Chapter 52
Long-distance travel in the Middle Ages, without TV or smartphones, is no exaggeration to say it's a battle against boredom.
However, I had no time to be bored right now.
It's not because some accident happened.
"Chloe, the young master is going to Guillaume City this time to buy materials needed to make cotton textiles. Then why is he going all the way to Guillaume City?"
Chloe hesitated for a moment and then carefully answered.
"The Kingdom of Lyon has many territories specialized in sheep and cotton production, like the County of Flanders or the Barony of Amore. So we might be able to buy good quality raw materials."
"But considering transportation costs, wouldn't it be cheaper to buy domestically?"
"The young master is trying to smuggle now. That means it's better if fewer people know about this fact within the Tuscan Empire. Even if the raw material prices are a bit higher, I think it's right to buy in Guillaume City."
The quality of wool and cotton produced in our Tuscan Empire is quite good.
Because the terrain is quite mountainous, it's difficult to graze sheep, so we can't create pastures that can raise thousands at once.
The annual production is just a bit lower.
And in the long run, the fact that I'm running a cotton textile factory will be discovered anyway.
When it seems like it might be discovered, I should buy an appropriate amount of domestic wool and cotton, process it into cotton textiles, and sell it.
Of course, only as much as matches the common sense production speed of this world.
If I say I'm producing cotton textiles indefinitely, His Grace the Duke and His Majesty will ask for technology sharing, and if that happens, an industrial revolution will occur.
In short, it means I can't monopolize it alone.
I can only eat deliciously if I eat alone, no way.
Chris lightly patted Chloe's shoulder and praised her.
"You must have studied hard."
"I'm studying hard because I want to be of help to the young master. If I could become like you, Chris, then to the young master..."
With those words, Chloe's face turned as red as an apple.
Chris saw this and grinned.
"I've never been in love either, but someone like our young master is popular with women. Even the maids in the mansion are aiming for the young master, and from what I hear, other noble ladies too..."
"But, still..."
"It might be good to be a bit brave. Ah, there's the young master."
Chloe bowed her head deeply with her face bright red.
"Chris, I'm grateful that you're teaching Chloe various things, but don't tease her too much."
"She's just too cute."
For a moment, I almost understood.
Chloe is incredibly cute.
And Chris whispered very softly in my ear.
"You know that child loves you, don't you? So why don't you give her a bigger reward?"
I also smile naturally just looking at Chloe.
And Chloe often suddenly blushes when she sees me while working, or tries her best to look pretty in front of me.
Seeing such things, it's not like I've eaten my awareness with bibimbap in a brass bowl, I know everything.
"If you and Chloe get together well, I think I'd be really happy too."
And she added,
"That way..."
But I couldn't hear those words.
Because a loud bell sound and a shout announcing arrival rang out from the ship.
"We're about to arrive at Guillaume City! Prepare for unloading! It's time to show our skills properly to our Blue Merchant Fleet, no, to Young Master Fabio!"
It's not even a battle, what skills are you going to show?
These guys are really exaggerating.
And I put aside in my heart for a moment what Chris was trying to say and prepared to disembark.
It would be good to rest for a while after disembarking, but it seemed like there would be quite a few people who would welcome me when they saw me.
**
Not long after I disembarked in Guillaume City, Captain Charles of the guard welcomed us very politely.
"Hello, Young Master Fabio!"
No, I'm just a person who's just received a knight's title.
You, a foreign guard captain, don't need to be so humble to me.
"Please just call me comfortably."
"The mayor ordered us to treat Young Master Fabio as the city's highest honored guest. And thanks to you, our Guillaume City is now developing at an incredible speed."
Cities inevitably form at transportation hubs where many people come and go.
In our Albania continent, if it's a major route where imported goods that nobles are crazy about come and go, cities are pioneered even in deserts.
Since it became the only port that could monopolize seaweed for over 3 years, the city must have developed tremendously.
Land prices must have risen at a speed that wouldn't envy Gangnam apartment prices.
