Volume 3 - CH 11

Chapter 11 – The City of Terni and Me Without Sense

I paid the simple appraisal check and the entrance fee at the gate and headed for the merchant guild.

“Hmm, there are more and more people with bad manners in the city. But the fact that they are gathered here means that the civil war hasn’t started yet, right?”

“Yes, there is a lot of disorder in the city, but it doesn’t look like a civil war has broken out.”

“It hasn’t turned into a civil war, but the number of bad people is increasing. It would help if it weren’t on the verge of breaking up, but that is unlikely.”

“Well, if things were going smoothly, they wouldn’t be gathering so many people. We should get information from the merchant guild as soon as possible.”

If the civil war hasn’t started yet, we’ll have time to buy pepper, and it looks like we’re just in time.

“Yes, let’s hurry.”

“”Yes.””

I speed up my steps and enter the merchant guild.

“Hello, Mear-san. I’d be glad if you could help me again. Is that alright?”

“Hmm? …Well, the merchant from the northern continent… Wataru-san, wasn’t it? Are you still staying here?”

“No, no, I have already made one round trip. I need a business meeting and some information.”

“Round trip? In such a short time? No, I’ll show you to the other room.”

“Thank you.”

“So, Wataru-san, you came here again to trade spider silk and pepper?”

“Yes, I made a good profit, so I thought I’d try again.”

“Is that so? You are reckless, aren’t you?”

“Hahaha, well, I am aware of it.”

Everywhere I go, people tell me that a second pepper trade is reckless… I may not be able to do a pepper trade all the time.

“So, is it possible to do business here? It’s getting even creepier, though.”

“Yes, it would be better to sell spider silk in another country. Right now, the royalty and nobility in the country want cash for civil war rather than to buy expensive things. Expensive purchases are being discouraged, and on the other hand, pepper is quite cheap for the sake of cash.”

“I see, so I can get it a lot cheaper than last time?”

“Yes.”

“How much can I get?”

“It depends on how much time it takes, but we have already collected a considerable amount of pepper, so we should be able to get 20 platinum coins worth in three days. The price is about one-third less, so it’s a good deal.”

“Can I go to the place where I can wholesale the spider silk, make a deal, and then come back and buy the pepper?”

I think it would be about 65 platinum coins in all, assuming, of course, that the spider silk can be traded at the previous price.

“I think it is possible to make a deal under the current circumstances. The pepper is coming in fast.”

“I see. Then, can you tell us a port in the country where we can trade in spider silk and the current situation in that country?”

“Yes, the port where spider silk can be traded is in the port town of Terni in the Kingdom of Forli, about five days by magic ship to the west of here. I think it is possible to trade spider silk there.” As for the situation in that country, no armed clash has yet occurred, but both sides are not backing down. A clash is only a matter of time. The clash is likely to be centered on the royal capital, and this city will not be hit by the flames of war. However, if the civil war drags on and the flames of war spread, it will never be safe. I would recommend that you deal with them as soon as possible.”

“I understand, thank you. Then, I will go to Terni and come back. Thank you very much for your help then.”

“Understood; I will arrange for pepper and wait for you. Please return safely.”

“Yes.”

I leave Gothenburg and explain the contents at the merchant guild to Ines and Felicia.

“I see that, for the time being, the city of Gothenburg is unlikely to be involved in a civil war. And the price of pepper has dropped by one-third, so you have increased your original plan to buy pepper for 35 platinum coins to 65 platinum coins?”

“Yes, I could have bought 34 more platinum coins worth of pepper at a lower price if I had unloaded the entire amount at the merchant guild in the southern city anyway… but that was a mistake.”

“But how long would it take to process 65 platinum coins worth of peppers?”

“Right, and it’s a huge quantity because you can buy it much cheaper than usual. Before, it was difficult to handle without being suspected; it would be suspicious at the receiving stage, wouldn’t it? I wonder how many ships it would take to transport it normally.”

We boarded the Luto and headed west. The trip to the west would take a long time because the autopilot could not be used. The return trip would take about two days.

