CH 91

Rotonoa secured his ship at the rocky docks, and first, he and a couple of his guards disembarked.

Rotonoa: “It has been a while, Sir Lou Quain.”

He bowed very low and politely, and it felt a little awkward to have him do so.

It’s hard to get used to having people be so polite and respectful, and even if I was born into a Marquis’ family, my treatment there had no resemblance to the island’s residents’.

Luke: “It’s been a while, Rotonoa. But you really didn’t have to bring all these things to repay me.”

Rotonoa: “Oh no, no, no, no, no! How could I not repay my debt! And besides that, as a merchant, this is a show of good faith in a profitable discussion we could have in the near future!”

Luke: “A show of good faith? You think there’s some good business opportunities here?”

Rotonoa suddenly relaxed into a big smile as he pointed at the mountain.

Rotonoa: “The Dungeon is back, correct? If that’s the case, you must have materials from the Dungeon available, no?” Luke: “Ohhh, I see. So you would like the right to the Dungeon materials?”

Rotonoa: “Yes, sir.”

That, I don’t mind. But if he’s going to have exclusive rights, the other Tronstad Merchants will not stand by quietly.

But Rotonoa came well-prepared.

Rotonoa: “I would like to negotiate 20% of the materials for Andestan, and if I could get exclusive rights for the Andestan materials…”

Luke: “I see. Then let me bring that up with the Guild Master. Oh, and probably Princess Aires too.”

Eri: “Oh, me as well?” Rotonoa: “Huh? Oh! Princess, I did not realize!”

This caught Rotonoa off guard as he now hurriedly bowed even lower to the ground.

At the time, his beer belly almost caused him to fall over, but his guards quickly caught him to keep him from face-planting.

Oh, he has some very good guards with him.

Eri: “IーI’m actually not very well-versed in business matters…….but oh! Now that we have the communication device, I can ask my father for his input.”

Rotonoa: “IーIf it pleases your highness, I would be indebted if you could do so for myself. Ohhh, and Sir Lou Quain! What should we do about the cargo we brought for you?” Luke: “What? OーOh, wait. No, I can’t take that. I already have the gifts you brought before.”

Rotonoa: “Oh, no, no, no, no. As I mentioned before, how could I repay you with merchandise that had sunk to the ocean floor? Oh, well, I guess you could use it as firewood, so please feel free to use it for your kitchens.”

Hmmmm, no matter how I try to explain it, he’s just not getting it.

It can’t be helped. It’s better to show him directly than to use words.

I should just show him how I repair his furniture.

Luke: “Could someone go back and find furniture that would fit inside my box?” Eri: “Do you plan on doing a demonstration?”

Sia: “Should Sia go～?” Kurasuke: [I can help get it～]

And before Sia could answer, Kurasuke began heading back to the village.

Rotonoa: “Sー, S, S, Sー, Sir Lou Quain. Waーwas that…was that a Kraken child?”

Luke: “Yeah, that’s Kumi’s son. The reason why she was in that part of the ocean was to raise her son.”

Kumi: [That must have been your ship back then. I am very sorry.”

Rotonoa: “Eek!”

Kumi suddenly appeared out of the ocean and scared Rotonoa.

Luke: “You’ll have to get used to things like this if you’re going to do business here.”

Rotonoa: “ThーThen pardon me, but…that dragon from before….”

Luke: “That’s Gonzo. And he also has a son, Gonta. There are also others like the Horned Sheepoo, and recently, we became friends with the Mothra Kaiko.”

Rotonoa: “......fーfriends with monsters……I mean, I understand the Horned Sheepoo. In other regions, there are plenty of ranchers who domesticate them but…”

Luke: “Well, like I said. You’ll need to get used to it.”

Rotonoa: “........as you say, sir.”

As we finished, Kurasuke huffed and puffed while carrying a small bookshelf.

It was a bookshelf that you could use as a bed stand and place a lantern on top.

Even on a bed stand shelf like this, there were intricate designs carved into the doors.

Luke: “There’s barnacles all over this too～”

Kurasuke: [But nothing’s broken.]

Luke: “Yeah, you’re right. Thanks, Kurasuke.”

As I pet his squishy head, and he wriggled happily as I did so.

I didn’t know squids can be this cute…

Rotonoa: “EーExcuse me, Sir Lou Quain….you mentioned that you were going to fix this?” Luke: “Yeah, we’ll place this shelf inside my [Alchemy BOX]. Thenー ohー look at this!”

I close the lid, and separate the shelf from the sea water and barnacles.

The BOX lights up, and when I open the lid, I see the shelf, sea water in the bottom, and barnacles just rolling around.

Luke: “This is what happens.”

I took out the bookshelf, and Rotonoa looked at it quizzically.

After pausing for a moment, he reached down to pull out the drawer.

Oh, he must be checking for his symbol.

Rotonoa: “IーIndeed, this is the same bed stand I gifted to Sir Lou Quain……bーbut what is going on here? A moment ago, there were barnacles and seaweed wrapped all around it, so how…..?” Luke: “If I place things that are broken inside this BOX, I’m able to put it back together. Of course, there are limitations.”

If it’s broken, I will need to collect all the broken pieces. If I can’t find all the pieces, I will need substitute material to fix the object.

But without enough material, I cannot restore it back to its original state.

ーーis what I explained.

Luke: “This is my [Talent].”

Rotonoa: “Ohー I seeー so this is the talent the Marqー I mean, former Marquis, Mr. Lonneberg misunderstood.”

Luke: “Yup, the very same.” Rotonoa: “I can’t believe such a [Talent] exists! To us merchants, it’s nothing less than a gift from God!”

For merchants who must carefully manage their products, it must look that way.

That’s why Rotonoa looked excited as he continued to speak.

Rotonoa: “But….I must caution you, sir. You must be careful to not reveal that to other merchants so lightly.”

Luke: “You think so?” Rotonoa: “Yes. There will be some who will try to take that power for themselves no matter what. Of course, I myself feel the same way.”

Luke: “.......I’m not giving it up, and besides that, I can’t give it to you, you know?” Rotonoa: “Of course, I fully understand that. Butーーto be able to restore it to its original state. I can see how all the goods I brought this time was a pointless act.”

He did make the effort to bring it all the way over here. It does feel like a waste to just have him carry it back.

But I definitely don’t have the budget to purchase it off his hands eitherーーwell, I might have the money, but we also have to think about taking measures if the winter harvest does not go according to plan, and we need resources to buy food too.

Hmmmmmm, what to do…

Eri: “Sir Luke.” Sia: “Uーk.”

It was rare to hear them synchronize together like that.

Eri: “Why not use that as a bargaining chip?” Sia: “Sia will make lots of ice～!”

That…?

Oh, the air conditioning stone?!