Industrial Revolution of the Mage Lords

Chapter 504 Ironclad Ship Trade

"Lord City Lord, we haven't seen each other for just over a year, and the North has undergone tremendous changes..."

George Santos, vice president of the Dragonstone Chamber of Commerce, bowed to Harvey and praised him sincerely.

Although Harvey's attitude towards him was as gentle as usual, the experienced and slick businessman knew very well that when facing the King of the North who was rumored to be about to officially ascend the throne and become the new Grand Duke of Saint Valen, he could no longer interact with him as an equal as an "old friend". When facing a future king, the proper respect and courtesy must be maintained.

Andrew, the mine owner and gem merchant, and Morgan, the trade director of the Los Royal Chamber of Commerce, still came with Santos... In fact, when they were invited by Harvey, they thought they had been honored to participate in his coronation ceremony. They were flattered and came with a lot of valuable gifts of congratulations.

Harvey naturally accepted the gifts that came to his doorstep. That evening, he held a small-scale dinner party in the castle to entertain the three heads of the Chamber of Commerce separately.

"If it weren't for your help in raising food some time ago, I'm afraid my city would have been starving. Please accept my sincere gratitude." Harvey sat at the head of the dining table and raised his glass with a smile.

Santos quickly stood up and responded with a smile, "Your Excellency, City Lord, are truly very polite. You paid a premium to purchase the food from us, and we haven't suffered any loss at all."

Harvey shrugged and chuckled, "I'm not the only feudal lord short of food before the autumn harvest. Your willingness to sell your stored grain to me is a rare act of kindness and favor..."

Most businessmen are indeed profit-driven, but for large chambers of commerce like the three of Santos, whose family influence spread across the southern border, their leaders' status is, in a sense, no less than that of noble lords. Many nobles who are on the verge of bankruptcy due to poor business practices will even curry favor with them in order to obtain cheap loans or business cooperation.

And for his pioneering territory to develop into what it is today, Santos, the vice president of the Dragon Stone Chamber of Commerce... has indeed provided indispensable connections and support.

Andrew swallowed a large gulp of Icefield Vodka, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and saluted Harvey with a smile. "Lord, congratulations in advance on becoming the new king of Saint Valen. The next time you summon us, we should address you as Your Majesty."

Harvey also smiled and raised his hand to respond to his congratulations.

Afterwards, they chatted for a while until the dinner came to an end. After having eaten and drunk their fill, it was finally time to talk about business.

Santos quietly winked at Andrew and Morgan, then stood up and asked Harvey, "Lord City Lord, I wonder if you summoned us here individually this time, besides attending your upcoming coronation ceremony, is there anything else..."

Harvey put down his glass and got straight to the point: "A brand new cooperation plan, a new business opportunity that will bring win-win results to all parties."

"Cooperation plan? New business opportunities?" Andrew was clearly a bit drunk, no longer as reserved as he had been when facing Harvey at the beginning. He said sourly, "Lord Mayor, the plague potion franchise you granted to the Dragonstone Chamber of Commerce has made them a ton of money. In a few years, I'm afraid the accumulated wealth will be enough to buy out Orland. If you really do find a better business, please don't forget me this time!"

Although Andrew and Morgan met through Santos' introduction, they actually helped the North quite a bit. Not long ago, President Andrew, who was well-connected with both the black and white worlds, made great efforts in taking in domestic refugees and purchasing slaves. The Faros Royal Chamber of Commerce, headed by Morgan, cooperated with Harvey's secret police to build a sound intelligence network with the help of their trade points throughout the country.

Harvey waved his hand and laughed, "Don't blame me for being distracted. I called all three of you here at once." He paused, turned to look at Santos, and asked with a smile, "Didn't you ask me earlier if I could sell you one of those ironclad ships that can travel at high speeds on rivers?"

"What? You're willing to sell it?" Santos and Morgan exclaimed almost in unison.

"Of course, we can't sell military vessels. We can negotiate for civilian models... but they're not in stock. They can only be ordered in advance, and full payment is required upfront."

"I'm willing to order three ships! There's no problem with paying the full amount in advance!" Director Morgan spoke before President Santos, almost before Harvey could finish.

After all, he was the head of the Royal Chamber of Commerce of Pharos, the Kingdom of a Thousand Sails, and as it mainly engaged in maritime trade, he was obviously more aware of the value of ironclad ships sailing on the sea. An ordinary three-masted sea ship manufactured by the Royal Shipyard of Pharos could carry nearly three hundred people and the same weight of cargo, and cost nearly four thousand gold pounds. If it was equipped with a captain with rich sailing experience and dozens of experienced sailors and ship workers, then it would cost at least five thousand gold pounds to launch such a large merchant ship.

However, even such expensive ships could not guarantee a safe return from every voyage - sudden storms, pirates who appeared and disappeared like hyenas, and certain sea tribes that had hostile relations with them would cause the Chamber of Commerce to suffer huge losses in an instant.

It was a different story with an ironclad ship - the story of Harvey's fleet defeating Duke Ralph's fleet in Sancha Town quickly spread throughout the principality, and these well-informed chamber of commerce heads naturally heard about it. Without the help of sails and oars, the sailing speed could be several times faster than that of an ordinary sailboat. At the same time, the hull was made of steel and was extremely strong, and could easily smash an ordinary wooden sailboat to pieces.

A fast speed means high transportation efficiency. If you encounter pirate enemies, they can run away quickly. A strong hull can ensure that it can withstand storms and waves smoothly. Wouldn’t it be invincible at sea!

It’s no wonder that Manager Morgan made the reservation without even thinking, leaving Santos and Andrew, who were a step late, to regret it.

"Don't worry, don't worry!" Harvey waved his hands and smiled. "You've all heard all about the advantages of ironclad ships, but I'm afraid you're not familiar with their manufacturing time and cost, right?"

After that, he motioned for the waiter to come forward and distribute a list of ship orders to the three people.

"Civilian model 1, suitable for inland waterway transport, carrying capacity..., production cycle three months, price eight thousand gold pounds."

"Civilian Type II, suitable for long-distance sea transport, heavy load... Manufacturing cycle five months, price twelve thousand gold pounds."

Morgan raised his head quietly and exchanged glances with the other two for a moment... City Lord Harvey had mastered such a terrifying monopoly technology, but he didn't ask for an exorbitant price and make a huge profit from them.

Although this ironclad ship was marked as a civilian model and came in different sizes... it seemed that the price was not as frighteningly expensive as they had expected.

The King of the North truly wanted to further their win-win cooperation in business, rather than using his power to intimidate and extort them openly or covertly...

(End of this chapter)