CH 135

Chapter 135 – Bluff, Nego, and Cheap Wine

“Customer. I’m terribly sorry. May we speak over there?”

No! That’s the guild master’s room on the second floor, right? I don’t know what it is, but he’s going to find out about my cheat skills and tell me to sell Othello or make mayonnaise or something, and my peaceful days will be ruined, won’t they?

I thought so, but I was guided to a common space in the corner of the floor.

It was an open space with only a pair of wooden benches, a table, and a partition. Moreover, the person I was talking to was a macho, young, handsome man. I was a little disappointed.

“Kerg-san, can you bring us some tea, please?”

The macho handsome young man sat down on the seat across from me.

“My name is Inos, acting guild master of the Commercial Guild.”

“I am Takefu. This is my partner, Myrril.”

There was no sign of physical trouble, so I gestured for Myrril-san to sit down, but she refused.

No, it’s okay; just take your hand off the submachine gun. You’re not some legendary assassin, so don’t peek around with the shielding behind you.

“Let me conclude what you asked earlier. Kingdom coins can be exchanged. It depends on the type and amount.”

“It doesn’t have to be that much. I had some trouble before I came here and lost some of my belongings, so I don’t have much on hand.”

“If it is the capital to restart your business, it would be gold coins. I see. Were you a peddler in the kingdom? Or did you open a store?”

There is something strange about the way he approaches me. He is smiling, but he seems to be probing something.

Besides, I can sense that the merchants and officials around me are listening. My impression is that there is no malice, but there is a sense of caution.

Yeah, I don’t know. It was too obvious.

So, I chose what I thought would be the worst of all first-time negotiating tactics.

“Hey, Inos-san. I confess, being a merchant is my side job. So I’m not very good at probing into people’s minds. Let’s be honest with each other.”

“Hmm. What do you mean?”

“How much do you know? No, what do you think you know?”

“…..!!”

…Oh.

I was wondering how competent you are to be acting guild master for someone so young, Inos, but I guess you didn’t have the patience for agitation. His face turned bright red with a smile on his face, and blue veins appeared on his temples.

I search for signs of my surroundings, but all I find are disappointment and surprise—no feelings of anger. No one was coming at me.

So what was that?

I get up from my seat and bow to Inos-san.

“Sorry. I apologize for the rude manner in which I probed you, even if it was for my own protection.”

“…No.”

“I understand. You must be anxious because you lack information. After all, there are no more people coming in and out of the kingdom. But I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors that the kingdom has collapsed.”

“…..”

If exchanging information for money is a business, you can’t be silent there. You have to blurt it out or deny it.

Well, okay.

I’m not a merchant; I came here to be an adventurer. My day job is as a demon king, but I’m off the job right now.

“Well, you’re not going to get any information from me. There are no merchants in the northern part of the kingdom… Well, at least the only one who is safe is Merel.”

“Is that Merel, the Chairman of the Merchants’ Association? From the empire? Then the information he recently gave me about the kingdom’s collapse is…”

“It’s true.”

The merchants and staff members gasp in unison at Myrril’s bombshell statement.

Inos-san, who probably has more than just his personal assets on his shoulders, kept his eyes downcast and did not even look at me.

“Can’t you trust me? Well, I understand how you feel. There is a distance of hundreds of miles between the kingdom and… the “wilderness between the kingdoms,” or a dangerous buffer zone where magical beasts roam. There is no way to go there to check it out, and there is no guarantee that you will be able to return once you get there.”

“…Yes. But…”

“I don’t know how much of the kingdom’s coinage is held in the Republic, but the danger of its value plummeting cannot be ignored. That would be, well, true. By the time information arrives in the spring, it may be too late, you know?”

I don’t know who stands to gain and lose when the economy of a neighboring country collapses, and I don’t want to know, but at least no one is going to sit it out when they find out that the foreign currency they hold is only worth bullion.

Whether you decide to exchange it for money, convert it to supplies, or salt it away while waiting for recovery, the sooner you make a decision, the better.

As long as the information is accurate.

“The king has been killed by the Demon King, and the royal capital has been reduced to almost uninhabitable ruins. The northern part of the kingdom will not be able to recover politically or economically.”

“My kingdom’s gold coins are… finished…”

Somewhere in the room, a voice murmured like it was the end of the world.

In their hearts, everyone was probably feeling happy or sad in their own way, but there was no further noise in the quiet room. The air was completely funeral-like.

I had never shopped at markets other than Simon’s before, so I didn’t really feel the difference in value between gold and silver coins, but I guess it is because the currency used in this world is divided between the wealthy and the common people. The general public lives without having the opportunity to come into contact with gold coins.

The exchange ratio changes greatly with political and economic changes, and when it does, the difference between gold coins and other currencies is huge.

If I only report on the economic collapse, don’t I become information asymmetric?

“…But the southern noble territories are almost unscathed. On the contrary, they have been drained of the kingdom’s pus and are now on a firm footing. They will be restored under the leadership of Duke Lemore, who became the standard bearer for the overthrow of the monarchy, and Marquis Yerkel, who will serve as his deputy. Surprisingly, they may intend to use the current economic collapse as a weapon. The mint and gold mines are under their control. And yes, the rebels have always had the upper hand in battle, so the granaries in the center of the kingdom are untouched.”

“…That’s not all… bad, is it?”

“Yes. As far as I know, the nobles of the southern territories who have taken over the helm of the country are at least better, more honest, and more industrious than that foolish king.”

The heavy air, which had been hard and tense, began to loosen. As far as the information provided is concerned, this should have brought the interests of the two countries back to a level of zero. I don’t know the rest.

“Now, I’ve given you the information I have. Free of charge. Because I am not here as a merchant. I’m just a drifter on my way to register with the Adventurer’s Guild. But…”

As I smile at him, Inos-san’s face, which had begun to regain its color, begins to pallor slightly again.

“If the information that I have given you out of the goodness of my heart has turned out to be to your disadvantage. I will not come here anymore. Not me, not my products, not my information, not anything.”

I place the bag full of the kingdom’s gold coins on the table.

“Well. Can I have some money exchanged? For the time being, I’ll just wait and see.”

The acting guild master just stared silently at the bag of gold coins. About 100 kingdom gold coins were placed in front of him. How much he values it is the value to me and, by extension, the value of the Republic’s commercial guilds.

“And this is just a small token of my greeting to my fellow merchants of the Republic.”

As if to make matters worse, I placed a small wooden barrel next to the bag of gold coins. It holds about five liters of cheap wine, which is used by the kingdom’s military. It’s a low-grade product, but it doesn’t matter what’s in it now, as it’s distributed to the soldiers in place of perishable water.

“…Takifu-san. …Who in the world are you?”

I wonder if Takifu is a Republican accent.

At any rate, the staff of the commercial guild would have recognized and remembered the fact that I had entered the building empty-handed. They knew what kind of merchant I was.

“I’m a broke middle-aged man who drifted into the Republic with dreams of becoming an adventurer. …At least, for now.”