"Apart from that, I've benefited from you too. Look at my epaulette."
On Captain Charles's epaulette, instead of three diamonds, there was one horse shoe.
You got promoted by one rank in just a few months?
"You've been promoted?"
"Thanks to Young Master Fabio cleaning up the incompetent finance director and his faction, several positions above me became vacant and I was lucky to get promoted! I'm only 32 years old and already a major! I might even be able to get promoted to lieutenant colonel before 40."
In our continent, although titles are considered the best, military ranks or civil servant ranks provide almost equivalent status privileges.
No, if you get promoted above a certain rank, you're unconditionally given a title.
For example, if a mere commoner spends a lot of money to get promoted to lieutenant and achieves military merits to get stars, they're unconditionally granted a viscount title upon retirement.
From their children, a pleasant life as nobility of the robe begins.
So that's why he's happy saying his promotion will be crazy fast.
"Also, our city has decided not to impose the same tariffs on goods brought by honored guests as other merchants. Seaweed is completely tax-free, and for other products, we'll only charge about half of what other merchants pay. This is a law that just passed in the city council. And if you're not too tired, how about going to see the mayor first?"
Even if I feel like I'm going to die of exhaustion, I should go and express my gratitude first for abolishing tariffs on seaweed and 'Thanos-ing' other tariffs.
"Of course I should go. Please wait a moment, I'll entrust the rest of the work to my secretary and come."
"Thank you, young master."
I told Christina about the post-unloading policy and where I would be, and immediately headed to the city hall.
It seems like the deal will go smoothly.
**
As I entered the city hall, Mayor Guillaume welcomed me with an enthusiasm that almost seemed like he would hug me.
"Thanks to you, Guillaume City has achieved tremendous development. Great merchants from all over the country are dying to sell seaweed in front of me, I tell you! Hahaha!"
The actual influence of the mayor here is at the level of a viscount, and the power of great merchants is so strong that even ordinary viscounts can't touch them.
It doesn't seem likely that the representatives of those merchants would act so subserviently in front of the mayor as to pretend to die if told to.
'He's exaggerating a bit too much.'
It's not bad for me if commerce is flourishing to the extent that he can say such things.
"Commerce has greatly prospered, and now our city has plans to establish as many as 5, no, 7 specialized commercial districts."
Seven specialized commercial districts, in other words, seven markets are being established in this city.
Although ginseng once accounted for 10% of national tax revenue in Joseon, and in France, sugar sales accounted for 30% of national revenue...
To think seaweed would take a similar position.
All this was possible because I alone hold the production rights for seaweed, right?
As expected, it's best to do everything alone.
"The taxes we'll collect next year are expected to increase by about 2 times. The population is also continuously flowing in, so I've become so busy that I can't leave work on time these days."
Civil servants hate overtime like the French hate English cuisine.
Yet that gentleman laughed heartily as if he was rather happy to work overtime.
"Well, since the city has developed like this in my generation. Viscount Guillaume also recognized my merits and said he would grant me a viscount title within the next 2 years. Now the position of mayor of Guillaume City has become one that only nobles above viscount can hold."
Most mayors are elected from nobles with knight titles.
In our country, mayors of cities like metropolitan cities are elected from among 'barons', and mayors of fairly important cities are chosen from among 'viscounts'.
Therefore, Guillaume City is now considered a fairly important city even in the entire Kingdom of Lyon.
For a mayor who has achieved such accomplishments...
"I have about 10 years left to work in public office, and my next position might be as a director in a place like the Commercial Law Department. If I'm lucky, I might even set foot in the lower ranks of the nobility of the robe. This is all thanks to you."
"It's an honor, Mr. Mayor."
"By the way, what business brings you here this time?"
I immediately answered the purpose.
"I came to give you an even better opportunity."
Although I spoke like medicine peddlers, the mayor's eyes sparkled as if he would believe me even if I said I could turn sand into rice.
Everything is going according to plan.