Munitions Empire

It seemed even John himself felt he had bargained a bit too harshly, so he feigned contemplation before stretching out four fingers, "Forty thousand! We are the best of friends in this world, aren’t we? Our friendship will last forever! The Poplar Kingdom will always have fine wine to welcome you, I assure you! Next time you come here, I’ll give you the finest wine, the most beautiful girls!"

"John! What woman is worth sixty thousand Gold Coins? You should know, 5,000 K1 Quick Guns could let your nation sweep the battlefield, crush your enemies, and double the size of your country!" Tang Mo dismissed with a wave of his hand.

What a joke, he was no King Zhou of You, he couldn’t fathom who would give up their career for a woman. Getting drunk on luxury was something for later in life, who indulges in love and luxury during their entrepreneurial phase?

But speaking of Elf sisters... Tang Mo, a seasoned veteran of people-watching from his last life, was indeed eager to see them, after all... no man doesn’t like to collect, right?...

Seeing Tang Mo as unmoved as an old monk in meditation, John couldn’t help but give him a mental thumbs up! He really admired such a man who could keep his composure, so he couldn’t resist taking another look up at Tang Mo.

After a moment of silence, he had no choice but to throw out another offer, "If... I promise you, next time you come to Brunas, I will bring you an appointment, personally signed by His Majesty the King of the Poplar Kingdom, appointing you as a Baron of the kingdom... Would you consider giving your friend an even lower price?"

His words left Tang Mo stunned for a second, because while nobility sometimes wasn’t very useful, other times it was indeed as good as gold.

With a noble title, many things might become easier, and you could even avoid the harassment from other nobles.

Moreover, with the backing of nobility, he could negotiate with other nobles on equal footing when selling weapons, and not be looked down upon.

Of course, the higher the title, the more seriously the other party would take you, which would benefit the negotiations. Tang Mo certainly wouldn’t overlook such potential advantages.

Furthermore, rising from a commoner to nobility wasn’t easy, and in some countries, nobility could be extremely valuable.

In short, having the title of nobility was very necessary for Tang Mo, so he was quite willing to pay a certain price to get an impressive title for himself.

"Hmm... I’ll consider it," Tang Mo pretended to be deep in thought and didn’t immediately agree, knowing that the price he had offered was not something John could easily afford right now.

As long as he didn’t nod his head, the other party would definitely offer more — he had complete confidence in his weapons and the steam engines and other related equipment required to produce them.

As expected, it wasn’t long before John grew impatient and said, "I can leave behind some Sailors to be your men! They can operate ships for you and do anything... Even if Shireck really makes it impossible for you to stay here, they will protect you and ensure you leave safely."

Tang Mo nodded slightly; getting some Sailors, especially Elves, was definitely good news for him.

As John had said, these Elf Sailors could at least provide Tang Mo with another escape route, should Count Fisheo fail and the Shireck financial house decide to settle scores with him, a "Believer," here, he would have a decent way out.

So, Tang Mo painfully agreed to give up a large chunk of profit, "That does interest me... At least, you’ve given me some options. My friend, let’s do this, eighty thousand Gold Coins! I’m willing to waive a whole twenty thousand in profit for you!"

Wes, standing by the side, almost covered his face; he knew how much it cost Tang Mo to make one rifle, and for Tang Mo, who had nearly spent all his funds, eighty thousand Gold Coins was an astronomical figure.

The actual situation was that Tang Mo already owed quite a bit of money, including the cement he had put on credit from a Brunas cement plant, and the payments for the leather goods weren’t settled either...

So, if John knew Tang Mo’s current predicament, and insisted on giving only ten thousand Gold Coins, Tang Mo would have to think about it and might be forced to agree in the end.

But John didn’t know about Tang Mo’s situation, and he really wanted to get his hands on Tang Mo’s goods — the technology was too tempting, even Wes had to admit it.

At least when he first saw the Revolver, Wes couldn’t resist the temptation. He was even willing to give up his Ranger identity to become a household retainer for Tang Mo for just two Revolvers.

In the end, John helplessly offered the highest price he could afford, "Fifty thousand! That’s all the Gold Coins I can come up with now! Even a sailing ship is yours! I really only have that much!"

After finishing his sentence, he leaned back in the chair, looking completely exhausted, "That’s the highest price I can offer."

"Then you’re not buying the production equipment? It’s also priced over fifty thousand Gold Coins!" Tang Mo asked with a smile.

