While Bahamut and Bertina were celebrating their victory, about 70% of the merchants who had come to Benessa were packing up after fulfilling their purposes in Benessa.
It was now time for them to return home with the yield.
Despite the hefty sum they had to pay in order to secure the merchandise, it was evident that it would sell like hotcakes on the local markets, indicating that they wouldn’t have to suffer from any major losses like many had anticipated.
Due to the two-year suspension of trade, the demand for luxury goods was on the brink of explosion.
Therefore, it wouldn’t matter even if it was slightly expensive, especially considering their value.
However, there some merchants who chose to remain in the city.
Although they accounted for only 30% of the merchants that had come to the city… a relatively small number, but they were people that should never be taken lightly by only numbers alone.
After the conclusion of the spice trade, the main trade item, the rich and nobles from all over the continent eagerly awaited the auction of valuables worth 40% that would soon follow.
For them, it marked the beginning of a real war!
“It’s finally over…” Remarked a certain merchant.
“Yeah. Honestly, I thought I would be waiting boringly as usual, but we got to witness a good show.” remarked another.
“It was quite a spectacle, considering that it was about only spice.”
The spice trade usually proceeded relatively peacefully.
However, this time, due to the collusion of buyers and the actions of Bertina and Bahamut that disrupted it, they got to witness quite an interesting spectacle. It was a series of multiple dramatic events, which ended in a fiery battle of wits.
“I never thought they would burn the spices in front of everyone. They did something I could never do even if I thought of it in my head.”
“I heard that it was Bahamut of the Beden Merchant Company who came up with that plan.”
“I’ve heard the story too. It seems like I hear that name often these days. It seems clear that a tycoon has appeared in the continental commercial world.”
“Bahamut Fernandez. I remember that his father was a great merchant, but I heard that his son was not a very competent person.”
“No matter how much a lion cub rolls in the mud, it will eventually become a lion. Rather, according to rumors, I heard that he has been hiding his claws until now.”
“I have to pay attention. Who knows, we might be able to see his true face once again at this auction.”
Unlike spices, which were expensive but relatively in demand, the auction of valuables required considerable insight, capital, and connections.
Due to the auction’s nature, the item’s price could soar to the ceiling or be purchased at a low price, making the real value of the acquired items differ significantly.
In addition, there was one more unexpected variable in this year’s auction.
“Come to think of it, those guys also appeared this year, right?”
“Of course, they came. Just yesterday, we’ve already ran into them several times.”
“Is that so…then we’ll have to do business quietly. Why do they even allow such unscrupulous people in the city?”
“Shh, be quiet. You’re likely to be in trouble if it reached their ears.”
“Um, that’s true.”
Merchants saved their words while paying attention to their surroundings. They adhered to the rules of the powerful within their own region, so they had to be cautious about their words and actions.
“It looks like they have arrived.”
“Tch, it would be annoying to get into fights with them.”
A group of people passed by the roadside. They walked around armed with dark-colored armor.
People avoided their eyes, showing no intention of getting involved.
Although they looked like the so-called ‘knights,’ it would be wrong to think of them as such.
In general, a knight was a lower version of a lord, usually in-charge of a small village, but those walking on the roadside had nothing to do with the territory’s management.
What they did was close to what people often called ‘business.’
However, it wasn’t the clean business generally thought of. It mainly involved openly engaging in questionable activities like moneylending, pr*stitution, g*mbling, and more recently, the sl*ve market.
There were numerous challenges, and these activities were difficult to run in the open, yet they could yield significant profits.
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Black market people?
Thanks for chapter
The silver haired woman may have come to free someone who was kidnapped into slavery. It is just a guess of mine.