Laura and the others looked at the source of the voice and saw a middle-aged man standing outside the door. He was wearing a magic robe and had a pale complexion. He had blonde hair and a handsome appearance. It was Laura's father, Karen.
Karen usually didn't care much about things and only focused on magic research. Today, he had just finished an experiment and came out to get some fresh air. He heard Laura's words and immediately stopped her.
When Laura saw Karen come out, she knew that there was no hope. Karen usually didn't care about things, but he had a special characteristic. He had a good heart and was a good person. If it weren't for this character, he wouldn't have been pushed out to a place like the Aksu Empire.
It was because of this character that he wouldn't let Laura do business like this. This was because doing business like this was tantamount to making money from the country's misfortune and drinking the blood of the commoners.
Although Karen didn't like doing business since he was a child, he had been influenced by what he saw and heard. He understood some simple business principles and naturally understood what Laura meant. That was why he stopped her.
When Laura saw Karen come out, she immediately ran over and said, "Father, are you done with the experiment? How was the experiment this time? "
Karen had a regretful expression as he shook his head and said, "I almost succeeded. Maybe there's something wrong with two of the magic arrays. Next time, I'll have to make some adjustments. Ah, no, I'm not talking about this matter. I'm talking about the matter of stockpiling food. That matter absolutely cannot be done, even if it's to make money."
Laura couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Well, you can rest assured that we won't do it. But even if we don't do it, others will. When that time comes, I'm afraid that we won't have a foothold in the Purcell Duchy."
Karen's face was stiff. "No matter what others do, we can't do it."
Laura pouted and didn't say anything. Apparently, she still wanted to do business. At this time, Quinn John's voice was heard. "Laura, your father is right. This business cannot be done."
Laura was surprised. She didn't think that Quinn John would oppose it. Quinn John had always taught her that businessmen should maximize their benefits. This was obviously an opportunity to maximize their benefits. Why did he oppose it?
Quinn John looked at Laura's puzzled expression and smiled. "Karen, Laura, sit down." The two of them sat across from Quinn John and looked at him like primary school students.
Quinn John looked at the two and smiled faintly. "I told Laura before that a businessman should maximize their profits. Laura must have thought of this point, so she wanted to do business with us, right?"
Laura nodded. Quinn John then said, "Laura, you have to remember that businessmen not only need to maximize their profits, but also need to have a long-term vision. Don't be blinded by the immediate benefits. This time, the Ica plains are suffering from an insect infestation, so the grain production may be greatly reduced. The Purcell Duchy may encounter a food crisis. As long as we have a large amount of grain and sell it at a high price, we can indeed make a lot of money. This is how we maximize our profits, but this is a practice that lacks a long-term vision."
Karen wasn't interested in this kind of thing. He sat there and began to be distracted. On the contrary, Laura was listening with great interest, but she didn't understand.
Quinn John had long since given up on Karen, so he turned to Laura and said, "Laura, you should know that the Purcell clan is one of the few great clans in the Aksu Empire. Such a clan would not be defeated by a food crisis. If we hoard food at this time, it would be tantamount to hitting a person who is down and offending the Purcell clan. Even if we make money, our relationship with the Purcell clan would deteriorate. If we want to cooperate with them like before, it would be almost impossible." Quinn John nodded his head and said, "You should know that the Purcell clan is a large clan in the Aksu Empire.
Laura nodded. She was smart, and she wasn't as greedy as the average merchant. Therefore, when Quinn John said this, she immediately understood the stakes involved.
Commercial clans were very powerful, but in this world, the truly powerful clans were the old aristocrats. The Purcell clan was one of the old aristocrats. If they really offended them, doing business in the Purcell Duchy would not be easy. Even if the Purcell clan, because of their relationship with the Markey Dell clan, wouldn't drive them out of the Purcell Duchy, they would still suppress them. When that time comes, it would be difficult for them to do business. In any case, the Purcell Duchy was the fief of the Purcell clan. It was their domain.
Quinn John looked at Laura and nodded. Then he continued, "Also, have you thought about it? Our Higanbana shop has been doing business in the Purcell Duchy for many years. In the hearts of the commoners, our Higanbana shop is a well-known brand. Establishing such a brand isn't easy. If we really sell our stockpiled grain at a high price, then the brand that we have painstakingly built over the years will be destroyed. This loss to us will be much greater than the money that we have earned." Quinn John nodded his head and said, "That's right, Higanbana shop has been doing business in the Purcell Duchy for years.