If the time is out of sync, Mear-san might get suspicious, so we should go to the port town over there to look for souvenirs and sightseeing to kill some time. We’ll sail until dark, have dinner, flirt, and sleep.

In the morning, or maybe I’ll get my morning kiss and go to the salon… Huh? That’s not usual, is it? Normally I would go straight to breakfast like this, but now it’s getting even busier.

What’s up with that? When I was confused by the unusual behavior, a sweet breath of air hung in my ear.

“Ufufu, I have a favor to ask you, Master. I’m bored running along the coast because there are no monsters, so I want to go for a run in the open sea.”

It was an even more insane request than I thought it would be. I knew she was crazy about it, but I didn’t expect her to go this far.

“It’s Ines’ request, and I’d love to fulfill it, but not this time.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is the first time we are going to that city, we can’t use the map this time. The best way to get there is to go along the seashore. If we go out to the open sea to chase after monsters and end up in a different town than the one we were introduced to because of a time delay, it will add to the hassle.”

“Well, then, can we go on the return trip?”

“Yes, I can use the map on the way back.”

“Okay, I’ll hold off until the return trip.”

I don’t know what’s driving her to be so disappointed… but I don’t want to be chased by monsters, even if I know it’s safe to do so.

But I wonder if Ines would be happy if I gave her a powerboat like the ones used in powerboat racing? …Let’s not do that, because I’m sure she’s going to explode and crash into a terrific place.

Felicia likes to steer too, and if push comes to shove, I’ll give the two of them a power boat as a trump card to put them in a good mood… I’ll keep that in mind.

We arrived in Terni after five days of relaxing sailing, without the monster attacks that Ines wanted because we were going along the coastline. It was a more enjoyable voyage for me than going out to the open sea.

Again, we landed at a place far from the town. We took a quick appraisal at the gate, paid the entrance fee, and headed for the merchant guild.

The streets are not much different from those in Gothenburg, except that there are fewer ruffians. I had heard that this continent as a whole is less safe than the northern continent, but I wondered if there was any town where we could leisurely go sightseeing.

We arrived at the merchant guild and headed for the vacant counter. Oh, it’s a man. Well, the women’s counter is popular here too, and people don’t come to the men’s counter even if it’s crowded…

I want to get back in line at the women’s counter, but Ines and Felicia look at me like, “What’s wrong?” I don’t think I’m going to get back in line from here.

“Hi, I would like to talk about a slightly larger amount of money. Is this okay here?”

“I understand. I’ll show you to another room.”

I feel like I can talk calmly with a male staff member because I don’t feel nervous…. but I’d rather talk with a beautiful lady.

“May I ask you about your business then?”

“Yes, actually, I brought a large quantity of this cloth. Is it possible to trade with the merchant guild here?”

“This is… spider silk, isn’t it? Are you from the northern continent?”

“Yes, I hear it is very popular on this continent.”

“Yes, of course. How much wholesale can you supply?”

How much? How many lots did I have? I was thinking in terms of money, so I didn’t think in terms of quantity. What should I do? Let’s see. One platinum coin is 50 tans (2500kg), so that’s 350 tans (17500kg).

“I think it was about 350 tan.”

“350 tan, that’s quite a lot, isn’t it? At the merchant guild, the price will not be higher than the market price, and if you bring it directly to the store, the price will be even higher.”

“Yes, the quantity is so large that I would prefer the guild to handle it.”

“Very well, the price will be ten gold coins per tan. Where will you send the goods?”

“We will bring them tomorrow morning. Can you recommend an inn and a cart for rent? I would like to stay at a safe inn, even if it is expensive.”

“I will recommend the Coral Pavilion. How many carts do you need?”

“Would it be alright if I borrow three carts?”

“Very well, then. I will be waiting for you tomorrow morning.”

“Ah, I would like to receive payment in cash. Is that okay? I don’t have a guild card for this continent.”

“In that case, we would like to ask you for a little time. Is it possible to exchange it for pepper if you are going back to the northern continent?”

