I Became The King Of Crusaders [EN]: Chapter 21

Becoming a King of the Crusades – Episode 21 (21/215)

Let’s Make Money! (1)

* * *

“Is this really alcohol?!”

The merchants who gulped down the drink coughed and spluttered.

Headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller.

Over a dozen merchants were making a fuss as they drained their glasses.

“It feels like something exploded in my stomach. What kind of magic did you use?”

“From now on, Mass should be celebrated with this instead of wine!”

The merchants all chattered, each adding their own exclamation.

Their excitement was palpable.

‘Well, it’s no wonder.’

A lucrative new business opportunity had landed right in their laps.

I looked at the men before me.

Venice, Genoa, Pisa, and Amalfi.

All merchants from renowned maritime cities.

Born merchants who would jump into a lion’s den for money.

Marco is over there too.

It seems like he’s been following me around ever since I arrived in Jerusalem.

Is it just my imagination?

“Where on earth did you find this kind of alcohol, Young Lord? I’ve drunk almost every kind of wine in my life, but this is a first.”

“What’s the production volume? If it’s possible right now…”

“All I can tell you right now is this.”

I smiled at the merchants’ questions.

“I am the only one who can supply this alcohol in Jerusalem, or rather, here in the Levant [historical region encompassing the Eastern Mediterranean].”

After arriving in Jerusalem, I installed stills in the headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller.

It didn’t take long to produce brandy, a distilled wine.

‘In the first place, the Knights were already producing wine directly.’

Only Gernal and a few monks knew the recipe.

I had already received their oath to keep the secret.

The Grand Master of the Hospitallers also readily agreed to the proposal to share the profits.

It would be difficult to steal the recipe unless someone planted a spy inside the Knights.

‘Even if they find out, I can suppress them with royal authority anyway.’

If I do well, I can use it for marketing too, right?

Jerusalem Elixir (legendary elixir) made directly by the Knights of the Holy City!

What could be a more attractive marketing phrase than this?

Even in Korea, sausages made directly by priests were popular, I think.

I dusted off my clothes and said.

“And the reason I’ve arranged this meeting today is to offer the same proposal to all of you. To be more precise…”

I looked at the merchants and added.

“Let’s just say it’s to choose a caravan [a company of travelers journeying together, often on a trade expedition] to take charge of supplying this alcohol.”

“Young Lord!”

Marco said, almost shouting.

He approached me and whispered.

“Young Lord! Why did you call all the other merchants?”

Don’t you know why I’m asking that?

Of course, it’s to make them compete with each other and get good terms.

“Didn’t I make concessions and provide convenience during the reconstruction of Eilat? This opportunity should naturally be entrusted to our Venetian Fondaco [trading post or warehouse in a foreign city]…”

No, that’s because I needed Venetian military power.

Things are different now.

Just as I was about to speak, other merchants interjected.

“Hey, Marco! What are you doing being so rude to the Young Lord?!”

A merchant from Genoa.

With a gaunt physique, he looked like a seasoned merchant.

“Young Lord, ignore that rude Venetian. Genoa will buy this alcohol under the best conditions.”

“You can’t trust these guys! If you entrust it to Amalfi, we will guarantee the highest profits.”

I raised my index finger.

The room fell silent as the merchants shut their mouths.

“First, let me make one thing clear. We can only produce a very small amount of this alcohol right now. You have to charge at least 10 dinars [historical gold coin of the Islamic world] per barrel.”

Then one merchant shouted.

“But at that price, we won’t be able to sell it properly! No matter how good this alcohol is, that’s too high a price…”

“Commoners won’t be able to buy it. But what about kings and nobles?”

I asked with a smile.

Selling it as a luxury item is the fastest way to make money.

How many times have I played as a merchant in Last Crusaders?

The merchants here would also know the meaning of what I said.

And I need to use some of the supply separately.

“Let’s have a separate conversation with each of you first.”

I stretched.

Well then, shall we dance?

