Chapter 96

Under the scorching summer sun, the wheat fields shone with a vivid deep green.

This was the first wheat to be cultivated in the fields that Sōma had instructed to be plowed. The robust growth of the wheat was a source of joy for Sōma as well.

However, as he gazed at it now, there was no smile on his face; instead, a stern expression was etched upon it.

This was due to the content of the report given by Michena in the city of Borinis before he came to inspect the settlement.

"There is a shortage of funds."

When Michena said this right away, Sōma questioned the reason.

Until now, it was said that there was no problem with investing in development and technology since there was no need to send taxes to the capital. However, if there was a shortage of funds just as they started, it was a different story.

"I am sorry, Sōma-sama. My estimation was too lenient."

With a bitter expression, Michena bowed deeply in apology. Sōma, who had a few ideas, could not press further and offered words of comfort.

"There's nothing we can do. The reduction in taxes is largely my fault."

The main taxes collected in the city of Borinis included not only the land tax on crops like wheat but also the head tax levied on the city's residents and the customs duties and tolls collected when goods and people entered the city.

Sōma thought that the significant reduction in land taxes, combined with the exodus of residents and the lack of merchants due to his bad reputation, had led to a decrease in head taxes and tolls.

"No, the tax revenue was roughly as expected."

However, Michena said it was not that simple.

The reduction in land taxes and the decrease in head taxes and tolls were all within Michena's expectations. In fact, the head tax was even higher than expected because Sōma's measures to protect the residents, such as allowing free departure from the city before and after the "Battle of Borinis," had been effective, and the population decline was less than anticipated.

When Sōma asked what had gone wrong, Michena bit her lip in frustration.

"We were undercut by the Jevau merchant guild..."

When investigating the wheat yields in each settlement before collecting the land tax, the reports indicated that they were roughly the same as in previous years. Based on this, Michena had planned the budget by subtracting the reduced tax amount from the usual harvest.

Indeed, the wheat harvest was as expected.

According to Michena's calculations, even with the loss from the tax reduction and decreased revenue, there would be enough to cover the budget for Sōma's development and exploration.

"But, the wheat was bought at a low price."

The wheat collected as land tax was mostly stored in the city's granary as food. At this time, the surplus and the previous year's stock in the warehouse were usually bought by merchants.

However, because Sōma and his group were in conflict with the Kingdom of Holmea, the Jevau merchants, anticipating that there would be no other buyers, bought the wheat at a price less than half of the usual rate.

"What about the salaries we planned to pay everyone?"

First, Sōma was most concerned about the salaries of the officials and soldiers.

The development projects and technological advancements could be halted in the worst case, but if the salaries had to be cut, it would be a serious problem.

"The wheat for salaries is actually in surplus. But, the salt..."

At the time, the salaries of officials and soldiers were usually paid in kind.

Mostly, they were paid in wheat and salt.

While wheat was a food source, the mention of salt as part of the salary might seem strange to modern people. However, salt was an essential element for survival, a seasoning that determined the taste of food, and a preservative for food in an era without refrigerators, making it a highly valuable commodity.

For example, it is well-known that in ancient Rome, soldiers were paid in salt, which is the origin of the word "salary." Additionally, the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, now a World Heritage site, provided one-third of the Polish Kingdom's revenue and was called "white gold."

From this, it is clear that salt was a highly valuable commodity in ancient and medieval times.

"The proportion of wheat in the salaries will be increased, but we cannot do without salt. We had to sell some of the wheat, even knowing it would be bought at a low price, to secure the funds to buy salt and other supplies like charcoal and iron ore, which Dovarin and others require, and we suffered significant losses."

In the city of Borinis, which had no access to the sea, salt had to be imported. Therefore, even though they knew it would be bought at a low price, they had to sell a certain amount of wheat to secure the funds to buy salt.

"If we want to secure the planned funds, we will have to sell more wheat. But, how much will they undercut us next time?"

At this point, Dovarin, who was present, interjected.

"Are the merchants trying to start a fight?"

After all, Sōma and his group were the rulers of Borinis. Dovarin could not understand why the merchants would so openly undercut them.

In his homeland, Dovarin managed a workshop and traded with human merchants, so he was well aware of their shrewdness. He thought that if such shrewd merchants were undercutting them, it must be for more than just immediate profit; there must be some intention.

Michena also felt this.

She speculated that it was due to the intentions of the Jevau merchant guild.

"Perhaps it is a form of retaliation and pressure from the guild."

The maritime nation of Jevau is located southwest of Borinis.

It is a peninsula jutting out into the Vennes Inland Sea, with a large port where merchant ships traveling the Vennes Inland Sea anchor, and it is a country that has prospered through maritime trade for a long time. Therefore, merchants have a strong influence, and although it is a kingdom with a king, it is a well-known fact that the king is a puppet of the merchant guild.

The merchant guild is an organization formed by merchants for self-defense. Therefore, it rarely acts for the benefit of a few merchants.

After all, the guild's operating policies are decided by the "Council of Ten," the ten wealthiest merchants in Jevau, who are also business rivals and often engage in internal power struggles.

