Chapter 7 The Patrol Committee

  A few days later, Charlotte and Javier led the team to leave Headington and visit the two towns of Auston and Farak. Raymon, who had received the money from selling the spoils of war, also began investing in several industries in Headington according to Ricky's plan, acquiring a bankrupt equipment store and a grain warehouse, which were fully managed by Ricky. These two stores not only made money but also served their guards directly.

  But Freddy took Raymond's 100,000 gold coins and went off to do who-knows-what. Raymond didn't bother to intervene, giving Freddy complete freedom, because he was well aware that Freddy was not the kind of person who would be swayed by petty gains.

  In addition, the dock jointly invested by Raymond, Haidington and Javier was also secretly built. Due to its direct relationship with Haidington's future development, workers were enthusiastic and the project progressed rapidly.

  It was like this, a month and a half after moving into Haidington, everything on Raymond's side seemed to be on the right track, things were going in a very good direction. But there was only one thing that was annoying, which was Raymond's wallet, which was rapidly shrinking.

  A total of over 300,000 yuan in funds, 50,000 invested, 100,000 handed over to Freddy to set up an intelligence agency, a portion invested in building docks, and another sum used to acquire shops, unknowingly spent more than half.

  For Raymond, who currently has only one source of income and can only rely on Dreia's merchant ships to come back and forth to sell goods, this is a very bad signal. Moreover, just maintaining Dreia's ship is a huge expense.

  Before Haidington's formal development, the investment made by Raymond would not have yielded a return. The two shops could make money, but it was unknown when they would be profitable, and there were also huge expenses every month, including Dreya's Cangyun and more than 100 guards. So Raymond suddenly realized that he was in an embarrassing situation where he had no income but high expenses.

  He also wanted to set up a merchant group and do some business with Javier, but the only one who knew how to do business was Rickett, who was busy dealing with all sorts of trivial matters at the moment. Just the things in Haidington City were enough to keep him busy, so he couldn't spare any time for this idea either, and it had to be put on hold for now.

  So, the former beast king's son also tasted the pinch of being short of money just like his father, which is probably a family heirloom.

  Raymond ran into trouble, but Charlotte's side was quite smooth. Farak and Auston not only readily agreed to resume trade with Haidington, but also gave Javier a warm welcome, after all, business partners like the Lovell Chamber of Commerce with deep background are hard to come by.

  The three parties quickly reached an agreement, and the specialties of the two cities would be transported to Haidington and then transshipped overseas by Javier. Due to their remote location on the continent of Veronika, both cities had been struggling with poor business just like Haidington, so they were eager to expand their sales through this opportunity.

  A few days later, Charlotte returned to Haddington, and the good news once again plunged the town into great joy. In addition, during this period, Raymond's investment and the job opportunities brought by the arrival of the merchant fleet made the originally depressed town quickly come alive, and almost all residents thought that the worst time had passed, and Haddington was expected to revive.

  Charlotte also began to actively prepare and wait for the first batch of specialty products from the two cities, after which all things would be back on track once business took off.

  However, a week passed quickly, and the merchant team that had promised to come from both cities was nowhere to be seen. Thinking that the other side needed time to prepare the goods, Charlotte waited for several more days, but still didn't see the merchant team arrive.

  Both cities are near Haidington, the closest being Auston, and even on horseback it's only a day's journey. With the bandits eliminated, no matter how slow they were, they should have arrived by now.

  Charlotte felt a sense of foreboding in her heart, while secretly concealing the matter from the residents, she sent someone to urge the two cities and anxiously waited for news.

  But what was feared most finally happened after all.

  A few days later, a group of people suddenly appeared at the gate of Haidington, but they were not a merchant caravan sent by Auston or Farak, because there were only a handful of them.

  These people came to the gate of Haidington, and the guard who was guarding the city was about to ask them their origin as usual. Suddenly, when he saw a badge embroidered neatly on his chest, he was shocked.

  Then the group entered the city, swaggering through the streets. Every resident who saw them looked flustered and stepped aside, discussing it in a flurry.

