Chapter 170 Business Plan Finalized
Soon, Ryan finished writing the contract and signed his name.
Although this may seem a bit rude, for the safety of his allies, he decided to act cautiously first and then behave himself.
He handed over the contract and explained to the puzzled Madam Canossa: "Madam, although this is very rude, it is indeed a matter of great importance. Please forgive my offense. But I can guarantee that if we can cooperate, this is a business that is also of vital importance to the 'Black Gold Chamber of Commerce'..."
“…”
If it were anyone else, Canossa would have ignored such rude behavior.
The negotiations haven’t even started and no information has been revealed, yet we’re going to sign an agreement?
What? Are you trying to establish a country secretly?
But the young doctor in front of her was someone she couldn't complain about at all. After all, he was the one who saved her life.
After reading the contract and finding no special terms, she held the pen with her newly healed right arm and signed her full name.
Then, Canossa narrowed his eyes at Ryan and said unhappily, "Okay, now that the contract is signed, can you tell me what happened to your territory?"
As she spoke, she did not forget to complain: "My dear Dr. Ryan, you are so mysterious, don't tell me you are planning to establish a country..."
She really didn't expect that her complaints would actually come true.
…
Ryan looked at the magic lines on the contract and measured them, then heaved a sigh of relief.
He expressed his thoughts in the most concise way: "I have discovered another pass that can cross the 'Alcolon Mountains', and then together with Her Royal Highness the Princess and the Coleman tribe, I plan to establish a new free territory there that does not belong to any force. So... I would like to consult Madam, and use your professional business perspective to see how to plan the future business of our territory..."
This is a very polite statement. It is said to be a suggestion, but in fact it is just hinting at the feasibility of cooperation.
Now the mainstream businesses of the two empires are controlled by official chambers of commerce. Even if Ryan and his men were to trade, they would certainly be restricted by the nobles at every turn.
But if they can get the "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" on board, it will definitely bring a qualitative leap to their territory construction.
"A new pass? Are you really planning to establish a country?"
When Canossa heard this, his expression immediately became serious.
She also knew that Princess Ymir was planning to establish a principality. But judging from the current situation, if she wanted to build a city west of the Alcoron Mountains, the five major families in Glory City would never give her a chance to gain a foothold and a share of the pie.
But now, they have found another way and found another "pass"!
No wonder Ryan was so cautious, so this is the reason.
This is indeed a "big secret" that deserves to be treated with caution!
But at the same time, she turned her eyes and saw the difficulties involved.
Establishing a completely new territory, especially in a place west of the Alcolon Mountains where large machinery cannot pass, is a hundred times more difficult than building it within the two empires!
"But...if it's just a new pass, the geographical location is indeed there. But if you want to build a city, there is still a long way to go. Are you asking if my Chamber of Commerce can help you build the city?"
Canossa said, looking at Ryan.
She would not refuse this life-saving favor no matter what, even though it seemed like a very risky deal for her Chamber of Commerce.
She frowned and thought deeply, muttering: "In that case, it's not that I can't help you, but..."
A new "pass" means that a second Glorious City may be built.
But it's just... maybe!
After all, the two empires would never sit idly by and watch the Second Glorious City grow beyond their control.
But if you want to build a city, it will cause a lot of noise... It won't be easy to hide it from others.
But she didn't expect that before she could express her concerns, Ryan's words dispelled them.
…
"As for building a city, Madam, you don't have to worry too much. We already have the foundation of a mechanical city over there. As long as we can gain a firm foothold, we should be able to build a territory that can accommodate more than 100,000 residents in no time..."
Ryan didn't go into detail about the wreckage of the airship, but said, "What I want to discuss with you, Madam, is how to develop business in our geographical location after the mechanical city is built. You are a professional in this regard... If possible, we would also like to cooperate with your 'Black Gold Chamber of Commerce'."
"Ah... you have already built the mechanical city?"
Canossa just felt that it was unlikely. If there really was such a big move as building a new mechanical city, it would be impossible for him to have heard no news at all.
This is because if you want to establish a completely new territory in the wilderness, even the smallest one, the amount of human and material resources required is extremely exaggerated.
What’s more, it’s west of the Alcolon Mountains, which are across mountains and hills!
This is something that even Princess Omar could not accomplish even if she used the royal family's resources.
This made Canossa even more curious. Where exactly was the mechanical city they chose? How could it have been built without anyone noticing ?
She asked curiously, "Where exactly is your territory?"
