Chapter 59: Morgan Has Returned
The Southern Six Territories renewed their agreement with Camelot, after which the British salt industry would be controlled seventy percent by the royal family, with the remaining thirty percent... "Let the two of them figure out how to split it!"
The two lords who previously managed all of Britain's salt industry were now reduced to being Noah's employees.
Along with this, they also helped resolve the entire Southern issue.
Moreover, King Leodegrance didn't dare bring up any marriage proposals.
Such a dreamlike outcome left Artoria utterly stunned.
Although she had always trusted Noah, she never expected the result to be so perfect.
It felt as unreal as a dream...
No, she hadn't even dared to dream of such an outcome before!
"Your Majesty, why would they agree to such terms?"
Artoria couldn't comprehend it, while Noah walked over to the study window, watching King Leodegrance and King Rience as they stepped into the courtyard of Camelot Castle.
"Do you think they're at a disadvantage? No, they even thanked me."
Artoria looked at Noah's back. Even though these words came from him, she still found it hard to believe.
But before she could say anything, the voices of King Leodegrance and King Rience echoed from the courtyard, expressing their gratitude.
"Thank you for Your Majesty's generosity!"
Hearing the parties involved say so themselves, Artoria, no matter how unbelievable she found it, had nothing left to say.
Noah, standing by the window, smiled and waved at King Leodegrance and King Rience.
After watching them leave, he returned to his desk and, seeing Artoria helping him organize the messy documents, casually pulled her into his arms.
Artoria didn't resist. Though her movements noticeably paused for a moment, she continued tidying up.
However, the unruly strand of hair on her head kept swaying, betraying her flustered state.
Seeing Artoria like this, Noah rested his chin on top of her head and softly explained to her.
"Sea salt production was originally low, which is why salt prices were so high before. Since demand outstripped supply, if raising prices still allowed them to sell out, they naturally pushed prices to the highest possible level while ensuring they could sell their quota."
"That's the mindset of merchants... But at the same time, these merchants aren't foolish."
"If there were enough salt to supply every household in Britain, they would naturally choose a price acceptable to ordinary people—unless..."
"...selling a small quantity at a high price could earn them more than selling in bulk."
"But at least for now, that's impossible."
"And in the future..."
Noah trailed off here, thinking of Morgan, who was already on her way back, and his smile grew even more pronounced.
The southern nobles were the wealthiest.
Not only wealthier than the northern nobles, but even wealthier than the nobles of Camelot.
And now, these people had been uprooted and treated as wallets... Selling small quantities at high prices would no longer be profitable, at least not in the South.
The outcome.
In fact, doing so would only make them fear whether they might end up like those southern nobles.
A merchant who cannot earn money is a foolish merchant, but one who only knows how to earn money is the most foolish merchant.
Such individuals become targets even in peacetime, let alone in the current era.
And King Leodegrance and King Rience were clearly not such foolish men.
So Noah intended to give them a chance.
Otherwise, if Noah truly believed them unfit for the crucial salt trade, he would have long taken drastic measures to overhaul southern Britain.
Of course, the premise for maintaining the current situation was that King Leodegrance and King Rience did not disappoint him.
Otherwise...
—Then it would be time to activate Vortigern as the contingency plan.
...
After returning, King Leodegrance and King Rience did not immediately disclose the agreement to their subordinates. Instead, they presented the refined salt they had obtained from Noah, first explaining the future prospects before revealing the terms of the agreement.
With a 30% share in the salt industry, King Leodegrance and King Rience each took 10%. After careful calculation, their income would more than double compared to before.
The distribution of the remaining 10% replaced their original conflict, becoming a new point of contention.
Thus, after returning, King Leodegrance and King Rience gathered the other four southern lords to discuss the matter at length, eventually reaching a tentative agreement.
Once King Leodegrance and King Rience had no objections, the other four kings naturally fell in line.
And so, the agreement between Camelot and the south was formally signed.
On the eighth day of the Six Southern Kings' stay in Camelot, just as they were preparing to depart, Noah stopped them.
Noah, accompanied by the Six Southern Kings, the patrol squad, and Artoria as his personal guard, ventured to the outermost area of Camelot Castle's domain. They did not stop at the city gate but even crossed the moat and arranged their formation on the other side.
It seemed as though they were preparing to welcome someone.
Such a grand display left the Six Southern Kings at a loss for words.
However, when they realized Noah was welcoming Morgan, their concerns vanished.
As long as Noah was not using such a display to welcome the Six Northern Kings, they could accept it.
Otherwise, if Noah had merely allowed them to enter the city and left them waiting for days before receiving them, while greeting the Six Northern Kings outside the city, they would have felt slighted.
But whether it was Morgan, Merlin, or even Kay—as long as they were from Camelot—the southern kings had no objections.
Winning hearts was something everyone understood.
Initially, they had come merely to serve as the atmosphere group, to show respect to King Arthur.
But when Morgan returned, escorting over a dozen prisoners dressed in fine robes yet looking utterly disheveled, the Six Southern Kings could no longer play the role of the atmosphere group.
After all, some among them had already recognized...
"King Rience, those being escorted seem to be nobles from our southern territories!"
Most of the southern nobles were aligned with King Rience, so the other lords under his command...
The two kings immediately recognized these nobles and quietly spoke to King Rience about it.
When King Rience saw those arrogant nobles who usually looked down their noses even at him being arrested, though secretly delighted, he restrained his smile and furrowed his brows instead.
Most of this worried expression was feigned, with only a small part being genuine.
He still felt somewhat concerned.
After all, he had dealt with these southern nobles the most, so he understood clearly that they were all in cahoots—otherwise he would have taken action against them long ago!
While he fully supported Noah's move against the southern nobles, arresting only a dozen or so...
With so few arrests, wouldn't this cause problems?