Chapter 58

After negotiating with the innkeeper Yoan about the scotch, I returned to my room and immediately began to draft the terms of the agreement into a contract template.

The commercial practices I learned when selling the soap-making method are not much different from those in Japan. Since there are no laws like commercial codes in place, the contract only needs to specify the purchase amount, date and time, method of delivery, and whether there is any compensation. If any problems arise, we can ask the Commercial Guild to mediate.

As I was drafting the contract, I was thinking about this deal.

(A barrel for a thousand C, or a million yen, in Kilnareck. It would be less trouble to sell it to the dwarves in Arus, but for the sake of spreading it, it can't be helped. If this scotch becomes popular, it should bring stable income to the village...)

I decided to deliver the barrel in Kilnareck and sell a quarter barrel—about a hundred liters—for a thousand C. Payment would be made with the next order, and the merchant would be designated by the Lockhart family.

(I think I can trust Norton, but it feels risky to entrust him with the money. Still, I don't know any other merchants... At least if we want to continue trading with Arus, we shouldn't make enemies with the dwarves. If someone is foolish enough to risk losing their reputation for a million yen, it's my fault for not seeing it. If it comes to that, I'll have to accept it as a lesson...)

I couldn't fully trust Henry Norton, the merchant I had traveled with once.

In theory, there are reasons to trust him.

His chamber of commerce may not be one of the largest, but it is stable enough to enter into exclusive guard contracts with mercenaries. A merchant like him wouldn't want to lose his reputation over a small amount of money.

Moreover, his chamber of commerce trades with the dwarves in Arus. In other words, he doesn't want to make enemies with the dwarves. The Lockhart family's scotch's biggest customers are the dwarves in Arus. If it became known that the Lockhart family had a dispute over alcohol, it could affect their main business.

(Conversely, he might want to trade with us... If we negotiate well, he might take the job at a lower price, and eventually, he might handle the transportation to Arus. If that happens, it might be possible to establish regular transportation between Rasmoor Village, Arus, and Periclitur... I'm getting ahead of myself...)

The next day, July 8th.

I performed my morning training in the backyard as usual.

It was just after dawn, but the smell of breakfast was already wafting from the kitchen. It seemed that some adventurers were already eating.

I washed my face and, feeling refreshed, began my practice swings.

Since I had no urgent business today, I spent about an hour working up a sweat.

Around 7:00 AM, I went down to the dining hall, which was overflowing with adventurers.

Thinking, "Adventurers who go into the forest wake up early," I sat at an empty table and ordered my meal.

Breakfast consisted of grilled salted pork, a dish similar to scrambled eggs, a soup with plenty of vegetables like minestrone, and bread.

(The portions are surprisingly large. Since the adventurers' work is mostly physical labor, this much food is probably necessary...)

After breakfast, I left the inn around 8:00 AM.

Following the plan I made yesterday, I headed to the commercial district in the north to find Norton's chamber of commerce. After that, I would gather information around the chamber and, if time allowed, visit the Mercenary Guild to find the mercenary Byron.

The main street was crowded with caravans and guards, but we, on foot, had no trouble heading north.

Upon entering the northern district, I asked about Norton's chamber of commerce on the main street and quickly found its location.

Norton's shop was located on the south side of the northern district, close to the city center.

Norton's chamber of commerce was a two-story wooden building with a large warehouse next to it. It didn't look like a shop at first glance, and without the small sign that read "Norton Chamber of Commerce," it could easily be mistaken for a large house.

(Despite dealing in weapons and armor for adventurers, they don't do retail. Without hiring blacksmiths, they can't provide maintenance or customization, so wholesale might be easier than retail...)

We gathered information about Norton's chamber of commerce.

Gai approached nearby people and shops and casually asked about Norton's chamber of commerce. After hearing from a few people, there was no particularly negative information, and it seemed that the third-generation leader, Henry, conducted steady business.

(No negative information. The management seems solid... Ideally, I'd like to know the financial situation. There's no equivalent to the Imperial Data Bank in this world, but I'd like to see a TCB Corporate Credit Report. Even a 40 report would do. If I had a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow (CF) statement, I could make a judgment...)

After confirming Norton's chamber of commerce's reputation, we headed to the Mercenary Guild in the northern district.

The northern district, known as the commercial district, had many shops. In the food market, there were grain specialty shops, meat specialty shops, and even shops specializing in preserved foods.

(As expected of a commercial district in a major city. The wide variety of goods is probably because it's a transit point for supplies...)

We moved from the food market to the area where shops selling clothing and miscellaneous items were located.

Sharon, seeing the large shopping district for the first time, had wide eyes.

I said, "If there's anything you want to see, let's go in," but she only shook her head in refusal. I asked Lidi in a low voice, "Do you have any idea where Sharon might be interested?"

"Maybe a bookstore. Hmm... Clothing or accessories might also be good."

I kept an eye out for such shops and found a women's clothing store.

I said, "Let's go in," and Sharon looked at Gai hesitantly. When Gai was about to say something, Lidi, standing next to him, said happily, "Let's go in!" and pulled my arm to enter the store.

I called out, "Let's go," to Gai's troubled face, and the two followed us.

Inside the store, dozens of colorful women's clothes were displayed in a small space. A woman in her mid-thirties approached us.

"Welcome. What are you looking for?"

She greeted Gai and Lidi with a full smile and glanced at us.

(She must be unsure of our relationship. Gai and Lidi seem to be a couple, but she's unsure about me and Sharon. So, she's addressing both Gai and Lidi...)

Gai, looking at Lidi, replied, "Can you help this person?"

