Chapter 527 Capital and Power
Looking at Husso who was full of smiles, Roland thought for a moment and said, “I hear you have a monopoly on furs, minerals, and the like.”
“That is indeed true.” Husso nodded. “After all, the business system of this world is still the small workshop structure of the feudal society, and even the royal family still uses territories and manors as output. They don’t know what capital operation is. Isn’t it a simple matter to eliminate them?”
Vivian was dumbfounded, because to her ears, Husso spoke like this: “After all, the beep beep is still beep beep…” She couldn’t understand what it meant at all.
Roland smiled and said, “But isn’t this a bit too much? Using a high purchase price to squeeze out other merchants, and when the monopoly is set, drastically lowering the purchase price. Now the quality of life of the hunters, miners, and the like in Delpon has dropped dramatically. Many people work hard for a day and earn barely enough to feed themselves for two days, let alone feed their families.”
“This is normal business practice for us. Besides, a lower purchase price means a lower selling price for the finished product,” Husso said.
Roland sneered, shook his head, and said, “But I asked before I came here. The price of the finished product you made didn’t go down, but instead increased by about fifteen percent.”
Husso threw up his hands. “Because we burned too much money in the early stages, the fifteen percent price increase will be canceled after we have recovered the initial operating capital.”
“Hahaha!” Roland sneered. “Do you think I would believe that?”
“Why don’t you believe it?” Husso looked shocked. “Business is all about integrity. Almighty Roland, you have to believe in the credibility of Cornucopia.”
“What a joke. ‘Capital comes dripping from head to toe, from every pore, with blood and dirt.[1]’ You guys are capital now, true capital.” Roland looked straight into the other man’s eyes. “Don’t tell me you never learned that.”
“Naturally, I have learned it,” Husso said righteously. “So don’t think of us as ordinary capitalists, we’re not that dirty. We aspire to become the richest men that everyone praises[2].” Roland sneered. He picked up the glass, sipped on his fruit wine, and said, “I remember years ago when I was in college, the capitalists used the media to say something very interesting… to put power in a cage[3]!”
Husso frowned.
“I was so young and ignorant at the time that I actually thought it was right!” Roland continued, “When I finished college and worked for a year, I understood how terrible capital is when it is in power. The only thing that can deal with capital is power. If the media’s deception had truly worked, if they had truly put power in a cage, the consequences would have been unimaginable.”
Since Roland had spoken to this extent, Husso wasn’t going to pretend anymore.
“Almighty Roland, are you planning to fight against us?” Husso slowly put the white porcelain lid on the cup in front of him. “Don’t forget, we follow the rules; we are protected by the system, and no matter how strong you are, if you kill us a few times and go red[4], the consequences will be different. When you’re a wanted man and a large number of players come over, do you think you’ll be able to keep your current position and level?”
Roland’s eyebrow quirked.
Husso laughed, looked at Vivian, and then said, “When you have no level and no power, will your women still follow you? The queen is also following you because of your level and status.”
He was trying to find a way to anger Roland, preferably to infuriate him enough that Roland would kill him.
For a level-two merchant, the experience he would lose when he died didn’t bother him at all.
Roland didn’t get angry as he wished. He stood up, looked at the other man condescendingly, and said, “Indeed, if I kill you randomly, I will get a red name. But as I just said, the only thing that can fight against capital is power, and I have power now.”
“What do you mean by that, Roland!” Husso jumped up, his expression somewhat gloomy.
Roland ignored him and left with Vivian.
Half an hour later, Roland showed up at the mayor’s manor and met with John Junior.
The two of them sat down in the study, and John Junior seemed to be looking better than before.
He looked at Roland with the same expression of anger and hatred always.
“You know about Cornucopia’s monopoly, don’t you?” Roland leaned back in his chair and looked indifferent. “They also came to see you; can you tell me what you talked about?”
John Junior sneered. “Sir, you manage so much, wanting to know everything. Do you even want to know which maid I slept with last night?”
Roland threw up his hands. “I like prying into other people’s private affairs, so there’s no harm in telling me if you’d like. I’ll listen very carefully.”
VA
John Junior was speechless. Roland pursed his lips and snickered. When there was no equivalent strength, sniping at the strong would only bring humiliation upon oneself.
Roland knew this too well. Before, when China was weaker, it was picked on by the entire world, without even a chance to talk back. He had seen too much of these things.
“You can work with Cornucopia, I have no problem with that,” Roland continued, “but I will take the mayor’s wife and your sister to live permanently in my manor. According to the laws of Hollevin, a woman can inherit the mayor’s position after all the men in a family have died.”
