Chapter 107: Salter Also Has Clever People

  Just as the cultural event was being held at Thunder Cliff, a group of merchants in Arica City were also hosting a wine party. A group of stout merchants joked with each other, gathered in twos and threes to drink and discuss prices or market trends for goods from various cities. Occasionally, someone would hear that they had made a fortune and the merchants would exclaim in surprise and ask how it was done.

  A chamber of commerce is an assembly of businessmen gathered together to make more money, which not only avoids unnecessary vicious competition but also shares some important information. Members of the business community in each city will provide convenience to members from other cities who come to their own city. The existence of a chamber of commerce not only makes businessmen have greater financial cohesion but also shares their risks.

  All you need to do is pay a certain membership fee every year, and you don't have to worry about being left with nothing after going bankrupt. You can even get a new start-up fund from the Chamber of Commerce to make a comeback. This Alika's Flanders Chamber of Commerce was originally just a small chamber of commerce in the middle of Eran, but some recent events made the merchants of Flanders Chamber of Commerce earn a lot of money, and it became one of the top two chambers of commerce in Eran overnight. The number of members increased greatly, and the welfare of the merchants also improved a lot.

  "Everyone, please be quiet." After all the invited members had arrived, an energetic old man walked to the center of the venue, followed by a somewhat awkward young man, saying: "Thank you very much for attending this banquet. As the president of the Flanders Chamber of Commerce, I am delighted to see so many business elites gathered here."

  The businessmen all smiled kindly at the old man's words, this newly appointed chairman was leading them to a glorious future for the Flanders Chamber of Commerce. They liked this seemingly refined old man, everyone understood his decisiveness and means, and they all admired him from the bottom of their hearts.

  And by the old man's side was a young person who had just joined the association. However, he was the protagonist of this banquet, and before the outbreak of civil war in Eran, this young man was the first to feel that something was amiss in the Council City, and quickly proposed a strategy for stockpiling food. And it was this timely suggestion that allowed the Flanders Chamber of Commerce to rise from a mid-tier association to the top.

  "Hehe... In the just-ended civil war, I'm glad everyone trusted me and invested their money in collecting grain." The old man continued with his wine cup: "Without your trust and support, I think Frand would not have seized the opportunity to achieve today's results. At the same time, I also want to thank the young man by my side, Lauren. He was the first to notice such an opportunity and notified me in a timely manner, which led to this harvest."

  "Hello everyone." Lauren bowed slightly to the people around him, feeling a bit embarrassed. As a newcomer to the business world, he didn't know many of the people present, and some were even his idols. Unlike other businessmen who had developed thick skin and could remain calm in any situation, Lauren still felt tense in crowds.

  The businessmen present saw Lauren like this, and they didn't mind at all. They had already obtained the intelligence of the young man in front of them, knowing that he was just a newcomer, and his awkward appearance would not be unexpected. Moreover, it was precisely the keen observation of the young man in front of him that gave the Frand Commerce Association such an opportunity. Their city transaction with the demon beast had earned a lot of money.

  Although the businessmen present understood that Lauren was a newcomer, they didn't look down on him. As a businessman, having a knack for grasping market changes is especially important. This young man, although without much capital and only a small merchant, all the businessmen with vision in attendance understood that as long as nothing unexpected happened, this young man would be a future star.

  The old president now pushes him to the forefront, everyone understands that he is already paving the way for young people around him, so that he can walk more steadily on his future path. Introducing him to these somewhat capital-rich businessmen will become an important connection for this newcomer.

  "Don't be shy." The old president was very pleased with Lauren's humility, and he patted his shoulder encouragingly: "In our line of work as merchants, you can't do without a thick skin. In the future, learn from your seniors in the Chamber of Commerce more often, it will be very helpful to you. Now come and share your ideas with the members of the Chamber of Commerce, this is also a good exercise."

