Carter pondered for a moment upon hearing Rockefeller's trade proposal.
‘Illicit trading is risky, but as long as the secret is kept, there shouldn’t be much of a problem. And how would that lord even find out about this? He can’t even read his store’s ledger, the illiterate fool.’
He was a merchant too timid to make bold moves.
But the risk involved in this venture seemed manageable for him.
‘The jobs in Lyon are riskier than this. This one is less noticeable.’
“But tell me, do you understand how dangerous this job could be?”
Rockefeller, displaying a hint of fear, continued to carry out his act convincingly.
“Right… I am fully aware that this is not a good deed since it’s a clandestine trade. If the lord finds out… it would surely lead to trouble, wouldn’t it?”
“If, just if, this matter gets exposed, I will claim complete ignorance to the lord. Whatever you say, I can just dismiss it as slander.”
“Yes, I am well aware of that. So, when you entrust me with this task, you will give me the money, right?”
“Yes, you do understand that well.”
Carter, feigning deep consideration of Rockefeller’s circumstances, sought to satisfy his own greed.
‘I wish more of these deals would come my way. Why am I so unlucky with money?’
“I don’t welcome such deals either. It’s a headache if we get caught. But your situation is dire, so I’ll turn a blind eye just this once.”
Carter, just like the smuggler he had cursed earlier, aimed to win Rockefeller’s favor with shameless lies.
“You know, I haven’t mentioned this, but I once received help from your father.”
In truth, being a tax collector meant being an object of hatred for the people of the domain.
The words he spoke were an obvious lie, but the speaker himself believed that his young counterpart would be easily deceived.
"If there had been no such thing, I would have either refused your offer or reported this matter to the lord. That would have been the natural course of action."
Rockefeller did not show it, but he was disgusted by his shameless lie.
'At least put some effort into your lies. Who would believe that?'
Unaware of Rockefeller's inner thoughts, Carter continued with what he had to say.
"This matter must never, under any circumstances, come to the lord's knowledge. It's a secret trade, isn't it? The lord might be lenient about other matters, but he can be very sharp when it comes to money issues."
Having finished his speech, he then put on a trader's smile.
"Alright, let's see the goods first. How much have you brought?"
The amount of gold dust brought was small.
So, Rockefeller decided to package it appropriately.
"His Lordship said that since this is the first transaction, it would be unreasonable to trade a large quantity at the outset. That's why we didn't bring much."
"Let's take a look anyway."
Even though the amount brought was small, Carter seemed quite satisfied.
'At a glance, it seems to be of the highest quality among the gold dust. The purity looks decent. Although it's a bit less than what's needed to make a single gold coin, it's still pretty good, right?'
Carter, lost in thought, suddenly harbored a doubt.
Was there a place on the continent where gold dust of this high quality could be found?
"Where did this gold dust come from? Did you hear anything?"
Rockefeller answered with a clueless expression.
"I haven't heard anything about that. They were very cautious when talking to me. Maybe... they brought it from a far place to deceive everyone?"
"Is that so? Hm... more importantly, the goods are quite..."
"If you don't like the goods, he mentioned dealing with another goldsmith."
Carter was startled by that statement.
He realized too late that he was not in a position of advantage in this illicit trade, as he had initially tried to undervalue the gold dust.
'I can't let this opportunity slip away like this.'
"It seems you've misunderstood something, but the goods are really good. If we can keep doing business, I'll continue to offer you a good price."
Rockefeller asked again for confirmation.
"Is the gold really that good?"
"Yes, it's excellent. With this quality, it's almost top-grade. The purity looks very good. It's splendid."
Why else would the Gold Vein War have erupted?
If the gold veins were mediocre, the dwarves wouldn’t have fought so fiercely with the empire, using the pretext of reclaiming their ancient lands.
'Good, it's just as I thought. This land is still alive.'
This place, ignored and located on the frontier of the empire, was exactly where Rockefeller was.
'Yes, that seems like a good next target.'
Having solved his immediate financial problems through illicit trade with goldsmiths, Rockefeller was able to set a new goal for himself here.
'Indeed, one must always harbor great ambitions. That's how you at least reach the middle ground.'
Even though he had been reincarnated as the eldest son of a humble commoner family, Rockefeller had no intention of settling for that life.
‘Being aware of what will happen in the future, I cannot die as a mere commoner.’
It wasn't just the goldsmiths who valued money above all else.
Rockefeller also believed that money was the ultimate power.
‘If I can make enough money, I can even buy this land.’
His new goal, after solving the problem of hunger.
That was to own the Montefeltro domain, the most undervalued territory in the continent.
‘I'll establish the Rothsmedici family here. It will be the richest family in the world.’
