The parliament next to the administrative district government office building of the "Gold Coin Capital".
This is the second most majestic and gorgeous building in the city after the Temple of Woking, the Goddess of Wealth. It is also the place where the forty-two families that control Ascatella compete for interests and discuss foreign policies.
Since the envoys who just returned from Candlekeep a few days ago brought back the contract that symbolized victory, a meeting was held today to discuss how to divide the trade shares snatched from Baldur's Gate.
Yes, it is carving up.
Ordinary businessmen and civilians cannot get any additional benefits from the treaty. At most, they can only pick up the leftovers left by the big families.
Facts have once again proved that there is no so-called "fair" business environment in the world.
Any business activity that develops and grows to a certain extent will inevitably be unable to escape the influence of politics, and the two are even bound to each other from the beginning.
Amn, the business empire closest to the capitalist system on Earth, is naturally one of the best.
Looking at the trade protection laws it has enacted, it is not difficult to see that the essence of this country is to give families with huge wealth and capital a more relaxed environment for expansion, allowing them to form absolute monopolies in one field after another.
As the "hero" and "hero" of this negotiation, Sir Crispian naturally became the star figure of this meeting.
In addition, he had followed Zuo Si's advice before and made a big splash in advance when he returned to let everyone know how much benefit he had obtained for Amn.
Therefore, when this already famous nobleman appeared, everyone stood up and gave enthusiastic applause and words of praise.
After all, he overfulfilled the tasks assigned by the six-member Council, and even "bravely" continued to move toward Candlekeep after the envoy was attacked by evil forces, causing Baldur's Gate to fall into passiveness and trouble, and finally had to
Make huge concessions.
Of course, Sir Crispian has not forgotten that the reason why he was able to gain the power he has today from the six-person council was all thanks to Zuo Si's help.
So he did not hesitate to use his authority to give the biggest piece of cake to the Roldan Chamber of Commerce.
In the current Ascaltra, there is no noble who does not know the relationship between Bernard and Zuo Si.
After the "spoils sharing meeting" ended, Sir Crispian immediately approached Bernard and his friend, the heir of the Nasiva family - Babette.
He said without any nonsense, he went straight to the point: "This time I went to Candlekeep to negotiate with Baldur's Gate, and it was only thanks to Sir Soth that I was able to survive that terrible attack, and finally completed the mission brilliantly. So.
I hope Sir Soth can get a relatively high share of the benefits allocated to the Roldan Chamber of Commerce this time."
"Don't worry about this. I will give him all the profits from these trade routes intact. Because he also saved my life and helped me regain everything I lost."
Nader responded with a smile.
After hearing these words, Sir Crispian immediately nodded with satisfaction: "It seems that you are smarter and more capable than the rumors say. I believe that the Roldan Chamber of Commerce will thrive again under your leadership. In a few days,
, I will hold a dinner at the manor, and you must come. There will be many parliamentarians, bureaucrats and important figures in the judicial system present."
"Thank you very much. It's my honor to be invited by you."
Bernard bowed politely, his eyes flashing with excitement.
Because he has just restored the Chamber of Commerce to normal operations, and what he currently lacks most is contacts in the government.
In Amn, a country where bribery and bribery have long become common practice and unspoken rules, there is nothing more important than maintaining collusion between government and business.
As a successful young businessman, Bernard is very clear that the reason why he has not encountered any trouble at the moment is entirely because Zuo Si, the chosen one of the goddess of poison and plague, has enough deterrence.
So he is eager to make up for this shortcoming.
After all, his evil-minded father, Sir Elroth, died so hastily that he did not have time to reveal the connections that the family had secretly developed over the years.
"Come on, young man. You must know that there are countless families in Askatra who are envious of you. After all, establishing friendship with a powerful chosen god and receiving his protection is not a casual matter.
Everyone can enjoy it. Some guys are even jealous and say that you must have been kissed by Tymora, the goddess of luck, when you were born."
After saying these words of encouragement, Sir Crispian turned and left the parliament.
After he was completely gone, Babette couldn't help but whistled and joked: "Man, it looks like you are really going to get lucky.
I heard my father mention it yesterday that the Council of Six seems to be planning to entrust Sir Crispian with an important task.
This means that he will soon obtain a series of rights including trade and diplomacy.