  At this time, Charlotte was discussing the renovation of the dock with Raymond and Javier. A guard rushed in to report the news that those people had entered the city, and Charlotte's face changed immediately.

  "What's wrong?" Raymond asked involuntarily as he saw her strange expression.

  "Not good, trouble's coming." Charlotte said anxiously: "It's the Inspection Committee directly under the Central Council of the Ravetti Federation."

  "What's the Lavieth Federation?" Raymond was taken aback. He had always heard of this trade alliance composed of merchant groups, but had never seen them in person. Although Haidington nominally belonged to Lavieth, it was so remote that the influence of the federation was hardly visible here, so Raymond had no concrete concept of it.

  However, unexpectedly, he had to face this organization head-on all of a sudden.

  But what does the inspection committee do?

  It seemed that Javier noticed Raymond's confusion, and he explained in a low voice: "The Patrol Committee is an organization directly controlled by the Central Council of Ravite, responsible for handling commercial disputes between various trade towns under its jurisdiction, or investigating various events that may threaten the Federation. It has considerable power, so for the towns affiliated with the Federation, the arrival of the Patrol Committee is generally not a good thing."

  As a member of the Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Javier naturally knew his competitors like the back of his hand.

  Unlike Charlotte's anxiety, however, the three Lamberts seemed to be gloating, as if they were eagerly awaiting their arrival.

  "I don't know what their intention is, I'll go and greet them first." Charlotte stood up and was about to head out.

  Just then, the door was suddenly opened and several men swaggered in, with Morini following close behind them.

  "Mr. Morin, what's going on?" Charlotte asked in surprise.

  "Those are the inspectors from the Patrol Committee," Morini said in a low voice. "I met them halfway and had no choice but to bring them here. Mayor, be careful."

  Charlotte nodded in understanding and then said to those people: "Sorry, I just received the news and didn't greet you all in time. Please forgive me."

  "It doesn't matter, we didn't expect anyone to welcome us." The first man, a middle-aged man with a stern face, said coldly as he sat down across from Charlotte, the others standing behind him.

  This man is about 40 years old, dressed in luxury, and every part of his body is neat and tidy. At first glance, he looks like a well-educated person. However, his face is rigid, with tight facial lines that show no hint of gentleness, and his eyes are sharp as knives. The whole person seems like a neatly cut stone, giving people a sense of being unable to get close to him.

  If he were also a merchant, then Javert and Valjean would be two types.

  Several others were also dressed neatly, not like ordinary attendants. On the chest of all their clothes, there was a badge with a high-suspended sharp blade inserted into a pile of gold coins, which should be the emblem of the Patrol Committee.

  "First of all, let me introduce myself. I am Paiste, a member of the Ravet Federation's Inspection Committee. This time, entrusted by the Central Parliament, I have come to Haidington for an investigation." The man said.

  "I am Charlotte, the mayor of Hadinton." At this time, Charlotte also calmed down: "I don't know what you want to investigate?"

  "This is an internal matter of the Lavi Federation, I don't want any outsiders present." But Paiste glanced at Raymond and Javier.

  It's clear that neither of them is from Haidington, and apparently Pastor also came prepared.

  Although he really wanted to know the other's purpose, Raymond didn't have any reason to linger here, so he and Javier bid farewell and left.

  After the two men left, Pastor looked at Charlotte with a suddenly sharp gaze: "Mayor Charlotte, please tell me, what's going on here?"

  "What?" Charlotte hesitated.

  "Why are people from Lowell's Guild here?" Paiuste asked in a low voice.

  "We have a trade agreement with the Lovell Guild, but..." Charlotte said hastily.

  Paster pressed his hand down, signaling Charlotte not to speak: "The Lovell Chamber of Commerce has always sought to infiltrate the Veronica continent, posing a serious threat to the interests of the Ravette Federation. However, you ignored this point and unilaterally summoned our enemy, Mayor Charlotte. I hope you can explain this properly."

