Chapter 13: Journey Through the Middle Ages, Part 13

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Well, how should one put it? Louisa had no idea that Philip held her in such high regard. Even if she had known, she would have merely smiled wryly—having once lived in the modern world, she was, of course, well adapted to a supercorporation like Peabody Enterprises! If one were to compare, the “capital” of this era still fell far short of the capital powers in modern society.

Even though the power of capital was beginning to show its fangs, at this moment capital still undoubtedly depended on political authority. In modern times, in most parts of the world, capital *is* power itself.

Capitalists of this time likely could not imagine how their future successors would surpass them, achieving things they wouldn’t dare dream of: in a capitalized nation, capital could dictate politics, manipulate public opinion, influence the economy and people's livelihoods, and relentlessly pursue every last drop of profit—with even the most nefarious wealth becoming justifiable.

“Mr. Peabody, no need to overthink it. We simply have a business matter to discuss,” Louisa said with a smile, striking a rare note of straightforwardness these days.

Philip was more surprised; such directness was uncommon even among merchants. Yet, as a businessman, he appreciated the pragmatism and quickly responded, “A business matter? Forgive my bluntness, madam... I can’t quite imagine whether it is you or the Count who—”

“You may consider it the Count’s doing, but the actual work will be carried out by me,” Louisa said with a slight nod, pleased to see Philip quickly adapting to the situation.

Philip schemed mentally, becoming more certain that Count Balzac was quite satisfied with the heir apparent. Given the Countess’s influence, the possibility of replacing Miss Eva as heir was now minimal. Thus, Peabody Enterprises should focus more on this young female heir.

At this point, the bigger the company, the less purely commercial the business dealings became. Of course, this trend continued in later eras. The larger the enterprise, the stronger the political undertones. For partners and agents far from headquarters, cultivating good relations with the local lord mattered more than commercial acumen.

These "personal relationships" were often deeply intertwined with tangible interests. Regardless of past ties, if a branch partner could secure substantial loans for the lord, they would be treated as esteemed guests. Admittedly, when interests were balanced, other factors mattered too—such as the partner’s background, intelligence, and even charisma.

Therefore, the unquestioned choice of the Bruto heir and Count Balzac’s encouragement for the female heir to participate actively in domain affairs sent a crucial signal to Philip, the local partner of the supercorporation. It dictated how they should interact with the heiress and how much to invest in her.

Previously, because Louisa had been at the convent, many believed Count Balzac intended to dedicate his eldest daughter to the church. As for the heir, if no legitimate son was born, naturally the younger daughter Eva would take the role. Philip had even tried to curry favor with the Countess and Miss Eva, offering many benefits.

This was common enough in the era; the Count simply treated his children with equal coldness. Even though Eva grew up at the Bruto court and had more opportunities to bond with him, he showed no particular favoritism.

Firstly, it was customary at the time for lords to tour their domains, so Eva spent most of the year away from her father at the Troyes Castle. Secondly, noble child-rearing practices did not emphasize parental affection, and emotional distance between parents and children was usual.

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Once the Count lost hope of having a legitimate male heir, his concern shifted to which daughter would inherit. It wasn’t that he loved Louisa more; rather, with only two daughters, placing one in the convent was too risky and, frankly, a waste.

Medieval mortality was high, and it was uncertain whether a girl would live to bear an heir. Besides, having one daughter inherit the domain and the other marry strategically was still insufficient—the value of an illegitimate child for alliance purposes would be greatly diminished.

“Of course, I am at your service,” Philip said respectfully, bowing his head. Even facing a young woman, a mere child, he displayed proper deference—this was the influence of power. Before him was not a twelve or thirteen-year-old, but the future ruler of this land.

“Yes, Mr. Peabody, then I shall be direct. I heard Peabody Enterprises has been seeking more sugar suppliers. After all, compared to your competitors, you’re somewhat lacking in this area,” Louisa remained straightforward.

This was precisely why Peabody Enterprises was the top candidate for cooperation. First, as a supercorporation, their capital and distribution channels were solid. It was feasible for them to distribute the large quantities of sugar Bruto would produce in the future; this was the foundation of the partnership.

