The meeting room buzzed briefly at the mention of a countermeasure, but it quickly quieted down to hear Rockefeller's words.
"First of all, as I mentioned in the previous guild meeting, our Lyon Guild intends to support the 2nd Prince in the upcoming Crown War. As you all know, the 2nd Prince is a member of the Ismail family. Supporting him would earn us significant points with the Ismails. Think about it. Can the Ismails easily confront us when we are pushing for the 2nd Prince?"
At Rockefeller's words, the guild member who introduced himself as Gibson asked another question.
"I heard that you, Lord Rockefeller, resolved the meeting with the 1st Prince well. The problem now is the 3rd Prince... As you all know, the 3rd Prince is from the Sinclair family. And we have been allied with the Sinclair family for a long time. In this situation, if we support the 2nd Prince in the upcoming Crown War, will the 3rd Prince or the Sinclair family just stand by?"
At his words, several guild members who agreed with him shouted and made the conference room chaotic.
"Of course they won't just stand by! Are they fools?"
"They are mages! Anything could happen at any moment!"
"People should keep their loyalty!"
Towards the conference room.
Rockefeller first showed a sign of agreement.
"That's true. I can fully understand your point."
"What do you think, then?"
"That's why we must enter the war with the Black Label Union even more urgently. The reason to support the 2nd Prince is precisely the war with the Black Label Union."
"What about the Sinclair family?"
"If we show that we are focusing on the war with the Black Label Union, not the Crown War, they will have nothing to say. Also, the reason why the 1st Prince came to see me and left without incident is because we agreed to support only the 2nd Prince."
"What do you mean?"
Rockefeller explained the entire story of his meeting with the 1st Prince.
The Lyon Guild decided not to support the 1st and 3rd Princes and instead promised to support only the 2nd Prince. He informed everyone of this agreement.
"Thus, since we have made a promise with the 1st Prince, we must support only the 2nd Prince. If not, the 1st Prince, who has no problem this time, will come back and cause trouble."
Rockefeller spoke to everyone.
"I'm sure you all understand the fear of Tepez. So, we have no other choice. We must support the 2nd Prince with a just cause and convince the Sinclair family that our goal is not the crown war, but to eliminate the Black Label Union."
It seemed that each guild member had a lot on their minds.
Unlike before, the meeting room began to quiet down.
During this, a guild member who did not have the right to speak raised their voice.
"We can explain the reason, but won't the Sinclair family be disappointed?"
He continued.
"They might even withdraw their support for us. What if the 3rd Prince wins the crown war? If they don't support us in the first place, we can't even make a promissory note."
Rockefeller retorted to him.
"Then what will you do if the 1st Prince wins this crown war? Will you all close your businesses as the 1st Prince threatens?"
Unable to answer, Rockefeller addressed everyone.
"I'm sure everyone agrees that any choice is difficult. In this way, this ambiguous attitude is the best choice we can take. We will not bet on either the 1st or 3rd Prince. Of course, the Sinclair family will be disappointed. They definitely will be. But don't we have to live as well? And if the 3rd Prince wins the crown war later, we can repay them well."
Although each guild member had different thoughts on this matter.
As Rockefeller said, perhaps not taking anyone's side was the best choice.
After all, they knew that the 2nd Prince could not win the crown war, so they were more inclined to do so.
In the quiet meeting room, guild members who agreed with Rockefeller's thoughts began to speak up.
"Then it would be best to focus on the war with the Black Label Union and create a just cause for our side as much as possible. After all, the Sinclair family won't say anything to us for supporting Ismail, who has no hope, right?"
Another guild member who sympathized spoke up.
"It's right to help the Sinclair family out of loyalty. But if we do that, the 1st Prince will make a fuss again. This is not about loyalty, we have to survive and see, don't we? Since the 1st Prince left quietly, the Sinclair family probably won't make a big issue out of it."
When no more words came out.
Rockefeller asked everyone for confirmation.
"Are there any other opinions?"
It seemed that everyone was silently agreeing.
"If there are no other opinions, we will proceed with the full-scale war with the Black Label Union as planned."
At his words, one guild member hesitated.
Rockefeller gave him the right to speak, and he stood up and expressed his doubts.
"The war is fine. But how exactly do you plan to fight them, Lord Rockefeller?"
Rockefeller grinned.
"We, like soldiers going to war, will not fight with guns and swords. Fortunately, it's not like that."
At his words, the guild members filling the meeting room laughed faintly.
"Then what kind of method is it? If it's not fighting with guns and swords."
"I'm thinking of doing business right in the middle of enemy territory. I've heard that it's quite hot over there these days. They need a lot of money for pioneering new routes and trade with the new continent, right? The loan business is also booming... How desperate must they be for people who couldn't borrow money there to come all the way to Lyon?"
Rockefeller smirked.
"Since it's such a place, isn't it only polite for us to go there and do business?"
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All this is fine and all, but what about the gold in this territory? There will be war and no one has made claim to the gold mines. Author totally forgot about this situation it seems.
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