Chapter 13: Journey Through the Middle Ages

Chapter 13: Journey Through the Middle Ages

Well, to put it simply, Louisa had no idea that Filippo would hold such a high opinion of her. If she had known, she would probably just chuckle—having lived in modern society, she was naturally well-suited to a powerhouse like the Pebatti Company! If we were to compare, the 'capital' of this era paled in comparison to that of modern society.

Even though the power of capital had already bared its fangs, at this time, capital was still undeniably tied to power. In modern society, in most parts of the world, capital is power itself!

The capitalists of this era probably wouldn't have imagined how their future descendants would surpass them, achieving things they could scarcely imagine: in capitalist countries, capital could determine politics, manipulate public opinion, influence national welfare, and chase every drop of profit from a lofty position, with even the most evil wealth being rationalized.

"Mr. Pebatti, no need to overthink it. We just have a deal to discuss," Louisa said with a smile to Filippo, a rare directness for the time.

Filippo was even more surprised. Such a direct approach was uncommon even among merchants. However, his pragmatic nature as a businessman didn't object to this, and he quickly responded, "A deal? Forgive me for saying so, madam... I really can't figure out if it's you or the Count who..."

"You can consider it the Count, but the actual work will be done by me," Louisa nodded slightly, pleased with his quick engagement.

Filippo quickly assessed the situation, becoming even more certain that Count Balzac was quite satisfied with his heir. The likelihood of the Countess swaying the choice to Eva as heir was now slim. In that case, the Pebatti Company should pay more attention to this female heir.

The larger the company, the less purely business-oriented its dealings were, of course, this tendency existed in later times as well. The bigger the business, the more political it became! For partners and agents like them, who were far from the headquarters, more important than commercial talent was maintaining good relations with the lords.

This "personal relationship" was mostly a concrete web of interests. Regardless of any prior relationship, if a branch partner could secure sufficient loans for the lord, they would be treated as honored guests. However, it's undeniable that when "interests" were similar, other factors also played a role. Such as the background, wisdom, and even charisma of the branch partners and agents.

Therefore, the clear choice of the Brudo heir and Count Balzac's active involvement of the female heir in the actual affairs of the territory were crucial signals for local partners of major companies like Filippo. This determined how they would interact with this female heir and how much they would invest in her.

It's worth noting that since Louisa had been in a convent, many assumed Count Balzac planned to send his eldest daughter to serve the Lord. As for the heir, if a legitimate son couldn't be born, naturally, the younger daughter Eva would take the role... Because of this, Filippo had also curried favor with the Countess and Miss Eva, giving many benefits.

This was nothing unusual for the time, as the Count treated all his children with equal detachment. Even though Eva grew up in the Brudo court and had more opportunities to bond with him, he didn't particularly favor this daughter.

Firstly, it was customary for lords to tour their territories, and Eva was in the Troyes castle, so she didn't see her father for most of the year. Secondly, the way noble families educated their children at the time didn't emphasize emotional bonds between parents and children; estrangement was common.

Since the Count had given up hope of a legitimate male heir, he had to decide which daughter would inherit—he didn't love Louisa more, he simply thought that with only two daughters, having one in a convent was too risky and a "waste."

The Middle Ages had high mortality rates, and no one could guarantee a girl would live to bear an heir. Moreover, one daughter for inheriting the land and another for marriage alliances, and even then, the Count felt it wasn't enough—illegitimate children would greatly diminish the value of marriage alliances.

"Of course, I'm happy to serve you," Filippo said respectfully, bowing his head. Even though he was facing a woman, and a child at that, he maintained the proper demeanor, a reflection of power. He wasn't facing a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, but the future ruler of this land.

"Yes, Mr. Pebatti, let me get straight to the point. I've heard that the Pebatti Company has been seeking more sugar suppliers, as you lag behind your competitors in this area," Louisa remained straightforward.

This was also why the Pebatti Company was the top candidate for cooperation. Firstly, they were a super company, with capital and channels in place. It was feasible for Brudo's future large-scale sugar production to be distributed through them, which formed the foundation of cooperation.

Secondly, the Pebatti Company was at the lower end of the first tier among super companies, making them easier to cooperate with than the "top-tier" companies, enabling Louisa to negotiate favorable terms. Then, the Pebatti Company's lack of strength in "sugar" was another reason Louisa favored them. Compared to adding flowers to brocade, it's better to offer help in times of need.

