The Blackhearted Deal

"How can it be so expensive?"

Looking at the price list in his hand, Count Pierce couldn't help but question it.

You wouldn't believe it until you look. The prices of the items on the list have at least doubled compared to before, and some items have even increased several times over.

"Your Excellency, the prices here are already quite reasonable. To be honest, since news of the upcoming investigation team's arrival spread, the prices of all strategic materials have been rising rapidly."

If you need it, place your order now. The prices here are adjusted three times a day. If you don't place your order now, the price might be different again this afternoon.

We're only offering you this price because we've had a very pleasant working relationship before. Otherwise, even if you had the money, you wouldn't be able to buy it now!

The middle-aged man's words infuriated Count Pierce. Just five days earlier, he had been selling a batch of strategic materials here.

Comparing the current selling prices on the list, the overall price difference is a full five times. If we go back in time, the price gap for strategic materials would have widened even further.

"Mr. Snyder, you guys are really ruthless! You're making five times the profit in just a few transactions, aren't you afraid of choking on your own blood?"

"The Count Pierce said angrily."

If the circumstances weren't so inappropriate, he would have sent troops to forcibly seize it. To dare to try and extort him was tantamount to disregarding the Dalton Family.

"Your Excellency, please don't be so quick to anger. If you had come a few days ago, we would have only added 30% to 50% to the purchase price, and if the quantity was large, we could have made a profit of 20% to 30%, and the business would have been possible."

But the situation is different now. With the investigation team involved, everyone is busy making up for the deficit. Who would dare to sell supplies on the black market?

You are probably aware of how difficult it is to transport strategic materials from the rear. Currently, the situation on the black market is that for every ton of strategic materials sold, one ton is lost.

If we want to replenish supplies from the rear, it will take at least several months. If you can wait that long to come and buy, rest assured, the price won't be much higher than before.

But that's not possible now; everyone is scrambling to buy strategic materials to make up for the deficit. Prices on the market have already skyrocketed.

You can find out about these trading rules. The price list we're giving you now is based on market prices. If you think it's too expensive, you can check prices elsewhere and compare.

However, regardless of which supplier you choose, it's best to place your order quickly, otherwise you might find yourself unable to buy it later due to high demand and limited supply.

Snyder said confidently.

Buy it if you want, otherwise the price will be even higher. It all comes down to profit. Driven by huge profits, people have long forgotten what fear is.

While powerful nobles may be difficult to deal with, that can't stop everyone from getting rich. Anyone who can establish a merchant guild in the trading center must have some powerful connections!

If you're afraid, you shouldn't be in the business world. When you can make money, you must make the maximum profit. If you hesitate at that moment, you'll never get rich.

As a "working man," Snyder dared not jeopardize the interests of his "behind-the-scenes employer" just to give Count Pierce some face.

With a heavy stomp of his foot, Count Pierce said, forcing a smile, "No need, I'll buy it! Here's the list; prepare the supplies according to it."

As he spoke, he had already handed over the parchment.

It's a seller's market; buyers have no bargaining power whatsoever. Before entering this place, Count Pierce had already visited all the nearby shops, and the prices were all pretty much the same.

Knowing full well that strategic materials on the black market were in short supply and that some people would eventually fall into corruption cases because they couldn't procure enough materials to make up for the deficit, he really didn't dare to hesitate too much.

After glancing at the list, Snyder shook his head. "I'm very sorry, Your Excellency. We cannot gather all the strategic materials listed here."

Especially Arrow Feathers, Disposable Spears, and Throwing Spears... these are fast-consuming items, and the stock in the entire black market is not large.

If you want to buy it, I can only help coordinate with other vendors, but I can't guarantee whether we can reach the required quantity.

And the prices of the supplies we coordinate will likely be even higher. Mainly because you need so many supplies; you're probably the biggest customer the trading center has ever had since it opened!

