A Guide to Becoming a God Starting from a Monastery

Two hundred thousand florins was a very tight budget for the Knights' current finances. Fortunately, they had plundered Tobruk, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to afford this price!

He didn't expect the other party to have such high demands.

Normal transactions are done in batches, with payments made upon receipt of a batch of goods.

It is very rare for nearly half of the payment to be paid at the beginning of such a direct transaction.

"Then... shall we sign the contract directly?"

"Anytime." Thomas smiled.

"Then I'll go back and draft the contract and come back tomorrow," Leonor said.

So the two of them said goodbye amicably, and Thomas escorted the three distinguished guests all the way to the gate.

"Dad, are you really going to sell him these things?" the son asked eagerly as the three of them had just said goodbye to the Grand Commander and were walking down the street. "Didn't you say... that prices would go up if war broke out?"

"I know. So I thought..." Leonor chuckled. "How about adding a few conditions to the contract? For example, how about a papal tax deduction?"

The son's eyes lit up.

"That's a good idea. If you add this condition, the goods will be worth selling at the current price!"

They all knew that Thomas was a student of the current Pope and there was a high probability that he could accomplish this.

"The franchise can also be sold for a fortune!"

Although this franchise is usually granted to a certain person, it does not matter. He can set up a chamber of commerce and allow others to register under his name to enjoy tax breaks. In this way, the privilege can be "sold".

The only trouble is that it takes time to maneuver and sell at the best price.

In fact, if he hadn't suffered losses in his business before and hadn't paid back a large amount of money, he wouldn't be so eager to make this kind of money now. Wouldn't it be better to keep the privilege for himself?

Chapter 92 Merchant 3

The next day, Leonor came to the Knights' headquarters and brought the drafted contract.

He originally thought that the other party would bargain with him, but he didn't expect Thomas to not even blink when he saw this condition.

From this we can see that this Grand Master must be deeply favored by the Pope.

In this way, the business is profitable.

In fact, they were making a profit, but after the war broke out, the price of arms would definitely increase, and they would make more money.

Once the deal was done, he would be able to pay off his debts immediately, climb out of the damn debt quagmire, and even start rebuilding his fleet.

Watching Thomas sign, I suppressed my excitement and felt like I was dreaming.

Especially after getting the money from the Knights' finance department, he felt a little dizzy when he left the restaurant.

Two hundred thousand florins!

During this period of time, it seemed that the whole family was traveling on the sea, but in fact, the whole family was fleeing from debt!

At this moment, all the hardships and difficulties of these days seemed to have passed.

Leonor went all the way back to the hotel where he was staying. As soon as he got back, his wife and children rushed to him.

"Father! What's going on?!"

"Father, how did the talks go? Did the Grand Master agree?"

"Where's the money? Where is the money?" His wife and children, especially the older ones, all looked at Leonor eagerly.

This time Leonor went to sign the contract alone and did not bring anyone else with her.

"Here!" Leonor raised her hand and pointed to several bills in her hand.

In this era, in backward places like Russia, financial business was still monopolized by Jews, but this was not the case in Italy.

Although Jews had a hand in the industry, banks already existed in the region, providing services such as withdrawals, loans, and deposits. For example, the famous city of Florence was famous for its bankers.

There is also the Knights Templar, who also provide this service.

Rhodes Island naturally also has relevant channels for communication.

"Don't worry, everything went smoothly...it went even smoother than expected." Leonor waved her hand. "One hundred and fifty thousand in bills, fifty thousand florins in cash...it was just downstairs from me."

The long-term depression and frustration caused by the broken capital chain and debt collection were all relieved at this moment.

"The commander actually agreed?" asked the wife.

"I didn't even blink!" Leonor smiled.

His wife is younger than him, only in her early thirties. She is beautiful and virtuous. She never complained even when she followed him out to hide from debt.

"So, do we really have to sell all the goods to him?" the eldest son on the side suddenly asked.

"Don't worry, don't worry. We have to wait until the privilege is confirmed." Leonor said.

His breathing was slightly heavy as he spoke.

Because at this moment, he suddenly thought of another option.

It takes some time to confirm this privilege, and the correspondence should take about one or two weeks.

And in a week or two...the two hundred thousand florins will be in his hands!

In fact, he believed that the price of his goods would definitely rise, and the reason he agreed to sell them this time was because his family really couldn't bear it anymore.

On the other side, the Knights' headquarters.

"Captain, you are so straightforward and generous, but I am worried that the merchant will play some tricks!" On this side, the financial officer who had just paid the money complained to Thomas.

Two hundred thousand florins were paid today - the Knights did have this money in their account due to the large amount of spoils captured earlier.

"What's there to be afraid of? His whole family is in Rhodes Island. If he tries to play tricks, his whole family will die." The clerk next to him, Demetrios, was very calm. "Either refuse to agree or fulfill the contract. If he wants to cheat, he'll have to be able to do it!"

