King
Chapter 157 - 157 111 The One in Debt is_1

157: Chapter 111, The One in Debt is…_1 157: Chapter 111, The One in Debt is…_1 The trade fair began.

Walking down the street, all kinds of goods filled the shelves.

The cry of merchants was ceaseless.

The once prosperous Dardiel City seemed to have returned.

It was evident that Baron West had done his homework.

It required considerable effort to gather such a merchant crowd, to say nothing else.

Like all the native nobles, Hudson was just a spectator, not a purchaser.

This was a prior agreement amongst them all.

Regardless of whatever goods appeared in the city, they would not engage in any transactions this time.

As for the future, well, they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

The memory of the nobles was indeed limited.

Although they emotionally didn’t want to see the Northern aristocracy rise, the Southern Region genuinely needed a commercial hub.

Assuming Dardiel City became the commercial hub, it could bring them substantial benefits.

They would probably not refuse such conveniences.

Without the heavy-hitters making any moves, the trading volume naturally didn’t rise.

The contributions of mere dozens of Nobles of the North were far from enough to support a commercial center.

Without any surprise, none of Baron Katelai’s Orc slaves had been sold.

Not only did the native nobles not show interest, but the Northern Nobles also didn’t patronize his business.

Even though Baron West had greeted everyone, it was regrettable that all the Northern Nobles already possessed a great number of Orc slaves.

Perhaps they too would sell a portion to liquidate some assets, if they weren’t aware that these slaves would be hard to sell.

Unfortunately, the Orc slaves were challenging to manage.

Besides a few simple, manual tasks, they couldn’t do anything else.

The most significant issue was the language barrier, making it difficult to train them effectively.

Not every territory had an insatiable amount of physical labor.

When the number of slaves exceeds demand, the Lords naturally would not continue to purchase more.

Even though everyone had sympathy for Baron Katelai’s predicament, this sympathy was only in words.

If they were expected to lend real financial support, that was a bit unrealistic.

Moreover, everyone had indeed tried to help.

A group of northern aristocrats even gathered a few thousand gold coins as a loan for Baron Katelai to use in an emergency.

As entrepreneurs themselves, this money was wrung out of their own teeth.

Being able to do this much was already quite considerate.

After all, though they were all part of the Northern aristocracy, the Northland was vast, and most of them had never interacted before.

If it weren’t for a coincidental opportunity allowing them to band together and head south, they probably wouldn’t even have the camaraderie they have now.

…

“Baron Katelai, it seems that nobody wants these slaves.

Keeping them only wastes food and has no other meaning, so find an opportunity to get rid of them!”

A sincere suggestion came from West.

The reputation of slaughtering slaves would not sound good, but overall, they could find ways to conceal it.

If he continued fostering these idlers, he would not ruin his reputation, but he would ruin his purse!

Merely helping support them for a few days, Baron West already felt the pressure.

If Baron Katelai continued to stick around and not leave, he could not withstand it.

“Honorable Baron West, that would be too cruel.

Why not wait a bit longer?

The reason no one wants these slaves now is that we are in the agricultural off-season.

Wait a couple of months for the start of spring plowing; perhaps those Lords who need labor might purchase some then.

You may rest assured, the daily expenses of the slaves will be considered as my debt to you.

As soon as these slaves are sold, I will repay you immediately.” Baron Katelai spoke earnestly.

To the unknowing, he might seem like he cared greatly about the life and death of these slaves, but in reality, he was only bargaining for his advantage.

Now that Baron West was taking care of the slaves, his burden had significantly decreased.

If he could delay until spring plowing and then sell the slaves, he would make a big profit.

However, this was only a possibility.

Whether the native nobles would lack labor during the spring plowing season was uncertain.

At the very least, during the autumn plowing, they relied on the help of their friends to complete the sowing.

It was also possible to borrow people again during the spring plowing season.

This type of favor, which carried no risk and required little payback, was one most nobles would grant.

If he waited until spring plowing and still couldn’t sell the slaves, it wouldn’t just be Baron Katelai who was ruined, but Baron West would also go crazy.

A pauper has no means of repayment.

The daily expenses of more than twenty thousand slaves were a considerable expenditure.

Even if it costs three copper coins per person per day, twenty-five thousand slaves would require 75,000 copper coins, which is also 50 gold coins.

In two months, at least three thousand gold coins would be squandered.

This was only the basic expenditure, not including the cost of maintaining a guard force for the slaves.

If an accident occurred, like a slave revolt, who knows how much damage could be done.

The bigger problem was that all this money was spent, and the significant issue of the Orc Slaves was still unresolved.

Returning the goods was impossible; slave traders nowadays did not offer this option.

Perhaps Baron Katelai, this poor devil, would end up being chased by creditors all around the world in the future, but Baron West, who accepted these slaves, would also unavoidably suffer heavy losses.

“That’s impossible!”

“Baron Katelai, if you insist on keeping these slaves, then you can take them home and support them!

Dardiel City does not welcome slave traders, I will immediately establish a set of laws to prohibit the trading of slaves here.”