Forests Don't Support Idle Goblins

As Marx said, "Capital comes into the world dripping from head to toe, from every pore, with blood and filth."

Charles was convinced of this. Although he felt that the society he lived in was somewhat like the late feudal period, this did not prevent wealthy merchants from using money to achieve their goals in the world, including in the inconspicuous corner of Giethoorn.

He knew that his recent business moves must have attracted the attention of someone with ulterior motives, but he didn't know what level of attention they were. So he deliberately offered an exorbitant price of 30 gold coins to see just how much power the person behind it all had.

The result was quite good, with both joy and sorrow. The joy was that the 30 gold coins were actually enough to pass, but the sorrow was that the other party seemed fearless and confident that they could not escape the palm of the hand.

Charles was very clear about the strength of these chamber of commerce banks. His father had previously been short of money to build a deep-water port, but he had fought back and forth with those guys who seemed reasonable on the surface but were actually very stingy behind the scenes.

In the end, it took five years of port tax revenue to barely pay off the debt.

"Now they've actually set their sights on my little chamber of commerce," Charles said, picking up his coffee cup while his eyes remained fixed on the contract in his other hand. "They're really using a 'net of destruction' to catch fish, leaving no stone unturned."

"Boss, 30 gold coins, isn't that a bit much...?" Mary knocked on the door, covered her mouth with her hand, and returned to the reception room with a smile.

She had just seen the bank employee off when he spilled coffee on his pants several times, leaving a wet patch in the crotch area. The coffee was also quite dark, making the off-white pants look very unsightly and attracting the attention and pointing fingers of passersby.

"The amount is too large?" Charles put down the contract, then took a sip of coffee. "I don't know who wants to swallow up this small trading company, but anyone with the guts and the ability to offer 30 gold coins certainly won't take us seriously."

"If he wanted to take over the Chamber of Commerce directly, it wouldn't be impossible, but since he's part of the Chamber of Commerce Alliance, he has to consider his reputation to some extent."

"So you deliberately asked for 30 gold coins," Mary thought for a few seconds, then asked, "Isn't he afraid we'll run off with the money?"

"Where to?" Charles said with a smile, "You know, 30 gold coins is such a huge mountain of gold. Even an ordinary cargo ship on the Darren River can't transport it all at once. It's definitely not that easy for us to run away with the money. Moreover, a large merchant with such strength will definitely hire some skilled trackers to hunt us down. Unless I can transport the gold coins out of the astral plane, even if we get to other planes, I can't be sure that we'll be safe."

"Besides, we're just a small business association, where can we escape to?" He glanced around the reception room, the simple decorations revealing the "White Shell's" humble origins.

"You can take the gold coins and hide in the forest..." Mary tried to say.

But before she could finish speaking, Charles waved his hand to interrupt her. "First of all, the forest isn't exactly a lawless place. There are no outlets for spending money in the forest, and if a skilled adventurer tracks you down, you'll be caught red-handed. Secondly," Charles stared at Mary for two seconds before calmly saying, "Although this merchant guild is mine, you and Little John are also an integral part of it. If I run away, you won't be able to escape. So even for your sake, I can't just hide in the forest and run away."

Hearing Charles's words, Mary fell silent. After a few seconds, she bowed slightly and said, "Boss, Mr. Herbert said he will be here later."

Charles nodded. "I understand. You can go back to the workshop and get on with your work."

Just as Mary turned to leave, Charles said again, "For our small merchant guild, 30 gold coins may sound like a lot, but it's not much. After all, I don't intend to be trapped by them like this."

Mary nodded, gave a slight bow, and left the reception room.

The door to the reception room was gently closed. Charles smirked and took out a gold coin and a silver coin from his pocket. "Besides, it's not like I don't know how to deal with these greedy guys."

As dusk approached, and the sun sank below the horizon, a gentleman in a long black trench coat and a black top hat pushed open the door of the "Undying Alchemy Workshop." "Beautiful Miss Mary, it's been a long time."

