157 (8) Travel Offers and Covenants

Three days later, on the day when the work at the Xuanrong Pavilion was formally arranged.

It is about the 22nd of the Blue Moon.

After trading questions about Camua-Josh and Totos' ownership, I decided to ask about the "traveler's diet" that I was more concerned about.

"Hmm. A traveler's diet is already qualitative. If the town and town are more than a day apart, you'll need to fill your stomach with portable food. As I may have told you before, the dried meat sold in Inn Town is typical of its portable food."

The location is the cafeteria of Kimmus's Tail Pavilion.

Instead of me, Rudd-Lou, the escort, and instead of Camus, Rayt, the disciple.

"The most common and cheapest way to eat would be to mix dried aria with dried meat in a potato boiled in water. If you can afford it a little financially, you can add rock salt and other condiments to it, but, well, don't take a guess at the flavor. Even the cheapest snacks in Accommodation Town will not be inferior to the taste of such potato juice."

"Uh, boiled potatoes, aria and dried meat? If aria and meat were raw, that would be exactly the same way to make a Giva pot you eat around the woods."

Rudd-Lou listened, not sitting in a chair, but leaning against a wall, with his mouth coming from the side.

Camua looked back at you and laughed a lot at the usual condition.

"I'm sure that's the knowledge the forest ancestors gained from the town. Otherwise, even the people by the woods wouldn't have known how much vegetables to eat to live healthy. I guess I never had a chance to buy vegetables in town until I moved to Morga Forest."

"I see. So, the cheapest and most nutritious aria and poitan became a constant food around the woods? If you ask me, I'm convinced."

To my words, Camus said, "Don't you?" and nod with pleasure.

"Humans can live without harm to their health if they eat meat with Aria, Poitan and Tomorrow. Besides, the price is cheaper than any vegetable, so I have nothing to say. Poitan juice mixed with dried meat and dried aria is not only a constant meal for travellers, but also for soldiers."

"Soldier?"

"Yes. Of soldiers fighting on the battlefield, right? Of course, you commanding noblemen must be drumming up more delicious dishes in a safe fort."

While the light mouth of the camouflage flushed appropriately, I said "I see" again and let it snap.

"But why is Asta interested in traveler eating? I don't think it's a good idea to get rid of Genos and run off to Jagal and Sims?

"That can't be true. No, actually, it's time to sell Giva's dried meat to the Sims' Chamber of Commerce folks. I was just wondering how the dried meat sold could be eaten."

"Hmm? Then I wonder if that's what we should talk about to the people in that business group? We might have different portable food fluxes in the east and west, right?

"No. Instead of eating them themselves, they plan to resell their dried meat on their trip. And then it turns out that it's the people of the west who actually buy it and talk about it, so I wanted to ask Camus what he thinks."

Then this time, Camus is more like, "I see!," he struck his hand.

"Resale. Ah. Resale. Sure. Well, the more you leave Genos, the thinner your prejudicial eye will be on Giva meat, so that could be a pretty good business."

"Really? But when you think about it, they buy Giva dried meat for the same price as Caron dried meat. If you're going to try to make money selling that elsewhere, you're going to naturally sell it for a higher price than the dried meat of a caron, right? Will that make it a business?

"Don't worry about him. Karon and Kimmus are cheap in this Genos. In a town that doesn't have a big ranch, the price of meat jumps nearly double."

I see, and now I've decided to chant it in my heart.

Needlessly, the more useful information you hear, the less likely this person, Camua-Josh, seemed to know that he was wandering around the world as a traveler for more than half of a year.

"Karon and Kimmus are raised on the ranch, aren't they? So the price doesn't really collapse either."

"Yes, yes. Famous for its great ranch in Caron is the neighboring town of Doug, though. Doug, if you run Totos, it's half a day away, so a huge amount of meat is delivered to this Genos every day.... the only thing you can say in the lodging town is caron's leg meat."

"Huh?"

"The flesh of the torso, which is softer and more delicious than the feet, has almost been bought up in the castle town. So caron meat is inexpensive in this lodging town."

That was a bit of a deafening story.

"Excuse me. So all the dried caron meat sold in this lodging town is also foot meat?

