Pirate Kingship-Chapter 672 - 464: All Villains, The Devil in the Bottle (6500 two-in-one) _2

"Guess what great thing I just scored on Financial Street?"

Without waiting for them to guess, he materialized two procurement contracts in his hand as if presenting a treasure.

"TA-DA! Look, what's this?"

He flipped open the contracts. They were identical in format. Party B on both was their newly listed Rhine Metal Company, while Party A were the Royalist Party and the Earl's Party respectively!

Catherine's eyes brightened, her face lit up with pleasant surprise. "I only heard Edward IV mention he wanted to find a third party to procure arms from us, but I didn't expect the Kingmaker Warwick to have the same insight. And they're both so efficient! Not even a day has passed, and they're already preparing the logistics."

The first procurement orders weren't large; each side only ordered just over a thousand flintlock guns with corresponding bullets and gunpowder. It was clear they planned to inspect the goods first and place additional orders if satisfied.

But since there was a first batch, could the second and third batches be far behind?

Aside from Torrent Fortress, which had repeatedly doubled its steel output using blast furnace ironsmelting, no other power could satisfy the huge demands of these two factions in the short term.

Before today, it was probable that neither side was fully prepared to fight another large-scale civil war.

The three of them, having received procurement orders from both warring parties, felt absolutely no guilt regarding professional ethics. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

After all, the professional ethics of an arms dealer, naturally, is: "I want it all!"

Selling to both sides was truly unscrupulous. But there was always a way to be even more unscrupulous.

Violet put away the contracts and gave Byron and Catherine a mischievous smile. "I'm planning to temporarily modify one production line so that weapons and ammunition captured by either side can't be used interchangeably. This will prevent us from exposing too soon that we're selling to both sides. Plus, they won't be able to use captured weapons. To get resupplied, they'll have to buy new ones from us. Only consumables can generate a steady stream of big money!"

Catherine nodded, fully endorsing her good sister's plan. "Plus, we can buy back the unusable weapons from both sides at scrap prices, then... refurbish them a bit and sell them to their sworn enemies. Recycling waste and conserving resources—that's the thrifty way to manage a household."

Byron delivered the final word. "My sisters have spoken wisely. With your ingenious plans, our family would find it hard not to prosper. The gap between the Earl's Party and the Royalist Party isn't too wide. Once the war starts, whoever begins to lose ground, we'll immediately offer them a thirty percent discount on arms sales! In the spirit of fearless humanitarianism, we must support the weak, resist the powerful, and uphold justice!"

As these sanctimonious words left his mouth, the Halo of the Great Benefactor above his head began to shimmer, casting a sacred glow across his face.

Birds of a feather flock together. The three crafty individuals exchanged glances and cackled sinisterly in unison:

"HEH HEH HEH..."

Initially, Byron's scheme had only targeted Edward IV. Who would have thought that The Kingmaker title's abilities weren't limited to the 'Abreast King' power, which evenly divided authority, but also included a mystical aspect that split everything fifty-fifty—the 'share the spoils upon meeting' principle. Once Emperor's New Clothes and Joy Without Worry took effect, they inevitably affected him as well. This made both individuals equally "wise."

Byron had initially assumed that both factions would choose flawed technology and development paths, wasting energy and money on pointless endeavors. He expected them to stagnate while he focused on his own development. Unexpectedly, they went all-in, effectively castrating their own core capabilities and dabbling in... the hollowing out of their manufacturing industries!

Byron was almost dizzy from this unexpected windfall, this manna from heaven. "This overwhelming fortune has finally fallen into our laps! How could we not seize it firmly? A big thank you to our top two clients for these huge orders! Rest assured, I can handle as much as you throw at me. Once the Earl's Party and the Royalist Party finish this war, we can retire all our old equipment and traditional flintlock gun production lines. Meanwhile, we can set up production lines for breech-loading rifles and Whale Oil Bullets, completing the upgrade of our whale oil industry. We'll use this money to arm ourselves thoroughly, then turn around and devour them in one fell swoop. What's that saying again? Every penny you spend with us will become a bullet fired right back at you!"

After reveling in the bustle of the Royal Capital for a while, Violet excitedly cut the sensory sharing and hurried off to prepare the stock.

Byron and Catherine waited a little longer. Eventually, the shouting outside dwindled, and they received notice that they could leave the Royal Palace and return to their fiefdom.

Just as they were about to depart Ganquan Palace together, an unexpected figure appeared before them.

He had pale skin, a robust build, hair like spun sunshine, and blue eyes as deep as the ocean.

It was the Queen's brother, the "royal in-law," Fris Woodville.

This "relative by marriage," having gained favor through his sister, had not only skyrocketed to the heart of the Kingdom but, alongside his father, had also secured two positions within The King's Right Hand. The Woodville Family's influence was unmatched for a time, and by virtue of their status as imperial relatives, they became the most loyal and staunch supporters within the Royalist Party. Because his position depended solely on Edward IV, Fris was even more devoted than the King's two brothers from the Tri-Phantom Sun.

Accompanied by two court attendants holding wooden boxes, he approached Byron and Catherine, bowed gracefully, then pointed to the two boxes and said with a smile, "My Lords, these are gifts from Her Majesty the Queen for you both."