Reborn In 17th century India with Black Technology - Chapter 775

Chapter 775: Kimbugwe Kamegere (2/2)
Nganga soon came back to his senses and shook his head. “Due to Krishna’s blessing, I am doing very well, Your Highness. Thank you for your hospitality, but I have come on official matters,” he paused for a while and mentioned. “It is about a trade deal. I wonder if you are interested in it?”

Kimbugwe did not mind that he was rejected. Instead, he grew curious. “Oh? What sort of a deal? If it is beneficial to the kingdom, I would definitely agree.”

Nganga smiled. “It is definitely beneficial to the kingdom.”

“Your Highness, I do not know if you are aware or not, but your kingdom possesses a resource called crude oil, which the Bharatiya Empire requires.”

“If you are willing to allow the Bharatiya Empire to mine the resource, then you could obtain 10% of all the proceedings from selling the products made by crude oil.”

Kimbugwe did not immediately respond. Even if he wanted to stay on good terms with the Bharatiya Empire, he would not irrationally agree to anything, Just because he wanted to stay on good terms with the Bharatiya Empire he wouldn’t be less cautious. On the contrary, he would be more cautious—this was his nature, and nothing could change it.

“Could you please point out where this crude oil you speak of is located?”

Nganga nodded and took out a map of the Buganda Kingdom. “It’s right here.”

Looking at the place, his eyes immediately lit up because, coincidentally, this was actually the place where the chieftains rebelled under his command, and he had to wipe them out. Now he completely controlled this area. ‘But what kind of a resource is this crude oil?’ He could not remember anything of value in the region.

‘Wait, it has oil in the name. Could it be… it is a liquid and not a solid? In that case, could it be that…’ An image of a black gooey substance bubbling out of the ground immediately appeared in his mind. The locals called it the Devil’s water, but he thought it was the magma that his ancestors spoke of in myths and legends.

‘Bharatiya Empire could use this… as expected of a world-class power!’ The image of the Bharatiya Empire in his mind couldn’t help but become more mysterious and awe-inspiring.

He was almost ready to agree, but at the last moment, he caught himself. ‘The black gooey substance… I have only seen it in one place all my life, and I haven’t seen it even in the neighbouring kingdoms and empires. It is definitely rare. Can I get more benefits?’ His eyes brightened, and his smile widened.

“It can be agreed, but…”

Nganga didn’t know what the old king was thinking, but when he agreed, he was overjoyed because he had been prompted that the resources that would be tilted towards him would depend on whether he could negotiate the matter properly with Kimbugwe. However, when he added the last word, “but,” it was almost as if his heart skipped a beat.

“But?” Nganga questioned without any emotion on his face, but he was feeling like he was **** blocked or constipated.

There was a lot riding on this deal. Along with him, dozens of agents travelled to Central Africa representing the Bharatiya Empire. Some succeeded in convincing the rulers, while others failed. Those who failed were given different tasks to redeem themselves, while those who succeeded were given their merit and were one step closer to gaining a higher ranking, thereby gaining a higher position in the strongholds that were currently under construction in Central Africa.

The positions in the stronghold were contended fiercely by the agents because they could still remember His Majesty promising that in the future, if the strongholds reached the required standards, he would not mind letting them become kingdoms or nations under the Bharatiya Empire’s umbrella, with the best-performing agents becoming their kings or monarchs.

This was the ultimate dream of all the agents. Those who failed or got no results in both their operations decisively gave up competing for the position of stronghold governor and immediately searched for agents they could serve. If they couldn’t be monarchs, they would at least be ministers. Nganga, who had succeeded in his first mission and had already proven that Timbuktu had stopped the slave trade in its empire, was already in the lead for a governor position in the stronghold.

The trade deal for crude oil was a pie from the sky for him, one that would solidify his ranking. From here on out, unless he made a big mistake, the position of one of the stronghold governors would be his. So, it was no surprise that this trade meant a lot to him—not only because it would solidify his position but also because it meant he could attract more and better talents to his side.

He did not look down on his fellow agents who had failed their missions. From experience, he understood that although most of the missions were similar, the places where they had to conduct them were different. There were too many variables since every place had different conditions, and at the end of the day, the deciding factor came down to what place each agent was assigned. He was just lucky to meet his old king, who was cautious and intelligent, and he was even luckier to come across such a resource as crude oil. Others who had not been as lucky as him might not seem as appealing on paper when looking at their mission track record, but he knew all of them were very capable. So, he was looking forward to completing this mission and attracting as many of them to his side as possible.

Kimbugwe did not know what was running through Nganga’s mind, but he made his own thoughts clear. “Can the percentage of earnings be increased? I will not ask too much—just increase it by 5%. I will thank you and the Bharatiya Empire on behalf of the people of Buganda.”

