69novels Chapter 180 Maritime Projects
Chapter 180 Maritime Projects
Chapter 180 Maritime Projects
The swaying of the carriage naturally caused a shift in the view.
Only the human heart remains as calm as a lake in the forest.
Impetuous, greedy, and slick – these are the stereotypes people have of businessmen.
Perhaps these words are accurate, but Leo feels they are not suitable for describing himself.
Although he was also a traveling merchant, he could clearly sense that he might be different from ordinary merchants.
At least, he felt he wasn't impetuous.
He is able to view everything he encounters with a calm mind and does not focus solely on personal gain.
Of course, if one didn't pursue wealth and status, why would one become a businessman?
Leo was also profit-driven, but he never abandoned his conscience.
He is a person who understands gratitude and is by no means indifferent.
However, this does not negate his professional competence. As a businessman, Leo believes that his intuition and skills are second to none.
At this moment, he was driving a carriage along the roads of the Blois peninsula.
His purpose was to investigate the planting conditions of various vineyards and to reserve Golden Wine.
The Blois peninsula is famous for its golden grapes, and the wines made from these grapes are also exceptional, making them a highly sought-after trade commodity in the eyes of merchants.
The reason he chose to come here to look for wine was because of a suggestion from a boy.
In Leo's view, what makes merchants money is not exquisite goods, but well-informed information.
If you can obtain certain information before others, you may be able to reap substantial benefits from it.
Therefore, successful businessmen must have extensive connections and be able to hear all kinds of information and rumors.
Leo's fondness for making many friends stemmed from this consideration.
However, the authenticity of the intelligence must be judged by the businessmen themselves.
The ability to sift through countless pieces of junk information to find the valuable one is an essential skill for any businessman.
Leo's purpose in coming here was to verify whether the clues provided by the boy were accurate.
The Blois peninsula is vast, and the region is dotted with estates that grow golden grapes.
In fact, Leo had already inquired about the two manors. Based on the manor owners' descriptions, Leo was basically able to determine that the analysis the boy had given him in the library might not have been unfounded.
Leo, being an extremely prudent businessman, continued his travels to ensure this was not an isolated incident before he dared to fully believe the intelligence.
The afternoon sun in summer made Leo feel hot and bothered.
Wiping away the sweat, he urged his horse forward.
However, he could not deny that the climate on the Blois Peninsula was indeed quite good.
He hadn't been in this land for long, but he discovered that it was sunny and the rainfall was moderate and regular.
No wonder the famous Golden Grapes choose to grow in this land.
It's possible that this year is just an exception, but Leo doesn't need to worry about next year.
His target goods were only this year's golden wine, and besides, he would soon become a maritime merchant, at which point his vision would surely broaden, and he might be able to find goods more suitable for maritime trade.
After walking for a while, he finally arrived at another vineyard.
Leo parked the carriage by the fence and arrived at the gate of the manor.
He tried knocking, but no one answered, so he pushed the door open and went inside.
With a quick glance, he knew why no one answered the door.
The vineyard was now crowded with farmers, who gathered under the grapevines, working meticulously.
Even those dressed as servants or butlers mingled in to help.
The grapes must have grown exceptionally well this year, leading to a shortage of manpower at the estate, which explains this situation.
This further convinced Leo that the golden grapes, which would ripen in half a month, would be of excellent quality.
He stepped forward and initiated a conversation:
"Gentlemen, I am a traveling merchant. I knocked but no one answered, so I entered without permission. Please forgive me."
A man dressed like a butler said, "Please don't mind, sir. The door isn't locked so that guests can enter on their own if we don't hear us asking. So, sir, what brings you here?"
Leo said, "Oh, it's to discuss a business deal with the owner of this manor."
"Then, sir, please come with me, I will take you to see my master."
After speaking, the other party led Leo through a garden path to a mansion.
He asked Leo to wait a moment at the entrance of the mansion, and then went inside alone.
Not long after, the man returned to Leo's side and led him to the study.
Once only Leo and the old man opposite him remained in the room, Leo introduced himself and explained his purpose.
