Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 248 Going back on one's word
"What? The cursed crystal can't be transported? Raymond dares to play us for a fool?"

Although not all the money was paid, it was something that had already been agreed upon.

In transactions involving such powerful entities, it's impossible for every transaction to be settled completely; trust is the most crucial factor.

The reason Raymond was willing to provide Kuraki with Tier 2 resources again was because the first business deal went very smoothly, and both parties had established a foundation of trust.

Now that Raymond has gone back on his word, Su Mu is going to teach him a lesson.

"It's not Raymond's fault, he got scammed too."

It is said that the Trading City intervened, bribing suppliers within the Emerald Kingdom to monopolize one step in the process of producing Tier 2 resources. Replacing this step would take several years, leaving Raymond in a precarious position and forcing him to expend a significant amount of gold.

As expected of a trading city, it has even extended its reach into the Emerald Land and controlled the key processes of Tier 2 resources.

This is not something an ordinary processing plant can handle. To fuse Tier 2 resources, you need a specialized resource refiner, along with a special resource site, to refine and fuse them layer by layer. You can't miss any step.

The trading city had the ship merchants by its throat, so it was only natural for it to raise prices on the spot.

During the transaction, Raymond mentioned having spies in the trading city, which made Su Mu suspicious. These profit-driven merchants were hardly loyal. Sure enough, Raymond was betrayed. It's hard to believe that shipping merchants didn't have spies among their ranks.

However, the trading city clearly doesn't know exactly who disrupted their business. The last transaction was very secretive, and no one except Raymond and a few of his key subordinates would know about it.

Perhaps the other party has some doubts, but the lack of pressure from Congress suggests that even the City of Trade is not certain.

Indeed, with so many Tier 2 resources, how could Kuraki possibly afford to buy them? Therefore, the Trading City still suspects that the main buyer is someone else, and that Kuraki is just a small part of it, and wants to press Raymond for answers.

Fortunately, the shipping merchant knew the situation and kept quiet, not revealing anything. Besides, now that his production line had been seized and his source of income cut off, he was even less likely to tell the other party.

"The City of Trade wants to steal customers? So the previous deal with Raymond was just a test."

Su Mu looked at Forrest, who nodded silently.

Raymond said last time that there were transactions in the trading city, but now it seems he just wanted to get more channels from him and had no sincerity at all.

After all, if you can control the shipping merchant's production line, you naturally won't buy his goods at a high price. In fact, the trading city is even more greedy and wants to control this line to sell Tier 2 resources.

"Is this trading city so domineering? Daring to cross borders and steal business from local bullies, aren't they afraid Raymond will turn on them and wipe them out?"

"They must have found a more suitable backer. After all, the various states of the fortress are at odds with each other and are barely maintaining order. With so much business in their hands, who wouldn't be envious?"

Forrest knew the people in the fortress well; they were driven by profit and would do anything for it.

Raymond's revelation of the assassination attempt on Raven clearly indicates that he was not part of the same group as Raven, so it's normal that he's now facing backlash.

"It seems we won't be able to gather all the cursed crystals anytime soon."

Su Mu walked around the stone table and asked, "How much more do you want to raise the price, Trade City?"

Forrest sighed: "30000 gold coins each, and if it exceeds a certain amount, the price will increase by another 10000."

This is just one step in the process; once Raymond finishes manufacturing it, the price will be astronomical!

Forrest originally intended to spend more money to quell the matter as soon as possible, as obtaining the cursed crystal was the key.

Unexpectedly, the trading city was asking for exorbitant prices, leaving no room for negotiation, clearly treating them like suckers.

"What did Raymond say? After all, this is an internal matter of their fortress. If they don't fight back when they're being bullied, their business will probably be in trouble in the future." "Raymond does want to fight back, but I heard that the Wyvern King tribe has intervened and temporarily suppressed the denunciations of their small tribe in the state. I'm afraid it will be difficult for them to do anything."

Wherever there are people, there is society; it seems that kingdoms, empires, and states are all basically the same.

The cursed crystals are probably going to be a bit tricky to get.

"Some alchemical dust was indeed brought back, all thanks to Sedros. He used his precious alchemy skills to request Tier 2 resources from the Tower Magic Association."

Although it came at the cost of some resources, it was much more reasonable.

But recently, the Sage seems to have encountered some trade bottlenecks; he hasn't sent any messages back for quite some time, and the dust shipments have also stopped.

Upon hearing this news, Su Mu instinctively became alert. He didn't rule over Sederlos, but he still used the Aura Observation technique to enhance his magic, constantly observing the other's growth and providing some guidance, thus his connection wasn't as deep as that of other heroes.

Now, Su Mu uses concealment techniques, only to find that the opponent's magic is extremely weak, almost disappearing.

"Oh no! Sederlos is in danger."

Send Wayne to the Arcane Empire and bring him back!

Although the connection was weak, it wasn't completely severed, otherwise Su Mu would have noticed. However, given the current rate of weakening, Sederos must have encountered some danger.

Su Mu also gave the Ring of Life to Wayne. This treasure looks ordinary, but it might save lives in a critical moment.

[Ring of Life (Tier 2 Treasure): The wearer gains +1 maximum health to their commanded troops (including undead). When a hero suffers fatal damage, their health is temporarily restored. One of the three components of the Divine Vial combination treasure.]

Evaluation: The long journey has left you weary, so you sit down to rest on a roadside rock. A sound from the bushes catches your attention. A lynx is perched on a branch, trying to raid a crow's nest. You shoo the lynx away and find several glittering pebbles and a ring inside the nest.

Wayne accepted the order and immediately led dozens of Silver Snow bandits to the north.

When rescuing people in the Arcane Empire, having a large group of people is useless; one still needs to rely on his ability to disguise himself and gather intelligence.

Seeing the dire situation, Forrest felt quite guilty: "This is my fault. I should have realized immediately that Sedros was in trouble, otherwise I wouldn't have interrupted the communication."

Su Mu waved his hand: "You've been busy with trade lately, so it's normal that you don't have much time to focus on him."

Don't worry too much, Beatrice is his guide after all, she will protect him.

Recently, the war faction within the Arcane Empire seems to be gaining momentum, and Cedrus may be under threat. We'll know the situation once Wayne arrives.

Su Mu patted Forrest on the shoulder: "You can focus on managing the trade. Send someone to talk to Raymond; this isn't his fault. But after all, an agreement was reached, and failing to deliver the goods would also harm our interests."

Let's not get involved. Let him talk to the trading city privately; peace brings wealth.

Su Mu's words indicated his willingness to pay more to complete the transaction and settle the matter. After all, with a major battle imminent, upgrading the cursed armor would be very helpful, and he was willing to spend more money.

But if the trading city continues to be ungrateful and deliberately makes things difficult, then don't blame him for being ruthless.

War is the most profitable business, but it is also the most dangerous business.

The other party probably understands as well.

(End of this chapter)