"The Warren Merchant Guild has given a valuation of 26.6 million gold coins!"
"The Cartesia Merchant Guild has given a valuation of 26.06 million gold coins!"
"The Augustus Merchant Guild has given a valuation of 25.57 million gold coins!"
"The Drurnard Merchant Guild has given a valuation of 25.34 million gold coins!"
An interesting scene emerged: the representative who had found the most faults had also offered the highest valuation.
Judging purely from the valuation quotes, it was clear that everyone had done their homework.
Even the Kingdom's merchant guilds, though not particularly flush with cash, had offered fairly high valuations.
Clearly, everyone was rational. No one foolishly jumped out and demanded special treatment from Hudson.
Even the guilds under the royal family had submitted their offers honestly, following the rules in full.
Hudson was very satisfied with this result. Cooperating with smart people would save him a great deal of trouble later on.
"Congratulations, everyone. Our reserve valuation was 18 million gold coins, and all of your valuations exceeded it, so everyone will proceed to the second round of negotiations.
"As for the valuation of the Near East Development Bank, let us treat it as a gesture of friendship. We will simply round off the average of your offers, setting the price at 23.6 million gold coins.
"Regarding investment shares, we are not only looking at money. We are looking at the resources everyone can provide.
"In fact, I am not short of six million gold coins. If I find a way to scrape some together, I can still raise it.
"The main reason I invited everyone to this financing meeting is that I value the resources in your hands, which can accelerate the bank's development.
"For example, making it easier for the bank to conduct business, depositing