If the Jevau merchant guild had instructed the grain merchants to buy low, it could only mean that the city of Borinis was causing some disadvantage to the guild as a whole.

Michena believed that this was because Sōma had effectively blocked the trade route between Jevau and the Kingdom of Holmea.

Sōma was surprised when he heard this.

"Wait a minute! I haven't interfered with trade!"

After all, Sōma had planned to abolish tolls and invite merchants, inspired by Oda Nobunaga's free market policies. He thought that the caravans were staying away due to security concerns after he took control of Borinis.

However, when he argued that he had not blocked the trade route, Michena replied hesitantly.

"I think it's because of the lord's declaration to abolish slavery..."

At the time, caravans used many slaves for transportation. However, since Sōma had abolished slavery, such caravans could no longer pass through the city of Borinis.

"In other words, because of me, the Jevau merchants can no longer sell goods to the Kingdom of Holmea..."

No matter how much Sōma might call it a bad custom, the fact was that the industry and transportation of the time were supported by the existence of slaves. The negative effects of abolishing it suddenly had now become apparent.

"Then, why don't we use this to our advantage and put pressure on the merchants?"

If they were blocking the trade route, Dovarin suggested using it as leverage to negotiate with the merchants.

"I don't think that's possible."

As she said this, Michena spread a map on the table.

"There is apparently an illegal bridge in this area."

Michena pointed to a location south of the city of Borinis.

"It seems that the Jevau merchants have improved this bridge and the connecting path to use it as a trade route to the city of Luoma."

At the time, building bridges over rivers was a privilege of the state or lords.

Rivers often marked the boundaries of countries or territories, and if bridges were built without permission, illegal immigration and smuggling would become rampant.

However, more importantly, limiting the means to cross the river forced people to use the bridges built by the lords, from which they could collect substantial tolls. In the city of Borinis, the tolls were a valuable source of revenue because there was a bridge over the river in the city.

For the people living in the area, however, it was a great inconvenience to have to go all the way to the bridge built by the lord just to cross to the other side. In such cases, small bridges were sometimes built without permission by the local people. Lords often tolerated such bridges as long as they did not become too public, considering the convenience of the local people.

This time, the Jevau merchants had their eyes on one such bridge.

"Then, why don't we just destroy it?"

If the Jevau merchants were using another route to put pressure on them, Zugg suggested destroying it.

"If Sōma-sama orders it, we Zuan can take care of it today."

However, Sōma shook his head at Zugg's suggestion.

"Since we are already in conflict with Holmea, I don't want to make Jevau our enemy as well."

If they did that, it would completely turn Jevau into an enemy. Sōma did not want to have Jevau as an enemy while already in conflict with Holmea.

"But, if we don't, won't we just be letting the Jevau people do as they please?"

Zugg grumbled, but it was a sentiment shared by everyone present.

"Let's endure for now. We are not strong enough to fight both of them."

Sōma's words made everyone present look bitter.

However, Sōma continued.

"—For now."

It was a statement of confidence that they would surely become strong.

At these words, a small smile appeared on everyone's face.

"I also think it's better not to provoke Jevau."

Michena agreed with Sōma.

"But, the problem is salt. It will be fine for now, but if this continues, it will affect the lives of the people in the city."

With that, everyone fell into a difficult silence again.

However, when Sōma suddenly looked up, something seemed odd about the Zuan. They were glancing at each other and exchanging looks.

When he turned to look behind him, Shemul was glaring at Garam with a stern look, and Garam seemed flustered by his sister's gaze.

"Is something wrong, Shemul?"

When Sōma asked, Shemul sighed and said,

"We have salt."

A loud murmur arose at this statement.

"Hey, The Noble Fang! That's a secret of the Zuan who live on the plains!"

Garam, who hastily reprimanded Shemul, inadvertently confirmed the existence of the salt.

"What are you saying, The Fierce Fang? Sōma is a potential king. What is there to hide from him?"

Garam, speechless at his sister's rebuttal, was asked by Sōma if there really was salt. Garam, holding his head as if it hurt, finally admitted it.

"Of course. We Zuan cannot live without salt."

When he thought about it, it made sense. The meals served in the village of the Fang Clan also had a salty taste. If the Zuan had salt without trading with humans, they must have obtained it from somewhere else.

"But, where from...?"

Obviously, there was no sea on the Solbiant Plain. Sōma could not understand how they obtained salt.

Garam, who could no longer keep it a secret, revealed it.

"Salt from the mountains."

"Rock salt?! You can mine rock salt?!"

The Dōnas Mountains surrounding the Solbiant Plain were formed by the collision of the southern and western plates with the central plate of the Seldias continent. During this process, a large amount of seawater trapped on land became a massive layer of rock salt, and part of it was pushed to the surface by tectonic activity. The Zuan had discovered this and used it as a valuable source of salt.

"Garam-san, how much is there? Can you supply it to the city?"

In response to Sōma's hopeful question, Garam thought for a moment and then answered.

"I haven't seen it myself, but it is said to be enough to sustain the Zuan on the plains for a thousand