Steel, Explosives, and Spellcasters

Chapter 974: Chapter 43: Trading (Part 2)_2

“Of course not.” Skylark remained composed, “Whether or not an agreement is reached, the White Lion King will not take back his gift.”

Winters gestured for the two archery officers to sit down, smiling as he said, “The Herders swear by ‘words spoken like arrows shot,’ never to be taken back, rarely specifying terms in great detail. We Venetians, on the other hand, prefer to clarify all the details in advance…”

…

[The time rewinds to the night before the hunting in Qingqiu]

“The first condition is easy to understand.” Anna peeked out from behind the drawing board, “You may not bypass the White Lion, selling directly to the civilians of the Red River Tribe. In exchange, the White Lion will not go over your head to do business with the merchants of Iron Peak County.”

Winters secretly stretched his legs that had gotten a bit sore from standing.

“To put it bluntly, it means the White Lion wants to become the exclusive import and export merchant, monopolizing trade profits. As an exchange, he supports you gaining monopoly rights too.” Anna noticed Winters fidgeting and chided, “Don’t move around!”

“Like how you provide me valuable consultation, and I pose for you as a model?” Winters whispered a complaint, “But where would I get the money to take in all the goods from the Red River Tribe?”

“It’s simple. If other people have a demand, you can just sell it on.” Anna said.

Winters asked back, “What if others don’t have a demand?”

“Then you don’t import, right?” Anna answered with a smile.

Winters thought to himself: The lion’s goods, those are not something that can simply be refused when unwanted.

Anna’s graphite stick scratched across the paper: “Monopoly means power, but the source of power is not making profits, it’s allocating profits. Suppose you have a monopoly on trade, then you can require all buyers to provide a security deposit, or even pay in advance.”

Winters pondered: “Allocating profits? Distributing spoils of war? For the White Lion, monopoly signifies power too.”

Anna continued to explain, “Mother always says that Venetians have a bad reputation abroad because they always try to grasp monopoly rights at any cost, not shying away from bribery, violence, undercutting prices… stopping at nothing.”

Winters protested: “You are Venetian too.”

“Only half.” Anna blinked her eyes.

Winters asked, “Can we agree to the first term with them?”

“We’re not done yet.” Anna set down her graphite stick, “The term is too vague, there are many details that need clarification. Is the White Lion’s exclusivity limited only to the Red River Tribe, or the entire Herd Wasteland?”

Anna stepped in front of Winters: “The content of the first term also includes an implicit condition that, if you promise to ensure the White Lion’s monopoly status, you must also take on the responsibility of ‘inspecting smuggling.’ If the merchants from Iron Peak County bypass you and the White Lion, secretly selling goods to the citizens of the Red River Tribe, what will you do? Have you thought it through?”

Winters fell into deep thought.

“And then there’s the most critical issue.” Anna’s hands rested on Winters’ shoulders, “Who will ensure the enforceability of the treaty?”

…

[The time returns to the present]

Hearing Winters mention wanting to “clarify details in advance,” Skylark’s cheeks twitched slightly.

The more vague the terms of a contract, the more advantaged the stronger party. Between the Red River Tribe and Iron Peak County, clearly the Red River Tribe is the more formidable force.

Discreetly, Skylark took a sip of his milk wine, ready to hear what kind of ideas this young man in front of him could come up with.

Then… he saw the other party solemnly take out a sheepskin parchment filled with text from his bosom.

…

The intense debate lasted from the afternoon into the deep night, and it was only concerning the first article of the treaty.

“Representative of the Red River Tribe” Skylark and “Winters’ representative” Winters fully exchanged opinions, reaching a beneficial consensus on issues such as [delivery locations], [negotiation methods], [taxation], and others.

Some crucial aspects, for instance, were made clear – that “monopoly trade” was only to be within areas actually under Winters’ control.

Winters argued logically, also reserving the right to sell goods to tribes beyond the Red River Tribe.

Ultimately, when the treaty took written form, Winters said with a smile, “I believe this will certainly be a mutually beneficial agreement.”

Dehydrated, exhausted Skylark sipped his ice water, grumbling internally.

There is no force to ensure both parties adhere to the agreement; if either side feels aggrieved, they can readily overturn the table. Of course, it’s mutually beneficial.

“Now, only one thing remains unresolved,” Winters said relaxedly, “Who will protect the safety of the routes.”

Skylark was feeling overwhelmed, his eyelids struggling to stay open, unable to concentrate. He was already past forty, lacking the energy of his opponent: “Lord Batu, it’s quite late. Shall we continue tomorrow?”

Winters poured Skylark a drink, sincerely encouraging, “It’s not late, it’s still today before dawn. Today’s affairs should not be left to tomorrow.”

“Alright then…” Skylark gathered his strength, preparing to turn the tables, “As you know, according to the currently planned route, the coming and going carriages will inevitably pass through the grazing fields of the Terdun Tribe. The Terdun people are as cunning as wolves, as greedy as vultures, and will not let go of meat within their reach.”

Skylark cleared his throat, “So the only thing that can protect the safety of people and carriages is military force. The only one who can provide such force is the White Lion King!”

Having said that, Skylark stared intently at Winters, afraid to miss any slight change in the other’s expression.

The threat of the Terdun people was real and present, meanwhile the Rebels of Iron Peak County lacked the swift cavalry strength of the Herders. Even if they wanted to protect their trade routes on their own, they lacked the power to implement it.