Black Corporation: Joseon

Chapter 851

Episode 851: Their Ambition (2)

It was when the agents of the mill, who had settled in Paris, were waiting for the French alchemist, Jeonju, and Medici to visit the merchant.

Soon enough, the people in question visited the ‘Red Moon (lune rouge)’, as if their origin had worked out.

“Oh my! “Welcome!”

As the royal courtesan welcomed them with a warm voice, the Medici family responded with a voice full of excitement.

“ha ha ha! It’s been a while since I’ve been here, right? Please take care of me today too!”

“Don’t worry!”

The courtesan gisaeng, who still answered with a gentle voice, lightly winked at the servant who followed and ordered.

“Separate VIPs!”

“yes! “Please come this way.”

“oh! The separate building is nice! “You know my heart very well!”

Milwi’s agent, disguised as a servant, guided the three people to a separate building inside.

The separate building inside was a great place to have a private chat. Of course, it was a really good place for Secret Service agents to hide and eavesdrop.

As soon as the three people sat down, a sumptuous drinking table was set out. When all the snacks were ready, the courtesan who followed in asked the Medici merchant in a still annoyed voice.

“What kind of alcohol would you like? Multi-colored stocks? Vin Brule? Grappa?”

Vin Brûlée was an early form of alcohol that would later be called brandy. Grappa was a distilled liquor made by distilling the lees left over from wine making in Italy.

Naturally, the price range was highest for multi-colored liquor, followed by Vin Brule and Grappa.

The Medici merchant became even more excited about the gisaeng’s question.

“If you’re going to drink here, of course it’s going to be colorful! Is anything okay?”

“Oh my! You are so lucky! Some good drinks arrived recently! “They bring really good drinks!”

“If it’s such a good drink, wouldn’t the price be good?”

“Are you worried about the price?”

The Medici merchant confidently responded to the gisaeng’s harsh words.

“How can that be! “Bring it!”

“Yay~. “Please wait a moment!”

After a while, the female gisaeng came in carrying a wooden box as big as her body. When I opened the lid of the carefully lacquered black box, multi-colored liquor in a gorgeous crystal bottle was revealed.

“Oh~.”

“Oh wow~.”

The alchemist and Jeonju couldn’t help but be amazed as they looked at the bottle and the alcohol inside, shining brightly in the light of the chandelier. The Medici merchant, who was equally impressed, was already breaking into a cold sweat.

‘shit! The price is no joke! We must make this happen! Otherwise I’m broke!’

The Medici merchant, who had made up his mind, raised his voice again with an excited expression on his face.

“ruler! Open the lid! Let’s raise a glass!”

* * *

Two bottles of ultra-expensive multi-colored liquor disappeared and the Medici merchant, who had ordered a third bottle, gestured to the courtesans.

“Please leave for a moment.”

At the order of the Medici merchant, the courtesans quietly got up and went outside. When all the courtesans disappeared, the Medici merchant got to the point.

“So have you thought about it?”

When the Medici merchant asked a question in a subdued voice, the alchemist and Jeonju looked slightly embarrassed.

“That’s… a bit…”

“It’s not that difficult, is it? All we have to do is put three of us in a factory that makes silver. I’m not asking you to tell me everything from beginning to end about what and how much to mix. I just ask you to let me see what to write and how to make it while working. “If you do just that, I will thank you enough.”

Jeonju responded to the Medici merchant’s words with a face full of trouble.

“But even if it is just an example, if you think about the benefits we will gain from the large amount of silver…”

Before Jeonju could finish his sentence, the Medici merchant interrupted the conversation with a cold expression and pointed out.

“Do you think France will take the position of ‘Land of Flowers’? Will England buy France’s silver? Or Spain or Habsburg?”

The Medici merchant’s point was real.

* * *

As the imperial weapons entered Europe, replicas were made in many countries. Of course, thanks to Hyang’s trick, a replica was not created right away, but over time, replicas with similar performance emerged.

After persistent efforts, they either figured out the trick of incense or discovered the principle and created it with their own technology.

Thanks to this, no special tricks were used with the Eulsik long rifle, and rifles imitating it were popping up here and there.

However, even if they made long guns like this, they could not produce enough silver, so they had no choice but to purchase large quantities of silver from the empire.

“Consumables are the ones with the highest profits.”

As Hyang muttered to himself, the empire was reaping significant benefits from just its width alone.

In this way, imperial silver took on the position of a kind of international standard.

Long guns of different lengths and calibers followed imperial standards only for the part where the copper cap filled with silver (called a copper cap in the empire) was inserted.

In this respect, France, England, Portugal, and Spain, all enemies of each other, had the same standard.

* * *

This was exactly what the Medici merchant pointed out.

Even if French-made silver was cheaper than imperial-made silver, there was almost no possibility of neighboring countries adopting it.

The only countries that had any chance were Portugal and a few city-states in Italy.

Therefore, it was almost impossible for Alchemist and Jeonju to dominate Europe with the vast silver they had created.

“England and Spain will be willing to buy imperial silver even if it costs more. Or they will try to make it themselves. “Just like you.”

