I Became A Black Merchant In Another World Chapter 158

If you want to make a lot of money, you must invest as aggressively as possible.

However, aggressive investnt is a completely different matter from throwing money around recklessly.

To put it bluntly, if my grades are bottom-tier, no amount of college applications will get into Seoul National University.

“Baron Siena, I’ve co today to offer you a proposal that will be highly beneficial and advantageous for you.”

The baron frowned as he looked at , his expression tinged with bitterness.

Rumor had it that I was the kind of man who could slit soone’s belly with a smile on my face.

But I’m not that kind of villain.

I simply fulfill people’s wishes—for a price.

Whether it actually helps them or not is a matter for later.

I an, if I sell soone a kitchen knife and so bad person uses it to commit a cri, that’s hardly my fault, is it?

“So, what kind of proposal brings you here, Baron?”

If we were part of opposing factions in a state of cold war, I could understand his wariness.

But we belong to the sa alliance, for crying out loud.

Such suspicion can be hurtful, you know.

“Well, Baron Siena, in your territory, isn’t there always so surplus wheat or barley that ends up rotting away? My proposal is to have the Rothschild family purchase it.”

At the ntion of buying spoiled grain, a smile crossed Baron Siena’s face, just as it had with the Count of Piedmont.

Yes, it’s human nature to yield before the allure of free money.

He hasn’t completely let his guard down yet, but progress is progress.

“Why would you want to buy spoiled grain?”

“I’m planning to raise chickens on a large scale, and to make money, I need to reduce feed costs.”

“Chickens, pigs, and cows will eat things that humans wouldn’t touch. That’s not a bad idea. How much are you planning to buy?”

To be honest, raising and selling 50,000 to 60,000 chickens a year isn’t enough to make a fortune.

The Toscano Empire has a population of 20 to 30 million, give or take.

Assuming the Rothschild barony monopolized the poultry industry, even if every person ate a chicken a week, we’d need to raise over a billion chickens annually just to et demand.

No matter how hard I try, I’ll never be able to satisfy such a massive demand.

On the flip side, this ans there’s an enormous potential for market expansion.

“I’ll buy your entire stock.”

Baron Siena’s face lit up with a broad smile.

“Wonderful. I’d be happy to hand over all the spoiled grain. In fact, disposing of rotten wheat and barley has always been a nuisance, and now you’re even paying for it. This is fantastic.”

“Moreover, since we’re part of the sa faction, I’ll even offer you a 10-year exclusive contract.”

There’s a saying that the best way to make money is to persuade ignorant people.

I can’t rember exactly when, but back when city streets were lined with ginkgo trees, so folks in Germany bought ginkgo leaves in bulk for a pittance.

Everyone laughed at how stupid the Germans were.

Then it turned out ginkgo leaves were used as ingredients in new dicines, earning them hundreds of tis their initial investnt.

Eventually, as poultry farming becos more widespread, even spoiled grain will fetch a market price and beco a sellable commodity.

“If you agree to sell exclusively to us for ten years, we’ll include provisions for price renegotiations should market conditions change.”

If I were dealing with less shrewd individuals, I wouldn’t even leave room for negotiation—I’d just buy it outright.

These folks, however, can afford not to sell spoiled grain, which ans they’ll be bound to honor the contract they signed with .

Even if I’m stockpiling grain, anticipating price increases in the future.

“If we weren’t in the sa faction, I wouldn’t even include negotiation clauses in the contract.”

“Additionally, even if the market price for spoiled grain falls, the Rothschild family will purchase it at a fixed price.”

“Really?”

“When have I ever been dishonest?”

I’ve never lied in a business deal.

It’s just that so people start throwing tantrums and complaining about losses later on.

They’re all smiles when signing the contract but end up acting bipolar afterward.

Ah, but sotis I do use subtle hints about potential repercussions (let’s call them ‘expanded options’) to keep negotiations on track.

I only engage in honest conversations to ensure my clients don’t suffer any losses, you see.

“Well, you’re not soone who would lie, that’s for sure.”

“Good. Then let’s finalize the contract under these terms.”

We both signed the contract.

Baron Siena wore a beaming smile as he stamped his seal.

Of course, while I promised not to lower the purchase price even if the market dropped, this also ans I can use that as leverage if prices rise.

‘Baron, rember when I took a loss and bought it at a high price out of loyalty? Now you’re asking for a price increase? That’s not very honorable of you.’

With just that line, even if the price of spoiled grain skyrockets fivefold, I could still purchase it at today’s price ten years from now.

Given that Baron Siena has been steeped in the idea of “honor” his entire life, he’ll likely thank for helping him during hard tis.

‘Most families except ours are financially strained anyway.’

It’s a win-win contract. The baron is happy, and I’m happy.

With similar contracts already in place with a significant number of nobles in the Visconti faction, even if market prices fluctuate, my profits will remain stable.

“Building poultry farms in these contracted territories should yield decent revenue.”

With tens of thousands of chickens being shipped monthly, we’ll distribute millions annually at affordable prices.

Chickens are practically a product with unlimited demand.

Even if prices drop slightly, the scale ensures my profits remain robust.

The per-unit profit might be negligible, but thanks to economies of scale, the money just keeps rolling in.

As I sat in my office, calculating further investnts, there was a knock at the door.

“May I co in, Baron?”

“Co in, Sebastian.”

Sebastian entered, his tone urgent and his expression grim.

“Based on what our trade guild has discovered, other major rchants, traders, and even so local nobles are starting to imitate the Rothschild family’s poultry farms.”

Poultry farming is a challenge to conceive initially, but once soone else does it, copying isn’t that hard.

Knowing this, I’d focused on rapid expansion to dominate the market first.

But it seems imitators have erged even faster than I anticipated.

Why doesn’t our empire have a patent system?

Even if it did, monopolistic gains far outweigh whatever a patent could earn through royalties.

“Seems like we’ve got a problem.”

“Yes, Baron. That said, given the sheer scale we’ve already established, I don’t think this will have a major impact on us.”

Even if other farms sell chickens, poultry is not a monopoly market. The blow won’t be severe.

“Have you looked into what kind of operations they’ve set up?”

Sebastian sifted through a stack of docunts, eventually handing one.

“There’s a farm near Florence, built by the Pereira trade guild. They’ve constructed a massive facility near Peperosi.”

“Peperosi? Isn’t that a major city with over 100,000 people?”

Sebastian gave a puzzled look.

“Building near a large city suggests excellent market access. If anything, that’s a disadvantage for us.”

If the Pereira guild is doing this, there’s no need to check the others—they’ve likely built near cities or waterways.

The Toscano Empire isn’t densely populated, but even near major cities, there’s plenty of farmland. Purchasing such locations wouldn’t be an issue.

“This doesn’t seem worth worrying about anymore. Shouldn’t the chickens from the Piedmont farm be hitting the market soon? What’s the status there?”

Sebastian imdiately replied.

“Chicken sales are skyrocketing because everyone—from commoners to nobles—loves chicken. The demand has been so overwhelming that the farm manager has proposed expanding the facility fourfold.”

“Really? Give every detail, no matter how small.”

Sebastian launched into an exceptionally detailed report.