“The rest of you, please enjoy the alcohol while you wait.”

I moved to the next room.

Soon, the merchants entered the room one by one.

The expressions on their faces were all different.

From those who looked calm to those who were very excited and spouting words.

“I am willing to pay up to 12 dinars per barrel, Young Lord. It will be a much better deal than the other merchants.”

“I don’t know what kind of offers the guys in front made, but Amalfi is the most suitable…”

I focused my mind.

The basics of negotiation are to deceive the other party.

Only fools or desperate people show their true feelings in negotiations.

The key is to figure out the other party’s true intentions while pushing and pulling….

What if I could know the other party’s feelings?

“At that price, you won’t be able to make any profit at all. The cost of transporting the goods alone is enormous…”

Marco said, panting.

This is a lie.

“I see. Then I’ll assume Venice isn’t interested.”

“Ah, no, it’s too early to say that! Of course, we are also willing to make as many concessions as possible, but…”

This is genuine.

“If you guarantee us exclusive supply rights to Constantinople [modern-day Istanbul] separately, we will meet the conditions as you wish, Young Lord.”

It wasn’t just Marco.

The other merchants were the same.

“I can say this for sure! We can offer better terms than the Venetians!”

“Keep talking.”

Bluffing, silence, seizing the initiative.

Even flashy negotiation skills were of little use in front of me.

[Unexplainable Intuition]

With this, I can know what’s genuine.

How many people can win against a lie detector?

When the interviews were over, the merchants all sighed as if exhausted and wiped the sweat from their foreheads.

“It was a pleasant conversation. Then please send me your proposals by tomorrow. I will review the proposals again and make a decision.”

“Understood, Young Lord.”

The merchants all glared at each other and left the room.

I smiled as I watched them.

Instead of exclusive supply, I signed contracts with Venice and Genoa.

In return, I was able to promise a huge down payment.

‘Or they might offer better terms tomorrow.’

At this rate, I could become rich just by selling alcohol?

A medieval liquor tycoon.

Saying it like that sounds a bit strange.

Then the sound of bells rang out.

The clear and transparent sound of bells ringing from numerous churches.

“Has the time already come?”

I turned my head and looked outside.

It was time to go to training.

* * *

Thud―――

The bolt hit the center of the target accurately.

The knights and servants around applauded.

“You hit it again this time. I thought you were bluffing when you said you were confident with the crossbow…”

Aig grumbled and handed over the next crossbow.

The bolt was loaded so that it could be fired immediately.

“This is unexpected, Young Lord.”

“Try to have a little more faith in me, Aig. How much shooting training have I had?”

I said with a smile.

I heard that I was good at shooting when I was a cadet.

Of course, a crossbow wasn’t exactly the same as a gun, but it was similar.

Aig tilted his head.

“I heard that you usually only did falconry, did you practice crossbows often too?”

“Let’s just say I did it while doing falconry.”

I said.

It’s a relief that the frailty trait has nothing to do with crossbows.

[Innate Frailty]

A large debuff on actions and behaviors related to physical strength.

But there was no mention of debuffs on force or combat actions.

Shooting a crossbow or practicing swordsmanship.

These could be raised as much as I put in the effort.

‘Besides, all I have to do is shoot the crossbow.’

Unlike a bow, a crossbow didn’t require much physical strength.

Of course, the problem was that it was difficult to reload.

I could just leave that to someone else.

Hmm, I could just carry around a few pre-loaded ones.

“This is like watching crossbowmen from Genoa.”

Wig laughed heartily as he approached.

He was wearing a mask on his face as always.

“I didn’t know you were so skilled at shooting.”

“It’s been a while, Sir Wig.”

I replied with a smile.

Is this the first time since coming to Jerusalem?

“You will be seeing me often from now on. From today, I will be in charge of your training, Young Lord.”

“Did something happen to Sir Garnier?”

“I heard that he hasn’t been feeling well since arriving in Jerusalem. It’s not serious, so there’s no need to worry.”