The alchemist and Jeonju nodded to the Medici merchant’s point. They also knew that they were some kind of lucky people.

Even now, there are many people here and there in France who are trying to create new silver by avoiding their patents. There would be even more in England and Spain.

The Medici merchant, who saw the expressions on the alchemist’s and Jeonju’s faces, coaxed them with a more subdued voice.

“So, let’s join hands. Again, I’m not asking you to hand over confidential information. “We just ask that only our three craftsmen be allowed to work in the factory.”

Hearing the Medici merchant’s words, the alchemist and Jeonju pondered over their thoughts while fiddling with their drinking glasses.

While pondering for a while, Jeonju made a request to the Medici merchant.

“Please leave us alone for a moment.”

“Let’s do that.”

The Medici merchant nodded, got up and opened the door.

“Ugh! This drink is a bit strong! Hey! I’d like to cool off for a moment. Is there a place to rest? “I just want to do some business!”

“Oh my! “Come this way!”

When the Medici merchant left, the alchemist and Jeonju talked with serious expressions.

“Can I come in?”

“You may come in.”

The Medici merchant returned to the room and asked the two people as soon as he settled down.

“Have you decided?”

“I will accept the Medici family’s offer. “I just want to adjust the gratuity.”

What followed was a bargain.

After some pushing and pulling, the three achieved a mutually satisfactory result.

“Okay. The key money was decided to be paid that way, half in advance and half in arrears. Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

After reconfirming each other’s conditions, the three raised their glasses with satisfied faces.

“For the good of all!”

“For profit!”

After happily emptying his glass, the Medici merchant opened the door and shouted.

“Look! “Tell the gisaengs to come in!”

“Yeah~.”

* * *

The agreement reached in the annex was immediately put into writing by Secret Service agents.

“This is it…”

One of the Secret Service agents who was reviewing the written document muttered with a pitiful expression.

“what’s the matter?”

“No, no matter how much they say they are businessmen, they don’t show any ‘loyalty’ and are only pursuing profit…”

An agent next to him laughed and laughed.

“why? “Doesn’t the Medici merchant faithfully follow his master’s orders?”

“Even so…”

“When we were educated, why did we evaluate Europe as the Warring States of Spring and Autumn? This place has not yet escaped the feudal era. “Why not, you can think of it as Japan or fifty paces…”

The agent who pointed out the problem to his colleague’s words had no choice but to nod.

* * *

As the milwi agent said, the concepts of ‘nation’ and ‘people’ had not yet been fully established in Europe.

The country that was establishing itself the fastest was France. The concept of ‘France’ and ‘French people’ came to be established during the Hundred Years’ War with England.

Other countries were still unable to escape from the concept of the feudal era.

Britain was still divided into England, Scotland and Wales. Of course, England and Wales were unified, but they were still distinguished from each other as ‘I am English and you are Welsh’ rather than ‘compatriots’.

Scotland was a separate country.

Because of this situation, the perception of Europeans was that they were not citizens of the country but citizens of their own territory.

In France, too, the concept of nation and people was just becoming established, so it became common to think of one’s own self-interest before ‘national interest’ and ‘loyalty.’

* * *

After such a short period of saddam, the secret service agents made their own predictions about the future.

“Now that the Medici family has stepped forward, our work will be reduced.”

“Thank goodness, I’m so glad.”

“But will the Medici family do things right?”

“This is a family that dreams of being the ‘powerhouse of Europe’, so they will do it right.”

After reaching their own conclusions, the secret service agents compiled a report and submitted it to their superiors.

The executive who received the report reviewed its contents and immediately issued an order.

“Make a copy and send it to Seoul. ASAP.”

“yes.”

The executive in charge of Paris, who gave orders to his subordinates, stroked his chin and looked at the ceiling.

“For the sake of Europe… we should gather once again. Even if you are a Medici, it is a dangerous move. “I think we need to move.”

His premonition, which had been active for a long time after going through difficult times, was telling him that Milwi needed to move.

* * *

News of the success in Paris was immediately conveyed to Florence.

“Good…”

Cosimo muttered, looking much more relaxed after checking the report while lying on the bed.

“It went well. “It will increase the chances that my last transaction will succeed.”

Cosimo muttered something meaningful and pulled the rope attached to the bed.

After a while the door opened and a servant came in, and Cosimo gave an order.

“Ask Giovanni and Lorenzo to come.”

“yes.”

After a while, Lorenzo de’ Medici and Giovanni de’ Medici, who had received Cosimo’s message, entered Cosimo’s bedroom.

“Did you call me?”

“Please take a seat.”

At Cosimo’s command, Giovanni and Lorenzo sat on the chairs next to the bed. Cosimo, lying diagonally on the bed, looked at the two people with eyes filled with mixed emotions.

“Are you learning Lorenzo’s work well?”

“yes.”

Lorenzo answered Cosimo’s question with a confident face. Lorenzo took charge of Florence politics on behalf of his father, Piero.

It was a huge burden on Lorenzo, who was still in his early 20s, but Lorenzo was well-received for his youthful vitality and talent.