Volume 4 Chapter 41Â Do you regret it?
âDonât look at me like that, I know what you are thinking.â
When Seveni looked at the smiling Xu Yi, she couldnât help rolling her eyes at him.
âRelax, I came this time not to ask you why you stopped cooperating with the magic machine industry management department. Rather this isnât your first time doing something no one can understand, Iâm already used to it.â
âOh? Is that so?â Xu Yi was a bit surprised, âSince you arenât here for this matter, dear highness, what did you come all the way to the Stantine Duchy to see me for?â
âOther than official business, I canât come and see you?â Seveni snappily said.
âPrivate business?â Xu Yi was more confused, âWhat private business do you have with me?â
âBecause itâs a matter of my territory, it can be considered my private business.â Seveni replied, âDidnât we reach an agreement last time that you would help me build a small production base in my territory? I didnât have time before when I was the Banta Cityâs City Lord, so now that Iâve resigned from being the City Lord for half a year, there shouldnât be a problem. So arenât I here to ask you when youâre planning on officially starting?â
âOh? This, itâs simple.â Xu Yi nodded and said with a relaxed look, âOur company is very skilled in building production bases. Your territory isnât big and there arenât many citizens, so there arenât any strict demands. It should be easy to build one. But Seveni, have you thought of the most important choice of the production base?â
âUn, Iâve already considered it very clearly. My territory doesnât have rich resources, so it isnât good to process materials. Moreover, I donât have many people, so I canât work in components that require a lot of manpower. So after thinking about it, Iâve decided that this is the best. Take a lookâŠ..â
Seveni took out a document and Xu Yi was surprised when he looked it over.
âI say, your highnessâŠ..you are planning to steal business from me?â
This document had Seveniâs plan to create a large fruit production base on her private territory, then she would build a large canned fruit factory and a large fruit juice factory.
Only the Frestech Chamber of Commerce was involved in these two businesses because the other companies werenât interested since they thought the profit margins werenât high.
Now that Seveni wanted to join these two industries, naturally it was equal to stealing business from the Frestech Chamber of Commerce.
âHow can this be considered stealing?â Seveni revealed a rather sly smile, âDonât forget, youâve said many times to me that we shouldnât let people snatch pieces of the same cake, rather we should make his cake bigger so everyone could eat their fill? Iâm joining now not to steal this cake from you.â
Xu Yi shook his head with a bitter smile, âAlright, then how about you tell me how I can make this cake bigger? Right now the Lampuri Kingdom has a limited average living standard, thereâs no increase in demand for canned fruits or fruit juice and the market of a rich city like Banta City is saturated. We went all out in expanding the market, but we have no ways.â
âThe Lampuri Kingdom is saturated, then we should look outside the Lampuri Kingdom. Donât you normally do this?â Seveni asked back, âDonât look at me like this, I know that your Frestech Chamber of Commerce doesnât have the right to sell goods to other countries, but I am different. I am the princess, I still have this bit of privilege.â
Xu Yi couldnât help muttering, âDamn privilege.â
Seeing Xu Yiâs unconvinced expression, Seveni couldnât help laughing before giving a sigh.
âWho told you to give up your title as a noble? Moreover, you broke the contract on your own and stopped cooperating with the magic machine industry management department. Your Frestech Chamber of Commerce enjoyed many benefits, but your decision has angered many people in the Lampuri Kingdom. Even I canât talk to them for you.â
âI know that you would be unable to let this go.â Xu Yi shook his head and gave a sigh, âAlright, since you canât help mentioning it, then Iâll explain. When I chose to cooperate with the department, it was because the situation forced me and because I already decided to transfer the technology to develop the magic machine industry in the kingdom. This was something that I think that you should already know about.â
âUn, I know your desire.â Seveni said with a look of regret, âBut itâs a pity that big brother Eric and many people in the kingdom canât understand your ideas. Even if they didnât force you, you would have released this technology sooner or later. Now that they have snatched this from you, Iâm very dissatisfied and Iâve complained to big brother Eric many times.â
âMany thanks for your care and help.â Xu Yi nodded with a faint smile, âBut these two arenât the main reasons. The main reason I decided to cooperate with them was because our Frestech Chamber of Commerce wasnât prepared before.â
âNot prepared?â Seveni knit her brows and looked at Xu Yi in surprise, âThis meansâŠ..that youâre prepared now? So you decided to break this cooperation? Xu Yi, do you know the seriousness of this? Do you know that because of your decision, many nobles behind those ten companies suffered large losses. The powerful people in the kingdom have decided to use forceful methods against your Frestech Chamber of Commerce.â
âForceful methods?â Xu Yi gave a laugh, âYou thinkâŠ..their methods before were gentle? Although it was considered cooperation, how was it any different from stealing?â
Seveni was silent for a while before saying with a sigh, âNo matter what, Xu Yi, youâre too impulsive this time. I donât know what youâve prepared, but youâve offended the most powerful people in the kingdom this time. Your companyâs days in the kingdom will be very hard, it might even be possibleâŠ..that you canât stay open anymore.â
âIs that so?â Xu yi didnât look worried at all. He spread his hands and gave a shrug as he said in a strangely relaxed voice, âItâs fine if we canât stay open. If they feel that this is for the best for them and the Lampuri Kingdom, I donât care.â
Seveni deeply knit her brows, âXu Yi, what are you thinking? Wasnât the Frestech Chamber of Commerce single handedly created by you, the treasure in your palm? Could it be that youâre giving it up?â
âNo, no, no, Seveni, I think youâve made a mistake.â Xu Yi shook his finger, âIâm not giving up on the Frestech Chamber of Commerce, rather the Frestech Chamber of Commerce in the Lampuri Kingdom. Do you understand the difference?â
Seveniâs expression became a bit ugly.
