I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 241: Industrial City Abito (3)

I heard this story on a Japanese website.

There was a man whose abilities were clearly average, but he rose to the position of director.

On the day he retired, he allegedly said this:

“The reason I made it this far was because I passed on as many mistakes as possible to my subordinates.”

Even if my own mistakes accounted for 99.9% and my subordinate’s only 0.1%, I made sure to ruin their performance reviews, and I survived until the very end.

As a result, I may have lost the trust of my subordinates, but I climbed to a position I didn’t deserve.

It’s something you should never do, but even in this trash of a person, there’s something to learn.

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

‘It’s necessary to blame everything bad on others.’

The expert in this kind of behavior was none other than Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany.

While I was lost in thought, Sebastian, sitting next to me in the carriage, spoke up.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

“I was thinking about where to sell the fabric made in the factory.”

Worrying about whether the fabric would sell or not is honestly the most pointless worry in the world.

We’re selling a product that is ridiculously short in supply compared to demand, at about half of the original price.

Everything I put out there will sell; there’s no way I’ll end up with unsold, toxic stock.

This isn’t a world, like the aftermath of World War I, where overproduction of goods is a concern.

Given the situation, in reality, no matter where I sell it, it will sell out in an instant.

“The fabric will sell for a high price no matter where we sell it.”

“I’m not just worried about the price.”

Outside of places known for wool and cotton, the prices for cotton fabrics and woolen fabrics aren’t that different.

No, even if the raw material is from a specialty area, the cost of making fabric is 80% labor, and our fabric, with drastically reduced labor costs...

No matter where we sell it, we’ll make a profit.

The problem lies in how people will react when I sell it.

I’m not selling poison, nor am I selling a tonic that makes people feel good and drowsy, like the East India Company used to do.

Even though no one can stop me, still...

“When I think about it, if I sell cotton fabric and woolen fabric inside the empire, I could end up being labeled an enemy of the people in the Tuscany Empire.”

If I became an enemy of the people, nobody would be coming at me with a spear to kill me.

Because, like the Donghak Peasant Movement or other popular uprisings, without someone to act as the central figure...

Whether they’re serfs or the poor, no one is going to rise up to kill nobles while shouldering that risk.

But if I become the target of disdain from the serfs and the poor all across the Tuscany Empire?

‘My honor will drop.’

In modern society, where money-making is less affected by honor and reputation, that may not matter as much, but in the medieval fantasy Tuscany Empire, without honor, you could literally die.

To sum up how one could die:

Think about why a VIP customer in a department store would be socially ostracized when their behavior towards the staff is made public.

Public outrage would stir, and the high-ups would take this opportunity to remove that person from the stage.

It’s unfortunate, but since they were abusing their power, they kind of deserve it.

I can’t afford to become the enemy of the people and end up like that.

Sebastian shook his head and said:

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

Well, I guess I have been speaking in riddles.

Suddenly talking about how selling cotton and woolen fabric cheaply inside Tuscany Empire could make me an enemy of the people...

Who would understand if I said that without a proper explanation?

“What do you think the majority of serfs in the Tuscany Empire do, other than farming? They weave fabric from cotton and wool, right?”

In historical dramas from the Joseon Dynasty, there’s always a scene where poor families are weaving fabric on a loom.

It’s no different in the West, and the same goes for the Tuscany Empire.

No complex technology is required, just labor and time, and it’s profitable too.

In serf households, women use their spare time or work during winter to weave fabric on looms to help sustain the household.

“But if the price of cotton and woolen fabric drops because of the factory I set up, the actual income of the serfs will greatly decrease, right?”

Unless I supply looms and spinning machines to the serfs, their ability to weave fabric won’t change.

However, if the supply price drops, their income will sharply decrease.

If their already difficult situation forces them to tighten their belts even further, it’s clear who they will direct their anger towards.

“The serfs who are struggling will blame me. They’ll think that if I hadn’t made looms and spinning machines, their lives wouldn’t have become so hard.”

The Luddite movement.

In London, craftsmen and workers lost their jobs due to the introduction of machines, causing mass unemployment.

As a result, workers’ anger was directed at the machines that took their jobs.

An enormous crowd gathered and smashed steam-powered machines with iron pipes and tools.

And if we go one step further, the man with the impressive beard will summon ghosts and perform necromancy.

In short, it’s the workers of the world uniting.

And the revolutionary forces would demand the blood of me and everyone associated with the Rothschild family.

‘It’s unlikely to get that far. But it’s not entirely impossible.’

“Then it’s better that we don’t directly sell inside Tuscany Empire.”

“That’s right. If we mass-produce fabric with looms and spinning machines, it could greatly harm the economy of Tuscany Empire.”

If I say this, some might ask how I’m explaining the stock manipulation in the economy.

That’s not a problem because I simply created the system of stocks.

With the spread of stocks, money previously invested in real estate naturally flowed out, causing land and property prices to plummet—this is the “invisible hand” at work.

The responsibility is clearly unclear, or rather, it’s impossible to pinpoint who is responsible.

Who would come after me with a knife out of anger?

‘Anger only burns if people know who to blame.’

“So, I’ll sell it abroad.”

Others’ happiness is our misfortune, and our happiness is others’ misfortune.

In other words, if I make life a little harder for other countries around here, it’ll indirectly benefit the national interest of Tuscany Empire.

And to maximize my profit right now...

“It would be best to make the Holy Empire a little unhappy.”

They’re already in a bad situation with indulgences and tulips, so their domestic situation isn’t looking good.

While there may not be visible indicators like stock market indices such as the Nasdaq or KOSPI, the Holy Empire is facing an economic crisis.

They’ll be hit hard by the economic downturn, and with indulgences, vast amounts of money will be drained from their economy, so they can’t be doing well.

‘Their insides must be rotting.’

“Even if I sell cotton and woolen fabric in large quantities, it won’t deal a fatal blow.”

But it’s not a big deal.

As long as I make money and can shake them up a bit, that’s all that matters.

“I’ll need to re-establish relations with the Holy Empire. Send a messenger to contact the foreign minister. I’d like to have a word with him.”

One thing every merchant must do to make a lot of money:

That is, to make friends with politicians.

So, I’ll credit all the political favors to the higher-ups, and I’ll just take the profit.

“This is getting interesting.”

A week later, I was able to meet with the foreign minister alone.

The foreign minister, even before I gave him a gift, had a smile on his face.

If someone saw him, they’d think I had left a gift with him.

“Minister, thank you very much for taking the time to meet with me.”

“I should be thanking you for giving me the opportunity to meet such a young and capable individual.”

He’s already asking for the public accolades? What an impatient person.

“Your praise is excessive.”

It seems like he’s a bit greedy, but I’ll gladly fulfill that.

At this point, our interests align, so it’s only right for me to help.

Later, if our interests no longer align, I might stop offering help, but...

Well, that’s just how things work in life.

While we get along like close siblings while our interests match, the moment they don’t, those same siblings will quickly cut ties.

“I’ve heard that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been troubled by the Holy Empire recently.”

The foreign minister coughed twice.

He probably wanted me to continue since my statement was correct.

“The Holy Empire has recently imposed heavy tariffs on merchants traveling between the Tuscany Empire and the Kingdom of Lyon via land.”

Heavy tariffs mean the profits that can be made from trade are drastically reduced.

“Given that they’ve taken such provocative actions, how can the Tuscany Empire just sit idly by? We must retaliate appropriately.”

If they strike, we strike back twice as hard.

That’s common sense in this medieval fantasy world.

Even if it leads to war in the end.

“I have a good idea.”