"That would be so. I only eat dried meat with travelers and soldiers. I wonder if the legs are only used on the legs, but even more inexpensive and stiff forelegs than the hind legs.... What's wrong? You look kind of harsh though."

"No. It's just that recently, in our store, we only handled Giva rose meat - that is, dried meat from the breasts. Because dried meat seemed to have a less flavorful finish with less fat feet and shoulder meat."

And yet, the one reason sales don't swing right now is why.

You took a look at my complexion, and Camus delightfully rubbed his elongated mandible.

"Indeed, the dried meat of Giva, previously given to me by Asta, tasted so much better than the dried meat of Caron, which would be sold in the Inn Town. But aren't travelers looking to buy dried meat looking for something to taste like? 'Cause when you eat it, you just soak it up with poiton juice, so they ruin a little difference in taste."

"Then how about boiled and powdered poitane always ready to eat? Then you can go on a trip and have a roasted Poitan. So, if we just water-cook dried meat and aria, aren't they both going to be delicious?

"Yeah. That's a great idea, though. But once Poitan is powdered and baked like a fuwano, so far only the people around the woods have won the technology, right?

"Oh, you did. Then we can expand this technology even more in the Inn Town."

"No, what about that, Asta?

And - the tone of the camouflage changed only slightly.

The smile is also switching to it, which is terribly calm and aging, rather than the usual neat feeling.

"Asta is now selling Guiba's food in the lodging town. If it sells 100 meals, it will result in 100 meals, if it sells 200 meals, it will not sell carons or Kimmus meat. Still, why do you think Asta and the others can keep doing business without anyone interfering?

"Why - is that because the people by the woods are scared by the people in town?

"Probably not. As I was telling you, it's Doug's people selling meat in town. Of course, the people of Genos who sell snacks in the stalls may be angry because of the drop in sales. But most snack stalls are the kind of shops that the innkeeper or something opens to add to his household, so even if he closes them, yes, he won't get lost in the street."

"Ha..."

"In the same way, it wouldn't be enough loss for a Doug human to make a blind eye. Genos isn't the only business partner for them, so just a few of the dozens they sell a day, plus cheap foot meat sales drop. It may be a little bit, but it's not a story that I can complain about more, so I just need to hit one of the tongues. … but I think you should be a little more cautious about expanding your business in Poitan"

How so? And I asked with my eyes.

Camua lays one elbow on the wooden table and smiles quietly.

"We grow the fruit of Fuwano because we are from Castle Town. The cheap Poitan is grown by the people of the town, while the expensive Fuwano is grown by the people of the castle. If the people of the town knew about the deliciousness of Poitan and stopped eating any fuwano, someone from the nobility who manages the farm in the north would be devastated. You can somehow imagine how dangerous that is, can't you?

"That's well - I don't even know..."

"No, nothing, I'm not saying absolutely not, am I? I'm just saying that it's dangerous to imitate that at a time when you're about to reconnect with the people of the castle. At the very least, I think we should keep it in the corner of our minds to say that the method of cooking Poitan deliciously can be a blade against nobility."

…………

"There are times when you need a knife to live. But if you use it incorrectly, it can hurt your allies. We should be careful how we handle it."

That said, at the end of the day, he was a mule laughing at garlic.

◇

After saying goodbye to Camua, several women were waiting for her when she returned to Fa's house.

"Hey, you arrived a lot earlier....... yeah? What is it?

"Yes, it's the promised dried meat"

It was the women of my family who asked me to make dried meat to be wholesaled in the Silver Kettle.

From the Chamber of Commerce "Silver Kettle", orders have been received for as much as forty kilos of dried meat. So, I thought this would be a good opportunity to distribute the wealth, and I decided to ask each family not only to procure the meat, but also to make the dried meat itself.

"Thank you. Well, let me check one at a time."

Invite the ladies indoors while transporting commercial tools with Li-Sudra.

It was the women of the three families, Fou, Rats and Gaz, who were gathered together. The Rats and Gaz ladies, not too close to home, actually, this is the first look.

"First, then, from me," the women of Fou offer a sack like hemp for adding vegetables.

When I opened my mouth, there was dried meat rolling around inside.

Grab one of them randomly, cut into about palm size, and first sharpen the edges with a small knife.

It is a lump of meat as hard as wood, draining moisture to its limit with pico leaves and salt, and smoking it afterwards.