When Mary heard the bell ring behind the door, she knew who it was. She straightened her clothes slightly and greeted him politely, "Your Excellency."

"No, don't call me that. Just call me Mr. Herbert." The vampire count waved his hand with a smile. "After all, I'm not a count from your Kingdom of Fran."

Mary smiled and said, "Well then, Mr. Herbert, my boss is already waiting for you in the reception room. Please follow me."

When the door to the reception room was pushed open, the elderly Herbert walked over to Charles and bent down to hug the goblin, which made Charles feel a little uncomfortable. "Hello, Mr. Herbert."

"Did you come to see me this time because you have some good news?" Herbert was led to a seat by Charles, who then pulled a silver flask from his pocket. "Would you like some fine wine?"

"No, thank you." Charles waved his hand. "I'm sorry there's no news about those ears, but my tribe has started moving around in the forest. A few days ago, they explored a cave and killed a magical beast. I believe that given enough time, it shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm," Herbert pondered, pouring half a glass of wine into the glass in front of him. "I understand. Nightmare Forest is so vast that finding a pair of ears is practically a pipe dream. But the fact that you've already started taking action is somewhat surprising."

Charles tilted his head and listened quietly to what the other person had to say next.

"To be honest, I only signed the commission with you guys on a whim. Although goblins don't have a good reputation among humans, when I saw you, my intuition told me that you're not that kind of goblin. You seem to have a nobler soul." Herbert picked up his glass, raised it to Charles, and took a small sip. "But I'm not sure if my choice was right."

"But for my family, there is nothing left to lose," he said slowly, swirling his wine glass. "Thank you for taking this commission so seriously."

"No, Mr. Herbert, exploring the forest was something I had to do, and helping you find those ears was just a natural progression." Charles shrugged. "You don't need to thank me. You already did a great job by waiving the cost of the potion bottles for my merchant guild."

"So, what brings you here today?" Herbert asked with interest, twirling a glass of red wine between his two pale fingers.

"Mr. Herbert, what do you think of the price difference between gold and silver between the Kingdom of Fran and the Kingdom of Savoy?" Charles leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, and asked with a smile.

"Gold and silver exchange rate difference?" Herbert frowned. He knew that there was a certain exchange rate difference between gold and silver between the two countries, but most people would not pay attention to it. Only big merchants and people who frequently traveled between the two countries would notice it.

In contrast to the Kingdom of Fran, the Kingdom of Savoy to the west also had its own currency. The gold and silver coins of the Kingdom of Fran were engraved with a bird-shaped pattern on the obverse and a number on the reverse.

The currency of the Kingdom of Savoy features crossed swords and numbers on the front, and the inscription "Power comes from the mountaintop" on the back. This inscription signifies both the origins of the Savoy royal family in the mountain city and a declaration to the world that the royal family's power is sacred and inviolable.

For the convenience of daily transactions, both countries' currencies are exchanged at a ratio of 1:100. However, the difference lies in the fact that the Kingdom of Savoy is rich in silver mines, and their silver coins are of better quality and higher purity. They are also larger than the silver coins of the Kingdom of Fran.

This has led some people to secretly exchange gold coins from the Kingdom of Fran for silver coins from the Kingdom of Savoy, then smuggle the silver coins back into the country and remelt them into Fran silver coins. Such an operation can earn as much as a quarter of the silver coins.

"You're planning to smuggle currency?" Herbert immediately understood what Charles meant when he heard his question. "Forgive my bluntness, but that's difficult."

The old gentleman took a sip of red wine. "My family has shops all over the world, and I know how strictly these countries control gold and silver coins. Officials at the docks often diligently check the amount of gold coins merchants carry. I think it will be very difficult for you to successfully transport gold and silver coins on a large scale."

“No, Mr. Herbert, I know how tightly the countries on the continent control their currencies,” Charles waved his hand. “I won’t just ship gold or silver coins around like that.”

"So what do you plan to do, only carrying 20 gold coins at a time?" The old man chuckled. "With such a small box, after all the trouble, you probably won't even earn back the fare."