Upon hearing the term "biggest client," Count Pierce was so angry he wanted to curse. He was no big client at all; he was clearly a complete scoundrel.

The reason there are so many supplies on the procurement list is because his deficit is so large. He took too much before, and now he has to give back double.

It wasn't that he was greedy; it was simply that the Dalton Family had suffered heavy losses in this war and urgently needed to find a way to make up for them.

As luck would have it, he was assigned the lucrative task of distributing strategic materials, which gave him the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

At first, they were very cautious, fearing that Hudson would take advantage of the situation and try to sabotage him.

Later, it was discovered that Hudson only looked at the ledgers and never checked the warehouses, so he gradually became bolder and started to resell more and more strategic materials.

Deep down, Count Pierce had more than once mocked Hudson for being too young and unaware of the intricacies of military affairs.

It's a pity that manager Hudson doesn't check the warehouse; the investigation team will have to!

If caught by your own people, you can simply make up for the losses and pay a fine. But if caught by an investigation team from the Human Alliance, it becomes a political incident.

The disgrace brought upon the Human Alliance means not only facing accountability from the commander-in-chief, but also multiple accountability measures from the Alliance and the Kingdom.

If, unfortunately, he were to become the biggest traitor in the military, the Human Alliance would relentlessly pursue him, and it's not impossible that he could be sent to the gallows.

"You coordinate it! It needs to be fast, I don't have time to waste here!"

"I can't help it, "Count Pierce said helplessly.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a messenger rushed over.

"Your Excellency, an urgent order has arrived from headquarters, summoning you immediately to attend a high-level meeting of the Logistics Department!"

Upon hearing this news, Count Pierce's brow furrowed even more deeply. His intuition told him that Hudson holding a logistics meeting at this time could not be anything good.

"Okay, I'll be right there!"

"Mr. Snyder, I'm leaving the supplies to you. This Magic Crystal Card is a deposit; I'll settle the rest upon delivery!"

That's how straightforward business is on the black market. Cash on delivery, no credit.

Despite Count Pierce's nonchalant tone, he was actually bleeding inside.

The purchase price far exceeded expectations, resulting in a huge loss. Although the exact price hasn't been released yet, it's safe to assume that at least a million gold coins will be lost to cover the losses.

If it weren't for the many nobles who suffered along with him, he probably would have been furious. To incur losses even while transporting logistical supplies was truly unprecedented.

"What did you say?"

"Geoff, that bastard actually disappeared at this time?"

"Duke Pias asked incredulously."

Although he wished he could kill Geoff immediately, that was only after he understood the whole story.

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The mastermind behind the scenes has not been found, and the person involved has already disappeared, which has made him increasingly passive.

With such a major incident, the Locknerd Family must give an explanation to the nobles in the military. Now that the man has suddenly disappeared, they have even less to say.

If the situation cannot be clearly explained, and no mastermind is emerging to stir up trouble, then the Locknerd Family will have to take the blame entirely.

Having offended so many people at once, Pias was very doubtful whether his family could weather this storm.

"Yes, Your Grace. Count Geoff disappeared in Lutetia after reporting him to the Alliance Council."

We mobilized all our connections in the Frankish Kingdom, but we still couldn't find any trace of him; it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

According to an investigation into Count Geoff's recent social activities, he has been unusually active lately, having made contact with more than thirty different factions.

Most notably, the individuals involved included members of the Church, the King, the July Association, and the Dalton Family. All of them had motives for orchestrating this event.

The old man answered with a solemn expression.

However, to Duke Pias, this explanation was tantamount to no explanation at all. Four suspects had been identified at once, each with a seemingly valid motive; who knew which faction was behind it all?

Even if he guessed correctly, there was nothing he could do. Without sufficient evidence, he couldn't persuade the nobles whose interests had been harmed.

"Continue the investigation. We must find the mastermind behind this. It's extremely dangerous for an enemy to lurk in the shadows!"

