In truth, when it came to funds, aside from support from his family, the City of Gold, Shandora, was also a huge treasure.
However, for now, Valthior had not thought of a safe way to bring it down from the sky, then move it from the first half of the Grand Line all the way to Wano.
Without a perfect plan, that City of Gold really could not be touched so easily.
Because that wealth was far too terrifying. If even a little news leaked during transport, it would cause a shock no smaller than Roger becoming Pirate King, and the whole world would shake.
The World Government would certainly become interested in that money. If Saint Nusjuro, the Warrior God of Finance, noticed it and asked him to send the gold over, or hand over part of it for him to arrange, how would Valthior respond?
If he refused, the other party was also one of the Five Elders and had enough power behind him. That could very likely cause some of Valthior's later plans and silent agreements with the World Government to collapse.
If he agreed, Valthior was not that generous. This was not a small amount of money that could just be shared without care. The wealth of the City of Gold was large enough to shake the economy of the sea.
At least matters with the World Government could still be discussed, but if ruthless people like Shiki or Whitebeard learned about it, a world-shaking battle would be hard to avoid.
Especially Shiki. If that guy touched the City of Gold even once, Valthior might never see that gold again. Shiki could lift it into the sky in one breath and let it float around everywhere. Who could find it then?
If Whitebeard sank the City of Gold into the sea in one move, that would also be a disaster.
In short, moving it to Wano without anyone noticing was still a very hard matter, so Valthior had no plan to touch it for now.
"Also, have Spencer search the sea for Issho…" Valthior thought for a moment, then added this order.
That man's ability was extremely useful. He was the Press-Press Fruit user. If Valthior could take him under his command, then he would be able to safely move that huge fortune back and use it to support his grand plans.
"Yes, Young Master," Lincoln immediately replied.
"How much income did we make last year?" Valthior asked again.
"Thirty-seven point two billion Berries," Lincoln said with some regret.
"Why so little? Is no one buying Seastone?" Valthior asked, sounding unhappy.
"Seastone still sells very well. It is just that Frost Island used to be too closed off, so the trade routes have only just opened, and the trade volume has not risen yet. This year should be better. As for those high-quality stones, there really are no buyers, Young Master," Lincoln said helplessly.
Wano had been closed to the outside world before. Even though the stone it produced was among the best in the world, it had no fame.
Without fame, who cared how good the stone was?
No one would spend money to buy a ship full of stone from here and transport it to another island to sell. That would be foolish. For this kind of thing, either it had to be sold in huge bulk, hundreds or thousands of tons at a time, to earn a profit through volume, or it had to become famous enough that nobles and rich people liked it and were willing to pay high prices for it to show off.
Other than that, no one would care about Wano's stone.
Valthior stayed silent for a moment, then tapped his fingers on the table a few times and said, "Looks like I need to contact my dear friends and relatives, and help build some reputation for these stones…"
If his "good big brother" Figarland Garling, along with Shepherd Sommers, Gunko, Maffey, and the others, all used stone from him in their homes, then it should start a trend in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
And Mary Geoise was the place that nobles around the world looked to for fashion. Once something became popular there, it would soon spread through noble circles everywhere.
Once that fame rose, the large amount of stone Wano had stored up over hundreds of years could steadily be turned into money.
Thinking of this, Valthior no longer hesitated. He immediately took out his Den Den Mushi and made a call.
...
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The residence of the gods, the base of the Holy Knights, Shangri-La.
As the leader of the Holy Knights, Garling usually did not return home much. Most of the time, he stayed at this base.
After all, he could still enjoy the highest level of treatment here, so it was no different from going home.
Back then, after the battle on Whole Cake Island, Sommers and the others had talked about becoming pirates in the New World, training themselves, and catching up to Valthior, their junior.
But in truth, if they really had that kind of spirit to endure hardship, they would have left the ranks of those who were slowing down long ago. Why would they need to wait until now to suddenly wake up?
In truth, after wandering around the New World for a while, they felt that sailing was far too dull and boring, so they all returned to Mary Geoise to enjoy themselves again.
Today was another peaceful and lazy day, so Sommers, Garling, and the other members of the Holy Knights had gathered together, chatting and wasting time.
They were just discussing whether they should visit the Sabaody Archipelago and buy a few slaves for fun when the Den Den Mushi on Garling's desk suddenly rang.
The moment the Den Den Mushi rang, Garling's body straightened by instinct.
His status was high enough that people below him in Mary Geoise would never call him directly. They had to send a formal request, make an appointment, and wait to see whether he was interested in speaking with them.
Because of that, the Den Den Mushi was mostly just decoration. Usually, only the Five Elders, his father, or other elders would contact him like this.
Over time, Garling had developed a habit. Whenever the Den Den Mushi rang, he assumed it was one of his superiors calling him.
