Chapter 1242
Among the merchants in Turín, Theos had the closest relationship with the officials, especially the Ministry of Military Affairs. Now, he was a relative of the king.
"I don't have any inside information," Theos said seriously. "I'll be honest with you," Dios said seriously. "Your brother doesn't have any amazing achievements. Based on his seniority, it's usually very difficult for him to become an elder. But because of you, he has a very high chance of becoming an elder …"
"Me?!" Sostatus was confused.
Theos reminded him softly, "You've been a great help to the expansion of the kingdom. Take the war in Greece for example. In order to transport troops to Greece and Thessaly, you organized a large number of ships. You helped the Ministry of Military Affairs in the later stages of the war. As the chairman of the Turín Chamber of Commerce, you organized many merchants to buy a large amount of food from the kingdom. You helped the Ministry of Military Affairs get through the difficult times. You also did this during the war in Gaul. The Ministry of Military Affairs won't forget it. If you can get the Ministry of Military Affairs to agree to push for your brother to enter the Senate, then it won't be a problem for your brother to become a senator. "
Sostatus' eyes lit up. He knew that a senator was a very important force in the Senate. If he could get the support of the Ministry of Military Affairs, it would definitely be a success.
He immediately pulled Theos to the living room in the backyard, ready to talk to him in detail.
Due to the needs of business, Sostatus' house had two dining rooms. One was in the front yard, which was used to entertain the merchants in his large network. The living room in the backyard was used to receive important guests.
After sitting down, Theos solemnly talked to him about another matter, "Sostatus, don't you think what you've done to Dikboris is too much?" Sostatus was not surprised.
He was prepared for Theos to bring up this matter, and he immediately defended himself, "You've definitely wronged me. I have no grudge against Lord Dikboris. On the contrary, I respect him very much. He was the one who gave me the position of president of the Turian Chamber of Commerce. I'm not someone who would bite the hand that feeds me. Look, my fleet has been transporting the pottery produced by his workshop to Greece and Ionia for sale. The sales increase every year, helping him expand the market and earning him a lot of money. If I had a grudge against him, would I do that?"
Theos muttered to himself, "But you also transported pottery from Athens and sold it in Turian. Now, many officials and rich people are more willing to buy your pottery, causing the sales of Dikboris' pottery in Turian to plummet … Sostatus, our Chamber of Commerce has a rule that prohibits malicious competition between members of the Chamber of Commerce. As the current president of the Chamber of Commerce, you should set a good example …"
Hearing that, Sostatus suppressed the rising anger in his heart and said rather bluntly, "Lord Theos, I know that you and Dikboris are good friends, but you can't just ignore the facts and speak for him. The pottery I sell is more than twice the price of his pottery. How can this be called malicious competition? And it's because of him that I don't import too much pottery and only sell it in Turian. This is the biggest concession I can make, but he's still dissatisfied. What else does he want me to do?! "
Theos hesitated for a moment and sighed. "… We've been friends for decades, and you're a wealthy merchant who distributes so many kinds of goods. Why do you have to make the relationship between the two of you so stiff because of pottery?"
"Theos, I've always respected you, but what you said today is wrong!" Sostatus's anger was evident in his words. "You're all looking forward to me selling a large amount of your goods to the Eastern Mediterranean, but you won't allow me to bring the goods from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Kingdom of Turian. What kind of logic is this?! If you really want to do this, I'll go see His Majesty the Devers and tell him that Dikboris and you strongly request that goods produced outside the Kingdom of Turian cannot be sold in Turian! "
"Eh … Eh, that's not what I meant." Theos hurriedly explained. "Look, ever since you brought the pottery of Athens into Turian for sale, not only are the upper echelons of the Kingdom willing to use it, I heard that even His Majesty wants to buy from you. This is bound to become a trend. If this continues, Dikboris's pottery sales in the Kingdom will inevitably decline. You know that Dikboris has pottery workshops in many towns in the Kingdom. When that happens, it will be difficult for him to maintain such a large scale, and he may even face bankruptcy … "
Sostatus put on a solemn expression and said, "After the Greek war, His Majesty had the Ministry of Commerce gather the heads of the Chambers of Commerce in all towns for a meeting. During the meeting, he specifically mentioned that the Greek merchants who want to do business in the Kingdom should not be excluded or suppressed, but should be given as much help as possible. After the meeting, I specially summoned you to convey the message. You and Dikboris both expressed your full support at the meeting. Do you still remember this?"
