Chapter 191 Viscount and territory
The so-called affiliate was actually a fraud method.
On earth, many companies without the corresponding business documents would choose to attach their company to another company with those documents, obtaining those documentations for themselves.
This method was very common on earth, but it wasn’t seen that much on the Sines Continent.
When Xu Yi was thinking about how to solve the issue of establishing a factory for the Night Song Tribe, he had thought of this widespread method on earth.
After careful consideration, Xu Yi proposed to elder Illusia the idea of opening the plastic processing factory under the Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s name.
In name, the plastic processing factory belonged to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, but whether it was the workers or the managers, they would all be from the Night Song Tribe.
Moreover, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would only have rights in name for the plastic processing factory, but when it came to the business of the plastic processing factory, no one from the Frestech Chamber of Commerce had the rights to interfere, even including Xu Yi.
So in reality, this plastic processing factory belonged to the Night Song Tribe and it wasn’t related to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce at all.
Actually, this was using a loophole in the kingdom’s business laws.
In the business laws of the Lampuri Kingdom, because there aren’t any clauses on other races establishing companies, this part could be used very flexibly.
Xu Yi could rely on his good relationship with Count Sean to help the Night Song Tribe with this problem, but because of the appearance of Count Stagg, he couldn’t pass this request through the Banta City’s City Lord Manor.
Because of this situation, it meant there were no restrictions and Xu Yi could use this loophole. He could have all the workers that elder Illusia had prepared for the plastic processing factory become Frestech Chamber of Commerce workers, avoiding many issues when applying for their labour cards.
However, in secret, Xu Yi signed another contract with elder Illusia. It stated clearly that all the rights to the plastic processing factory would belong to the Night Song Tribe and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce didn’t have any influence.
According to the laws of the Lampuri Kingdom, as long as private contracts didn’t go against the laws, it was something that couldn’t be broken. This made this contract legal and binding, without any problems.
Like this, not only could this factory carry out business like a normal human company and operate without being hindered openly, allowing elder Illusia to achieve her goal of letting her clansmen engage in human trade, it also allowed the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to not be questioned on this.
“It’s impossible for you not to be questioned.” Seveni shook her head, “But there are indeed many loopholes with the kingdom’s laws, so what you’re doing is only considered fair.”
Xu Yi looked at Seveni with a bit of curiosity, “Your highness, based on the meaning of your words, they aren’t prepared to revise the laws to make up for this loophole?”
“It’s impossible during this time at least.” Seveni shook her head, “The kingdom’s upper strata is currently debating whether they should pay more attention to agricultural development or business development. During this time, no one will care about a minor loophole in the business laws.”
“What’s the result?” Xu Yi immediately asked in a concerned voice, “Are the people who focus on agriculture winning against the people who focus on business?”
“There’s no result right now, otherwise Count Stagg wouldn’t keep aiming at your Frestech Chamber of Commerce.” Seveni looked at Xu Yi and said in an apologetic voice, “This has implicated you, I’m sorry.”
“No, I wasn’t implicated.” Xu Yi shook his head, “To me, the kingdom supporting business development is a very important thing. If the kingdom was filled with stubborn old men who only think that agricultural development is the best foundation, it will become difficult for me and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.”
“Relax, this situation wouldn’t appear.” Seveni shook her head with a faint smile, “Actually, the nobles of the kingdom will always struggle because of personal disputes, differences, and their respective benefits. Count Stagg is aiming at you like this is actually because of the Stagg Family. The Stagg Family are the nobles with the most territory in the kingdom, of course they would want to support agriculture.”
“This is locations decides their decisions.” Xu Yi gave a helpless sigh, “It is impossible for them to see the benefits of business development and it is even more impossible for them to see agricultural and business development progressing together, having no actual contradictions. So in the end, Count Stagg didn’t do this to suppress our Frestech Chamber of Commerce, but rather to guarantee the Stagg Family’s position.”
“These words are correct, but Count Stagg has only been in charge of Banta City for a month and most of Banta City’s prosperity has disappeared. When I walked around Banta City yesterday, I found that there were much fewer people in the streets and most of the shops on the roads were closed. The entire street seemed quite bleak.” Seveni said with an emotional sigh, “To have this large transformation in the city in less than a month, I really have to admire Count Stagg’s abilities.”
