Volume 6 Chapter 143 - Two Governor Dukes
Based on the initial plan, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would have invested at least twenty million gold coins on the base on Giant Deer Island and it would take at least three years to construct. It could be considered the first super large project since the Frestech Chamber of Commerce had been established.
When the sea base was complete, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would have a foothold that they could push forward and back on the southern endless seas.
And the location of this base was very well chosen, being able to protect the Stantine Duchy’s southern sea routes.
If anyone wanted to slip through the sea route in the Stantine Duchy, it was impossible to avoid this base. This was equal to setting up a large door in the southern seas, allowing the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to not worry about a sudden attack from the sea.
For Xu Yi, this base was only an attempt for him.
As long as they had this experience, when the conditions were right, he would definitely expand from this base into the endless seas. In the end, he would cover each island on the endless seas with small bases, creating a line of bases that would allow them to completely control the endless seas.
The reason for this was actually because of Xu Yi’s suspicion.
With his many years of observations after transmigrating to the Sines Continent, Xu Yi was certain that this world should be similar to earth and not a world in a strange inexplicable space.
Since it was like this, he was certain that this world didn’t just have the Sines Continent.
Moreover, all the races on the continent had legends about another continent, which proved Xu Yi’s guess.
Then since this world wasn’t just a single continent, the seas that everyone considered a mystery and couldn’t be entered, was actually a treasure chest that hid many treasures to Xu Yi.
He believed that with absolute control of the endless seas, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce would have endless possibilities, no longer being limited to the Sines Continent that had already been carved up.
But to achieve this goal, the price that he had to pay was astonishing.
According to the initial estimates, it would take at least twenty million to complete the base on Giant Deer Island and it would take investments of no less than three million a year to maintain it.
The Frestech Chamber of Commerce could easily support a sea base, but if it was ten of them or even several dozen of them, that was a big burden.
So while constructing this sea base, Xu Yi was already considering how to make profit from it.
But he didn’t have any ideas right now…...
This time Xu Yi had stayed for a full week and personally watched the sea base’s foundations being laid. After that, he took a Magic Airship and went northeast to the Candra Empire’s southern ports.
Compared to the Rudson Kingdom that could only ask for guard ships and stop there, the Candra Empire was much more direct.
Even if the relationship between the two sides weren’t as good as they seemed on the surface, so the Candra Empire government didn’t have many negotiations with the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, there were many people from the Candra Empire that secretly contacted the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to cooperate with them.
The most active one among them was the Candra Empire navy.
Because they opened the three naval ports with the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, the Candra Empire had earned a shocking tax revenue of over three million gold coins just from marine transport in the last half a year.
Adding in all the products that were shipped in, the cities that were near these three ports were the most prosperous in all of the southern Torea Province. At the same time, it also increased the tax revenue of these places, which enhanced the benefits that the navy received from the places that they controlled.
The first place that the Candra Empire navy benefitted from was disarming themselves…..
That was right, they disarmed themselves.
When the Candra Empire navy announced that they would cut 60% of their personnel while also reducing half their warships, everyone was shocked.
Many people thought that this was because of the strict budget increases to the empire’s army, so in order to guarantee that budget, the navy budget had been greatly slashed and they had to lay off their personnel.
But in reality, this was what the Candra Empire had proposed to the army headquarters and had been approved by them, along with approval from the parliament and the emperor.
The reason for doing this was naturally to reduce the twenty five million gold coin yearly upkeep of the Candra Empire navy.
After disarming themselves, the Candra Empire navy would save ten million gold coins a year. Adding in the income from the three open naval ports and the surrounding cities, the Candra Empire navy would have an extra eighteen million gold coins a year.
The reason why the Candra Empire navy did all this to save money was to buy more guard Magic Ships from the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
This was something that the Candra Empire and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce had already agreed on, so the Frestech Chamber of Commerce accepted a large order for fifteen million gold coins at once.