Nganga immediately let out a sigh of relief. ‘Thank Krishna, it’s only a difference in profits.’ He wiped the imaginary sweat from his face and proceeded to explain cheerfully.

If Kimbugwe had other conditions, like the Bharatiya Empire giving discounts on weaponry or helping him defeat his neighbouring countries, then he would be embarrassed. But it was only the issue of profit distribution; this was not too difficult to discuss. He was allowed to make the decision as long as the percentage did not exceed 20%. However the lower he gives out, the better his performance would be, and that is what he was looking to achieve. He had already set his own final number at 15%. Even though he could agree to the 15%, he wanted to see if he could keep the 10% by using some wordplay that had been taught in the diplomacy course he had attended.

“Your Highness, I believe you are missing a crucial point when you are asking for higher profits.”

“And that is?” Kimbugwe was confused. Did he miss the point? He didn’t know. He couldn’t be too sure. If it was before he met the people who looked just like him but were from the Bharatiya Empire, he would say that it was absolutely impossible for him to miss something. But now, he would not dare say that he knew everything. He had successfully transformed into a good student at the end of his career.

“That is the point that the Bharatiya Empire will be trading with you, and if we are extracting the resources from here, more Bharatiya people will be coming to the kingdom, thereby bringing in more resources.”

“Also, if this deal is settled, isn’t this the foundation for both our nations to increase our trade? Maybe in a year, the Kingdom of Buganda can officially establish a diplomatic connection with the Bharatiya Empire. And maybe, from all the money you will be obtaining from letting the Bharatiya Empire extract your resources, you can even buy industrial products from the Bharatiya Empire, thereby starting your own industrial development.”

“What’s more, wouldn’t this also be a bridge for the people from Buganda to travel to the Bharatiya Empire?” Nganga painted a beautiful picture. “Just imagine in your mind how beautiful it would be if your son, the heir of this kingdom, were to study in the best schools and colleges in the Bharatiya Empire. How capable would he become?”

“I don’t have to tell you which is more precious—5% more profit or a bridge for your kingdom to connect with the Bharatiya Empire?”

Nganga made it seem like Kimbugwe was getting a huge benefit, but in reality, even if he were to give up the 5% profit, the benefits he promised would not decrease. No matter what, the technicians from the Bharatiya Empire would definitely have to live in the Buganda Kingdom, and trade would definitely improve with or without the deal. But Kimbugwe was too happy to notice.

“Haha! It looks like I was being too greedy.”

“I want to thank you wholeheartedly for enlightening me, Mr. Nganga. Please accept my gratitude.”

“I am more than willing to accept the deal proposed by the Bharatiya Empire.”

Nganga immediately smiled like a sly fox. “On behalf of the Bharatiya Empire, I thank you for it. I promise you will not regret it, Your Highness.”

“In at most a week, I will come with a lawyer and a diplomat in order to officially sign the agreement.”

“Now then, I have other important matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave.”

Kimbugwe got up and personally walked Nganga to the gate.

Just when Nganga was about to board the carriage and leave, Kimbugwe couldn’t help but ask a question.

“Your Highness, what is the opinion of the Bharatiya Empire on the civil war that is going on in our neighbouring countries?” He wanted to ask what the Bharatiya Empire intended to do, but he decided to be more tactful.

Nganga was taken aback, but then he smiled. “The Bharatiya Empire will not get involved with the internal affairs of any kingdom.

“Your neighbours can settle their matters on their own. We will not get involved, no matter what happens, unless slave trading is happening on a large scale.”

The carriage soon left, but Kimbugwe stood in the same spot, staring. He felt like Nganga was hinting at him to attack his neighbouring kingdom, implying that they would not care. But was this just Nganga’s opinion, or was it the stance of the entire Bharatiya Empire? He was not sure.

His blood boiled. Even in his old age, he felt like he had come across the biggest opportunity of his life—an opportunity to double the size of his kingdom. But he had to be cautious.

‘Let’s test the reactions of the Bharatiya instructors in the kingdom first.’

After deciding on his action plan, he quickly went into the manor, not to anywhere else but straight to the room of his son. Talking to Nganga had made him realize that his son’s future would be much brighter if he had more knowledge about the world and its workings. An idea formed in his mind: in a few days, when the agreement was signed, he would ask Nganga if he could enrol his son in one of the schools or colleges he had just mentioned.

P.S. I have been lazy in giving my thanks to the lovely gift-givers. Readers, feel free to cuss at me.

But—

Thanks to Rishabh_Mandal for the IceCola.

Thanks to Godfather_75 for the IceCola.

Thanks to veteran legend its_a_joke for 2 freaking Inspiration Capsules!