Chapter 214: New Deal [2]

"I called you to offer a new deal since the old one had expired a few months ago."The air around the pavilion turned serious.

"Your Majesty, we would gladly accept if the deal is favourable for us as well. The merchants would be pleased to know if they were offered a favourable deal."

Barnabas remained calm under the observant and cold gaze of the Emperor but the same couldn't be said for David Costa, who froze out of fear.

Harsha returned to normal again, letting David breathe a sigh of relief.

"It would be favourable. A good deal would be favourable to both parties." Harsha commented. "Don't you agree, General Barnabas?"

The general folded his arms and nodded thoughtfully. "I wholeheartedly agree, Your Majesty."

"So what do you say? How do you want to proceed with the new deal?"

Barnabas knew he needed some good terms in this deal. The last deal was far from favourable. He didn't underestimate the Emperor like the last time. He was a tough negotiator.

The meek display of his power and smiling face won't fool him to let his guard down this time.

"The spices should be given at a discount. I will encourage the merchants to buy it in bulk."

Harsha thought for a while. "Hmm.. I was waiting for the harvest." He sighed. "It seems I have underestimated the supply of spices we possess. We have too much to sell this season."

"Then, how about a 30% discount of the price from the last deal?"

'The price is already at a low point this time. 30% should be an okay deal for bulk order.'

Harsha thought.

"30% is an acceptable discount." Harsha accepted with a smile.

Barnabas was taken aback by the relatively easy negotiation. He expected back and forth with the Emperor.

He also had his eyes on something else that caught his interest. He received the letter from the Emperor written on high-quality paper. It was several times better than anything he had ever used.

Barnabas had knowledge of the papermaking process and its quality throughout Europe. He knew the paper made by the Empire was better than all the others.

He wanted to get his hands on this precious commodity.

He was surprised that the Empire, which didn't have much paper-making capacity, suddenly created such high-quality paper.

'I have to get it.'

In truth, the paper was a bait used by Harsha to lure him to give him a reason to think that the deal would be lucrative.

"The spice part should be okay. Do you need any other goods?" Harsha asked.

Viswa was diligently noting down the report in the meetings. He already calculated the prices of the spices.

Barnabas took out the letter he received from Harsha.

"We would want to strike a deal for this paper."

"This paper?"

Harsha smiled, knowing that his bait was successful.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This paper is such a high-quality commodity. We are ready to pay high prices to acquire this." Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

"Even the method of making it as well."

"It is a strenuous process to make it." Harsha sighed. "So it's a limited commodity used in the Palace."

"I see.." Barnabas looked dejected.

"Don't you worry." Harsha handed a different paper, knowing that Barnabas would fall for his bait. "This is easier to make. We can give you this in bulk."

The general touched and inspected the quality. He was sure it was higher quality than the ones made in Europe.

'

This is also good. How did they manage to make it?'

"We will offer this paper at 20% higher than the selling price of your paper." Harsha said with a dark smile on his face.

He knew that the Europeans were charging higher prices than usual for paper in the Subcontinent. This was his way of taking back the money siphoned off.

"20%???? That's too high." Barnabas exclaimed.

"20% is fair, General. The paper is of considerable higher quality. We are going by the prices "you" offered us in the first place." He smirked.

Barnabas quickly shut up. If he wanted the paper. He had to endure the high price.

'Fuck! We shouldn't have overcharged in the first place. It came back to bite us in the back.'

They went ahead, discussing more about the terms of the deal and drafting an agreement for the deal.

Harsha had a wry smile on his face, as if waiting for something to happen. Barnabas was concerned by the look but decided not to overthink.

Suddenly a servant came running into the discussion.

Viswa got up and asked. "What is it?"

The servant had a letter in his hands. "Letter for the White Man." He said. Huffing heavily.

Harsha smiled and translated it for Barnabas. "It's a letter for the general. It seems urgent by the look. You may read it."

Barnabas unfurled the letter and his expression turned grim quickly.

'Daman was attacked at this time??. The Empire is also invading the Sultanate. What the Hell happened.'

He cursed inwardly.

He read further. The ships had their nationals. The supplies were limited as they were mostly burnt down by the rebels.

They were requesting help from him to do something about this current situation. The ships were armed and had soldiers.

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The empire wouldn't allow them to make a stop here as it would undermine their security. This was a major issue.

'Fuck, what do I do?.'

Harsha had a concerned look.

"General, did something happen?"

Doubts clouded his head. The timing of the Emperor's letter and the invasion of the Sultanate seemed too good to be coincidental. Also, the high-quality paper that wasn't for sale used to write to him.

Barnabas had to make a choice here. He couldn't let the nobles in the ship die. It would create a huge storm back home. He has to bite his tongue and ask for help from the Emperor to make a stop in Goa.

He explained the situation to Harsha.

"Oh.. Ofcourse. You can refill your supplies at Goa." Harsha smirked.

"What do you want in return?" Asked Barnabas.

The deal would come at a cost.

"Give us the engineers responsible for fortifying Daman."

Barnabas was taken back by the cost.

It wasn't gold or anything else. They wanted knowledge of fortifications. The Portuguese fortifications were only second to Spanish and Italians. They were one of the best in the business.

"You can reject it if you want to and let your soldiers starve till you reach your next base."

Barnabas looked into the eyes of the Emperor. He felt like a child playing in his palm. He was completely defeated.

"We accept."

Harsha chuckled heartily. "Good decision, General."

'This monster planned all this.'

Trade Terms

1. Price and Quantity: The Kingdom of Portugal shall pay 2.59 kg of silver for every hundredweight (50.8 kg) of spices received from the Empire of Vijayanagara, covering all spices under a grouped rate with a 30% reduction from prior terms.

2. Paper Sale: The Empire of Vijayanagara shall sell paper to Portugal at a 20% markup above the current European market prices.

3. Port Access at Goa: The Kingdom of Portugal may use the Port of Goa for restocking and temporary refuge for up to 3 months. In exchange, Portugal will provide engineers for the fortification of Daman for a one-year period.