Volume 3 - CH 12

Chapter 12 – Large Amounts of Pepper and the Pepper That Can’t Be Flowed Smoothly?

We entered the port of Gothenburg on the Luto. The port entry fee is three silver coins a day, which is expensive, and you can rent it for a month just like that in the southern city.

But when I told them that I was going back and forth to carry my cargo, they said I could come and go as I pleased within a day since it cost three silver coins a day. Good, because it’s not fancy to pay three silver coins every time.

When I entered the guild, I was greeted by Mear-san.

“Good morning, Wataru-san. Did you close the deal successfully?”

“Yes, it has ended without a hitch.”

“I see; that’s good to hear. We also gathered 65 platinum gold worth of pepper here. There is no space for it in the merchant guild, so it is stored in the warehouse at the port. Would you like to see it?”

“Yes, please.”

There is no space in the guild? A warehouse at the port? I knew that, but it sounded like a huge amount of stuff…

“Then, let me show you around.”

Mear-san guides me to the warehouse at the port.

“All of this is enough pepper for 65 platinum gold coins.”

“Wow, this is indeed a huge amount.”

The pepper was piled up in a large warehouse. I should not have been so quick with my purchases. I should be able to make a lot of money, but why do I feel depressed?

“Wataru-san, may I ask you a question?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“I was wondering how you carry such a large amount of goods.”

“Ah, you see, we have a fleet of ships. From this port, my ship will transship the cargo to a larger ship. We bought more than we planned because it was so cheap, so it’s going to be difficult to get back and forth.”

“Well, is that so? It’s great that you can cross the ocean with a fleet of ships.”

“Hahaha, thank you very much.”

I’m sorry, it’s all a lie. Please don’t look at me with respect; it hurts my heart.

“Excuse me; it’s going to take me a while to get it out of this warehouse. Is that alright?”

“Yes, since you are a customer who purchases in large quantities, the guild will pay for the storage for five days. If it goes beyond that, we will have to charge you for the use of the warehouse.”

“Thank you very much. I will manage to get it out within five days.”

“Very well. Then shall we return to the guild and conclude the contract?”

“Yes.”

I return to the guild and pay the 65 platinum coins.

“Thank you very much.”

“Likewise. May I borrow the cart?”

“A cart? No problem. How many carts would you like to use?”

“Three carts would be great.”

We entered the warehouse pulling three carts.

“Phew, I really bought a lot of stuff, but this warehouse is a good place to store it. We can take the pepper to the ship several times a day, sail out on the Luto a few times, and come back, and it won’t be a problem since it won’t be seen by anyone.”

“Do you need to carry the pepper to the ship by cart and then sail out on the ship?”

“Yes, it would be bad if we don’t go at all. If we show them that we are carrying the pepper a few times, they will be convinced that it was carried while they were not watching. If nobody sees you carrying it out, there is a possibility that some people will start to have doubts. Well, if we just show up a few times, it won’t matter.”

“Well, it’s a few steps easier than carrying the whole thing, so I’ll give it a little effort.”

“Please do. Shall we get a few peppers into the boat right away?”

“”Yes.””

……………

For the next five days, the pepper was repatriated every day and then brought back to the ship and shipped out again and again. To catch our breath, we bought alcohol, an assortment of spices, cloths, and food. We got into a couple of trouble, and I don’t think we got a chance to relax.

“Well, that’s the last of it; thank you both for your hard work. I appreciate it.”

“Master, we are your slaves. You don’t have to thank us.”

“Ines is right.”

“Is that so? Well, I was in the mood to thank you, so don’t mind it.”

“Ufufu. Okay.”

“Yes.”

It was a long process… and by far easier than hauling everything to the boat, but I was still tired at the point of buying 495 rubber boats, and it’s a hassle when I have to buy one boat at a time. I’d love to have the ability to buy in bulk.

“Then, let’s return the carts, say goodbye to Mear-san, and set sail, shall we?”

“”Yes.””

I thanked Mear-san for her hospitality and sailed away. But the three silver coin daily berthing fee is a pain, but I didn’t have to pay for lodging, so it’s a win-win in the end.

“Well then, we’re heading to the Dark Elf Island, aren’t we?”

“”Yes.””

