Chapter 289: Chapter 288: Bargaining

The Chishan Iron Mine wasn’t a large operation. In the past, the total amount of iron ore extracted annually was about 3.6 million jin.

That number might seem enormous at first glance, but when converted, it’s only 1,800 tons.

At the highest possible yield, that much iron ore could only produce 720 tons of processed iron.

Ronin considered such an output too low even for his own use, so he certainly wouldn’t be sharing it with others easily.

Besides, it wasn’t that he had a personal problem with Wiggin.

If the man had actually helped him acquire Chishan Town, Ronin would have been willing to share the profits.

But as Ronin had stated, Wiggin had offered no help whatsoever in the matter.

Under these circumstances, forcing Ronin to give up thirty percent—amounting to an annual gift of Six Thousand Gold Coins—was out of the question.

Wiggin couldn’t help but demand, “You say I didn’t provide any help, but you seem to have forgotten that I was the one who supplied the Wubei Territory’s Knight Squad.”

“Of course I remember. I also remember that you promised me that if I was willing to go to the Chishan Town front lines in your place, you would provide the Wubei Territory with twenty thousand people, free of charge.”

Wiggin let out a humorless laugh, seemingly amused by his own anger. “You won’t give me a share of the Chishan Iron Mine, yet you still expect me to give you people? Ronin, do you think I’m easy to push around? Or do you take me for a fool?”

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Dianey looked as if she wanted to say something.

But after her gaze shifted between them, she held her tongue.

’Forget it. They probably wouldn’t listen to anything I say anyway. Better not to get involved.’

’If things get too ugly between this father and son, the Marquis will still be there to clean up the mess.’

“You’re joking, Father. I’ve never thought anything of the sort.”

Ronin’s tone softened. “I said I wouldn’t give you a share, but I never said I wouldn’t give you Gold Coins.”

In his previous partnership with Coren and the others, Wiggin had held a ten-percent share, which converted to about Two Thousand Gold Coins annually.

But if Wiggin had his own sales channels, he could sell the 360,000 jin of iron ore that constituted his ten-percent share himself. That was his right and his freedom.

That was exactly what Wiggin had done when Ronin had previously tried to buy iron ore from him.

Now that the Chishan Iron Mine belonged to Ronin, it would be troublesome if Wiggin could continue to sell his portion independently as before.

Imagine if Ronin was in urgent need of iron ore, and Wiggin suddenly announced that he had closed a deal and needed a hundred thousand jin of ore immediately. What would Ronin do then?

Therefore, it was better to settle things with money from the very beginning.

As for why Ronin was willing to pay, it was naturally because he didn’t want his relationship with Wiggin to sour completely.

No matter how disliked he was, the man was still the heir to the title of Marquis. Moreover, he currently had the authority to meddle in the affairs of Wushan Territory, large and small. Ronin would likely have to deal with him for many matters in the future.

Besides, if word got out that Ronin and Wiggin were on bad terms, it wouldn’t be good for the Wushan Clan.

“Oh? You’re willing to pay?”

Wiggin was stunned for a moment. He had thought Ronin wouldn’t budge on this matter at all and hadn’t expected such a sudden turn of events.

The grim expression on his face seemed to lighten slightly.

“How much? Six thousand? Five thousand?”

Ronin shook his head. “You know I don’t have much money, and Wubei Territory is in dire need of funds right now. It’s impossible for me to give you Five Thousand Gold Coins a year at this time.”

He paused, as if settling on a number. “The absolute most I can manage is probably one thousand five hundred gold coins a year.”

More of the gloom on Wiggin’s face dissipated, but he still didn’t yield verbally.

“No, no, no, Ronin, one thousand five hundred gold coins is too little. Wubei Territory may need Gold Coins for development, but the profits from the Chishan Iron Mine are enormous. Giving me Four Thousand Gold Coins a year would be no problem for you!”

“Father, the Polante Thief Gang slaughtered many people while they occupied Chishan Town. The population is now decimated, and I’ll have a hard time even gathering the same number of miners as before. It will be impossible to restore production anytime soon.”

Ronin wore a pained expression. “On top of that, I have to rebuild sales channels and recruit all sorts of talent, which will cost a huge amount of Gold Coins! If you still insist on ignoring my difficulties, then the most I can add is another three hundred, for a total of one thousand eight hundred a year!”

Wiggin paused. It seemed that was indeed a real problem.

“How about this: I’ll solve the population problem for you. On top of the twenty thousand I already promised, I’ll add another five thousand. As for the Gold Coins… I see things aren’t easy for you, so just give me three thousand. That’ll be enough.”

The atmosphere of the discussion shifted from tense and hostile to one of haggling.

Dianey breathed a silent sigh of relief. At least things hadn’t escalated further.

After dozens of rounds of “friendly” negotiations, the two finally reached an agreement—Ronin would give Wiggin 2,050 Gold Coins annually.

This price was slightly more than what Wiggin had received before, and it was acceptable to Ronin.

“Hahaha, well done, Ronin!”

Wiggin laughed and gave a thumbs-up. He was a man whose emotions were always plain to see.

“Nobles from all over will be gathering here in the next couple of days. Get some rest and prepare for the upcoming victory banquet!”

“Then, Father, about the twenty-five thousand people you promised me…”

Wiggin waved his hand magnanimously. “Don’t you worry about how I do things. I’ve already gathered seven or eight thousand. Once the news reaches the various manors and cities, we’ll have that many people in no time!”

The meeting, which had started unpleasantly, finally ended on a cheerful note.

Watching Ronin’s departing figure, Wiggin couldn’t help but complain, “That kid. If he was planning to pay up anyway, why didn’t he just say so from the start? He made me break this good chair!”

The reason Ronin had flatly rejected his father’s notion at the beginning was simply to lower his expectations as much as possible.

“And another thing! He actually used Fighting Qi against me just now! He has no respect for me as his father!”

He glanced at the piece of wood deeply embedded in the lawn by his feet, still feeling a little displeased.

But grumbling aside, he was secretly delighted to have secured such a price in the end.

“Wiggin, you should really try to change that temper of yours.”

Dianey advised with a worried look, “Ronin isn’t the same person he used to be. He’s not just your son anymore; he’s the Viscount of Wubei Territory, and a Silver Knight capable of dealing a fatal blow to a Meteor Knight. You need to face the reality of your own situation and the gap in strength between you.”

“I know!”

Wiggin had to admit that in the future, even when he got angry, he could only run his mouth. Getting physical was out of the question.

He also understood how important Ronin’s emergence was to the family.

“Dianey, go and hurry up the administrators in Wushan City and the various manors. Tell them all to speed things up and get me those twenty-five thousand people.”

Wiggin continued, “If you can’t find enough people, just include the criminals from the prisons. If they’re capable of committing crimes, they’re capable of mining. Drag them all out and send them to the mountains to work!”

Dianey frowned. “Won’t criminals be difficult to manage?”

“Don’t you worry about that. Those criminals are basically just ordinary people. With Ronin’s strength, you think he’ll have any trouble managing them?”

Wiggin was completely unconcerned. “Besides, he has a Knight Squad under his command!”

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