Chapter 629: Personnel Matters (Continued)
After returning from the Dwarven Autonomous Region, Zion rejoined Tauro and Black-Gold Wings, while Ankh temporarily stepped away from the party to train candidates for the territorial guard and identify someone suitable to lead it.
That said, Ankh was still based in the territorial capital and frequently traveled around the territory with the soldiers, so it wasn’t as though they could no longer see him.
Meanwhile, Seth, the boy-shaped autonomous-thinking puppet, continued working at the mine, directing the ten Rock-series puppets to assist Rogas, who had been placed in charge of the mining operation.
Tauro and the others were at the castle in the territorial capital, meeting with Robin, the acting administrator, and Busasen, chairman of the Busasen Trading Company.
“Me… in charge of the trading post?” Busasen asked, surprised by the unexpected offer.
“Yes. Your company has operated in this territorial capital for more than a hundred years. You’re trusted by the other merchants, and you personally took the initiative—at your own expense—to restore relations with the Dwarven Autonomous Region. I believe you’re worthy of the responsibility. What do you think?”
Although Tauro was speaking in his capacity as lord, he still phrased it as a request rather than an order—very much in character for him.
“…With all due respect, my lord, having the head of a single private company oversee the territory’s trading post could create problems in the long run. I wouldn’t be able to act against my own company’s interests, and situations could arise where that harmed the trading post.”
“…That’s true.”
Tauro couldn’t deny it. It was only natural for a merchant to prioritize their own business.
“In that case… I, Sokyuu Busasen, will step down as head of the Busasen Trading Company today and pass the position to my son, Sotan. I’ll also give up the Busasen family name. That way, I can accept your offer without reservation.”
“W-what!? That’s too much—there’s no need to go that far!” Tauro exclaimed.
“Please call me Sokyuu from now on, my lord. I intend to devote the rest of my life to reopening and developing this territory’s trading post.”
Thumping his chest, the former chairman—now simply Sokyuu—accepted the role.
At this point, Tauro had no reason to refuse.
If anything, he felt guilty that his request had led to Sokyuu stepping down—but—
“Hahaha! It’s no problem. I’d planned to retire and leave the company to my son once relations with the Dwarven Autonomous Region were restored anyway. I’m already forty-eight. I thought I’d spend the rest of my life doing as I pleased, but I never imagined I’d be asked to take on such an important role!”
Sokyuu said with a cheerful grin.
“Are you really sure?”
“Of course! At my age, having the chance to serve everyone in this territory in a new way is exciting!”
“Okay. Then I’ll entrust the trading post to you, Sokyuu-san. Do you need anything to get started?”
“First, manpower—but that won’t be an issue. Given the recent economic downturn, plenty of unemployed people will apply. What we need next is funding.”
“No problem. Please use this.”
Tauro said and placed a large leather bag filled with money on the table, taking it from [Magic Storage].
“Then I’ll gratefully accept it. Next… we should work on restoring relations not only with the dwarves, but with the other autonomous regions as well. I’ll have my son support those efforts through the company, but ultimately the most effective approach would be for you, Lord Tauro, to act directly.”
Having witnessed how successful the dwarven negotiations had been, Sokyuu understood the impact of the lord personally taking part.
“──Okay. I was thinking the same. I plan to send envoys to each region.”
“Also, regarding the road development you’ve begun—it was an excellent first step. However, it’d be more efficient to concentrate on completing one route at a time.”
“That’s already in motion. The greatest danger is the monster population, so as soon as the mountain road linking the territorial capital, the mine, and the Dwarven Autonomous Region is complete, I plan to send Seth and the Rock-series puppets to work on the road toward the Elf Autonomous Region, which overlaps with several other important routes.”
“That’s reassuring. Does that mean your next target for restoring relations is the elves?”
“Yes, that’s the plan. Though Chairwoman Gasra warned me that elves are even more stubborn than dwarves, so it might be better to leave them until later,” Tauro said with a wry smile.
“That’s understandable. The former lord, Count Lunesk, gave preferential treatment only to the elves. The other autonomous regions came to believe the elves were secretly aligned with him and began resenting them. In the end, the elves withdrew completely—not only from this territory, but from the other autonomous regions as well.”
“That sounds… deeply complicated.”
Tauro had already heard the outline from Robin, but hearing the details from a longtime local made him wonder just how much room there really was for negotiation.
“Either way, everything starts with one step. I’ll begin preparations to reopen the trading post immediately, so please leave that to me. Now then, excuse me.”
With that, Sokyuu left the castle briskly.
“Robin, could you call the Adventurers’ Guild branch manager? I’d like to discuss future cooperation.”
“With the Adventurers’ Guild?” Robin tilted her head.
“Yes. This territory borders several autonomous regions and even the Royal Frontier Special Zone. Ankh is working hard to train the territorial guard, but their main role is maintaining order among people in the towns and villages. Dealing with monsters throughout the territory, on the other hand, is the specialty of adventurers. To keep the roads safe, we need the guild’s help. I’d like to provide subsidies to attract adventurers back here.”
“Understood! I’ll have the branch manager summoned right away!”
Robin immediately set things in motion.
“There’s still a lot to do… but in the end, I’ll have to personally visit each autonomous region and negotiate, right?”
Tauro turned to Aeris and the others behind him.
“The road improvements and reopening the trading post should make it easier for people and goods to move, which will help the economy recover. The mine will be operating again, and you have a plan for maintaining public order… So yes, what remains is restoring relations with the other autonomous regions so people and goods can start flowing again,” Aeris replied, pointing out what Tauro’s resources had made possible after Robin had been forced to work with limited funds.
“Right. Then next, we wait for reports from the envoys—and then visit each region ourselves.”
With Aeris’s input helping him organize his thoughts, Tauro set his next course of action.