Laura was horrified. She hadn't thought about this layer. If they really did this, then it would be like what Quinn John had done. The Higanbana shop's brand would be destroyed. The loss to them would be immeasurable. Most importantly, they would lose the Purcell Duchy's market. The clan wouldn't let them go, and Zhao Hai wouldn't cooperate with them. They would lose everything in an instant.
When Laura thought of this, she couldn't help but turn pale. She even broke out in a cold sweat. The consequences were too terrible. She could imagine what it would be like if she really lost everything in the Purcell Duchy. She was afraid that the clan would immediately send her to a marriage alliance. This was what she was most afraid of.
Quinn John looked at Laura's appearance and didn't scare her. He just said, "Laura, you have to remember that although businessmen pursue profits, there must be a limit. There are some businesses that can be done, and some that can't be done. This time, not only can we not hoard food, but we also need to buy a lot of food to stabilize the price."
Laura now thought about it and nodded. "Okay, we'll do it immediately. But I think that while we're doing it, the other firms will also be doing it. I just don't know how they are doing. If they want to hoard food, then they will certainly buy a lot of food from all around. When that time comes, even if we want to lower the price, we won't be able to."
Kun nodded and said, "Immediately send people to contact the surrounding areas and see if we can get some food. If possible, buy more, but don't raise the price." Laura nodded and immediately went to write a letter. After writing the letter, she immediately had Nier send it out.
Although Karen was somewhat absent-minded, he was still very clear about what was happening in the room. Before, he had little contact with business. This time, when he heard what Quinn John said, he felt the importance of business. It wasn't any worse than the battlefield. It could be said that Laura's decision could definitely affect many people in the Purcell Duchy.
After Laura sent out the letter, she turned to Quinn John and said, "Grandpa Quinn John, it seems that we have to think of a way. If the people around us really raise the price of food, then we will be in trouble. Don't talk about stabilizing the price of food, I'm afraid that even normal sales will be a problem."
Quinn John nodded. "This time, the Purcell clan will certainly respond to the incident in the Ica plains. But if we want to solve the food problem in a short time, I'm afraid it will be very difficult. What I'm most afraid of is that some people will take the opportunity to spread some rumors. When that time comes, ordinary civilians will begin to grab food, causing a food shortage. That would be the most terrible thing."
Laura also frowned. She really didn't know what to do about this matter. Now they can only hoard some food. If the price of food in the Purcell Duchy really rises, then they can release some cheap food so that ordinary civilians can afford to eat.
The next two days, contrary to Laura's expectations, the big firms didn't spread the news of the insect plague in the Ica plains. It was as if they didn't know about it at all.
However, Laura received a letter from the people she sent to collect food. Now in the grain producing area around the Purcell Duchy, some people began to collect food at a high price. They wanted to collect food at a low price, but they couldn't. Laura knew that the other big firms were about to make a move.
Laura couldn't do anything. Although she wanted to collect food at a high price, the funds in her hands were really too limited. There was no way to compete with those big firms. Those big firms could get the support of the big families behind them, but she couldn't. The Markey Dell clan wouldn't give her any support. Relying on her own strength, she simply couldn't compete with those big firms.
Originally, Laura thought that even if she couldn't buy noodles, she could at least buy some bamboo rice. Unfortunately, those big firms were very thorough. They even increased the price of bamboo rice. Even if she bought grain at the market price, she simply couldn't buy a grain.
Laura originally wanted to discuss this matter with the large firms so that everyone could come up with money to stabilize the food prices. But when she mentioned this, the large firms' faces immediately changed. Obviously, they wouldn't let go of this opportunity. In the end, when she wanted to see them, they simply refused to see her.
Seeing this situation, Laura knew that it was hopeless to let them stabilize the price of food. Now she was worried that her hair would turn white. She didn't say that she was worried that the civilians wouldn't be able to eat. She was worried that if she couldn't collect food, then Higanbana shop would have no food to sell. For a firm, this was a big blow.
Quinn John couldn't do anything now. He didn't think that those big firms would be so ruthless. They completely ignored the lives of the ordinary civilians in the Purcell Duchy and began to stockpile food.
Quinn John understood why those big firms hadn't released the news of the insect plague in the Ica plains. It was because they weren't ready. They wanted to raise the price of food around them. Once they had enough food, then they would release the news. Even if the Purcell clan wanted to buy food to stabilize the price, it would be impossible. They could take advantage of this opportunity to make a lot of money.