Chapter 278 The Unscrupulous Merchant and the Naval Warrior
Count Eclas was a Genoese man who lost his father when he was thirty and inherited a barren coastal land.
Although the beachfront is the size of a standard earldom, the barren land cannot grow high-yield crops, and the rocky coastline cannot accommodate large ships. The territory's output is insufficient to support even fifty armored knights, let alone five hundred infantrymen, let alone a standard earldom.
Count Eclairs, who held only a title, was unwilling to live a life of mediocrity like his father. He sold all his property and devoted himself to the booming maritime trade.
Count Eclas was well aware of his own limitations. Although trading in the *** world was highly profitable, without sufficient military support, he would be doomed to lose money. The bandits didn't even know him, a count from the West.
Want to get some benefits from the Templar Knights? Count Ekras, who has never contributed to the war against the orcs, is not well-regarded by the Templar Knights. The Templars are not a charity; not everyone is entitled to their protection.
Earl Eclas, relying on his genuine title as Earl of the Republic of Genoa, staked all his credit and obtained a ship full of specialty velvet on credit from Genoa. He risked his life to sail west to the Strait of Gibraltar, then north across the Mediterranean, enduring many hardships to reach the Saxon-ruled island of Britain.
The Anglo-Saxons, who had just evolved from Germanic barbarians into civilized people, had a great fondness for velvet, a Mediterranean specialty. Count Eclas's goods fetched a good price, and he found a lucrative business opportunity. Over time, Count Eclas became a prominent maritime merchant traveling between the two regions.
Just as Count Eclas was riding high, arriving in Rome to build connections and find ways to get involved in business in the *** world, a storm in the North Atlantic destroyed everything he had. Accustomed to adventure, Count Eclas had too many mortgages and debts, and was forced to go bankrupt.
"My garden and house are among the few luxury residences in Rome, so the price certainly won't be low. Are you all sure you want to buy it?"
Looking at the three young men before him, Earl Eclas casually spoke. His original intention was to sell the house to pay off his debts and have some money left over, hoping to make a comeback. But the three young men in front of him were too young; they might not be able to make decisions on such a large deal.
"Of course I want to buy it, but I wonder how much the Earl will charge?"
Qin Mo didn't care about the shrewd glint in Eclas's eyes. In her previous life, even an old lady in the vegetable market knew the Thirty-Six Stratagems. Trying to outsmart you would be bullying you.
"Three thousand gold coins, either Genoa Vino gold coins or Florin gold coins are fine."
Count Eclas glanced at Qin Mo's upright figure, then at his own protruding belly. He mentally gave her the middle finger with disdain. "What's the point of a man being so handsome? If he's broke, he's just like me. Can he even afford it?"
Qin Mo was unaware of the market price, so she turned to look at Giulio, who said in Daxia language, "This house should be worth two thousand Florin gold coins, at most two thousand five. This spring, my uncle bought a similar one on Farn Street for only two thousand two Florin gold coins."
"No, this house is not comparable to those houses on Farnborough Street. Does Farnborough Street have a history? Do the houses on Farnborough Street have stories? The previous owner of this house was a relative of the Roman emperor, a genuine high-ranking Roman nobleman."
Count Eclas's broken Da Xia language caught Qin Mo and Giulio off guard. They hadn't expected that Count Eclas could understand the complex Da Xia language, and he had immediately revealed his trump card to them. It was impossible to win it for less than 2,500.
"Two thousand five hundred gold coins, these kinds of gold coins." Qin Mo took out several large gold coins and placed them on the table. The exquisite patterns and dazzling gold color made Eclas squint his eyes, and even Elisa, who had been watching coldly, became somewhat interested.
“I’ve never seen this kind of gold coin before. It weighs about the same as the Florin gold coin, but its credibility cannot be guaranteed, so three thousand gold coins is a reasonable price.” Although the exquisite Grand Yuan gold coin had greatly impressed Count Eclas, he still shrewdly maintained his original offer.
“Qin Mo, I don’t think this house is worth the price. I know your gold coins; they’re heavier than Florin’s gold coins and more exquisitely crafted. I think two thousand of these gold coins would be enough.” Giulio was a cultured noble merchant, and even when he helped Qin Mo bargain, he spoke with great reason and grace.
“A few days ago, an Ottoman prince came to me wanting to buy this house. He offered three thousand Arab gold coins, but he didn’t bring that much cash with him. We agreed that he would come back in a few days, so the price can’t be changed! Arab gold coins are much heavier than Florin gold coins!”
Giulio wanted nothing more than to beat this 'shady' merchant to death. Arab gold coins were indeed heavier than Florin gold coins, but could minted gold coins compare to machine-stamped gold coins? They couldn't compare in terms of feel or design!
Before the appearance of the Florin gold coin, Arabic gold coins and Byzantine gold coins were the mainstream currencies for large-scale transactions in the Western Continent. However, after the appearance of the more exquisite and standardized Florin gold coin, it gradually became the model for the gold coins of various city-states in the Western Continent.
Currently, Genoa's Genoa gold coins, Florence's Florin gold coins, and Venice's Ducat gold coins can be exchanged at a 1:1:1 ratio; these three are the mainstream gold coins in Western Europe.
Just as Giulio was about to persuade Qin Mo to cancel the deal, he saw Qin Mo reveal that wicked smile again, and his buttocks suddenly trembled as he remembered Qin Mo's twisted and sharp tongue.
"I don't actually have that much cash right now, after all, nobody would carry around dozens of kilograms of gold coins on the street," Qin Mo said with a wicked smile.
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