Chapter 37
Alsini's eyes widened at the sight of the sword and folded pirate flag placed before him.
"It's amazing that you succeeded in subjugating those Blue Flag Pirates in just 3 weeks."
Coldly speaking, it wasn't because a major trading company like Alsini lacked the power to catch such guys.
Even I, who hasn't yet entered the ranks of major merchants, could get them to come over just by offering cash and a place to live.
There's no way a big player in the spice market couldn't beat them up by mobilizing just a few ships.
Surely the Blue Flag guys were too quick to escape and good at avoiding capture.
"They were just a small group of pirates with only one ship, even if they called themselves a pirate group."
"Still, they were so quick that we couldn't easily catch them. How on earth did you subjugate them?"
I can't honestly confess with my own mouth that I didn't just subjugate those guys but recruited them.
Even if I said that, I wouldn't suffer any disadvantages.
What they asked of me was to solve the problem, not subjugation.
However, if I confess honestly, I'd have to hand over all the future marines and sailors who are pretending to be prisoners with their limbs tied in our ship's hold.
I might not have cared when they weren't my subordinates, but I can't hand over guys who have now come under my command.
"No matter how quick pirates are, they can't hide their tails, can they? They were guys who only targeted merchants and warships from the sultanate. Although they're criminals in the sultanate, wouldn't they be seen as citizens doing good deeds in the Tuscan Empire?"
Alsini probably sank several ships that weren't from families involved in spice trade like Medici with high probability.
Guys caught lurking near territorial waters would have been sold as salt farm Chunsiks.
"So they could completely relax and rest in port cities near Tuscany, right? And given pirates' characteristics, they'd brag about their exploits here and there..."
Pirates' behavior patterns aren't much different from uncles who say they were once successful.
Because they don't know when they'll die and are pointed at by others, they have a strong desire to be recognized, so they talk about all sorts of their exploits to those around them.
Like how I bestowed the teachings of Deus on those heretic merchant bastards and so on...
After digging and digging for such information, I was able to find them surprisingly quickly.
'They probably thought no one would chase them into the Tuscan Empire.'
It's not a completely wrong guess, but they should have been more careful.
What if it wasn't me but someone else tracking them?
"So we tracked them and when they arrived in the open sea where people couldn't see them, we pounced on them all at once and subjugated them."
"Your persistence is really amazing, now we have no choice but to keep our promise."
Alsini shrugged his shoulders and grinned.
"Because merchants must keep their trust. As promised, we'll supply all the quantity you want within a week."
Since I've succeeded in securing the spice quantity, I've finished the urgent task for now.
Moreover, as a young master of the Medici family and a merchant who has proven his ability, I'll be able to continue trading with Alsini in the future.
However, in a situation where I can extract more efficiency, can I be satisfied with just this?
"Thank you, and separately, could I buy coffee beans?"
"Coffee? We drink coffee instead of alcohol since we can't drink alcohol, but I heard there's no custom of drinking coffee on the Albania continent."
I had a friend who used to attend a certain university famous for soy milk.
That friend drank coffee as if he had a grudge against it.
Coffee in the morning, coffee at lunch, coffee in the evening.
So when I asked why he drank so much, he answered like this:
'I'm making up for not being able to drink alcohol with coffee.'
Believers of the Mahrbad religion can't drink alcohol because of their doctrine, so they must be making up for it with the caffeine in coffee.
"Although there's no such custom on the Albania continent, isn't coffee a much better drink than alcohol honestly? The rich yet deep aroma, the slight acidity felt within the bitterness. After drinking it, your head clears and you wake up. It's good to drink before studying, and isn't it good to drink before spending a pleasant time with a loved one?"
Actually, the profit has decreased a bit as numerous people have imitated the cakes and desserts made at Cafe Medici and even developed new products.
Of course, our cafe still maintains its unrivaled position thanks to leading the cake and dessert trends...
But someday, the position as the king of desserts might be shaken.
