89 Episode 88 Warehouse and Miniaturization

"...... Are you really human?

That's rude.

It's just that I'm a little more serious now that I've reached S rank.

It's just that my first attempt at magic with a long duration worked better than I expected.

What am I if not a human being?

I'm just a normal human with a lot of magic.

Obviously not a normal human. ......

I'm not sure I can speak for others, since this adventurer is also a former resident of Desibatore.

I'm not sure what to make of this.

The people of Desibatore are also insane in the eyes of ordinary people. It's just like that.

That's what I'm talking about. ......

You seem to have been convinced.

The rest is the work of the Chamber of Commerce and the local adventurers, so my job is done after giving the report.

Normally, we should have had a party afterwards, but the residents had evacuated and there was no time for that, so we broke up.

At this rate, the outbreak will not be too much of a burden for me.

The only hassle is that I'll be stuck here for almost a day.

If I just cast a spell that lasts longer and go home, I can handle it in just the time it takes to get there and back, but I'm afraid of failure.

While I was thinking about this, I arrived at Photoren.

There's something strange about .......

There are a lot of people here.

Is there some kind of event going on?

To find out, I entered the city through the gate and walked to the place where there were many people.

Then, I began to understand the situation. It didn't seem to be an event.

I couldn't see what was at the head of the line, but all the people lined up were merchants pulling carts and wagons.

The line seemed to be moving slowly, but without stopping.

There were many people in the line, but it seemed that the number of people in the line was not as large as it appeared from a distance, because it was stretched by the carts and wagons.

Judging from the length of the line from afar, it would take less than an hour to get to the front, but I couldn't bring myself to go that far just to see what was going on.

If I went to the trade fair, I would at least know what was going on.

So I left the line and headed for the Kaede Chamber of Commerce, but again my steps were blocked by the crowd.

These people seemed to be ordinary people, not merchants.

The line was still moving, but ...... at this rate, it would take me four or fifty minutes to reach the store.

I briefly considered giving up the usual route and taking a side road, but the terrain of Photoren is rather complicated.

Taking an unfamiliar path was not a wise choice.

So, I decided to fly.

Although it is not common in Photoren, which is close to Decibatore, there are some people who take shortcuts by flying.

As I was flying, thinking that I should check the reason for the queue since we were going in the same direction anyway, I saw the head of the queue.

Coincidentally, it was the same place as my destination - rather, it was the Kaede Chamber of Commerce.

In the hands of the people leaving the business, there was a bag with something in it.

I say "something," but I can only think of one cause. Sugar.

I left for Soltia just as the sales were being set up, but I had no idea there was such a commotion.

I couldn't bring myself to go in through the main entrance, and the back door was full of employees coming and going, so I went upstairs through an open window.

I could hear the noise from the first floor, but the second floor seemed to be relatively calm. It seems that a lot of work is being done at the site.

Kaede Trading Company doesn't only deal in sugar, and we don't want the headquarters to be clogged up with sugar-related problems.

Kaede, ......, where are you coming from?

The back door was busy, and I couldn't bring myself to go in through that front door. ...... But it looks like it's a big deal.

It's a big deal. It's tough because it's just now starting to sell, but I think it will settle down once it's spread to a certain extent.

Well, I guess that's what you get when you open a store that sells rare things.

The line will not be as long as it is now.

In fact, it would be annoying if it did.

I saw the merchants' line, too.

Now that I think about it, there must have been a warehouse used for sugar production where the procession of merchants was headed.

"Yeah. The Kaede Merchant Association is growing, but it's not a large merchant association with sales channels all over the country. Besides, if we make too much money on our own, people will resent us.

So it's just right to spread the profits around.

I don't think it would be easy to assassinate me, but there could be other insidious methods besides targeting Mercia and using force.

Do it. I'm afraid of incurring the wrath of the big merchants.

I think the Kaede Chamber of Commerce is pretty well-liked by both the common people and the Chamber of Commerce at the moment.

I think they're running around pretty wild. ...... Are they well liked?

I'm sure there are people who don't think it's funny that a recently established business association has grown to such a large scale in no time.

"Yes. In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site. I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to get the best out of it. ...... And there's no business association that would want to make enemies with you, Kaede.

"...... me?

It's a good idea to take a look at the actual information on the web, as well as the information on the internet.

I'd say that only a few percent of the countless merchant councils in the world have anything to do with me.

I'm sure there are only a few out of countless merchant associations that have anything to do with me. ...... Incidentally, other than combat power, there are cases where the information is not accurate, but we leave it as it is because it is convenient.

What kind of misunderstanding is that? ...... No, I kind of get it.

If I heard a rumor that the owner of that merchant association burned down an area the size of a city in a few seconds without any prior knowledge, I wouldn't think that the owner was mild-mannered at least.