At the logistics camp, Hudson was busy meeting with a group of mercenary representatives. The reason they had come as a group was very simple: the prices of strategic supplies at the front had skyrocketed, exceeding their means of payment.

Especially for some small and medium-sized mercenary groups, or lone mercenaries, even if they have money, they may not be able to buy the strategic materials they want.

The logistics services provided by the coalition forces were limited to temporary meals. The food standard was also the minimum standard for ordinary soldiers; if they wanted better treatment, they had to pay for it themselves.

Undoubtedly, this puts immense pressure on the mercenaries on the front lines.

In order to solve the problem, everyone naturally turned to Hudson, the head of logistics for the coalition, hoping that they could also be included in the coalition's logistics support system.

"I apologize, everyone, but the Alliance Council has not given a clear answer regarding the logistical support for mercenaries."

Everyone wants better treatment, which I personally think is perfectly reasonable, but that's beyond my authority.

Even the most basic supplies currently provided by the Logistics Department are actually operating illegally. Someone has already filed a complaint with the Alliance Council, which is one of the pieces of evidence accusing me of reselling military supplies.

Everyone knows the truth. I haven't accepted a single copper coin for the food provided to everyone in the logistics camp.

Even these expenses are publicly disclosed daily. You can see whether anyone is embezzling funds.

Hudson spread his hands, his face full of helplessness.

It wasn't that he was unwilling to solve the mercenaries' problems, but reality was harsh. Without precedent, doing anything substantial was simply too difficult.

Even the most basic food supplies for the camp were barely approved after Hudson fought hard at the Allied Conference.

Further benefits are out of the question. Unless they join a powerful faction or achieve remarkable feats on the battlefield, they have no chance of receiving the same treatment as the Allied forces.

As for the charge of reselling military supplies, that's purely a deliberate attempt to stir up trouble and direct hatred towards the Locknerd Family.

It was a resolution passed at the Allied Conference, and not a single copper coin was received as payment, so how could it be considered "reselling"?

"Your Excellency, we understand that you cannot provide us with adequate logistical support. However, you must do something about the soaring prices!"

The price of rye on the market has now soared to 80 copper coins per pound; even cheap potatoes are priced as high as 35 copper coins per pound... Arrow Feathers are priced at 29 Silver Coin per box.

To be frank, if this continues, we won't need to go out and fight anymore. The spoils of World War I aren't even enough to cover the costs of strategic resources.

Adolf said with a wronged expression.

As a representative of the Mercenary Guild, he had to stand up and fight for the rights of the mercenaries at this time.

Unfortunately, the Mercenary Guild didn't have much influence within the alliance and couldn't sway the coalition's decisions. Left with no other choice, they had to turn to Hudson, the logistics chief.

"You overestimate me. Although the trading market is located in the Logistics Department's camp, it does not mean that I have the right to interfere with the prices there."

The current price surge is purely due to panic buying. Everyone knows the specific reasons, and I have no way to stop it in this situation.

With just a little inquiry, everyone could find out who these buyers and sellers were. It involved almost all the powerful figures within the coalition; anyone who reached out to them would not fare well.

I think you should try to win over those powerful figures in the military.

"If we can gain their support, it's negotiable for the Logistics Department to provide you with a batch of military supplies at cost or free of charge."

Hudson decisively chose to pass the ball around.

He certainly coveted the power of mercenaries. But these people were a mixed bag; apart from a few mercenary groups that were worth considering, the rest were a bunch of desperados with no moral compass.

It's not worth ruining your money-making plans for a group of uncontrollable forces. Besides, the camp provides free food; they won't drive you to the brink.

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Excellency. We look forward to your continued support. We have other matters to attend to, so we will take our leave now!"

Perhaps realizing Hudson's perfunctory attitude, Adolf decisively chose to take his leave.

It wasn't a complete waste of time; even if the deal fell through, we maintained good relations. We couldn't get help from the Logistics Department, but we did understand Hudson's position.