Of course, this wasn’t enough for Xu Yi to personally come to the Candra Empire. He came this time, other than to sign the contract between the Frestech Chamber of Commerce and the Candra Empire navy for these guard ships was mainly to come and see the governor of the southern Torea Province, Duke Peresco.
Because of the prosperity of marine transport, the developing magic machine industry of the southwest countries entered the Candra Empire bit by bit. The place that had been affected the most by this was the southernmost Torea Province.
In the Torea Province, one could see all kinds of magic machines, as well as products related to the magic machine industry.
There were even several magic machine companies other than the Frestech Chamber of Commerce that had invested in the Torea Province, opening several magic machine factories, turning the Torea Province into the Candra Empire’s newest magic machine base.
Compared to the magic machine industrial base by Wimbledon City that was controlled by the Candra Empire’s government, the Torea Province base was more scattered, but had more vitality and developed quicker.
But Duke Peresco wasn’t satisfied with this.
No matter how good the Torea Province’s magic machine industry developed, without the participation of the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, it was like something was missing. So through the Candra Empire navy, he had taken the initiative to invite the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, hoping that Xu Yi would personally come to the Torea Province to negotiate.
So far, this was the first time a governor of the Candra Empire had officially invited the Frestech Chamber of Commerce with the intention to cooperate, so naturally this was very important to Xu Yi.
However, Xu Yi never thought that at the banquet Duke Perseco held for him, there would be an unexpected guest.
“Chairman Xu, this is the southern province’s governor, Duke Chris Windsor. I’m sure that you’ve heard his name before.” Duke Peresco had a smile as he introduced the guest beside him to Xu Yi before moving to the side and letting them talk.
“Duke Windsor?” Xu Yi looked at this unexpected guest in front of him. This middle aged man who seemed average, even though he was dignified and looked to be from high birth was the southern province’s Duke Windsor?
The Candra Empire’s internal attitude towards the Frestech Chamber of Commerce wasn’t unified, some supported them and of course there were those that were against them.
Among the people against the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, Duke Windsor was the most outspoken one.
One, it was because as the southern province’s governor, he was considered a feudal lord in the Candra Empire. His words were serious and his statements could have a serious impact.
Two, it was because his actions were too surprising.
Compared to the ones that only objected to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce verbally, this Lord Governor of the southern provinces had rejected all products related to the Frestech Chamber of Commerce to enter the southern province, completely cutting off the southern province from the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
Doing this was simply like there was a grudge between him and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
Of course, Xu Yi was very clear that because of the matter of Duchess Windsor and Count Dole, the Frestech Chamber of Commerce did have a grudge with Duke Windsor.
When Duke Windsor sent his guards to invade the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, this had completely stepped on Xu Yi’s bottom line.
Those guards were completely eliminated in the Stantine Duchy by the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, which created the grudge between Duke Windsor and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
So Xu Yi wasn’t surprised at all that Duke Windsor was against the Frestech Chamber of Commerce. When Duke Windsor had forbidden the Frestech Chamber of Commerce from entering the southern province, he had already given up on the southern province market.
Anyway, the Candra Empire had more than ten provinces, he wouldn’t miss the southern province.
It was because he understood this that Xu Yi didn’t understand why Duke Windsor would appear in this place.
He didn’t believe Duke Peresco didn’t know about the matter between Duke Windsor and the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, nor did he believe that Duke Windsor didn’t know who Duke Peresco’s guest was today.
This had to be planned, so there were some other motives.
Xu Yi and Duke Windsor were both silent for a bit, looking each other over.
After looking at Duke Windsor without any politeness for a bit, Xu Yi suddenly had an idea as his mouth opened slightly and his eyes revealed a look of surprise.
As he reacted, the surprised look on his face had turned into a friendly smile as he reached his hand out to Duke Windsor.
“Lord Duke, this is our first time meeting. I hope that this can become the turning point to a happy cooperation between us. Don’t you agree?”
Duke Windsor looked at Xu Yi for a bit before reaching his hand out to shake Xu Yi’s hand and saying in a deep voice, “Chairman Xu, I hope that you won’t disappoint me.”