Chloe's father, Marco Forkroad, was a capable merchant who'd started his business from scratch and built it into a vast company. With his sharp business acumen and level-headed judgment, he was a prominent and respected figure among his fellow merchants. Despite his impressive accomplishments as a merchant, however, he'd chosen to send his daughter to Saint-Noel Academy instead of training her to take over the family business. His reasoning was simple: he wanted his daughter to have the best possible future. He'd wanted her to be educated in the best teaching environment the continent had to offer, and — being well aware of her shyness — had hoped she'd make some friends there as well. Of course, if said friends just so happened to be members of the gentry, then all the better. He was, after all, a consummate businessman and he wasn't above getting chummy with a few wealthy nobles through his daughter's connections.
That was how merchants functioned. They had a keen eye for profit, they never passed up an opportunity to make money, and they operated under the principle: "All is fish that comes to the net." For him, a business negotiation was a battle of wits where each side tried everything they could to maximize their gains. There was always a winner and a loser. Having lived in the world of commerce for most of his life, his motto was: "Take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself, and make everything into an opportunity."
Yet, even he hadn't expected his daughter to befriend the princess of a vast empire.
My dear daughter, becoming friends with the princess is nice and all, but next time... Maybe try for someone a little less heart attack inducing...
Despite his reservations, he'd nevertheless decided to pay a visit to Tearmoon. For one, to pass up such a sudden stroke of good fortune ran counter to his merchant's motto. More importantly, though, he wanted a chance to meet the first friend his daughter had ever made. It just so happened that he had a deal to close nearby too, so the timing worked out perfectly. After submitting a request for an audience with Princess Mia, he'd proceeded to look for lodging nearby, figuring someone known as the Great Sage of the empire would doubtless be a very busy person and require him to wait a while for her response. Instead...
So much for waiting... Marco thought as he stepped into the audience chamber. I was prepared to hunker down for a good fortnight or so. Who'd have thought she'd agree to see me almost immediately?
He regarded the young girl before him, taking in the cheerful smile she wore and — just as Chloe had mentioned — the sparks of intelligence in her eyes. Slowly but surely, it began to sink in that he was looking at Mia Luna Tearmoon, the Princess of the Tearmoon Empire.
"I am most honored to have been granted an audience with you, Your Highness," he said in a tone of utmost respect. "I am Chloe's father, Marco Forkroad. I am the owner of a merchant company, but I have been granted the title of Knight."
"Welcome, Sir Marco Forkroad. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope Chloe is doing well?"
"Very well, yes. She speaks fondly of your kindness and consideration..."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Mia fell into a contemplative silence. Then she said in a quiet voice, "By the way, Sir Marco, I have a question for you. Would it be possible for you to ferry some goods from across the sea?"
"Huh? Oh, why yes, it's certainly possible. My company owns a great many merchant ships. Should you have need of them, we'd be happy to assist you..." Sensing that a business opportunity was afoot, Marco put on his best salesman smile. "What kind of goods does Your Highness have in mind? Spices, perhaps? Or some exotic rugs? The ones from overseas are of excellent quality and quite popular amongst the empire's nobility—"
"I want wheat."
"Huh?"
He stared at Mia for a while, trying to comprehend the words that had just come out of her mouth. She was asking him to ferry wheat into Tearmoon from across the sea. To a merchant, the idea seemed nothing short of ludicrous. Why ferry wheat from overseas when it was right there? Both the empire and its neighboring kingdoms grew their own wheat. There was no need, never mind any discernible benefit, to put it on a boat and transporting it across a long distance.
Business in a nutshell was about buying from places that had things and going to places that didn't have those things to sell them at a higher price. If there was a famine or something, he might stand to turn a profit from a boatload of foreign wheat, but there was no way he was going to make money that way during normal times. He doubted he could even recoup the shipping costs. After all, who was going to pay extra for wheat? They could just go buy it from their local store. It wasn't like foreign wheat had any special properties, and it seemed unlikely that a trip across the sea was going to make it taste any better.
