Chapter 1439 - 773: Bastia Past Affairs

Chapter 1439: Chapter 773: Bastia Past Affairs

Lance, after many days, once again stepped into the familiar hall of the Governor’s mansion. The last time he came here was during the grain crisis when he seized this city.

However, at that time, he didn’t dare to use Hamlet’s name, fearing it would attract the attention of other forces. Now, he can finally show his identity.

Although the bureaucrats might not be on the same side as Walter, their roots are inescapably tied to Ovando. But trying to catch those slippery merchants and other forces is much more difficult.

Fortunately, after Hamlet’s Army defeated those Noble Alliance Army on the front battlefield, they rapidly took control of those territories with a devouring momentum.

Because the Noble Alliance Army had almost exhausted the war potential of those territories, the army faced virtually no resistance when they advanced.

With personnel inserted to assist, it wasn’t difficult to control those people.

In some cases, the difficulty of message transmission during this era, along with outdated road transport, helped him significantly.

Information hasn’t had time to spread out; many people still have news from those nobles who were striving for more support.

Walter simply went along with it, using it as a pretext to gather those people together, executing a classic "catch them in the jar" tactic.

Thus, there was that somewhat amusing scene earlier, where Lance watched them discuss how to deal with him, and after he revealed his identity, directly exhibited ferocity by opening fire, only for them to switch to pleading once they found themselves unable to win.

This shift from arrogance to humility, upon reflection, was laughable...

Those people weren’t inherited nobles but sophisticated merchants and seasoned bureaucrats; those who couldn’t adapt to society had, like Tiffany originally, been torn apart and devoured. Reality is always so cruel.

A simple dialogue was enough to feel Lance’s intent to squeeze them dry, and this was when their attitude started to change.

"A merchant’s most valuable assets are channels and connections. Killing us won’t gain you anything outside of Ovando, rather it would damage Ovando and even Hamlet’s reputation."

"All those here are famous merchants from nearby. If you treat us like this, once the news spreads, no merchant will be willing to come here anymore."

"Exactly! At that time, Hamlet will lose merchants. Without us merchants, how will the resources of the territory circulate?"

"The prosperity of Ovando Dock is a result of our work. Without us, over a thousand dock workers would have nothing to eat."

These people truly are merchants, with rhetoric suggesting as though Ovando and even Hamlet are borne on their shoulders.

"Do you think I care?" Lance was completely unmoved, laughed off their remarks, silencing them directly, before leisurely rebutting.

"Firstly, merchants are simply a profession, and a profession is innocent; the guilty ones are you. Secondly, you don’t represent the merchant collective. Walter is much more reliable.

As for reputation? Just now you yourselves said, brutal devil, greedy dictator, mad tyrant... To you, haven’t I been bad enough already?"

Lance was neither terrified by them nor confused by their words concerning some definitions.

A good person is a good person, a bad person is a bad person, unrelated to professions. Trying to overgeneralize without considering the level of these few people is absurd; can a few stinkers represent a profession?

The notion of Hamlet collapsing without merchants is even more laughable; Hamlet’s specialty is food, and there’s never a shortage of demand.

Now it’s not him seeking out merchants, but rather merchants appealing to him to open channels. If you don’t do it, plenty of others will.

Previously, it was several grain merchants fighting among themselves, making the internal condition resemble chaos, arbitrarily wasting resources, leading Totnes to scramble for a shared channel supply.

Now that most of Hamlet’s regions have been unified and integrated by him, those blood-sucking unscrupulous traders attached to Hamlet are reckoned, eliminating internal struggles will naturally affect grain prices.

One could say Hamlet shaking it up could cause Totnes and even the empire’s grain prices to rise twenty percent.

Of course, this is based on the premise that the empire doesn’t have the ability to blockade Hamlet.

If they could blockade like the Eagle Nation, it might be possible to drag down Hamlet; however, currently, there isn’t such a powerful force.

Moreover, Hamlet is located at the junction of two continents, a convergence point of various terrains; if it doesn’t sell to the empire, it can sell to others without worrying about demand.

Also... I’m waiting for soldiers, what are you waiting for?

And at this moment, there was already a commotion downstairs. Under the cover of darkness, the estate was surrounded by soldiers emerging, then rushing into the banquet hall to control those so-called gentlemen and ladies, following the plan to head upstairs.

Tadiff pushed open the door and entered with soldiers; he appeared here because Lance was concerned for Walter’s safety, so he had sent Tadiff back early to protect him. A Master of Bounty Hunters, he is qualified to complete this task.

Lance couldn’t be bothered to be perfunctory; he waved his hand as a sign to take them away.

The Lord neither yielded nor was swayed; those present had already realized there was no turning point, speaking with a sarcastic tone when taken away by soldiers.

"Walter, do you really think you can fare better by betraying us? You will surely have the same fate as us."

"I have always been one of Hamlet’s People; back then, I was even part of Hamlet’s Army."

Walter calmly threw out a statement; what identity do you have? I am a steadfast Hamlet’s person, the Lord’s first bucket of gold came from me.