After several minutes of thought, John looked at Tang Mo with the most sincere expression he could muster and said, "If you’re willing to trust me, I have another solution."

Tang Mo guessed John’s idea, but he didn’t rush to refuse. Instead, he said, "Let’s hear it, my friend."

Indeed, John brought up the common business practice of installment payments. "The design fee for producing the rifles can be paid in installments. The next time I come, I will bring the Baron’s certificate, along with another portion of the Gold Coins."

In fact, Tang Mo had also considered such a method, but he had to admit, Tang Mo was still very weak, so such a payment method was quite risky for him.

Then, Tang Mo asked John, "But what if you don’t come? Where do I find you then? My friend."

"So, this requires your trust, and a reasonable price. If you’re willing to wait four months, I can promise to recognize your design fee at the price of 80,000 Gold Coins!" John made his offer. "After I return, I will start collecting the Gold Coins and the fleet. You won’t have to wait a year. In at most four months, my fleet will arrive at Brunas!"

"A pie in the sky is still a pie in the sky, my friend! Even if you promise me 200,000 Gold Coins... if you break the promise, I won’t be able to claim that money back, right?" Tang Mo remarked, swirling the inferior moonshine in his glass as he spoke mockingly at John.

"You should not question the promise of nobility, nor should you doubt an Elf’s sincerity!" John felt offended by Tang Mo.

"Then... let me repeat what you plan to pay." Tang Mo pointed at the fleet in the distance. "You want to use ten armed merchant ships, along with all the sailors on them, and all the Gold Coins you currently have, a Baron’s title, which together are worth about 70,000 Gold Coins... plus another 80,000 Gold Coins later...

To buy 100 K1 Quick Guns and their matching equipment, 200 Revolvers and their matching equipment, and the related production technology, plus a set of production equipment..."

"About right! That depends on whether your machines are as miraculous as you say," John nodded, looking at Tang Mo.

"Deal!" Tang Mo said with a smile, "You and your men can set off at any time to visit my factory! We can sign the contract there, anytime."

"Buy these samples! Count the Gold Coins for him!" John instructed the captain behind him. "Take the sailors, and let’s follow... my new friend... Mr. Tang Mo to see his factory!"

As he spoke, he stood up and adjusted his collar. "We haven’t brought our own carriage, so we’ll have to use yours, my friend!"

"It would be an honor!" Tang Mo also stood up, making an inviting gesture. "I guarantee this visit will not disappoint you."

Two carriages slowly moved out of the docks with two teams of sailors, who had been transferred from the ship, following by their side.

These sailors were carrying Shireck’s flintlock guns, and they weren’t moving quickly. Many workers and City Defense Forces on the dock saw everything clearly.

"Hey! Isn’t that a carriage from Tang’s Workshop? How did they get involved with the Elves from the Poplar Kingdom?" a worker stepping on a burlap sack said, looking at the Elves Guards beside the carriage, muttering puzzledly.

"Hey... who knows..." another worker shouldered a sack. The heavy burden made speaking difficult. "I say, what business do these high-flyers’ matters have with you..."

In a bright and clean office, the Mayor waved at a confidant who had just delivered a message, his brow furrowed involuntarily.

As the Mayor, he couldn’t ignore the arrival of the Poplar Kingdom’s fleet at Brunas. Even though he was a greedy and negligent official, often inactive... that didn’t mean he was stupid.

He had arranged for someone at the docks to keep an eye on the fleet, which naturally brought back news of Tang Mo boarding the Elf’s ship, as well as the report of Tang Mo’s carriage leaving with the Elves.

For him, that "Tang’s Workshop" located in the suburbs of Brunas was becoming more mysterious and problematic — things might have already gone beyond his control, and this put pressure on him.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage, Tang Mo was answering Wes about his flamboyant sales persona. "Why exaggerated? Because what I sell are weapons used for killing! Wes! If you’re not a bit cheerful and self-indulgent, you could very well drive yourself insane! The weapons I’m selling now can make a Soldier kill at five times the speed!

The weapons I’ll sell in the future could enable killing at ten times, a hundred times, a thousand times, a million times faster...think about it... am I being flamboyant? No! I’m already being quite restrained!"

He leaned against the carriage, not sure whether he was speaking to himself or Wes. "This world is so dull, if one doesn’t find some joy for oneself, then what’s the point?"

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