The Crown Prince Who Raises Alt Characters

#Chapter 269 Villainous Boss Nigel (18) - A Family Meeting The influence of Nigel trading company grew day by day. From merchants and wealthy people to commoners, there was no one who didn't purchase the trading company's products, and the goods that were distributed in this way had influence not only in Shurabasti but also in other cities. "Did you hear that story? They say Shurabasti is raking in money like crazy these days." "They sell all kinds of rare items at surprisingly cheap prices, right? I should go visit once." Travelers moved their steps to get their hands on the mysterious items sold in Shurabasti, and merchants made profits by purchasing goods from the trading company and then selling them in other cities. And the more this was repeated, the more widely known the name of Nigel trading company became. And fame naturally comes with side effects. "Look at this beautiful bottle. This is the 'Tumbler' from Nigel trading company that supposedly keeps the contents at the same temperature no matter how much time passes!" "Oh, this is that precious...!" "But something's strange? I heard that tumblers have a smooth metallic shine that reflects faces, but this just looks like pottery, doesn't it?" "Well, you seem to have heard false rumors. In this world, gold or silver might be one thing, but if you make a water bottle with other metals, wouldn't it rust? This is the real tumbler!" All kinds of imitations and fraudsters ran rampant, and they either sold goods by exploiting Nigel trading company's name, or tried hard to reproduce the goods sold by the trading company. But neither side achieved much success. "What on earth is this pet bottle made of?" "It's not metal, not pottery, not cloth, not rubber, not glass. Did a god appear and give it as a gift or something?" "What about this vinyl thing or whatever it is? It's surprisingly flexible and strong, yet you can easily tear it if you want to, so I wonder if there's another object this contradictory." "That's nothing compared to canned food. I can't figure out how perfect welding without a single trace like this is possible." In fact, among the goods Nigel sold, food items didn't cause that much of a shock. Of course, the taste was excellent and the price was unbelievably cheap compared to the quality, but if you disregarded cost-effectiveness, you could roughly make items of similar level. However, packaging technology was not the same. Pet bottles, vinyl, metal cans - they were all things that one couldn't even imagine how to make. At least with metal types, they could imitate the appearance, but with things like pet bottles or vinyl, even that was impossible. The visual characteristics of the genuine products were so distinct that even fraudsters trying to sell fakes felt perplexed. And someone came up with a very simple and clear solution to this problem. "─Then, wouldn't it be fine to just steal those real things?" Markanda doesn't consist of only Shurabasti. The rulers of other oasis cities couldn't contain their greed when they saw Nigel trading company's goods. The quality and performance of the items themselves were excellent, and they were highly rare since they couldn't be easily replicated elsewhere. In other words, the moment they succeeded in extracting Nigel trading company's products or the technology to make them, they could grasp tremendous wealth. "Nigel, the owner of the trading company. If we can somehow win this person over, we can become that wealthy too!" "Try to extract the technicians below too! Offer gold coins or beautiful women, try to seduce them somehow!" "They said they keep recruiting new employees, right? Infiltrate our people!!" Naturally, spies began running rampant, and the Baharah Family of Shurabasti also didn't miss these movements. "...Insects are starting to gather." At King Bahram clicking his tongue in displeasure, First Prince Zarka also opened his mouth with a serious face. "As long as we don't completely control Nigel trading company's goods, this was bound to happen someday. There would be no one who wouldn't covet a magic pouch that spits out gold and silver treasures." "Do you still think our family should have managed Nigel trading company's goods and controlled their outflow beyond the city?" "To be honest, I don't completely lack such feelings. But... in that case, Shurabasti wouldn't have been able to obtain this level of position." If they had followed Zarka's plan, even if they had somehow succeeded in controlling Nigel, the benefits would have been limited to only inside Shurabasti. In other words, it would have meant that only money from inside Shurabasti would have come to the Baharah Family. From the perspective of the Baharah Family, who could be called the rulers of Shurabasti, it would be like money scattered in the front yard coming into the warehouse, so while it wouldn't be meaningless, it would be hard to say their wealth had greatly multiplied. But how is it now? Wealth from the entire Markanda region was flowing into Shurabasti. Travelers were drawn by curiosity, famous wealthy people to get new products faster than others and show off, merchants to procure goods to sell elsewhere. Though their reasons differed, many people visited Shurabasti, and all the money they spent on eating, sleeping, buying, and using transformed into Shurabasti's wealth. It was to such an extent that there's even a story that the finance minister who checked the taxes paid by Nigel trading company did a somersault on the spot. In the Markanda region, wealth is power. And