Chapter 244: Money...
As the number of mirrors left decreased, the auction atmosphere only grew more intense.
Voices calling out bids echoed one after another. All 500 mirrors were auctioned off one by one. Each successful bidder received a small wooden token, which they could later use to pay at the Chamber of Commerce and collect their mirror.
"Sixteen thousand caps!"
"Sixteen thousand five hundred!"
"..."
The auction continued from morning into the afternoon. When it came down to the final mirror, the bidding became even fiercer.
"Seventeen thousand caps!"
"Eighteen thousand!"
"Twenty thousand caps!"
With that last call, the auction hammer came down, and the crowd fell silent; every last mirror had been sold.
Percival was grinning so wide his eyes practically disappeared. The sale of 500 mirrors brought in at least six to seven million caps of silver for the Chamber of Commerce. He knew the production cost of the mirrors inside and out, and of all products in Brambleford, these mirrors had the highest profit margin by far.
As the event wrapped up, the crowd began to disperse. Some left satisfied, others disappointed.
Those who successfully won a mirror stayed behind to exchange their tokens for their purchases.
Because each mirror cost only tens of thousands of caps, most merchants paid in silver notes, bullion, or gold directly. Few offered goods in trade, as this wasn’t a bulk transaction.
With the bidding done, the Chamber of Commerce staff got to work, counting silver, carrying it in, and handing out mirrors to the buyers.
The whole process went on until nightfall before it was finally completed.
Only then did Simon and Baldwin appear. They looked at the piles of gold, silver, and notes with satisfied smiles.
The treasury was flush again.
"My Lord, the final tally is ready. Here’s the record book." Percival said, handing Simon a thick ledger.
Simon flipped through it. Each auction result was recorded, 500 entries in total. At the end, a total sum: 7.2 million caps
"Seven point two million..." Baldwin’s beard quivered in excitement. That amount would be enough to fund several large-scale projects.
Simon nodded with satisfaction and said. "Send it all to the treasury for centralised allocation."
"Yes, My Lord." Gius acknowledged the order and called soldiers to escort the funds to the Brambleford Government Treasury.
All taxes collected in Brambleford went to this treasury. The Chamber’s profits, after keeping a portion for operations, were also sent here. The government then distributed funds across the six cities as needed.
With the auction complete, Simon finally felt relaxed. Seven million caps, enough to build 20 or 30 galleons.
But, of course, he couldn’t pour all that money into the military. A large portion had to go toward improving public welfare across the six cities, using money to generate more money.
The larger his territory grew, the more expenses piled up.
Take the Oxford Academy, for instance; every student there received free food and housing. That was how he ensured even poor students could study without worries.
After all, the academy was the future talent hub that would fuel Brambleford’s growth.
Leaving the Chamber of Commerce, Simon didn’t return through the main gates of the castle. He took the side entrance instead.
He knew full well there’d be a line of people at the front gate, hoping to speak to him about the mirror business.
But he had already made up his mind; unlike soap and perfume, he would not sell distribution rights for the mirrors. Back then, he earned some fast money doing so, but for a monopoly product like this, it had been a loss in the long run.
The mirror craze in Brambleford lasted more than ten days before it began to calm down.
That’s when the Chamber of Commerce began officially selling mirrors.
The merchants who had stayed behind rushed to the Chamber, but many were turned away.
"Chamber members only get priority," Percival explained.
The membership system had been in place for some time, and the number of members had now exceeded a thousand. Members enjoyed faster service and better prices when purchasing goods.
Some were even considering relocating permanently to Brambleford. After all, having direct access to Chamber news was worth it, like now, when members had already seen the mirrors before the public showcase.
The many perks were convincing more and more merchants to accept their new status as members.
As Percival spoke, many of those members stood tall with pride, feeling a cut above the rest.
Meanwhile, those who weren’t members began seriously thinking about joining.
Percival saw it all and smirked inwardly. This was exactly as Simon had planned. The commercial heart of the Eldorian Empire was slowly shifting toward Brambleford.
Back at the castle, Simon wasn’t even thinking about the 7 million caps anymore.
In his eyes, these mirrors and similar products were low-end goods. The only one with real technical value was the mirror, and even that wasn’t enough.
Brambleford’s industrial development was still in its early stages. Soon, products with much higher technical content would start rolling out, thanks to the talents trained at the Oxford Academy.
Now, Simon was setting his sights on several major projects. First up: the new reinforced concrete city wall in Dunmere.
During this time, Aiden had been gathering materials in Dunmere. The steel workshop had been working full steam, producing rebar. All that was left was to begin construction.
Richard’s report about the reavers developing cannons had deeply unsettled Simon.
Before the Snake Pass fell, Dunmere had just been a small town. Once the reavers attacked, Benjamin and his men rushed to build a makeshift wall. But that wall wasn’t very sturdy.
Even after Aiden reinforced it, the improvements were mostly for cannon positioning, not real defence.
If the reavers really came with artillery, that wall would be in danger, especially the city gates.
Now that funds were available, Simon was sending over 10,000 labourers, plus hiring locals from Dunmere to help build the new wall.
Time was of the essence. If the reavers managed to capture a skilled craftsman who knew how to make cannons, it would only be a matter of time before they produced their own.
Because of this urgency, Simon decided to personally head to Dunmere to oversee the wall’s construction. Aiden just wasn’t up to his standards when it came to infrastructure.
Outside the palace, Ysabeau had already prepared the carriage.
At the gate, Simon instructed. "Don’t slack off at the textile workshop. I want to see finished sails when I return."
Ysabeau nodded and replied. "Please be careful, My Lord."
She glanced toward Benjamin, Lancelot, Liam, and the two thousand cavalrymen behind them. After capturing so many warhorses from the reavers, Brambleford’s cavalry had expanded significantly.
But Ysabeau wasn’t thinking about the military escort. She had a feeling this trip to Dunmere wasn’t just about building walls...