“Are you and his majesty going to keep watching him act like this?” Xu Yi couldn’t help disrespectfully rolling his eyes at Seveni, “I think that your highness has come looking for me this time must be to tell me some good news on Count Stagg finally being transferred, right?”
“It’s a pity that this isn’t possible.” Seveni heard the complaint in Xu Yi’s tone and rather revealed a smile, “Count Stagg has only been in Banta City for a month and he hasn’t made a mistake on the surface, even my royal father can’t find a reason to transfer him. Moreover, you should be clear that him holding the position of Banta City’s City Lord is actually a tacit understanding between all the nobles in the kingdom. Everyone wants to see if agricultural development or business development is more beneficial.”
“So Banta City has become a test?” Xu Yi gave a cold snort, “I have to say, there really isn’t a meaning to this decision. There is no need to show anything with this issue, agricultural development is to build the foundations of a kingdom and business development is to make the kingdom stronger. Banta City had become prosperous because of the magic machine industry and now it is actually destroyed by this damn decision. Could it be that his majesty doesn’t know the gravity of this situation?”
Actually, Xu Yi wanted to say that these nobles and even the king were brain damaged for having this idea.
Which country that was developing currently would use Banta City that could become the economic center of the Lampuri Kingdom for a damn experiment?
Moreover, it was clear that those who supported agricultural development had the advantage because the one in charge of Banta City was currently Count Stagg.
Of course, in front of Seveni, Xu Yi didn’t dare say that the king was brain damaged…...
“Royal father knows, but he has no choice in this matter.” Seveni said with a sigh, “To suppress the objections, you have to show facts that everyone can see and Banta City was the most suitable place. For Banta City, right now whether it’s the internal reports for the Royal Parliament or the major newspapers in Anvilmar City, I think that everyone can see the changes in Banta City.
“Then since they can see it, why would they continue this experiment? They are just letting Banta City and the Lampuri Kingdom sustain this loss?” Xu Yi kept asking.
“The time is too short.” Seveni shook her head, “No matter what, Count Stagg has only been here for a month. To let everyone see the most clear result, he has to be here for at least the fall harvest and the end of the year.”
“Isn’t that more than half a year?” Xu Yi immediately knit his brows, “If it’s like this, your highness, I think my previous proposal should be used. Otherwise when Banta City is destroyed by Count Stagg, there will be no chance to restore it.”
“It’s already being used.” Seveni gave a nod, “I came this time to give you some truly good news. I think that after you hear it, you will jump with joy.”
Seeing the rare mischievous smile on Seveni’s face, Xu Yi couldn’t help being curious. Was it really some very good news?
“Listen well.” Seeing the expectant look on Xu Yi’s face, Seveni revealed a faint smile before saying with a serious look, “Dear Baron Xu Yi, in light of your outstanding contributions to the Lampuri Kingdom and after the Royal Parliament’s decision, they have decided to increase your rank from baron to viscount. Congratulations Xu Yi, from now on, you are an honourable viscount. When you see Viscount Leslie, you’ll be on the same level as him.”
Xu Yi disdainfully curled his lips, “Che, what good news is this. Although I’m happy that I don’t need to use titles when I see Viscount Leslie, this is just an empty title and doesn’t give me any benefits.”
“You think that…..if there weren’t any benefits, royal father and I would specially raise your title by a rank?” Seveni asked back.
“Raising my title by a rank…..is there any special meaning?” Xu Yi thought for a bit, but he couldn’t think of anything.
Seveni said with a smile, “I’ll give you a hint. According to the rules of the Royal Parliament, if any nobles of the kingdom want to own any territory, they have to be at least a viscount.”
Xu Yi was stunned as his eyes popped out, “It can’t be, right?”
Seveni gave a nod with a faint smile, “Xu Yi, don’t faint from happiness. Because you have been promoted to a viscount, you have the right to own territory. So through her highness Seveni, which is my proposition and through the agreement of his majesty and the Royal Parliament’s decision, in the end, they’ve decided to grant you private territory.”
Chapter 192 Keeping the seeds of flame
Xu Yi didn’t faint from happiness, but he did almost jump from joy.
Having private territory, that was one of his dreams since he came to this world.
Understanding the society of the Sines Continent, he knew the importance of having territory.
