Chapter 56

Well, next is the Maple Guild.

I擅自订购了船，但船不仅仅是为了我获取糖，也是为了商会的工作。

如果商会的基础都依赖于我，我将无法自由行动。

So, I came to the Maple Guild.

Unlike the Catherine Magic Tool Shop, this place looks like a regular store in the city.

The store seems to be completed, and there are already customers inside.

Well, the dried meat made from the materials I brought probably isn't ready yet, so the taste shouldn't be an issue.

"Is Mercia here?"

It's faster to ask directly rather than observe, so I quickly spoke to a store clerk.

The clerk is familiar, and it's not strange that they remember my face, given that I'm the owner.

"Ah, yes. The store manager is probably in the warehouse."

"Ah, I'll go check then."

I remember where the warehouse is.

Following the same route as last time, I arrived without getting lost.

I showed my direction-challenged side in Ein, but I'm not so bad that I can't remember the way to a place I've been to once, probably.

In the warehouse, employees (two men, one woman) were dismantling Galden, and Mercia was watching them.

She might be supervising them.

"Hey, Mercia, how's the store doing?"

"It's not bad. The number of customers is about as expected."

Mercia turned around and replied.

She could answer accurately even when spoken to from out of sight, so maybe she already knew I was there.

"Is it not good?"

"The store is slightly in the red for now. We're selling items at regular prices that can be bought at other stores, so we can't compete with the stores that have been doing business here for a long time."

That's true.

"The real challenge will start once we begin selling the meat I brought."

"Yes. The profit from sales is currently small, but it would be a waste to have the employees idle, and we are also using this as an opportunity to train them."

Yeah, it can be said that this is a very conventional way to run a store.

Since we have an advantage in procurement, there's no need to engage in strange competition.

Business is something people put their lives on the line for, and it won't change just because you try some clever strategy.

There are successful examples of driving other stores out of business with huge sales and then raising prices, but that's only possible with a cheap procurement route and a massive scale.

It might be possible for us too, but it would also bring resentment, so it's best to do things normally.

Given that the meat is forcibly supplied from the monster territory, even if we tried, the chances of success would be low.

"Things are going smoothly according to plan. By the way, I found sugarcane on an island I visited the other day, and I want to cultivate it. Do you know anyone who can help with that?"

"Cultivating sugarcane? I don't think you'll get permission. Do you have the necessary permits?"

No permission?

Until now, the lack of sugar wasn't due to a lack of farmland but because it was prohibited?

"Do you need permission to cultivate sugarcane? What's the deal?"

"Sugarcane doesn't generate monsters, but it increases the number of monsters generated from nearby monster territories, so generally, cultivation is not permitted."

"I want to cultivate it on an island. Would that be possible?"

"On an island? There might be a possibility, but there are no suitable farmlands on any island."

"I'll create one. If I use magic to destroy all the trees in a flat forest on an island in the monster territory, it will become a fertile island where no monsters are generated."

Flying monsters are rare in Desibator, so building a shelter would make it even safer.

"Do you have a ship and a port to reach the island in the monster territory?"

"I've already ordered a ship to transport people. There's no port, but we can use a small flying ship instead. I'll transport the supplies."

After hearing my words, Mercia thought for a moment and then nodded slightly.

"That might be possible. However, it will require a significant initial cost, and if it fails, it will result in a large deficit. Wouldn't it be better to keep the guild small to minimize risk?"

"That's about the meat, which has been an important industry here. I have the funds, and if the permit is granted, I'll take responsibility. Try your best."

"Understood! Should I go file the application now?"

You're quite eager. Your eyes seem to be sparkling a bit.

I remember Mercia came here because she wanted to do business. If a big, interesting project is suddenly presented, she might react like this.

"Is the dried meat okay?"

"Originally, the work could be done without me, but I was just observing to be informed. There are experienced people who can handle it."

"Is the store manager quite free?"

"In a regular store, the manager would also work as a clerk, so my workload is light. However, considering the future, I'm hiring as many employees as possible to ensure they are well-trained."

So, you're quite free.

It doesn't seem like you're slacking off.

"Then, let's go file the application."

"Yes."

