Chapter 255 "King" Augustus Kant
Looking at the poor middle-aged man in front of him trembling all over, Aiwass couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
Mr. King has an interesting personality...
Aiwass had clearly told him that both he and Isabel were considered acquaintances of his. This was undoubtedly a gesture of goodwill, as neither the minister nor Her Royal Highness the Princess of Avalon was obliged to tell him such a secret.
——But he trembled even more violently.
What is he afraid of?
Was he worried that he'd learned something he shouldn't know and would be silenced? Or did he feel he was doomed, so Aiwass told him all this so he could die with a clear conscience?
Seeing that Mr. King didn't dare to speak, Aiwass could only reach out and knock on the armrest to attract his attention with sound.
"Name." Aiwass asked.
"Augustus Canter."
Mr. King replied.
...Augustus?
Aiwass was stunned for a moment.
What a great name! No wonder you nicknamed yourself the King...
He sighed in his heart.
Augustus was the title of the Roman Emperor. In this world, the emperor of the Horasan Empire also used this title for a period of time.
The Xingti Kingdom is the country that has preserved the most complete traditions of the Helasar Empire, so it is not surprising that the king knows this historical joke.
Mr. King's parents are indeed the most powerful ones.
To make an analogy, this is equivalent to a child whose surname is Huang, so his parents name him "Huang Shang"; or whose surname is Bi, so his parents name him "Bi Xia".
——If this happened in modern times, I would probably just be laughed at by my classmates.
But the problem is, the Xingtan Kingdom where he lives actually has a king and nobles!
You have a pair of brave but sick parents, Aiwass admired in his heart.
Aiwass tried hard to suppress the subtle emotions in his heart and adjusted his expression so that he would not laugh easily.
He continued with a stern face, "Path and occupation? What are you doing here? Tell me the truth."
"I am a botanist of the Path of Balance."
Augustus volunteered, "I'm currently at the second level, having just completed the promotion ceremony on that ship yesterday."
He felt remorseful at the mention of this.
Just last night, a very friendly ritualist came to the ship to personally guide his promotion ceremony.
A few days earlier, the people on board had shared their experiences with him during the promotion ceremony. Augustus had repeatedly praised their kindness. Over drinks, they forged a brief friendship in the warm atmosphere, which lasted less than three days.
——So when Augustus saw his new friends skillfully drawing their weapons and killing the officials, he was completely shocked.
What happened!
Why is it that these new friends I made would beat up the police as soon as they see them?
Oh, these weren't even inspectors, the equivalent of the Star Kingdom police, but inspectors, the equivalent of Star Kingdom agents, or royal spies... Otherwise, given their tacit cooperation, if there were fewer than twenty cops, they could probably be taken out in an instant.
That would be murder!
It's not murder in the ordinary sense, but they were attacked and killed in public!
At that moment, Augustus guessed their identities.
——The ship that I won’t board must be Avalon’s famous smuggling freighter!
Someone please save me, I'm going to be killed!
"Hourglass, I'm a legitimate businessman! Let alone smuggling, I've never even committed fraud! The goods I give people are always the exact weight, and I've never made money by cheating!"
Augustus shuddered at the thought and immediately held out his hand to swear, "In the name of Sand Clock, I swear that I've always been an honest business... You might not know, but it was because I refused to go along with those people that I couldn't make it at Xingtan...
"I met this guy at a previous promotion ceremony. His codename at the time was 'Antlers.' He claimed he needed a large quantity of plant essential oils and placed an order with me for 800 White Crown coins. That's roughly equivalent to 500 gold coins in our region, so it was a large order.
"He paid half the deposit and then said I only needed to send half the goods first. He would pay the other half later, and I would send the rest - I've been in this business for a long time, but I've never met such a good customer. Usually, the goods are delivered first and the balance is paid later... He seemed to have no fear that I would run away without paying."
——Of course, now he knew why.
When Augustus thought of the dozens of extraordinary mercenaries on the ship with different backgrounds and high levels, he immediately understood why he was not afraid of running away.
If I were to run away and get caught again, their attitude wouldn't be so friendly...
"I just want to see if he has any other needs... It's rare to meet such a generous customer, so I want to sign a long-term trade agreement."
Augustus answered with remarkable sincerity, "I'm fully prepared to pay the customs duties! I even have the money with me... Those goods are all plant essential oils. According to Avalon's customs laws, plant essential oils are not classified as alchemical raw materials, but as plant products, with a tariff of only 12%... This is the first batch, worth four hundred white crowns. I brought fifty white crowns this time, so even if the customer doesn't intend to pay the tax, I can still make up the difference myself..."
When he said this, he felt very aggrieved.
He thought it was a pie-in-the-sky deal. But there really is no such thing in the world!
It's rare to meet a client who doesn't bargain much, pays first and then delivers, and wants a huge quantity of goods, but it turns out he's a smuggler...
No wonder he didn't bargain. It turned out he didn't have to go through customs at all.
Avalon's import tariffs on Star Antimony's alchemical products were as high as 54%, and on alchemical raw materials at 30%. Basically, the goods could not be imported.
If Mr. Deerhorn could avoid customs, it would mean that he not only had a sufficient supply, but also that his costs were half as low as everyone else's. This meant that if he could get his hands on it, he could easily monopolize the market.
Augustus was no fool.
He now understood why the antlers were needed in such a large batch...
This could be considered an investment in himself. After all, if he could make essential oils, he could also make other types of plant-based alchemical ingredients. He was currently building relationships with them. Once he reached the second energy level, he would be able to make some simple alchemical products, and even produce alchemical ingredients and intermediate products in larger quantities... That was exactly what he was aiming for!
Simply put, all he wants is money, but he wants his own person!
Augustus regretted it deeply: "Why did I suddenly have the whim to come and take a look..."
As expected, people should not be greedy...
He actually didn't need to come along this time. His reason for coming was simple: he wanted to see if such a wealthy man needed anything else - something he could probably make, without having to buy from others. He could provide everything in one place, and at a lower price.
If I can successfully get some business by then, I will not be short of orders for at least a few years.
But now, just thinking about it, Augustus felt scared.
"Lujiao" hired dozens of mercenaries.
If I find out that he is a smuggler and he tries to escape, I'm afraid he will be caught right away...
After all, he actually sold goods here and took dirty money. Then he would have his own handle.
...But it felt like the life-or-death crisis had simply shifted from the back to the front. Smuggling over two hundred gold coins was a death sentence in Xingtan. He could be beheaded at least three times.
"Minister Moriarty, please understand!"
The king said with a bitter face: "Whatever you need me to do, I will obey your orders. Whether it is to report the former minister or something else, but I can't go to jail - I still have to support my family! My daughter is still waiting for me at home..."
Although Augustus now knew that this unusually young minister and the princess were both acquaintances he had met at the promotion ceremony.
But at this moment he didn't dare to call the other party "fox" in a friendly way.
Augustus had a very clear understanding of his status as a prisoner.
- Don't be too rude, and don't think you can get anything out of it. Surviving this wave is already a good outcome.
If it were Xingti, he would probably have been dragged into a secret room and tortured.
I heard that Avalon attaches great importance to the law and evidence, so he might still be saved... probably.
What the hell!
——All the evidence he could produce was in his dreams!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