The idea was bizarre enough as-is, but Mia proceeded to add an addendum to her proposal that made his eyes widen further.
"Also, there is one condition: the price must be decided beforehand with a guarantee to honor it, no matter what happens after."
"By which, you mean..."
"Even if a famine occurs, increases to the price will not be permitted."
"That's—"
The princess's proposal was as baffling as it was outrageous. The addition of such a condition to the deal would mean there was nothing in it for his company. While he could see that the empire would stand to gain by securing a stable source of food in the case of a famine, Forkroad & Co. would derive no benefit from the arrangement.
That's so ridiculously one-sided—
Marco paused, his train of thought interrupted by a sudden recollection of how his daughter had spoken of Mia. Chloe's voice echoed in his mind, describing the princess as a person who would never use her power to force others to do things her way. If that was the case, then there had to be some deeper meaning behind her ostensibly unreasonable proposal...
Is this... a test? Am I being tested?
A chill ran up his spine and he felt a drop of cold sweat roll down his back. It'd been so subtle — insidious, almost — that he hadn't realized what the princess was pulling him into until he already had one foot through the metaphorical door. But now he knew, and he could feel the familiar tension in the air that had previously eluded him. This was the negotiation table, and they were talking business.
There's more to this, there has to be. And the question now is whether or not I can figure out what it is. This is how she's going to decide if I'm someone worth doing business with.
He needed to think. What was it about this proposal that would make him want to sign on? What hidden boon did it offer? Just then, he heard Mia's voice.
"Oh, I forgot to mention..." she said in a tone that sounded suspiciously like one employed by a teacher in the presence of a slightly slow pupil, "I will always purchase at least a minimum amount agreed upon in advance."
Fixed purchases at a fixed price... and the price would remain unchanged no matter what happened, famine or...
No famine. Which means...
Marco turned over the puzzle of Mia's proposal in his mind, twisting and turning it along with the hints she'd offered until the pieces all clicked together and he arrived at a conclusion.
It'll be a product that... isn't affected by market fluctuations?
He turned the idea over a few times and evaluated its pros and cons — the same way he always did when faced with a new proposition. As a merchant, the process was by now second nature. The mental thunderclap of shock that followed, however, was considerably less routine.
"If I am to transport it from overseas," he said after collecting his thoughts. "I will have to set the price higher than is usual. Has Your Highness considered this issue?"
He thought he'd figured out what the princess had in mind, but he wanted confirmation. Her answer to this question would provide just that. Mia didn't respond, though. Instead, the young official standing behind her walked over and handed him a piece of parchment.
"These are the details of the contract," said Ludwig.
Marco read through its contents and let out a pensive sigh.
This is... a fascinating price point, he thought as he mused over the implications.
Mia, meanwhile, was bubbling with satisfaction over getting to buy her wheat for cheap. Indeed, she'd offered what she thought was a very good price — for her, that is. Unbeknownst to Mia, however, her definition of "cheap" was horribly skewed compared to most people. After all, her point of reference was the famine itself, during which prices had gone crazy and a bag of wheat had been worth a castle.
So what did her price look like to a normal pair of eyes, then?
Even factoring in the transportation costs incurred by long distances, this is still on the higher side of things. With a price like this, as long as my expenses don't go through the roof unexpectedly, I'll be making a steady profit.
Marco understood Mia's proposal to be a mutually-beneficial arrangement. In exchange for paying him a premium when things were fine, he would help her out during times of hardship. She was, in essence, presenting an arrangement very similar in concept to something that had yet to exist in this world: insurance.
But wait... There's still more to it...
The gears of his capable merchant mind continued to turn, and he happened upon another important corollary of this proposal. It was, in fact, the most significant merit to taking part in Mia's plan... He realized that it would lead to the continued maintenance of supply chains.
Consider the following question: why does the price of food rise during famines to begin with? Of course, the imbalance between supply and demand was a factor, but even if its effects were removed, the price of wheat would still have to go up. Why? Because the cost of acquiring it goes up.