  "Charlotte hastened to explain, 'This I can explain. For nearly half a year now, Haidington has been plagued by bandits and the town is almost in ruins. I was forced to seek cooperation with the Lovell Merchant Guild because only the sea route can avoid those bandits.'"

  "My condolences on Haldington's unfortunate demise," Pastor said, his icy tone conveying no hint of sympathy.

  He then said: "However, I heard that those bandits have been eliminated."

  "Indeed, thanks to Mr. Raymond, Haidington was able to restore its former peace," Charlotte nodded.

  "Then why are people from Lovell Merchant Association still here?"

  "What?"

  "Now that the bandits have been eliminated, you shouldn't have any reason to rely on them, but I've found that the people from Lovell's Merchant Guild not only haven't left, but are actually showing a tendency to settle down. How do you explain this?" Paiste asked coldly.

  "How can you say that? They came to help us. How can we send them away just because the crisis is over?"

  "Which means you never intended to drive them away?"

  "Or are you summoning the enemies of the Federation for some other purpose?"

  I didn't expect to be so unreasonably accused by Pastor, Charlotte was shocked and angry, and for a moment she couldn't speak. While Lambert and others remained silent, making it clear that they were watching from the sidelines, Morini had no choice but to force himself to say: "Pastor, please listen to me, we did this because..."

  "The mayor of Hadinton is Lady Charlotte, and I need her answer." Pastor interrupted him coldly.

  At this time, Charlotte slowly took a deep breath, as if she had already thought of something. Then, she raised her head and faced Pastor's gloomy face: "Pastor, I'd like to ask, not long ago we reached an agreement with Auston and Farak to resume our trade exchanges. However, after so many days, their merchant caravan has yet to arrive, do you know anything about it?"

  Pester said unabashedly: "Before I came here, I went to the two towns first and it was me who made them not send merchant teams to Haidington."

  "Why?" Charlotte didn't seem too surprised, as if she had expected this all along.

  "Paiste growled, 'I warned them that Haidnton made a serious mistake. Until you correct this error, I strictly forbid any contact with you, otherwise you will face severe punishment from the Federation.'"

  It was indeed Paiester who was behind the scenes! Morini was shocked to hear that he had made such threats against two towns, but Charlotte remained surprisingly calm.

  Charlotte said calmly: "I never knew that the inspection committee had the power to interfere with our trade and others."

  Paster said: "This is a special authority directly granted to me by the Central Council. For traitors of the Federation, we have the right to take any action."

  "Traitor?" Charlotte's tone also began to take on a hint of anger: "I refuse to accept such an unreasonable accusation!"

  "Charlotte Town, you don't have to play anymore. Haidington's unauthorized transaction with the enemy of the Federation has already violated the treaty signed when you joined the Federation, which is the most serious betrayal."

  He paused slightly, "However, considering the special situation of Haidington, the Central Council has decided to give you a chance to repent. As long as you can drive away the Lowell Chamber of Commerce, the Federation will reaccept Haidington as our member."

  "I refuse." Charlotte said with a firm tone.

  "What did you say?" He thought that after the threat, Charlotte would immediately surrender, but unexpectedly she refused so bluntly, Pastor was almost a little unbelievable to his own ears.

  At this point, Charlotte seemed to have let go of everything. She said in a low voice: "You accuse us of violating the alliance treaty, what about the Ravite Federation? Have you fulfilled your own obligations?"

  "When three bands of robbers appeared outside the city, we repeatedly sought help from the council but got no response at all. What explanation do you have for this?"

  Flustered by her sudden questioning, Pester replied hesitantly: "Is that so? We haven't received any distress calls, perhaps there's been some misunderstanding..."

  "Where was the Federation when we needed it?" Charlotte continued. "Isn't it written in the treaty that the Federation is supposed to protect our safety, us small towns? But where was the Federation when we were in danger? Did you respond to our pleas for help at all?"

