Alien world

Chapter 1840, Section 473: Free City and the Mutual Aid Alliance of Various Forces

"Let's form a mutual aid alliance in the western part of Middle-earth, with Liberty City at the forefront..."

Olmedo, standing beside him, spoke eloquently. Annan smiled, recalling Olmedo's mention of a so-called "mutual aid alliance," which seemed to be a loose cooperation mainly based on trade.

Selling arms is also part of trade, right?

The first person seated on the left was Claire. As an ally, and one of the most important ones, the Duchy was naturally a member of the "Mutual Aid Alliance."

As for why the one who came wasn't the real Grand Duke—Girardi was being held in confinement by Claire.

Whatever the reason, it would be too much to raise the white flag at the first sign of war.

Olmedo consulted with the lords on issues such as trade, commerce, opening up routes, and joint defense, focusing mainly on commerce, while glossing over the issue of defending against external enemies, which was of most concern to the lords.

"We are willing to invest in Liberty City!"

The lords had no choice but to resort to the universal solution used throughout the Allen world: spending money.

Annan thought to himself, "That's wishful thinking. Free City is in its development phase; you can make money doing anything, even just buying a house and waiting for its value to appreciate. What's the difference between you investing and just sharing the pie?"
But Olmedo agreed without hesitation, sharing the profits with them.

Annan didn't interrupt, waiting to see what Olmedo would say next.

Several tens of minutes later, the mutual aid alliance agreement was signed in the presence of Claire.

Liberty City and the Alliance of Factions

1. Liberty City will assess the stability of its alliance members and consider whether to build Liberty Street.

2. Goods from Liberty City may not be subject to miscellaneous taxes within the territories of Alliance members, and the commercial tax shall not exceed 5%.

3. Liberty City has priority in purchasing land and property in the territories of Alliance members.

4. Residents of Free City can freely enter and exit the territories of alliance members, as long as they report it.

5. Alliance members should proactively protect the properties of Liberty City within their territory and must not obstruct or condone hostile forces that cause damage.

5.…

6.…

There are more than a dozen such rights, all of which are enjoyed by the Free City. In return, the Free City must also help alliance members defend against external enemies and help lords seek refuge when it is available.

Overall, however, it is still an unequal treaty, almost stating outright that "Free City residents enjoy privileges equivalent to those of nobles in the territories of Alliance members."

"Isn't this going too far?" Annan whispered to himself.

Olmedo whispered, "They should thank us."

"Thank you so much, thank you so much..."

A minor lord, having just signed the contract, couldn't wait to express his gratitude, his fawning smile almost overflowing.

In the eyes of nobles, commoners are resources they can dispose of at will, with the power to decide their life or death. But in the eyes of the great nobles, nobles are no different from commoners.

Clearly, in their eyes, a lord like Annam, who owns a floating city, countless industries, and chats with the empire with ease, is a great nobleman.

Such a noble family is actually willing to help, and all they ask is not to hinder the business plan, and they even offer to pay a 5% business tax. What's the difference between them and a paladin who gives without expecting anything in return?!

Oh, Annan Reeves seems to be a squire of the Holy Grail Knights, and also the Holy Son of the Church of Wealth... He's one of our own! My great-grandfather was a follower of the Lady!

A smile, a nod, and a handshake – these three gestures, used alternately, can make lords feel respected, and the slight pang of regret at having to spend money vanishes as soon as they shake Annan's healing hand.

After having Losi escort the lords back to the embassy, ​​Annan asked Olmedo about his plans. Olmedo replied, "I'll entrust them with investing in those high-risk, low-return projects."

Annan understood.

Not all projects at Mushroom House are profitable. Besides bicycles and magic trains, there are projects involving military industry that are obviously lucrative, and then there are projects that just sit in the warehouse gathering dust and no one cares about them.

For example, massage chairs, seeders, sprinklers—and projects that require long-term investment to see results.

Although the Mushroom House has enough funds, Annan's money doesn't come from thin air—if he can empty other people's pockets to do his own thing, why not do it?
Of course, if a lucky person really does make a lot of money from the research project, they can be used as a model for publicity.

However, the minor lords really didn't have much to offer, and the twenty-odd lords only managed to scrape together a little over 100,000 gold nars... which wasn't a small amount by outsiders, but it was still not enough in Annan's eyes.

Let's just consider it a good deed.

Olmedo told Annan not to rush, that the "Liberty City and the Alliance of Mutual Aid to Various Forces" was a model, and that as Liberty City's influence grew, new members could be added to it continuously.

The Mutual Aid Alliance ranks in the middle in Free City's external relations: it is better than the trading partners with Free Streets, but inferior to true allies such as the Duchy and the Kingdom of Dimon.

In any case, Liberty City will never lose out.

Seeing so many lords willingly become his vassals, the Free City's reach expanded more than tenfold, even approaching the borders of the Empire, and Annam's ambitions swelled accordingly.

"I am the King of Freedom!"

“You are only the king of a region, not the supreme king,” Olmedo said, pouring cold water on the idea.

Who can predict the future?

Annan gazed at the bustling bay, his eyes sparkling with the unique confidence of a young man.

……

The next day, Ingrid led the lords to visit the Mushroom House and, incidentally, to choose a research topic.

Later, a lord broke away from the party and went to see Annam in private.

Earl Collins is the highest-ranking of the twenty-seven lords in the east, and his territory includes a town with a population of over ten thousand.

He spent a fortune on a bunch of research projects and spent three thousand gold nars to buy an entire mansion in exchange for the opportunity to spend time alone with Annan.

Even if he didn't do this, Annan would still see him, so the count probably has something to ask Annan.

As expected, during the greeting, Earl Collins said, "I send my regards on behalf of Frannin."

"Francin...the half-elf treasurer from the Principality of Keating?"

Upon receiving confirmation, Annan couldn't help but recall the scene when he first met Franning in Breeze.

He was undoubtedly the big shot at the banquet, surrounded by the city's nobles, chatting happily with Olmedo, while he himself could only sit in a corner, ignored by everyone...

Although there were several contacts later, and they almost reached a trade agreement, unfortunately, they encountered conservative and pedantic nobles who did not approve of the Free City's ideals. In addition, after the alliance between Free City and the Elven Court broke down unhappily, the Kingdom of Dimon made some sarcastic remarks, and the relationship turned cold.

However, Annan had a good impression of the finance minister—the 50 Susan spinning machines he had purchased had helped Annan a great deal.

"How is Mr. Franning?"

Count Collins gave a wry smile: "Not good. The Duchy of Keating is too far from the gods and too close to chaos. Every day we open our eyes to face ratmen and demons."

(End of this chapter)