Business opportunities were very important. Grasping a business opportunity could make a lot of money. But at the same time, how to grasp a business opportunity was also very important. Grasping a business opportunity meant that you had to take action at the right time. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to achieve the desired effect.
Compared to business opportunities, grasping a business opportunity was more important. How did successful businessmen make money? They just took advantage of the situation. People needed these things, so they added a little bit of means to maximize the benefits.
Now, these businessmen were waiting for an opportunity. As long as the time was right, they would release the news. Then, the food prices would soar, and they would make a lot of money.
What made Quinn John and Laura puzzled was why the Purcell clan hadn't responded yet. Did they have enough food to cope with this crisis? Or did they already extinguish the insect plague?
It couldn't be. In the past few days, Laura and Ben Niu Fort's letters hadn't stopped. Not only did the insect plague not improve, it was getting more and more intense. In just a few days, they heard that tens of thousands of acres of wheat fields had been destroyed. Most importantly, until now, they hadn't heard that the Purcell clan had any effective means to extinguish the insect plague.
While Quinn John and Laura were in the study discussing how to deal with the current situation, a servant suddenly came in from the outside. He bowed to Laura and said, "Young Lady, the Purcell clan's foreign affairs elder requests an audience."
Laura and Quinn John looked at each other and saw a trace of impatience in each other's eyes. They really didn't think that the Purcell clan's response would be so slow. They only thought of looking for them now, but it was already too late.
They didn't know that the Purcell clan thought that they would be able to quickly extinguish the insect plague, so they weren't too worried. But they soon found that they were wrong. This insect plague was more terrible than any they had ever encountered before. They had dispatched all the forces they could, but they still couldn't extinguish the insect plague. Now, it had reached a point of no return.
At this time, the Purcell clan thought of hoarding some food in order to cope with the upcoming food shortage. The Purcell clan had encountered such a situation several times before, so they immediately thought of discussing with the Chamber of Commerce to see if they could prepare more food to cope with the upcoming food crisis.
However, what the Purcell clan didn't expect was that this time, the big chambers of commerce didn't give a clear answer. On the contrary, each and every one of them was trying to change the topic. This made the Purcell clan have a bad feeling.
The Purcell clan couldn't do anything about it. Although they had encountered several food crises before, it wasn't as serious as this one. They were very clear that this time, the Ica plains would be out of production. This was a situation that they had never encountered before.
It was precisely because of this that their reaction was slower than those big firms. Those big firms were already prepared to make a fortune in the Purcell Duchy, so how could they let go of this opportunity?
The Purcell clan was one step behind, so they were already restricted. This time, the Purcell clan had sent a foreign affairs elder to contact Laura. The foreign affairs elder was an elder who was responsible for dealing with external affairs. His status was very high, and his name was Stern Purcell.
Laura naturally thought of the other party's reason for coming, so she had no choice but to receive him. Because Stern's status was very high, he was invited to the living room.
When Laura and Quinn John arrived in the living room, Stern was drinking tea. Although the Purcell clan was now facing a crisis, as an elder of a big clan, Stern's mental strength was still good.
Before this, he had already contacted several people from other large firms, but the results weren't very ideal. Those people were trying to change the topic. With Stern's experience, he naturally saw that the other party was delaying. Obviously, this time, the other party wanted to make a big profit from the Purcell clan.
Although Stern was very angry with the practices of those big firms, because of their strength, he couldn't say anything. However, Stern believed that the Purcell clan would be able to survive this crisis. One must know that the Purcell clan's thousand years of accumulation wasn't a joke.
This time, those big merchants could make a fortune, but they could also make the Purcell clan's losses not small. However, it was impossible to shake the foundation of the Purcell clan. As long as the foundation of the Purcell clan wasn't shaken, they would have the opportunity to get their money back.
Don't forget that the Purcell clan's territory was now a duchy. If they wanted to do business here, they would have to pay taxes to the Purcell clan. This time, those big merchants could make a fortune, but if they wanted to do business in the Purcell Duchy in the future, the Purcell clan would make them pay a high tax. Sooner or later, they would make up for today's losses.
Stern didn't understand why those big merchants would deal with the Purcell clan this time. Was it just for money? He didn't believe it.
Those big firms had existed on the continent for so many years. It wasn't without reason. They shouldn't have made such a mistake, right? Did they really want to destroy the Purcell clan?
