I Became A Black Merchant In Another World-Chapter 210: Agitation and Profit (5)

The Emperor accepted my unexpected request for an audience.

“Are you the Baron Rothschild? You look much younger than I imagined.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“It would be great if we had young, wise nobles like you in our Holy Empire. I’ve never been envious of other kings, but looking at you, I sometimes find myself envying the Emperor of Tuscany.”

Outwardly, I’m known as the man of coffee and seaweed from foreign lands.

However, those in power, in any place or organization, always have spies planted to gather secret information.

As the Emperor of the Holy Empire, it’s likely he’s bought off a few Tuscan officials or nobles as well.

There are those who sell out their countries for money, so there’s no way there wouldn’t be those selling information, right?

“I heard the people of the Tuscan Empire have been making gunpowder like crazy lately. And, it turns out, you’re at the center of it. Our Empire is suffering from chronic gunpowder shortages, and I’m quite envious. I’d even consider kidnapping you to get some of it.”

The Emperor said this and licked his lips.

It seemed like the Emperor was trying to make a joke, perhaps a royal joke.

But instead of being funny or absurd, it sent a slight chill down my spine.

‘Was he really thinking of making me disappear (kidnap me or force me into military service)?’

“That’s quite a heavy joke.”

“The Emperor does not make jokes. Not in any circumstance.”

The Emperor tapped the armrest of his throne with his finger as he spoke.

“However, we’re about to go to war with the Kingdom of Lyon. I can’t afford to turn the Tuscan Empire into an enemy as well. So, how could I possibly force you to stay here against your will?”

The European powers we are familiar with, even in the 19th and 20th centuries, were keen on managing their people, especially those who suffered abroad.

More specifically, they acted to protect their citizens harmed overseas.

For instance, when a single citizen or ship was harmed, the British Empire or the Baguette Kingdom would gather their fleets and actually declare war.

Of course, in the process, these great powers didn’t give any compensation to the victim but were busy furthering their own interests...

At the time, such things were considered trivial, less valuable than a single coin.

‘Anyway, they were good at pretending to be noble countries that go to war for their people.’

But that was common sense for that era.

“If I were to kidnap a noble from the Tuscan Empire, especially someone like the grandson-in-law of Duke Visconti, it could spark a war. I’m not that foolish. However, don’t try anything else here. Otherwise...”

The Emperor stopped in the middle of his sentence and smiled slyly.

“You might end up facing an unfortunate accident where bandits ambush you. As much as I am the Emperor of this Empire, there are still places where my eyes don’t reach.”

For now, the Emperor wouldn’t have any concrete evidence of what I had done.

If he had proof, he would have shoved it in my face and either torn me apart or turned me into a puppet who only obeys his commands.

‘But he hasn’t done that yet.’

Therefore, by logically deducing the situation, I can come to the conclusion that I am the one who created and distributed the new phenomenon of newspapers.

And the only one capable of creating such a thing would be me, Baron Rothschild, who came from a foreign land.

99.9% of the time, it was certainly my doing.

He was probably suspecting me and trying to interrogate me.

Admitting that wouldn’t disrupt my plans, and the Emperor couldn’t do much to me anyway.

“I’ll be careful with my actions going forward.”

“I trust you will.”

“However, please keep this in mind.”

Later, even if I were to use some evil flower as a scam...

I would never use the name of the ‘Rothschild Barony’ to deceive anyone.

If I did that, I would earn the reputation of Fabio de Rothschild as someone who brings chaos to the world.

How others evaluate me really doesn’t matter much...

‘The problem is, I need to make sure that my competitors and enemies remain wary of me.’

So, even if I cause a religious reformation and express my love for the Holy Empire, tearing it into 300 pieces...

I will make the kings of the Empire, even after it’s split into pieces, believe I am their most loyal ally.

‘Until they lose all their fiefs and assets.’

“All the actions I’ve taken have been solely for Your Majesty’s benefit.”

Interfering in another country’s politics by spreading rumors about noble corruption and false information is undeniably a death sentence.

It’s meddling in the politics of foreign lands.

‘Honestly, if the Emperor decided to chop my head off for this, the Duke would have a hard time protesting.’

But, there’s no proof, so I can’t be imprisoned for it.

If he’s annoyed, he’d need to find proof, but I’ve long since burned it all.

The witnesses—the news vendors and their guild members—are set to become my vassals, living a luxurious life that would put professional careers to shame (according to Albanian standards).

There’s no evidence to be found. This is the perfect crime.

Anyway, I need to keep convincing the Emperor.

“Since the Empire has lost the war, unfortunately, you will have to cede territory to the Kingdom of Lyon. However, depending on which lands you cede, you might be able to use this opportunity to strengthen your royal power, or you could become a puppet of the Church.”

“I, a puppet of the Church? Just the thought of it makes me want to vomit, but I suppose there’s some truth in it. There are seven noble families among the clergy lords who can participate in the election of the Emperor. Three of them are bishops appointed by the Pope, who rule as lords.”

The Emperor ground his teeth in frustration.

“The Pope, that bastard, when he doesn’t have enough money to strengthen his Papal power, he’s always busy squeezing money out of me and other nobles.”

I’ve had my share of losing 20,000 gold coins to that bastard, Archbishop Urban.

Honestly, even though I earn a lot of money and pay taxes, it’s still infuriating when the time comes to pay.

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But as a noble of the Tuscan Empire, I have to pay it, even if it’s frustrating.

However, those church bastards act like they’re managing welfare while spending most of the money on decorating churches, indulging in luxuries, and stuffing it into brothels.

‘And they expect me to give them money just because they ask?’

It’s enough to give someone high blood pressure and possibly die of a heart attack.

“I wish I could just get rid of these corrupt priests. But it’s not that easy.”

“But, since the rumors are spreading that the Church is responsible for the defeat, couldn’t we use that to shift all the blame onto the Church?”

In this war, the Holy Empire fought alongside the Pope.

So, the responsibility for the defeat should be shared equally.

Like half-seasoning and half-fried chicken.

“You want me to shift all the blame for the Empire’s defeat onto the clergy lords?”

I didn’t respond to his words.

I didn’t nod either.

‘I need to make him believe he’s realized it on his own, so he’ll fall right into the trap I’ve set.’

“That’s an excellent idea. If I present it this way, even with the defeat, it will still be bearable.”

“Your wisdom is impressive.”

“You were the one who set this up, weren’t you? I’ll be sure to reward you greatly.”

The reward will come from the money earned by selling some evil flowers.

And when civil war breaks out in your Empire, I’ll sell weapons to fund it.

It’s only right that I take my share, isn’t it?

“It’s fine. The revival of the Holy Empire is beneficial to the national interests of our Tuscan Empire.”

Actually, there’s not a single penny that falls to us from your success.

But it will definitely help me fill my pockets.

When you slaughter a pig, you fatten it up first.

Ah, now that I think about it, filling the pockets of a noble like me is a good thing for the Empire’s citizens too.

“And I also intend to teach Your Majesty the art of printing. Without charge, of course.”

Although he will soon realize why I don’t want to charge him...

By then, the Holy Empire will be torn into many pieces.

‘A kind welcome from the British Empire, I suppose.’