Secondly, Peabody Enterprises ranked at the lower end of the first tier among supercorporations, making them more cooperative than the top ones, which facilitated favorable terms for Louisa.

Furthermore, their weakness in sugar was one reason Louisa favored them. People value help in hardship rather than embellishment.

Of course, Peabody’s reputation, their long-standing pleasant cooperation with Bruto, and the many shared interests were also vital. This would enable Peabody to keep Bruto’s sugar production secret for some time. Louisa did not expect such a significant development to remain hidden forever, but as always, the longer it could be concealed, the better.

At that time, sugar was primarily imported from the Far East via maritime trade routes, which were not under local merchants’ control but intermediaries’. In a sense, even supercorporations were subject to these intermediaries—those with close ties to them had more supply channels; those without, much less.

Peabody Enterprises happened to be weak in this aspect. Their strength lay in textiles, particularly domestic textiles. They imported large quantities of fine wool from Goldenland, processed it in the Northern Low Countries and surrounding areas—that was the wool textile trade. They also dealt in linen, the nascent domestic cotton fabrics (which had long been unable to compete with the premium cotton of India and thus were only just emerging), and high-end brocade from Rolandcy.

These businesses constituted Peabody’s wealth. Although they, like other supercorporations, dabbled in grain, spices, gems, and alcohol, each had its specialty. Some had no obvious weaknesses; others, like Peabody, did.

Peabody’s weakness in sugar, however, posed no problem, as they had strong channels in spices (of which sugar was a subcategory), so collaborating with Bruto was still advantageous.

Sugar, though categorized under spices at the time, held far greater potential than other spices.

The spice trade had reached a plateau; some spices had even peaked. Sugar was different—its sales volume grew year after year, with no end in sight. From Louisa’s future perspective, this was clear. The Age of Discovery opened many overseas plantations, mostly for sugarcane rather than spices.

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All for sugar—the sweet sugar that brought bloodshed and slavery!

Looking back at the world after the Age of Discovery, no crop was more international than sugar. Other goods might need to cultivate markets; sugar did not. Humanity’s love for sweetness was etched into our genes, a taste that, in ancient times, meant survival for our ancestors.

Philip truly did not expect that when Louisa said she had a business matter to discuss, it was literally about doing business! Nobles and merchants typically intersected only when nobles bought luxury goods or granted merchants privileges to gain their share. Actual business dealings, even in mercantile Bruto, were seldom heard of.

Philip certainly did not think Louisa’s mention of sugar meant Bruto’s court intended to procure sugar and entrust the business to Peabody Enterprises. Bruto’s court had its own sugar suppliers, and even if they were to change, it was doubtful a modestly sized Peabody could secure the sugar trade. Such a matter hardly warranted such solemnity now.

“...Do you have sugar sources?” Philip asked tentatively. Even with his imagination, he could not conceive Bruto producing sugar themselves. As Rolandcy merchants close to the East and experienced in East-West trade, they knew sugar came from sugarcane, which grew only in warm, fertile places. Even in Rolandcy, only a tiny southern region could grow it, let alone the northern town of Vason.

So Philip could only assume Bruto had access to sugar sources. He had heard rumors that the Vason royal family had ambiguous relations with eastern pagans—maybe Bruto was similar?

“Hmm... You may think so,” Louisa avoided full disclosure. If Philip suspected Bruto produced sugar, that suspicion could be advantageous to her side. She vaguely asked, “If Bruto can supply sugar steadily, would your company—”

“Of course! It would be wonderful! Peabody Enterprises would be honored to ease your burden in this matter,” Philip, usually cautious, displayed newfound enthusiasm: “Regarding this, I can tell you—we can absorb all the sugar Bruto supplies!”

“You need not doubt Peabody’s distribution channels or network everywhere...”

Philip’s confidence stemmed not only from negotiation boldness but also from reality—the sugar trade market was still a blue ocean, with everyone selling as much as they could. Since it was not produced locally, competition was minimal, and trade protectionism did not exist.