The Capital of the Land of Fire, the Daimyo’s Palace.
Unlike last time, Hikaru was escorted in by guards the moment he arrived at the gate.
“Hikaru, you’ve come.”
Before Hikaru had even reached the main hall, the Daimyo of the Land of Fire came out to greet him barefoot.
“Your Highness.” Hikaru gave a slight bow.
As Konoha’s sponsor—its angel investor, its client—he could disrespect the position of Daimyo, but he could not disrespect the money in the Daimyo’s pockets.
“Please, come in and be seated.”
“Attendant, serve tea.”
The Daimyo was noticeably more enthusiastic than last time.
After all, he had already spent ten billion and lost face once—losing it again was no big deal.
That was how it worked with bottom lines; once you lowered them once, there was no bottom line left at all.
“On behalf of Konoha, I extend our sincerest gratitude to Your Highness.
Your Highness is benevolent and kind-hearted, holding Konoha and the shinobi world in your thoughts.
Konoha is deeply grateful.
As the embodiment of love and peace, Konoha thanks Your Highness for your generous contribution to the peaceful development of the shinobi world.”
“Well said, well said.” The Daimyo waved his hand with a smile.
“Hikaru, you must have had a tiring journey.
Let us first enjoy some tea and dance before we discuss business.”
He clapped his hands.
“Attendants, present a dance for our distinguished guest from Konoha.”
Before long, a group of performers entered the hall.
Music began to play, and the dancers moved gracefully.
Among them, the lead dancer caught the eye—bright eyes, white teeth, and every smile and glance was captivating.
The performance ended.
“Hikaru, what do you think?” the Daimyo asked.
“The steps were light, natural, and fluid—truly exquisite beyond words,” Hikaru replied.
“Excellent.
Exquisite beyond words—well put.” The Daimyo smiled and beckoned.
“Chizuko, come here.”
The lead dancer stepped forward and bowed her head slightly.
“This is my daughter, Chizuko.” The Daimyo looked at Hikaru.
“If Hikaru fancies her, I would like to form a marriage alliance with Konoha.”
Hikaru glanced at Chizuko.
She was indeed beautiful, but he was not a man swayed by looks.
Besides—using this to test the cadres?
Which cadre couldn’t withstand such a test?
“Your Highness, the princess is of noble birth, a golden branch and jade leaf.
I am unworthy of such an honor.”
“Hikaru, I can increase Konoha’s annual aid by two billion.” Seeing Hikaru refuse, the Daimyo quickly played his trump card.
In recent days, the Daimyo had grown increasingly anxious.
What status should he hold in relation to Konoha?
No—Konoha had too many ninja and too much military might.
If they turned against him, he could not withstand them.
As a vassal of Konoha?
No—he was still a ruler of a nation.
He could not lower himself to that.
After much deliberation, forming an alliance with Konoha was the best course.
And the most reliable alliance was through marriage.
Hence this performance.
If Hikaru married his daughter, he would be his de facto father-in-law.
No matter how overbearing Konoha became, they would not overthrow their own father-in-law.
Unfortunately, Hikaru had not taken a liking to Chizuko.
“Your Highness.
I currently have no intention of taking a wife.
However, regarding your offer to increase annual aid by two billion, I thank Your Highness on behalf of Konoha.
Konoha assures Your Highness—as long as Konoha stands, Your Highness’s safety is guaranteed.”
“Incidentally,” Hikaru shifted the conversation, “Konoha has a business proposition for Your Highness.
I wonder if you would be interested?”
“A business proposition?”
“Konoha has been seeking to attract investment and commerce.
If Your Highness takes the lead in establishing a presence in Konoha, and then encourages the nobles of the Land of Fire to do business there as well…”
“This…” The Daimyo hesitated.
He ruled over the entire Land of Fire, and Konoha still relied on his aid every year.
Konoha’s little business ventures did not impress him much.
“Your Highness, please don’t be too quick to refuse,” Hikaru said calmly.
“Your Highness, what do the minor nobles, the landowners, and the merchants of the Land of Fire lack most?”
“What do they lack?”
“Status, of course.
Scholars, farmers, artisans, merchants—no matter how wealthy those merchants become, they are still looked down upon by the common people as vulgar upstarts, people of the lowest class.”
“Your Highness is correct.
What they lack is something that can elevate their social standing.”
“Hikaru, but the noble titles of the Land of Fire cannot be granted without merit.
It would violate tradition.
Our titles have been held for generations by established feudal lords.
To casually bestow new titles would cause discontent…”
“Your Highness misunderstands.” Hikaru smiled.
“Besides noble titles, what else can represent a person’s social standing?”
Before the Daimyo could answer, Hikaru continued: “It is the things recognized by the upper class—ornaments they wear, objects they collect, refined foods and drinks.”
“Your Highness.” Hikaru withdrew a small tin canister from his sleeve.
“This is a type of tea produced in Konoha. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
I have named it ‘Xiaoye Tea.’ The leaves are tightly rolled, the brew is clear and bright, the aroma delicate, and the aftertaste lingers long on the palate.”
“Your Highness, if from this day forward, both the Hokage and Your Highness were known to drink this tea, do you think the nobles and merchants of the Land of Fire—and even the ninja clans—would rush to buy it?”
The Daimyo’s eyes lit up.
“Not only would they buy it, they would blindly follow the trend.
They would fear being seen as uncultured.
This would be not just about drinking tea—it would be about status.”
“Your Highness is most perceptive.” Hikaru nodded.
“Konoha wishes to partner with Your Highness in this tea business.
Konoha will handle transportation and exclusive supply.”
“Hikaru, how would we proceed?”
“Step one—build momentum.
Starting tomorrow, we will spread the word—the Hokage has recently taken a liking to ‘Xiaoye Tea,’ drinking it daily and praising it endlessly.
Lord Hashirama Senju also treasures it, calling it ‘the Sage Art of teas.’ Lord Hyuga paid a fortune to acquire a canister, and even Your Highness has sent envoys to specially request it.”
“Step two—showcase.
Your Highness need only serve this tea at tea ceremonies, banquets, and clan gatherings, and offer a few words of praise.”
“Step three—restrict supply.
Let it be known that this tea is produced in extremely limited quantities, and most of it has already been reserved by us major families.
To buy it, one must wait in line—and pay a premium.”
“We will follow through with hype and promotion.
Once the word spreads—’The Hokage drinks no other tea; the Daimyo is never without this tea’—which clan head or noble in the shinobi world wouldn’t want to get their hands on some?”
“The Daimyo of the Land of Fire drinks it.
The Hokage drinks it.
You don’t?
Then you have no taste.”
“Those above set the example; those below follow.”
“The nobles will naturally follow the trend.
Once they embrace it, the wealthy merchants will believe that drinking this tea is a symbol of status and prestige.”
“Hikaru, what about the pricing…?”
“This tea is priced at thirty thousand gold per tael.
Konoha will market it as Hokage’s Special Reserve.
Your Highness can designate it as a tribute item.
All you need is to establish a trading company in Konoha exclusively selling this tea, and the profits will be split fifty-fifty.”
This was not business—this was free money.
All he had to do was drink tea and collect a massive share of the profits.
Moreover, the nobles, eager to curry favor with him, would scramble to buy it—not only would he make money, he would also see who his true supporters were.
Then those nobles wanting to buy tea would have to send people to Konoha.
Those people would have to spend money—to spend money, they would have to invest, buy shops, buy houses, and that investment would become fixed assets.
This was how you attracted investment.
This was economic entanglement.