The only person who actually fought people, aside from bandits, was the son of a nobleman's drummer, but it's hard to imagine that rumors can convey that much.

It would be nice if they would refrain from making enemies out of fear, but I'm not convinced.

How about taking some kind of image strategy?

For example, dashing into a town where demons have appeared, burning them down (of course), and smiling at the burning ground and burning demons behind you: ...... would be counterproductive.

It's not about combat power, it's about waiting for your image to become normal through commerce.

Apart from the current queue, is there anything else you'd like to change?

We'd like to add a warehouse to handle sugar. Our budget is covered by the sales, but it's a bit big, so I'm asking for Kaede's permission.

A warehouse.

It may be a big investment, but looking at the sales of ...... Zunana grass and the sales of sugar, it doesn't seem that big.

I'm sure Mercia would not be reckless enough to leave this much to me.

You can add one or two warehouses at your own discretion. ...... You say that as if there is something other than a business association.

Yes. I'm not sure what to make of this.

It's not that they have a close relationship with the Tubai Chamber of Commerce, but they were one of the major merchants that participated in the creation of the artifact.

I'm not sure if it's related to the Tubai, but I believe it was one of the big merchants that participated in the creation of the artifact. Tubai is the city we stayed in on the way to Herrera from Ein, but the Tubai Chamber of Commerce is a remnant of their old headquarters, which is now in the city of Dry.

"...... How?

In the event that you're not sure what you're looking for, there are a few things you can do.　For the three structures?

Or perhaps you don't think that the binding magic stone can be used for ......

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I think it's a good idea. The details of the method have not been disclosed, but Catherine said that the magic tools department of the Tubai Trading Company is originally excellent, so it might have been a normal success.

It seems that it wasn't a bonding magic stone.

However, if there are merchants that excel in simple processing techniques, should we consider collaborating with other merchants ......?

I'm not going to monopolize bonding stones forever anyway, and I'm going to start selling them in the near future, even if I have to keep the process secret because of the problems of abuse.

In the first place, the production of artifacts seems to be moving forward, but the ultimate goal is to create a magic freeze and create a system that can survive the appearance of dragons again and again.

For that purpose, cooperating with a trustworthy merchant association was an option from the beginning.

Well, it's not too late to try the magic stone of Arktorrent.

...... Let's just ask Catherine for more information. Technical matters are Catherine's domain. Are there any more topics related to the Chamber of Commerce?

"Yes, we can handle the rest on our own. I think Catherine is in the workshop.

"Mm, .......

When I entered the workshop, Catherine was looking at the magic tools with a difficult look on her face.

It's a good idea to take a look at your own personal life.

The size of the magic stone is not large, but considering what I heard earlier, it might be from the Tubai Trading Company.

Is this the research of the Tubai Trading Company?

That's right, ......, Kaede?

I've heard they've completed the three structures. Catherine's seen it, so I thought I'd ask her about it. What's it like, the triad at the Tubai Workshop?

Well, the ...... itself isn't very powerful. The output of the artifact itself is large enough to fool the average person, but the operation is unstable, like a magic tool made by a beginner.

So you're saying it's no big deal?

No. It's unstable, but the technology used is probably very advanced. I've only seen it from a distance, so I can't be exact, but I think they've shrunk the magical structure itself a bit.

Miniaturization, you mean.

If the technology becomes more stable, this could be a great weapon.

I'm thinking of joint research. ...... What do you think?

"There are things we can do independently now, so I think we should wait and see. I think it's better to wait and see. If you show them the binding stone and ask them for help, they probably won't refuse.

If it's ......, then I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

It's hard to imagine that it's too late, because the binding stone we have seems to be a very strong card.

It's hard to believe that it's too late, unless someone else succeeds.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to use it.

As he said this, he took out a few of the larger stones that had fallen from the outbreak.

There will be more outbreaks in the future, and if these can be used for artifacts, then we can use them as much as we want.

Catherine picked up one of the stones, looked at it, opened her eyes a little and put it on the desk.

Then she picked up another one and looked surprised as well.

When she had finished examining all the stones, she tilted her head slightly and said, "These are wonderful stones.

It's a wonderful magic stone. It has a lot of magic power, and I think it's of the highest quality, except for the one from the sublongue. ...... Is this from a fire demon?

Maybe not, but why?

The quality is definitely great, but the attributes are too biased towards fire. I've never seen a magic stone like it.

Most of the demons turned to ash before I could see them, so I can't say that they aren't fire demons, but I don't remember seeing any fire demons.

I've never seen a fire demon in my life.

...... Hmm?　Fire?

That's the attribute I used to eradicate it. ......