Being a knight is not easy

Chapter 334 Salt

Upon arriving at the city hall, the Marquis Sonata alighted from his carriage.

Robin stood on the steps of the city hall, greeting him with a smile.

“Marquis Sonata, welcome to Pioneer Town.” Robin bowed slightly in welcome.

Marquis Sonata sized up Robin, then looked at the town hall, and said, "Lord Allen, I never expected that Pioneer Town would undergo such a great change in such a short time. It's truly remarkable."

Robin smiled and said, "Your Excellency, you flatter me. This is the result of everyone's joint efforts. Please come in, let's go inside and talk in detail."

Marquis Sonata nodded and followed Robin into the city hall.

They entered a spacious conference room, which contained a large round table surrounded by comfortable chairs.

At this moment, the representatives of the Knights Guild were already waiting in the conference room.

After everyone was seated, Robin began, "I've invited you all here today to resolve the land dispute in Minerva City."

Peace and stability in the Western Regions are our shared aspiration, and we hope that through negotiation we can find a solution that satisfies all parties.

Marquis Sonata glanced at Robin, then at the representatives of the Knights' Guild, and said, "Lord Allen is right, so let's begin. I hope that Lord Allen and the Knights' Guild can understand my Sonata family's obsession with those three pieces of land, as it concerns my family's honor."

The representative of the Knights Guild was Elina. She frowned and said, "My lord, those three plots of land are now important assets of the Knights Guild, and we cannot give them up easily."

The atmosphere in the conference room suddenly became tense.

However, Robin didn't care about this, because he knew very well that the Marquis of Sonata could not get it back.

Those three plots of land are now closely intertwined with many of the Knights Guild's affairs, and the Knights Guild is unlikely to relinquish them easily, whether for strategic planning or economic gain.

The Marquis of Sonata used such a tough tone simply to gain more leverage.

He wanted to secure other benefits for his family in these negotiations, such as commercial privileges in the West or priority in the allocation of certain resources.

Robin sat calmly in his chair. He knew all too well that this negotiation was like a delicate game of chess, with each participant calculating their own gains and losses.

As a mediator, he needed to find a balance between Marquis Sonata and the Knights Guild, ensuring that Marquis Sonata felt he had gained enough while also ensuring that the Knights Guild did not suffer excessive losses.

Robin cleared his throat and said, "My lord, members of the Knights' Guild, we all know that the ownership of these three lands is a very complicated issue, but we are not here today to argue."

Rather, it's about finding a solution that benefits everyone. Your Excellency, Marquis, please tell us your thoughts first. Besides land, what do you hope to gain from this negotiation?

Marquis Sonata glanced at Robin, secretly admiring his keen insight. He gathered his thoughts and then slowly said, "Lord Allen, since you're being so direct, I won't beat around the bush either."

My Sonata family hopes to gain a larger share of the salt mine trade in the Western Territory. Currently, the profits from the salt mines are mostly divided among the Knights' Guild and a few other major noble families. I believe my family should also have a share.”

The representatives of the Knights' Guild looked troubled upon hearing this. The salt mine trade was a huge pie, and they naturally didn't want to give up their share easily.

One of the representatives said, "Your Excellency, the allocation of shares in the salt mine trade has remained unchanged for many years. This allocation is based on the contributions and strength of each family. If it is suddenly changed, it may cause dissatisfaction among other families."

Marquis Sonata sneered, "That's your business. I only care about the interests of my Sonata family. If you're unwilling to make concessions on the salt mine trade, then I'm determined to get these three plots of land."

The atmosphere in the conference room became tense again. Robin shook his head slightly and said, "My lord, members of the Knights Guild, we must remain calm."

The shift in the salt mine trade share is indeed a significant matter, but we cannot ignore the Sonata family's demands. I have a suggestion; I wonder if everyone would be willing to hear it.

All eyes turned to Robin, waiting for his suggestion in the hope that he could break the deadlock.

“While the salt mining business is important, you may have forgotten one thing: salt is sold in various places to varying degrees. Have you ever considered unifying the salt trade and selling the business to the entire kingdom?” Robin said with a smile.

His reason for saying this was simple: the salt refining process in this world was very crude; salt ore was often simply crushed and sold.

The quality of such salt varies greatly, and due to the lack of unified management, the price is also very chaotic.

If the salt trade in the entire western region could be unified, refined centrally, and the quality of the salt improved before being sold throughout the kingdom, it would be a tremendous source of wealth.

Marquis Sonata's eyes lit up slightly upon hearing Robin's words.

He began to consider the feasibility of this proposal. If it could be realized, the Sonata family would surely gain huge profits, compared to directly seizing the salt mine trade share from the Knights Guild.

The relationship among the three parties has thus become closer, and the plan has become more beneficial in the long run.

Marquis Sonata knew very well that no alliance was as reliable as one with direct benefits.

The representatives of the Knights Guild also fell into deep thought.

They realized that this was a completely new approach, and although it might face many difficulties in implementation, if successful, it would be a great opportunity for the Knights Guild to regain its prestige.

A representative of the Knights Guild said, "Lord Allen, your proposal sounds very tempting, but there are many difficulties in achieving a unified salt trade."

First, how to persuade nobles from various regions to join? Second, refining salt requires technology and equipment, which involves a considerable investment.

Robin nodded and said, "You're right. However, we can start with the western border, where the three of us can jointly establish the rules. We can offer certain preferential policies to those nobles to attract them to join."

For example, we could offer them lower taxes initially, or provide them with better sales channels. As for new refining technologies and equipment, I can share those with you all.

Marquis Sonata nodded in agreement: "Lord Allen's idea is excellent. I think we can conduct a small-scale pilot test first to see how it goes. If it's feasible, we can gradually expand it to the entire western region and eventually sell it to the whole kingdom."

(End of this chapter)