Chapter 595 Dark Castle
In this regard, the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce has an absolute advantage. After all, Gavin is standing behind it. Of course, he will give priority to supporting her with a series of resources. He dare not say anything else. , at least the business in Blood Gorge City and Dwarf Statue City cannot be snatched away by others. In a short period of time, it will be the exclusive business of the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce.
The Conqueror Army brought many things to the forefront along the way, such as floor-mounted chariots and giant livestock. The two are a perfect match. Not only do they have a carrying capacity that far exceeds that of ordinary heavy trucks, but they are also safer. It also has sufficient guarantees, making it the first choice for caravans.
As soon as the Conqueror Caravan set up its banner, many merchants came to inquire about purchases. This was probably the first channel opened by the Conqueror Caravan.
"Originally, I thought that we were well prepared, but now it seems that we still have a lot to improve." Yeshandara said sincerely, "If possible, I would like to invite Ms. As our finance minister, Ivanso will jointly manage and develop Ivanso.”
Of course, this matter was not a slap on the forehead decision, but a careful consideration.
The way she obtained Ivanso destined her to be completely tied to the conqueror's army and Gavin.
When Daphne stays in Ivanso, she must have her own mission. Instead of letting her make small moves behind her back, it is better to put it out in the open and make the two more tightly bound. There is me, and you are among me. When the time comes, she can't cheat her own family, and she must balance interests.
At first glance, Ivanso seems to be at a disadvantage and has completely become a tool in the hands of others.
But this matter depends on the size. Compared with the current Gavin, Ivanso is just a small town, a link in the chain of many interests.
What the other party randomly dropped into his hands was much more than what she had racked her brains to develop, so she actually made a profit.
“It seems that it was not an accident that the lord handed Ivanso to the lady.” Daphne couldn’t help but glanced at Yeshandara. She was a woman who knew how to assess the situation and was proficient in flexibility. , If you work with such people, your work will be much easier, and their achievements in Dragon Coast will probably be higher than expected.
For a city, finance is the lifeblood. Now that the other party has handed over the lifeblood into its own hands, there is no one more sincere than this. This is a step further than the minister of the interior that he originally planned.
Yeshandara smiled slightly and said: "Can I take it as Madam that you agree to my request?"
"This is my honor." Daphne bowed slightly and said, "City Lord "My lord."
The same title, different intonations, have different connotations.
“I’ll leave it to the lady to customize the new advertisement.” Shantara Ye was trustworthy in employing people. She not only adopted Daphne’s suggestion, but also entrusted her with this task. After all, she was There is absolute convenience in this regard.
She has seen the phantom projection with her own eyes and knows the lethality of that thing in advertising. It’s not that she has never thought about it before. She just took over a city and there are so many things. It has not been completely straightened out. After all, they are a grassroots team and lack management experience. By using Daphne, they might not want to borrow her experience in this area to quickly bring Ivanso onto the normal development track.
“I will personally discuss this matter with Ms. Regina. However, this new advertising model has not yet been promoted on a large scale and there is no accurate market pricing. Therefore, it will be more troublesome in terms of price. I suggest Let’s try out a few custom-made ones first, and after comparing the effects and the accurate psychological price, we can then mass-customize them.” Daphne’s speed in entering the role is second-to-none. She takes the job with the front foot, and can plan for Ivan with the back foot. , save money.
Although she holds two positions, her interests are very easy to balance.
Except for the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce and the Black Wing Guild, which are under her control, the others do not belong to her department. Even if they are in the same company, they do not use the interests of their own department to transfer them to another department, but try every means to transfer them to their own department. The only way to learn from the departments is to make your own performance.
"Madam's suggestion is very reasonable. Just follow Madam's suggestion."
"Besides that, I have another suggestion."
"Madam, just say "
"The city owner should know that Lord Gavin ordered me to establish the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce here. I would like to ask you to designate it as the Municipal Chamber of Commerce of Ivanso." Daphne, this does not count. To push the limits even further, it is tied up even further.
Not to mention those city-states, even a complete country like the Kingdom of Cormyr has its own royal chamber of commerce. Making wealth for oneself is secondary. Its main function is to regulate the trade market between the country and the city.
For example, some countries and cities urgently need supplies, but the benefits are relatively thin or they are losing money. Those profit-seeking businessmen will definitely not sell them. At this time, it is the turn of the municipal chamber of commerce to take action.
When some merchants try to control the prices of certain commodities in a city, the municipal chamber of commerce also needs to intervene, transport some of the same commodities and sell them at normal prices to break this blockade.
All in all, this is an important economic tool for cities.
In order to support this tool, some preferential policies in the city, or some transactions that are available to anyone, will naturally be given priority to the municipal chamber of commerce, allowing them to strengthen themselves.
The Conqueror Chamber of Commerce itself has resources from Gavin's side. If coupled with Ivanso's home field advantage, the development speed will naturally double.
Yeshandara laughed when she heard this: "How can Madam be so smart and so confused for a moment? Even after I knew that you were going to form the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce, I still asked you to be the chief financial officer of Ivanso, isn't that right? Did you acquiesce in this matter? It’s hard to tell whether you or Ivanso took advantage of this matter.”