it's also military force and influence. Originally, Shurabasti was among the top-ranking oasis cities, but now it was undoubtedly the true number one as a single city. "Perhaps, in my next generation, a proper 'kingdom' might be established in this desert." Bahram's murmur was calm, but Zarka's heart, upon hearing those words, beat wildly. Bahram is the king of Shurabasti, and Zarka is a prince. However, a 'nation' in Markanda is ultimately just one oasis city. From other regions' perspective, it's merely people who own at most one territory, or even less land, calling themselves king or whatever. If that were to change. If the separated oasis cities were united as one, and a single royal family that could strongly control them appeared! While feeling his throat choke with that dream, Zarka struggled to maintain his composure. "...Why do you keep trying to postpone it to the next generation? Father should accomplish it." "If it were that easy, I would have accomplished it long ago. Above all, there's still much to go through for that dream." For Shurabasti to continue growing stronger like this, Nigel's products are essential. But despite mobilizing the family's capabilities for quite a long time, they still couldn't identify the 'force' behind Nigel. On top of that, one more thing. "If things continue like this, our family becoming the hegemon of the desert is as natural as sand scattering in the wind. Right now they're limited to spies and such, gathering information or winning over internal personnel, but among them, there will definitely be those who try to take up swords. No, perhaps they may already be holding them." "...Are you thinking of Ordus?" "If we're doing well, wouldn't those guys be the ones whose interest hurt the most?" Ordus wasn't a name referring to a single city like Shurabasti. The northern part of the Markanda region. A term referring to the border area where desert and grassland meet. The nomads there belonged to the strong side in terms of combat power due to their characteristic of riding horses regardless of whether they were children or women, and they used that combat power to raid the surroundings. One might wonder what grassland dwellers would do by raiding desert dwellers, but it's not necessarily so. Oasis cities were usually located near rock salt areas or salt lakes, so they possessed a lot of salt that was hard to obtain in grasslands, and kidnapping blacksmiths and other craftsmen was also good business. Gold and silver treasures were also difficult to use directly in grasslands, but if taken to other regions, they could be exchanged for plenty of useful supplies. Since completely pillaging a city would leave nothing to eat later, nomads usually threatened with violence and then demanded tribute, but Bahram Baharah was a representative ruler who fought against such demands from nomads. "They don't want our desert's power to grow stronger. Especially with my name, having led the charge in crushing them, they'll be grinding their teeth. No matter how ignorant those horse riders are, they wouldn't be unaware that things won't be fun if it continues like this. Those bastards will definitely come." "Then, it's my turn to step forward!" The one who suddenly interjected was Second Prince Kushan. Kushan, who wore a scabbard for the 'Rose Knife' specially made by a skilled craftsman at his waist, struck his chest with one hand and said. "No matter how many Ordus bastards come, rest assured that I and the warriors with new weapons will slaughter them all!" While that confident appearance was reassuring, Zarka spoke with the thought that he couldn't lose either. "The nomad attacks aren't just our problem. I'll work to gain cooperation from other oasis cities as well. They probably want to check us too, but comparing us who moderately try to expand influence with nomads who attempt physical plunder, they won't be unaware of which side is better." "Yes. If you brothers join forces, everything will be fine no matter what happens." When Zarka and Kushan's eyes lit up at their father King Bahram's words, Third Prince Omad made a gloomy face in the corner. 'I want to do something too!!' But Omad had neither diplomatic sense or administrative ability like his eldest brother Zarka, nor was he skilled in fighting and command like Kushan. If anything, he had only honed his abilities as a clerk inside Nigel trading company, but where on earth was he supposed to use such a thing? "Then, Omad. I'm entrusting it to you." "Yes?" "Didn't I just say? That the brothers' strength must be combined." Toward his third son who was dumbfounded, Bahram spoke calmly. "The cause of this fight is Nigel trading company. Since it benefits our family too, I don't particularly intend to pursue responsibility, but we should at least confirm their position, shouldn't we?" How much Nigel would cooperate with them, whether he intended to reveal anything about the mysterious backing force, and various other things. "Having built a friendship with him, I believe you'll surely bring good results. I'm entrusting the negotiations with Nigel to you, Omad." Omad was about to retort with something like "What do you mean, asking a new employee to write a contract with the chairman?" when he caught sight of youngest daughter Fariza's face, who had been quietly keeping her place. 'Scared? Should I do it for you? It's a bit burdensome for you, isn't it? Call me sister from now on.' "─I can!! do it!!" Omad lost his mind. With his pride as the third older brother at stake, he absolutely couldn't be defeated by that younger sister.