Mediterranean Hegemon of Ancient Greece Chapter 1239: Conflict of Interests

Among the merchants in Thurii, Theos maintained the closest ties with the kingdom's officials, particularly with the Ministry of Military Affairs. And now, he was even a relative of the king.

"I don't have any inside information," Theos said earnestly. "To be honest—and don't take offense—your brother lacks any outstanding military achievements. He only made Legion Commander by advancing on seniority. Usually, it's very difficult for someone in his position to become a Senator. But thanks to you, he has a great chance..."

"Me?" Sostratus asked, confused.

Theos lowered his voice to explain. "You provided massive support during the kingdom's expansion. Take the Greek War, for example. You repeatedly organized massive fleets to transport the army to Greece and Thessaly. You continuously helped ship supplies. Later, when military rations ran low, you used your position as president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce to organize many of the kingdom's merchants, buying up huge quantities of grain and providing it as a loan to the state. You helped the Ministry of Military Affairs weather a severe crisis... You did the same thing during the war in Gaul, and the Ministry of Military Affairs certainly hasn't forgotten. If you can get them to strongly back your brother's entry into the Senate, his appointment as a Senator is practically guaranteed."

Sostratus's eyes lit up. He knew the military Senators formed a crucial power bloc within the Senate. With the backing of the Ministry of Military Affairs, this matter was as good as done.

Beaming, he immediately pulled Theos toward the drawing room in the rear courtyard to discuss the details.

Due to his business needs, Sostratus's mansion had two dining halls. The one in the front courtyard was used to entertain the merchants in his vast distribution network, while the drawing room in the rear courtyard was reserved for receiving important guests.

After taking a seat, however, Theos's expression turned serious as he brought up another matter. "Sostratus, haven't you gone a bit too far with what you're doing to Dicaeopolis?"

Sostratus wasn't surprised; he had anticipated Theos bringing this up. He immediately defended himself, "You are completely wronging me. I have no grudge against Lord Dicaeopolis whatsoever. On the contrary, I respect him greatly. He voluntarily yielded the position of president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce to me, and I am not someone who repays kindness with enmity. Look, over the past few years, my fleet has transported the pottery from his workshops to the Greek Mainland and Ionia for sale. The sales volume has increased every year. I've helped him open up new markets and earn vast sums of gold. Would I do that if I had a grudge against him?"

Hearing this, Sostratus suppressed his rising anger and replied rather bluntly, "Lord Theos, I know you and Dicaeopolis are good friends, but you can't just speak for him while ignoring the facts. The pottery I sell is more than twice as expensive as his. How can that be called malicious competition? Furthermore, out of consideration for him, I don't import large quantities, and I only sell within Thurii. This is already the biggest concession I can make. If he's still dissatisfied, what exactly does he expect me to do?"

Theos hesitated for a moment, then sighed. "...We have all been friends for decades. You are a wealthy, prominent merchant who deals in so many different goods. Why let a dispute over pottery ruin the relationship between the two of you?"

"Theos, I have always respected your character, but what you're saying today is simply wrong!" Sostratus's annoyance was palpable. "All of you expect me to sell massive quantities of your goods to the Eastern Mediterranean, yet you forbid me from bringing goods from the Eastern Mediterranean back to sell in the kingdom. What kind of logic is that? If you are really going to act like this, then I'll request an audience with King Davos! I'll tell him that you and Dicaeopolis are vehemently demanding that no goods produced outside the kingdom be sold in the Thurii Region!"

"Wait... wait, that's not what I meant," Theos hurriedly clarified. "Look, ever since you introduced Athenian Pottery to Thurii, not only have the kingdom's elites been eager to use it, but I hear even His Majesty wants to buy from you. This is bound to start a massive trend. If things continue this way, Dicaeopolis's pottery sales in the kingdom will inevitably suffer a devastating decline. You know he has built pottery workshops in multiple towns across the kingdom. When the time comes, it will be very difficult for him to maintain such a large scale of production. He might even face bankruptcy..."

Sostratus put on a grave expression. "After the Greek War, His Majesty ordered the Ministry of Commerce to summon the chamber presidents from every town for a meeting. During that meeting, he specifically stated, 'We absolutely must not ostracize or suppress the Greek Mainland merchants coming to do business in the kingdom; instead, we must aid them to the best of our ability.' After the meeting concluded, I explicitly gathered all of you to relay this decree. Both you and Dicaeopolis expressed your full support at the time. You remember that, don't you?"

Theos nodded helplessly.