The other person frowned slightly: "You should come back later. This is the crucial time for the grapes to ripen; watering..."
The manor is already busy with pest control and other related work, so there's really no extra time to deal with you.
Leo smiled and said, "But this is all the work of your grape growers, while I'm here to discuss business. It shouldn't interfere with the operation of your estate, right?"
The manor owner fell silent for a few seconds, which proved that he couldn't find a point to refute Leo for the time being.
"You're too early. The golden grapes aren't ripe yet, and the golden wine is already sold out."
Seeing the conversation progressing smoothly into deal negotiations, Leo's expression grew increasingly confident:
"And I'm here to order the gin wine."
"Reservation?"
"That's right, I want to place an order in advance and acquire ownership of your product before it's even manufactured."
The manor owner squinted, looking at Leo with a puzzled expression:
"As far as I know, businessmen's funds are highly liquid."
Leo nodded: "That's right."
"But the golden grapes won't ripen for another two weeks, and the golden wine will take even longer," the estate owner said. "Once you order the golden wine, it will essentially disrupt your cash flow, which is probably not good for you, is it?"
"Sir, you are truly kind-hearted, even considering my needs."
"I don't have time for that," the manor owner narrowed his eyes. "I want to ask, what exactly are you planning?"
"It is said that the golden grapes that grow today must be of the highest quality," Leo replied calmly.
"That's true."
"Therefore, there will definitely be a rush to buy the Golden Grapes and Golden Wine, so I chose to place an order to avoid not being able to get the goods later."
"That's all?"
"My lord, I have a second reason," Leo said. "I hope to sign a contract with you at a price below market value."
"Below market price?" The estate owner frowned. "Do you think I'm a fool? How could I possibly agree to that! Besides, this year's golden grapes are sure to be of exceptional quality!"
“Sir, please listen to me. I have my reasons for bargaining,” Leo said, taking a step toward the other party. “A transaction involves more than just money and products. There is something else involved: risk.”
"risk?"
"Before your product is produced and sold, it is just a pile of fruit whose freshness is gradually decreasing, and its value will naturally decrease day by day. If it is unsold and rots, then these things will become worthless. And that is the risk."
"When have golden grapes and their derivatives ever had trouble selling?"
Leo remained calm: "This is just an example. There are countless kinds of risks, and they always come unexpectedly. You never know when or in what form they will appear."
"Sir, I didn't see a single person carrying a long sword along the way from the manor gate to the residence. Therefore, I'd venture to guess that you haven't hired any mercenaries this year?"
Upon hearing this, the manor lord's face turned ashen, but he didn't utter a single word.
Leo knew he had been right.
"Bandits and thieves are always active during harvest season, sir. You must be extremely worried that they will come to rob your manor, right?"
The manor owner's eyes were filled with hostility, and even his tone was as cold as the night wind:
"What are you trying to say?"
"By signing a reservation contract with me, I will assume your risks. This way, you won't have to worry about robbers coming to steal your golden grapes."
As he spoke, Leo opened his right hand.
"Of course, the risks I bear should also be deducted from the purchase price, which is why I requested a price reduction. Sir, you should now understand that my request is reasonable."
The manor owner did not answer, but as long as he did not immediately refuse, it meant that the other party was interested.
For Leo, this meant that the negotiations had been successful.
If Leo can't even secure a deal with someone he's interested in, he wouldn't deserve to be called a businessman.
Sure enough, when the manor owner spoke again, he asked about Leo's offer.
After some haggling, they finally found a price that was acceptable to both parties.
Leo and the estate owner signed a contract for the agreed price.
Having paid the funds, Leo had achieved his goal and there was no need for him to linger.
So he said goodbye to the manor owner and walked straight out of the manor gate.
He read the contract again beside the carriage and then put it into his pocket.
Looking up, he realized there wasn't enough time for him to reach the next manor, so he decided to head back to Tongue Harbor as soon as possible.
As the setting sun painted the sky red, Leo successfully entered the city.
