Chapter 45 All in the Same Boat
The night was deep, and the grain merchants gathered once again for the third time in a few days.
Their days had been tough. Just as they started to make some profit from the rising wheat prices, they found themselves on the brink of bankruptcy, with no one to buy their wheat.
Ever since the arrival of the nobleman, Henry, he had been recruiting the commoners of the entire town for work, using wheat as their wages, effectively cutting off their last resort.
"Damn it, damn it, this is too much!" The obese grain merchant roared, venting his anger by pounding the table, the sound echoing in the room.
The other merchants present had faces so dark that ink seemed to drip from them. Many of them had a murderous glint in their eyes directed at anyone who stood in the way of their wealth.
It is said that merchants pursue profit and wealth, which is understandable, as greed is a common trait among people. However, these grain merchants had long been blinded by greed, and the lives of the commoners no longer mattered to them.
When the profit margin is at 10%, merchants were willing to work hard to make money.
At 20% profit, merchants were willing to risk everything.
At 50% profit, merchants were willing to do anything for money.
When the profit reaches 100%, merchants were willing to use any means to make money.
And when the profit reaches 300%, merchants were willing to sell their kind as commodities.
Humanity had disappeared from their eyes, replaced by a single-minded pursuit of wealth.
In the eyes of these grain merchants, all that mattered was whether they could sell their wheat without considering lowering the price.
Grain merchant, John, said, "If it weren't for that damn Henry, we would already be sleeping on beds filled with coins."
Grain merchant, Mike, shouted, "Damn it, is Henry a fool? Is he an idiot? Is he actually using wheat to support those commoners? And he even demolished the houses."
Grain merchant Luke chimed in, "From what I understand, Henry's wheat supply is dwindling, likely only sufficient for the next three to four days. Once it's depleted, we can profit substantially once more. To compensate for our previous losses, I propose we increase the wheat price by an additional copper coin."
These words tempted many people, and several excuses for raising the price immediately came to mind, such as the wheat being stolen by bandits during transportation, leaving only this small amount of grain for sale.
The obese grain merchant said, "No need; it's too slow to raise the price in a few days."
Madness filled the eyes of the obese Grain merchant, John, as he said coldly, "Kill Henry, and everything will return to the way it was. Those commoners will all be at our mercy."
Grain merchant John asked, "What? Do you want to kill Henry? But he's a nobleman!"
Grain merchant Mike replied, "No, no... This is a death sentence."
Several grain merchants were frightened, but their voices were hesitant as they were also considering the feasibility of the plan.
The obese grain merchant sneered, "We all in the same boat. No matter who takes action, everyone will be shaken down."
The obese grain merchant, John, said, "And that new nobleman, Henry, doesn't have any powerful soldiers. The only knights are from the Wyatt family. But I've received information that Wyatt's sons have already left Eldoria with those recruits. Opportunities like this don't come every day."
The grain merchants present began to breathe heavily. After all, they were planning to kill a nobleman, even if he was the weakest one.
Grain merchant John said, "Count me in. I have five strong men in my guard, and they can be of use."
Immediately, someone volunteered. The autumn harvest was approaching, and they had to get rid of their aged wheat quickly, or it would all rot.
Grain merchant Bob said, "My guards are all here, outside. You figure it out. I need to sell the wheat. After all, winter is coming, and I need to return to Baron Omar's side."
Grain merchant David added, "I'll join, too. I have a group of new maids at home, waiting for me to please them."
The obese grain merchant stood up; his eyes narrowed as he scanned the room, laughing wildly. "Excellent! With everyone's determination, we can make a fortune. Baron Omar said that as long as we plunder all the wealth from this place, we'll get an even higher share."
Grain merchant John said, "It's all that Henry's fault."
Grain merchant Mike said, "In fact, I've long had the idea of killing him."
Grain merchant Luke said, "The catfolk in the castle is mine. I can buy her for fifty copper coins."
Grain merchant Mike replied, "You're too generous, offering fifty copper coins for a lowly beastman."
The grain merchants present all expressed their willingness to send guards to participate in the action.
The obese grain merchant smiled triumphantly, exchanging glances with a few of the other merchants, all nodding in satisfaction. They had already colluded in advance, hoping to reap the benefits early or perhaps even to plunder the Lord's Mansion.
In fact, the obese grain merchant had received accurate information that bandits would come to rob Eldoria during the autumn harvest. If things continued as they were, they wouldn't be able to sell all their wheat, and they would be the ones robbed by the bandits.
Since they were going to be robbed by bandits, they might as well kill Henry, the nobleman, sell the wheat at a high price, and escape from Eldoria before the bandits arrived.
As the obese grain merchants discussed how to assassinate Henry, a team of people had already quietly infiltrated the courtyard.
Leo looked at the four guards at the courtyard gate, his eyes flashing with a fierce light that was only present during a hunt.
Leo said, "Greedy merchants, how dare you plot against Lord Henry. You all deserve to die..."
