CH 207

How much damage did they suffer? How much are they entitled to? There was a great deal of excitement in the assembly hall. Even those who have suffered no damage claim that if there had been no blockade, they would have been able to make this much profit, so they are entitled to this amount.

In addition to the actual damage to the trading ships, they added items such as profits that were supposed to be obtained during the naval blockade and increased the number of claims steadily. The members of the Council are going to make others pay anyway, so they will demand self-proclaimed damages just like this.

It was just before noon when the bill was finally decided. The bottom line has ballooned to an impossibly absurd amount. And all the reparations will be personally received by the councilors. Not even a single ploe of reparations used to rebuild Lubek is included.

“It’s finally decided. Well then, shall I call Floto von Caan?”

“Hmm… no, wait. It’s already noon,” Ferdinand said. “Unfortunately, I have an important business meeting later. Let Floto von Caan wait until the afternoon.”

“I see. Now that you say it, I have some as well.”

“Then we’ll adjourn and meet again later.”

The councilors who realized the meaning of Chairman Ferdinand’s words also left the hall with quiet shuffling. Only the time to resume was decided, and no one was in the assembly hall.

Neither Ferdinand nor the councilors really have any business. In the first place, there is no need to think about which is more important, personal business or the Lubek Council. Even if there are personal matters or business negotiations, council matters should take precedence. But all councilors left.

The reason is simple: it was just to keep Floto von Caan waiting for nothing.

Both the members of the Lubek Council and Chairman Ferdinand are underestimating House Caan and the Caanza Trading Firm. And they’re envious. Caan invaded their territory as an emerging power and makes a great profit. It’s just jealousy, envy, resentment, anger, that kind of feeling. That’s why they were just trying to make Sir Caan wait meaninglessly and let them know who was superior rather than focusing on the matter of proper process.

The empty chamber fell silent until it was time to reopen in the afternoon

And when it was time to resume, the councilors begin to gather. They were already completely relaxed, they thought that all that was left was to send a letter of appreciation to Floto von Caan and… to claim compensation for the damages they had suffered.

“Then will we call Floto von Caan this time?” one of the councilors asked.

“No, I had a good idea during the noon break,” Ferdinand said. “There is no need to call Floto von Caan to this hallowed chamber. We may meet her at the interrogation hall.”

“Oooh!”

“That is good!”

Courtesies demand that a person in a higher position calls a person in a lower position to meet with him at a place of his choosing. Even if it’s a councilor or chairman of a free city, or even if the other party is a knight, there’s a clear higher status for nobles as the former are just commoners. However, just by using the word “invitation” and declaring that they are in a higher position, their mood is lifted. The illusion that they are now standing above the nobles accelerates.

They make the assembly hall a sacred place and strongly impress on the members that they are the chosen ones in that sacred place.

The interrogation hall is a room separate from the assembly hall, this is where trials, witness summons, and council interrogations are conducted in Lubek. The person standing there is a suspect under some suspicion, a defendant in some cases, a witness who gives testimony, or an expert who is questioned about the circumstances of a case.

It’s clearly not a place to welcome neighboring lords, nor is it a place to stand up for those who have made meritorious contributions to subjugating pirates and lifting the naval blockade. However, the councilors who were in high spirits with the chairman’s momentum didn’t think too much as they moved to the interrogation room.

The interrogation area is surrounded by high seats, with the person standing in the middle being looked down on as if to be intimidated. No, it’s made this way to intimidate, not as if intimidating them. If you stand here and are cowed by the surroundings and orders from above, it feels like tremendous pressure. Most people give in to that might and give in.

“Floto von Caan, enter,” the official who summoned Floto said.

The one who came through the doors and entered the interrogation hall was a young girl. It was the first time for all the councilors to see Floto von Caan. To think that such a little girl is the Lord next to them, so she flaunts her pride, she starts a company called Caanza Trading Firm, and she thinks of stealing Lubek’s profits, the councilors all get angry when they’re reminded of this.

In truth, she has never forced them to give way because she is a neighboring Lord, and instead of stealing profits, overall numbers have increased greatly thanks to the Caan territory and the Caanza Trading Firm, but that doesn’t matter to Lubek’s Council. Objective facts and calm judgments had nothing to do with those who could only think with eyes clouded due to envy and resentment.

“Well done Floto von Caan,” Ferdinand said. “Your work this time was truly splendid. In honor of your achievements, let us send you a letter of appreciation from the Free City of Lubek.”

First of all, the chairman will proclaim the letter of appreciation. And now, to the real business.

“Lubek will allow the Caanza Trading Firm to establish the Caanza Alliance and bring Goslant Island and Visvy under its control,” Ferdinand cried loudly.

Hearing that, the councilors also applauded. Goslant is now under the control of the Caanza Alliance. Originally, Lubek didn’t have the authority to make such decisions, but those who were drunk with this place’s arbitrary importance and the flow of this farce couldn’t see such a thing anymore.

“And Visvy, who was defeated in the war, is obligated to pay reparations for the damage Lubek suffered from this turmoil!” Ferdinand continued, reading out from the bill. “Since you will make a profit from it, the Caanza Alliance should pay it in advance! Also, if you pay it in installments, you will have to pay annual interest…”

Interest on installment payments, late payment penalties, collateral foreclosures, and additional penalties on top of penalties. As expected of a gathering of merchants, they read out their fantasies with one-sided arbitrary conditions so that they can get as much money as possible.