Then, aside from the financial aspect, my political position would worsen a bit too.
'So it's about time to start bringing out coffee that goes best with cake.'
"Hmm, young people in the Tuscan Empire seem very passionate. I've only thought that drinking coffee makes my mind and body feel purified before reading the Quran."
He's rolling his eyes while saying that.
If he had maintained a poker face, it might have been different, but there's not even a speck of persuasiveness.
"You might think that way because your faith is deep, Mr. Alsini, but for a young person like me, lust comes to mind first."
Before chemically synthesized aphrodisiacs came out, coffee was picked as the best aphrodisiac.
Because the caffeine awakens the body's senses, it was followed by the effect of feeling sexual pleasure well.
For high-ranking people, entertainment is all about going to useless social gatherings to gossip about others, sleeping with pretty women, and so on.
Coffee that fulfills the latter would sell like crazy to men too.
'A drink that goes best with cake for women, an aphrodisiac for men.'
"It will sell just as well as spices. And unlike pepper or cloves that have to be brought from far away, coffee can be harvested nearby, right?"
"Hmm, that's true."
"Please sell coffee to me, Fabio de Medici."
Alsini made a gesture of raising both hands.
"Honestly, I can sell you as much coffee as you want. Alright, I give up. I'll let you trade with this Alsini from now on as you wish."
"Thank you, then I must hurry on my way, so I'll take my leave."
As I got up from my seat, Alsini grabbed my sleeve.
"Where are you thinking of going?"
"If we sell nearby, won't we get caught? Of course, I should sell in the Kingdom of Granada."
A place like the Kingdom of Granada would make it difficult for the members of the Tuscan Empire's spice monopoly system to find evidence that we smuggled spices.
'If I want to finish comfortably, I could sell in the Kingdom of Lyon.'
If I'm going anyway, I should go far, have adventures, and make money.
I won't be able to make connections there since I'm going for smuggling...
Smuggling is a basic education if you want to make money and become a great merchant. I should learn it thoroughly when given the opportunity.
**
After Fabio left, Alsini burst into laughter.
"Is this what they call innate talent, Muhammad?"
The man called Muhammad didn't answer those words.
Alsini urged him once more.
"Isn't he an amazing guy? Let's say it's one thing that he brought in those pirate bastards and made them his subordinates."
The basis for guessing that he made them his subordinates was this:
Despite being able to receive more bounty or get better treatment in the deal, he didn't sell the prisoners to him until the end.
Alsini tapped the desk with his finger.
"But to grasp right away how to sell coffee in the Tuscan Empire after drinking just a few cups of coffee."
There are principles that must be kept to succeed in business.
The most important thing is to buy goods at a cheap price and sell them expensively in other regions.
Always keep trust with trading partners.
"There are several principles, but the most important is this: Recognizing value that others can't see."
Muhammad answered.
"Yes, the founder of the Alsini Trading Company focused on pepper, which is now used as a precious medicinal ingredient but was previously just inedible seeds. As a result, he earned a fortune and revived the family."
A man who newly created and bestowed value as a medicinal ingredient and delicious food ingredient on pepper.
"From what I hear, that Fabio guy first discovered seaweed that even our sultanate nobles can't eat because there's not enough. Maybe that guy is also finding and selling the value of something that seems really useless, like our ancestor."
Regardless of whether they're great merchants or nobles, the founder of a family is, exaggerating a bit, an inviolable being.
Cursing your mother and father might be forgivable if the situation for cursing was very appropriate.
But if you curse the founder, you won't be forgiven in any situation.
Therefore, what Alsini said was one of the highest praises he could give.
"We'll be able to supply that seaweed from next spring. So make a list of high-ranking people in our sultanate who are about to have children. We'll have to sell it to them at gold prices later."
"Yes, head of the family."
"And make some soup with this seaweed. Put in lots of garlic. I'm over 60, but to sell seaweed, I should slowly have another child."
Fabio safely finished his smuggling in Granada and immediately returned home.