Road to the Crown

15th April 1574

"The price for the ability to produce it… Just like you, sir, decided, to be frank, I will be honest as well. I never really thought about it, and considering how this drink didn't hit the market in the truest sense, I can't really gauge the worth of such exchange."

Rather than jumping at the occasion and asking for either something that I would really need in the near future or just something impossible to push this idea to the litter, I seriously started calculating the stuff in my head, thinking what would be the best response.

"Don't worry about it, just take your time in it, although I would love to maybe hear what sort of thing you would even consider when calculating the price."

Seeing that I wasn't completely opposed to the matter, Michal instantly latched on to me, giving me just enough space to not feel pressured while making sure I wouldn't escape from his grasp right away.

But it was only to be expected. With how the lives of most of the people was ultimately… boring, being able to secure a stable source for such a great beer was way more valuable than what people would pay for craft beers far in the future!

"Okay then, let's start thinking about the future and how I want to expand my wealth then. Considering how I will inevitably reach for the borderlands with my investments, I would much rather have someone like you, sir, back them up rather than trying to curb them out of the existence."

Looking at the figure of the major lord in front of my eyes, I could already see the carnages of the local people that would be forced into serfdom by the current generation of nobles. With their prideful attitude and for how long they were used to be almost completely autonomous, many rebellions would rise up only to fall under the shoes of the commonwealth military… All the way to the Chmielnicki uprising, that was one of the reasons why this entire country fell apart!

While looking after my own business was important, if I could make sure that the reasons for all those uprisings, with one of the major ones coming in barely twenty years from now, were eliminated, I would truly hit two birds with one stone!

"First thing first, I need to ask one question. Did you realise, sir, how popular western jewellery, clothes and all sorts of expensive yet useless in the long run items are in our country?"

To be honest, I wasn't quite sure if the first idea that came to my mind could be successful, but with how insanely big the market of the commonwealth was for me, if I played it smart, I could make sure that the entire thing that I portrayed in my head would not only not cost me a single dime, yet it would bring immense wealth to both me and my potential partner in crime, but also lead to the increased wealth amongst the common folks of the southern borderlands, which would directly translate in their willingness to fight for the luxury they obtained!

"Yeah, but what else can we do? No matter how many times I or my ancestors attempted to introduce local production as luxury product, people simply would consider it as second rate wares, even if the quality was better than those imported goods!"

Rather than it being a matter of the local being unable to compete with the west in terms of skill or artistic soul, with the insane power of nobility in the country, merchants and craftsmen in cities simply had no way to expand as much as they did in the west, severely limiting both their production capability and due to that - their ability to invest their income back in their work or simply promoting their products!

But while this trend was impossible to change in a short span of a single life, who said local market was the only place where we could sell?

"Sir, what I'm going to propose now, is nothing but a strange idea that happened to appear in my head a while back, when I first saw how popular my normal beer became amongst the people. While the road to success is uncertain, I don't think it will bear any real risk for us.��

Taking a sip of the beer, I peeked stealthily at the lord in front of me, gauging whether delaying the revelation achieved the effect of raising his tension. Seeing how his eyes were now fully focused on my face, I smiled internally, helped Elia to get even with me in terms of drinking before placing the cup down on the table and focusing all my attention at the next few phrases.

"While lands of the war west or even south are more inclined to the wine than any form of beer, many of the german princedoms are still within the striking range of my beer. As soon as the production will increase to the point when I can seel my normal drink cheaply there, I will be able to create an avenue to liquify other products as well…"

Instead of finishing up the sentence with what I perfectly had in mind, I simply stopped moving my mouth and looked at the lord in front of me, waiting for him to catch up and say the rest himself.

"That means you will be able to sell the local wares there as well while riding the popularity of your beer. While I think that's a clever idea, what do the eastern lands or my protection have to do with this? It's not like we would introduce something new to the market that could compete with their local production, especially if we were to add all the costs of transporting it from the steppes to the holy roman empire!"

Seeing how my future business partner took the bait, I only smiled a gave him a bit more time, in hopes that he would reach the conclusion himself. Regretfully, maybe he simply never considered the locals as his own people, making it hard for him to even think about them in terms of potential cooperation.

"Sir, the cossacks are slowly starting to pose a problem for everyone at the borderlands, do they not?"