903: Chapter 93, Big Deal_4 903: Chapter 93, Big Deal_4 As long as it didn’t affect his own interests, he was always willing to help others.
“Your Marshal is of impeccable character, truly a paragon of our Human Race…
The surplus batch of Maturity Potions, our Department of Finance will take them all, and the deposit will be sent over tomorrow.
As for the subsequent payments, once the potions are sold, we will send the money immediately.”
His words started off very proper, but then the situation seemed to change — the Department of Finance actually couldn’t pay in full.
It wasn’t that Hudson lacked generosity, but rather that many things couldn’t set a precedent.
If the Department of Finance began running up debts, what would his friends and acquaintances do if they followed suit?
During times of war, everyone is short of money.
Even those who aren’t immediately short want to keep some extra cash at hand for unexpected needs.
Typically, having some outstanding debts isn’t an issue.
But under the current circumstances, a debtor might vanish in the blink of an eye.
It was also the best time to incur debt, theoretically—if you’re lucky, the creditor might suddenly disappear.
“Honorable Marquis Delgado, for the sake of producing this batch of potions, the Mountain Domain is drained, and I’ve incurred substantial debts elsewhere.
Now I urgently need to recoup funds to repay the debts I owe, so the payment for the goods must have a definite deadline.
If the Department of Finance is hard pressed for cash, they can take a smaller amount for now.
After all, the price I’m offering the Kingdom is the most favorable, and no one could possibly go lower…”
Hudson immediately pleaded hardship.
The Alpha Kingdom had an admirable ability to manage risks, but nobody could guarantee that the Department of Finance had the same strength.
The batch of bonds already kept him up at night, and if he added several million more in debt, life would become unbearable.
Based on Hudson’s understanding of Caesar IV, if it came down to the Kingdom’s finances collapsing, the King certainly might default on debts.
Bound by the relationship between sovereign and subject, if it really came to that, he could do nothing but hold his nose and accept it.
The property rights in the Mountain Domain were unclear, and aside from the officially listed holdings, most of Hudson’s land was off the books and didn’t require taxes to be paid to the Kingdom.
This was an unspoken agreement between the Kingdom and the Noble Lords, aimed at encouraging expansion.
Newly acquired territories wouldn’t be taxed until their development was complete.
When such lands would come under taxation depended on the Monarch’s authority.
Given Caesar IV’s current behavior, Hudson figured he likely wouldn’t have to pay taxes on his additional land in his lifetime.
With an already small taxable area and limited financial contributions to the Kingdom, it would be excessively unfair to ask him to lead a tax resistance.
Moreover, even if he directly confronted the King and attempted to use his territory’s taxes to offset the financial interest, it probably wouldn’t cover the expense.
“Your Marshal, how about this; we’ll keep the potion with us, but the quota must be reserved for our Department of Finance.
Once the deal is done, we can send someone to collect the goods directly from you, and then both money and goods will be settled,”
Marquis Delgado said after some thought.
They had to secure the order quickly, for if the Department of Foreign Affairs caught wind of it, they too would compete for the business.
When it comes to international relations, they are the true professionals.
Once they’re involved, the Department of Finance would be out of the picture.
Grand Duke Efiel, who was present, also seemed eager to seize the opportunity.
The Alpha Kingdom was poor, and the various departments’ coffers were accordingly meager.
If there was a chance to make money, nobody would want to miss out.
It’s just that the Military Department was in a unique position, with significant backing from the Department of Finance, so Grand Duke Efiel felt it wasn’t right to undermine their benefactor by acting first.