Family And Brother

After bidding farewell to Uncle Müller, Edward once again set out to seek a new venture. This project needed to be one that could generate quick profits and also support a team.

Edward always remembered the words of a great man from his past life: "Leave land, and both people and land perish; leave people, and both will survive." Only with a team could a business continue to expand.

Edward began to recall the financial strategies of the Jewish people. To make money, one must rely on finance, on power, and on products. The worst mistake is to depend on skills or physical labor. Those who rely on skills are simply glorified tools, and those who depend on physical labor are nothing but pure tools.

In modern America, Jews have built a close-knit network; executives of nearly all successful companies are Jews. The least capable Jews, those who cannot make money, tend to become doctors, exploiting the American medical system and using their prescription powers to sustain themselves. (Essentially, they too rely on power to make money.)

The Jewish people have truly mastered the art of wealth accumulation.

The beer industry was no longer an option, so Edward began surveying various factories. Having been involved in factory operations in his past life, especially dealing with exports to America, Edward instinctively started searching for factories to take over in Lübeck.

However, the world in 1370 was one of scarcity, where factories had no trouble selling their products as long as they could produce them. Edward wanted to acquire stakes in some factories to gain purchasing rights, but at this time, businesses were family-owned, and the concept of stock ownership did not exist.

He soon encountered a problem. In Lübeck, there was not a single factory—regardless of its nature—that was willing to sell goods to Edward. It was all due to the lack of connections; even with money, goods could not be purchased.

"I'm sorry, we reserve our production for familiar faces.""Apologies, we have no surplus."

Edward then realized that the only reason he was able to buy goods during the previous beer war was because of the Night Pearl Tavern's backing. Now, as an independent entrepreneur, he couldn't even secure goods.

At this point, Edward felt the true nature of the scarcity economy.

He began to think about what resources he could offer. Suddenly, it occurred to him to use his brother, Baron von Stein's estate. The family farm produced grain every year and needed merchants to sell it.

Now that he had the capital, he could engage in this business. It seemed he would need to return home.

...

Edward went to procure a cart and horses. Eventually, he purchased two horses and a large wagon, completing his transport setup for a total cost of 100 gold coins—equivalent to one million in modern purchasing power.

Once again, Edward sighed inwardly, lamenting how expensive everything was in this scarcity-driven economy.

He continued with his trade, still relying on the Jewish goldsmith's shop for large-scale transactions, which reduced his gold from 4315 to 4210. He withdrew 5 gold coins for daily expenses and used another 10 gold coins to hire 10 mercenaries as guards. His remaining total was 4200.

Don't laugh—Edward wasn't afraid of death. The lands of the Holy Roman Empire were filled with bandits and highwaymen who would rob merchants of their wealth. Many of these robbers were farmers by day and bandits by night, transforming when merchant caravans passed. Some were even nobles—knights, barons—who would simply rob merchants when the opportunity arose.

(Edward chuckled, recalling how, in his past life, he had played as a lord in a game called "Mount & Blade" and often raided merchant caravans himself. Ah, the karmic retribution...)

Looking at the risks in the business environment of 1370, the balance between risk and reward was truly precarious. The nascent capitalist era seemed to have emerged unexpectedly in Germany—this fact was almost unfathomable.

This, however, explained the rise of the Hanseatic League. While piracy existed at sea, it was far less dangerous than the lawlessness on land, where robbers and suspicious nobles lurked at every corner.

...

Edward's brother's estate was located near a small village in Holstein, not far from Lübeck. This meant that the risks Edward faced were primarily from farmers-turned-bandits.

Driving the cart, Edward, accompanied by his ten mercenaries, leisurely traveled along the rural roads. Fortunately, the original Edward had been skilled at handling a cart and riding horses. Otherwise, learning these skills as a modern man would have taken much longer.

The ten mercenaries proved effective in deterring any would-be thieves. After a full day and night of travel, they finally arrived at Baron von Stein's estate the next day.

In the lord's office, Edward sat across from his brother.

"Since father's death, you've been in Lübeck for many years, and this is the first time you've come back," the baron said, his voice filled with emotion.

"Brother, I've made a fortune in Lübeck, and I've found a way to make even more," Edward said, smiling.

"You never change. Was it only when you made money that you decided to come back? This is your home! By the way, have you married yet?"

"Not yet. I've returned for something important."

"Then get married soon. Didn't you make a lot of money? I'm already married, and the family is shrinking. With only us left, the estate could be taken over by another family."

Edward: ...

The reality of ancient society was truly harsh. The elder brother was the father. Even though the baron was only one year older than Edward, his tone was that of a father. Upon returning home, he was already being urged to marry.

"Brother, let's discuss serious matters. I've come back to take over the family's grain business. Now that I have money, I can purchase all the grain and transport it to Lübeck to sell."

"You always like to involve yourself in menial work. What's the point of making money as a merchant? But fine, I'll let you replace the previous merchant and sell grain for the estate. However, you must promise me that you'll continue your martial training."

"But I'm a merchant now. Isn't it unnecessary to train in combat?"

"Do you know that Denmark is eyeing Holstein? If war breaks out, I'll be called to fight the Danes. If I fall in battle, the estate will pass to you. Can you protect our family's lands under the watchful eyes of other barons?"

"Alright, I promise."

"Everything for the family!"

"Brother, I need a team—a team I can trust. At least 10 highly skilled guards, 1 butler, 4 maids, 1 accountant, 1 lawyer, and 5 clerks."

"Are you bringing them all to Lübeck?"

"I need to expand my influence quickly. It's not enough to just have money in the city; I need people I can absolutely trust."

"Alright, as long as you can afford them, I'll arrange it for you."

"Rest assured, the salaries will be according to the city's standards. Thanks, brother. When you have the chance, you should come to the city."

Edward felt a rush of happiness—finally, he had his own team and wouldn't need to hire mercenaries anymore. Mercenaries were too expensive, and even though 10 gold coins felt like a loss, Edward knew his life was worth far more than the gold.

Now that he had his own people, he could save that 10 gold coins.

The cost of a cartload of wheat was 33 gold coins, and Edward could sell it for 40 gold coins in Lübeck. If he sold it in Sweden, he could fetch 60 gold coins.

By ensuring that his employees made multiple trips, this trade route could form a steady cash flow. If they made three trips a week, Edward could earn a profit of 21 gold coins each week, even if it was just within Lübeck.

With three carts transporting goods per trip, his weekly profit could rise to 63 gold coins.

This would easily cover employee costs and all other expenses, generating a surplus. With this, Edward would have more time to build even more cash flow models.

This is the nature of business—small efforts accumulate over time, and one small cash flow model after another eventually forms the foundation of a vast and prosperous business empire.