"Good day, Grandfather," Celeste said, pinching the hem of her skirt and curtsying slightly, just enough to reveal a pair of new round-toed red leather shoes. These shoes were her cherished possession, personally designed by Arno and crafted by the most skilled leatherworker in the city lord’s mansion. Not only were they comfortable, but they were also different from any ordinary leather shoes or boots seen before—truly one-of-a-kind in the world. The girl was so satisfied and happy that she couldn’t help but show them off when facing her family.
Salcomo also gave a slight bow in return, not presuming to casually accept Celeste’s curtsy just because she was his granddaughter. In terms of formal relations, ever since Celeste had come to live in the city lord’s mansion, she had been separated from the Salcomo family, and her words and deeds carried the background of the city lord’s mansion, indirectly representing Arno’s dignity.
Arno said nothing about their actions, but his understanding of Salcomo’s shrewdness deepened further. Many people, after marrying their daughters or granddaughters to prominent figures, consider themselves part of high society, parading around with an inflated sense of importance and failing to recognize their place. Such people usually do not meet a good end and often bring disaster to their loved ones.
A smile gradually appeared on Arno’s face as he stroked Celeste’s silky hair and said softly, "I heard the new fencing master has arrived. Go meet her."
The newly hired fencing master was a female Sixth-level Swordmaster with the title "Frost Sword." It was said that her battle aura had a slight ice attribute—though not extremely so—and whenever her battle aura rose, a thin layer of frost would cover her longsword. There was also a rumor that the title "Frost Sword" came from the fact that after she killed an enemy, the wounds on their bodies would not bleed, instead being covered by a white frost, hence the title.
Regardless of the origin of her title, this fencing master’s strength had been recognized by Blair; she was a female swordmaster with genuine combat experience. While female swordmasters were not rare, those who had earned a title were not many, and for this, Arno had paid the price of three gold coins per month to successfully invite her to teach.
Celeste was slightly taken aback, revealing a hint of childish innocence. She glanced nervously at Salcomo, and after curtsying, she covered her face and ran away quickly.
"City Lord, I am very grateful that you like Celeste," Salcomo said, clearly able to see that Arno genuinely liked his granddaughter; otherwise, he would not have hired a fencing master to teach her martial arts. In this world, the status of women has always been awkward, neither high nor low. The strong, like Joan, the First Female Grand Duke of the empire, used the longsword in their hands and five hundred Moonlight Knights to quell the rebellion in Oakley County, killing countless rebels.
The weak, like those noblewomen who only knew how to eat, drink, and be merry, were famous in the imperial capital before marriage but faded into obscurity after marrying.
Whether a woman could live a good and happy life depended crucially on whether the man she relied on cherished and doted on her. Many once-famous figures lived a miserable life after marriage, looked down upon by their husbands, and could only swallow their anger and shed tears in private.
Men like Arno, who hired various teachers for Celeste, were ultimately a minority.
Arno sat back on the sofa, tilting his head slightly. "I’m not some pervert. Celeste is very lovable, and I like her."
Salcomo wisely did not continue to dwell on this topic. Although Celeste was his granddaughter, from the day she left home to live in the city lord’s mansion, all matters related to Celeste had become Arno’s family affairs. As an "outsider," too much concern would only cause trouble.
"I heard you plan to organize a Pramisburg merchant guild?" Salcomo, who was highly sensitive to business intelligence, rushed over from Milin as soon as he learned of this news. He had to come because Arno had even said the shocking words, "A city lord is like a parent to the people," which meant that the Pramisburg merchant guild would be like his own child, while the merchant guild of the capital’s commercial guild was someone else’s child.
He had to get Arno’s attitude and then arrange the guild’s measures accordingly.
Arno nodded and said, "That’s right. Pramisburg’s geographical location is very special. I’ve thought about it for a long time: the reason our financial order has not collapsed until today is due to the advanced commercial circulation here. Every caravan that passes through brings a large number of employment opportunities. But this is not a long-term solution; relying on others is never as good as relying on oneself. Putting one’s lifeblood in the hands of others is too dangerous." He smiled faintly. "Moreover, even if the Pramisburg merchant guild is established, it will not affect the matters we have agreed upon."
Arno was well aware that the first problem the merchant guild would face after its establishment was the issue of channels. One should not underestimate these channels, which had always been the commercial guild’s trump card. Take a simple example: if the Bell Commercial Guild obtained one million tons of grain, it could sell all of it through its channels in three days. But if Pramisburg was given one million tons of grain, the mere question of how to sell it would become a problem. Business also relies on personal connections; many people are willing to establish long-term supply and sales relationships and will not easily switch suppliers, which is another form of monopoly.
In establishing the Pramisburg merchant guild, Arno had never expected to compete with the capital’s commercial guild. All he needed to do was improve the living conditions of Pramisburg’s residents and make life a little better for his people.
Salcomo breathed a sigh of relief. If Arno had really intended to strongly support his own merchant guild, they would have been in a difficult position. After all, cross-border trade could not bypass Pramisburg’s special location. As long as they blocked the pass, they could prevent any goods from flowing into Orlando from the Byron Empire and any goods from leaving Orlando.
This topic was temporarily set aside, and Salcomo carefully asked in a cautious tone, "I heard you’ve created a Plunder License. Is that true?"
This was the real purpose of his visit today. Some people in the capital had asked him to quickly find out what this Plunder License was, what powers and obligations it entailed, and what areas it covered for plunder. There were many people making these inquiries, including giant merchants from the capital, including the president, vice-presidents, and directors of the commercial guild, as well as nobles and privileged classes from the capital—all people who could not be offended.
Some were wary of Arno, while others wanted to get involved.
Legal plunder was a more profitable business than any other, and even Salcomo was tempted.
Arno knew in his heart that Salcomo was asking a question he already knew the answer to. He did not believe that this old man had not left spies in Pramisburg, and the commercial guild members in the city would also provide information to the main guild. However, having said that, no matter what resistance he faced, Arno was determined to proceed with this matter.
As everyone knew, there was no business more profitable than plunder.
Arno gave a brief introduction: the first batch of Plunder Licenses consisted of three in total, targeting the Weimar Corridor, Byron Empire’s Great Western Plains, and the entire Caspian Sea.
The Weimar Corridor between the Orlando and Byron empires was somewhat like the Bering Strait on Earth; the territories of the two empires met at a single point, which was the Weimar Corridor. To the north of the Weimar Corridor were the towering Salme Mountains, and to the south, the mountain range gradually became gentler, eventually ending 200 kilometers away. Further north was a vast inland sea. Extending northwest from there was the Atlantic Ocean, with the entire continental plate embracing the Caspian Sea in a half-circle.
The plunder zones designated by Arno were almost all outside Orlando’s territory.
As an old and crafty merchant, Salcomo immediately realized the value of plundering the Caspian Sea, where there was a sea trade route known as the "Golden Channel" by merchants. This bustling channel was filled with merchant ships traveling between Orlando, the Byron Empire, and Full Moon. With its well-connected waterways, after a plunder, one could quickly return to the northern mountains via the rivers.
"I see," Salcomo nodded, contemplating his thoughts.
Arno could see that this old man was tempted. Given enough profit, merchants could transform into robbers. However, it was clear that he had no intention of leaving this path open for the commercial guild or those in the capital. As Arno had planned, he wanted to create a new set of rules. Before these rules became established order, he would not allow big players to disrupt his plans.
Once everything was settled and the rules became order, and no one had the courage to disrupt them, Arno would continue to sell the second batch of Plunder Licenses. Moreover, his true intention was not here but in the distant imperial capital.
