Great Cooperation
Keosius looked down at him.
"This will not be repeated."
"Emissary of the Waukeen Church, remember, put away your underhanded tricks. I am not one of those human lords who can be easily fooled."
"It is Your Majesty."
Sherwin answered, still somewhat awkwardly.
Thus, Keosius easily seized the initiative in the conversation, guiding the future direction of this collaboration.
"The Empire has drafted a comprehensive cooperation plan that is sufficient to achieve a win-win situation for both parties."
That's what Keosius said.
However, he had already lost interest in the Waukeen Church emissary and was getting somewhat impatient—greedy merchants were utterly boring.
So the Red Dragon lazily lay back on the Iron Throne and winked at Lang Pu, who was standing beside him.
Lang Pu immediately understood. He took out a thick stack of proposals from his pocket and pulled out a parchment contract.
"The Empire and the Waukeen Church will cooperate on the basis of equality and friendship, adhering to the business principles of honesty, mutual benefit, and common development."
Sherwin listened intently for a long time, but it was all useless nonsense. His ears were almost calloused from listening, but in the end, he still managed to find the key point in the long speech.
"The Empire possesses a vast array of goods available for dumping, while the Waukeen Church boasts temples scattered across the Feanso Continent. The two sides complement each other's strengths, providing ample grounds for cooperation and shared interests."
"The Empire will join hands with the Waukeen Church to establish the ' Empire South Continent Company.' The Embers of the Burned Empire will provide goods and commodities, while the Waukeen Church will provide sales channels and trade transit points."
"In this cooperation, the Waukeen Church will receive a certain commission share, while the Empire must take the lead."
Sherwin frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "A trade cooperation company? You want to sell your goods in the south?"
"Yes."
Lang Pu nodded in response.
However, he had already sensed the doubt in Sherwin's eyes, but he didn't show it because the Red Dragon was present.
Sherwin's doubts were indeed understandable— the Anzeta Great Wasteland was remote and desolate, and its magic was often obscured, while the south was rich and colorful, far more prosperous than this place.
How could Anzeta's goods be sold in the South? Lang Pu tapped the ground with his staff, and with a ripple in space, he pulled something out of thin air.
Sherwin adjusted his pince-nez glasses and then saw clearly that it was a Woolen Sweater —there were no signs of enchantment, it was just a garment made of the most ordinary wool yarn, and even the craftsmanship was not exquisite.
"Do these ignorant Anzeta barbarians really consider something like this a treasure?"
The follower of Waukeen thought to himself with a hint of disdain, but because of the Red Dragon, he kept his contempt to himself.
Lang Pu laughed and said, "Guess how much it costs?"
"20 Silver Coin?"
Sherwin replied casually.
As a follower of Waukeen, Sherwin knew the prices of all kinds of goods like the back of his hand, and he was confident that he would never make a mistake.
But Lang Pu just shook his head.
"15 Silver Coin?"
"Ten Silver Coin?"
Sherwin finally suppressed his contempt, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Ten Silver Coin —this is already the wholesale price in a famous textile city in the south. Nowhere else on the Feanso Continent can you find a lower price; any lower and you'll lose money.
Lang Pu simply stretched out five thick fingers and shook them in mid-air.
"This, this is impossible!"
Sherwin couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
Lang Pu calmly stated, "Nothing is impossible. The price of an Imperial Woolen Sweater is five Silver Coin, and there's even room for it to drop further."
"Moreover, with the Empire's current production capacity and with abundant raw materials, we can produce seven million of these Woolen Sweater a year, and this number is expected to increase at least tenfold after industrial construction is completed in various places."
"How... how did you do that?"
Sherwin was utterly shocked.
He knew very well that the most important thing in the production of these Woolen Sweater was not the wool, but the skillful craftsmen—they made their money by weaving wool.
But the empire's goods were exceptionally cheap, and the production volume was so enormous that he couldn't figure out how they managed it, no matter how hard he tried.
magic?
impossible.
The cost of magic is far higher than hiring a craftsman.
Even though Southern magic is popular and people are used to magic, it still cannot serve the general public.
Even the most skilled craftsman can only knit three or four Woolen Sweater a day at most.
Could it be that the Embers of the Burned Empire has captured hundreds of thousands of artisans and forced them to work day and night? This thought, which seemed utterly absurd to himself, popped into Sherwin's mind.
Lang Pu casually tossed the Woolen Sweater to the ground and said in a calm tone:
"You don't need to know how the Empire did it."
"All you need to do is help us sell these goods and make money from them—that couldn't be easier for your Waukeen Church, it's your old business, isn't it?"
"Of course."
A greedy glint immediately appeared in Sherwin's eyes, as if he had seen a mountain of gold.
The potential profits involved are enormous.
If the goods of the Embers of the Burned Empire are really that cheap, they would definitely be snapped up if sold in the south.
If, as Lang Pu claims, the Empire's production capacity can reach that terrifying scale, then their Woolen Sweater flooding the market will absolutely bankrupt wool workshops across the continent—but at the same time, the trade will generate millions of Gold Coin in profit each year.
With so many Gold Coin, even if only a little slipped through his fingers, it would be enough to make him incredibly wealthy.
"Who is your overall person in charge?"
Lang Pu's voice interrupted Sherwin's fantasy of being surrounded by piles of Gold Coin.
"It is, it is me, sir."
Sherwin's voice trembled, but only because of excitement and exhilaration.
Lang Pu waved his hand dismissively and said, "I was referring to the head of your Waukeen Church, not this delegation. You are not qualified to sign a contract with me or decide the direction of future cooperation."
"Reporting to Your Excellency, it is the Tiona Ludwig Holy Coin."
Sherwin then calmed down and realized that he was just an envoy and could not make such a decision.
He wasn't blinded by the Gold Coin.
The Waukeen faith across the entire Feanso Continent is a unified system, led by an archbishop known as the "Holy Coin."
The current Bishop of Holy Coin and Goddess's Spokesperson Tiona Ludwig, strives to unite the faith of Waukeen in the "Golden Tower" shrine, a massive church overlooking the Free Trade Federation.
A confident smile spread across Lang Pu's ugly face.
"Alright, go back and tell her there's a business deal here worth tens of millions of Gold Coin. Ask her if she wants to sign it."
"Yes, sir."
Suppressing his excitement, Sherwin bowed with utmost respect.
That's the allure of gold.
A great, infamous collaboration is about to begin, one that will bring the glory of free trade, but also the bankruptcy of countless people.
After the Waukeen Church delegation hastily departed, another brief conversation took place in the empty palace.
"Lang Pu, you should know what I'm asking for."
"Of course, Master, these profit-driven Waukeen followers should never be trusted; their greed is insatiable."
"We are merely using their influence in the South."
"Once the company has completely established itself in the south, we will kick them out and replace all the employees with our own men."
"Very good, you understand everything."
While the Ogre was angrily denouncing the greed and abhorrence of the Waukeen Church, he did not realize that he himself was the greediest and stingiest one, unwilling to share even a drop of soup with outsiders.