President Cruz had known Xu Yi for so many years that he naturally understood him quite well.
The moment he saw that strange smile on Xu Yi's face, he realized that Xu Yi's negotiations with the Candel Empire must have fallen through.
At first, he smiled in obvious relief, but then felt that might be inappropriate. After a moment's thought, he raised his hand and patted Xu Yi's shoulder again, comforting him. "Ah... it's not such a big deal. We're merchants, after all. We can't do business at a loss, can we? If the Candel Empire's demands are too unreasonable, then we simply won't work with them. It's not as though they're the only country on this continent..."
At this point, however, President Cruz sounded somewhat less confident.
Although the Candel Empire was not the only country on the Sains Continent, the Malo Empire was the only other country of comparable size.
The Candel Empire's enormous market was something every merchant on the continent dreamed of entering.
Giving it up entirely would clearly be an enormous shame and a painful loss.
When the Amli Merchant Guild had previously tried to promote road construction in the Candel Empire, it had run into obstacles everywhere. After returning empty-handed, President Cruz had been so depressed that he had barely eaten properly for several days.
From that perspective, he felt he understood Xu Yi's disappointment quite well.
Yet Xu Yi was still smiling, without the slightest sign of disappointment.
Seeing President Cruz's rueful expression, Xu Yi laughed and shook his head. "I never said I was giving up on the Candel Empire. Even if we don't work with Prince Frank's people, we can still work with other people in the empire, can't we? Besides, our Xinfei Merchant Guild's various household magic machinery products are