"No, not 20 gold coins, I want to process 30 gold coins," Xia Er said with a smirk.

Upon hearing such a large sum, Herbert stopped what he was doing and began to look seriously at the goblin opposite him. "This amount is too large. You're just a goblin; you probably can't afford it."

"Don't worry about whether I can get it out or not. I just want to know how this kind of thing is done in Savoy," Charles asked, shrugging.

"It's difficult. Nobody does such large-scale currency exchange smuggling anymore," Herbert shook his head. "Many years ago, a few banks in those chambers of commerce illegally exchanged gold coins across borders a few times. As a result, their bosses were arrested very quickly, and from top to bottom, officials and bank employees who were involved in this were all dealt with. So now, hardly anyone is involved in gold and silver coin exchange."

"Is that so?" Charles frowned. He still had many cases of currency exchange in various places in his memory. This time, the Chamber of Commerce Alliance took the initiative to contact him, so he thought about whether he could take advantage of it and make a profit first.

“I won’t use those ships to transport gold and silver coins,” he said after a few seconds of thought. “I have my own way of getting the gold coins to Savoy without anyone noticing.”

Simply find a secluded corner in the Kingdom of Savoy, place a teleportation stone ring there, and you can easily transfer all 30 gold coins there.

"No, young man," Herbert waved his hand with a smile, "there are no completely secretive walls in this world. As long as you take out 30 gold coins, someone will soon discover that the currency exchange has fluctuated, and then those security guards and soldiers will appear around you."

"This..." Charles pondered. What the other party said made sense. With such a large amount of currency invested, it was impossible not to make a splash. "It is indeed a bit difficult. I just want to exchange it for silver coins from the Kingdom of Fran."

Seeing the goblin deep in thought, Herbert took a sip of his drink and said with a smile, "If you just want to exchange all your gold coins for Fran silver coins, I have a way."

"What method?" Charles was delighted. "You have enough silver coins in reserve?"

"No," Mr. Herbert chuckled a few times, "I think only the Kingdom of Fran has so many silver coins."

Then, under Charles's questioning gaze, he poured himself half a glass of red wine. "I don't think you need that many silver coins right away."

"Yes, the term is one year."

"In that case, I do know someone who can help you."

"Can you help me?" Charles thought for a moment, then continued, "Is the other party a merchant?"

“No, his name is Gene, and he is also a border count of the Kingdom of Savoy,” Herbert picked up his wine glass and held it to his eyes. “In a sense, he is my enemy, but at the same time, he is also my friend.”

Charles was momentarily taken aback by the other person's words, but he didn't say anything and simply waited quietly for the old man to continue.

"We were both transformed by the demon lord's envy, no, I should say our two families," Herbert raised a finger, and soon the nail on his finger began to grow long and sharp, "Our Dawn family are vampires, while Gene's family are werewolves."

"Werewolf?"

"Yes, just as we fear sunlight, he fears the moon and the metal silver."

"Then why offer silver coins? He must be afraid of silver coins," Charles wondered.

"Yes, werewolves are afraid of silver, but their family is very stubborn. After the change, they started to run a silver mining business," Mr. Herbert smiled wryly. "In their words, as long as you have more contact with it, you might develop immunity one day."

Charles's lips twitched, and he thought to himself, "What kind of strange thinking is this? As long as I don't die from a small allergic reaction, I can keep accumulating it until I'm completely immune to allergies."

"And what happened to them afterward?"

"Later, as the silver mining business grew larger and larger, their own family members also frequently came into contact with silver, and then the whole thing fell apart." Herbert shook his head. "To this day, they're still dealing in silver."

"Uh," Charles's eyebrows twitched a few times, "So, you mean I buy silver ore from them and then smelt and mint it myself?"

"No, what I mean is, you can go directly to Gene to mint Fran Kingdom silver coins," Old Mr. Herbert smiled at Charles. "You don't think that our Savoy Kingdom hasn't secretly minted Fran Kingdom currency, do you?"

"You should know that, nominally, we are still enemy countries."