civilwarnovels Chapter 297 Business Empire
Chapter 297 Business Empire
Chapter 297 Business Empire
The Silk Veil broke through the chaotic waves and finally embraced the land.
The journey home took much longer than Leo had anticipated.
The maritime landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation, something Leo could never have imagined: that righteous people would one day be on par with pirates.
Sometimes he really felt that the world had gone mad, or perhaps it had never been normal.
Regardless, Leo has returned to the continent of Ancent, and he has accomplished half of his goal.
This is Tongue Harbour.
It was from here that Leo set off for the New World.
Now he returns laden with spices, and from this he will begin his commercial journey.
The two green-eyed men on his ship were named Navajo and Apache.
The two men were both Leo's supervisors and his protectors.
They seemed to be quite skilled, or at least very strong.
During his time at sea, Leo devoted himself to learning the Green Eyes language.
While it may not allow for fluent and accurate communication, it should be sufficient for everyday communication.
Moreover, those two green-eyed people were also learning the Kingdom Language, probably to better supervise Leo.
Leo had many other things to do and didn't have the extra energy to deal with the two of them, so he could only let them stay by his side.
He was not the first person to bring spices to the continent of Ancent.
In fact, that conman named Chris should have already begun to spread the spice.
Leo has learned that a restaurant famous for its spiced dishes has opened in Tongue Harbor.
Even though the restaurant didn't disclose the existence of the "spices," Leo could make a judgment based solely on the descriptions he heard.
In Leo's mind, spices should be a topic of much discussion, at least in Tongue Harbour.
However, its popularity fell far short of Leo's expectations.
Therefore, Leo couldn't help but wonder where the previous batch of spices had gone.
Chris, a conman, sells spices haphazardly in order to make a quick buck.
But Leo was not content with that.
Stable sales channels and controllable supply are what businessman Leo is pursuing.
He wanted to build his own spice empire.
Therefore, he must first give himself an identity.
Maritime merchant Rio?
No, this identity isn't prestigious enough.
He should at least be the president of a merchant guild.
what!
This was Leo's lifelong pursuit, but now it's the starting point of his career!
Only the position of chamber of commerce president can provide the trust foundation for establishing long-term trade relations.
At the same time, the chamber of commerce will also attract enough franchisees and partners for him.
However, Leo was well aware of how difficult it was to establish the Chamber of Commerce.
It's not just about needing funds; it requires a complete operational management system and establishing cooperative relationships with various cities, forces, and countries.
Otherwise, the merchants under his command will not be recognized, and they will not even be allowed to enter the city.
At present, Leo is a registered merchant in a small guild, and he can only do business in the southern part of the kingdom.
If you try to go further north, you probably won't even be able to get into the city.
Therefore, this requires Leo to have a wide network of connections.
Although Leo is young, he knows quite a few people.
However, even so, it is far from reaching the level of establishing a chamber of commerce.
In fact, he had envisioned that he would be ready to establish a chamber of commerce around the age of fifty.
But things are always unpredictable, and Leo didn't live to be fifty.
The pirate scourge on the desperate seas has been greatly alleviated, which means that more ships will be able to sail to the New World.
Sooner or later, more people will discover the secret of spices.
But he must consolidate his position before that happens.
Therefore, he must establish a chamber of commerce right now.
Although establishing a chamber of commerce is fraught with difficulties, Rio doesn't even have the funds right now.
He was truly penniless; he had nothing but a ship and a hold full of spices.
However, if you don't know how to get something for nothing, you can't be considered a businessman.
He contacted all the owners of the guild halls in Tongue Harbour and, in his capacity as the president of a chamber of commerce, asked them to discuss the spice business.
Although Leo is not a guild leader now, he will be in the future, so Leo is not entirely lying.
He set the time for that very evening, so the various curators had no time to verify Leo's identity.
More importantly, the merchants in this port should all be aware of the existence of spices.
They would certainly not miss out on such a lucrative commodity as spices, and even knowing there might be a scam involved, they would still attend.
A businessman who is not greedy is not worthy of being called a businessman.
