flstandardbreds Chapter 201 The Beginning of the Plague
Chapter 201 The Beginning of the Plague
"Cat? Sir John, what do you want with it?"
Looking at the list of goods in front of him, the merchant representative of Is asked John who was sitting at the table in confusion.
"I need some cats and dogs that are trained to catch mice, as well as the herbal seeds or ready-made products mentioned above. Don't tell me that your Chamber of Commerce, which claims to be able to provide all kinds of goods, can't even do these." John didn't have time to answer him, but emphasized the goods on the list again.
"Of course we can get these, but the Hall of the King of Popes doesn't like cats, which are evil creatures that are with witches." The representative of the Issu merchants suggested implicitly, hoping that John could give up this idea.
"Let me ask you, does the Bible or the laws of any country say that it is forbidden to keep cats?" However, it was not as he expected. John immediately questioned after he finished speaking.
"Well... of course not." Seeing this, the Isu merchant could only respond truthfully.
"That's it. Some of you businessmen are not afraid of illegal things like smuggling and piracy, but you are afraid of transporting some cats?"
Listening to John's thorough investigation of their past, the Yisu merchant did not dare to get angry, and could only continue to persuade them earnestly:
"Sir, although some of our merchants have indeed committed some illegal acts for profit, breaking the law is still breaking the law. If we are convicted of heresy by the King's Office, we cannot afford to bear the consequences."
"So, you don't want to take this job, right?" John asked.
"Yes, I won't take this job no matter how much money you offer me." The Yisu merchant responded firmly.
"What if I offer you 5 silver coins for a cat?" John asked tentatively. After hearing this, the Issu merchant raised his eyebrows and his mouth twitched slightly, as if he wanted to say something.
"How about 10 silver coins for a cat?" John continued to raise the price, thinking that there might be a chance. As he expected, the Issu merchant immediately said after hearing John's offer of double the price:
"I will do any job you give me for this money, Sir John. You are an old customer. We have never given you any goods you have requested before. Don't worry, we will be able to prepare all the goods on this list in at least one month. By then, you can just send someone to Beigang to make the connection."
"That's settled then. By the way, can you also help me check how much these Yoda's goods are worth? I want to sell them all." Seeing that the Isu merchant agreed to his deal, John took him to see the gift that Emperor Yoda had given him before.
After a month of inspection by the assassins, Cyril finally confirmed that there were no hidden weapons or poisons in these gifts. This surprised John and he wondered what was wrong with Emperor Yoda to give him such generous gifts.
However, these gifts were also a hot potato for him. It was not normal for a Midlan man to wander around the territory of Midlan wearing the clothes and sword given by Emperor Yoda. It would be better to exchange them for some money to deal with the Black Death that might last for several years.
While John was busy, in other parts of Midland, a large number of Black Watch mercenaries left their bases amid the confusion of the locals and abandoned the business they had run here for many years. Members of the Simon Chamber of Commerce also evacuated.
For those working outside the home, John divided them into three groups.
All the Black Watch mercenaries in the east of Midland have retreated back to Franche-Comté. They will live in temporary wooden houses for two weeks for observation, and then enter the military camp to wait for the next news.
The mercenaries in central Midland will be stationed in Dad's territory and the branch headquarters in Milo Territory. At that time, the branches stationed in big cities such as Saint-Remy and Windham will be moved to the territory of Count Milo.
As for the western region, which is the farthest from the territory, the mercenaries went to the base built by the Crusader Knights in the city of Kaz. The number of mercenaries in this area was at least more than 1000. After the investment from the Simon Chamber of Commerce, the city of Kaz has become several times larger than before, and many camps and fortresses have been built outside the city, which are enough for these mercenaries to stay.
Looking at the Blackwatch mercenary group going away, the other mercenary groups that were originally suppressed by them, although they didn't know what was going on, they finally jumped out to fill the vacuum in the local mercenary market. After all, a blank market means another place to make money. Even if Blackwatch comes back at that time, they will make a lot of money from these extra commissions.
But where there are interests, there are conflicts. With the withdrawal of a large number of Blackwatch mercenaries, the lords who used to use Blackwatch had no suitable choice. The demand for mercenaries became greater and greater. The original normal mercenary contract was increased several times, making the mercenary profession a hot commodity for the vast majority of the lower-class people.
Countless people took up arms for the high rewards, and countless mercenary groups took root in this land like mushrooms after rain, and immediately launched a bloody struggle with other competitors. Within two months, serious violence and population loss occurred in various territories, causing the nobles to complain bitterly.
"Have you heard? Things are a bit uneasy outside recently. I heard from people outside the city that mercenaries are fighting everywhere." In Windam's palace, several court nobles were discussing the increasingly fierce mercenary war. However, from their relaxed tones, it seemed that as long as Windam was not attacked, they would not care even if the world outside was coming to an end.
"It seems that Blackwatch has given up their mercenary business. Suddenly there is such a big piece of cake. How can people not be greedy? Blackwatch used to be a huge mountain in the mercenary world. Now that the mountain is gone and the biggest threat is gone, other mercenary groups will definitely fight for their own interests." One of the nobles told everyone the information he knew, causing people around him to talk about it.
"After all, mercenaries are just a bunch of dogs who will do anything for money. As long as you have enough money, the mercenaries will do whatever they want." Another nobleman was dismissive of this, thinking that it was just a dog-eat-dog game and no big deal.
"Hey, that's not right. It was like that before, but as for the Blackwatch I just mentioned, they only take fixed orders, and according to the nobles who have hired them, Blackwatch mercenaries only get fixed wages, never steal or rob the residents of the territory, and usually stay in the barracks and don't come out. Whenever they leave the barracks collectively on a mission, it's like the army leaving the city." Seeing this, a nobleman next to him spoke to him with details, as if that nobleman was him.
In the room corresponding to the window above their heads, the king was sitting in a chair listening to what they were saying.
"What's going on?" the king thought. At this moment, the princess came over, looked at the king who was lost in thought, and whispered in his ear from behind:
"Your Majesty, what's troubling you?"
The king came back to his senses and looked at the princess's gentle face, then said in a calm tone:
"It's nothing. As long as I see you, all my worries will disappear."
……
Deep in the dark and winding sewers of Saint-Remy, a figure in a tattered black robe was looming in the shadows.
He was seen gnawing on some kind of meat like a hyena. His hands covered in a black robe were tearing something from the shadow and putting it into his mouth, swallowing it in big gulps.
"Squeaky..."
A rustling sound came from his belly hidden by the black robe. The sound was like the gnawing of countless rodents, which made people feel extremely noisy and annoying.
However, when the sound ended, the man in black robe twitched and countless rats ran out from his sleeves and collar, as if they were about to devour him. But as time passed, the man in black robe walked out of the pile of rats intact, while those rats disappeared at the end of the sewer.
"Jie Jie Jie..."
Looking at the rat going away, a cold smile appeared from the black robe that could not be seen by the world, and then a low voice echoed in the sewer:
"Go, my deadly sweethearts..."