Stern's mind was constantly thinking about these things, but his face was calm as usual. He was responsible for the external affairs of the Purcell clan. He had long been trained to be able to maintain his composure even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him.
At this time, the sound of footsteps could be heard. Stern looked up and saw Laura and Quinn John. The Magic Lily Trading Company could be regarded as a big firm in the Purcell Duchy. Stern naturally knew Laura and Quinn John.
Stern also understood Laura's situation. He also knew that Laura's status in the Purcell Duchy's business world wasn't very high. Those big firms didn't put them in their eyes, but for the Purcell Duchy, the Magic Lily Trading Company's influence wasn't small.
As soon as Laura entered the door, she saluted Stern and said, "Laura has seen elder Stern. I've made elder wait for a long time. Please forgive me."
Stern didn't dare to be arrogant. He quickly stood up and saluted Laura. "Miss Laura is too polite. I took the liberty to visit you today. I ask Miss Laura to forgive me." Quinn John and Stern also greeted each other. In the Purcell Duchy, almost everyone knew Quinn John's status. Stern naturally didn't dare to neglect Quinn John.
After they sat down, Laura looked at Stern and said, "Elder Stern, Laura knows why you've come. But to be honest, Laura really can't help with this matter."
Stern didn't think that Laura would be so direct. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. When dealing with other firms, they were all wily old foxes. They would talk for a long time before getting to the main topic. He didn't think that Laura would go straight to the main topic.
Stern looked at Laura, puzzled. "I don't know what Miss Laura means."
Laura looked at Stern and smiled. "To tell you the truth, elder Stern, as soon as I received the news from the Ica plains, I was prepared to buy more grain in order to stabilize the Purcell Duchy's grain prices in the future. But I didn't think that those people would have already made their move. When I wanted to buy grain, the surrounding grain prices had already begun to rise. I wanted to buy grain at a fair price, but I couldn't. To tell you the truth, our Magic Lily Trading Company's inventory can only be sold for seven days. After seven days, our Magic Lily Trading Company will have no grain to sell."
Stern looked at Laura, wanting to know if what she said was true or false. In fact, Stern already believed Laura's words. It wasn't because of anything else, but because Laura went straight to the point and didn't say anything else.
Stern looked at Laura and asked, "Is Miss Laura's words true?"
Laura forced a smile and said, "It's true. Elder Stern probably knows what kind of person my father is. This time, my father wanted me to stabilize the price of food. Unfortunately, with the funds in my hands, I simply can't compete with those people. Some time ago, I was going to discuss with them about stabilizing the price of food in the Purcell Duchy. However, I was rejected by them. I really have no other way."
Stern's face was gloomy as he coldly snorted. "It's not that simple to take advantage of our Purcell clan. This time, as long as Miss Laura doesn't participate in the matter of driving up the grain prices, the Purcell clan won't treat Miss Laura badly in the future."
Laura smiled bitterly. "Laura thanks elder Stern first. To be honest, this time, Laura really can't help. However, Laura will try her best to find a source of grain. If there is progress, Laura will certainly greet the Purcell clan. Stern elder, please rest assured."
Stern looked at Laura and said, "On behalf of the Purcell clan, Stern thanks Miss Laura. If Miss Laura can find a source of grain, the Purcell clan is willing to support Miss Laura financially."
Laura sternly said, "Elder Stern, please rest assured. If there really is a food source, Laura will do her best to stabilize the price. This is not only for the Purcell clan, but also for the commoners of the Purcell Duchy."
Stern stood up and said to Laura and Quinn John, "If that's the case, I will take my leave. I hope that Miss Laura will keep her promise." Then he bowed to the two of them and turned to leave.
Laura and Quinn John didn't ask him to stay. They were also worried about the grain problem. As Laura said, the Magic Lily store only had seven days of grain in stock. If they couldn't find a source of grain after seven days, then they would have to buy some high-priced grain. As a result, the price of grain would have to rise.
However, they also had no other way. The price of grain in the nearby grain producing areas had been raised by the large firms. It was impossible to buy grain at a fair price. If they went to a distant place to buy grain, they would have to pay the cost of importing it. It was almost the same as buying high-priced grain nearby.
Two days later, Laura and the others were still unable to find a food source. Laura took a letter from her subordinate and turned to Quinn John. She smiled bitterly and said, "Grandpa Quinn John, it seems that this time the price of food will really rise."