"Ha..." Daphne couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Yes, I made a mistake on this matter. Cooperation is a win-win situation. This is the tone set by Lord Gavin from the beginning. It seems that the city lord knows this better than me.”
Daphne wants to take advantage of Ivanso’s home field advantage, so why doesn’t Ye Shantara want to take advantage of Gavin’s terrifying financial resources?
This is simpler and much more efficient than building a municipal chamber of commerce on your own.
The various commodities left by the Conqueror Army to the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce before leaving amounted to several million, which was enough for them to quickly put on airs.
After a slight hesitation, Yeshandara couldn't help but ask: "Is there a portal in the original city hall? Can it allow you to quickly transfer supplies?"
Others It was unclear how much supplies the conqueror's army transported through the former city hall, but she knew it all.
Even if the relationship between the two parties is close, if there is a portal in the center of her city, she cannot ignore it.
"Sorry, before Lord Gavin left, he specifically asked me to explain this matter to you, but I haven't had time yet." Daphne replied, "The original city hall did not have a portal, but because The reason why it has become a semi-shadow is that it is connected to two other similar territories of the Lord. It can quickly transport supplies, but cannot transport living people. When necessary, it can provide you with some military support, but it is limited to the original city hall. ”
After all, the headquarters of the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce is located in the center of Ivanso. This matter must be disclosed, and with the large number of transactions going on, it is impossible to hide it.
"I see, I am even more looking forward to the development of the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce." Ye Shandara's eyes lit up involuntarily. This rapid transfer will give the Conqueror Chamber of Commerce strong competitiveness.
While other people's products were still being transported by Baal on the road, he had already sold several batches of them, and even the entire market share was occupied by them. In the end, they had a monopoly position on some products, and also It's not impossible.
"In terms of army construction, what are the city lord's plans?" Seeing that the atmosphere was good, Daphne directly turned the topic to the army.
Force and financial resources are the two most important tools for controlling a city. One is indispensable, especially when there are wolves on all sides.
Yeshandara answered without hesitation: "I plan to form a ranger guard and a light cavalry. The number is tentatively set at 300 people. The main force will be drawn from the Avengers Resistance Army, and the rest will be used by local people. Supplementary information."
Years of guerrilla career have made Yeshandara attach great importance to the mobility of the army, and her thoughts have not changed even after becoming the lord of a city. "It's enough." Daphne nodded and said, "Actually, Ivanso's final situation depends on the army of conquerors led by Lord Gavin. If everything goes well for them, Ivanso will not have a single soldier. No one dares to touch us.
But once they collapse, Even if we have several times more troops, we still can't withstand the siege of the wolves. The wisest choice is to abandon Ivanso and enter a guerrilla state again."
"Yes, I hope Lord Gavin. Can we continue to maintain the current momentum, break through all obstacles, and reach our destination smoothly?” Yeshandara also wished her from the bottom of her heart.
Because what Delphine stated was the truth.
This is the real situation of Ivanso now.
They may be the only ones in the entire Dragon Coast who are looking forward to the success of the conqueror's army. All other cities are waiting for their failure.
The army of conquerors has no intention of adding more branches to the Dragon Coast. They have already squeezed out the value here. At least with the current method, it is impossible to squeeze out more oil. On the contrary, I'm so desperate that I can't even protect my current interests.
After they left Ivanso, they walked along the commercial road between Ivanso and Bosku, and went straight to the Goblin Border Trail, also known as the Wasteland Trail.
The trade road between Ivanso and Boscu was more than 200 kilometers long. It took the conqueror's army only two days to complete the journey and set up camp on the trade road 20 kilometers away from Boscu.
Even if the rulers of Boscu City were given ten courages, they would not dare to let the conqueror's army spend the night in Bosco City.
Because this city is full of resources, with a population of more than 20,000, the conqueror's army was twice as large.
They set up camp on the front leg, and Onara Obastar, the ruler of Boscu on the back leg, came to visit. The purpose was naturally to discuss the issue of a passage for the conqueror's army.
Bosku is a border city, right at the interface between the Sunset Mountains and the Stormhorn Mountains. The wasteland trails that cross their city, especially the Wasteland Bridge, are the perfect place for large-scale armies like the Conqueror’s Army to enter. The only way for goblins to go to the frontier.
The matter of borrowing the passage from Bosku had already been finalized during the negotiations with the Dragon Coast Alliance.
The conquerors’ army naturally wouldn’t have any worries. If it was impossible for them to let them go, they would just shoot them down.
Gavin and the others wished that the ruler of Boscu City would do such a stupid thing.
If they defeat Bosku, they will not return it like they did with Ivanso. Instead, they will directly occupy it and station troops there. After all, it is a border city and they only need to defend one side. , unlike Ivanso who is surrounded by enemies on all sides.
At that time, you can also guarantee your retreat. If the battle in the goblin border is unfavorable, you can still retreat.