But Floto von Caan, who had been told such nonsense, just kept silent and closed her eyes. Seeing this, the Chairman and the members of Council decided that Floto von Caan was too frightened to say anything. There’s nothing wrong with pushing forward like this. A billion ploe is ours, they think.

Considering prices, economic scale, and development, a billion ploe is a ridiculous amount. No matter how many decades of economic activity Lubek does, there is no way that such a profit will be accumulated. Of course, you can’t demand the bottom-line amounts in a transaction.

For example, a person who buys potatoes for 100,000 ploe sells them to the next person for 110,000 ploe, a person who buys potatoes for 110,000 ploe sells them to a greengrocer for 120,000 ploe, and a greengrocer buys them for 120,000 ploe. Suppose he sells potatoes to a restaurant for 130,000 ploe. The bottom-line amount is 460,000 ploe, but the profit made during the transaction is only 60,000 ploe.

In this way, even if 100 million ploe were traded in Lubek’s economy in a year, the same commodity would be sold many times to different hands, and the bottom-line amount would not all be pure profit.

Nevertheless, the basis for this claim by Lubek was “the total amounts of the transactions that Lubek should have made during the naval blockade,” “losses due to not being able to obtain profits originally planned for,” and “actual damage suffered due to attacks, failed transactions, etc.” and “reparations for those who suffered damages.”

Of course, those amounts are inflated by a considerable amount, but there is a lot of money that you don’t have to pay to begin with.

To put it simply, “I was supposed to buy it for 100,000 ploe, but I couldn’t, so you have to pay me 100,000 ploe. I was supposed to sell the 100,000 ploe product for 110,000 ploe, so pay that 110,000 ploe I was planning to sell it for. The total loss is 210,000 ploe.” That’s what their argument boils down to. Who would be satisfied with such a childish calculation?

Even if you were planning to purchase 100,000 ploe’s worth of items and sell them for 110,000, then even if you pay the maximum compensation, 110,000 ploe compensation would be fine. It is impossible to calculate and claim compensation for the same product multiple times. But they are doing the impossible. And the other party says nothing. They can order around the Lady of House Caan, as she’s so frightened and acquiescent, they will get her to pay what they demand.

“Is that so…?” Floto muttered. “Is that the consensus of the Lubek Assembly?”

“Of course it is!” Ferdinand cried, rising from his seat. “It’s a formal bill passed unanimously!”

In response, Floto von Caan quietly nodded. The councilors, who understood that she had swallowed the reparations smiled widely. You can get a lot of money without working hard. Let the neighboring feudal lord blow bubbles in shock.

At this rate, they’re starting to think of cooperating from here on out to get rid of House Caan and the Caanza Trading Firm, taking them both for all they’re worth.

“I think it’s about time…” Floto said. “In truth, today we are planning a ceremony to broadly inform the residents of Lubek about the pirate subjugation and the lifting of the maritime blockade. Please join us in the ceremony.”

Floto’s words… the chairman and the councilors were dumbfounded. What the hell is this little girl talking about? She may be too confused.

“It’s a ceremony prepared by House Caan… very well,” Ferdinand said. “Gentlemen, let us participate, shall we?”

“Oh, oooh…” they murmur in agreement.

“Yes, indeed…”

Ferdinand invites them with the intent of mocking the ceremony. The councilors also recovered their senses and began to understand and play along with the chairman’s idea.

What kind of ceremony would House Caan do, when they should not have prepared anything? They can’t do anything big anyway. That’s why they’re making fools of themselves. Participate in the ceremony and make fun of how boring it is. If that happens, House Caan will become more and more atrophied and should be left to Lubek’s will. Those who thought so triumphantly left the interrogation hall and followed Floto’s lead.

They exit the Council Hall after Floto. Thinking about it carefully, the 1 butler and 2 maids that Floto had brought with her had disappeared, but the councilors of Lubek didn’t even notice such a thing.

When you leave the Council Hall that sat on a slightly higher elevation, you can see the town of Lubek. Before they knew it, the town was overflowing with people and it was very crowded. As if it were a festival, people were lined up outside and looking at the sea.

What is there in the water? People are gathering to get a place with a good view from the low-lying town, but you can also see the sea from the high-resting Council Hall. They could see something approaching from the other side of the sea.

“Hmm? What is that?”

“A ship… huh?”

Bit by bit… they could imagine that it was a ship when I saw the shadow gradually getting bigger from afar. Those who rule Lubek know the maritime trade. As expected, they knew that much.

“Hmm… what is that thing…?”

Ships are nothing new to the people of Lubek, a port city. Recently, they’re used to seeing the latest large ships, such as the caravel and carrack ships owned by House Caan. Just seeing a few ships doesn’t surprise them anymore. But…….

“What the? That boat’s speed…?”

“That’s rather fast…”

“Hey… that ship… isn’t it ridiculously big?”

“Impossible! That ship speed with that size of a hull!?”

As the ships gradually approached…they realized that the types far surpassed their common sense. As the ships sailed in 4 lines, leading them was a gigantic ship type that they had never seen before. It’s even bigger than the state-of-the-art gigantic carrack ship. And despite its size, it is incredibly fast.

Behind the 4 leading ships were 2 familiar carracks each, 8 distributed among 4 rows. In addition, there were 8 caravel ships, 2 each behind them. Each line is a huge ship that they had never seen before. Behind them are 2 carrack ships and 2 caravel ships.

The fleet, no, the fleets of ships were heading straight for Lubek with flawless single-formation movement.