Chapter 312: The Fletcher Family

The atmosphere in the chamber had become noticeably tense.

After a long pause, Magnus finally said. "Your Highness, my family will fully support you. But this matter is significant, and I must return to consult my father."

This time, it was Simon’s turn to be surprised.

He hadn’t expected Magnus to agree so readily.

What he had just proposed was merely a rudimentary version of the Eastern Company, a company driven by capital to plunder resources across the globe.

His earlier words had simply packaged the war against the reavers as a grand banquet for merchants, a vision that turned military conquest into a lucrative opportunity.

To his surprise, Magnus became increasingly excited.

He said candidly. "It seems my father was right to send me. Your Highness once claimed in court that all your inventions originated from a Western missionary. I now believe that you weren’t lying. To be honest, my family has recently begun trading with the Dutch."

Simon’s teacup trembled slightly in his hand.

His expression turned serious.

"You said... Dutch?"

"Yes, the Dutch," Magnus confirmed.

"Your Highness sent Desmond on an overseas mission, did you not? Wasn’t it to establish trade routes with Western nations?"

Simon narrowed his eyes.

"Indeed. That was the purpose. Then, Prince Vaelric also knows about the Dutch?

Magnus acted surprised, though not convincingly.

"He does. Prince Vaelric has been secretly dealing with the Dutch for some time. Initially, the Dutch mistook him for the emperor himself. But once they learned the truth, the prince offered them most-favored-nation treatment and agreed to trade exclusively with them. Only then did they relent."

Simon nodded slowly.

If Magnus knew this much about the West, then there was no longer any need for Simon to hide his own Western connections, especially the fact that he had learned from a Western missionary.

Clearly, the Fletcher family had already peered beyond the horizon.

Now the conversation had gone far beyond a simple business negotiation.

Simon’s expression darkened as he said. "Prince Vaelric is bold beyond measure! To have hidden this from the court for so many years, he deserves to be punished!"

Magnus smiled faintly. "Your Highness, every prince has his secrets. Surely, you are no exception."

His eyes sparkled. "Of course, as merchants, we care only for profit. That is why we support Your Highness’s northern campaign against the reavers. We’ve seen how Western merchant companies grew wealthy by following in the footsteps of war."

Simon didn’t deny it. Since they knew this much, there was no need to hold back.

He shifted the conversation.

"Since the Fletcher family wishes to do business in my territory, I do have another request."

He hadn’t expected this brief meeting to escalate so quickly. If what Magnus said was true, then while the Western powers were already carving up the world, Simon hadn’t even yet unified his own northern frontier.

"Please speak, Your Highness."

"Your family’s grain warehouses are spread throughout the Eldorian Empire. But in my territory, we are facing a food shortage. I would like to purchase grain from the Fletcher family."

"How much do you need, Your Highness?"

"Six million bags of grain."

Simon didn’t hesitate.

Last year, he had extorted several million bags of grain from Prince Gerad and had also traded for more through business exchanges. That stockpile had been enough to sustain the army.

But if he were to distribute it among the common people, it would only last one year.

He had calculated that his entire domain required six million bags per year to function.

He wanted to buy enough for one full year.

He’d figure out the rest later.

Magnus’s expression changed.

Six million bags, that was no small sum.

"Your Highness must be joking. We are not Prince Gerad. Though my family is called the richest in the world, our wealth is nothing compared to a prince’s. I think we can provide up to 500,000 bags at most."

Then, after a moment’s thought, Magnus added. "However, the Dutch and Prince Vaelric have recently developed tensions. Prince Vaelric is eager to build a naval fleet and urgently needs artillery. Perhaps Your Highness could trade cannons to him. My family would be happy to act as an intermediary in the deal."

Simon stared at him.

This sudden and heavy investment in him from the Fletcher family was entirely unexpected.

And now, they were even offering to mediate with Prince Vaelric?

He became suspicious.

Was the Fletcher family in some kind of crisis? A life-or-death situation, even?

Otherwise, why would they take such a risk in reaching out to him?

Could it really be, as he suspected, that Prince Vaelric was preparing to slaughter the fat pig that was the Fletcher family to fill his own coffers?

If so, then the Fletcher family must have already suffered losses.

Even if they survived, they’d no longer be considered the richest house.

But even a declining camel is still bigger than a horse, and having them join his camp meant a huge boost in resources.

Also, by leveraging this incident, Simon could report Prince Vaelric’s dealings with the Dutch, accusing him of betraying the throne.

Thinking this through, Simon nodded. "Then I’ll be counting on you."

"Your Highness is too kind. It is the honor of the Fletcher family to serve you," Magnus said with a relieved smile.

The gamble had paid off.

This visit to Prince Simon had been a high-risk move by the Fletcher family. But as they saw it, to go forward was death, to retreat was also death. This was a desperate bid for survival.

Having concluded the meeting, Simon turned to Percival and said. "Percival, make sure they’re well taken care of. We mustn’t be rude."

Percival nodded. As someone of noble standing, it was only fitting for him to handle the hospitality.

With the two guests gone, Simon fell deep into thought.

This visit from the Fletcher family had caught him off guard.

Though he had always believed they would eventually come to him, he hadn’t expected it to happen under these conditions.

Thinking back to the moment when Magnus had acted surprised upon revealing Prince Vaelric’s secret dealings with the Dutch, Simon grew even more convinced:

The Fletcher family and Prince Vaelric had indeed fallen out.

And their timing?

It all boiled down to the fact that Desmond’s fleet had given them a card to play in the negotiation.

Simon chuckled coldly. He needed capital, yes. But he also didn’t trust it. Capital could help him conquer lands, but it could also destroy him if mishandled.

Therefore, Simon had always treated commerce with caution. First, exploiting its strengths and also guarding against its cutthroat nature

Still, if the Fletcher family really backed his expedition against the reavers, that would prove they understood long-term strategy.

And that made them worth watching.

Deep in thought, Simon headed back to the castle.

Halfway there, he ran into Baldwin.

"My Lord, I was just heading to see you," Baldwin said, visibly anxious.

"What is it?"

"I just received two urgent letters from a friend in Preston. One of them states that unrest has already broken out in Prince Augustus’s territory. He’s dispatching troops to suppress the riots and has ordered a news blackout. This is not a good sign."

Simon’s brows furrowed.

His worst fears were slowly coming true.