Chapter 139: Chapter 141: Increasing Prices and Ingeniously Naming Fees
“How great are the losses?” Phelas Starlight’s expression was gloomy, as a rebellion had just taken place in his city.
The group of peasants who called themselves the White Horse Association, through some unknown channel, managed to buy new arms from Red Wind Territory—a type of special puppet beast resembling a humanoid combined with exotic characteristics.
It was a product that Red Wind Territory had only recently launched, extremely powerful, and known as the Lickers.
“The White Horse Association has been completely eradicated, but our losses are heavy. The estimated losses…” the old butler reported truthfully.
Hearing about the losses made Phelas’s expression even uglier. “Go to Red Wind Territory, they must provide an explanation. They dared to sell arms privately to these peasants; we must make them compensate for our losses.”
“My lord, this might be a warning from Red Wind Territory. Just yesterday, they adjusted the unit price and service charges we owe, increasing them by at least tenfold,” the old butler spoke.
This statement sent Phelas into a rage. “Those pig-like god-given lords, how dare they!!!”
The old butler remained silent, letting Phelas vent his anger. Although Phelas cursed aloud, he wouldn’t dare to take action. Even if his power as the great duke of Starlight were ten times larger, it wouldn’t be a match.
Could it be as strong as the headquarters of the Silver Star Alliance? It was nothing but impotent fury.
After venting, Phelas finally calmed down. “What reason did they give for the price increase?”
“The raw materials have been largely plundered by the god-given lord of the Exotic Realm. It’s estimated to take ten years to return to normal. Furthermore, they announced that prices would continue to rise. If we don’t agree, Red Wind Territory won’t lack our sales; they can supply everything to the True Dragon Emperor who is willing to buy at a price ten percent above market rate.”
Phelas, who had just calmed down, became agitated again.
“Hmm, ask them if they are selling the Lickers,” Phelas finally suppressed his anger and chose to buy.
He was not a fool; he knew well that the incident with the White Horse Association was a power move by the other party, given that the arms produced by Red Wind Territory are never cheap. This incident was purely a retaliation for his failure to provide assistance previously.
“Yes, they will sell, but at a steep price. However, there’s another issue. Red Wind Territory suspects that they have been betrayed this time, so all clients must pay a security deposit. This deposit determines the quantity of arms they are willing to sell to us. The smaller the deposit, the greater the restrictions on the quantity of arms we can purchase,” continued the old butler.
This nearly drove Phelas to despair, now they’re extorting money openly? Such blatant actions, aren’t they afraid of a collective boycott…ah, indeed they aren’t. If we don’t buy, there’s a good chance Red Wind Territory will sell the arms at a lower price to our hostile forces or the internal rebel groups.
It’s truly vile. Right now, it’s only painful, but in the future, if we don’t buy, we could really end up dead.
“Pay it! The merchants of Red Wind Territory are even more detestable than the vampires of the Undead Clan,” Phelas gritted his teeth. He worked hard to amass his wealth, only to hand it over to others in exchange for weapons. What’s the difference between this and paying protection money?
He knew, although it’s called a security deposit, in reality, it’s never refundable. Moreover, now that they’ve started, they will occasionally concoct excuses to collect money.
If it had been earlier times, Phelas might not have felt threatened. But now it’s different; the power of Red Wind Territory is truly formidable.
As for using these arms to fight against Red Wind Territory, better forget it. It’s said that they are already at the fourth rank, but their actual combat strength is around the fifth rank.
Now, they are among the very top of the Magic Continent, and unless other lords intervene, even the divine wouldn’t benefit from confronting them.
And no divine would be willing to support them in this affair, as it’s trivial for the divine, who usually don’t involve themselves in such matters.
“There is one more thing, Red Wind Territory is imposing a customs duty and business tax, among twelve other related taxes, on us…”
“Damn it, these scoundrels…pay it,” Phelas knew that if they didn’t satisfy the other party, he would be the one to suffer.
Best to pay off this disaster. For now, it’s good that they haven’t completely fallen out.
If they truly fell out, he suspected he might have to seek the support of the True Dragon Emperor, or else his city could become like Silver Star City, another Ruby City.