  The young man nodded at the old man's words and took a step forward to the front row, beginning to express his own thoughts: "Hello, seniors of various business associations. I think everyone's industry has been threatened by that monster city to some extent. First, I would like to apologize to some seniors who are engaged in industry. Perhaps some of my subsequent words will hurt you."

  "Raiden Cliff's sudden rise in this year is not an unexpected event. The city's production level is above the entire Eran, making their goods of high quality and low price. Nowadays, the things produced by the workshops of the Chamber of Commerce predecessors are almost no one willing to buy, which is a fact and also a huge threat."

  Lauren's voice was still a bit weak at the beginning, but as he slowly spoke, he gradually got into the state, and began to relax in both tone and pitch. The old man looked at Lauren with satisfaction on his side, and he didn't misjudge this young man, Lauren had an extraordinary business talent.

  "This is a war without visible blood." Lauren continued, "I don't know if the monsters ruling that city think so, but I believe this battle concerns all of Eran and you seniors are warriors deeply entrenched on the battlefield.

  If we allow the goods from Thunder Bluff to continue flowing into our city, in the future we will only become employees of monsters or vagrants on the streets. The economy will be completely controlled by those monsters, and with an invisible knife, they can kill anyone they want at will.

  "If we want to survive, we can either surrender to that monster or rise up and resist. Otherwise, all that awaits us is bankruptcy. By then, even if the Chamber of Commerce provides relief funds, it will be too late. The Elan, who have already taken complete control of the market, will only leave us with meager profits that they don't want."

  "What countermeasures do we have then?" A pot-bellied merchant who had been listening to Lauren's words frowned and said, "In terms of goods, we are not his match at all. Those low-priced and excellent goods, even I would want to buy them. It is really too difficult to defeat Thunder Cliff head-on, and even if we try our best to lower prices, it will only be a temporary measure."

  "This is exactly what I wanted to say." Lauren nodded in agreement with the words of the big-bellied merchant and said: "On the battlefield of positive aspects, our goods are completely at a disadvantage. No, to be precise, they were completely defeated, and trying to seize the market by price is not wise, except for making us lose all benefits, there is no other advantage."

  "What I'm saying is to impose heavy taxes on goods from Thundercliff, and then use that money to support our city's industry, so we can reach a point where we can compete with them. Many of you seniors are members of the City Council, if you can propose such a proposal when holding meetings in various towns, I think it will be passed."

  "The Flanders Chamber of Commerce will also contact other chambers to jointly promote this proposal." The old man also stood up and said to the members of various chambers: "I think such a good idea for Eland's business, most people are in favor of it. Nowadays, many small businesses are already struggling to make ends meet."

  When Lauren and the old man finished speaking, the businessmen began to discuss with people around them. For a while, only the voices of the businessmen could be heard. Lauren, who had already finished speaking, looked at the businessmen in front of him with some tension, his opinion would depend on these people now.

  After the discussion, everyone finally reached a consensus. The proposal made by Lauren was feasible, imposing heavy taxes on Thunder Cliff's goods would not only control the sales volume of Thunder Cliff's goods but also generate a large amount of tax revenue. Other city-state councilors would not oppose such a proposal, after all, it did not harm the interests of the city.

  "Thank you for your support." Lauren looked at everyone agreeing with his idea, and happily thanked the businessmen around him. But Lauren didn't know at this time that this idea would bring what to him, and also bring what to the Central Plains country on the mainland.

  This thing called tariff barrier first appeared on the mainland of this other world, also to block the commercial dumping of Minotaurs from another world. Lauren walked into the crowd with a burst of applause and began to communicate with these business giants, as well as learn about the background and capital of the members of the Chamber of Commerce.

  Now he can be said to have become an important person in the Flemish Chamber of Commerce, and most members of the Chamber of Commerce have expressed great kindness to Lauren and are willing to help him. This kind of behavior of making friends with talents is also a kind of investment in the eyes of businessmen.

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  Collect and recommend

  It's because it was a draft, so I can post it very early~

  Furthermore, I solemnly declare that I am not gay!!