Ryan took out a map and pointed out the location of the "Kalatwa Basin".
“It’s actually here!”
Kanosa naturally saw the advantages and disadvantages of the geographical environment there at a glance, and exclaimed in disbelief, "That is a very dangerous fog area in the Sid Empire. How did you find that pass?!"
"This is a very complicated matter. I will explain it to you in detail later."
Ryan didn't dwell on this issue any further.
But since Canossa has expressed the willingness to cooperate, he did not hesitate and said directly: "Now that my allies are already in this basin, they should have established a firm foothold. So I think I need a strong business partner..."
Hearing this, Canossa did not answer in a hurry, but asked solemnly in a dark tone: "Dr. Ryan, are you serious?"
Ryan nodded: "Yes."
“…”
Hearing this, Canossa frowned slightly, and said nothing more, his mind racing with thoughts.
Now their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" is coveted by the old nobles of the two empires, and the situation is indeed difficult.
Moreover, if they want to develop business west of the Alcolon Mountains, they have to consider the opinion of the City of Glory.
Now it seems that the City of Glory has colluded with Omar. In the future, this piece of fat meat will fall into the mouth of the "Sunflower Chamber of Commerce", and they will not give any to the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce.
But now... this problem has taken a huge turn for the better!
If, as Dr. Ryan said, the pass really existed, and a mechanical city had been built that could stand firm in that dangerous area, then...
This means that all shackles will be broken!
This is not just about expanding a new market, it also provides their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" with a crucial breakthrough point.
Relying on the strength of their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce", some powerful allies and the unique geographical location.
She was very confident that within a few years, it might really develop into the second City of Glory!
No!
With the full support of their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" to attract investment, not to mention the strength in other aspects, at least in terms of business, they will be able to catch up with the City of Glory in a short period of time, or even better!
…
"I plan to allow free trade in the territory, but in the early stages I will definitely need to attract some trusted businesses..."
"I don't trust others, so..."
“…”
Ryan briefly talked about his plan, but he was also a layman in business and was not sure about the feasibility of his ideas, so he asked again: "So, ma'am, do you think we can reach a cooperation?"
The idea of cooperation he proposed was still in its infancy. Although he thought of some aspects, it was definitely not as comprehensive as what Canossa, a professional, had thought of.
Upon hearing this, Canossa responded decisively: "Of course!"
"Oh? That's great."
Ryan's face lit up with joy and heaved a sigh of relief.
He pointed to the map again and said, "Of course, that pass is within the territory of the Theed Empire, which may be a bit troublesome."
Hearing this, Canossa shook his head and disagreed with this statement: "No, no, no! This is not a trouble, but a convenience."
Ryan looked at her, slightly puzzled: "???"
Kanosa smiled in response and explained, "Compared to the Omar Empire, Sid is the focus of our Black Gold Chamber of Commerce! The pass is located there, so we can transport all the materials for the development of your territory more conveniently..."
When Ryan heard this, he thought she was doing him a favor, "Then...thank you so much."
Canossa smiled and said, "No, I agree to cooperate not only because of you. This is also a win-win choice for our Black Gold Chamber of Commerce."
By the time she reached this point, the lady's keen intuition as a professional businessman had already made her slightly excited.
The geographical location of that pass is very advantageous. If a city is built in this territory, their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" will have a real safe haven.
By then, no matter how much pressure the two great empires of Sid and Omar put on us, there will be a way out.
Therefore, once she went out to confirm the authenticity of the matter, she even planned to move the headquarters of the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce and all the focus of the chamber of commerce in the future to that "new city"!
This is not only a way of repaying a favor, but also a huge benefit.
For Canossa, both Ryan and Her Royal Highness the Princess are ten thousand times better partners than those greedy old nobles.
…
At this time, Ryan thought again that once trade was opened, a new territory with a strategic position equal to that of Glory City would definitely threaten the interests of the five major families, and all forces such as Sid and Omar would definitely not sit idly by.
He had not yet thought of the level that Canossa was considering, and asked with a slightly worried look: "Then...will our cooperation bring unnecessary trouble to your Chamber of Commerce?"
"If we don't cooperate, those guys won't come to trouble Black Gold?"
Canossa smiled disapprovingly.
In order to let Ryan clearly understand the strength of the "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce", she added: "In fact, a few years ago, I was wary of those old nobles who would swallow our chamber of commerce as 'fat meat'. After all, you know, unless you are a top old noble, no one can keep such a large amount of enviable wealth. So our Black Gold Chamber of Commerce has been very low-key over the years. But the business is getting bigger and bigger, and it has attracted the attention of some people..."
