Volume 5 - CH 8

Chapter 8 – Souvenir Distribution and Contract

After arriving at the Southern City, I docked the ship at the mooring.

“Thank you very much, Wataru-san. Thanks to you, I was able to go to the cathedral I wanted to visit.”

“Haha, Claretta-san, I was originally planning to go to Palermo. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Yes, but thank you very much.”

I was a little touched that Rimu and Fuu-chan were saying goodbye to each other. And also cute.

We parted ways with Girasole and headed for the merchant guild with Rimu on top of my head.

“Master, are you giving out the same wine to both men and women this time?”

“Yes, I couldn’t find any other specialties to use as souvenirs. Besides, Camille-san is the only woman to whom I will give the souvenirs. So I’ll be giving out the pudding and ice cream to her as well.”

“It’s so delicious; I bet she’ll love it.”

“Right. But it’s going to melt, so I hope Camille-san is around… Let’s hurry up a little.”

“”Yes.””

We hurry to the merchant guild and look for Camille-san.

“Camille-san, it’s been a while.”

“Well, Wataru-san, welcome back.”

“I’m back. Camille-san, I don’t have much to say, but may I have a few minutes of your time?”

“Yes, this time is fine. Would you like me to show you to the room?”

“It would be very helpful.”

I entered the reception room with Camille-san and was offered a cup of tea.

“So, Wataru-san, what can I do for you?”

“Yes, first of all, this is for you. We talked about milk before, and you told me about the village of Siena. Do you remember?”

“Yes, you said you had something you wanted to make. Is this it?”

“Yes, that’s right. The ice cream will melt after a while, so could you please try it first?”

“Is it milk food…? I’ll try it.”

It makes me feel kind of bad when she looks so anxious… She picked up the spoon and scooped the ice cream. After a little hesitation, she put it in her mouth and froze…

After restarting, she doesn’t say anything and takes her time tasting the ice cream… After finishing the ice cream, she drinks a cup of tea and starts eating the pudding in silence…

What’s that? I’m so nervous… When they ate the pudding and ice cream, Ines, Felicia, and the members of Girasole, all smiled and said how delicious it tasted. What did I miss?

“Wataru-san.”

“Y-yes.”

The quiet but powerful voice freaked me out… Huh? I thought that here, she would smile and praise me, saying that “It’s delicious, Wataru-san.” Did I fail after all?

Her eyes are sharp, crisp, and powerful. It’s not the usual gentle Camille-san.

“This food is very wonderful… What kind of food is it?”

“Oh, it’s ice cream and pudding.”

Wasn’t that a mistake? If it’s so wonderful, I’d like you to praise it with a smile.

“Ice cream and pudding? Did Wataru-san develop these two?”

“No, I just tried to make a dessert from my hometown… Was there any problem?”

“No, it was the first time I had ever eaten it, and it was very good. So how many of you know this recipe?”

Ah, it rang a bell. This was Camille-san’s face when she was doing business. I wish I hadn’t seen it; I needed my sweet Camille-san back.

“I think it’s just us, Claretta-san from Girasole, and Carla-san.”

“I see… Do you plan to sign up with the merchant guild to spread the recipe?”

After all, she has a business face, but what are we going to do?

“Well, what would be the terms of the contract?”

“Well, in this case, Wataru-san and the merchant guild will sign a contract for the God of Commerce. Then, the store that wants to use the recipe and the merchant guild will sign a contract for the God of Commerce, including a confidentiality agreement. I think 3% of the sales will go to Wataru-san and 2% to the guild.”

“Um, aside from ice cream, pudding is a dessert that can be easily made at home, but won’t that be a problem?”

“If it is easy to make, many stores will be able to make it. There is no problem. By making it widely and in large quantities, dairy farmers, stores, merchant guilds, Wataru-san, and many other people will be enriched. And if pudding and ice cream can be eaten anywhere, people will be happy. It’s a good thing.”

Is it possible to make money with pudding and ice cream? I gave up the mayonnaise by choice… But Camille-san’s talk sounds like the talk of a religious person or a pyramid scheme… is it okay?

“Is there some kind of punishment for not selling?”

“No, there is not. In such a case, the merchant guild and the store that didn’t have the eyes to see it would cry. Ah, is not having money coming in your punishment, Wataru-san?”

“Is that so?”

What shall I do? …If I’m going to get paid even if I’m sleeping, should I do it?

“Wataru-san, speaking of which, there is a thing called pizza that is popular in Siena village… Are you involved in it?”

“Yes, I taught it to them.”

“Whew, Wataru-san. Recipes are also an asset. You could also contract for pizza through the merchant guild.”

“Haha, but won’t it be a problem if I register a dish from my hometown?”

Actually, it’s from a different country than my hometown.

“If it is already registered, it will be rejected at the time of the contract.”

“I see. For example, pudding, what happens if someone makes pudding on their own after signing the contract?”

“If it is an individual, there is no problem. If they make it for business, it will be reported to the merchant guild, so it will not be a problem. Also, if a person knows of the existence of pudding, imitates it, and spreads the process, they will be punished by God.”

