Chapter 570: Chapter 40: The Merchants of Frank

There was no point in causing trouble for these merchants. They weren’t the source of the rumors, and besides, he would soon need to ask them for help.

In fact, a large part of the rumors they were spreading was actually true.

Robson could take the main credit for killing Emperor Kemal in the war, but he absolutely could not monopolize it.

However, with Prince Noah dead, the government was more inclined to place the credit on Robson’s head. He was, after all, a Frank.

As for the source of these rumors?

The rumors were incredibly detailed, even naming the specific legions that participated in the siege against Beast Emperor Kemal.

Robson didn’t need to be a genius to figure out who was behind the rumors.

He just hadn’t expected that after he had used this very matter to confront Marquis George just yesterday, the Marquis’s countermove would arrive today.

Step one, release the rumors. Step two, build them up. Step three, start a formal discussion...

Clearly, Marquis George wanted to strip Robson of the political halo he’d gained from killing Emperor Kemal.

Watching Marquis William’s back as he entered, Valentino frowned.

"Our influence in the Royal Capital is still too weak.

If it weren’t for this banquet tonight, we probably wouldn’t have found out about this until Marquis George brought the matter before the Kingdom Council," Valentino said.

As a regional political power, Robson was certainly strong enough. But to become a powerful court official who could influence the entire kingdom, he was lacking in many areas.

The current situation was a direct result of them having no voice and no power base of their own in the Royal Capital.

This was not to be underestimated. Barishik was the heart of the Frank Kingdom—its political, economic, and cultural center, with a permanent population of nearly seven hundred thousand.

What happened here affected the entire Frank Kingdom.

If Robson’s reputation for falsifying his military achievements spread here, it wouldn’t be long before the entire kingdom knew. This would influence the lower nobility, and the consequences would ripple outward, causing endless harm.

Hearing Valentino’s words, Robson could only sigh.

"One step at a time."

"Actually, I already have some ideas. I just need a little help," Robson said.

’The best way to increase my influence is, naturally, to gain control of public opinion.’

’I’m from an age of information overload. How could I possibly lose a public opinion war to these medieval natives?’

He had already arranged for Mage Falan to be brought to the Royal Capital before he even arrived, precisely because he had foreseen this moment.

Since Robson said he had a plan, Valentino didn’t press the issue.

"Alright, let’s head inside," Robson said with a smile.

’Things have to be done one step at a time.’

’I may have a lot of tricks up my sleeve, but I still need people to execute them.’

’Thinking about it, I have very few talented people under me. Far from enough to run a political faction.’

’Problems everywhere...’

...

When Marquis William made his entrance, the last of the crowd’s chatter died down.

This alone offered a glimpse into the Guterres Family’s influence in the kingdom’s world of commerce.

Valentino, taking Robson’s arm, also walked into the hall. The merchants curiously sized them up.

At that moment, the single, overwhelming impression was: young!

Too young. Ridiculously young.

Although Robson had not yet formally established a faction, in the eyes of most Franks, his image should at least be that of a somewhat weathered, tough-as-nails middle-aged man.

Count Valentino, for her part, was expected to be a gentle and graceful lady.

But the two people before them were clearly just a pair of young adults. Some merchants even wondered if they were older than their own sons.

Robson saw their reactions and knew exactly what they were thinking.

In politics, ’young’ was not a compliment. People generally lacked trust in the young.

In most cases, the young were indeed not as seasoned as their fathers’ generation.

However, Robson wasn’t too concerned about it.

He had plenty of ways to make this group of merchants believe in him. In the entire Frank Kingdom, no one understood merchants better than he, Lord Robson!

One could even say that war was merely Robson’s side job; he had only been fighting for two years. In his past life, however, he had dealt with merchants for nearly a decade.

"Everyone, tonight, my Guterres Family is hosting, and we have invited only our friends.

The main purpose of this banquet is to introduce to you the two people behind me.

General Robson and Count Valentino. I trust you are all familiar with them," Marquis William said.

Marquis William looked toward Robson.

Robson nodded, took a step forward, and performed a standard noble’s bow.

"It is my honor to meet you all today."

"We’ve gathered you all here tonight mainly to make friends," Robson said with a smile.

Robson did not immediately announce his intention to form the Northern Inland Commerce Association.

The significance of the association was immense. It wasn’t just a matter of others evaluating Robson; he also needed to evaluate whether they were qualified.

His main purpose for coming today was truly just to get a feel for everyone and make a first impression.

Afterward, with introductions from Marquis William, Robson met several of the kingdom’s major private merchants.

Primarily, there were only two of note.

Mason and Feodor.

Mason was the president of the largest private commerce association in the Frank Kingdom, while Feodor ran the largest private import-export trade association.

There were more than a dozen people in attendance that night, and Marquis William introduced them one by one. Two of them were even on Grantham’s list.

However, Robson wasn’t prepared to deal with them just yet.

The Marshal’s list would only be a killer weapon if he brought it out when he had sufficient power.

"My apologies, something has come up at home. Please, continue chatting."

A family servant had approached and whispered something in the Marquis’s ear. After a moment of silence, he looked at Robson apologetically.

Robson guessed it had something to do with his wife, but that was none of his business.

"Don’t worry, Uncle. This is a perfect opportunity for me to get to know these friends better," Robson said with a smile.

Robson was, in fact, looking forward to speaking with these merchants at length.

Marquis William left first.

Without the middleman, the atmosphere suddenly grew a little cold. It wasn’t that these major merchants lacked social skills.

The political and commercial spheres of the kingdom were rather distinct. Politicians often treated merchants with a certain arrogance, and everyone was used to it.

The merchants didn’t yet know Robson’s personal attitude toward them, and they were afraid of saying the wrong thing and getting on his bad side.

Although Robson was very young, Marquis William’s attitude toward him had just shown everyone that this young man’s status was by no means low.

"It seems Uncle had to leave on some urgent business.

Speaking of which, this banquet was held for me, so you could say that I, Robson, am a co-host.

Leaving a banquet halfway through is certainly a bit disrespectful..." Robson said with a smile.

Disrespectful?

Marquis William?

They wouldn’t dare respond to a line like that.

Marquis William controlled nearly twenty percent of the kingdom’s commerce. Almost all business in the southern sphere was connected to the Guterres Commerce Association.

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