xymnovel Chapter 106, First Shareholder
Chapter 106, First Shareholder
Chapter 106 First Shareholder
The butler was a decisive person; he immediately arranged for his attendants and the black dog to return to the rocky island and arrange for the Seawolf to stay at St. Patrice Island.
Roger arrived at his uncle's manor again. Louis, who had recovered considerably after two days of rest, was reading a book his aunt had brought out in the spacious living room on the second floor of the manor, which was covered with embroidered carpets, inlaid with stained glass, and filled with a faint fragrance of flowers. The two chatted intermittently.
I took a hot bath in the manor owner's private bathroom, changed into a comfortable and warm cashmere winter coat, and then enjoyed a delicious and sumptuous luxury lunch. Even the bread served as a side dish was made from pure white refined flour.
Roger couldn't help but sigh at how good life was for the rich.
Such comfortable conditions are a rare luxury even at the Baron's residence on the Isle of Arun.
In the afternoon, Marn, along with Baldy and Black Dog, rowed a fishing boat to the town of Skylis. Baldy, Black Dog, and the others were arranged to go to the town to buy fresh wine, meat, fruits, and vegetables to take back to St. Patrice Island, while Marn himself went to the manor to report the arrangements to Roger.
"Sir, the yellow-skinned monkey you wanted to recruit has refused your offer. He said he prefers to wander around."
Roger waved his hand, not caring whether the translator could be of any use to him, but he said to Maren seriously, "Don't use insulting words to describe people of Asian descent in the future."
Marx and Engels were unaware of the reasoning, but they simply bowed their heads and accepted the instruction.
With his men properly settled, Roger instructed Marne and Olaf to take turns on guard duty and rest, and allowed his followers to disperse to the town for leisure and entertainment with their permission.
After arranging for his entourage, Roger settled into a life of luxury at the manor, awaiting his uncle's return.
The following morning, after being informed by a servant, a procession consisting of a van, three covered wagons, four accompanying servants, and seven mounted guards drove into Skylis Estate.
This is indeed the style of a wealthy merchant; his entourage is far more extravagant than that of Baron John.
The first carriage, a four-horse carriage pulled by four fine horses, with an oak carriage and stained glass windows, exudes luxury and extravagance.
Before the carriage arrived, the sound of laughter could be heard first; it was clearly the chattering of her two cousins, Shiara and Niaf.
The first carriage stopped after entering the manor gate, and the servants quickly went up to open the carriage door and helped the two young ladies out of the carriage.
The two girls excitedly ran into their mother's arms and hugged her tightly.
The girl expressed her longing for her mother, and the mother gently pushed the two girls away, feigning reproach, and said, "I thought you were going to abandon me."
The girl then became affectionate again.
Roger looked at his cousins with a smile, while Louis beside him was extremely uncomfortable.
The aunt quickly introduced Roger to her two cousins. They were already acquainted, and Louis quickly bowed to his two cousins in greeting.
At this moment, Uncle Jeffrey led a young boy forward. The sixteen-year-old knight squire Owen O'Neill wore a light blue silk robe and a belt made of gold roses. His young face carried an air of arrogance.
Roger stepped forward, gave Jeffrey a slight bow, and then immediately turned to the boy. "Uncle, this must be my brave and intelligent cousin Owen. No wonder he was chosen by the lord as a knight's squire; he has the spirit of a knight in his bones. It seems he will soon become a knight."
The young playboy, in the prime of his rebellious youth, received a gentle pat from Knight Roger, which greatly satisfied his youthful pride and confidence, and most of the arrogance on his face disappeared.
"Roger, don't exaggerate. He's caused me so much trouble. It's a miracle he wasn't driven away by the lord." After saying that, Jeffrey turned to the young man and said seriously, "You should learn from your cousin Roger. He not only became a knight but also owned his own business."
Roger had just gotten closer to his cousin, so he couldn't put himself on the opposite side. "I think that with my cousin's abilities, he will definitely surpass us in the future."
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At this moment, Aunt came over and said, "Alright, this is your Uncle Colin's cousin Louis."
Louis quickly came up to greet Jeffrey, Owen, and the others.
A group of people crowded into the mansion. Owen, beaming with pride after receiving praise, stood beside Roger. "Cousin Roger," he said, "I've heard the butler tell me about your exploits in eliminating the pirates. You're quite a formidable figure..."
That evening, due to the arrival of Roger and Louis, two relatives, a lively banquet was held at Skylis Estate, with each person having their own set of tableware.
At the dinner, Jeffrey personally finalized the payment for the goods in this southward trade and promised to help Louis study at the University of Paris in the Kingdom of France.
Roger immediately took out twenty pounds from the payment for the goods as a fee for Louis's studies in France and tuition, and agreed to add ten pounds every year to support Louis's further studies.
Even the usually mild-mannered and unassuming Louis got quite drunk at the banquet, his face turning red.
Jeffrey was quite surprised to learn that Roger had built a textile factory and two saltworks in just a few months.
Jeffrey's previous polite attitude and dedicated help to Roger stemmed mainly from his consideration for the Campbell family's kinship ties.
This time, Jeffrey's gaze towards Roger held more of the esteem he would have for a future business ally.
Taking advantage of the convivial atmosphere at the banquet, and with his uncle in high spirits, Roger proposed that Jeffrey lend him a loan, knowing that his upcoming series of actions would require substantial financial support.
This time, Jeffrey didn't hesitate much and immediately decided to invest one hundred pounds in Roger's salt factory.
He emphasized that this "investment" was not a disguised form of usury, but a genuine equity investment.
Of course, this is on the premise that he takes ownership of one-third of the saltworks.
Although Roger had worked in international trade in his previous life, his background meant he didn't have much knowledge of economics. Nevertheless, he knew the importance of one-third ownership for a growing company.
Moreover, a simple calculation shows that Campbell Saltworks' annual revenue definitely exceeds three hundred pounds, and for Jeffrey to take a third of the shares with a year's profit is a bit excessive.
Roger raised his glass to his lips, his mind racing. The moment he swallowed that sip of red wine, he had already agreed to the request.
He wasn't out of his mind. One hundred pounds certainly wouldn't buy all the ownership of the saltworks, but what he valued was what was behind that one hundred pounds.
Behind this hundred pounds is a much larger trade market, using the port of Skellis as a springboard to Ireland, Wales, England, and even the southern continent of France and Italy.
In particular, he roughly knew that Scotland would suffer a more stringent economic blockade in the near future due to a war of independence, and without close ties of interest, it would be difficult to expect Jeffrey to take huge risks to help him build channels for the sake of family ties.
However, Roger was not going to compromise easily when it came to his own interests. After some bargaining, he finally exchanged one-fifth of the ownership for Jeffrey's £100 investment.
One hundred pounds might only be a week's or even three to five days' worth of business profit for Jeffrey, but for Roger, who had not yet achieved overall financial profitability, it was a lifeline.
At the end of the banquet, Roger proposed to stay in Ireland for a while, to travel around, gather information, and recruit a few reliable assistants to help him run his business.
Staying in Ireland for an extended period is not an easy task; Roger needs legal identification and proper status.
This was no problem for Jeffrey, a wool merchant in Ulster, Northern Ireland, and a member of the Dublin Wool Guild.
This identity not only provided Roger with cover for freely traveling through Ireland and gathering information at will, but also solved his problem of his Northland Gaelic accent.
Naturally, Roger had to pay one pound for the two stamps affixed to his identity document: "Dublin Business Guild" and "Dublin City Council Consul".
Of course, this expensive identity document is absolutely genuine and valid, and can withstand scrutiny.
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