Naturally, his attitude had to be proper.
But after sitting up straight and glancing at the Den Den Mushi, Garling's expression suddenly became surprised.
"Valthior!?" Garling said in shock.
It was not only him. Sommers and the others nearby were also surprised.
"Well, well, has the sun risen from the west today? That guy Valthior actually contacted you first?"
"How does he still have the nerve to contact me…" Garling said with an unhappy expression.
After the battle on Whole Cake Island, he had learned from Gunko that his other son, Shanks, was on Roger's ship.
After that, he had contacted Valthior many times, wanting to ask about the situation and why that bastard had lied to him. In the end, he could not get through at all.
So now, seeing Valthior calling him, Garling felt a little pleased inside. He even wondered whether he should refuse to answer and leave that bastard hanging for a while, letting Valthior taste what he had felt.
However, after hesitating for a moment, Garling still did not dare ignore the call. What if Valthior was calling to return his son?
He reached out and picked up the Den Den Mushi, then said in a low voice, "Valthior?"
"Ah, Brother Garling, it has been a long time since we last spoke. How has your health been recently? Have you run into any trouble? If you have, remember to tell me. I will help you deal with it. With the bond between us, you really must not be polite!" Valthior's voice came from the other side, sounding extremely warm.
Garling froze for a moment.
The bond between us?
Damn it, on Whole Cake Island, you cut me down without leaving me any face at all. You also lied and said you did not know where my son was. How can you still talk about our bond?
Not far away, Sommers almost laughed out loud.
"What do you want from me? Also, my son is on your ship. How could you lie and say he wasn't!?" Garling took a deep breath and spoke in a very stiff tone.
"What son? Who?" Valthior asked, acting as if he had no idea.
"Shanks. That red-haired boy on your ship is my son!" Garling said through gritted teeth.
"What kind of joke is that? Brother Garling, you are so handsome, and your golden hair makes people jealous. How could you have a red-haired son? That boy was picked up by the Roger Pirates in the West Blue," Valthior said, still pretending not to know.
Garling froze again.
Wait… I really never described my son's appearance to Valthior, and I never showed him a picture of Shamrock either… No, that's not right!
That bastard never answered my calls, so how was I supposed to describe him? Even the few times we met, I got beaten before I could say anything. Who am I supposed to blame for that?
"In any case, he is definitely my son. When you found him, wasn't his name stitched onto his collar? He also has a twin brother named Shamrock, and the two children look exactly alike…" Garling said through clenched teeth.
"Ah… really?" Valthior sounded as if he could not believe it. "No wonder I always felt close to that child when I saw him. Do not worry. He is living very well with me and has not suffered at all. When I go to Mary Geoise one day, I will bring him to you so you father and son can reunite."
Garling froze.
He had thought Valthior would keep making excuses, but in the end, Valthior directly said he would bring Shanks back to acknowledge his father when he had time.
Did he really not know before that Shanks was my child?
Now that I think about it, that might not be impossible. After all, the child has red hair, while I have blond hair, so they do not look connected at first glance.
Could I have misunderstood Valthior?
That made Garling feel a little awkward instead, and he said, "Then I will trouble you. I will wait for you in Mary Geoise…"
"Mm, mm, just wait. I will definitely go!" Valthior said with great certainty.
As for when he would go, Garling could just keep waiting. After all, the old man had already told Valthior not to return to Mary Geoise no matter what.
If Garling had anything to say about that, he could go talk to Saint Saturn.
"Then why did you call me today?" Garling's mood had improved, and his tone also became friendlier as he asked with a smile.
"Ah, it is like this. In Wano, which is now Frost Island, I found a kind of stone that is really good and suits the taste of us Celestial Dragons very well. Not long ago, I used it to build a palace, and it turned out quite nice. Since we are all friends, I thought I should share good things with you. So I wanted to let you know that in a few days, I will arrange a fleet to send a batch of the best stone to Mary Geoise. You can use it for fun, build something with it, pave a road, or whatever you like…" Valthior said with a smile.
After chatting for a while longer, Garling looked at the Den Den Mushi after the call ended and felt a little confused.
He had received many gifts before. Countless people begged for a chance to send him gifts, yet could not find a way in.
But what those people sent were usually antiques, works of art, or other rare items.
Valthior, on the other hand, was sending them several ships full of stone?
What was going on?
"Is this how people give gifts?" Garling asked Sommers and the others.
Sommers said without much care, "Valthior is not asking you for anything. He probably just saw some good stone and thought of us."
Garling thought about it and felt that made sense. In terms of status, Valthior was the young master of a Five Elders family, even above him, so there was no need to overthink it.
On the other side, Valthior put away the Den Den Mushi and said, "Have the family build up the reputation over there, then start raising the price. From now on, this stone will sell well throughout the noble circles…"
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