Chapter 12
In the blacksmith guild of Florence, curses and harsh words continued to be exchanged.
"How is this possible? What crazy bastard is selling steel at such a low price?!"
The guild master slammed his fist on the desk.
His hand should have hurt, but he didn't show any sign of pain, clearly indicating how furious he was.
"Let's say you can just throw iron ore into a blast furnace and turn a waterwheel for cheap scrap iron! But to make steel, you have to hammer until your shoulders dislocate, right? How can this price make sense?"
The guild master felt like he was about to die from anger.
Until now, they had monopolized steel, controlling military supplies like weapons and armor, and monopolizing tools necessary for daily life, yet it was still hard to make a living.
Now that the advantage of steel monopoly was broken, life would undoubtedly become even tougher.
No, competitors would throw themselves at them, even eating their own flesh, to push out these innocent people.
"We're all going to die at this rate! We're all doomed!"
The custom of doing business without offending the high-ranking people was completely over.
"Vice Master, can't we submit a petition to His Grace Duke Sforza or even the imperial family? Asking for help because the guild's rights, built up over hundreds of years, have been infringed upon."
It was a world where it was natural for nobles who do politics and merchants who do business to be one body.
So the fact that they were taking a hit meant that it would also negatively affect the pockets of the high-ranking people.
The high-ranking people also knew that their pocket situation was directly related to their power situation.
It was a general custom to protect merchants like their own bodies, but...
"Master, the product they're dealing with is steel. Most of the weapon price is made up of steel cost, do you think there's any noble who would stop steel prices from falling? Even if you propose a solution to the city council, it will surely be blocked."
For high-ranking nobles like barons, the price of one set of armor or one horse wasn't a big burden.
Rather, these high-ranking people would even order custom-made armor that costs more than a castle.
However, even a baron has dozens of knights or heavy cavalry under him.
These were people who struggled to afford even one set of armor for themselves.
The high-ranking people weren't unaware of their vassal knights' circumstances, and they wouldn't go against their vassals' opposition.
"Damn it, that cursed Duke Visconti! If it were anything else, we could resist saying they infringed on the guild's interests."
The guild master held his head.
Feeling the throbbing pain, he sighed.
"How much is the specific loss?"
"About 1,758 gold coins. This is just an estimate, and it seems the losses will gradually increase as we go forward."
"Our sales have dropped by 10%. Oh God in heaven."
Although numerically it's only about 10%, it's obvious that the ripple effect wouldn't stop there.
Because with steel being released indefinitely at a price 30% cheaper than the regular price, the nobles who consumed most of the steel volume would all secretly deal with the steel made by Duke Visconti.
Having secured the volume at a cheap price, they'll cut off unnecessary transactions.
'If only they had sold it at the same price as us... This wouldn't have happened...'
"And from this month, 15 noble families, including the Count Beauvant family, have notified us that they will cut off steel supply and weapon and armor transactions. Accordingly, there's also a demand to return the prepaid money..."
When making bulk purchases from the guild, you must always pay 20-30% of the price as a deposit.
This was because the guild uses that money to buy necessary materials, tools, etc., to produce the goods.
So this money was all used up without a penny left at the point when the transaction was established.
Are they telling us to cut open our bellies because they simply changed their minds and don't want to buy the goods?
"Tell them to eat shit! We made contracts with the administrators present saying that the prepaid money can't be refunded for this very reason! Damn it!"
They could prevent the outflow of prepaid money.
However, if money didn't keep coming in, it would become difficult to pay employees' salaries and repay money borrowed to set up workshops, etc.
If this situation continued long-term, in the worst case, they could go bankrupt.
"Is there really no clear solution?"
"There's no way for us to respond separately."
"Damn it, how can we deal with these bastards..."
While pondering like this, an outrageous idea occurred to the guild master's mind.
"Even if Duke Visconti is backing them, isn't it clearly illegal to trade goods monopolized by the guild without imperial permission?"
It was illegal and against the imperial edict.
However, in a world where class order was more important than judicial justice, what use was it if the nobles turned a blind eye?
"What use is it if the nobles are turning a blind eye?"
"Think differently. If those who violate the imperial edict and engage in secret trades get robbed, who can they appeal to?"
Although it's a business that Duke Visconti has secretly put his hand in, steel trading is not a legal economic activity.
Therefore, just as criminals can't appeal to the authorities when they suffer injustice...
