Chapter 781 Undercurrent
“The bigger the storm, the more expensive the fish.”
Wang Yi felt the solemnity of the scene and couldn't help but chuckle in his heart.
For these high-ranking figures, let alone the fact that the incident happened between the Kingdom of Ida and the Principality of Dia, what would it matter even if there was a conflict between the Principality of Kton and someone else?
As long as they don't fight with their neighbors next door and don't let things happen around them, they will still have their own way to make money.
You can even find a random excuse to speed up the accumulation.
In fact, Wang Yi was quite curious about the information Shalltia had previously obtained from the Merchant Guild.
As it turned out, some unscrupulous businessmen took the opportunity to use some "good" news to make some moves.
Because most of the resources are in the hands of the nobles and wealthy merchants, they can easily drive up prices as long as they reach a tacit agreement to form an alliance. This is a trick that has long been used out of date.
If it is some other things that are driving up prices, it's fine. At most, the quality of life will decline, and you can just wait and see.
But food is something that is closely related to survival, and every time there is a problem with it, it can leave a simple but tragic mark in history books.
Just a few words of description represent thousands of people starving to death, a true human tragedy!
But all this is completely unimportant to some people, because they have already squeezed everything out of the dead with the food in their hands.
What does it matter to them how many people die? If they can continue to gain benefits by continuing the conflict, they will fight until the end of time.
Even if the Principality of Kerton chooses to provide some humanitarian food aid at that time, it will not have any impact on them. At that time, the Principality will use its own tax revenue to buy food from them and send it over, which will give them more room for maneuver.
It’s impossible to let them do it for free!
This made Wang Yi look at Earl Luke, whose tone became increasingly serious.
This guy is really good at what he does. He is a pretty good lord.
Although Earl Luke is the supreme commander of the eastern part of the Principality of Kerton, a powerful lord with the power to confer titles, and has all the power to himself, after repelling the Flamebird, he has almost secured his position as the number one master of the Principality of Kerton.
But, things are ultimately done by people. Even a great lord like him who has highly concentrated power in all parties will encounter a lot of resistance if he forcibly suppresses the groups under him that already have common interests.
Many times, the problem cannot be solved as simply and brutally as killing.
Compromise is an art in itself.
No matter how strong Luke is, even if he is the best in the East, he doesn't have the ability to clone himself. If he really gains unanimous resistance from those below, he will probably be completely in the dark about the outside world.
But of course, since Luke was able to hold his current position at such a young age, he must have a group of trusted confidants at his disposal. Coupled with his own strength and status, this pressure caused the originally cheerful banquet scene to become somewhat solemn.
But soon, the president of the Merchants Guild, Doyle, took the lead in breaking the solemnity.
"What the Earl said is true. The price of grain has already increased threefold, and it cannot go up any further. If it continues like this, there will be chaos."
After he started, others immediately followed suit and expressed their agreement and approval.
However, Wang Yi could see that the president of the Merchants Guild did not actually support Earl Luke. The main purpose of his words was "it can't grow any longer". Of course, it won't fall either!
At least it seems that we won’t see it in the short term!
Most of the people who followed suit were from this interest group, and with so many followers, their voices soon spread throughout the entire banquet.
Luke took a calm look and nodded, then raised his glass and said
"Well, I would like to thank you all for your cooperation."
After saying that, he took a sip.
Obviously, when faced with some things, even he, the number one man in the East, needs to compromise.
The scene instantly returned to its happy atmosphere, and there was no sign that it had initially experienced a round of rumors and secret confrontations that affected the lives of the entire East people.
In the end, both sides compromised and got what they wanted.
The atmosphere at the meeting naturally became harmonious.
As the music started, everyone turned back into polite and smiling gentlemen...
"The nobles still have the same look on their faces."
Wang Yi also smiled and took a sip of wine, reminiscing about the situation in the other world and commemorating his lost youth.
Mike next to him couldn't help but look a little embarrassed when he heard Wang Yi's voice.
He has always claimed to be a descendant of the nobility, and in fact, he is the same. The music score incident has already appeared once before.
In fact, he was also involved in the price gouging and hoarding of supplies this time. After all, the Bards Guild was quite fast in understanding intelligence, at least on the surface. He knew about such major events no slower than the Thieves Guild.
He even used this news to win over a few familiar nobles.