When the slice was put into his mouth, the flavour of strong salt, the flavour of vanilla and the flavour of condensed meat twitched.

Taste is fine. Looks like he used meat that drained his blood properly.

Then, and now place the dried meat on the board and break it from the middle with a small knife.

Truly, it is a tremendous firmness.

It was also a testament left that was well dried and consolidated all the way inside.

"Yes, that's just it. Good luck.... Uh, wait a minute"

Select the copper coin from today's sales and hand it to the Fou family ladies.

"There are seven white and red copper coins each. Make sure."

"... yes," the women had turned out to be as hard as dried meat.

Seven white and red copper coins at a time.

If converted into horns and fangs of Giva, it is roughly the price of six heads.

Selling so much dried meat is not. So the opportunity to get such a price is not the case in the future either. Even if there is, next time I will mediate work in another house.

That's something I put down to the point where my mouth gets soaked when I ask for a job, but nevertheless, it would certainly be a reward for breaking.

"Okay, next person, please"

There was no problem with the dried meat that the women of Rats and Gaz had brought with them.

The ladies each pressed a copper coin with a more appeased look than joy.

"Asta, I think you'll get dried meat from Sudra tomorrow, thank you very much"

Instead sitting Li-Sudra lowers her head correctly at the fold.

At that time - the door of the house was knocked from the outside.

"It's Ama Min-Rutim and four women from the family of Luu. Is there an ai-fa or asta?

Oh, Ama Min-Lutim again, I'll lift my hips.

Yesterday and all yesterday, Ama Min-Rutim is visiting Fa's house. Yesterday I took three totosses, and yesterday I took one toss.

I cautiously pulled open the doorboards, but fortunately, there were only women by the woods.

but about one, had an unexpected face.

It's a fine, little girl - Rutim's family, Zwei - with brown hair tucked into onion-like shapes.

"Hi. I never thought I'd see you three days in a row. What happened today, Ama Min-Rutim"

"Yes. I came with this family Zwei escort today. I really want to ask Asta a question....... but first let me do the work of these people? She came to deliver the dried meat because it was finished."

It was the women of Lilyn, Mufa and Maham, who were completely unfamiliar to me, even in the family of Luu.

In assigning the task of making dried meat, I wanted to give priority, if possible, to my family members who are in difficulty in their lives. Only Fou, Rats, Gaz and Sudra were able to successfully drain Giva's blood by the due date. So he asked the Lew family for the remainder. It was, of course, the consideration of Mother Meer Ray who turned the job to a family not as rich as Lou and Rutim.

"Yes, you don't have a problem. Good luck, everyone. If you get another chance, thank you."

"Welcome, thank you.... Um, Asta at Fa's house, is it annoying to let you tour your work like this...?

That's what I've been saying, Maam's ladies.

"Fine," I say, then I look back at the silent Zwei.

"Before that, it's you, isn't it? What the hell are you talking to me about?

Is this a serious story or something about the Sung family?

Zwei said, "Hung!," he snorts, putting his thin arms together in front of his thin chest.

"I'll tell you what, long story about Atashi, yo? It could take till sundown, but still?

"That's troublesome. I have to do some planting for tomorrow and get ready for dinner."

"Then while you're at work. But I just want you to listen, sir! Because Atashi is not even willing to go back to Rutim's house until he hears a convincing answer!

It looks increasingly disturbing.

I had no choice but to get ready to work and listen to Zwei's valve as I minced Aria first.

"Asta at Fa's house. You've given seven families the task of making dried meat this time, sir? I'd like you to check it out for me."

"Huh? Are we talking about a dry meat job?

"Right, yo. What else is there to talk about, Sa?

It's only been about six days since the death of Tay-Sung, who was also Zwei's grandfather. So, whatever it is, I was half ready to talk about it. Apparently, it was a total overthought.

"The reward for that job was seven white and red copper coins apiece, sir? Still, to make that dried meat, I needed two large givahs of breast meat.... so no mistake?

"Yeah, definitely."

The quantity of dried meat requested from each clan is roughly less than 6 kg.

So, to make six kilos of dried meat, you're going to need roughly all fifteen kilos of rose meat. That is why it is necessary to drain moisture thoroughly in order to achieve sufficient preservation.