The Duke can't openly use his power to sanction those who were robbed while engaging in illegal trades in violation of the imperial edict.
"Unless he's planning to advertise that he's openly violating the empire's laws, it would be impossible."
If it were just Duke Visconti and the blacksmith guild fighting, even if the Duke raped the guild master's daughter, the judge would side with the Duke.
Even if it's clearly rape, it would be changed to 'consensual sexual intercourse'.
That was the beautiful judicial justice of the empire.
Anyone who protests against this is a bad citizen and a traitor.
However, Duke Sforza wouldn't sit idly by when there's a lawsuit material that openly violates imperial law.
"If this comes to light, we might get our heads cut off too, but His Grace Duke Sforza will definitely not let Duke Visconti off the hook."
In other words, even if the Duke's steel gets heavily robbed, he couldn't report it due to the greater potential loss.
Everyone slapped their knees at the guild master's crazy idea.
"Since it would be troublesome if our involvement is revealed, let's order Tony to lead this. If we tell him we'll set up a workshop for him with public funds as a reward for starting the job, he'll wag his tail."
Even setting up a small workshop costs at least 50 gold coins.
Even if the master artisans of the workshop earn a lot of money, to save 50 gold coins, they'd have to save 10 years' worth of salary without spending a penny.
It's a sum worth risking one's life for.
And they were even prepared to take credit if it goes well and blame others if it doesn't.
It was utterly wicked.
"Contact the bandits first."
**
Today too, our ironworks were thriving smoothly.
We were now preparing to produce 20 tons of steel daily, and close to 40 tons in a few months.
All the steel we produced was selling out while making a 600% profit.
Although I was eating most of this money, the Duke didn't tell me to spit out the money.
He must have secured enormous political influence by secretly slipping the strategic resource of steel into other nobles' pockets.
Well, I'm not interested in politics yet, so it doesn't matter to me.
No, the Duke's coin needs to go up for my value to rise too, so I'd prefer if the Duke took care of all the political success.
"I wish it could stay just like this, no more, no less."
When I go home, my father, who has become the former baron, will probably nag me to buy a knight title with money and become a noble if I just find a wife.
I couldn't go back yet because I still had some work to do.
No, if I go back now, I'd probably get stabbed by guys instigated by the blacksmith guild members who hold a grudge against me.
Enjoying the leisure while inspecting the site.
"If I knew it would be like this, I should have just stayed a serf, what is this?!"
"How does it make sense to get paid a lot but have no time to spend it?"
Hearing those words, an artisan held up an iron hammer.
As the apprentice artisans who were serfs fell silent, the nagging began.
"In my day, we didn't get paid while learning the skill! Huh? And now you guys who've become freemen from mere serfs and get paid regularly are complaining? What's there to complain about?"
In the Tuscan Empire, no, anywhere in the Almania Continent, it was common sense not to pay wages while learning a skill.
But at our ironworks, we give one silver coin for a month's work.
"These guys must have energy left to complain because they're doing the work sloppily?"
"Please spare us, we won't complain again."
"Ha, the world has become too good compared to my time. You guys chant 'We're dead today.'"
And the guys were dragged away with their necks grabbed by a senior artisan younger than them.
Those guys would probably spend the day stirring molten iron at the reverberatory furnace until they're on the verge of death.
"Even when serfs come in as subordinates, they integrate quickly because the work is too intense to have the leisure to ostracize them."
In other workshops, if a mere serf came in, they would have faced ostracism that would make 21st-century school violence look cute in comparison.
Here, there's no looking down on someone for being a former serf.
Even those guys who were dragged away will become close again after today's hard work when the senior buys them a beer.
As expected, things like class discrimination were resolved when you work people hard and pay them a lot, right?
"If those serfs become a bit more skilled, we might be able to aim for 40 tons a day."
As the volume increased, the profit per kg will decrease, but since the amount sold increases, the total profit will surely increase.
"Should I head home early today too?"
As I was about to leave work early for once, a servant from the Duke's family approached me briskly.
Judging by his clothes, he seems to be a formal noble with a knight title. What business did such a high-ranking person have?
"It's a disaster! The merchant caravan carrying steel was robbed by a group of bandits!"
...... This sucks, really.
"His Grace the Duke is urgently looking for you, young master."
A person of the Duke's stature wouldn't be without an answer to such a situation, so why was he looking for me?