When he set up the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, especially when Baron Belil had expelled them from the Stagg Family’s territory in Banta City, he wanted his own territory even more.
There were many advantages to having his own territory. Other than not being casually expelled by others, Xu Yi could change his territory as he wished and no one would dare say anything because that was his right as the lord of the territory.
Other than that, the most important thing for Xu Yi was that after receiving territory, Xu Yi could boldly create the foundations for the Frestech Chamber of Commerce there and make a long term plan based on it. He didn’t need to worry about strange circumstances that he would have to deal with passively.
To put it simply, Xu Yi was king in this territory, he could do whatever he wanted and other people couldn’t interfere.
So when he heard Seveni say that he would be receiving territory, Xu Yi immediately gave out an excited cry. He pumped his fist before quickly asking Seveni, “Where is this territory? It’s best if it’s not that far from Banta City and it’s best if it’s not too small. You should at least let me put down a few factories, don’t you think, your highness?”
When Xu Yi treated Seveni courteously before, it was because he was dissatisfied and wanted to object, but this time he was too happy and had unknowingly used it.
Seveni saw Xu Yi’s flattering look and couldn’t help pursuing her lips into a smile. After a bit, she said, “Honourable Lord Viscount Xu Yi, if you had to choose your territory, where would you want it? And how big do you want it?”
Xu Yi replied without any hesitation, “Of course it’s the Falling Rain Valley. As for the size, it would be best if you could give me all of the Falling Rain Valley, but I know that this idea is too much, so…..”
“No, this idea isn’t too much.” Seveni cut Xu Yi off.
Xu Yi was stunned, “It can’t be, right? Could it be…..Could it be…..you’re really giving the Falling Rain Valley to me?”
Seveni nodded with a faint smile, “That’s right. I’ve discussed it with royal father and we’ve fought with the Royal Parliament to give you the Falling Rain Valley as your territory. Moreover, it’s even been expanded to a total area of twenty square kilometers. How about it, are you satisfied with this?”
“Yes! Very much!” Xu Yi immediately broke out in laughter as he excitedly looked around, not knowing how to express the emotions in his heart. He suddenly came forward and hugged Seveni, patting her on the back as he loudly shouted, “Your highness, I really have to thank you! From this day forth, I am your loya fan!”
Seveni was scared by Xu Yi’s sudden action, but feeling the strength in Xu Yi’s arms and smelling the scent that came from him, her face couldn’t help turning red.
Actually, this was her first time being this intimate with a man other than her royal father, she didn’t even hug her two big brothers. Now that she was being intimately hugged by Xu Yi, she wasn’t used to it, but strangely she didn’t dislike it, rather it felt quite comfortable.
This feeling was something she felt when her royal father hugged her when she was younger, she hadn’t felt it in a long time.
In the end, Xu Yi reacted and quickly let go. He took two steps back and explained to Seveni with an awkward look, “This…..your highness, sorry. I was too excited and I couldn’t help myself…..I didn’t do it on purpose…..”
The blush on Seveni’s face slowly disappeared. She shook her head before saying with a faint smile, “It’s fine, I understand the excitement in your heart. After all, it has been a long time since our Lampuri Kingdom has granted a noble territory. But Xu Yi, I always thought that you would keep your calm and wit, I never thought that you would become like this when you became excited.”
Xu Yi laughed, “There’s no other way. All people have this time, I’m not an exception. It’s harder to control yourself when you become excited.”
Seveni suddenly gave a soft sigh, “It seems like you’ll only show your true appearance when you’re with young miss Still, it’s hard for others to see it.”
Xu Yi said with a shrug, “If you want to see it, you could just get along with me like Still.”
As soon as his voice fell, Seveni’s face turned red again. Xu Yi was surprised before he reacted.
These words were too crude, it could even be considered sexual harassment.
It would be too meaningful to explain at this time, so the two of them fell into a strange silence.
After a while, Xu Yi gave a soft cough before asking Seveni, “That…..your highness, why is the Royal Parliament suddenly agreeing to give me territory after the Lampuri Kingdom hasn’t granted territory in several hundred years? Am I really that special?”
