They want iron ore? Daisy and Muller frowned at the same time. They hadn't expected Dahlia to want iron ore; this was going to be difficult to handle.
Currently, although the iron mines in the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom were controlled by three dukes, it didn't mean that these three ducal families had the right to export the iron ore. Iron ore exports had always been strictly controlled, and the only person who could make that decision was the current king. Only with the king's approval would the iron ore be allowed to be exported; otherwise, it was impossible.
If the king found out that a duke had secretly exported iron ore to other countries, the lightest punishment upon discovery would be the revocation of more than half of their mining rights. In severe cases, they could even be executed.
"Iron ore? That's impossible," Daisy refused directly. There had been no precedent for iron ore export so far. Even if she wanted to give it, she couldn't.
"That is truly a great pity," Dahlia frowned, not expecting the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom to be so strict.
"Iron ore export..." Muller muttered to himself thoughtfully, as if contemplating something.
"Princess Daisy, since you want to gift liquor to the king, here are three bottles of first-tier Whispering Dawn. You can consider taking these." Dahlia's eyes flashed. Was she giving up?
Of course not. Lucas had entrusted this matter to her, so there was no reason to give up. If something couldn't be accomplished immediately, she could slowly use bait to lure them. As long as the temptation was great enough, nothing was impossible.
"First-tier Whispering Dawn? Does Whispering Dawn even come in different tiers?" Daisy asked in astonishment.
"Yes, Whispering Dawn is divided into three tiers in total. The one you just tried, Princess, was the second-tier Whispering Dawn. And these three bottles are the first-tier Whispering Dawn." Dahlia gestured to the bottles in her hand.
Daisy's eyes shone. Beside her, Knight Alan took a bottle and popped the cork. Immediately, a rich, mellow aroma of alcohol drifted out, far richer than the previous bottle.
"Tsk tsk... Good liquor!"
Then, Alan took another small sip. This time he couldn't hold back and exclaimed, "Fine alcohol!"
"Let me try." Muller took the glass in amazement and also took a sip. His eyes immediately flew wide open, filled with pleasant surprise.
This first-tier Whispering Dawn was a fine alcohol he had never tasted before. The Whispering Dawn he had drunk previously at the Iron Hammer Tavern was only the second tier.
"The aroma is so intense, and the taste is even more intoxicating."
"Is it really that good?" Seeing their expressions, Daisy also took a sip.
"It really is delicious."
After trying it, Daisy could only marvel. This first-tier Whispering Dawn was stronger and spicier than the second-tier one, and the flavor was significantly better.
"How much of this first-tier Whispering Dawn do you have?" Daisy was tempted. If her father drank this, he would definitely get addicted.
"The production of the first tier is not high. This time we only brought fifty bottles," Dahlia said casually. As for how much liquor was actually on the ship, the true quantity was for her to decide based on the situation.
"Fifty bottles." Daisy's breathing hitched slightly, and her eyes sparkled.
Similarly, Muller couldn't remain calm either. He had originally thought there would be at most a few bottles of such fine alcohol. He didn't expect there to be a full fifty bottles! And from the looks of it, it seemed the other party could brew even more.
"Daisy, I think regarding the iron ore export, we can talk it over with them," Muller whispered in Daisy's ear.
"Alright." Daisy frowned slightly, but ultimately gave in to the temptation of the fine alcohol.
"Why don't we find a quiet place to discuss this in detail?" Muller turned his head and said to Dahlia and the others.
"Sure." Dahlia's eyes flickered; this was exactly what she wanted.
Soon, Dahlia ordered her people to pack up their things. The group left the West District market in a grand procession and headed straight for the tavern.
Inside a private room, Dahlia, her two female companions, Kasi, along with Daisy, Muller, and Knight Alan, began their negotiations.
"Princess Daisy, exporting iron ore might not be a bad thing for your Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom," Dahlia said, getting straight to the point.
"How so?" Daisy narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Princess Daisy, you must have noticed that over the past few years, the economic level of your Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom has begun to decline," Dahlia said in a deep voice. This was exactly what Lucas had analyzed for her.
"This... Father has mentioned it to me." Daisy hesitated for a moment but still nodded.
"Princess Daisy, do you know why this is?" Dahlia asked suddenly.
"I... I don't know." Daisy shook her head. She rarely paid attention to such political matters.
"The Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom, despite controlling vast amounts of iron ore resources, rarely exports them to other countries. The vast majority is consumed internally, right?" Dahlia said nonchalantly.
"A portion is made into weapons and sold to the mermaid folks," Muller suddenly spoke up.
He was very much in favor of exporting iron ore. Or rather, several grand dukes were highly in favor of it. Exporting iron ore meant there were gold coins to be earned.
"That's true." Daisy sighed.
Dahlia continued, "The trading of iron ore is all conducted within the kingdom. It is precisely because of this that your kingdom cannot develop. Wealth will not grow; instead, it will only decline."
"The iron ore trade is all within our kingdom; why would the wealth earned be less?" Daisy was puzzled.
"Although your Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom has plenty of iron ore, as far as I know, it seems you lack the production capability for daily necessities like linen cloth. You basically rely entirely on imports. The amount of gold coins spent this way is massive, and a large amount of wealth flows into the hands of merchants from other countries. The wealth generated by iron ore cannot keep up with this consumption. How could your wealth possibly increase?" Dahlia stated calmly. All these words had been taught to her by Lucas, and she herself had studied them for a long time before fully grasping the concept.
"This..." Daisy opened her mouth but unexpectedly couldn't utter a single word of rebuttal. Thinking carefully, everything the other party said seemed to perfectly highlight the current weaknesses of the Deepstone Dwarf Kingdom.
"Muller, do you think so too?" Daisy looked at the silent Muller beside her.
Muller was stunned for a moment. After a pause, he also nodded. His father had already discussed this issue with him, but the king was very stubborn, and all such suggestions had been rejected.
Daisy fell silent for a moment before speaking up, "I will go back and talk to my father about this."
Hearing this, Dahlia and her two female companions exchanged glances, simultaneously seeing the joy in each other's eyes.
"Could you give me a bottle of liquor that is even better than Whispering Dawn?" Daisy looked at Dahlia and said.
"Sure. And these things here might be of some help to you in persuading your father." Dahlia nodded, pointing to the items inside a nearby box. Among them was a bottle of Bamboo Tube alcohol, priced at one gold coin.
Besides that, there were also things like lollipops and instant noodles.
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