309: Chapter 10, Big Business_2 309: Chapter 10, Big Business_2 With numerous competitors, if too few horses are brought in, they could be all bought up before Hudson could even send a man over.
“I heard there are more than 3,000 of them.
The Warren Chamber of Commerce is planning to hold an auction in Bera City, and they are not taking pre-orders.”
Upon hearing the answer, Hudson instantly lost interest.
Having only 3,000 war horses, and deciding to sell them in an auction, is clearly an attempt to make a fortune.
When it comes to wealth, he is no match for the long-established nobles.
In his heart, Hudson had more than once criticized these established nobles.
If they knew that war might break out, why didn’t they raise more war horses?
Of course, this feeling was kept to himself.
Warning of the Orcs invading would come about once every few years.
Until the real outbreak, no one knew exactly when war would break out.
If they prepared in advance, they could only keep a large number of war horses all the time.
War horses are pure consumables, and the daily costs of feeding them are even higher than maintaining the same number of standing infantry.
Aside from the extremely wealthy major nobles, who could afford to keep thousands of war horses?
At the beginning of his career, Hudson couldn’t afford to keep even twenty or thirty war horses that he held, and he had to sell and cash out.
If it weren’t for the pressure to go to the battlefield, even now, Hudson wouldn’t buy a large number of war horses.
In name, this Viscount is now commanding tens of thousands of soldiers, and it’s not too much to have a cavalry corps of a thousand men.
Regrettably, these soldiers have been put together from all over, and he only has temporary commanding rights.
Cavalry is too expensive, and even forming a small cavalry corps of several hundred men puts tremendous pressure on the mountain domain.
“I see, remember to remind me to go there.”
Hudson said indifferently.
Whether there is an opportunity or not, he must go and try.
The money of the long-established nobles was not rained down from the sky, and no one wanted to be a sucker.
Instead of going into all-out competition, it’s better to studiously share the profits.
With some connections, there might still be a chance to get a piece of the pie.
Being in the noble circle for two or three years without even experiencing an auction is a tragedy.
…
Dardiel City, an old man is lazily lying at the doorway of a grocery store, basking in the spring evening sun.
“Grandpa, your business vision is really not very good.
There are so many places in Dardiel City that you didn’t look at, but chose the most remote store.
We’ve had this store for over three months, and we don’t even have as many customers daily as we do staff in our store!
At this rate, it won’t be long before we have to move again.”
The little girl ranted helplessly.
She was completely hopeless about her family business.
Ever since she could remember, their business has never done well.
Deep down, she had already convinced herself that her grandfather was not cut out for business.
The goods in the store were fairly decent, all of them fast-selling daily necessities, including some popular items.
In principle, as long as the price is reasonable, there shouldn’t be any problem attracting customers.
But the store’s location is too remote.
Not far away is a military camp, so there are hardly any residents nearby.
Who could expect the conscripted serf soldiers to have any purchasing power?
Maybe they don’t even know what money looks like.
“You can’t blame me for that.
Who knew that the Orcs would invade all of a sudden.
Go and see in the city, which shop is doing well?
Each of them is gritting their teeth and supporting their own.
Although we have a small flow of customers here, our rent is also low.
I dare bet that amongst all the shops in the city, our loss is definitely the smallest!”
The old man argued forcefully.
The others are suffering temporary losses, while they are unique: they have been losing money since the store opened.
With an air of gunpowder permeating everywhere, the noble lords of Layton County are all busy training their troops and don’t have the time to come shopping.
Inside the city, the consumers are mainly the free citizens – mainly merchants like them – and customer flow is very limited.
This is still because Viscount West is considering long-term development and hasn’t rushed to collect war taxes; otherwise, everyone would flee.
“Hehe…
Grandpa, your face is red.
Admit it, after all, everyone knows you aren’t destined to get rich.
Why don’t we trade horses too?
Now the war horses of the Alpha Kingdom sell best.
Once they’re shipped here, they’ll be quickly sold out.