Ines and Felicia are enjoying a game of escape with the monsters to relieve the exasperation of carrying the cargo. Rimu also seems to like the flying bridge when the ship is moving fast, which is a little sad these days.

But how shall I wholesale the pepper? With the 20 boats from last time and the 495 boats this time, there are enough pepper for 515 boats. If I could wholesale all of them and withdraw the platinum coins, I would have 1,854 platinum coins, enough to buy a luxury cruise ship.

But it won’t work that well. If I can buy the luxury liner, I feel like I can handle it regardless of whether we are hostile to the country or not, but that doesn’t mean I have to go out of my way to be hostile to the country.

Is there any way to get a luxury liner and not attract too much attention? Hmm, I don’t know.

“Master, what’s troubling you?”

“Uh, I’m wondering if there’s some way to handle a large amount of pepper conveniently.”

“Ufufu, didn’t you say that taking your time is the best way?”

“Yes, but if we process 515 ships of pepper, that means we have successfully completed the pepper trade 26 times. I thought that would be time-consuming and conspicuous.”

“…That’s true, though. If you’ve succeeded 26 times, you’re always going to attract attention because you either know how to succeed or you have a great magic ship. If you can have a stable trade with the southern continent, the royalty and nobility will not keep quiet about it.”

“Ara, that reminds me. Felicia is right. And even five successes, let alone twenty-six, would be a remarkable achievement.”

“Hmm, it’s hard to cash in on all the platinum coins we have. If I didn’t hesitate to stand out, I could do whatever I wanted. It’s just that I don’t like the hassle of standing out. Socializing with the higher-ups is just nerve-wracking for the average person, and it’s never good for me.”

“With Master’s skills, you could have been a king, but you are a commoner at heart, aren’t you?”

“You should be aware that your income is not at the level of a commoner anymore, Master.”

“Well, it can’t be helped to a certain extent. If it weren’t for the threat of death, false accusations, and troublesome orders, I’d do my best to keep up with the royalty and nobility.”

“It would all come down to you without a doubt.”

“There will definitely be troublesome orders. Well, the most likely one is the king’s order to take up your magic ship.”

“It’s a ship made of skill, so it’s useless, and if they find out it’s a skill, all I can think about is the trouble I’ll get into.”

“Yes, they’ll try to keep you forever.”

“It’s okay if I’m holed up on a luxury cruise ship. I could be a hermit on a luxury liner, but I wouldn’t want to have to give up my comfortable life of freedom to go out and about.”

“Right, but isn’t it conspicuous that you try to distribute everything through the merchant guild? It is not that pepper is only sold in the Latina Kingdom. If we sell directly to merchants in other countries, we can handle it without being so conspicuous, can’t we?”

“Eh?”

“You don’t have to say that you bought the pepper in the pepper trade, and it won’t be a problem if you sell the pepper that you bought over time.”

“”I see.””

“I was only thinking about processing it in the merchant guild. Since there are other countries, if we go there and process the peppers, it will take some time, but we will be able to handle it. Ines, you are a genius.”

“Yes, Ines is a genius.”

“Ufufu, it’s only because Master and Felicia were only thinking about the merchant guild.”

“I was blindsided.”

“I’m ashamed to admit that I only thought of the pepper trade this time, when I said that I had overloaded the pepper trade because it was so cheap, and all I could think of was to wholesale 30 boats worth of peppers.”

“All I could come up with was the excuse that we had towed it all together on a rope, just like when we towed the lumber.”

“Thanks to Ines, we have a plan in place. I’ll tell the guild that we’re going to sell 20 boats worth of pepper and use the rest for peddling in other countries and get some information from Camille-san.”

“”Yes.””

We continued our voyage as usual. It was a little frightening that Ines and Felicia’s ship-handling skills were improving so rapidly, but we arrived at the Dark Elf island in 10 days.”

“Thank you for welcoming us, Village Chief-san. How is everything going in the village?”

“I am glad to see you are safe, Wataru-san, and the village is doing fine without any problems.”

When I arrived at the village on top of the hill while listening to the conversation, I saw that several houses had already been built.

“Village Chief-san, I see that some houses have already been built.”

“Yes, but only the outside has been built. The interiors are being worked on by each of the residents.”

“I see. It’s becoming more and more like a village.”

“Yes, the villagers are very enthusiastic. We have already been to the forest several times to explore.”