"I am simply executing His Majesty's orders!" Sostratus declared self-righteously. "Over these past few years, I haven't just been selling Athenian Pottery in the Thurii Region. I've also sold Corinthian ironware, Greek stone, Thessalian horses, and Athenian gold and silver crafts... Why haven't you protested against me? Why hasn't Inipias protested? Why is Dicaeopolis the only one dissatisfied? It's because the quality of his pottery can't match Athenian Pottery. He is afraid of competition!"

Theos gently tried to persuade him. "Over the years, Dicaeopolis has been working very hard to improve his pottery's quality. He's even refined his production processes... We both know this. But Athenian Pottery has been developing for centuries and possesses a profound heritage. It's impossible for Dicaeopolis's workshops to catch up in such a short amount of time...

"His Majesty wishes to win over the merchants of the Greek Mainland, diversify the kingdom's markets, increase competition, and give the people more choices without allowing monopolies to form... I understand all of that. But if Athenian Pottery sells too well within the kingdom, it will only drive a hardworking man like Dicaeopolis to a dead end. I don't think that's what His Majesty wants to see, either."

Sostratus felt a jolt of alarm and immediately replied, "As the president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce, I certainly wouldn't intentionally harm the interests of my members. I've been selling Athenian Pottery in Thurii for over two years now, and I've always kept the sales volume very low. I only import premium goods at high prices. The market for ordinary pottery is still dominated by Dicaeopolis; I haven't posed a major threat to him. Furthermore, I recognized this issue early on and took the initiative to approach Dicaeopolis about it several times, but he shut the door in my face over and over again, turning me into a laughingstock among the people of Thurii! I'm sure you must have heard about that!" Sostratus put on a deeply aggrieved expression.

Theos fell silent for a moment. The falling out between Sostratus and Dicaeopolis had become fodder for gossip across all of Thurii—how could he not know? He hadn't wanted to get involved in this thorny issue, but several close friends in the chamber had pleaded with him, and he didn't want to see the formerly united Thurii Chamber of Commerce plagued by endless strife. That was why he had intervened.

Now, he had to earnestly persuade him once more. "Dicaeopolis refused to negotiate with you and escalated the problem, which is certainly his fault! However, his anger toward you isn't entirely baseless. He knows perfectly well that it's impossible to only allow our goods to be sold on the Greek Mainland while barring Greek Mainland merchants from trading in the kingdom. But if any other kingdom merchant were importing premium Athenian Pottery, he wouldn't mind. It's only a problem when you do it—because your sales channels are simply too vast!

"Look at how little time it took for you to open up sales channels for Athenian Pottery among the kingdom's elites. Even if Dicaeopolis desperately improves the quality of his own wares, he can't keep pace with how fast you sell. You even sold pottery to the royal family—"

"Hold on!" Sostratus interrupted him. "I wasn't the one who recommended the Athenian Pottery to His Majesty. The chief official of the royal palace, Ribaso, sought me out himself. He gave me repeated instructions and mentioned the name of my pottery merchant partner several times. I suspect... His Majesty has known about his fellow countryman for a long time."

"His Majesty's fellow countryman?"

"Yes, the pottery merchant's name is Hesklaus, and he is a Peleusian..." Sostratus slowly explained, pretending to strain his memory. "I remember when I went to visit my brother-in-law, Hylos, I met this Peleusian merchant at a banquet. The person who introduced him to me was the newly appointed intelligence director of Thessaly, Gorgion..."

Now it was Theos's turn to feel nervous. A Peleusian merchant... recommended by an intelligence director... Every high-ranking figure in Thurii knew that the Kingdom Intelligence Department primarily served King Davos!

Theos immediately asked, "Is this... this Hesklaus a relative of His Majesty from Peleus?"

"I wouldn't know about that," Sostratus said, spreading his hands and shrugging. "I doubt even Lord Ribaso knows, though whether His Majesty knows or not is anyone's guess."

Theos furrowed his brows in deep thought. After a while, he said with a serious expression, "It seems you can't be blamed for this either. But as the president of the Thurii Chamber of Commerce, you must understand that if this conflict between the two of you isn't resolved soon, the ongoing impact on the chamber will be too severe... How about this: when he arrives later, I'll talk to him first. Then, with me acting as a mediator, you two can talk it out. Both sides will make some concessions, and we'll try to resolve this conflict tonight. What do you think?"

"That is exactly what I am hoping for," Sostratus replied, a hint of confusion in his voice. "But is Dicaeopolis actually coming today? My servants told me he never responded to my invitation."