Although Hornfort [Hornford] is the capital of the Monta Republic, Steel Castle [Solingen] is the most prosperous city in the country of mountains.

Benefiting from the unique mineral resources and the skilled craftsmen who settled here, Steel Castle was a famous blacksmith town in the Monta Royal Territory many years ago - but only in Monta.

Trapped in the mountains, the steel castle's ironware cannot be shipped out no matter how good its quality is.

Even if it can be shipped out, outside lords and municipalities are reluctant to buy Monta goods. They prefer to protect local iron products that can contribute taxes.

Until thirty years ago, two major events happened.

The first thing: the Wupper Canal was completed, and the waterway between the Rose River and the Ember River was opened.

In order to dig this short canal, the Steel Castle Blacksmith Guild spent forty years just raising funds.

By the time the buried first jar of gold coins came to light again, the leader who originally initiated the matter had long since passed away, and the ignorant young man in the audience had turned gray.

After that, it took another fifteen years to build the canal, which took a total of fifty-five years and three generations.

The second event: The Duke of Arléans led his troops into the Piedmont, and a war of sovereignty broke out.

War is like a hungry monster, asking for more steel and blood all the time.

The iron production area in the Piedmont was burned to the ground by brutal tug-of-war, but the steel fortress, far away from the disaster of war, was able to make a fortune.

Two sovereign wars, eight years of fighting before and after. By the time Mad King Richard retreated, Steel Castle had become the largest iron manufacturing center in the land of the two mountains.

After the war, the arms business was no longer easy to do.

But Steel Castle not only did not decline, but was able to develop more freely because it got rid of the shackles of the empire.

The Alliance, which was waiting to be reborn, had an endless demand for iron products. The steel castle blacksmith no longer rushed to make swords, but instead sold iron bars.

With the reduction of tariffs within the alliance, the bars produced by the steel castle are no longer trapped in the mountains. They are loaded onto ships, flowed down the river, and sold to republics and even empires, and overseas.

The ten years of the Sovereignty War were a tragic decade for many ordinary people, but they were a golden decade for Steel Castle.

Even the twenty years after the end of the war were twenty years of rapid development for Steel Castle.

Steel Castle has not only grown from a famous blacksmith town to a steel capital renowned in the Alliance, but has also grown from a remote valley by Rose Lake to a transportation hub where trade routes gather today.

Therefore, if foreign trading companies want to do business in the Monta Republic, they will focus their main efforts on the Steel Castle instead of the capital Horn Castle.

The person in charge of most of the trading companies in Steel Castle is actually the general person in charge of the Monta Republic - Navarre Trading Company is like this.

…

The agent of the Navarre family in Steel Castle is an old gentleman with a Veneta-style beard named [Carlo Eide].

The so-called Veneta beard means no beard.

Mr. Ed was tall, thin, and stern. If it weren't for his bald lower jaw and upper lip, many people would have mistaken him for a clergyman just based on his clothes and temperament.

When Anna came back from sketching with dew all over her body, Mr. Ed was talking to Winters about the issue of gold exchange.

"...Although Steel Castle will not be unable to afford half a ton of gold, if it is exchanged for ducats at once, the price will definitely be forcibly reduced." Mr. Ed dipped his fingertips in water and wrote a number on the table: "Steel Castle

All the goldsmiths are backed by guilds. If they find out what is real and what is real, and join forces to lower the price, the exchange rate will be even lower."

Winters gently stroked the bone whistle and nodded thoughtfully. The two wolfhounds lay obediently next to Winters' boots, peeking at him expectantly.

Also sitting at the small table was the expressionless Father Carman.

Compared to Mr. Ed and Father Carman, whose beard and hair are neatly groomed, Winters is a little unkempt.

Although Winters was reasonably neatly dressed - a credit to Anna - his beard and hair were not so lucky - also a credit to Anna.

Seeing Anna Navarre return to the camp, Mr. Ed took the initiative to stand up and greet her: "It's so nice to see you, my lady. You are healthier and more energetic now than you were in Hailan two years ago."

"Mr. Ed, I'm even more happy to see you looking good." Anna smiled in return and put down her drawing board: "However, 'more energetic' and 'more healthy' should not be used on ladies."

"For people of my age, health is more important than anything else."

"Mr. Ed is right." Winters echoed righteously: "Health is beauty!"

It is often difficult for two people who spend time together to notice each other's changes. Winters can't tell exactly where Anna has changed, but it seems that everything has changed: the tip of her nose and cheeks are more beautiful, her waistline is more charming, and her thighs are firmer.

Even more energetic...

If we say that Ms. Navarre, who just arrived in Tiefeng County, still has a little pampered baby fat.

So after experiencing a long journey, Anna's squeamishness has completely disappeared, replaced by strong vitality, just like those idealized and realistic ancient goddess statues walking into the world.

This vibrant beauty makes Winters heartbroken, so whenever Anna uses the "comparative form" these days, Winters sings its praises without hesitation.