Lidi, who hadn't heard his words, was already browsing the items. Sharon, unsure of what to do in such a store, stuck close to me with a troubled look.

"Sharon, why don't you look around? If you find something you like, I'll buy it for you."

Sharon shook her head and said, "I have enough clothes."

Meanwhile, Lidi was checking the prices of the items with the shop assistant.

After about five minutes, Lidi returned and said, "Let's come back later," and walked out of the store.

I thought, "She left so quickly," and asked, "Didn't you find anything you liked?"

"It's not that. I need some things for life in Doctus... But there's no need to decide at this store alone."

(I see, she's going to compare several stores. This will take some time...)

After that, we peeked into some household goods stores and headed to the Mercenary Guild.

The Mercenary Guild was a large, three-story wooden building with a training ground in the back, but since it was close to noon, there were hardly any mercenaries around.

Inside the guild, a row of reception counters faced the entrance, and there were several round tables with four seats each, probably for negotiations.

Gai went to the reception to ask for the inn where Byron Seedorf was staying. The receptionist told him immediately.

(Since he said he's based in Periclitur, the inn is like his current address. Is it really okay to give out such information so easily? Well, there's no personal information protection law here, so it can't be helped... Still, to give out information about a mercenary who might make enemies so easily...)

When I asked Gai about it, he said that normally they wouldn't give out such information easily, but Byron had specifically requested that they tell us where he was staying if we came looking for him.

(There's no guarantee I would come, but he might have thought I was interested in mercenaries. Since Gai and Lidi aren't in the Mercenary Guild, he might have thought I would come to him...)

We headed to the inn where Byron was staying, but unfortunately, he wasn't there. The inn staff said he would return in the afternoon, so we asked them to leave a message and returned to our sightseeing.

After wandering for a while, we entered an area with bookstores and magic item shops.

In the bookstores, leather-bound books were lined up, and scrolls were placed here and there. Unlike Japanese used bookstores, they had a somewhat mysterious atmosphere.

In the magic item shops, staffs embedded with magic crystals, small boxes, and complex-shaped objects with unknown uses, as well as rings with colorful gems, created an exotic atmosphere.

When I tried to enter one of the shops, Lidi grabbed my arm.

"We're going to Doctus. That city has more authentic items, so there's no need to be tricked by fakes here."

Indeed, the academic city of Doctus probably has more authentic magic books and items, but as an RPG enthusiast, I couldn't help but be interested in such shops.

After passing through the bookstore district, we entered an entertainment district with many taverns.

It was still before noon, but some taverns were already open, and mercenaries were drinking and making noise.

(They must be mercenaries who have finished their jobs. Depending on the destination of the caravan, it takes about two months to travel 800 km to the commercial city of Aurelia. It's a job, so they can't let loose during the trip. They're probably letting loose during their rare breaks...)

To avoid being bothered, we bypassed the entertainment district and headed to the area with large chambers of commerce. According to Lidi and Gai, this area was safe and had many good restaurants.

We found a café-style restaurant and had lunch.

The meal was more substantial than I expected, but the taste was quite good. I casually looked around and noticed that many people were eating with drinks in hand.

As a former Japanese salaryman, I found this somewhat strange.

(I've seen suits drinking beer during lunch in Shimbashi, but in my company, drinking with lunch was not allowed. If I had been to Europe, I might have a different opinion, but I want to say, "Don't drink during work hours..." Maybe it's just jealousy because I couldn't do it...)

After that, we wandered around and headed to the inn where Byron was staying.

At the front desk, we learned that Byron had already returned.

He soon appeared and bowed to us.

"Thank you for coming. I appreciate your effort."

"No, it wasn't a planned visit. If you don't mind, could I have a little of your time?"

Byron nodded and led us to an empty part of the inn's dining area.

"I came today because I have a few questions. I'm thinking of entrusting a job to Norton's chamber of commerce and wanted to hear your opinion as a guard..."

I told Byron what I had told Yoan last night.

"Basically, I want to transport our local specialty, alcohol, to Periclitur. I want to hear your opinion on whether Norton's chamber of commerce would be willing to take on this job, considering their business and my request. Of course, I understand that you have a relationship with your employer, so just tell me what you can."

After thinking for a moment, he began to speak quietly.

"Norton's chamber of commerce conducts steady business. The current president, Henry, is the third generation, but he's not the adventurous type..."

Byron's story was the same as what we had heard.

"Furthermore, the president seems to want to establish a good relationship with the Lockhart family."

When I said, "Is it because we sell alcohol to the dwarves in Arus?" he was slightly surprised and nodded.

"The president wants to sell Arus weapons to the northern Lax Kingdom in the future. To do this, he needs the blacksmiths to make many weapons, but the stubborn dwarves don't approve of making cheap weapons for Norton's chamber of commerce."

"I see. The master blacksmiths want to sell high-quality weapons, but Norton's chamber of commerce doesn't require that level of quality. So, the chamber wants to have young blacksmiths make weapons to meet the quantity, but if the masters don't agree, the young blacksmiths won't get the work, and the quantity won't be met. Is that it?"

Byron nodded vigorously.

"Exactly. Therefore, the president probably wants to stop at Rasmoor Village on the way to Arus and transport the alcohol that the dwarves like."

(I see. Indeed, if it's a request from a transportation company, they might be willing to make some concessions. However, at the moment, there are specialized transportation companies in Arus that handle the transport, and they hire more guards—twenty—than Byron's mercenary group...)

I was satisfied with the information I had gathered and bowed to Byron, saying, "Thank you for your help."

Byron straightened his posture and said,

"I have something to discuss with you, Mr. Zacharias. Could you hear me out?"

I wondered what it could be but replied, "Sure, go ahead."