“Giving you special treatment is of course because they have a special request for you.” The blush on Seveni’s face slowly faded as she said to Xu Yi with a serious look, “Xu Yi, royal father and I hope that you and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce can keep researching more military magic machines. Although we have the advantage in the north against the Sack Kingdom, it’s far from being able to defeat the Sack Kingdom. In order to solve the problem of the northern border permanently, royal father hopes that you can create some more easy to use military magic machines and assist in defeating the Sack Kingdom.”
Xu Yi was silent for a bit before saying with a sigh, “Your highness, although I understand his majesty and your thoughts, let me speak the truth for a bit. Although a war seems to be a competition between the ability and equipment, or military weapons of countries, it is actually a competition of economic conditions. Don’t you feel that the kingdom spends quite a bit of money on the northern border each year?”
“Of course I understand this, but there’s no other way here. The Sack Kingdom and our Lampuri Kingdom’s grudge hasn’t faded since the day our Lampuri Kingdom was formed. If we don’t fight back, our country will be destroyed by the Sack Kingdom.” Seveni said in a helpless voice.
“I’m not saying that fighting the Sack Kingdom is wrong, rather I wanted to say that money is an important factor in deciding a war. To give an example, the Magic Trebuchet is easy to use, but it costs the army headquarters one thousand gold coins to buy one. With the current situation of the army headquarters, how many can they even afford?” Xu Yi asked.
Seveni looked at Xu Yi with a look of hidden bitterness, “Isn’t that because your Frestech Chamber of Commerce’s price is too high?”
Xu Yi immediately said in an aggrieved voice, “Your highness, this isn’t because of our high price, it’s because the costs are high. Not mentioning anything else, just the steel required for a Magic Trebuchet costs several hundred gold coins. Then there’s no need to mention manpower, research, and other aspects. For the Magic Trebuchets that we sold to the army headquarters, our company is close to losing money!”
“It would be strange if I believed you.” Seveni rolled her eyes at Xu Yi, “Although you might not earn much, I wouldn’t believe that you would be losing money.”
Xu Yi laughed, “Alright, even if we don’t lose money, we are a company and we do need to earn a bit.”
Seveni helplessly shook her head, “No matter what, you’re right. The army headquarters and the kingdom can’t withstand the heavy military budget, so royal father and I gave you this territory in hopes that you would make some contributions to the kingdom.”
“If people pay me, I’ll help them with their disaster. Since I’ve received this large benefit, I should give something in return.” Xu Yi gave a nod, “But your highness, it’s still the same problem. Even if my company develops more military magic machines, how will the army headquarters pay for them? If you want our company to pay for it, we can’t do that. So in the end, to solve this problem, you have to develop the economy of the Lampuri Kingdom and raise its financial power.”
“The problems that you mentioned are things that royal father and I are clear on, otherwise do you think that royal father would take such a large risk on Banta City and accept those old stubborn fools’ test? Why would we insist on giving you this piece of territory at this time?” Seveni asked back.
Xu Yi thought about it before giving a nod, “Alright, I understand. It seems like his majesty and your highness wants to put your hopes in me and our Frestech Chamber of Commerce, there really is quite a bit of pressure……”
“With great power comes great responsibility and pressure. I think that you remember that you said this to me before.” Seveni said, “Xu Yi, you have already proved that you have the ability to change Banta City. Royal father and I believe that you have the same ability to change the Lampuri Kingdom. The success of a single city like Banta City isn’t important. If you can shut the mouths of those stubborn conservative nobles, allowing royal father to promote the magic machine industry across the entire kingdom, bringing prosperity to all the cities of the kingdom that rival Banta City, it’s worth it even if Banta City was destroyed.”
“You’re saying that you want to preserve our Frestech Chamber of Commerce, this seed of flame?” Xu Yi asked.
“Yes.” Seveni gave a nod with a serious face, “Xu Yi, you and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce are the hope of the magic machine industry, this seed of flame. As long as you and the Frestefch Chamber of Commerce are preserved, I believe that this seed of flame will erupt into a greater flame in the future that will light up the entire Lampuri Kingdom. Do you believe this?”
“Who do you think I am?” Xu Yi revealed a confident smile, “I am certain that this seed of flame will turn into a powerful flame of industry that will not only light up the entire Lampuri Kingdom, it’ll sweep across the entire Sines Continent!”
(Volume 2 ?Fires of Industry? end.)