SSS SKILL: DUPLICATE

Chapter 22: Chamber of Commerce

Edgar can now easily support the expensive research on RuneSmith. His cooking oil is a hot commodity. It is immediately sold and always runs out of stock in the stores of many business owners. Almost every household in the city has an iron pot and cooking oil.

Ordinary people did not expect that they could taste delicious food without spending too much. They can catch fish, add salt, and fry it. Before, they could only boil fish with salt, but it does not taste good and the smell is fishy. Vegetables taste better when they are fried. For the sake of their children, parents gritted their teeth to buy chicken, added salt, and then fried it. It is worth it as parents see their children enjoying fried chicken.

Edgar taught them how to make a stone mill and let them spread it for faster production of flour. Strong swordsmen can easily cut big stones. Now there are flour mill businesses. Edgar is not a good cook on Earth. He only knows a few common foods to cook, so he set up a research team on food to increase the variety of food based on cooking oil and other ingredients that he will invent later.

Edgar taught and spread how to fry foods with flour, like fried dough sticks, spring rolls, and fritters. Soon, the city in many places became lively, and many stalls are set up selling snacks. Many people have extra income to buy snacks because Edgar stimulated the economy of the kingdom. Edgar hired workers to repair roads, dig canals, and drain in cities. He did not use magicians, so he could give ordinary people extra income.

There is a rapid rise in the workforce of pottery shops, smith shops, and wood shops because of the demand for Edgar's business. Gangs tried to blackmail stall owners, but Edgar quickly struck them! He arrested them all for free labor. They will be released after serving their sentence.

The demand for oil is getting higher, and Edgar keeps expanding the production workshop. Edgar has already sent people to buy more soybeans in neighboring kingdoms.

Nobles and business owners wanted to take part in the business and approached the manager of Sasha Company. The name of the manager is Medres. He was bankrupt when his ship got robbed by pirates while he was sailing toward the eastern continent. He is a good businessman. He gives food to beggars and adopts street children to teach them and work in his business. Edgar helped him find work for his people and arrange a place for adopted children. Edgar has already prepared an orphanage in some parts of the kingdom to give warmth to helpless street children or orphans.

Edgar set up an office a while ago where documents that he needed to process are kept. Elena is with him, working on papers. His workload is getting higher, and he thinks that he needs to improve the efficiency of several functions of the royal court or else he won't have time to train. Edgar met Medres in his office.

"Your highness, more nobles and business owners are requesting cooperation. They even keep threatening me. I cannot agree to their request because there is already a distributor in the place they want to sell. They have powerful connections. If we don't agree to their request, your highness' business might experience obstacles in their territories," said Medres with concern.

"Gather all current distributors and interested parties. Divide the kingdom and auction the site where they can be the sole distributor. The higher profit potential of the site, the higher the price. We will set up a Chamber of Commerce. A payment is needed to become a member. Tell them that members can buy cooking oil with a discount price. Members will also have a priority to buy new products made by the company. Think of more benefits that we can give so we can grade members. Let nobles satisfy their vanity so we can get more money from them." Edgar put importance on the chamber of commerce. It will tie the interests of nobles to Edgar.

"Your highness, your plan is so wonderful!" Medres admired the clever plan of Edgar. On earth, there is a term for a business wizard. Edgar seems like a business wizard to Medres.

Elena is getting used to surprises in Edgar's words and actions. Edgar will blurt out new terms sometimes. She doesn't need to know where he learned it. What is important is that the prince is now very wise and diligent. She just listens, learns, takes notes, and then continues the work given by the prince. She took a sneak peek at the prince, and her cheeks flushed. She pulled her eyes away quickly and continue writing. She doesn't know why her heart has quickened every time she looks at him in the past few days.

Edgar continue giving instructions to Medres.

"You must find out what kind of business those nobles and merchants have. Investigate their business ethics. Find out who can be trusted and can be our long-term partner. Maintain a good working relationship. Organize a few meetings and give them a chance to meet each other. Let them realize the benefit of powerful network connections in the Chamber of Commerce. The more they realize its benefit, the more they don't want to leave and obediently follow the rules of the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce will be a powerful hand of the Royal Court to control the economy. It must have enough influence to intervene when prices of commodities are going rampant. Although it cannot directly intervene, its powerful connection must at least bring the people together to talk and compromise. If the reason is reasonable and follows the law, the Royal Court will compromise. If not, we will determine if their force is powerful or the Royal Court's sword is more powerful," said Edgar with sharp eyes. Medres sweats as he looks at Edgar. It is the first time he has seen the sharpness of the Regent King.

In the evening, Edgar feels so exhausted. He still insisted on his sword training after a tiring day of work in his office. Tomorrow, he plans to go to the Potion Research Lab. The potion business of the kingdom would have been bankrupt if the army had not bought from them. He will give them ideas that will help pull the kingdom's potion business out of probable bankruptcy.