Leo parked the carriage in the inn's backyard and had a simple dinner in the lobby.
But after that, he did not return to his room, but walked out of the hotel.
For most people, evening is a time to rest, but Leo still had things to take care of.
Leo walked briskly and firmly, clearly very familiar with the path.
In fact, he did travel there many times, and his destination was the port's shipyard.
As for their intentions, it was nothing more than finding a longship.
In a library in O'Brien Bay, Leo secured investment that allowed him to lay the groundwork for the second major phase of his career plan ahead of time.
The manager, Mr. Mosley, gave him a large sum of money so that he could afford a cheap boat.
So ever since he arrived at Tongue Harbor, he has come to the dock every day to look for ships.
Boats are not like cloth shoes; they cannot be made new every day.
Even if Leo visits frequently, it's unlikely he'll see any new ships for sale.
But if a new ship becomes available and happens to meet Leo's needs, he would only be able to regret it if he missed it. Besides, Leo had another reason: to possess knowledge about ships.
In any transaction, having sufficient knowledge of the product is a necessary prerequisite to avoid being ripped off.
Leo previously had limited knowledge of ships, and now he spends every night in the dock trying to acquire relevant knowledge so that he can become an "expert" as soon as possible.
Moreover, Leo will become a captain later. If he is not familiar with ships and the sea, wouldn't he be courting death?
Soon, Leo arrived at the dock.
He first inspected all the ships in the dock.
Aside from the ships that were in the warehouse for repairs, Leo did not see any new ships.
As expected, finding a suitable ship was still too difficult.
Leo was a little unsure whether he could get the boat before the delivery of the ordered gin wine.
Leo grew increasingly uneasy about wanting this place.
Owning a boat is just the first step.
Recruiting crew members, learning to sail, and studying routes all take time.
A sense of urgency kept Leo on his toes. He focused intently on finding captains, sailors, and repairmen coming and going from the dock, talking about ships, navigation, and maritime trade.
Leo had occasionally heard about international smuggling.
International smuggling is not something that traveling merchants would encounter, so Leo knew very little about it before.
To become an international smuggler, one must have a boat.
If they wanted to smuggle goods by land, they could only head east to the Principality of the Holy Envoy.
However, this road must pass through the Coolidge Gorge.
No one can bypass Skyhold Fortress to reach the Eastern Continent, so smuggling by land is a dead end.
However, although Leo has come into contact with some related knowledge, he would never touch these crooked and unorthodox methods.
Gentlemen love fortune, in a proper way.
Leo can honestly say that he has never made any money from food so far.
He talked to people for a long time, but gained very little.
But it was getting late, and he still needed to visit the vineyards near the port during the day, so Leo decided to return to his hotel to rest early.
Just then, someone struck up a conversation with Leo:
"Young man, I've been watching you for a few days now. You seem to be interested in buying a boat?"
Leo looked at the man, a man with a goatee, dressed in a well-tailored suit, whose speech and manners were quite refined. A businessman never refuses to interact with others: "Yes, sir, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Nothing much, I just wanted to ask you what your purpose is in buying the boat?"
"I'm curious about your purpose in asking me these questions," Leo thought to himself, narrowing his eyes.
"I plan to become a maritime merchant."
"Oh? Are there any good maritime trade projects?"
Gathering intelligence? "Not at the moment."
"Ha!" the goatee grinned. "I happen to have a great maritime trade project here. Would you like to participate?"
Leo's traveling businessman's intuition told him that this project was anything but simple.
But if he refuses to listen to anything, he will never achieve his ambitions:
"I'm all ears."
"It'll be a good project, no doubt about it," the goatee shrugged, "but I need to make sure you get involved."
Only then can I tell you.
“But if you don’t tell me what it is, I can’t answer,” Leo said. “I don’t do illegal things.”
"Please rest assured, this is by no means an illegal activity at the moment."
"Temporarily?" Leo frowned.
"If that's the case, I'm willing to participate."
The goatee laughed and said, "In that case, come with me to meet some people."
"Who is it?"
"The Green-Eyed Man".