"... then why have you only paid twelve red copper coins to Lew's house, sa?

"Huh?"

"Luu's house sells a whole giva to Fa's house, like every day. Why, Sho? How can dried meat be as much as 77 red copper coins with just breast meat when the price is twelve red copper coins? How much? What, is that too crazy a number?

He snarls at me with his white-eyed, prominent, big eyes, whispering in a kick-ass, tall voice.

As I carved Aria, I scrolled through the calculations in my head.

"First of all, let me tell you something, I've always wondered, too, that the price to Luu is too low. But Giva meat doesn't have a market price yet, so for now, I've applied the price of one giva's horn and fangs to the price of meat."

"... so? How did you decide on the price of dried meat, Sa?

"The price of dried meat was set at the same price as the meat of an animal called Caron, which is sold in town. In all the quantities I asked everyone for this time, 60 white copper coins. About 10% of them were paid as brokerage fees and fees, and Fa's house divided the rest by seven families."

"Seventy-seven red copper coins for each of the seven families - a total of 539 red copper coins and 61 installments of Fa's house, sir. Hung, I see there's no mistake in your calculations, sir."

The eight women who surrounded us were starting to make their eyes black and white around here. Probably can't figure it out, and I can't find the meaning or reason to do such a calculation in the first place.

Without worrying so much about that, Zwei comes and goes with so much momentum.

"Then Sa, isn't the price of raw meat supposed to match the price of the town? How much are animal meat, like that caron, sold for, sa? No way, you can buy one head for twelve red copper coins, Sho?

"I've never been face-to-face with a butcher before. The price of meat is more than double the price, whether you buy it in your own home or in a lodging store in bulk. Still, of course, not twelve red copper coins."

"So how much is it?

This guy was time for his arithmetic skills to be tested again.

The price for buying caron meat in an individual's house should have been less than one red copper coin at 100 grams.

That was the case in the Great Tree Pavilion in the South and elsewhere, where 100 grams of red copper coins were lowered to 0.37 red copper coins.

So, the price of Giva meat that I buy from the Lou family is roughly 40 kilos, 12 red copper coins.

And that is.

10 red copper coins for 1 kilo or 400 for 40 kilos if buying in a private home.

For vendor prices, 3.7 red copper coins at 1 kilo, 40 kilos - 148?

This is another lot of difference, but I wouldn't buy as much as 40 kilos of meat on my own in the first place. Because I can't buy large quantities, so I guess it's expensive.

"In the meantime, for the vendor price, I could play the number 148."

"Then you'll be buying meat from the Lew family for less than a tenth of the price, Jean!

After turning like that, Zwei narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"And even with 148 red copper coins, it's not too little yet? How much would it cost to have dried meat?

"Dry meat, because it weighs less than half the weight in the process of making it. If you want to compare the price of raw and dried meat - wait a minute."

The price of dried caron meat should have been only 1.5 red copper coins at 100 grams.

So, the vendor price for raw meat is 0.37 red copper coins, which means -

"Yeah, dried meat is about four times as expensive as raw meat."

"Four times!? Why are you so expensive, Sa!

"You need rock salt to make dried meat, and given the cost of raw materials, isn't that what it is? And then, if we had a separate production fee and a person to make and a person to sell, there would be some upside down there."

"... I'm not convinced. I feel fooled."

Really?

Then let's do a thorough calculation.

For example, it is assumed that dried meat is made from 10 kilograms of raw fresh meat.

First, the raw fresh meat shrinks to about four kilograms by soaking it in pico leaves, in salt and finally by smoking it a lot.

So, the rock salt used is about 5 percent of the weight of the meat, so for 10 kilograms of meat, 500 grams. For the price, three red copper coins.

Since 10 kilos of raw fresh meat is 37 red copper coins, plus the price of rock salt, the cost of raw materials is 40 sheets just.

And the price of dried meat is 1.5 red copper coins for 100 grams, so 60 red copper coins for 4 kilos.

The cost ratio is 40 ÷ material cost 60 × 100 selling value, 66 percent.

Aside from the high selling value, isn't it extremely conscientious pricing?

Let me present the above conclusions, along with the exact numbers, to Zwei.

