After dinner over, I should fulfill my promise to Earl Stamfort, have a conversation with him. And also have a conversation with my father too. But I can't meet this right after dinner over because I need to escort my fiancé back to her room and also change clothes too. Later, after I finish with my business I'm looking for Earl Stamfort and my father to have that conversation.
"Young master Henry, you can find master Harvard and Your Excellency Earl Stamfort in master Harvard's office"
Mr. Nicholas tells me where I can find Earl Stamfort, he says Earl Stamfort and Anthony currently at my father office. Oh, that's better, I can do the talk with my father and Earl Stamfort at once. After getting the information from Mr. Nicholas, I'm heading to my father office. And after knocking the door, uncle Jake open the door and let me in into my father office.
Inside my father's office, I see my father and my uncle sit side by side with Earl Stamfort and Anthony sit in front of them. They all wear serious expression on their faces, and between them lies Go board games. It seems my father already introduce the board game to Earl Stamfort and Sir Anthony and now they practice it on the site.
"How long they had been played, Uncle Jake?"
"After dinner, master and your excellency Earl Stamfort directly going to Master's office and play the games after Master Harvard introduce the game after lunch and they keep playing it, with the only break for bath and dinner. They currently continue the game that paused for dinner"
Huh? That can be said they already play long enough thou? I silently wait until they finish their game.
My father and Earl Easton game finished several minutes later, ended with my father victory.
"Aaahh…I lost again! John, gives me some face and just let me win, okay?"
"Hohoho….that's just about experience matter, Edward. I play this game longer than you, of course, I'm more experienced than you"
"Grrr….let's play again!"
"I'm afraid you must hold it for a while, Edward. Henry's already here and waiting for us finish playing. Don't you have something to talk to him?"
"He's here already? Damn, I'm too focused on the game and not realize it. Henry, come here and have a seat. Let's have a talk after that"
Earl Stamfort waves his hand to me and pointing at an empty chair near him. I walk to him and sit in the chair he's pointing at.
"What you want to talk to me, Uncle Edward?"
Earl Stamfort rubs his chin before he speaks again. It seems like he thought about something
"Well…actually, I have many things to ask from you…but somehow I forgot it because I'm too excited with this board game"
For real? If this some kind of manga, people around him already fall on their back with their feet lift up high. Is that means he doesn't have anything to ask withme?
"Ah, let me remember it back while we speak, Henry. first thing I want to ask….this board game. Is that true, you the one who create it?"
"Well, if uncle Edward haven't seen any similar board game before, that's mean I'm the one who creates it"
"I'm definitely never seen this kind of board game before anywhere else in this kingdom. So, I can call you as the inventor, right? Do you want to register this board game as your invention?"
Huh? Register this board game as my invention? Is that some kind of patent right in this world?
"Uncle Edward, what do you mean by register this board game as my invention?"
"Hmm…that's mean the country acknowledge your effort inventing this board game. Furthermore, if this board game being mass produced for commercial purpose, you have the right to gain some profit from the sales"
Wow! It's some kind of licensed product right?
"Ah, I understand, Uncle Edward. But as you see, this board game is easy to make, what happen to people who make this board game for their own use? And how I can register this board game as my invention?"
"Oh well, we can't touch people who make this board game for their own use. This product registration only aimed to protect the inventor from being gain nothing over their invention. And the registration takes place in Capital city, on the ministry of commerce"
"Ugh! That's a long way to go…and I don't even know the procedures for registration"
"About that…we can help you with the registration, but we want the rights for becomes the sole distributor of this board game outside Southern area"
Hmm…this is not a bad offer. The rights only include Kingdom area except for the southern area which left for us to handle. Well, I don't know much about trader outside the southern area, and Earl Stamfort comes with distribution offer is like giving pillow to a sleepy man.
"No problem, Uncle Edward… Please help me with the registration and we can discuss the sharing profit later"
"Hohoho… don't worry, I won't cheat on you about the profit"
"No, I'm not worried about that, uncle. I'm just worried if this board game didn't give expected profit"
"Hahaha….You're worrying too much, Henry. This board game will be a hot item in the kingdom later"
"I'll be in your care then, Uncle"
"Hohoho….I also want to praise you for the delicious food at dinner tonight. Those dishes really surprise me and fit with my taste"
"Thank you for the praise, uncle. But those dishes also the fruit of hard works from our cooks in the kitchen"
"Hmm…humble as always, huh. Good, a great leader should acknowledge his men achievement and not snatch fame for himself. By the way, something is bothering me, Henry"
"What is that, Uncle?"
"That Easton third son said during the lunch….to entertain us with such feast, it requires salt in quite a large amount, right?"
That is it! The opportunity that I've waited for in this conversation. Strike a salt business with Earl Stamfort and use his connection to sell our salt to the whole southern area.
"He's said nothing wrong, uncle. We did need a lot of salt to make those delicious dishes"
"Considering the current salt's price… will not you be burdened with that, Henry? We don't like to leave you trouble later"
"Don't worry uncle…salt's price is no longer a problem for us anymore"
"Is that means…you found a new salt mine in here, Henry? Tell me that's true…lately the salt's price already becomes a common and crucial problems in the southern area. We're not finding any new salt mine and the current salt mine production is limited. The supply from the merchants from outside the region also not contribute much since they rarely bring salt in a large amount"
Earl Stamfort looks at me with an excited expression on his face. He seems really expecting we found a new salt mine and can help him reduce the price of current salt's price. He surely will feel disappointed when I told him we don't find any new salt mine.