“No, I have an appointment in Gothenburg to purchase the pepper.”

“I see. The price has gone down there. Then I will need a couple of days of your time.”

“Very well. I will borrow your cart at that time. Oh, I’m sorry again, but while I’ve been waiting for two days, I’d like to look for some souvenirs.”

“The most famous alcoholic beverage is distilled from barley. It is too strong for me, so I can’t drink it. As for local specialties, coral ornaments are very popular in this country.”

“Thank you very much; I will look for it.”

A distilled liquor made from barley, huh? Is it whiskey? Coral ornaments would be delightful. But as usual, spider silk sells for a lot of money. Ten million Japanese yen for a tan of spider silk, how does that sound?

I’ve heard that a long-established kimono store charges millions of yen, but is that a reasonable price considering that it cannot be taken on this continent and the risk of crossing the sea?

Still, 10 million is a lot, isn’t it? Yet it sells, so even the merchant guilds are buying it. I guess people have money in this world.

I leave the merchant guild and get a room at the Coral Pavilion. The price here is also not friendly to the common people, at two silver coins per person per night. Safety comes first, though.

During the two days, we went sightseeing, bought food, and looked for souvenirs. Surprisingly, alcohol is distilled and sold without being laid down after distillation, and it is usually mixed with fruit juice. If it is the same in the southern city, I will talk to the guild master when I meet him.

The coral accessories were quite beautiful. I bought several kinds of bright red and pink coral earrings, rings, brooches, and pendants. Although they were not suitable as souvenirs for women, I would let them choose what they liked from among the several kinds.

Ines has red hair, so how about a pair of red earrings? I asked her if she would like to wear red earrings with her red hair. She said… “It’s not for me.”

I ended up buying Ines and Felicia some that they liked. I had no sense of style, so I decided to go with their ideas for the souvenir accessories.

Two mornings later, in the dark, I loaded the rented cart with spider silk and set out for the merchant guild.

When we entered, the man was waiting for us. I knew I should have waited in line again at the women’s counter. After checking the spider silk, I received 35 platinum coins and left the city.

We return to the Luto to have a rest.

“We managed to conclude our business negotiations without incident. Now we need 65 platinum coins worth of pepper. Last time, it was seven platinum coins, and that was about 40 rubber boats, so that’s more than nine times that number, and with a third of the discount on top of that, how much more will it be…? I dread to think.”

“At that time, too, we carried a lot and repatriated a lot, and it was hard work. Is it about ten times as much as that? I think it would be better to divide it into several days.”

“Ufufu… yes, it is better than carrying them all in one day. Master, can we go out to the open sea now?”

“Yes, but don’t be too reckless. I’m afraid I’m going to have to calculate how much we can carry.”

“Alright, Master, be careful not to overthink things; it’s bad for you.”

“Yes.”

Let’s see, how long has it been since I’ve done this kind of math? Even in high school, I completely abandoned math. I was already bad at it from my math days… Let’s see, first of all… Wow, a math error? It’s a huge amount of stuff.

I’m definitely buying too much just because it’s cheaper… How can I load as many as 495 rubber boats? And how can we handle it?

This would be very suspicious if we didn’t say that we were going to take a ship to Gothenburg and transport them to another big ship.

I think it’s suspicious just to take it to another big ship, but I’ll stay away from Gothenburg for a while after this thing is over. I should also buy an assortment of spices, alcohol, and cloths.

When I told them, they laughed and said they would help me. Let’s get this over with as soon as possible.

Let’s forget about the scary stuff and have fun with Rimu. I rubbed Rimu and regained my peace of mind.

“I love you, Rimu!”

“…Rimu… too…”

Rimu, you horrible child. If you say that to me, I won’t be able to leave you. I hug Rimu and writhe in agony.

…We arrived in Gothenburg in 2 days. We were only attacked by a monster once, and Ines is not happy about it. The monsters are out of my control, so please spare me.

We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, and we’ve got to get into the swing of things.