Victor's kind smile, and his heart suddenly shook, but he still said in as sincere a tone as possible: "The Chamber of Commerce is short of funds now, and we very much need to open up new sources of finance, I hope you will give us more jaggery quotas for the sake of the past feelings." ”

"The Chamber of Commerce is also short of money?" Victor looked at Abel in surprise.

"Yes. Abel explained, "Your Excellency, when you became your lord, Lord Sophia paid a tribute of 500,000 gold soles to Her Majesty the Queen. Later, in order to obtain the understanding of Her Majesty the Queen, Lord Sophia drew another 700,000 gold soles...... The Chamber of Commerce is really out of money. ”

Victor smiled disappreciatively: "It's only 700,000...... The jaggery I sold you is 6 copper soles per pound, with a total value of 50,000 gold soles, and you can increase it 24 times if you sell it to the Sassan Empire, which is a net profit of 1,140,000 gold soles. ”

"My lord, this is a misunderstanding. Lord Abel said with a wry smile: "It is true that the convoy of the Bucks Chamber of Commerce is unimpeded, but the journey is far away, so it is inevitable to go up and down, eat and take cards." Along the way, the loss of people eating horses and horses and transportation is not small, and when you get to a remote place, you always have to hire a few mercenary groups to prevent bandits from looting...... None of that counts. Every kingdom we go to has to sell a shipment. For example, this batch of raw sugar, we have to sell 2 percent to the Gambis royal family, 20 copper soles per pound, 2 percent to the royal family of Dordor, 40 copper soles per pound, 2 percent to the Neville Kingdom, 60 copper soles per pound, 1 percent to the steppe people, 50 copper soles per pound, and finally the jaggery that is transported to the Sassan Empire can still have 2 achievements left, and then it can be sold at the price of 4 silver soles per pound. ”

"It's not easy. Victor bowed his head and said, "And how much do you want?"

"My lord, I would like you to increase your share of raw sugar from 3 million pounds to 5 million pounds per year...... If you can give us the coffee to sell, I promise you a satisfactory price, how about 7 gold soles per pound?" Abel said cautiously, "I think Lady Sophia will be pleased." ”

"Hehe, what's the use of making Sophia happy? The key is to make me happy. Victor laughed, and he asked with interest, "What is the price of coffee in the Sassan Empire?"

"There was very little coffee flowing into the Sassan Empire, and it is said that there were lords who bought coffee for 100 gold soles per pound. Abel added, "Of course, scarcity is expensive, and we can sell it for up to 50 gold soles a pound." ”

Victor and Lilia glanced at each other, and found that each other's eyes were full of golden stars, Victor secretly shook the hand of the little wealth fan, and said to Abel: "The yield of coffee is very low, only 2,000 pounds a year, you don't have to fight its idea." ”

"Yes. Abel bowed his head, he was not a man who did not know what to do.

"Teacher Abel, you're in trouble. Victor stared at Abel for a while, and said lightly: "The Chamber of Commerce has no money, which means that your ability is not good, Sophia has long wanted to find someone to replace you, and there must be someone within the Bucks Chamber of Commerce who covets your position." That's why you came to talk to me personally. The jaggery business is important to you. ”

Lord Abel was finally moved, and he took a deep breath and said, "Your acuity, my lord, is astonishing...... You're absolutely right. As long as you refuse me, I will start from scratch, and my fate is in your hands, but I will never raise the purchase price of jaggery!"

"Teacher Abel, you are very dedicated. Victor nodded appreciatively and said, "Tell me something, and I'll grant your request." ”

"There are no secrets in the Chamber of Commerce...... My lord, what do you want to know?The relationship between the people inside the Chamber of Commerce?or the secret business of Lord Sophia?" Abel asked suspiciously.

Victor knocked on the table and said, "If you have time, you can talk about it." However, I would like to know more about the savannah and the Sassanian Empire, where the customs, the goods, everything. Chat like you used to, but don't pour me chicken soup again!"

"Chicken ...... Chicken soup?!"

"There are no actual stories and big truths, and tricks to coax people. Victor said coldly: "Remember that I am now a lord and only care about useful things!"