âAre you really planning on giving up on the Lampuri Kingdom? No! You canât do this! Xu Yi, donât forget, Banta Cityâs prosperity was brought by your Frestech Chamber of Commerce. You giving up on the industry youâve set up in the Lampuri Kingdom is giving up on the people of Banta City!â
âYouâre exaggerating too much. The Frestech Chamber of Commerce is just a normal company and Iâm just a normal merchant, I canât take that heavy responsibility. Moreover, as for giving upâŠâŠâ Xu Yi gave a cold laugh, âYour highness, compared to how you gave up, this canât be considered anything, right?â
Seveni trembled and her agitated look calmed down, as her expression became more pale.
After a while, Seveni gave a long sigh.
âXu Yi, youâve finally said your true feelings. Youâre not happy that I gave up the throne in the end, right? You hate me in your heart, right?â
Xu Yi slowly shook his head, âThat isnât accurate. I am unhappy since I have imagined many times that after you took the throne, with how you supported the magic machine industry, my dream would have become a reality. However, you gave up the throne just like that, how could I be unhappy? As for hatredâŠ..it isnât that far.â
âReally?â
âReally.â Xu Yi gave a serious nod, âIâve said it, no matter what the decision is, it is your decision, I donât have the right to interfere. If youâre talking about hate, there are many people in the kingdom more qualified. But at this time, I have something that I canât help asking. Seveni, when you made this decision, did you really not regret it?â
Seveni had a pained look on her face. After struggling for a bit, she shook her head and said with a sigh, âI donât knowâŠ..â
âYou really donât know? Xu Yi asked back, âYour highness, Iâm afraid youâre just not willing to face the truth, right? How Banta City has changed compared to when you were the City Lord, I donât think you donât know. Think about it, if our Frestech Chamber of Commerce continued staying in Banta City, what would it look like now?â
The pain on Seveniâs face deepened and she struggled to refute, âI thinkâŠ..no matter what, it is better than having civil strifeâŠâŠâ
Xu Yi gave a sigh and shook his head, not willing to continue discussing this.
The position he had was different from Seveni. To him, if the Lampuri Kingdom wanted to become stronger, it had to change. The most possible change was Seveni taking the throne, supporting the development of the magic machine industry to change the kingdom.
But to Seveni, she didnât want to cause civil strife and put the stability of the kingdom first.
It canât be said that this idea was wrong since now that Eric had taken the throne, the kingdom had fallen into the control of the stubborn nobles that had supported him to the throne.
The so-called support of the magic machine industry was to gather wealth for them through those ten companies.
It was impossible for Seveni not to see this, but she didnât have the decisiveness that Xu Yi hoped for.
Of course, if she really had this character, she wouldnât have given up on the throne in the first place.
Comparing Seveni to Anklo he met just a few days ago, Xu Yi couldnât help sighing.
If he could combine the personality of the two together, that really would be perfect.
Of course that was impossible. Xu Yi could only dream about this, but he gave up on this fantasy. He looked at the sky outside before standing up.
âAlright, letâs not talk about these meaningless things. Seveni, itâs about time, letâs head out together. For this joint operation, you are the commander in name.â
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