Chapter 343: The Son of a Beach
Novigrad, the "Gem of the North," was a prosperous and thriving commercial hub that bordered Redania.
The so-called "Just" King Vizimir of Redania dreamed of annexing Novigrad, but he had never found the right opportunity. If Novigrad fell into chaos, Vizimir would undoubtedly seize the chance to intervene.
"But if we leave Whoreson I alone and Dudu doesn't show his face, then Lord Lynn's assets could be taken away. How will we explain that to him when he returns?"
Just then, a voice from outside the room cut in. "Explain what to me?"
The people in the room were stunned and looked toward the door. They saw a travel-worn Lynn enter.
They immediately stood up. Roche let out a sigh of relief. "Lord Lynn, you've finally returned."
Lynn nodded at the four of them. A subordinate of Schapelle, who had followed Lynn in, brought a chair into the room and placed it by the round table. He bowed to the four men, then exited the room, closing the door behind him.
Lynn sat down on the chair, and the others followed suit.
"Schapelle, on the way here, your man told me you seemed to have run into some trouble. Come on, tell me, what's wrong?"
Schapelle exchanged a look with the other two before beginning his tale.
It turned out that more than a year ago, when Lynn had met Dudu and appointed him as his professional manager, giving him a large sum of money to develop his assets, Dudu had wasted no time in making his mark on the city.
He did very well, quickly establishing a number of businesses and enterprises for Lynn. Although they weren't large in scale, their rapid progress drew the attention and wariness of Whoreson I, one of the city's three major gangs.
Whoreson I's full name was Alphonse Willy. He controlled all the city's casinos, fight clubs, and brothels, giving him the strongest power and best financial standing among the three gangs.
However, because he was cruel, ruthless, and had sadistic tendencies, people secretly gave him the moniker "Whoreson I." Naturally, no one would dare call him that to his face.
Through his subordinates' investigations, Whoreson I learned that Dudu was a professional manager working for a certain Baron Brandon of Toussaint. Since the Baron was a nobleman, Whoreson I initially resorted to a more civilized approach.
He tried to bribe Dudu, asking him to cook the books and give him a cut of the profits. Dudu, of course, couldn't be bought.
After being rejected several times, the arrogant Whoreson I became enraged. This was when he started playing dirty, which included but was not limited to: threatening and intimidating the workers Dudu had hired, bribing cooks to put laxatives in the workers' meals, and having his men repeatedly report to the city council, causing inspectors to show up at the businesses every other day.
He also deliberately spread rumors among the citizens, trying to frame Dudu as a blood-sucking merchant, claiming that Dudu's superior was a Toussaint nobleman and that everything Dudu was doing was actually a prelude to Toussaint's occupation of Novigrad.
This last rumor, though seemingly absurd, was the one most people believed. For starters, people are naturally cynical of the "mainstream" narrative. Many people even detest and mock anything they see as "positive" or "uplifting," while conspiracy theories usually find traction among people of all ages.
Even in cases where the facts are public and undeniable, the common folk will always believe there's a conspiracy behind it.
Second, while a quick glance at a map would reveal that Toussaint and Novigrad were thousands of miles apart, and Toussaint had never had any external ambitions, let alone the ability to manage an enclave across several Northern Kingdoms, the geographical knowledge of these people was abysmal.
Even in the twenty-first century, there were plenty of Americans who couldn't even grasp basic geography, so one couldn't expect these easily-swayed commoners to know how far Toussaint was from Novigrad in an age when accurate maps were only in the hands of nobles and merchants.
It had to be said that Whoreson I's dirty tricks were very effective. Though Dudu was a genius when it came to business, he had never experienced these down-and-dirty corporate tactics, and was so overwhelmed and exhausted that the businesses began to suffer.
In the end, it was Schapelle who suggested that Dudu hide for a while and that the workers be given a month's paid leave, sending them home temporarily to avoid Whoreson I's wrath. But staying in hiding wasn't a long-term solution.
Dudu had only given the workers one month's paid leave. What about the month after that? He couldn't just keep paying them not to work. Even a gold mine would eventually run out.
So, the group gathered to discuss how to deal with Whoreson I.
Technically, the identity of Baron Brandon of Toussaint should have been enough to deter any small-time thugs. And it was. Dudu's businesses had run smoothly until now. Other foreign merchants who had just started doing business in Novigrad would have to deal with all sorts of nasty things, but Dudu rarely encountered any. He relied on the Baron of Toussaint's name as a deterrent.
But Whoreson I, a local kingpin, was a different story. He was taking advantage of his position as the most powerful of the three gangs and the fact that a move against him would put a group in opposition to all three gangs. That's why he was trying to take advantage of them.
There was one other option, of course: to compromise with Whoreson I. But Drek and the others hadn't even considered it. They were not weak, helpless civilians who would let a mere gang boss walk all over them.
"If you need me to, I can bring you Whoreson I's head." Drek said.
The Syndicate had now bought off all the beggars and vagrants in the city. Although Whoreson I controlled many businesses and mostly stayed in his manor, he still had to leave occasionally.
While Whoreson I had watched Dudu's business grow over the past year, the Syndicate had also compiled a record of Whoreson I's movements. After hundreds of revisions, their predictions based on the travel log were over 90% accurate.
(End of Chapter)
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