https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-139-Once-This-List-Comes-Down-No-One-Can-Escape/12850230/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-141-The-Hell-Church-s-Plea-for-Help/12850236/
Chapter 140: Price Hikes and Arbitrary Fees
Chapter 140: Price Hikes and Arbitrary Fees
"Any losses?" Ferras Starlight's expression was grim. A rebellion had just broken out in the city he governed.
Those mudlegs calling themselves the White Colt Society had somehow managed to purchase new military equipment from the Red Wind Territory, a type of puppet beast that combined with a humanoid form.
It was a new product just launched by the Red Wind Territory, incredibly powerful, known as the Licker.
"The White Colt Society has been completely eradicated, but we have suffered heavy losses. The estimated loss is..." the old butler reported truthfully.
Hearing this, Ferras's expression grew even darker: "Go to the Red Wind Territory and demand an explanation. How dare they sell military equipment to these mudlegs? They must compensate us for the losses."
"My lord, this might be a warning from the Red Wind Territory. Just yesterday, they raised the unit price and service fees for our purchases by at least ten times," the old butler said.
This made Ferras's anger surge: "Those pig-like lords, how dare they!!!"
The old butler remained silent, allowing Ferras to vent his frustration. While he cursed, Ferras wouldn't dare to take any action. Even if his power as the Grand Duke of Starlight were ten times greater, he wouldn't be a match for them.
Could anyone be stronger than the headquarters of the Silver Star Alliance? It was just impotent rage.
After venting his anger, Ferras finally calmed down: "What’s the reason for the price hike?"
"The raw materials have been mostly plundered by the blessed lords from the Otherworld. It's estimated to take ten years to return to normal. They also announced that prices will continue to rise. If we don't want it, the Red Wind Territory doesn't need our sales revenue. They can supply it all to the True Dragon Emperor, who is willing to buy at a price ten percent higher than the market rate."
Ferras's calm demeanor was once again thrown into chaos.
"Phew~ Buy, ask them if they sell the Licker," Ferras finally suppressed his anger and decided to buy.
He wasn't stupid; he knew that the White Colt Society incident was a warning from the Red Wind Territory. The military equipment produced by the Red Wind Territory was never cheap, and this time it was purely retaliation for his lack of assistance last time.
"They sell, but the price is steep. There's also another matter. The Red Wind Territory suspects that someone betrayed them, so all customers must pay a deposit. This deposit determines the amount of military equipment they can purchase. The smaller the deposit, the more limited the quantity of military equipment they can buy," the old butler continued.
Ferras was almost driven to the brink by this news. Were they not even trying to hide their greed now? So blatant, did they not fear a unified resistance? Oh, they truly weren't afraid. If they didn't buy, the Red Wind Territory would likely sell the military equipment at a lower price to their enemies or some rebellious forces within their territory.
It was truly infuriating. They were just getting a taste of it now, but if they didn't buy in the future, they might not have a life left.
"Pay! The merchants of the Red Wind Territory are more despicable than the vampires of the Undead Race," Ferras said through gritted teeth. He had worked hard to accumulate wealth, only to have to hand it over to others for weapons. What was the difference from paying protection money?
He knew that, although it was called a deposit, it would never be refunded. And now that they had started, they would continue to find all sorts of excuses to charge money in the future.
If it were the old days, Ferras might not have been so threatened, but things were different now. The Red Wind Territory was truly powerful.
As for using this military equipment to resist the Red Wind Territory, forget it. It was rumored that they were already at the 4th tier, with real combat strength around the 5th tier.
They were already among the elite of the Magic Continent. Unless other lords intervened, even the gods wouldn't gain any advantage by getting involved.
And no god would be willing to intervene on their behalf. This was no big deal to the gods, who never cared about such matters.
"There's one more thing. The Red Wind Territory is imposing twelve new taxes, including customs duties and commercial taxes, on us..."
"Damn, pay them. These damn people," Ferras knew that if he didn't satisfy them, he would be the one to suffer.
Better to spend money to avoid disaster. It was actually a good thing that they hadn't completely turned against each other yet.