  "It was you who didn't care about our lives and deaths in the first place, so for the sake of survival, we had no choice but to seek help from outside. In this regard, Haitington did nothing wrong!"

  "I didn't expect Charlotte to be so tough. Pastor's face turned iron-green with rage, he snorted and stood up: 'Mayor Charlotte, for the sake of Haidington's future, I advise you to think carefully! Otherwise, you will definitely regret it!'"

  He left with his entourage without looking back.

  After the conference room fell silent again, Morini asked tentatively: "Mayor, have you really made up your mind?"

  Charlotte nodded: "I won't drive Mr. Javier away just because of their threats."

  "Don't be foolish, Charlotte! Are you still going to defend them at this point?" DePero said suddenly.

  "Charlotte said: "This is not called maintenance. Mr. Javier helped us at the crucial moment, how can we abandon our promise for no reason?"

  Fan Ning said: "But you also heard Mr. Paster's words, if you continue to act arbitrarily, you can only completely offend the Federation, have you thought about this consequence?"

  "Lambert followed closely behind, 'Although it's very sorry for them, but for Haidington, we can only follow the will of Parliament.'"

  At the moment when Pastor Storch was reprimanding Charlotte, these three people were silent, but now they all spoke in unison to persuade Charlotte to yield, and their behavior was really strange.

  Charlotte explained patiently, "I'm not being paranoid. Think about it, this robbery case has too many suspicious points and the mastermind behind it is still unclear. And the attitude of the Federation before and after is simply worlds apart, how can we believe them?"

  "But after all, we are part of the Ravite Federation. At this time, for the sake of a foreign merchant guild, to offend the federation is really an unwise act." Depero advised again.

  "I only know that when we were threatened by the robbers, it was Mr. Raymond and the Lowell merchants who helped us, not the federal government which had promised to protect us." Charlotte said resolutely.

  "Didn't you think of Haitington at all?" Fan Ning said loudly.

  "Charlotte raised her voice: "I'm thinking of Haiding, I refused Pasteur. Haven't you seen it clearly? The Federation doesn't take us seriously at all, what they care about is the struggle with Lowell Chamber of Commerce, and we are just a dispensable sacrifice."

  "If we were to run off Mr. Javier, or even Mr. Raymond for that matter, it would not end well for us in the end. Haydenville is still just a small out-of-the-way town that the Federation wouldn't give a second glance at, and if we want to survive, we have to take our fate into our own hands."

  "So, I will never give in."

  "Unbelievable, she's so resolute. The three of them exchanged a glance, and Lambert suddenly sneered: 'Hmph, is it really like you said? Or have you actually reached some kind of agreement with those two in private, and are willing to sacrifice Haidington just to resist the Federation to the end.'"

  "What did you say!?" Unbelievable that her own defense would lead to such suspicion, Charlotte was both shocked and angry.

  "It seems you're really not suited to be the mayor after all." The three of them seemed unwilling to give Charlotte any chance to retort, and left as soon as they finished speaking.

  As she watched the three people leave the conference room, Charlotte's strong eyes suddenly showed a complex expression. She slumped back into her chair: "Mr. Morini, did I really do something wrong?"

  Maurini sighed: "No, I think you're absolutely right. Agreeing to Pastor's terms would do us no good."

  "But then again, you can't blame Lambert and the others either. They're just too afraid of offending the Federation, that's why they said those things."

  Charlotte nodded: "I understand, and I hope they can understand one day."

  "Mayor," Morin asked, "since we've refused the Federation, we can't do business with Auston and Farak anymore. What's next?"

  Charlotte said, "For now, we can only continue to cooperate with the Lovell Chamber of Commerce and think of a way later. Fortunately, Mr. Raymond will increase his investment step by step, and after the dock is built, I will ask the Lovell Chamber of Commerce to introduce more merchant fleets, hoping to get through this period."

  "It seems there's no other way."

  "Right, I'll tell Javier and Mr. Raymond about our conversation just now, so as not to cause any misunderstanding." Charlotte said, standing up.

  She also left the conference room.