“How was the forest? Are there any dangerous monsters?”

“So far, we have seen slimes, goblins, and orcs, but we are well within our ability to handle them. We have also found the necessary medicinal herbs and the bounty of the forest.”

Orcs, come to think of it, I haven’t seen any. When I think about it, I’ve only ever killed horned rabbits and goblins. I am confident that I would be frightened if I met an orc, though my level has increased only through power leveling during the voyage.

“I see that you can get a lot of things in the forest. Will you eventually move your residence to the forest?”

“What do you think? I like this village, but it would be nice to build another village in the forest and use the river to come and go.”

“Yes, a river would be convenient, and you could bring wood from the forest.”

“Yes, we have already thinned some trees and transported them by the river. Now we are drying the wood.”

While chatting with the village chief, a villager came to call for him, so we parted ways with the chief and went to meet Cecilia-san. I greeted her and left Felicia with her, and strolled around the village when someone suddenly yelled at me.

“You must be Wataru, and if you wish to save your life, let Felicia go.”

What is this young man? He has some kind of rope tied around his waist, and he is already kind of ragged. What should I do?

I envy the Dark Elf, who is kind of cool even if he’s in tatters. At any rate, I hugged Rimu and hid behind Ines. Should I summon a boat?

“Ines, should I summon a boat?”

“No need, just hide behind me. Don’t come out.”

I hear the young man cursing as I retreat behind Ines as she tells me to.

“You hide behind a woman; I still don’t accept that you are Felicia’s master.”

Ahh, I can picture the story somehow, maybe he is in love with Felicia, or perhaps he and Felicia were in love with each other?

Wow, that’s a depressing turn of events, and if so, I’m in the bad guy position that tore two people who love each other apart. I didn’t do anything wrong, but if it’s a template, does this pattern mean I’m the bad guy, and I’m going to be vanquished? I’m in trouble.

Oh, Felicia and Cecilia-san noticed the commotion and came running.

“Master, are you okay? What happened?”

“Well, Romano, you’re under house arrest. You shouldn’t have come out.”

“Everyone in the village has been deceived. If I stay under house arrest, this village will be destroyed. Now, Felicia, come here; you can’t stay with a man like that.”

“What are you saying, Romano? Master is our benefactor. I will not tolerate any disrespect.”

“Kuh, so you’re being deceived too, Felicia; I will rescue you.”

Huh? Does the flow of the story differ from what I thought?

“Hey, Felicia, what’s your relationship with that young man?”

“With Romano? We were close in age in the village, so we used to play together when we were young.”

Hmm? Did I escape the pattern of evil people who tore apart two people who loved each other? If so, is that young man a self-centered conceit?

Something similar happened the other day… I wonder how that employee is doing?

“Um, Master? What’s wrong?”

“Hmm? Nothing. What should we do about this situation?”

“Well, I don’t really know what’s going on either. My father will be here soon, so we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?”

“Felicia, you must not talk to such a man. Cecilia-san, don’t you also want to save your daughter?”

Oh wow, he is definitely in the same category as that employee. I guess this young man is the one whose chief doesn’t want to talk about it because he is against immigration, and it makes him feel ashamed.

Everyone here is bewildered except the young man. Oh, come to think of it, this is the person who was wrapped around with a rope; yes, it makes you want to hide him, doesn’t it?

The young man who was screaming, the bewildered surroundings… Oh, the village chief and some dark elves came running.

“Romano, what are you doing? I thought I put you under house arrest.”

“The village chief has been deceived. It is wrong to lock me up for trying to protect your daughter and to take the side of such a man. Please come to your senses.”

“Romano, what are you talking about? No one is being deceived.”

“Kuh, I won’t allow you to deceive even my mother.”

Everyone looks so embarrassed, and they don’t have the energy to get angry.

“Kuh, in this case, Wataru, duel with me. If I win, you must let Felicia and everyone in the village go.”

“Ah, I can’t fight, so I refuse.”

“Did you hear that, village chief? This man is a pathetic man who runs away from a duel as well. If he can’t protect Felicia, he has no right to be by her side, don’t you agree, chief?”

“No, in the first place, I can’t fight, so that’s why I have Felicia escorting me.”

“If you can’t fight, then let Felicia go and leave.”

No, there is no point; he can’t understand it. What should I do?