Sure enough, all the curators showed up at the agreed location that evening.
Nine chamber of commerce directors were sitting in front of me.
Five of them belong to merchant guilds that only have influence in certain parts of the kingdom.
The remaining four are large merchant guilds that have spread throughout the kingdom.
However, it makes little difference to Leo, whose soon-to-be-established trading company will have branches covering all continents.
"Hahaha,"
Leo appeared before everyone while laughing loudly.
It wasn't that he was particularly happy, but he still couldn't control the inexplicable smile that came over him.
Navajo and Apache stood behind Leo. Feeling everyone's gaze, Leo clapped his hands and shouted:
"Ladies and gentlemen, you are fortunate to be involved in one of the greatest deals of our time."
"Hmph! You're not the first person to find spices; we've been in the spice business for a long time."
The speaker was a chubby curator named Pike.
His words were exactly what Leo had expected: "But the person you are dealing with is not a real businessman. He doesn't know how to extract value from a commodity. I am different. I am a professional businessman, and I am far more greedy than the average businessman."
Greed is not the same as ability, nor does it demonstrate your worth.
Lucien said in a shrill voice, "He seems to be the oldest one there."
"Leo? I've never heard of that name, nor have I heard of your trading company."
Leo said, "Admittedly, I am just an unknown now, but everyone should understand that just one transaction is enough to make a qualified businessman famous."
"But it's not worth it for us, who have already achieved success, to gamble with you."
Augustus's square face was covered by a thick, golden beard, which made his features appear even more angular.
"No businessman is not a gambler, ha ha ha," Leo laughed again. "If you're unwilling to gamble, it just means the potential gains aren't big enough."
"It's time to tell you your thoughts, Leo," Lucien urged. "What do you possess, and what do you want to do?"
Leo didn't intend to keep them in suspense; he went straight to the point:
"I currently possess a vast quantity of spices, and the future of spices is entirely in my hands as well."
Clearly, the second half of the sentence stirred their emotions, and everyone's eyes were fixed on Leo:
"You mean, you control the spice supply?"
"That's right," Leo said with a smile, "How many spices circulate in the market will be entirely up to me, now and in the future!"
Those who understand the value of spices immediately realize how valuable these words are.
Spices are already top-tier luxury goods, and if Leo could control the speed of spice distribution, he could make spice prices continue to rise.
Until demand protection and supply balance were disrupted.
But by then, Leo and those who followed him had already made a fortune.
Moreover, although profits may decline, they are still profitable, and still extremely so.
Pique quickly asked, "What do you want to do?"
"Of course, I'd like to collaborate with everyone."
"How do you want to cooperate?" August then asked.
"I want you all to leave your current chambers of commerce and join mine," Leo said with a smile.
"Hmph!" Lucien scoffed. "You want us established businessmen to abandon our stable lives and reliable backers, and instead submit to the wrath of an unknown upstart like you?"
Leo remained unfazed by Lucien's taunts:
"Yes."
"Foolish and arrogant!" Lucien roared. "Do you think we'd be stupid enough to agree?"
A curator named Matteo chimed in: "Mr. Leo, don't you know what kind of damage it will cause us if we leave the guild with our own guild?"
"Our association, and all the businessmen who have registered their identities with our association, will be maliciously ostracized and suppressed by the original chamber of commerce, and will basically find it difficult to do business within the former chamber of commerce's sphere of influence."
"In other words, this could even lead to us losing our status as businessmen. And some of the chambers of commerce that our associations belong to even cover the entire country."
"Hahaha!" Leo laughed. "The whole country? That's incredibly short-sighted! You actually gave up the opportunity to join a world-class chamber of commerce for the sake of a kingdom-level backer."
Upon hearing this, everyone suddenly turned their jaws.
Augustus narrowed his eyes: "You want to do business on a global scale?!"
Leo slightly raised the tip of his nose: "Don't spices deserve to be a world-class commodity?"
Lightweight, small in size, and high in value.
Spices were even more valuable than jewels and gold.
Compared to these products, spices have a unique advantage.
That is, spices are a consumable luxury.
