Chapter 57

Today's explosion went off without any particular issues, except for the fact that the sugar refining took unexpectedly long, causing a delay in the afternoon.

Now, I'm free until the reclamation of Broken, which is set to start in about six days.

However, before that, I need to lay the groundwork with the mayor to get permission for sugarcane cultivation.

When I went to the guild to report, the mayor happened to be there.

"Excuse me, I have a favor to ask."

"What is it? Your rank is confirmed to rise to C, so in the Photore Guild, you'll be promoted."

"Does that not apply to the Desibat Guild?"

"No, in Desibat, the adventurer rank is just for show. The guild card color changes from C rank onwards, but there wasn't enough room to transport the necessary equipment and materials."

The past tense is probably because I can now handle the transportation myself.

Still, I think reducing the guild's facilities is a bit concerning...

"Well, my request is not about that. I'm planning to cultivate sugarcane on the island, and I need your permission."

"Sugarcane? That should fall under the jurisdiction of the Commercial Guild, right?"

"Yes, but I was told to consult with the mayor regarding sugarcane, so here I am."

"Can't really decide without hearing you out. Even if it's a request from Kaede, who made the reclamation of Broken possible, I can't approve it if it will cause damage to the town."

That's understandable, as the mayor is responsible for the town.

Even if almost all the residents of this small town could be main forces in other cities.

"How far from here should I be to avoid any impact?"

"Hmm... For sugarcane, the impact radius is about 200 kilometers. Since it's an island, 40 kilometers from the front line should be enough, as the sea will reduce the impact."

The impact radius is probably the radius where the sugarcane's effects are felt.

Even with the sea reducing it by a fifth, it's still quite far...

"The front line is the boundary between where trees have been cut and where they haven't, right?"

"Basically, yes. Even if only trees are cut, until the area is stable enough to control monsters, it's considered the front line."

"So, if I understand correctly, the area is considered Desibat now, and will become Broken once it's reclaimed?"

"Exactly."

"The island I plan to use is about 60 kilometers from Desibat, and it's not particularly close to Broken."

"In that case, there shouldn't be any problems. I'll inform them that using an island more than 40 kilometers from both Desibat and Broken is acceptable. If you need it quickly, I can write a letter for you to take."

Great, the permission is granted.

As long as other departments don't block it, the application should go through.

"Thank you. By the way, when and where should I go for the reclamation of Broken?"

"You haven't heard yet? Six days from today, in the morning, come to this guild after picking up the supplies from the Photore Guild."

As he said this, the mayor took out a piece of paper from somewhere, wrote something on it, and folded it into quarters.

A moment later, he returned with a paper in his hand, which had a blue magic array imprinted on it, sealed tightly.

Part of the magic array resembled the emblem I saw near Desibat, probably a seal like the one used to stamp letters.

"Is this a letter?"

"Huh? Oh, it's a monster skin paper. It's a bit expensive, but transporting heavy writing tools would cost more. Don't worry, it's free."

Monster skin paper... like vellum or something?

While paper can be heavy in large quantities, it's a world of difference compared to the request boards, which are neither light nor small.

The guild uses request boards for monster hunting, which look quite old and might have been around before Desibat became the front line.

"Thank you. I'll be back in six days."

"Sure, count on it."

I thanked the mayor and left the guild.

It's not night yet, so I should return to Photore and deliver this paper to the Commercial Guild.

Just because the paper is delivered doesn't mean the permission will be granted immediately, but delivering it early should speed up the process.

So, back to Photore, retracing the path I took earlier.

With my current magic power, I could easily break the sound barrier, but the damage to the surroundings would be too great, so I rarely use it.

Still, the acceleration is much better than before, and it takes less than three minutes to reach supersonic speed.

As a result, I arrived in Photore in less than 40 minutes.

I headed straight to the Commercial Guild.

The Commercial Guild's reception has only two counters.

I explained my purpose to the receptionist at the closer one.

"Excuse me, I have a letter from the mayor of Desibat. What should I do with it?"

I showed her the letter, which still had the floating magic array.

"Indeed, it's from Desibat. Please wait a moment."

The receptionist disappeared into the back, and a plump, calm-looking man came out.