It is a pity that the ruler of Boscu City is shrewd and cautious. Not only did he open up the road and treat the conqueror's army with a respectful and friendly attitude, he also did not forget to put pressure on him and showed him that the main force of the Dragon Coast Alliance was fifty kilometers behind the conqueror's army. Here, once they try to attack Boscu City, they will definitely face the fate of being attacked from both front and rear. Bosco City is already prepared for street fighting and will fight for every inch of territory, because this is the way they are best at fighting.
Bosku is now ruled by a thieves guild called the Light of Bosku led by Onara. They are the only dark forces floating on the surface in the entire Dragon Coast city. Currently, they are The reputation of Boscu was quite good, and many citizens supported their rule.
Because their methods of doing things are far more efficient and cleaner than the original rulers, because they emphasize loyalty and eating their own portion will provide them with protection from The oppression of other forces will not be repeated under another name.
When Gavin and Yeshandara were analyzing the entire Dragon Coast situation and those dark forces, they expressed their appreciation for this force and listed it as a joint goal for the future.
But that is a matter for the future. The existence of the conqueror army now is a threat to them. No matter what Gavin and the others say, it is all false. In the end, it depends on their situation in the goblin wilderness. performance in.
Once you can break the game, everyone will survive. Otherwise, you will lose everything and you will be besieged on all sides.
So, from beginning to end, Gavin only guaranteed that the city of Boscu would not be hostile to the conqueror's army, and they would not touch the city at all. He did not mention any other proposals.
The next day, the conqueror's army passed through the city of Boscu without any trouble and plunged into the goblin wilderness.
At least it was calm for the army of conquerors, but it is unknown whether the hearts of the soldiers and civilians of Boscu were in their throats.
When the conqueror army officially entered the goblin frontier, the waves hidden under the water immediately surged crazily.
The Dragon Coast coalition did not disband on the spot. Instead, they rushed forward and rushed directly into Bosku, completely blocking the wasteland trails. At the same time, they raised and strengthened the walls of Bosku regardless of the cost. The purpose is self-evident, which is to The army of conquerors blocked the goblins in the wilderness, preventing them from going south again.
At the same time, a large number of pirate ships went upstream along the Bianhuang River, following the conquerors step by step, monitoring their every move.
Now they are huddled on the river without any action. Once the conqueror's army is in a disadvantageous situation, they will definitely rush ashore like jackals smelling fishy smell.
But the biggest wave is in the north, in a castle called Dark Castle.
This castle is located at the intersection of the Sunset Mountains and the Gray Observer Mountains, on the remaining veins of an exposed rock mass in the Gray Observer Mountains. It is named after the dark obsidian used to build this castle. From a distance, it looks like a huge dark monster dormant on the mountains.
It's just that neither the Sunset Mountains nor the Gray Observer Mountains produce this kind of obsidian. They are transported from distant places. As for where they are transported from, it is unknown, because this castle was not built by humans, but It was made by a giant, and the doors, corridors, and ceilings were all astonishingly large.
There are two completely different legend versions about this castle. One is that it originated from the era of giants. At that time, giants held absolute dominance. The castle has footprints all over the world. This is one of their control areas. The garrison fortress.
The other one is closer. It was built by the Netheril Empire. The arcane masters enslaved the elemental elders to build it. It was just because there were a large number of arcane inscriptions engraved by the arcane masters. It has extremely high research value.
Compared with the latter, more people believe in the former. After all, the former is more common sense and logical. Even if the arcanists of the Netheril Empire want to show their power, there is no need to build buildings. It was built in a way that he didn't need. Instead, it was the arcane inscription of the arcane master. It could have been engraved on it when he occupied this place the day after tomorrow.
However, starting two hundred and fifty years ago, the black walls and towering spiers here have been painted with a Z symbol, becoming a base of the Zhentarim in the west, and with the Zhentarim It has become increasingly important to lay out in the west and try to open up new commercial routes.
Especially after the death of Bane, the god of tyranny, Simon Meng, the controller of the Darkhold and a direct disciple of Manzon, the ruler of the Zhentarim, did not hesitate to join the conspiracy in order to fight against his old enemy Bane, the high priest Bozor. In the arms of the god Cyric, he became the staunchest supporter of the Cyric faction of the Zhentarim.
With the rise of Cyric, the God of Conspiracy, he and the Darkhold he commands naturally have a higher and higher status in the Zhentarim. They are no longer a remote sub-base, but Cyric, the God of Conspiracy. Believers use their own machinations to expand the dark lair of their god's influence.
As the conspiracies of the believers of the God of Conspiracy are launched one by one in the surrounding areas, the name of the God of Conspiracy is getting louder and louder, and the intimidation of the Dark Fortress is becoming more and more powerful, which makes the towns around the Sunset Mountains unstoppable. Even if they don't unite to fight against this pressure, they still can't stop the hidden arrows from the Dark Castle, because they believe in the God of Conspiracy and rarely take action personally. They prefer to watch those kind people fight because of their own conspiracies.
At this moment, whispers of conspiracy once again sounded in the Dark Castle.
(End of this chapter)