I heard many traders are now switching to horse trading, and they’re making a lot of money…”
The little girl had a brilliant idea.
The old man rolled his eyes at her.
Indeed, the horse trade would be extremely profitable now.
With the Northern Battlefield battle undecided, the price of warhorses will continue to rise, promising substantial profits.
Thinking about it, he was quite a big shot.
Even though his identity was secretive, his purse was thick.
“Alright, Guna.
How many times have I told you that one mustn’t touch a scorching hot deal.
You can only see the wealth of those involved in the horse trade, but do you realize the risks they’re taking?
Not to mention the mountain thieves along the way.
But doing business with the noble lords is not easy.
What if a deal fails, they might just…”
Whilst talking, the old man made a gesture of slitting his throat.
Unfortunately, all this had no effect on Guna.
Even though it was dangerous, the danger was for others.
Yet in all their travels, anyone who had caused them trouble ended up dead.
A weird elf doesn’t mean she’s without brains.
After all these years wandering the continent, she had rarely come across anyone stronger than her grandfather, who just so happened to be a coward.
During their conversation, a burly middle-aged man arrived at the shop door.
Seeing a potential customer, the old man hurriedly gestured for his helper to attend.
“You don’t have to be polite.
Call your boss out.
I have a big business proposition for him!”
The voice was cold as ice, giving a chill to anyone who heard it.
“Here we go again!”
Guna muttered to herself.
Similar “big deals” would always show up whenever their business was about to fail.
With the support of these so-called “great deals” that sprouted out of nowhere, the old man’s continuously failing businesses were able to keep running.
“I am the boss, sir.
What do you need?”
“Right, this isn’t the place to talk.
Sir, please follow me!
Guna, don’t just stand there, go and get my special tea leaves so we can treat our guest!”
As he was speaking, he led the middle-aged man into the guest room.
“No need for that.
I like to discuss business without any disturbances.”
This old line, Guna had heard it a dozen times before.
It had long since pissed her off.
Who was he fooling?
He was clearly just telling her not to eavesdrop.
As a self-proclaimed businesswoman, she couldn’t challenge the customer.
Guna stomped her foot and turned around to leave the room.
Since the owner had left, so did the shop attendants.
They didn’t want to risk upsetting the guest and ruining the business deal.
…
Assured that no one was eavesdropping, the old man’s demeanor changed as he began to question:
“At this timing to find me, could it be that there are results to the investigation?”
Contact signals also have to be meticulously managed.
To survive in the underground, concealment is key.
“Your Holiness, the clergy has reached the Mountain Domain.
The security inside the Mountain Domain is too tight; we can’t infiltrate.
We don’t know the specifics of what occurred.
However, we can confirm that there was no conflict between the two parties.
One person of great interest is a singer named Isabel.
She’s a spy cultivated by the clergy and has contacted Viscount Hudson several times.
It’s rumoured that Isabel and Viscount Hudson have a dubious relationship.
Perhaps there was no conflict due to her.”
The middle-aged man replied seriously.
It was not easy to stalk, especially against the heavily guarded Mountain Domain, greatly affecting their actions.
“Hudson is not a simple man.
He would never give up the Blood Moon Horn for a woman.
If there was no conflict, either the object is not in the Mountain Domain; or both parties have made some secret transaction.
Continue watching the Mountain Domain.
If a deal was reached, he would not give up such an opportunity for extortion.
A large-scale transaction will definitely leave a trace…”
His words stopped midway as the old man suddenly realized something was amiss.
Trading with the clergy at such a critical time was risky.
If they were conducting a significant transaction, weren’t they just asking to be discovered?
This foolish act would never be committed by a shrewd character like Hudson.
Given the Blood Moon Horn’s fame, its worth would require at least a hundred carts of gold coins if paid in cash.
Mobilizing such a substantial amount of cash without having any leaks is impossible.
The essence of a bargain is equivalent exchange.
As long as the values match, there isn’t a need for cash.
The clergy is wealthy enough to deal with valuable treasures instead.