While being calm alone doesn't make one a branch manager, this man is the branch manager of the Photore Commercial Guild, whom I spoke to when I applied for sugarcane cultivation permission last time.

"Oh, it's Kaede. This letter is about the impact on monsters, right?"

"Yes, with conditions, but I've been granted permission."

As I handed him the letter, he waved a gemstone-like object over it.

The magic array changed from blue to red, and the seal was released.

After reading it, the branch manager nodded and began to speak.

"Understood. This should allow us to grant permission, but I need to discuss taxes and other matters. Is that okay?"

This is much faster than I expected.

Perhaps he could approve it alone, and he just wanted a reference opinion.

Or maybe he wanted the money and a scapegoat in case of any issues.

He carefully put the letter in his pocket after reading it.

"Can I bring Merxia? She will handle the tax-related matters."

"Sure, I'll wait for her."

I don't want to become a wanted person due to accidental tax evasion, which would be no laughing matter.

In a certain game, tax evasion results in a -60 karma penalty, making you a criminal pursued by bounty hunters and guards.

The Japanese tax office is also scary; if you accidentally spend the money you owe in taxes, you'll have to pay interest of about 15% per year on top of the original amount, and even bankruptcy won't free you from your tax debt.

In short, you should always pay your taxes.

Merxia was at the Maple Trading Company, having finished supervising the dissection of monsters.

She seemed to be training the employees, as I saw her watching them from a corner of the store.

"Merxia, are you free now? We've been granted permission for sugarcane cultivation, and they want to explain the tax-related matters."

"Sure, I'll go now. Make sure to follow the instructions properly."

"Yes!"

After explaining, Merxia gave some instructions to the employees and followed me.

It turned out she was training new employees.

We hurried back to the Commercial Guild, where the branch manager was waiting near the entrance.

"Will both of you listen to the explanation?"

"Yes, I'll join as well."

"Understood, please follow me to the back room."

The branch manager, who stood up, walked slowly to one of the back rooms, and after we entered, he soundproofed the room.

"This will take a while, so please have a seat."

After we sat down, the branch manager began to explain the conditions.

The explanation was neither too long nor too short.

Most of it was about plugging loopholes, but the key points are as follows:

The company will pay 20% of the gross profit after deducting a fixed amount based on the number of employees.

The fixed amount varies by rank: 10,000 ter per slave and 20,000 ter per regular employee per month.

In other words, hiring more people will reduce the tax, although it will increase the overall cost.

Additionally, there is a tax of 1,000 ter per kilogram on sugar.

This is relatively low compared to the 10,000 ter per kilogram tax on imported sugar.

The tax on imports is common, but the domestic tax is due to the need to manage sugarcane cultivation, which incurs costs.

Finally, there is a port usage fee of 20,000 ter per month for the size of the ship I ordered.

Whether this is a tax or not is debatable, but it makes no difference to the payer.

After explaining the taxes, the branch manager began to introduce someone knowledgeable about sugarcane cultivation.

Apparently, this person is the grandson of someone who used to cultivate sugarcane near Desibat and is interested in it.

Not only is he interested, but he has also learned the techniques from his grandfather and is sure to be helpful.

He currently works as a regular farmer in a small village slightly inland from Photore, but the Commercial Guild will persuade him to help.

The price for a three-year contract, including fees, is 10 million ter.

"Isn't that quite expensive?"

"Skills that generate income are always expensive. You can make more of a physical item, but information can't be resold."

"Do you have confidence in persuading him and in his usefulness? I don't know this person."

"I guarantee it."

Just saying it doesn't mean much.

Merxia, who seems to think I should decide on this matter, is not participating in the negotiation and is just listening.

"What if we follow his instructions and it still fails?"

"Well, I can't compensate for the loss, but how about reducing the reward to 1 million ter?"

"You're still taking 1 million ter?"

"Yes, the guild needs to operate, and he needs to live."

Fair enough, it would be harsh to bring a farmer out and then say, "No reward because it failed."

Let's go with this.

"Alright, I agree. Can I pay with the Desibat card?"

"No problem, thank you."

I paid the money and, while I was at it, opened a business account at the Commercial Guild and deposited about 500 million ter.

The preparations for sugarcane cultivation are going smoothly.

By the way, I haven't upgraded my guild rank yet. I should go to the Photore Guild later.