Ryan listened with a slightly serious expression.
Greed is human nature, especially for those high-ranking nobles who are used to controlling everything. They will never allow the existence of ordinary people who are richer than themselves.
A chamber of commerce that is rich enough to rival a country but has no political foundation is simply a piece of fat meat that can be manipulated at will.
Now that they are fattened up, they are ready to be killed.
Canossa continued, "Although I have spent money to buy several high-ranking titles over the years, compared to those old-established noble groups that have been entangled with each other for thousands of years through marriage and interests... it is still not worth mentioning. I can't even break into the core noble circle."
“…”
Ryan listened without saying anything, but fell into deep thought.
He was also surprised that Canossa, a businessman, had already considered all these aspects.
He was also deeply aware that the aristocratic class system in this world had become solidified.
Like dukes, princes, and various lords... those high-ranking nobles, their titles are almost all hereditary and depend on bloodline and surname.
Even some of the poor and destitute high-ranking nobles were more arrogant and noble than the lower-ranking nobles who were a hundred times richer than them because of their noble surnames.
The marriages between high-ranking nobles were also in a closed loop. They would never marry commoners or even low-ranking nobles, in order to preserve their so-called noble "pure aristocratic bloodline".
The upper class almost never intermarries with the lower class, which has led to almost all resources being concentrated in the hands of a few top nobles, and the poor will never have a chance to rise!
This is also one of the reasons why social contradictions are becoming increasingly irreconcilable.
It's not just a few families, but a huge chain of interests.
The most important obstacle to the failure of Emperor Omar's reforms lies here.
He touched the interests of the old nobles, which actually affected all the beneficiaries in the entire interest chain!
But now, isn't the "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" facing a comprehensive encirclement by the two empires?
…
Top businessmen like Canossa have obviously long been aware of the interests of this "aristocratic closed loop".
It was impossible to break it, so she also thought of a good way to deal with it.
Canossa added: "So... in the past few years, I have spent a lot of money to secretly amend some of Sid's laws to make them serve our Chamber of Commerce. I also pulled a group of local old nobles to tie them to the Chamber of Commerce chariot..."
"What? You... secretly changed the law?"
When Ryan heard her method and thought about it carefully, he was truly amazed.
Spend money to change the law?
Tie local lords to a vested interest?
Holy shit... Are Mrs. Canossa's methods so advanced?
No wonder Canossa spoke of the "Sunflower Chamber of Commerce" with such disdain before, it turns out he was well prepared!
The status of those local lords was originally equivalent to that of "local emperors".
They claim to be loyal to the imperial power, but they are actually like vassal states. Once their vital interests are harmed, these lords can do anything crazy!
The old aristocratic circles were united against the outside world. That's right, they were targeting people like Spurgeon XV who wanted to take a bite of all their aristocratic pie.
But even if there are no external conflicts, they are not united internally.
Interests are the best way to achieve internal differentiation.
After all, business is also regional.
The "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" gave up its interests to some local nobles, achieving a win-win cooperation.
At this time, if some high-ranking nobles in the imperial capital wanted to swallow up the Black Gold Chamber of Commerce, it would directly damage the interests of the local nobles.
You are a noble from the imperial capital. Why do you want to cut off the financial resources of my local nobles? Who gave you the face?
The conflict between merchants and nobles directly turned into a dispute over interests among nobles.
This method is really clever!
He also secretly felt fortunate that such a powerful figure was an ally, not an enemy.
…
Obviously, Canossa also regarded Ryan as the most important partner of their "Black Gold Chamber of Commerce" in the future, and she became more and more serious when talking about business.
The two hit it off and began to discuss the details.
"The mountain road leading to the pass is very steep, which will cause trouble for transportation..."
"The Colemans are good at taming magical beasts, so this won't be a big problem."
"So...are those Coleman people trustworthy?"
"No problem at all."
"What about the Radiant City?"
“Although we don’t want to fight, whether it’s me, Ymir, or the Coleman clan, we are all mortal enemies with the five major families of Glory City. Moreover, they will definitely not let us grow stronger…”
"Oh, that's great. I also plan to settle accounts with those guys who stabbed me in the back..."
"What about this agreement?"
"sign!"
"By the way, forgive me for asking one more question. Would the president of your Black Gold Chamber of Commerce agree to this important resolution?"
"The president is my father."
"Oh, that's no problem."