"The Grand Master's teacher is the Holy See. If he really wants to abscond with the money, he won't be able to survive in the Christian world."

What he said made sense, so the treasurer kept silent.

"Do you know that this businessman named Leonor is said to be from a knight family?" Thomas said suddenly.

"Isn't this normal?" the clerk asked in confusion.

The "royal merchants" who were able to have dealings with the royal family were basically related to the aristocracy.

After all, nobles also have many illegitimate children, second sons, and the like who cannot inherit the family business and need other ways out. Merchants and priests are both good choices.

Although merchants are not respected, if their business grows big or they rely on the royal family, then it’s a different story.

But that's not what Thomas meant. Instead, he discovered that this businessman named Leonor was actually an elite.

In addition, his eldest son, a boy of seventeen or eighteen years old, is also an elite.

But the father and son really don't look like warriors.

He should have used that kind of promotion potion...but I don't know if it was the Deer-Headed Spirit version or the Wolf Lord version.

After several of his men left, Thomas was left alone, pondering the last words left by the clerk.

"...Don't even think about surviving in the Christian world."

Normal Christians tend to get stuck in a rut and think that it is a huge deal to no longer be part of the Christian world.

It's simply impossible.

But who is Thomas? Even now, he doesn't admit in his heart that he is a Christian.

So what if I'm no longer in Christendom? It doesn't seem like a big deal! After all, as a businessman, the world is your home!

Not to mention there's a guy named Ferdinand who set an example. He's no longer in the Christian world, but he seems to be doing pretty well?

Damn! I'm really a little worried.

Thomas thought about it, went back to his bedroom, and took out the ascetic robe with cloak.

The garment was old and ragged, and looked nothing like what the Grand Master of the Knights Templar would wear.

By putting on this garment, Thomas could pretend to be an ascetic or even a beggar.

You can wander around in any corner without attracting attention.

I have to confirm it.

In the luxurious room of the hotel, Leonor ended the happy family dinner.

The thought in my mind always lingers.

Since ancient times, merchants who violated contracts and absconded with the money have been countless. He is not the first, nor will he be the last.

He began to think about how he should use his extra 200,000 florins to quickly rebuild his fleet.

As long as we have a fleet, many problems can be solved.

He was unwilling to fail like this.

People have to get up from where they fell.

Of course, just thinking about it.

He was also well aware that the other party was of extraordinary status, and had the Pope who reigned over the Christian world as his backer.

The consequences of cheating someone like this would be very serious. Apart from anything else, he was now in the other party's territory.

Even if he really arrested and killed his entire family, the Portuguese royal family would never come forward to avenge him.

But if we were to sell him half a million florins worth of armaments...

But I really don't want to accept it. After all, the price of this item will definitely increase.

The future selling price of 700,000 or 800,000 is just the minimum. Now I have to sell it due to debts, and my heart is bleeding.

He couldn't help sighing.

Just here, there was a knock on the door. It was the voice of his own servant.

"Sir, a visitor is coming!"

Chapter 93 Merchant 4

"Let him wait a moment," Leonor replied.

He stood up and straightened his clothes a little.

For businessmen, meeting guests is a very common thing, and every good businessman must know how to deal with strangers.

When a guest comes to visit, there is no reason not to see him.

A few minutes later, he met the guest in the small reception room of the hotel.

I had no impression of his appearance or voice, and it was obviously a stranger.

This guest had an ordinary face, and judging by his appearance, he was probably a Saracen—perhaps with some Turkic blood mixed in. However, in those days, there was no national consciousness, and everyone was divided by religion. So even if someone was a Saracen, as long as they believed in Christianity, they were considered one of our own.

Of course there was discrimination, but it was no more serious than the discrimination Shanghainese showed against outsiders, and it was certainly no more serious than the discrimination nobles showed against commoners.

Although he had an ordinary appearance, his clothes were obviously not ordinary. The clothes he wore were made of fine materials and were not something that poor people could afford.

After a few simple greetings, the two got down to business.

"My name is Ali, and I'm here to discuss cooperation with Lady Leonor." The stranger named Ali introduced himself.

"Cooperation? What a shame," Leonor sighed. "I've already signed a contract with Grand Commander Thomas today..."

All the equipment was sold.

Although it would take some time to verify, he believed that the commander-in-chief would not lie.

There should be no problem with tax reduction privileges, which means the deal has been done!

"Haha, that's perfect... But have you notified your people to deliver the goods?"

"Not yet," Leonor admitted. "But I've already received the deposit."

"It should be too late to withdraw now, right?"

"No," Leonor said, a little frustrated. "If I give it up now, my reputation will be ruined. And the compensation will be huge."

If you go back on your word after signing the contract, the penalty clause will apply. For example, in this case, it means double the deposit!

He didn't think the price offered by the stranger was worth the double compensation.