"Thirty-seven red copper coins for raw meat, and 60 red copper coins for dried meat made from that meat - even if it's 20 red copper coins minus the cost of rock salt, you still say it's cheap?

"In Genos, can't it be too cheap? Thin sales seem to be basic here. For example, I calculated the same ingredient cost for Giva meat used in my stall dishes as Caron meat, and it was about the same amount of money."

Yes, if we tried adding the price of meat to the cost of 'Giva Burger' ingredients, the cost rate would have jumped to 65.8 percent.

That is, in other street snack shops, the cost ratio is so obvious.

"Hmm... so you're buying the price of meat from the Lew family because you want to make more money?

"That's a misunderstanding. I negotiated many times that I wanted to buy it at a higher price, but Meer Ray-Lew didn't try to respond to me. I'll have to give it back to the woods anyway. Say something like that."

Perhaps this would be a good opportunity to fix a fair price for giva meat inside the woodland?

I think about that in front of a girl who has an unexpected economic outlook on people by the woods.

"Well then, Zwei, and so is Ama Min-Rutim. Could you take this opportunity to tell Meer Ray-Lew that you want to change the price of Giva meat? From now on, we want to buy meat not only from the Lew family, but also from other families, so this is the time to set a decent price."

"Well, what about 148 red copper coins just like a caron? More than ten times the price at once, Jean?

"I don't mind that. Or rather, I think we should. I want people in town to buy Giva meat for that price, and that's why I'm here."

Zwei finally shut up and wandered around from top to bottom as he finished carving Aria.

"... ok yo. You really don't want to make money, you want a situation where all the people around the forest can make money, sir."

"That's right, then. It's going to be a hell of a way to say it, but Fa's house makes more copper coins, because it's so useless that I can't think of any more."

"But as long as you have copper coins, you can buy anything, right?

"I guess. I don't think you can buy copper coins for your friendship or trust."

Just kidding. When I said, Zwei said in a grand way, "Hum!," he snorted.

"I was going to question you until sundown, but I'm done talking to you, sir"

"That's more than anything. I'm happy to have a very meaningful conversation, Zwei."

It wasn't a compliment or a social decree, and that's how I could state it.

By the woods, so far obsessed with copper coins, Zwei would be a heretic.

But if Moribe wants more abundance, I think a person with developed economic beliefs, like Zwei, will absolutely need it. Speaking of heresy in the first place, I am the biggest heretic, so I felt like the first time I saw a compatriot who could speak with the same eyes if I tried.

I'm going to sneak up on the fact that these heretics have become Luu's family.

"I'm done with Atashi's errands, yo. What will you do after this, Ama Min-Rutim?

"Right. There won't be any work left if we hurry home, so why don't we give Asta a cooking guide too"

Ama Min-Rutim was smiling with great satisfaction.

With such a smile on his face, Zwei is slurping his body a little uncomfortable.

At that time - without any foretaste, the doorboard was pulled open from the outside.

Since only the inhabitants of that house were allowed such imitation, it was, of course, Ai-Fa.

Again today, Ai-Fa, who was in charge of the 60-kilometer class Giva, comes indoors with a sharp eye.

"Welcome back, parents. Did you have a harvest today?"

Let the hunter resume his work two days ago, and this is the second harvest. It's not even supposed to be that much of a gibberish time right now, but it's just brilliant.

I greeted the parents with a smile, but they were extremely cold faces.

So, I say, "Looks like you're having fun today," etc., and I shut the doorboard tightly, not even inside.

I wonder what sounds like fun?

I have no idea.

However, if there is something unusual about it - that there are as many as nine women around me?

It's usual for more than one woman to get together, but this number may just be out of standard.

"... I'm sorry, Asta," Ama Min-Rutim said, bowing her head.

"Huh? Oh, no, they don't think Ama Min-Rutim is sarcastic enough to ask me to bow my head"

"Is that so?," then Ama Min-Rutim leaned down to my ear.

"But all but me and the Sudra ladies are unmarried young ladies. Maybe that wasn't funny, if you tried to make it an eye-fa, huh?

I'm a little surprised and look back at Ama Min-Lutim's face from close range.

Ama Min-Rutim, who is always clear and folded correctly, was staring at my face, even with an innocent smile that was unusual but age-appropriate.

In that way, the 22nd day of the Blue Moon passed very softly.