It's just that he didn't have much money, so he just mixed in the soup.
Combined with the money he borrowed, the several times return rate did make him feel a little resentful towards Count Luke at the beginning.
But now after hearing what Wang Yi said, he calmed down. It was already good enough to get this chance, and it was nothing to quit while the going was good.
Just like the previous music score, I hit such a hard wall. If I don’t appreciate it, Count Luke’s hard wall will be even harder!
After all, not everyone found the opportunity to complete the harvest this time. If the negotiations failed, he would team up with another group of people to complete the cleansing, and all the money earned would become a waste.
It’s good that we have found a solution that both parties can accept.
"Master Yi, according to the rhythm of a normal banquet, I will start playing soon. If I am not mistaken, when the important people present gifts to Miss Countess, they will also give your music as a gift."
Mike quickly reminded Wang Yi again, and sure enough, not long after, the butler Pusen came over and greeted both of them with a smile.
"I'll trouble you two then. The organ is ready. I'll give it to you as a return gift after the banquet."
"Haha, don't worry, Mr. Pusen. I am also an old actor in banquets. I would like to trouble you to remind Master Yi a few things."
Mike laughed, seeming very natural.
And what Pusen and Wang Yi said was exactly as Mike had guessed before, which was to wait until Barbara received the gifts and use it as the ending song.
Soon, Mike appeared in the center of the venue with his organ and was greeted with cheers. Wang Yi could even see many ladies and celebrities winking at him. It seems that although this old guy's character is not that good, he still has good popularity.
A guy who clearly wants to make things difficult for me at first, but can immediately turn around and start licking me afterwards, this guy must have good relationships with others...
As Mike performed, Wang Yi also found that his level was indeed quite outstanding.
The rhythm of the organ in his hands, the steps of his feet, the joyful expression on his face, and the high-pitched range that is completely different from the sad wind, all show perfect technique.
There should also be some unique breathing method that can specifically enhance the voice and lung capacity. The technique and singing skills are all there. The story of Count Luke fighting off the flamingo was sung, and the atmosphere on the scene was captured perfectly.
Even the little birthday girl, Barbara, had a face full of pride and joy at this moment. This was her father's greatest achievement, and she grew up listening to this story.
However, Wang Yi could see that although Count Luke was listening with a smile on his face, he seemed to be sighing.
It seems that the attack of the Flamebird was indeed planned by someone, and he himself knew it clearly.
Although the situation is very positive now, it is also a kind of flattery.
Such a young top knight has the potential to become a legend!
So, does your Principality of Kerton want to become the Kerton Empire?
It's normal for an empire to occupy the entire Aster Plain, right?
It is not clear which party did this, but this can be considered an open conspiracy to some extent.
Even the Principality of Nott, which has been at peace with Kerton for twenty years, will probably be wary. This is not something that can be solved simply by showing goodwill and making promises.
You can't even show any resistance to this matter, otherwise it would be like trying to hide something.
Tsk tsk~
The attack five years ago, to some extent, planted a seed, a seed that could explode at any time. All it needed was an opportunity.
In fact, the recent conflict between the Kingdom of Edai and the Principality of Dia can already be used as a trigger...
Wang Yi glanced at the wealthy businessmen and noble ladies in the venue, with a smile on his face.
Although none of them are as big as Weber's cockroach, and none of them are at the heroic level, they are all considered top-level professional levels.
With Luke's strength at the Hero level, if he didn't have extremely strong concealment skills, he would probably be easily detected by anyone hostile to him.
But the professional class does not actively use breathing techniques to draw on magic power, so it is really hard to see anything under normal circumstances.
And these participants who sneaked into the banquet did not seem to be instinctive, and there was no magical aura. It should be a purely physical disguise.
The legendary human skin mask?
If the body and face shapes also need to match, there may be some unique breathing method that can change .
He is a very professional assassin.
This lineup, if used to launch an unexpected attack, would indeed be a threat to a strong warrior who has just entered the heroic stage, as the best performance range would hit the opponent's lowest performance range.
But for Count Luke, who was able to repel the Flamebird, that was almost impossible.
If they weren't planning to give it away for free, they might have some other tricks and backup plans.
Tsk tsk~
What a good excuse! Earl Luke's pressure caused dissatisfaction among the nobles below and he was assassinated. This is your own problem in the Principality of Kedun. You can't blame anyone else...
