Chapter 48: The Customs Union

But the brilliance lay precisely in the fact that the illiteracy of the common people didn’t matter. Those scions who had been stripped of their authority and could only idle their lives away in hedonism, as well as the ambitious nobles and merchants—they could read!

Su Na would lower the factory price of paper and support a group of close allies to develop related industries, increasing production to drive prices down even further. Once block printing type-casting matured, guided by publishing houses, the printing of various books would inevitably experience a mini-boom.

If necessary, she could even print a batch of publications extolling the kingdom—either upon request or proactively—to garner greater trust.

When the time came, all she had to do was launch a massive print run and distribute them once the channels and audience had been cultivated. By the time the kingdom discovered it and attempted to issue bans and fines, it would be far too late.

The sold copies of The Social Contract would act as hidden seeds, silently developing and growing in the dark, needing only a single catalyst to break through the soil.

Motherfucker, you want to play monopolies with me? Eat shit!

After the incident with the gift, Su Na could clearly feel that Princess Caitlin’s frequency of appearing around her had significantly increased. However, the sharp-eyed Yulia had been guarding her like a hawk.

She even insisted on dragging Su Na along in a group just to use the restroom. Sometimes, Su Na truly couldn’t understand these little quirks between girls.

Then there was the matter of downsizing the alchemy laboratory. Su Na, who had been called in for a “cultural lecture,” only felt a sense of regret. But the pure-minded Lucy took it hard; losing more than half of her friends in an instant, she cried until the heavens darkened and the earth spun.

No one actually said anything against Su Na; it was the academy that directly issued a public notice calling her out by name, and Su Na herself received a demerit. The demerit was essentially useless, but it was quite effective at being annoying—at the very least, it disgusted Su Na thoroughly.

However, the academy’s move was undoubtedly effective. Seeing that Su Na—the massive “sucker” who had clearly done a good deed—was still punished, the others naturally gave up on their ideas, which was exactly what the academy wanted.

Otherwise, if you all showed such enthusiasm, wouldn’t it make them look stupid?

Yet, while being held accountable by the academy, Su Na also noticed some inconsistencies: Margaret’s story and the academy’s official stance didn’t entirely match up.

According to the academy, as a student of the Magic Department, she had absolutely no right to run any sort of alchemy laboratory, even under the guise of an exchange, study, or mutual aid group.

But the fact remained that she had managed to set it up, without encountering any obstruction beforehand, and she wasn’t overly pursued or held accountable for it afterward.

The only logical explanation was that her mentor, Margaret, had used her own name to cover up the procedural loopholes for her. It was only later, when Su Na threw money around so lavishly that the team expanded at a rate beyond anyone’s expectations, that someone with ulterior motives finally reported it.

Thus, Mentor Margaret had been helping her all along, she just hadn’t said it aloud. Perhaps retaining even these few had meant taking up all of her own apprentice slots.

Su Na exhaled, secretly feeling that her previous words had been too harsh and utterly devoid of consideration for others.

Given how “chunibyo” Mentor Margaret had been in her youth, her passion for alchemy was undeniable, and her heart was likely not at ease either.

According to the information Caitlin provided, not everyone below was satisfied with this arrangement. But so what if you weren’t satisfied? If you’re so capable, go chop them down.

You might be right, but you aren’t the one in charge. That phrase truly applied anywhere. The weak simply had no right to speak; even if it was unreasonable, what could they do?

Hoping for them to compromise was far less reliable than hoping Su Na would one day lock onto their coordinates and drop two rounds of “Truth” on them, cremating even the stiffest of upper lips.

Her time studying passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the holidays arrived. Su Na and Levi took the teleportation array and rushed back to Fafnir Castle without delay. By this time, the castle was already housing a large number of lords and their families from various territories in the northwest.

Meanwhile, outside the castle, in the inns of the newly widened and rapidly developing industrial city, a massive number of trusted officials from various territories had taken up residence. Gathering so many figures with actual power in one place was naturally for one specific matter: the “Customs Union.”

A Customs Union, true to its name, was an alliance of allies advancing and retreating together under a unified set of customs standards. Of course, it entailed far more than just that, but that was the primary goal.

The issue of customs had actually been a long-standing one. In the past, there had been no connections between the various territories; everyone governed autonomously or semi-autonomously, setting taxes however they pleased. As long as they paid their fixed quota of taxes to the kingdom, no one cared.

However, with the explosive leap in Fafnir’s productivity and the exponential increase in trade and communication, the various checkpoints and chaotic taxes severely hindered the circulation efficiency of trade routes. Different systems of measurement also severely obstructed the formation of a unified commodity market.

Particularly troubling was the massive smuggling network spawned by these issues, which caused the various lords and city masters endless headaches.

After all, chaos meant profitability. Just the price differences created by varying measurements across territories were enough to drive droves of people to risk their lives smuggling goods. Furthermore, the heavy transport of metallic currency was prone to robbery.

These profits represented tangible losses; they couldn’t even get half a copper coin from them. Resolving these issues formed the foundation that allowed the Customs Union to be brought to the table for discussion.

Naturally, Su Na would not miss this event, especially since she was the one who had proposed it in the first place.

In her view, abolishing the chaotic customs duties between the various territories was a basic requirement. At the same time, she aimed to achieve the goal of tax-exempt imported raw materials. Otherwise, the port entry taxes confiscated from Fafnir’s merchant ships arriving every season would amount to an astronomical figure.

Fafnir territory wasn’t stupid; how could they possibly absorb that cost themselves? So, this tax was added to the supply price of their products, effectively meaning that everyone was collectively footing the bill to feed the Tanix territory.

And it wasn’t just that. For every bizarre tax imposed by a territory, Fafnir would add a corresponding markup to the supply price for that specific territory. In the end, no one made a profit, costs continued to soar, and things that originally cost one unit of money now cost two, indirectly slashing their own profit margins.

Therefore, during the initial talks, discussions regarding the abolition of customs duties and the policy for tax-exempt raw materials went quite smoothly, with practically no points of contention.

The Tanix family did have something to say, but no one paid them any mind. Now that the trade routes were vast and everyone had money, if pushed too far, switching to a different port wasn’t entirely impossible.

However, the other proposals Baron Kaibuli put forth, based on materials written by Su Na, sparked considerable debate. The primary objectives were threefold:

First, to unify weights and measures, strictly adopting the Fafnir metric system: meters, millimeters, grams, kilograms, liters, and milliliters, eliminating the need for measurement conversions. Fafnir would distribute template tools, and the various territories would follow up and convert them on their own.

Second, to use gold as an anchor to introduce a gold-standard paper currency, printed and issued by an established Joint Bank, to replace the current metallic currency trading model and accelerate the portability and circulation of commodity trade.

Third, to establish unified commercial laws applicable within the alliance, reducing excessive interference in the commercial market from official territorial administrations.

These three points, combined with the earlier customs agreement, would integrate the various territories into a regional, unified entity through commercial trade, advancing and retreating together.