If they did, he would likely have to seek refuge with the True Dragon Emperor, otherwise, at any time, his entire city might turn into a Ruby City like Silver Star City.
He glanced at the price list. The other party had been somewhat measured in their demands. The resources and gold coins added up to a significant amount, causing him considerable pain, but it wasn't something he couldn't afford.
It could be said that they had precisely gauged his psychological limits.
To break ties over such a small amount of resources would be unwise. In politics, learning to compromise is crucial.
Moreover, he wasn't the only one suffering this misfortune. He was actually quite curious to see what would happen to those who refused to comply. Who didn't enjoy a bit of schadenfreude?
He estimated that if someone truly refused to pay, they would not only lose their arms trade but might also see the Red Wind Territory support their enemies and install new leaders.
They were playing by the rules; if they didn't, the consequences could be dire, like his entire family being turned into ruby statues.
Ferras had seen the headquarters of the Silver Star Alliance, and the scene had left an indelible impression on him.
Therefore, for him, it was best to avoid offending them if possible.
"Why hasn't the Red Wind Territory been wiped out by these Otherworld lords?" Ferras said regretfully.
He couldn't do it, so he could only hope that the lords from other servers would.
As for what would happen if the Red Wind Territory were gone? In his eyes, it would merely mean continuing as the Grand Duke. The kingdom had changed many times, but his family's name, Starlight, had never been interrupted.
He had even considered the possibility that the Otherworld lords might be more benevolent towards them than the local lords of the Magic Continent.
"Sir, it's best not to say such things. If the Red Wind Territory's mad dogs hear about it, the consequences could be severe," the old butler warned.
At the mention of "mad dogs," Ferras, the Grand Duke of Starlight, couldn't help but change his expression. Those creatures were truly terrifying.
"I understand. What about the gnomes?" Ferras asked.
Before Qin Muye appeared, no one cared about gnomes. But after Qin Muye, gnomes became highly sought after.
Being someone with considerable power, Ferras naturally wanted to replicate the success, so he had secretly hired mages to work on the transformation.
"The situation is not optimistic," the old butler said.
Weak gnomes had long been eliminated, so there weren't many left.
Moreover, the raw material was garden elves, and this was like trading gold for pebbles. They weren't blessed lords who could recruit from buildings; each gnome required a garden elf, making the cost extremely high.
In the end, Ferras could only sigh, "Damn!"
"Wait, if we could capture a gnome from the Red Wind Territory, then—"
"Sir, I advise you to abandon this idea. The gnomes from the Red Wind Territory are 4th tier. Unless you can summon a 5th tier entity, it's impossible to capture them. And if you do summon a 5th tier entity, the battle will be quite loud," the old butler said expressionlessly.
This wasn't something only he had thought of. However, these gnomes rarely ventured out, and when they did, they moved in groups, and their combat prowess was formidable. They fought as if they had nothing to lose.
As a Grand Duke, he enjoyed endless wealth and luxury. Why would he go out of his way to provoke a pack of mad dogs?
He couldn't defeat them, and he didn't dare to openly insult them. They didn't care about their reputation, and as for schemes and intrigues, it was best to forget it. Even if he won, there would be no significant benefit.
"Never mind, you may go," Ferras said, his head aching. He regretted not sending some people to help when the opportunity arose. He thought the Red Wind Territory was doomed, but they survived, and now he was the one suffering.
However, the past was past, and no amount of regret would change anything. Even if he went to explain now, the Red Wind Territory wouldn't break ties with him; they would just engage in more wrangling and delays.
As for why no one wanted to offer help? It was because the Red Wind Territory was making too much money. They all hoped that the Red Wind Territory would fall so they could take over the business and profit immensely. The native forces were more than happy to see the blessed lords gone and wouldn't dream of rescuing them.
They hoped all the blessed lords would die off, allowing the Otherworld lords to take over. Perhaps the Otherworld lords would govern the Magic Continent alongside them, like the mages and priests of old, rather than the domineering native blessed lords who continuously encroached on their interests and territories, making these factions behave quite contradictorily.
(End of Chapter)
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