John Junior turned pale. “How can you… do this!”
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“Besides, the mayor’s wife is still young and beautiful, only a little over thirty-five. With her body, she can have two or three more children without any problem.” Roland slowly pressed forward and said in a very intimidating manner, “With some luck, she can have another John Junior.” Now John Junior’s face was all white, his body trembling
“Don’t take my kindness toward you for granted.”
Roland did not care what state John Junior was in at this point. He stood up, left the study, and asked Vivian to leave with the mayor’s wife and daughter for Roland’s estate.
In the carriage, the mayor’s wife sighed in relief. She looked at Vivian and said, “Thank you for sparing us, mother and daughter. I was so worried when John Junior received the people from Cornucopia that I was afraid that one day, some powerful Mage would come and bombard the city gates.”
Vivian’s eyes widened in surprise. “But you will be living in Roland’s manor for a long time, aren’t you afraid that Roland will have lustful thoughts?”
“Lady Andonara won’t let Mr. Roland mess around,” The mayor’s wife said indifferently. “Besides, even if that were the case, I would be the one taking advantage!”
Well… that makes sense. Roland then returned to the Magic Tower and called a meeting with the leaders of all the powers under the Magic Tower’s command. Many people in the city knew about this matter. The nobles and merchant leaders of various trades were all eagerly awaiting the results.
How was Roland going to counter Cornucopia, which was also organized by the Golden Sons?
Half an hour later, Sheriff Reed, with an elite infantry, set out from the city hall, came before Cornucopia, and in the presence of a large crowd of nobles and industry stakeholders, read the following:
“According to a month-long study and visit by the City Hall of Delpon, it has now been determined that Cornucopia is an illegal guild, with questionable income, tax evasion, and malicious disruption of the free economic market, causing a great and detrimental impact on the business climate of Delpon. Cornucopia is hereby seized, and three days from now, all members of the guild must leave Delpon. They will be banned from conducting business in Delpon for the rest of their lives, and all taxes must be paid in full before they leave.”
Then Cage Reed had the whole building surrounded, and at the door, he placed a white seal.
There were a lot of discussions going around.
When Husso saw this, he almost fainted.
He roared, “Roland, you scumbag!”
He thought that Roland was just a martial artist who would be bullheaded and take a swing at Cornucopia. But it never occurred to him that the other side would use authoritative power.
This way, all their calculations and dependencies were for naught.
After roaring, he looked to the surrounding crowd, in which there was a small group of people who had contacted him and promised him that they would stand up against Roland when necessary.
But these acquaintances who were in the crowd averted their eyes; none of them would meet his gaze.
It wasn’t as simple as that.
Roland teleported to the capital of Hollevin, met Antis, and asked Antis to take him to the old king
The old king, who looked even older now, met Roland at the visitor’s palace.
“How is Andonara?” The old king narrowed his eyes and he looked very spiritless. “That child Veronica misses her.”
“I would welcome Princess Veronica as a guest in Delpon,” Roland replied without humility nor arrogance.
The old king sighed. “Well, it seems that there is no hope of Andonara coming back. Then, Roland, what is the purpose of your visit?”
“Cornucopia.”
As soon as this word came out, Antis’s expression became a little surprised.
The old king, however, looked the same, and said indifferently, “It seems that your city, Delpon, has also been affected.”
“I reckon all the counties in Hollevin have been affected by them.”
Antis said, “Yes, they are very troublesome. They first use a high-price strategy to push out all their competitors and when they have a monopoly, they drastically reduce the purchase price, then sell at a high price.”
“Why don’t you take action against Cornucopia?” Roland said. “You can gather information about their evil deeds in the marketplace and then use public documents to drive them away from the city and the territory.”
The old king and Antis looked at each other, both of them a little shocked.
“Aren’t they also Golden Sons?” Antis replied incredulously. “If we do that, won’t you Golden Sons find a reason to beat us up?”
Roland laughed. “They just figured you’d think that way, that’s why they are so arrogant. But in reality, we don’t agree with their behavior, and soon they will be ostracized by us Golden Sons. But until then, I will need some written information, as well as a few speeches from you, Your Majesty!” The old king: ???
[1] Karl Marx, Capital Vol. 1, Chapter 31: The Genesis of the Industrial Capitalist
[2] Rich men that everyone praises: a phrase used by Guancha Syndicate, a news media company, to describe Jack Ma, who said, “Business itself is the greatest public welfare.” It has become a meme used sarcastically to mock businesses, the rich, and capitalism [3] Comes from Chinese President Xi
[4] marked as hostile