I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 296: Comparison and Incitement (10)

Information rules over war.

No, it enables us to predict and prepare for nearly every phenomenon occurring in our society.

If a typhoon is approaching, and a satellite detects a swirling vortex in the middle of the Pacific, we can prepare and take action weeks in advance.

In the traditional games of the Korean people, using a map hack can allow someone to beat players who are much better than they are.

Therefore, throughout history, the powerful—naturally, all the nobles and merchants of the Toscana Empire—have repeatedly emphasized and obsessed over the importance of information.

And I am one of them.

Hiring an accountant was, in fact, a way to legally extract information from the merchants.

"Has the banker arrived yet? It seems like it's time for him to come."

The butler answered my question.

"I'll go check downstairs."

"Please. And while you're down there, ask the cook to prepare some cheese and strong whiskey."

"Cheese and strong whiskey?"

In the Toscana Empire, it's common to drink beer during meals instead of water.

So, having a glass of beer or wine during the day isn't considered drinking alcohol, but drinking something like whiskey is a different matter.

If this gets out, I’d be called a drunkard in the social circles for at least a week.

‘Drinking a 30% alcohol beverage in the afternoon isn’t exactly normal.’

"Right, the things I need to discuss with the banker are difficult to talk about without a drink."

The butler listened to my words and without asking any more questions, went off to do his work.

Not long after, the door to my office opened, and the banker, Banco, entered.

"Thank you for giving someone as lowly as me the chance to meet with you, my lord."

"This is our first time meeting face to face."

"When I first heard that you summoned me, I thought it was a trick by thieves. I hope you can forgive the offense I committed when I spoke to the attendant who conveyed your message."

Banco and I share the same profession as merchants.

However, our political stances and the businesses we focus on put us in opposition.

From his perspective, it might have seemed as though the Secretary-General of the Soviet Union was unofficially inviting the head of an American corporation.

I would have thought that spies were up to something too.

"You didn’t hit them, did you? I was just trying to confirm the facts. I’m not such a petty person that I can’t understand a little rudeness."

"Thank you for your mercy, my lord."

"One should live honestly. Isn’t it written in the Bible? Treat others as you wish to be treated."

"People say you are a cold and calculating person, my lord, but that’s all a misunderstanding. Someone like you, who shows so much concern for a lowly merchant like me, could never be cold-hearted."

If the words spoken are kind, the reply is naturally kinder.

That’s why diplomats generally stick to speaking kindly.

There’s no need to unnecessarily provoke a foreign or enemy state.

If I were disappointed in you, I’d simply say something like, ‘I express my regret,’ and that’s all.

‘Anyway, it’s good that outwardly everything seems peaceful.’

"First of all, doubting what our attendant conveyed is secondary."

I took a sip from the whiskey in front of me and handed Banco a document.

"Did your mind go out for a stroll in the Mediterranean and drown, or did you leave your common sense in heaven? Whatever you do, you must do it moderately, this is a bit too much."

"My lord, even though we are politically hostile, don’t you think your words are a bit harsh? If you insult me without any evidence... Duke Sforza will not remain silent."

Before me stands someone who belongs to the ranks of wealthy merchants.

Like myself and the Medici family’s ancestors, he is waiting for the right moment to rise to the ranks of the nobility.

Though he has no title, if someone like me tries to stomp on him for no reason...

‘You think you can stomp on me for no reason? You can’t kill me alone.’

This is someone with the power to threaten nobles.

For me, if he were to bite me with a venomous tooth, I wouldn’t die. I’d just be out for a few months of recovery...

Still, he’s not someone to be taken lightly, nor is he someone I can attack recklessly.

‘If I try to kill him and end up injured, I’ll only lose.’

"Why would I try to stomp on you without reason? There’s always a reason."

"We are innocent. Even if you investigate us, my lord."

There is no one in this world who doesn’t have dirt on them.

Especially the higher someone is, the more dirt they have.

By hiring accountants and investigating the missing money in the books...

It wasn’t just dust; there were piles of filth coming out of him.

If you’re secretly doing something evil, at least try to hide it better.

Why leave things so vague?

"Let’s see, you’ve committed more than one offense deserving of execution. Maybe it’s time we were honest, don’t you think? The Empire’s criminal code says that if a criminal confesses, their punishment may be reduced."

Of course, no high-ranking person or politician would casually confess their crimes.

Confessing could reduce the sentence, but once you’re in prison, your life is ruined.

This is as true in any era...

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

If you’ve committed a crime, you first destroy the evidence and delete any traces that might lead to you, carving a way out.

Though I’ve committed multiple crimes that could lead to my family being executed...

‘But I haven’t been caught, so I’m innocent.’

"Let’s see, you’ve been scamming with the weight of the currency. When minting 1,000 gold coins, the Empire’s law states you must use 2 kg of gold. You used only 1.5 kg and mixed in metals like lead for circulation."

"What are you—"

"Aside from that, you forced serfs into debt and sold them into slavery, and smuggled high-tax goods like wine and artwork from the Kingdom of Lyon, making huge illegal profits. The money you gained from these three crimes is over 60,000 gold coins."

Banco didn’t dare speak and challenge me further.

‘How does he know all of this? What has he done?’

But at least some reasoning worked in his mind, and he didn’t voice that thought.

How could a mere merchant like me point fingers at him? How embarrassed must he have been?

"I just used my information network a bit, and everything became clear."

This is a semi-public secret, but the accountants in the Ministry of Finance are practically my agents.

Thus, the classified, high-level information collected within their network naturally comes to me.

The one who passed this information to me was, of course, Stero Conto, the person in charge of the Florence accountants.

‘This is information I told them not to pass to the emperor or the administration.’

Ah, this is why it’s great to have people planted in the government.

"Don’t bother asking any more. No general in this world would show their hand to the enemy. And right now, the important thing is that I know all of these secrets. How I learned them is irrelevant."

Banco looked at me with a face that seemed to say his life was over.

Maybe he should have lived as honestly as I did (keeping the crimes hidden from the enemy).

Why leave vague evidence that would give accountants something to latch onto?

And for his mental health, and to maintain my network, I didn’t tell him...

His family’s employees were incredibly disloyal.

‘A little reasonable conversation, and they spilled everything.’

I patted Banco on the shoulder.

"Hey, I haven’t even finished saying everything I want to yet. How can you be losing your mind already?"

"I’m sorry."

"If you’re sorry, you shouldn’t have done the thing that made you sorry."

"...Please forgive me."

"You should have sought forgiveness before you did something that would put you in a position to need it. You know, you’ve done something amusing for ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) me. You tried to steal the operational secrets of our family’s munitions factory."

There are always industrial spies in every age, but when you’re the victim, it feels terrible.

That’s why my friend who studied Eastern history used to say this.

‘Mun Ik-jeom is a hero in Korea, but in China, he’s one of the worst criminals.’

He succeeded in growing cotton and saved hundreds of thousands of lives, but in China, the cotton trade to Korea was blocked, so they must have thought of him that way.

"I’m sorry, but if you’ve done something wrong, you’ll have to pay the price for it."