He glanced at the price list; their demands were measured. These resources and gold coins, among other items, combined, were painful but not unaffordable for him.
They had indeed precisely targeted his psyche.
“To fall out with Red Wind Territory over such trivial matters doesn’t seem worthwhile; in politics, learning to compromise is crucial.”
Moreover, he wasn’t the only one suffering from this misfortune. In fact, he was very curious to witness the outcome of certain forces that absolutely refuse to comply. Who doesn’t enjoy watching the drama unfold?
He estimated that if someone truly refused to comply, not only would they sever their arms trade, but they might even support the enemy forces to replace those in power.
That was because they were playing by the rules with him. If they hadn’t played by the rules, the outcome could be imagined as the entire family turning into ruby statues.
Phelas had visited the headquarters of the Silver Star Alliance and that scene remained unforgettable to him to this day.
Therefore, for him, it was better not to offend if possible.
“How come Red Wind Territory hasn’t been eradicated by these lords of the Exotic Realm?” Phelas remarked with regret.
Since he couldn’t achieve it, he had to pin his hopes on the lords from other servers.
As for what would happen to him without Red Wind Territory? In his eyes, it merely meant continuing as a duke. His Kingdom had undergone many changes, yet the name of his Star family had never been interrupted.
He even thought that perhaps the lords from the Exotic Realm were not like the divinely appointed lords of the Magic Continent; they might be more amicable.
“My lord, best not speak such words. If those mad dogs from Red Wind Territory hear of this, the consequences could be severe,” the old steward warned.
Upon the mention of ‘mad dogs’, even Phelas, the Duke of the Stars, couldn’t help but turn pale; those Spirit Monsters were truly terrifying.
“I understand. How are things going with the Spirit Monster?” Phelas inquired.
Before Qin Muye appeared, no one cared about the Spirit Monster, but after Qin Muye’s arrival, they became quite sought after.
Being a prominently powerful individual, Phelas naturally wanted to replicate them, so he discreetly hired Mages to modify them.
“Things do not look optimistic,” the old steward replied.
Weak Spirit Monsters had long been eliminated, so very few remained.
Furthermore, using Garden Elves as raw materials was like trading gold for pebbles. They were not divinely appointed lords who could recruit from troop buildings; each Spirit Monster required one Garden Elf, making the cost substantial.
In the end, Phelas was helpless. “Damn it!”
“Wait, if we could capture a Spirit Monster from Red Wind Territory, then…”
“My lord, I advise you to abandon such thoughts. The Spirit Monster from Red Wind Territory is of the fourth tier. Unless you can mobilize a fifth-tier entity, it’s impossible to capture one. Moreover, if you involve a fifth-tier, the magnitude of the battle won’t be small,” the old steward said expressionlessly.
This idea wasn’t unique to him, but those Spirit Monsters rarely ventured out and when they did, they moved in packs with formidable combat abilities, fighting fiercely as if their lives didn’t matter.
As a duke, he enjoyed endless glory and riches; why bother provoking a pack of mad dogs?
Besides not being able to win a fight or openly criticize them, and since reputation meant nothing to the other party, he thought it best to forget about plots and schemes. Even if he won, there were no real benefits.
“Forget it, go down,” ordered Phelas, his head throbbing. He doubted his earlier decisions, thinking it would have been better to send people to mingle there.
He had thought his opponent was surely doomed, but they had survived, ultimately costing him dearly.
However, it was already in the past and dwelling on it wouldn’t help. Going there now to explain wouldn’t result in breaking ties with them; they would just keep evading responsibilities.
As for why no one thought to offer timely help? It’s simply because the other party earned too much. They were hoping to take over the business after the demise of Red Wind Territory and profit massively. As for the native forces, they would be more than happy if the divinely appointed lords perished; why would they go for a rescue?
They would rather have all of them die off, allowing lords from the Exotic Realm to settle in. Perhaps these foreign lords, like the former Mages and Priests, might govern the entire Magic Continent with them, unlike the local divinely appointed lords who were domineering, constantly eroding their interests and territories, which caused these forces to act in very contradictory ways.