Reincarnated as the Baron's son: My Infinite Card Upgrade System-Chapter 60: Negotiations.

Hahahaha!

Velmo laughed, slamming his palm on his thighs.

Meanwhile, Alaric and Erica watched with calm expressions, as if forcing themselves to remain unfazed by the scene before them.

Alaric had just explained to Velmo his business idea and how he wanted to open multiple warehouses and trade routes in the county.

Of course, he knew the request was ridiculous, especially considering most of the merchants had been begging for the exact same thing. Still, Alaric wasn’t one to back down so easily.

"You’re a smart man, so I’m sure you already see the issues that come with your request," Velmo said.

"Why, of course. You’re worried about the merchants and how unfair it would make them feel," Alaric replied.

"Ah, so you do understand. I can’t risk having my merchants turn on me. They bring about 48% of this county’s income. It would be a total loss on my side."

"True, I did think of that. I have a solution."

Velmo raised a brow. "You have a solution? Merchants are stubborn and goal-driven. If it doesn’t benefit them, they won’t change their minds. I’d know; I’ve been dealing with them for years."

"Exactly. What if I do have something the merchants would love to monopolize? If I can get the merchants to vote for my warehouse infrastructure, will you agree?"

Velmo took a second to read Alaric’s face. Something about the confidence he radiated didn’t seem right.

Just the kind of thing Velmo loved. He wanted to see how it would end.

"Sure. If you manage to get my major merchants to vote, then I will allow it."

Alaric smiled, his eyes closed with a devious grin. "Excellent. Now we can move into the next phase."

This was where Erica came in.

"From my research, Ernesto County has four major merchants dominating imported goods. I believe those should be our only concern," Erica explained.

"Why only choose one faction? The rest of the merchants will complain just as much," Sima said from where she stood.

"The rest of them have no reason to build a warehouse like the one my brother plans on building. They have shops and ships at the ready, so I doubt they would care," Erica replied quickly.

Hearing her response, Sima glared a bit before looking away.

"You’re well-informed, Miss Erica," Velmo said with a smile. "No doubt you are his sister."

"Uh... thank you..." Erica managed to keep her cool despite how uncomfortable that statement made her.

She instantly turned her focus back to the task at hand. "If my brother can get these four merchants to vote for it, then it should be a done deal."

"Oh, of course, this is only to make sure the project will take place. We will still discuss your percentage gain in all of this," Alaric chimed in.

’What is this feeling? It’s obvious this might be a good business deal for me, but something about this makes me feel like I’m being scammed,’ Velmo thought to himself, carefully considering his choices.

As a count, he knew every single move he made was equally as important as the decision.

Taking a deep sigh, he responded, "You have a deal."

"Thank you. You won’t regret this," Alaric smiled, while speaking to himself on the inside.

’Ha! Easy. If this turns out to be successful, I might as well just relax at home and do nothing. I’m one step closer to my free life. I can almost taste it at this point.’

"Feel free to take as long as you need to convince the merchants in my home. I do not mind," Velmo said with a wave of his hand.

And with that, Alaric bowed his head and exited the room.

---

Later that day,

Alaric sent Ava to accompany Erica down to the city. She knew where to find the four merchants that managed the county’s trading system.

From what she told Alaric, all four of the merchants were brothers. Their family had been successful merchants for generations, from father to son.

If she could convince even one to sign the permit, then the rest would most likely follow.

After walking for a few minutes, Erica arrived in front of a small building. This was a bar owned by one of the sons, Wilson Eonak.

Bam! Bam!

Erica knocked on the door.

Almost immediately, the door opened, revealing a hostess dressed in a white uniform.

"Knocking? You can just come in if you’d like," the hostess said.

The music and joyful screams from within the pub could already be heard.

"I’m not hoping to stay long. I’m looking for Wilson Eonak. Can you tell me if he is available?" Erica asked.

"The boss? Yeah, sorry. I’m not allowed to respond to people who aren’t our customers."

Ava grunted. "Lady Erica, please go in. I doubt we’ll get any response unless we patronize them," she whispered.

"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Erica’s eyes glowed a bit. "Can I get a cup of wine?" she asked ever so innocently.

"Come in then. Don’t just stand there." The hostess stepped to the side, allowing the two to walk inside.

The moment they stepped into the building, it felt like a completely different world from the one outside.

Some parts of the pub had people dancing, smoking, and drinking, while other parts had people just sitting and eating. It was total freedom.

And though men were the majority, the women who were there all seemed to have the same thing in common: they all dressed sexually.

Gulping down her saliva, Erica took a moment to scan her surroundings.

She had never been to such a place and didn’t know how to react. It felt like every male was staring at her.

"Come on, have a seat over there. I’ll bring your wine to you," the hostess said, pointing to the side of the pub she wanted Erica and Ava to sit in.

Thankfully, from the looks of things, the only people occupying that area of the pub were working men who seemed like they were just looking for a place to clear their minds.

One was a man with a giant blade resting at the side of the table. Another was dressed in knight armor, along with others giving off the same vibe.

"Let’s go, Lady Erica," Ava said.

"Right..." Erica hardened her expression before walking toward one of the tables.

The weird laughter from the men watching them as they walked grew louder and louder.

But not for the reasons she thought. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

While it was true Erica was beautiful, her body paled in comparison to Ava’s. In her tight pants, her figure was almost irresistible.

There had been a few times even Alaric had fallen victim to it.

Not to speak of drunk, horny men. None of them could keep their eyes off Ava.

Finally settling down at their table, Ava made sure to keep her blade close to her, the gazes on them already becoming overwhelming.

The other women in the room joined in the staring contest, not because they were intrigued, but because they were jealous.

It felt as though a random woman had walked in and stolen their means of earnings so quickly.

"Ava... they are all staring..." Erica whispered, clearly getting scared.

"Please ignore them. As long as I’m with you, I promise you’ll be safe. So focus on the task at hand," Ava responded.

"R-right. Yo... you’re starting to sound like my brother."

"I am?"

"Yeah. He’s always so calm, even when he knows he can’t do a thing about it. Honestly, it makes me proud to be his elder sister. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world," Erica said with a small smile.

"Do you think he has always been that way? Lord Alaric?"

"Been how?"

"Calm and collected?"

"I think so. Why do you ask?"

Ava immediately played it off. "I was just curious to know."

"Oh..."

"Here’s your drink..."

The hostess arrived, cutting the conversation short. She gently placed the huge glass of wine in front of the two women.

"Oh, and also, it turns out the boss stepped out for a bit. He should be back soon, so if you wait a while, you should meet him when he comes."

"No problem, we’ll wait," Erica replied.

"Very good. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call any of us."

The hostess left.

"Is this alcohol?" Erica lifted the glass a bit, moving her nose closer to sniff it.

"I do not know. I have never tried drinking wine from a bar before. I shall go first. Please hold on."

Ava took the glass and slowly began to pull it toward her mouth.

Just when she was about to take a sip, two grown men appeared out of nowhere and slammed their palms on the table at the same time.

Erica flinched, her eyes immediately moving toward the huge individuals.

"Hey there, pretty ladies. What are you doing here all by yourselves? Aren’t you lonely?" one of them asked with a sinister smile.

Ava didn’t seem to mind.

She sipped the wine and placed the glass on the table.

"Lady Erica, it doesn’t taste harmful. It’s safe to drink."

....

[A\N: Please don’t forget to support this book, thank you so much.]