Theos nodded helplessly.
"I'm also carrying out His Majesty's order!" Sostatus said confidently. "In recent years, I've not only sold Athens pottery in Turian, but also Corinth ironware, Greek stone, Thessaly horses, gold and silver products from Athens … Why didn't you or Inepias protest against me … Why is Dikboris dissatisfied with me? Because the quality of his pottery is not as good as that of Athens, and he's afraid of competition! "
Theos persuaded in a gentle tone. "All these years, Dikboris has been working very hard to improve the quality of his pottery, and even improved the process of making ceramics … You and I both know this, but Athens pottery has been developed for hundreds of years and has a deep foundation. Dikboris' workshop can't catch up in a short time …
His Majesty hopes to rope in the Greek merchants, and also hopes that the Kingdom's market will be more diversified, increase competition, and give the people more choices. He doesn't want an exclusive monopoly … I understand all these, but if Athens pottery sells well in the Kingdom, it will only drive Dikboris, who is still working hard, into a dead end. I don't think this is what His Majesty wants to see. "
Sostatus' heart trembled, and he immediately said, "As the president of the Turian Chamber of Commerce, of course I won't deliberately harm the interests of the members of the Chamber of Commerce. I've been selling Athens pottery in Turian for more than two years, and I've kept the sales very low. I've only introduced fine products at high prices, and the ordinary pottery is still dominated by Dikboris, so it doesn't pose a great threat to him. And I've long been aware of this problem, and I've taken the initiative to discuss it with Dikboris several times, but he's turned me away several times, making me a joke of the Turian people. I believe you've heard of it! "Sostatus put on a wronged look.
Theos was silent for a moment. The strained relationship between Sostatus and Dikboris had become a joke of the Turian people, so how could he not know? He didn't want to get involved in this troublesome matter, but several of his friends in the Chamber of Commerce begged him, and he didn't want to see the originally united Turian Chamber of Commerce fall into endless strife, so he intervened.
At this moment, he had to sincerely persuade Theos again, "Dikboris refused to discuss with you, causing the problem to worsen. Of course, this is his fault! But it's not without reason that he's angry with you. Of course, he knows that it's impossible to only allow us to sell our goods in Greece, and not the Greek merchants in the Kingdom. But he doesn't have any objections when merchants from other kingdoms bring in fine Athens pottery, but you can't, because your sales channels are too wide!
Look, it didn't take long for you to open up a sales channel for Athens pottery to the upper echelons of the Kingdom. Even if Dikboris desperately tries to improve the quality of his pottery, he can't catch up with you selling your pottery. You even sold your pottery to the royal family — "
"Wait a minute!" Sostatus interrupted him, "His Majesty wants to buy my Athens pottery, but it's not me who recommended it. It's the head of the palace, Ribazot, who came to me on his own initiative and repeatedly reminded me. He mentioned the name of the pottery merchant I worked with several times. I guess His Majesty already knows about this fellow."
"His Majesty's fellow?"
"Yes, this pottery merchant is called Hesclaus, a native of Peleus …" Sostatus pretended to recall and said slowly, "I remember when I went to visit my brother-in-law, Hilos, I met this merchant at a banquet. At that time, the one who introduced him to me was the new Thessaly Chief of Intelligence, Gorgion …"
This time, it was Theos' turn to feel nervous. A Peleus merchant … a recommendation from the Chief of Intelligence … All the upper echelons of Turí knew that the Kingdom's Intelligence Department mainly served His Majesty the Devers!
Theos immediately asked, "Is this Hesclaus a relative of His Majesty in Peleus?!"
"I'm not sure about that." Sostatus spread his hands and shrugged. "I don't think even Lord Ribazot knows, but no one knows if His Majesty knows."
Theos frowned and fell into deep thought. After a while, he said seriously, "It seems that you can't be blamed for this. But as the president of the Turí Chamber of Commerce, you should understand that if the conflict between you and him is not resolved as soon as possible, it will have a great impact on the Chamber of Commerce. How about this? When he comes over later, I will first persuade him. Then, as a mediator, you can negotiate with him. Both sides should make some concessions, and we will strive to resolve this conflict by tonight. What do you think?"
"That's what I hope," Sostatus replied with some doubt. "But will Dikboris come today? My servant told me that he did not respond to my invitation. "
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