Garnier is sick?

I should go visit him later.

“Now, take your sword. Unless you’re afraid of this old and sick man.”

He said in a provocative tone and drew his sword.

I also took the longsword that Aig handed me.

“Take your stance first.”

I naturally took a defensive stance.

Perhaps because I had been tormented by Garnier and Wig for dozens of hours, the movements that were unfamiliar at first were now familiar.

“Put a little more strength in your right leg. Your shoulders are too stiff.”

Wig said.

“Other than that, there’s nothing particularly concerning. You’ve improved a lot since the beginning.”

We glared at each other.

Wig was the first to attack.

“Let’s start slowly at first. Just focus on blocking.”

He stepped forward and swung his sword to the side.

“Clee [defensive stance]! This time, Leeon [defensive stance]! Leeon again. You’re still too slow to catch the movements.”

Wig continued to attack, calling out the defensive stances.

The speed was unbelievable for someone who was said to have leprosy.

“You have to keep changing your movements flexibly! Standing still is like a wooden barrel!”

I was struggling just to block the attacks, let alone counterattack.

Before long, the muscles in my arms trembled.

As I was defending mindlessly, one thought crossed my mind.

‘Can’t I use intuition in fighting too?’

Using [Unexplainable Intuition] allowed me to grasp the other party’s psychology.

Maybe I can predict the next attack.

I took a deep breath and focused my mind.

I felt like I was feeling something little by little.

Wig’s gaze.

The direction he was swinging his arm.

I entrusted my body to instinct.

Deflecting strong attacks as much as possible while blocking weak attacks head-on.

After a few trials and errors, I gradually got the hang of it.

“This is fun. Your speed has improved a lot.”

Wig burst out laughing as his attacks continued to be blocked.

At the same time, his attacks became fierce.

Clang―――

Clang―――

Loud metallic sounds echoed each time the swords collided.

Instead of aiming for a decisive blow now, is he aiming to wear me out?

I’m going to collapse first at this rate.

‘I have to somehow settle the score before that.’

I threw myself forward almost unconsciously.

A body check aimed at the gap created by the entangled swords.

But the moment I stuck, I felt something piercing my body.

A blunt dagger hilt.

“Your attempt to close the distance was good, but I think I won.”

Wig laughed heartily and stood up.

As he grabbed the dagger back in place, he said.

“If you had used the dagger in that situation, you would have beaten me.”

“I forgot I had a dagger.”

I also replied with a smile.

It felt like my lungs were being pricked with needles every time I breathed.

I think I’m too excited.

I pulled out the dagger from my waist.

A Damascus dagger I received from a Muslim merchant in Eilat.

“A warrior must be flexible in his thinking. Especially on the battlefield, you must use every weapon in your hand.”

He tapped his neck with the dagger.

“When using a dagger, you should stab here, below the neck. If you can stab properly, you can subdue even an armored opponent in one go.”

He shrugged.

“Still, Garnier didn’t teach you completely useless things. Good, let’s just do this much for today. At this rate, this old man will collapse first.”

“I already collapsed a long time ago, Sir Wig.”

I replied with a smile.

As expected, I can’t fight for a long time.

‘But I found out that I can use intuition in combat.’

If I practice a little more, I should be able to use it fluently.

Wig laughed heartily at my words.

“By the way, how is the liquor business you said you were starting going? I heard that merchants are scrambling to get the business rights.”

“It’s been going smoothly so far.”

“It’s true that selling alcohol in the Knights is not a big problem, but…”

Wig said, looking at me.

A tone as if lost in thought.

“I don’t know if Patriarch Heraclius will give his permission. If he opposes…”

He added.

“The business may be banned or most of the profits may be taken away.”

“You don’t have to worry about that part.”

I said with a smile.

I already know that much.

Heraclius, Patriarch of Jerusalem.

But there was no need to worry about him.

Because I know better than anyone what kind of secret that person has.