Chapter 2007 – The Merchant Guild’s Method for Resolving Disputes
Older Brother Jayad’s gaze sharpened, his expression instantly turning somber, but it vanished just as quickly, making me wonder if I had imagined it.
Upon hearing that the slave owner before them had set his sights on his daughter, Margaret’s face immediately darkened. She instinctively moved to protect her daughter, while Weis was already lunging forward.
Jayad placed a hand on Weis, who was about to lash out, and asked with a smile, “Heh, Mr. Gaspar, what do you mean by that?”
However, that smile sent a faint shiver of fear down my spine; it seemed my brother was somewhat angered.
“Nothing special. Exchanging female slaves is a common transaction. Brother, you’re in the gemstone business, and a Crystal Person would be your best helper. And this werewolf, its bloodline is truly excellent. I’ve taken a liking to it. How about we trade?” Gaspar praised.
His words were quite smooth, as if he were offering a great gift and Jayad should thank him. Crystal People are indeed rare otherworldly beings, and their ability to search for gemstone veins is exceptional.
Then he proposed to trade one Crystal Person for the werewolf. It sounded like Jayad was getting the better end of the deal, as the value of a Crystal Person far exceeds that of a werewolf, making it seem like a profitable transaction.
However, Weis carried the divinity of Fenrir. If one were to truly consider it, her personal value was higher than that of a Crystal Person. She could mass-produce powerful werewolves with Fenrir’s bloodline, while a Crystal Person’s mineral-finding ability could earn more money than Fenrir’s chosen.
Although Crystal People are rare, a few can still be found. Werewolves with Fenrir’s divinity are possibly fewer than three in the world, a rare encounter. The values of the two are not easily comparable.
It can only be said that Gaspar, the slave merchant, had sharp eyes, instantly recognizing Weis’s unusual nature. Whether this trade was fair or not is debatable and depends on each person’s needs.
“Who wants to trade with you, you ghoul! Roar!” Weis was so enraged that her ears and tail bristled. Just as she was about to lunge, Jayad grabbed her head.
“Don’t be impulsive,” Jayad said coldly. He then rubbed the back of Weis’s neck and chin, and she immediately calmed down. Although her eyes still flickered with anger, her body softened.
“Mr. Gaspar, as you can see, my wolf hasn’t been properly trained yet and is quite fierce. I’m afraid she might bite you, so we can’t exchange her. Please forgive me,” Jayad said with great decorum, providing a suitable reason.
“Haha, Mr. Everson is truly considerate. Please rest assured, I want to buy her to transform other slaves. Whether she’s obedient or not doesn’t matter, so please, Mr. Everson, let her go.” Gaspar said.
He refused to back down, and the atmosphere became tense. Jayad then said, “I’m sorry, I’m quite fond of this wolf, and I’m afraid I can’t let you have her.”
Seeing the atmosphere, everyone stopped smoking. Even the dancers paused their singing and dancing, watching to see how the two would resolve this dispute. Only Fuldamantha looked embarrassed; his first guest had directly clashed with the original attendees.
A hint of gloom appeared on Gaspar’s face, his eyes turning fierce for an instant, but it was fleeting. He smiled and threatened, “If we can’t reach a transaction, then perhaps we are not suited to do business together.”
The implication was that Jayad would be kicked out and wouldn’t be allowed to board their merchant ship. Jayad’s expression remained unchanged. “That would be truly regrettable. I very much wanted to cooperate with you all, but it seems difficult to reach a consensus with this Mr. Gaspar. Then we won’t bother you any further. We can cooperate again in the future.”
Ultimately, for Jayad, all he needed was a ship to take him to Sardinia. He didn’t necessarily need to be on the same ship as these merchants; any cargo ship would do.
In fact, if he hadn’t considered the need for a legitimate identity on the Apennine Peninsula for his actions, he wouldn’t even need a ship. Jayad could have flown east across the sea on a Hippogriff, and from there, opened the Gate of Heaven to bring us over.
Ordinary merchants might value such an opportunity to build a good relationship with a major merchant. However, Jayad couldn’t care less. After all, he wasn’t a merchant to begin with; this was merely a disguised identity.
“Wait a moment, Mr. Everson, please wait,” the only female rich merchant called out. She wore a very alluring formal gown and held a fan in her hand.
“Hm? Ms. Dorilla, is there something else?” Jayad turned around, still asking with impeccable demeanor. Dorilla was the name the female rich merchant had given, which was actually her surname.
“We merchants thrive on harmony. Why must we fall out over a few slaves? If you two don’t mind, shall we act as mediators?” the female merchant said with a smile.
“How will you mediate?” Gaspar asked first. He wasn’t showing Jayad respect but genuinely wanted to obtain the werewolf with divinity.
“It’s very simple. The Merchant Guild has regulations. When two merchants have a dispute over interests, they can wager what they desire and engage in a duel. The winner takes all, and the grievances are settled,” the female merchant said.
The Merchant Guild introduced this rule to prevent limitless, malicious competition among merchants, which could lead to market disruption, hired murders, arson of warehouses, and even endless mutual retaliation. A wealthy person has many ways to seek revenge.
Therefore, when facing commercial disputes, the Guild proposed this system: a duel, winner takes all, and grievances are settled afterward. If anyone defaults or retaliates, they will be blacklisted by the Guild and boycotted by all merchants.
Of course, there would undoubtedly be complaints. Whether there were minor deliberate retaliations or obstacles afterward, no one could say for sure. But at least with this rule in place, it has, to some extent, maintained basic market order and curbed destructive internal conflicts.
“That sounds good,” Gaspar repeatedly nodded. But Jayad shook his head and said, “However, I don’t really desire anything.”
“Even if you lose the duel, we will accept you as our new partner and allow you to ride our ship for free. You are of course welcome to refuse. If Gaspar tries anything, we won’t be able to help you,” Calo said.
This was already showing favoritism. They were naturally siding with their old business partner but did not want to lose a promising newcomer like Jayad, hence their suggestion.
Jayad was naturally not afraid of Gaspar attempting anything. Even if this guy held a high position in the Merchant Guild, he wasn’t truly here for business.
However, Jayad and our identities were quite sensitive, and he didn’t want to stir up too much trouble. After a moment of hesitation, Jayad asked, “Then tell me, how do you want to bet?”
