landbeastnovel Chapter 5: Ratman Chamber of Commerce
Chapter 5: Ratman Chamber of Commerce
Sure enough, as Chief Steward Mike had predicted, Treasurer Sancher began to pour out his grievances as soon as he met Leon.
"Your Majesty, several provinces downstream of the Agate River have recently been hit by severe flooding. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced, and dozens of towns are awaiting disaster relief funds!"
"Your Majesty, rebel forces are active on the western border of the kingdom. Minister of Military Affairs Douglas has proposed allocating one million gold coins to form a Western Frontier Alliance to wipe out the remaining rebels in one fell swoop!"
"Your Majesty, the salaries of thousands of officials, both high and low, in the capital have not been paid for six months!"
"Your Majesty, there's also the construction of the kingdom's coastal port. The project is only halfway complete, and the funding has dried up!"
..........
Sancher rattled off dozens of important things that required money.
Li Ang gave a cold laugh: "Sancher, so what do you mean?"
Sancher immediately offered his opinion: "Your Majesty is wise, having previously won back a huge sum of seven million with seventy thousand of the palace reserves! I dare to suggest that one hundred thousand be set aside to continue the palace expenses for Your Majesty's enjoyment; the remaining six million nine hundred thousand should be deposited into the cabinet treasury to alleviate the immediate crisis."
Leon was furious. Good heavens, seven million gold coins! He hadn't even had a chance to "warm up" them yet, and this Finance Minister Sancher was already eager to get a share.
When Li Ang needed gambling capital, he sent his chief steward, Mike, to the cabinet to borrow money.
The cabinet members actually refused outright!
According to the Cabinet's finance department, the money in the national treasury is managed by the finance minister and is completely separate from the king's personal expenses.
Several years ago, Li Ang had already seen the drawbacks of the cabinet system in the Kingdom of Grant. The existence of the cabinet undoubtedly greatly weakened the king's power.
From the first king to the previous king, Gudroni, the power of the cabinet gradually increased.
For example, Li Ang's powerful army—the Royal Capital Garrison—was nominally under the command of the Cabinet Minister of Military Affairs.
Li Ang was not going to tolerate these cabinet ministers. Now that he had ascended the throne, he knew that the cabinet, this powerful institution, would definitely be abolished and reformed.
"Sancher, my gambling winnings all came from my own palace reserves. Back then, when Steward Mike went to your finance department to borrow money, your men wouldn't hand over a single gold coin! Now, seven million gold coins are my legitimate earnings; do you think you have the right to dispose of them?"
Li Ang reprimanded him without any politeness.
Finance Minister Sancher was momentarily speechless, but still managed to argue, "Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Grant is your country! All affairs, large and small, depend on you! Seven million gold coins is no small sum. I urge you to prioritize the nation's interests and, as I suggest, contribute as much as possible to the national treasury!"
Li Ang's expression turned cold, and he slammed his hand on the table: "You insolent fool! You still know I'm the king! The national treasury has over ten million gold coins; go ahead and use them! My palace reserves are my private funds, so don't give me any pointers!"
Sancher stole a glance at Edmund, a burly man with a sharp, piercing gaze beside Leon, and trembled involuntarily, ultimately shrinking back in fear.
"Manager Mike, did you get any results from contacting the Ratmen Merchant Guild?"
Mike emerged from the shadows and bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, Vice President Hall of the Ratmen Merchant Guild has agreed to cooperate with you in business!"
Under the protection of Mike and Edmund, Leon arrived at the Stone Castle Building, the headquarters of the Ratmen Merchant Guild in the capital.
This building stands majestically, reaching a height of 100 meters above ground and concealing three underground levels, extending dozens of meters deep. Its vast area is comparable to seven or eight football fields.
The outer walls were constructed of massive, relief-carved rocks, while the interior was lavishly decorated with gold and silver inlays and ever-burning crystal lamps. In the capital, its opulence was second only to the royal palace. This was only because the Ratmen Merchant Guild had to restrain itself and spared the royal family's face—if they were to truly exert their full power, with their immense wealth, surpassing the royal palace would not be difficult for them.
On the top floor of the building, Hall, the vice president of the Ratmen, was waiting quietly.
Hall was hunched over but dressed in fine clothes. He wore a dark-patterned silk robe covered with gray-brown fur, had a pointed snout and long beard, and small eyes that shone with a sharp light. A conspicuous triangular rat head tattoo was visible on the sparse hair on his head.
Upon seeing Li Ang arrive, Hall grinned, revealing his sharp front teeth; his smile was a mixture of warmth and calculation.
"His Majesty the King's presence truly honors our humble abode!"
Li Ang cupped his hands in greeting and got straight to the point: "Vice President Hall, I won't bother with formalities. Manager Mike should have explained my needs to you beforehand. Is your Ratman Merchant Guild capable of handling this deal?"
Vice President Hall bared his sharp teeth and said confidently, "Your Majesty, you require the corpse of a living, higher being! This is difficult for other merchants to obtain, but our Ratman Merchant Guild is spread across the continent, and as long as the price is right, we can make it happen."
As he spoke, Vice President Hall unfolded a parchment map: "Not to mention distant places, for example, the northern polar ice fields of the continent of Eknia, beneath those thick ice layers lie many powerful creatures! There are soldiers of the ancient Titan race, frost dragons, mammoths, polar bears, and ice barbarians, and so on."
Li Ang's eyes lit up.
If Hall's words are true, then scarce organs from higher organisms will be able to be continuously supplied!
"How much will it cost?"
Li Ang inquired.
Hall took out a black wooden abacus, and clicked the beads with his claws: "Your Majesty, the polar ice fields are thousands of miles away from the capital. Transporting the organs of these higher beings requires constantly adding ice along the way, and even requires accompanying magicians to assist in cooling and refrigeration."
"According to the list previously compiled by Steward Mike, 100 pounds of muscle and skin membrane from higher creatures, if it belongs to a supreme race such as Titans or Dragons, the price is 100 gold coins! If it belongs to other superior races, such as vampires or werewolves, the price is 50 gold coins!"
"Furthermore, a heart from a supreme race costs 5000 gold coins! For other superior races, the price is 1000 gold coins!"
Listening to Hall's quote, Li Ang silently did some calculations in his mind.
I currently have seven million gold coins in the palace reserves. I'll keep one million gold coins for emergencies, and I'll have six million left, which is enough to buy over a thousand hearts and over six million catties of muscle and skin membranes.
The transformation process of legendary knights has an extremely high mortality rate; these few organs may only be enough to transform two or three hundred legendary knights.
"Vice President Hall, I've come in person, aren't you going to offer me any special treatment?"
Li Ang smiled and said.
"Your Majesty, I already offered a discount when Steward Mike contacted me!"
Hall was clearly an extremely shrewd ratman merchant. Li Ang, who was currently poor, also had to use a lot of persuasion and had a long talk with Hall.
Hall finally relented and offered a 10% discount on the original price.
"Your Majesty, I am quite curious as to why you would purchase the organs and flesh of these higher beings? The frozen meat and corpses beneath the Arctic ice sheet are actually quite disgusting."
Hall raised his own questions.
"Everyone has their own secrets, or rather, their own quirks. Vice President Hall, don't you think?"
Li Ang responded in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, I have no intention of prying into your secrets. I merely wish to add that our Ratman Merchant Guild spans the three continents, and we possess an abundance of fine goods, such as various weapons, secret treasures, and elixirs. As long as Your Majesty has sufficient wealth, you can obtain anything!"
Vice President Hall waved his hand.