Reincarnation of a Hunter Chapter 28.1 - Canada Bombing Operation (3)

 

Lisbon Spice Auction House.

 

The chief auctioneer held up a jar of Canadian syrup, sniffed its aroma, and tasted it.

 

“Is this Canadian syrup? Just as I’ve heard, it has a unique scent and flavor. It should sell quite well.”

 

Thanks to pressure from Chairman Vonmati, the Canadian syrup had bypassed all procedures and arrived directly at the auctioneer’s desk. Normally, this process would have taken over a week.

 

Encouraged by the chief auctioneer’s praise, Diego began openly promoting the product.

 

“It provides a sweetness similar to sugar but at a much lower price. It should work perfectly as a sugar substitute.”

 

Maple syrup could never truly replace sugar.

 

Sugar, being in powder form, is easy to store and transport. Its mild flavor allows it to blend seamlessly into any dish. Moreover, it can be stored indefinitely without spoiling.

 

In contrast, maple syrup is liquid, making storage and transportation inconvenient. Its distinct caramel-like aroma, dark color, and slight woody notes limit its use in cooking. 

 

Most importantly, it can grow mold if stored for too long.

 

Of course, the seasoned chief auctioneer couldn’t have been unaware of this.

 

But after being instructed to accommodate Chairman Vonmati as much as possible, he couldn’t exactly snap back with, “Stop pulling these cheap tricks.”

 

“Of course. I’ll make sure to explain it thoroughly to the spice wholesalers participating in the auction.”

 

Diego handed the auctioneer small jars of the Canada syrup and said, “I’d like to distribute these samples to those wholesalers.”

 

“Oh, you’ve prepared thoroughly. I’ll assist with that.”

 

“And I’d also like to request a ‘Product Prospect Report.’”

 

The chief auctioneer’s eyebrow twitched.

 

The ‘Product Prospect Report’ was a kind of economic newspaper that analyzed whether a product had investment value and suggested appropriate pricing.

 

What Diego said was a request to tamper with the report.

 

⚔️

 

“Hmm, even if it was Chairman Vonmati who asked, that’s going too far—”

 

“Why don’t you take your family on a trip somewhere with this?”

 

Diego subtly slid forward a pouch of money. The head auctioneer took the pouch in his hand, then showed signs of refusal.

 

“Ahem! Even if Chairman Vonmati asked for a favor—”

 

“Hold on a moment.”

 

Diego rummaged through his waistband and pulled out another pouch of money.

 

The head auctioneer quickly pocketed both pouches. With years of experience, he could roughly guess the amount inside and immediately changed his demeanor.

 

“Hahaha! Don’t worry. I’ll prepare the report right away.”

 

Diego grinned, flashing his teeth at the man’s words.

 

‘Just as the lord said! If money can’t solve a problem, it’s because there wasn’t enough of it.’

 

Today, Eric seemed even more magnificent in his eyes.

 

⚔️

 

Just before the Canada syrup auction began, the head auctioneer called over the spice wholesalers.

 

“Here, try this. It’s a new product—syrup called ‘Canada.’”

 

“Syrup? Did some merchant actually bring out such an expensive item?”

 

Ordinary syrup was made from sugar, so of course, it was costly.

 

“No, this one is incredibly cheap. You’ll be shocked when you hear.”

 

The auctioneer handed them the ‘Product Prospect Report.’

 

“Take a look at this.”

 

The wholesalers’ expressions turned to pure astonishment as they read the report.

 

“This can’t be! A substitute for sugar?!”

 

“Good heavens. The price is unbelievably low. It’s not even comparable to sugar.”

 

Then, the wholesalers began eyeing each other warily.

 

One oblivious merchant finally blurted out the obvious.

 

“Doesn’t this mean sugar will become worthless? We should secure the supply of Canada syrup, even if we have to buy it at a high price.”

 

“Ahem! Ahem! If the price gets too high, won’t that just make things difficult for everyone?”

 

It was a hint not to compete too fiercely in the auction. The head auctioneer, who had been listening, suddenly barked at them.

 

“These people! The auction will be conducted fairly! If I so much as catch a whiff of collusion, every last one of you will be thrown in jail—mark my words!”

 

“Oh, Mr. Auctioneer, we would never dream of such a thing—”

 

“Hmph! We’ll see about that!”

 

Under the auctioneer’s watchful eye, the wholesalers had no choice but to compete.

 

However, when it came to sugar, they had already reached a silent agreement. None of them had any intention of trading sugar for the time being.

 

This was exactly the situation Eric Marseille had intended.

 

Of course, Chairman Vonmati had helped bring the auction to fruition. But even without him, something similar would have happened anyway.

 

Merchants unfamiliar with Canada’s unique circumstances would have jumped at the opportunity out of sheer greed.

 

Now, all that remained was fetching a good price at the auction and watching as the greedy merchants scrambled to make their purchases.

 

⚔️

 

The wholesalers swarmed Diego.

 

Before the auction began, they wanted to gauge how much supply they could secure.

 

“You’re from Marseille? How much of this ‘Canada syrup’ have you brought?”
Diego pointed to the large barrels commonly used on merchant ships.

 

“We’ve brought about 500 barrels of this size, with a monthly production capacity exceeding 630 barrels.”

 

The wholesalers were stunned. The production volume was staggering—far more than Lisbon alone could handle.

But blinded by instant greed, they all clamored to buy up the Canada syrup.

 

Current sugar prices were exorbitant, while Canadian syrup was dirt cheap in comparison.

 

“We’ll take all of it.”

 

“Would you be open to contracting next month’s supply as well?”

 

“What nonsense. How can we contract for goods that don’t exist yet?”

 

Diego proposed forward contracts and explained the process.

 

“Ah, so it’s like pre-harvest agreements.”

 

“Exactly. The forward contract price for Canada will be based on today’s auction closing price. Next month, the month after, and so on—all available for contract.”

 

Then Diego presented Marseille seal, a letter of guarantee, and a letter of introduction from Chairman Vonmati.

“This should be sufficient to establish trust. You can proceed with the deal confidently.”

 

“Oh! You’re a heavyweight, I see. Hahaha!”

 

In any case, today’s auction-winning bid would absolutely not be cheap.

 

Due to the expectation that it would serve as a substitute for sugar, it was bound to sell for more than its actual worth.

 

But the wholesalers couldn’t refuse this offer. Their minds were already filled with the notion that 

 

“Canada syrup is a sugar substitute,” and “Canada syrup is cheap while sugar is expensive.”