Of course, the Pebatti Company's reputation, their long-standing pleasant cooperation with Brudo, and the many interests tied between them were also important reasons, which would help the Pebatti Company keep Brudo's sugar production a secret for as long as possible... Louisa didn't think such a large operation could be kept hidden forever, but as the saying goes, keep it hidden for as long as possible.

At this time, sugar was mostly imported from the Far East via maritime trade routes, which were not controlled by local merchants, with middlemen handling the trade. In a sense, those super companies were also constrained by this, with those closely related to the middlemen having more supply channels. Conversely, it was a different story.

The Pebatti Company happened to be weak in this area, their strength actually lay in textiles, and local textiles at that. Importing large quantities of high-quality wool from Gordenland, processing it in the low countries of the north and surrounding areas, that was the wool textile trade. There was also the ubiquitous linen, the newly emerging local cotton (local cotton had long been unable to compete with the high-quality cotton from India, hence it was just emerging), and the high-end brocade from Roland...

These formed the wealth of the Pebatti Company, although like other super companies, they were involved in grain, spices, gems, alcohol, and other industries. But obviously, each super company had its own more advantageous fields, with some having no obvious weaknesses, while others did.

Of course, the Pebatti Company's weakness in "sugar" wasn't a problem, as their channels in the major spice category were intact (sugar was a subcategory of spices), which didn't hinder their cooperation with Brudo.

However, sugar, currently classified under the spice category, had much more potential compared to other spices.

The spice trade had a limited scope, and some spices were already reaching their peak. Sugar was different, with sales increasing year by year, and no end in sight—Louisa, viewing it from a future perspective, understood this more clearly. In the future Age of Exploration, so many overseas plantations were established, although some grew spices, the primary focus was on sugarcane plantations!

It was all for sugar, one could argue it was the sweet sugar that fueled bloody massacres and the slave trade!

Looking back at the world for a long time after the Age of Discovery, one could argue no crop was more globalized than sugar. After all, other commodities might need to cultivate a market, but sugar did not. The human love for sweetness is ingrained in our genes, in distant times, this taste meant survival for our ancestors!

Filippo truly didn't expect that when Louisa said she had a deal to discuss with them, it was literally about doing business! After all, the interaction between nobles and merchants typically involved nobles purchasing luxury goods, or granting merchants business privileges, and then taking their share of the profits... Actually doing business, even in the commerce-heavy Brudo, was rarely heard of.

Filippo certainly didn’t think that when Louisa mentioned sugar, it meant the Wasong Royal House was planning to purchase sugar and hand over this business to the Pebatti Company. The Wasong Royal House had its own sugar suppliers, and even if they were to change suppliers, it was unlikely that the Pebatti Company, which wasn’t strong in sugar trade, would be considered. Moreover, such a matter wouldn’t warrant such a serious discussion now.

"...Could it be that you have a source for sugar?" Filippo tentatively asked. No matter how much he thought, he couldn’t imagine Wasong producing sugar on its own. As Rolandese merchants, due to their proximity to the East and their extensive involvement in East-West trade, they knew much more about sugar than the average person.

They knew that sugar came from sugarcane, which could only be grown in places with sufficient heat, water, and fertility... Even in Roland, only the southernmost small areas could grow it, let alone Wasong, located in the northwest of Roland.

So, at most, Filippo thought that Wasong had a channel to obtain sugar... He had heard that the Wasong Royal House had unclear relations with the infidels to the east. Could it be that Wasong was the same?

"Well... you could say that," Louisa didn’t elaborate. He might eventually realize that Wasong was producing its own sugar, but for now, his assumption was beneficial to her side. So she vaguely asked, "If Wasong could stably supply sugar, would your company..."

"Of course, of course, this would be a great thing! The Pebatti Company would be honored to help with this," Filippo, the usually conservative and shrewd old man, showed an unprecedented 'enthusiasm,' warmly saying, "Regarding this matter, I can tell you right now! The Pebatti Company can take in as much sugar as Wasong can supply!"

"You can trust the Pebatti Company’s distribution channels and connections everywhere..."

Filippo could be so confident, not only because one must dare to speak in negotiations but also because the facts supported it—the sugar trade market was still an untapped market, with everyone selling as much as they could. Additionally, since it wasn’t produced locally, there was naturally little competition and no trade protectionism.