Chapter 118 (2/2)
“I have neither the will nor talent to waste precious time from busy men, so I’ll make it brief.”
“… Go ahead.”
“New Port City will make an investment.”
“How mu…”
Dallas immediately responded to Isaac, only to realise his mistake and coughed in embarra.s.sment. Even if they were in dire situations, it was not wise to immediately bite at the opening offer at the negotiating table.
But what Isaac said was enough for Dallas to forget about his embarra.s.sment.
“I can see that you are all quite desperate, so New Port City will invest 1 million Giga, cash, and 1 million Giga’s worth of military supplies. If that isn’t enough, I’ll do a second round of investments on an identical scale.”
“…”
Everyone from the Count’s faction was at a loss for words. The scale of this investment was beyond their imagination. Wolfgang barely kept his calm at Isaac’s enormous offer.
“You have that much financial power?”
“Well, it’s very simple for me. I’ll let you in on the secret. New Port City’s monthly income is around 3 million Giga.”
“…”
3 million… The Count’s yearly tax income revenue barely pa.s.sed 700 thousand… He had heard how New Port City was raking in cash, but to think it was this much.
“We would have no choice but to accept an investment at even half of what you have offered, but what is the reason you are investing in us?”
Isaac lit his cigarette without Wolfgang’s approval. Though it was very rude for a guest to do so, n.o.body would point out that fact given the elephant in the room that was Isaac’s money.
“Of course, it’s not free. As I’ve said before, this is an investment.”
“So you want something in return.”
“Yes.”
“Although it shames me to say this, the Wolfgang Family won’t be able to repay your investment even if we pool all our a.s.sets. Are you saying our family has that much of value to you?”
“For me, yes.”
“… What do you want?”
“I want you to give your rights over your fiefdom to me.”
“Impossible! Hand over the territory you say? That’s putting the cart before the horse!”
The rights over a fiefdom was a doc.u.ment that proved they ruled that land. Although it was possible to sell or buy them, the procedure from the Department of Administration is very convoluted and strict, so it didn’t happen on a regular basis. Plus, if Isaac took Wolfgang’s fiefdom and the Count were to win the war, Isaac would take over the Marquis’ lands too. All of the soldiers and knights who fought and died for Wolfgang would have fought for nothing. Wolfgang raised his hand to calm his turbulent va.s.sals, then glared coldy at Isaac.
“Why do you want our territory?”
“That’s because I want to live.”
“Live?”
“Yes. The due date on the Emperor’s task is nearing, but I have yet to solve this unemployment issue. The mercenary business I started was a catastrophic failure because n.o.body is volunteering, what with the war becoming so intense. So what other method do I have? After looking for another method, I realised that the Lord’s Representative has the right to buy and sell territory. If I buy another fiefdom, it will become mine, just like New Port City. So I’ll just send over all the unemployed population into that area and solve the problem. The reason why I chose you, Lord Wolfgang, is because I need land and you need money. You could say it’s a mutualistic relations.h.i.+p.”
“I understand what you say. But there is one flaw in your plan.”
“Really? What’s that?”
“If you buy my fiefdom, it will become your property just like New Port City, as you’ve said. That also means the unemployed population in my land will become yours too.”
Isaac smirked at Wolfgang’s remark and threw his cigarette b.u.t.t into his cup of tea.
“Hey, Lord Wolfgang, there are countless businesses and projects I can initiate. I’m only limited with my options because I am locked in that tiny piece of land called New Port City. I don’t even have to think about complicated business projects. I just need to start a construction project building a ma.s.sive wall around the entire Countdom itself, and unemployment will be solved.”
“Surround the Countdom with a wall? What pointless project…”
“And it’s something you wouldn’t know when it would end even if I put all the people living in the Countdom to work. No matter how pointless the project is, it just needs to provide them a proper pay and lower the unemployment rate. I don’t need to consider profit; it’s not like I don’t have money.”
“So this is why they call you Isaac the wastrel.”
Dallas muttered, impressed by Isaac’s ingenuity. Isaac seemed to have heard Dallas and smirked at him.
“And it’s a project I’ll stop as soon as I finish the task our Emperor has given to me. What I need is the method to achieve that goal, not the territory itself. Which is why I will put a condition that will ease your troubled minds, Lord Wolfgang and va.s.sals.”
“A condition?”
“As soon as I finish my mission and become free of the shackles that is New Port City, the rights to the fiefdom will be given back to its original owner. How about it? They call me money-obsessed, but I’m innocent. Why do you think I was so obsessed with making that money? It’s because throwing money at it is the only way I can accomplish this impossible mission”
“Wow! Such a blatant lie.”
Isaac heard Rivelia’s quiet comment behind his back, but he ignored it and continued.
“Will that satisfy you? I couldn’t care less if you won the war and took over the Marquis’s land too. Managing that land would be a headache, and I doubt it turns much of a profit anyway. It’ll be less than the monthly income of New Port City. I can’t even use all the money I saved. Even the chairman of the Central Bank of the Empire greets me outside the building when I visit them. You know why? Because my personal savings eclipses the Empire’s annual income.”
“T, that much!”
Rivelia ducked her head, unable to look at the faces of the Count and his retainers, who had been impressed by Isaac’s charade. It’s true the chairman of the Central Bank greeted him outside. No official of the Empire would meet one of Central’s Directors in his chair. His private funds being greater than the annual income of the Empire? Maybe, if his private savings weren’t immediately transferred into the Empire’s treasury.
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