Kays Translations

Chapter 47: The Merchant’s Information Network

After lunch, while waiting for Merrimus and his group to come to the village, I was testing the “spatial storage” skill that had manifested itself in Merinard.

What he was able to store at skill Lv1 was the size of a storage shed, but he was still very pleased with it. It is said that there were only three people in the entire Beastmen territory who possessed the spatial storage skill.

Now, with the arrival of the Japanese, the number of people who possess this skill has increased, but even so, he said it was still a dream come true for merchants.

After waiting for what must have been two hours, Merrimus, Rad, and the others finally returned to the village.

“Chief, I’m home.”

“Welcome back, everyone. I hope the transaction went well.”

“Yes, we got the smelting tools, so please forward them to me.”

“Oh, you finally got it!”

It seems that Merinard had made the arrangements in advance. The profit from the sale of potatoes had also reached the target amount, and in addition to the magical tools, salt, sugar, and fruits were also transferred from the village to the warehouse.

When the transfer was completed and I was checking the trade goods, Merrimus and the others returned with a lot of commotion. I told them to go to the church while I was checking the warehouse. ……

“Village Chief, we too have received the blessing of the Goddess!”

Both Merrimus and his escort, Uruk, next to him, expressed their joy with a sense of excitement. From the fact that the four members of the trading companies received the blessing, it seems that the length of stay in the village has nothing to do with the conditions for receiving the ability.

Merrimus was given the occupation “Merchant” and “Negotiation Lv1. The effect was a bit vague, but he was happy regardless. He has the same occupation as Merinard, but it seems that the skills he receives are not all the same.

The werewolf tribe escort Uruk, who was given『Swordsman』  and 『Swordsmanship Lv1』is hugging the other escort, Urgan. I thought they looked very similar, but it seems they are actually twin brothers. When their excitement subsided, they headed to the meeting place to discuss their future plans.

“Before we go any further, are you sure all four of you are going to remain villagers? If there are any impediments, I can unlock them.”

“I can’t believe it. I received the goddess’s blessing, and if it weren’t for the store, I would like to move to the village as soon as possible.”

“That would be a problem. We would like to continue trading with the city for a while yet.”

We smiled at each other, and, feeling relaxed, we went on to the main topic of conversation.

“First of all, I think we can secure currency by selling potatoes, rice, and wheat.”

“Yes, we can raise plenty of money from our warehouse inventory and the harvest cycle.”

“As for securing manpower, I think the problem will come down to dealing with the Union Congress and the city’s trading companies. ……”

“Yes, we can move quietly until they intervene, or we can take the matter to the Congress from the outset. Let’s decide which option we’re going to take as soon as possible.”

“Which do you think is the wiser choice, Merinard? I think we all understand that we can’t avoid their intervention in any case.”

I don’t know anything about the council or the city. In a situation like this, it is best to respect the opinions of the local merchants.

“Whatever the method, there will be interference fairly early on. If that’s the case, I think it would be better to talk it through first, including our demands.”

“If we were to discuss the matter, what happens if negotiations break down?”

“If negotiations break down, the city will not be able to solve the food shortage. Even if they were to resort to forceful measures, it would be impossible to capture this village.”

“Even if they can’t capture the village, it’s likely that our dealings with the city will be sabotaged. That would be a bit of a problem. ……”

Even if the village is okay, we can’t do business like that. At the very least, we wanted to continue for a while longer.

“As long as the council doesn’t get too greedy, I think the negotiations will pass. In the worst case scenario, I’ll move to the village with everything I have from the Merry Trading Company.”

“Oh, I think you know what I mean. As you know, we don’t accept people who can’t be villagers, do we?”

“Of course I understand. This village is worth more than that and has a future, so there is no problem.”

“I understand. Can you handle the negotiations with the council and the trading companies?”

“I’ll take care of it. Let’s put together some concrete policies and requests. First of all–“

After that, we continued discussions with Merinard and decided to move forward with the following conditions.

1. All sales and purchases of foodstuffs and delivery of money and goods must go through the Merry trading companies.

2. If the council or any other trading company violates these conditions, all future sales of foodstuffs must be discontinued.

3. To promise to sell foodstuffs on a regular basis on the condition that the council would allow us to recruit immigrants from the city and to purchase slaves.

The agreement was quite simple, but the other party had its own wishes, and we decided to proceed with negotiations after determining the minimum non-negotiable conditions.

“By the way, does the Merry Trading Company also trade in slaves?”

“We don’t do it directly, but we have a trustworthy slave trader, so we plan to make arrangements there.”

“Please don’t send me any criminal slaves or Japanese slaves. It is meaningless without the possibility of becoming a villager.”

“The Congress may not approve of Japanese immigration, not only slaves, as they are accepted as a fighting force to fight against the human race in the first place.”

“I don’t mind, but is it credible information that a war is imminent?”

I have heard before that food imports from the human territories have decreased, but I have also heard that there hasn’t been a major war in decades.

“I don’t know about the time frame, but it’s a strong possibility. It seems that there are many Japanese who have moved to the human Territory. Not only adventurers, but some have even joined the military, and they seem to be treated very well.”

“I see. Do you have any other information?”

“And then… that’s right. It seems that there are Japanese people with special skills such as ‘Hero’ and ‘Saint’ in the human race territory.”

I had the impression that they were there after all. Maybe they are the main characters in this world.

(I hope they haven’t been given a troublesome mission… Depending on the hero’s personality, there could be sparks here as well.)

After hearing about the negotiations with the council and the human race, I was told various things about the city. As I expected from a merchant, he had collected a wide range of information, and I was able to grasp most of what was going on in the city, which had been unknown to me until now.

When the conversation came to an end, it was almost dusk, so we shared information with the other members over dinner. At this time, Beritoa suggested that we secure more metal ingots to hold us over until the mining season.

“If there is a war, the price of food and metal will go up. I am glad that my space storage will be of help to you right away.”

“Keisuke-san, may I offer something as well?”

Tsubaki also seems to have a suggestion. I nodded and urged her to continue.

“I think it’s time to start baking bread. If you can secure dairy products and eggs, please do.”

“Oh, that sounds great. Merinard, can you ask for those as well?”

“I will bring them to you next time. I can’t bring a cow, but I can bring some chickens.”

“Thank you very much.”

In addition, I asked for fruit tree seeds and seedlings. I have planted and grown several kinds of fruit trees in the village, but I would like to try different kinds anyway.

“Everyone, it’s about time for you to suggest something that you would like to enjoy or something that enriches your life, so don’t be shy.”

The village is entering a period of stability, with business with the trading companies becoming easier and easier. I would like to develop the village so that people can enjoy a more comfortable life.

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