Suppose he tried to import wheat from overseas. Having never traded in wheat before, Forkroad & Co. would have to start by actually finding and talking to foreign wheat farmers. Then they'd have to figure out how to move the wheat. What kind of vessels were necessary? What did they have to watch out for during transport? Maybe wheat wouldn't be too complicated to handle, but getting bags of it safely across the sea still required plenty of know-how. They'd have to hire people with knowledge and experience. Building a supply chain from the ground up was a costly task. It took a significant commitment of both money and energy to create a flow of goods where there had been none before.
Now, what if there already was one? What if... a previously established flow of goods, however paltry it might be, still remained? Surely it would be easier to widen a small stream than to revive a dry one?
If I can maintain the distribution channels... If I can just keep things flowing... then whenever a famine strikes, I'll be able to bring in shipments of food faster, smoother, and at a lower cost than anyone else.
The barrier to maintaining those distribution channels was, again, cost. A business model that only profited during times of famine was irrational to sustain. Anyone looking to make money would — with very good reason — choose to abandon these channels during times of good harvest.
And what Princess Mia is proposing... is that she'll foot the bill for that overhead cost.
It was a distribution system that provided a two-way guarantee: Forkroad profited when times were good, and his company guaranteed a supply of food to the empire when times were bad. Furthermore, even after delivering on its promise to the empire, the system would still be able to sell food to needy areas earlier than rival companies.
By God... She's building a system to protect her people from famine while simultaneously ensuring that her negotiating partner benefits as well... What in the...
Despite her short stature, Marco couldn't help but feel like he stood in the presence of a giant. For a time he stared at the princess, his gaze infused with a deep sense of awe.
Chloe... My dear daughter, who in the world is this princess you have befriended?
A long, poignant sigh escaped his lips, and he lowered his head.
"Forkroad & Co. accepts the listed conditions and would be honored to enter into this contract with Your Highness."
The young princess beamed at him in response.
Truly, Her Highness's genius knows no bounds...
Ludwig glanced from the bowing Marco to Mia, pondering what further goals she had in mind. When she'd mentioned "mate's rates," it was as if she'd lit for him a fire in the darkness. He saw what she saw and understood the true meaning behind her words.
By lowering herself... By effectively staining her own image, she gave the gentry a motive they could live with.
Telling nobles to reduce wasteful spending so "people don't go hungry" was going to result in nothing but vehement opposition. Ideals meant nothing to these people. They couldn't care less about the death and suffering of the masses. The gentry had no interest nor desire in pursuing a selfless cause; high-minded principles weren't going to be well-received by their ilk.
What if, however, it was framed as a form of nepotism? That this was all about helping out a friend? That was something these people understood very well. They partook in such activities constantly. Of course, their opinions of the princess were not going to improve after seeing her engage in the exact kind of unscrupulous dealings she'd been faulting them for, but that level of hypocrisy would be tolerated as just the arrogance of the emperor and his kin. As a matter of fact, a certain amount of hypocritical selfishness from the imperial family was widely regarded by nobles as both normal and acceptable.
Wait, but this is Her Highness we're talking about... What if...
Although Ludwig was confident that he'd done good work while Mia had been away at school, he was nevertheless aware that he might have pulled on the reins a touch too hard. Was it not possible, then, that Mia shared his sentiment and sought to send the message that they were easing up a little? By actively engaging in a nepotistic act, she was demonstrating the degree to which she would tolerate cronyism and partiality.
Politics was about more than just waving the flag of virtue. Honesty alone was not going to get things done. There had to be carrots, and there had to be sticks, and each had to be used accordingly to keep the ass from throwing a tantrum.
The scope of her wisdom defies all reason... How much farther does she see? How many more moves does she have planned? Ludwig let out a trembling breath. May I never need to glimpse the inner workings of her mind, lest its infinite complexity shatter my fragile psyche.
It hardly needs to be said, but if anything in Mia's mind was going to shatter his psyche, it was its sheer emptiness.