So, we went to the Commercial Guild to file the application.

It seems that the Commercial Guild alone can't make the decision, and it will take time to consult with the mayor of Desibator and others.

Technically, the Commercial Guild has the authority to grant permission, but to avoid problems, they will consult other places, though the result will likely be the same.

"Will the permit be granted?"

Mercia asked worriedly.

"I'll talk to the mayor directly, so it should be fine. Proceed with the assumption that the application will be approved and start securing the necessary people and resources."

"What if it's not approved?"

"There might be some losses, but we have a lot of money from the logging. I'll transfer about 100 million through the Commercial Guild, so stay within that budget."

"Understood. Will the laborers be slaves?"

"That's the best option. Regular laborers seem to be quite troublesome."

Sugarcane and slaves go together.

I don't intend to run a black company, but if the laborers say they want to go back after being transported to the island, it would be a problem.

I'm already assuming the permit will be granted, but since it feels like it will be, there's no choice.

"Then, the last task for today is to make sugar from sugarcane."

Saying this, I took out the sugarcane.

"That's important. It's not good to prepare without knowing if we can make sugar."

"You're right. Do you have any tools for making sugar?"

"I don't know. That's outside my expertise, and it's been about 100 years since sugar production almost stopped."

"If it exists, it probably doesn't exist anymore. ...What? Almost?"

"Yes. In Merklen, a distant country, sugar is still produced for nobles, though in very small quantities."

A distant country...

We can't go to a distant country at this time, considering the upcoming attack on Broken and the construction of the outer wall. We need to stay in this area for a while.

"Knowing that sugar can be made is enough. We'll try various methods. Do you have a large pot?"

"We have one in the warehouse for boiling the ingredients for the dried meat."

"Then, let's go back to the warehouse!"

We returned to the warehouse and started the sugar-making process.

First, we needed to crush the sugarcane and extract the juice.

Under Mercia's watchful eye, I spread a cloth, which Mercia had brought from somewhere, over a pot about 60 cm in diameter, and cut about five sugarcane stalks into small pieces and put them in.

Then, I used magic to add enough water to cover the sugarcane and started heating it.

The cloth was for later to remove the sugarcane.

"Will it work..."

"Well, if it doesn't, we'll try other methods."

While talking, we waited for the temperature to rise.

Using a stove-like device powered by a magic stone, the heat was not low, but it took time to heat the large amount of water.

After about 20 minutes, the water finally became hot.

Next, I used magic to squeeze the juice.

"Alright, let's do it."

"Yes."

I generated two pressure magic spells inside the pot, facing each other, to crush the sugarcane in between.

The pot was firmly fixed, so it wouldn't tip over even if the water inside moved due to the pressure magic.

Looking inside, the sugarcane was thoroughly crushed.

"Alright, I think we've extracted the juice containing sugar. Let's take it out."

"Yes!"

I held the edges of the cloth and squeezed the sugarcane out.

I ended up holding it with my bare hands, but since I didn't get burned, I continued.

I placed the squeezed sugarcane on the pot lid and just needed to boil it down.

However,

"It's taking a long time..."

That's true.

Boiling down all the water in a pot about 60 cm in diameter and taller would take an impractical amount of time.

Should I use magic to heat it quickly?

But that might burn the sugar or even break the pot.

No, there's another way to speed up the evaporation of water.

"Alright, let's lower the pressure."

We just need to lower the boiling point.

"Pressure... What's that?"

"It's the pressure of the atmosphere. Just watch."

I cast a barrier magic inside the pot and used magic to pull out the air inside.

The water quickly decreased.

"Amazing! Is this the power of pressure!"

"Something like that. Now, let's finish it. Turn off the heat."

"Okay!"

After confirming that the heat was off, I further lowered the pressure, and finally, the liquid in the pot disappeared, leaving a black lump.

I took it out, crushed it into small pieces, and tasted it.

"Wow! It's sweet, try it."

"...Yes! It's sweet!"

It seems the sugar-making was successful.

The amount of sugar we made by boiling down the juice, which was less than 300 grams and not white, was still a success.

Now that the sugar is done, I might as well go finish the remaining demolition in Desibator.