With his support, you should soon be able to obtain the status of a senior councillor.
Don't underestimate this.
With this identity, you can truly gain the respect of other families and avoid being treated as a junior all the time."
"Yes! Since I returned to Askatra, I feel like I have suddenly changed. Everything is so smooth. It seems that I reached a cooperation agreement with Mr. Soth at all costs, and it is indeed the best in this life.
The most successful investment I have ever made." Bernard sighed slightly.
"By the way, when do you plan to hold a wedding for my sister, so that the relationship between our two families will become closer through marriage?" Babette asked with interest.
"Let's wait until Mr. Soth comes back. Besides, I've been so busy lately that I don't have the time and energy to prepare for the wedding." Bernard sighed with a wry smile.
Since all the brothers and sisters who had been fiercely competing with him suddenly died, he now had to support the huge chamber of commerce alone.
Fortunately, the family has always had the habit of cultivating and reserving talents. Otherwise, there is no hope of recovering from the chaos within half a year, let alone expansion.
Babette shrugged indifferently: "Then wait a few more months. Anyway, the wedding is just a formality. By the way, I heard that you built an Oriental Continent on the original site of the Crooked Crane Hotel in Chengmen District.
A Karatu-style restaurant? And it also provides original and delicious dishes?"
"Hahahaha! That's right. But that store does not belong to me, but is opened by Mr. Soth and a halfling chef. I guarantee that as long as you eat there once, you will completely fall in love with them."p>
As soon as he mentioned this matter, Bernard immediately laughed happily.
Because this restaurant has only been open for less than five days, but it has already received unanimous praise from all the nobles and wealthy businessmen.
According to reports from restaurant operators, the reservations for VIP members above the second floor have been delayed for a month.
As for the lobby on the first floor, which only serves relatively cheap dishes, it is always packed as soon as the doors open.
Some guests with picky tastes would rather wait at the door for an hour and a half than go to other hotels or pubs for a meal.
"Damn it! Then what are you waiting for? Come on and take me to have a big meal. You know, when I was a child, I longed for the eastern continent Karatu described in books, and was deeply obsessed with the mystery, prosperity, wealth and food culture there.
”
After saying that, Babette directly dragged Bernard by the arm, dragged him into his carriage, and then galloped straight towards the city gate.
……
At the same time, in the private room of the masked mage's headquarters.
Zeranora was sitting at the dining table, enjoying the food that her men had just ordered from Zuo Si's restaurant. She asked without raising her head: "I asked you to investigate the movements of the Tangled Talisman in Askatra. There are results."
Is it done?"
"Yes, Master. We discovered that a chamber of commerce and several families have been secretly controlled by Shangla, the Lord of Talisman." A young man who looked to be in his mid-twenties knelt down on one knee to report.<
/p>
"Oh? What have they been doing recently?"
Zeranora used her slender fingers to open the shell of a lobster, dipped the white and tender meat into her mouth with the secret sauce, and felt the deliciousness coming from her tongue and taste buds.
No doubt about it.
Ever since she tasted the dishes cooked by the halfling chef Welby, she has been completely conquered by the deliciousness of these foods.
Nowadays, it is not only necessary to have three main meals a day, but also to add some exquisite and delicious snacks.
The young man replied cautiously: "According to our observations, the other party should be trying to establish a stable business relationship with Bernard, who has a close relationship with Soth. In addition, there was a mysterious woman not long ago. From their
The secret stronghold in the Bridge District came out."
"Woman?"
A strange color flashed in Zeranora's eyes.
"Yes. After these days of tracking, we found that she actually joined the Emerald Society."
The young man quickly told everything he knew about the situation.
Zeranora mocked with contempt: "Emerald Society? Attack in the Cloudy Mountains? It seems that the Entangling Talisman has not given up the idea of ​​absorbing Soth into the organization. By the way, what are those idiots from the Emerald Society doing recently?
?"
"They seem to have the support of the elf mage in the sewers of Woking Mall, and they are planning the second ambush on Soth. It is said that this time they almost came out in full force, and even spent a lot of money to hire a man in Cherim.
The black dragon nesting in the Ba Swamp."
"Oh? After experiencing a failure, do they still realize what it means to be a chosen one favored by the gods?" Zeranora raised her eyebrows in surprise.
To be continued...