Kun agreed, nodding as he said: “The effect of the Ica plains infestation will definitely give trouble to the Purcell clan, and even if they want to solve it in a short time, it won't be possible. Once this happens, some greedy merchants would hoard the supply of food and spread the news to make the food shortage crisis bigger, increasing the burden to the commoners.”
Laura frowned, she wasn't sure of what to do next if that happens. Right now, what they can do was to stock as much food supplies as they can, so when the time comes that the prices of food increase, they can sell it at the normal rate.
After two days, contrary to what they believed, they were surprised to know that the other merchants didn't spread the news, as if they didn't knew of what's happening in the Ica plains.
However, Laura received a letter from her people stating that the surrounding grain-producing areas had begun to increase their prices. Even after bargaining, they weren't able to get some supplies as the bids of the other merchants were higher.
Sadly, Laura has no way to resolve this issue. Even if she really wanted to buy lots of grains, her funds were limited. Compared to the big firms who had the backing of some aristocratic families, she has none. Even the Markey clan won't give her help, thus she was no match for the other big firms.
Laura thought that she can just buy other grains that are cheaper, like the bamboo rice. Unfortunately, she couldn't even buy a single grain. Those big firms were very thorough that they even bought the bamboo rice at a high price.
Laura tried to talk to those big firms to discuss the stabilization of the price of food in the market, but as soon as she mentioned the issue, she was immediately ignored. Obviously, these firms would not miss this great opportunity to amass wealth. In the end, even if Laura tried her best to talk to other merchants, she wasn't able to as they were avoiding her.
Seeing the situation, Laura felt hopeless. She wasn't worried about what the commoners would eat, but rather, she was afraid that once their stocks ran out, the Higanbana store will lose its reputation.
Kun was really shocked to see that the big firms would act ruthlessly and stocked tons of grains, totally not caring of whether the commoners would live or die.
Now Kun understood why the firms didn't spread the news. It was so that they can prepare and stock tons of grains, thus increasing the price. Then, once the news gets out, they will profit greatly.