Except for skin problems - that's a restricted area, and whoever mentions it will die.

After returning from sketching, Anna walked into the tent, took off her sword, washed her face with a few handfuls of water, and wiped it dry. Then she walked out of the tent and sat at the table elegantly.

There are now four people at the table: Winters, Carman, Ed and Anna.

Mr. Ed looked at Winters calmly, and then at Anna, and found that the two people looked natural, without any strangeness or pretentiousness.

"What's the matter? Mr. Ed?" Winters asked softly, "I'm still waiting for you to continue."

"Nothing." A smile appeared on Mr. Ed's serious face: "I think maybe only a strange woman can be worthy of a great husband."

After a pause, Mr. Ed continued to talk about exchanging gold bars for gold coins.

…

…

Half a month ago, after recasting the golden man offering sacrifices to heaven into four carts of gold bars, the Tiefeng County envoys divided into two groups.

Escorted by Lieutenant Colonel Moritz, he returned to Tiefeng County carrying three-quarters of the gold. The Tiefeng County government urgently needed this batch of hard currency to ease its financial crisis.

The other group, led by Winters himself, secretly headed north into the Monta Republic.

However, Winters, who returned to the "civilized world", faced the dilemma of having money that he couldn't spend: the gold bars couldn't be used directly, and even if someone wanted to collect them, they were too conspicuous, so they had to be exchanged for common gold coins.

Fortunately, Navarre Trading Company also has business in the country of mountains, so Winters is not helpless.

Winters first found the branch of the Navarre Trading Company in the border city of the Monta Republic [Lucerne], exchanged a small amount of gold bars, and at the same time sent an acknowledgment letter to the headquarters of the trading company in Steel Castle through the channels of the Navarre Trading Company.

Urgent letter.

Then he took the remaining gold bars and rushed to the Steel Castle without stopping.

Then, he waited for Mr. Ed outside a small village on the outskirts of Steel Castle.

"In short." Mr. Ed returned to his serious look: "It is a very uneconomical business practice to exchange all the gold you hold into ducats, federal gold shields or gold coins at once."

"What's your suggestion?" Winters asked.

"My suggestion is - mortgage. First use this batch of gold to mortgage gold coins, and then slowly digest them to maintain a stable exchange ratio. Of course, it is best to bring the gold back to Veneta and recast it into ducats. That way

Best deal.”

Winters was puzzled: "Use gold as collateral for gold?"

"Yes. But it's not a mortgage to the goldsmith, but to other merchants." Mr. Ed said eloquently: "Divide the gold bars into equal parts and mortgage them to different merchants, so that you can bypass the Steel Castle goldsmith.

Moreover, during the mortgage period, the collateral cannot be recast, which will not affect the exchange ratio of gold and gold coins in the market."

Winters saw Anna nodding slightly to him, so he stood up with relief and thanked the old gentleman: "I'll do everything for you, Mr. Ed."

"It's my honor to be able to provide help." Mr. Ed nodded: "Your Excellency Montagne."

After confirming how to convert gold bars into gold coins, there are still a series of more important problems that need to be solved.

Mr. Ed took out the urgent letter written by Anna from his arms: "You said in the letter that you hope to be introduced to the decision-makers of Steel Castle. This is not difficult. Mr. Borso of the Este family is in Steel Castle."

Fort, he is a close friend of Mayor Wooper. I can introduce you to Mr. [Borso da Este] and ask him to introduce you to Mayor [Paul Wooper]."

In the ears of Veneta people with a little common sense, Da Este is an extremely prominent surname.

Although Winters doesn't know who "Borso da Este" is, if there is a "White Eagle" willing to lend a helping hand, it shouldn't be difficult to meet the mayor of Steel Castle.

[Note: The symbol of the Este family is the white eagle]

"As for your other demand - purchasing weapons." Mr. Ed frowned slightly: "I'm afraid it's a bit difficult."

"What?" Winters didn't seem surprised and joked: "Does the blacksmith of Steel Castle make any money?"

Mr. Ed took out another piece of stacked papyrus from his arms: "The behavior of the Monta people is indeed different from ours. Life in the country of mountains is difficult, so the Monta people are more united and loyal. Once the consensus is passed,

I will never regret it or disobey it.”

Winters took the straw paper and unfolded it. The new printing ink on the paper still exuded a faint smell.

There is a huge seal stamped directly under the papyrus, and the first sentence on the head is: "The senior representatives of Solingen, loved by the only lord and free people, jointly voted to adopt the following collegial agreement..."

Mr. Ed said in a deep voice: "The Steel Castle City Council has just passed an administrative order. It prohibits any individual or guild from selling weapons, ammunition and any resources that may be used for war to the Republic of Plato. However, this order is only administrative.

The order needs to be brought to the head office for debate and voting before it can become a formal decree."

Winters read the contents of the announcement at a glance, and then handed the papyrus to Anna.
Chapter completed!