Creator God-sama said that he could not interfere too much in the lower world, but the God of Commerce is interfering quite a bit, isn’t he? What should I do about it?

“Thank you. I understand now.”

“No, then, Wataru-san, will you sign the contract?”

“I understand. Please do.”

I went to the contract room, which was also located in the slave trading house, declared the contract, wrote down the recipe for pudding and ice cream, and gave it to Camille-san. Since there was no freezer for ice cream, I decided on a recipe made with ice and salt.

“Thank you very much. The contract amount will now be transferred to Wataru-san’s account. Also, please tell Claretta-san and Carla-san about the contract and tell them not to spread the word.”

“I understand.”

By the way, are the dishes I taught Claretta-san and Gino-san also patentable? If I ask Camille-san, she might get angry, so I’d better not.

After finishing the contract, we returned to the room we had just left.

“So, here’s a souvenir for you. It’s a set of Palermo’s famous wines, red and white. Also, this is for the guildmaster, please.”

“Thank you very much. The guildmaster will be very pleased.”

“No, I am the one who is indebted to you, so please don’t mind this much.”

“Fufu, is that so? But thank you.”

After chatting with Camille-san for a while, I asked her to call Dino-san and Enrico-san and give them the souvenirs. I heard that Guido-san and the others were all out on the island on a request, so I asked Camille-san for the souvenirs and left the merchant guild.

But I didn’t want to see Camille-san’s merchant face; I found out that a fox is a predator. It was a little scary.

“Master, are we going to Donnino-san’s place after this?”

“Yeah. Donnino-san’s place will be the last one. After we’re done, how about we have lunch at that seafood place?”

“Sounds good.”

“I agree.”

“Rimu eat, too.”

“That’s decided. Then let’s go to Donnino-san’s place.”

“”Yes.””

We’re going to Donino-san’s place. Restaurants and vending machine corners are great, but fresh seafood grilled on the grill is good anywhere. And I have a secret weapon. Let’s hurry up; I’m getting hungry.

“Hello, Donnino-san. I brought you a souvenir.”

“Oh, Wataru, I’ve been waiting for you. The toy you left behind is very interesting. I’d like to sell them with my apprentices to earn some extra money.”

“Oh, you mean reversi and Jenga? That’s fine.”

“Okay, then, let’s go to the merchant guild.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Master, it’s to make a contract with the God of Commerce.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you, Felicia. Donnino-san, wait, please, after you receive your souvenirs.”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s right. Thank you, Wataru.”

After handing over the souvenirs, we left everything with the young people and were to return to the merchant guild again.

When I told the reason to Camille-san at the merchant guild, she gave me a dumbfounded look and headed for the contract room. It’s funny; I used to get creeped out when people gave me a dumbfounded stare…

I wonder if she’s recovered from her change? …I think the fear got the better of me because I saw scary Camille-san.

After completing the contract, Donnino-san returned to work, so we parted ways and left the merchant guild.

“Whew, the contract was finalized before I knew what was going on. Is that okay?”

I ask as we head to a restaurant that serves delicious seafood.

“Don’t worry; even if it doesn’t sell at all, your life will be the same as it is now. If it sells, you’ll get an extra income. I think that’s about right.”

“If it’s basically the same as it is now, then there’s no problem.”

Let’s stop thinking about difficult things and concentrate on seafood. Check-in at the restaurant and grill the seafood.

“Well, I’ve got something for it.”

“Is that soy sauce?”

“Felicia, you are right. I found some portable seasonings at the ship’s store, so I bought some. Grilled seafood with a little soy sauce on it is the best, you know.”

I drizzle soy sauce and lemon juice over the grilled oysters. Suck the meat out of the shell along with the extract of the hot oyster. The flavor and deliciousness of the oyster in my mouth, combined with the soy sauce and lemon juice, is so delicious that I shudder.

Ines, Felicia, and Rimu are also very pleased with the oysters, and the area is filled with the delicious smell of burning seafood and soy sauce.

I found myself the center of attention… I made Alessia-san and the others promise not to show it to anyone else, but I did something conspicuous myself.

I quickly eat the rest of the seafood and walk away before anyone calls out to me. It was a close call; the thought of having soy sauce dripping on my seafood from the grill made me unable to think of anything else.

“Sorry, we didn’t get much to eat. Do you want to go to another restaurant or eat back on the ship?”

“The smell of burnt soy sauce is a good one; it was very tasty, and no wonder it stands out. I’d rather continue our lunch on the ship.”

“I’d rather eat on the ship, too.”

“Rimu also wants onigiri.”

“Well, let’s go back then. Let’s have another barbecue on the Hideaway, shall we? Now that we have more condiments and alcohol, it’ll be even grander than before.”

“Ufufu, that sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

“Fufu, yes. Master, do you mind if we drink a lot?”

“Well, it’s a barbecue, so let’s have fun.”

“”Thank you very much.””

“Rimu will barbecue too.”

“Yes, yes, Rimu, let’s have a barbecue together next time.”

“Yeah.”

Let’s go back to the ship to continue our lunch.