64: Development direction

"This lowly one earnestly hopes that the Lord will agree to my humble request."

Regarding his uncle Kim's words, Jacques felt they were somewhat overly paranoid and humble.

However, due to Kim's status in the family and the great care he had shown him since childhood, he did not voice any opposition.

Of course, having prided himself on his exceptional business talent since he was young, he also had his own pride.

If it weren't for the fact that Lister had left a truly extraordinary impression on him, combined with the fact that he had saved his life, he would never have adopted such a humble posture.

Seeing the two of them lower themselves so much, Lister was inwardly surprised.

In fact, even if the two had not done so, he would have agreed to Kim's intention of becoming a vassal; after all, everything Kim had just said struck a chord in his heart.

Compared to the difficulty of building a trade system from scratch, taking in an established family merchant caravan would undoubtedly be much more convenient.

For the Ironthorn Territory, which had never prospered and was incredibly barren, what it needed now was rapid development.

Relying on oneself to start from scratch was simply too difficult and slow, so utilizing external forces was definitely the best way to develop.

He had previously thought about discussing a partnership with Kim, but he hadn't expected Kim to bring it up first.

As for the several reasons Kim mentioned, he knew they were sincere, but the reason that truly pushed him to make a decision was certainly the fact that Ellis had some connection with him.

Otherwise, even if Kim had the idea, he would never have used the desperate method of family vassalage.

One must know that becoming a vassal requires an oath of fealty. In this world, oaths are not empty words; if you dare to violate them at will, you will suffer a backlash.

These thoughts flashed through Lister's mind. He stood up, walked over to the two, made a gesture to help them up, and said with a smile: "Deacon Kim, Jacques, you two needn't be like this. To gain the vassalage of your Cole Family is a fortunate event that I naturally could not ask for more."

"I believe that with the help of the Cole Family, the Ironthorn Territory will definitely develop better in the future."

Hearing these words, combined with Lister's current condescending yet intimate posture, the two immediately felt a surge of excitement, as if they were scholars willing to die for a confidant.

Even Jacques, who possessed no small amount of pride, was deeply impressed by Lister's lordly demeanor and spirit.

In the next second, with expressions full of excitement, the two solemnly swore: "Thank you for your high regard, Lord. I, Kim (Jacques), representing the entire Cole Family, swear in the name of the holy light god that from now on, your interests will be our top priority, and we will remain loyal to you unto death."

"Good, good, good! With the Cole Family as vassals, it is no different than adding wings to a tiger for this Lord!" Lister said, unable to hide his smile.

With the loyalty of the Cole Family, many of the business-related money-making ideas he had suppressed in his heart could now be implemented.

He could already envision the gratifying state of rapid development for the territory following a massive influx of money.

As the atmosphere of excitement and joy gradually settled, Lister returned to the main seat and spoke: "Since the Cole Family has become my vassal, Kim, Jacques, the two of you need not refer to yourselves as 'this lowly one' anymore."

"From now on, Kim, you are the Business Foreign Affairs Officer of the Ironthorn Territory, primarily responsible for the development of trade with other territories."

"And Jacques will first serve in an assistant position. Later, based on your contributions, a new appointment will be decided."

"As for the profit distribution you mentioned earlier, Kim, it needs to be modified. We will add another twenty percent on top of the Cole Family's original twenty percent profit."

"Since you are working for me, I naturally cannot mistreat you. I have never been afraid of those who loyally follow me making too much money; rather, I'm only afraid you won't make enough."

Hearing these words, the two gained a new understanding of Lister's character once again.

From their perspective as merchants, where would one find someone who actively distributes their own interests, let alone a noble?

Full of gratitude, the two once again performed the kingdom's kneeling salute to Lister: "Thank you for your grace, Lord. Your spirit is truly rare in this world. We praise your greatness."

After cheerfully accepting their gratitude, Lister smiled faintly: "Next, tell me about your family situation in detail."

"Yes, Lord."

After responding respectfully, Kim began to introduce the Cole Family's current personnel and industrial operations. Soon, Lister had a concrete understanding.

Currently, the Cole Family's base is located in Telris, a city directly managed by the royal family, situated between the Royal City and the Western Frontier.

The core members of the family are not many. Besides the second generation Kim and the third generation Jacques, only Kim's mother remains of the first generation.

Then there are Jacques's parents in the second generation, Kim's wife, and Jacques's older sister in the third generation.

Because Kim was injured in his early years and became infertile, he never had children, which is one of the reasons why he has always treated Jacques as his own.

It was truly not easy for such a small family to manage and develop a merchant caravan industry of some scale without the protection of a noble power.

The Cole Family's primary industry was Slave trading; they had some other goods-selling industries, but the scale was very small.

Of course, this wasn't because they didn't want to expand other industries; they had tried before, but due to pressure from various sides, they were eventually forced to give up.

After Kim finished his introduction, Lister took on a thoughtful expression, while the uncle and nephew duo waited quietly.

A moment later, Lister instructed: "Kim, in the future, the Cole Family's Slave trading industry will remain unchanged, but you need to shift the focus toward the development of other industries."

"Since those conventional goods-selling industries can't gain a foothold in other territories, we will sell some new products that only we possess."

"As for what specifically to sell, I will take some time today to write a production guide and have the craftsmen of Ironthorn Territory rush out some samples in the next two days."

"You will wait until after seeing the new products before setting off on your return journey. Moreover, you will take those samples back with you to promote them in Telris first."

"I believe both nobles and commoners will like this new product, and its price will range from high to low. As for what it is, you will naturally know once the samples are made."

Hearing Lister's cryptic explanation, the two couldn't help but feel curious.

After a brief pause, he continued: "Next is the issue of the caravan's transport security. Previously, you needed to spend money to hire guards."

"For now, you still need to maintain that, but in the future, on top of hiring guards, I will assign knights from my direct Knight Squad to join the escort ranks to improve the security of the caravan's transport."

"The specific number and strength of the knights will be arranged according to your transport routes."

"As for the Cole Family's base, there's no need to relocate to the Ironthorn Territory for now. Staying in Telris will be more beneficial for the development of both parties."

"As for other ideas regarding the merchant caravan, I will give further instructions after I have thought them over carefully."

Seeing that Lister had made such thorough arrangements in such a short time, the two showed expressions of admiration: "The Lord is wise!"