The market for spices has no upper limit, and as a plant product, its supply is far more stable than that of other commodities.
The scene was completely silent.
No one could refute Leo.
After a long silence, Pique broke it:
"What are you planning to do?"
"To sell spices all over the world and establish stable and controlled trade routes," Leo said, scanning the crowd. "But this is not something one person can do alone; I need help."
Matteo said, "But it seems like any reliable businessman could have done this for you, so why did you choose us?"
"Just being an ordinary businessman isn't enough for me, haha," Leo shook his head and said, "Without rich experience, a solid network of contacts, and ample funds, it's impossible to establish a qualified distribution center."
"Distribution center?" Augustus frowned.
"This is to better control and monopolize spices," Rio said, "so regional management is necessary."
Lucien's lips curled slightly: "Could it be that your idea is for us to become your heads at each of the various central locations?"
“That’s right,” Leo nodded, “This way, you will also have a voice in the region.”
"But the power to speak is in your hands," Pique pointed out.
"Of course, after all, I invited you to work under my magic, I never intended to be on equal footing with you," Leo shrugged.
Lucien frowned: "So you want us to transform from being dependent on one faction to being dependent on another?"
“That’s right,” Leo nodded, “and at the same time, a dependent with more say and profits.”
"The risks are equally huge," Matteo said coldly.
"Risk and reward go hand in hand," Leo calmly retorted.
Lucien stood up and walked over to Leo:
"It seems you've made ample preparations for this meeting. Could it be that you've already planned your business empire?"
"Hahaha," Leo didn't actually want to laugh that much, "aren't the details revealed in their words obvious enough?"
Lucien narrowed his eyes: "If I'm not mistaken, you're not the president of any chamber of commerce yet, you don't have any money, and you don't even have any connections. All you have are spices."
"Otherwise, you wouldn't choose people like us for such a great opportunity. If you were truly greedy, you should have tried to win over more powerful associations, or even the entire Chamber of Commerce."
Leo had long anticipated that among these old foxes, there would surely be someone who could see through his true nature.
So he readily admitted, "That's right, but the capital of spices is enough to make up for my boasting, and enough to make you dare to abandon your original chamber of commerce."
"The reason I chose you is because you happen to be in this port. Businessmen always have to race against time, and I don't have time to look for partners who are nowhere to be found."
Silence fell again; they were clearly deep in thought.
Leo, however, was willing to give them time to weigh their options.
The fact that they didn't fly into a rage or hurl insults at Leo shows that they were already tempted.
But everyone has their own concerns; they are all mature businessmen and cannot make a hasty decision.
They are burdened by friends, family, and debts of gratitude, all of which hinder their adventures.
Leo didn't believe that all of these people would actually become his collaborators.
Ultimately, only six people agreed to cooperate with Leo.
Matteo, Oedipus, and Zedd ultimately chose to embrace stability.
However, this result can be considered to have met Leo's expectations.
Six people, though far from enough for Rio's vast business empire.
However, more people can be found, and six people are enough for him to carry out his plan.
Leo intended to discuss the remaining plans with his collaborators, but Lucien demanded that those who had withdrawn leave the meeting.
Since you don't intend to participate, you have no right to eavesdrop on trade secrets.
Matteo, Oedipus, and Zede had no reason to stay, so they decided to leave.
"Wait a minute," Leo called out to them, "I hope you won't tell anyone about what happened today."
Matteo immediately promised, "That's for sure."
"Words are not enough; I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement with me."
"Nobody told me about this when I was invited!"
Oedipus roared in anger and decided to create a room.
Leo gestured with his green eyes, and Navajo and Apache immediately blocked the doorway.
Oedipus: "What do you mean by that?!"
"I'm not discussing this," Leo said calmly.
The atmosphere became tense, and Navajo and Apache had already drawn their sharp weapons.
Zede stepped forward and advised, "A contract cannot bind us."
"No," Leo shook his head, "mine is fine."
Leo took out paper and pen and began to write the contract.
A blue liquid power flowed from his palm, seeping into the feather shaft—