Chapter 43

"Triaeznamama, one more, please! No, it's a hassle. Bring me two at once!"

In high spirits, Godohart ordered a lager and rubbed his palms together in front of the appetizers. Today's order was all about eel. Grilled eel with a sweet soy glaze, grilled eel without the glaze, eel wrapped in an omelet, and even eel liver soup.

Recently, the popularity of eel at the izakaya Nobu has calmed down a bit, but instead, a new trend of grilled eel with fish sauce has started at street stalls and cooked food stands. Godohart had one of his subordinates buy some, but according to him, it still had a long way to go. Still, with various shops competing and innovating, the taste has improved to the point where it's now quite edible.

What makes him happiest is that no matter who sells eel in the ancient city, the system is set up so that Godohart ultimately profits. The water rights in the ancient city are now firmly in his hands.

"Don't worry about the money, just keep eating."

"H-hai..."

While pretending to be modest, Reinhardt, who is also a guild master of the Water Transport Guild, is shamelessly sipping hot sake with the grilled eel without the glaze. Like Godohart, his guild has been losing prominence and is weakening. Godohart's current prosperity is partly due to the water rights he acquired from Reinhardt's guild, which gives him a slight sense of unease.

It wasn't that he had cheated, but the value of the water rights had changed dramatically before and after he acquired them. Now, no one in the ancient city treats eel as a lowly fish. Before the izakaya Nobu, eel was just a lowly fish that people ate with jelly. Times have changed.

Unable to wait for the beer Shinobu was bringing, Godohart used a fork to bring the omelet-wrapped eel to his mouth. The soft egg and the eel sauce mixed perfectly in his mouth, creating a sublime harmony. This is it. This is eel.

"Here, your second lager, please wait a moment."

Just in time, he ate the grilled eel with the sweet soy glaze with the lager Shinobu brought. This was also good. The eel at the izakaya Nobu is fluffy yet robustly delicious. With the onset of autumn, the eel has become even more to Godohart's liking compared to when he ate it in the summer.

"Reinhardt, eel is really delicious. I could eat this every day."

"Godohart, you're being too loud. There are other customers. Besides, you might get tired of it if you eat it every day."

When he looked around at the other customers, indeed, the izakaya Nobu was bustling with patrons today. Familiar faces included the guard duo, the deacon, and the monocled tax collector. Geaunot was eating spaghetti again. There were also a few unfamiliar faces. It was a full house, doing great business. The girl Efa, who washes dishes, and the young wife of a guard captain were both working hard.

"Truly impressive. It's been less than a year since you opened, Reinhardt."

"That means we're being well-received by the customers. It's very important for a restaurant."

"For the Water Transport Guild, too."

The reason Godohart and Reinhardt can now talk so casually isn't just because the gap in scale has become too large due to the water rights. It's because Reinhardt, recognizing that he couldn't manage on his own, has started to take on jobs as a subcontractor for Godohart.

Even though the Water Transport Guild has its own areas of expertise, the remaining guild members under Reinhardt, being one of the oldest in the ancient city's water transport industry, are highly skilled. With Reinhardt's cooperation, Godohart can now take on jobs that he couldn't before. Since they started working together, the reputation from the main clients, such as ship owners and merchant guilds, has been good. This has put Godohart in a good mood recently.

"Reinhardt, we've had our differences in the past, but we're getting along well now. It would be great if we could let bygones be bygones."

"Thank you, Godohart. Being able to get jobs from you has been a relief. Thank you again."

They clinked their mugs and sake cups and drank them down in one go. Delicious food and delicious drink. There's no greater happiness for a tired body.

"So, Reinhardt, you said you had something important to talk about today."

"Yes, that's right. Let's get to it, then."

While he didn't know the details, Godohart knew it was a business matter. He had been aware that Reinhardt had been steadily negotiating with the northern fishing village. Godohart was open to most things, but he also felt that he should stop any reckless gambles.

Reinhardt, despite his youth, has been managing the Water Transport Guild well, which he inherited from his father, but he still lacks experience. Godohart wanted to hear out the young man's ideas before he got too drunk to think clearly.

"As you know, our guild can barely maintain its size with just the water transport in the ancient city."

"That's true. There's also Eleonora's place."

The three guilds have coexisted so far because each had a limited number of laborers. However, recently, second and third sons from surrounding villages have been coming to the ancient city, leading to a slight surplus of laborers. Naturally, this has led to conflicts of interest among the water transport guilds.

"That's why I want to start a new business."

"A new business, huh? That's quite a bold move."

"Our guild is the smallest, so we can be nimble."

Still, Reinhardt's guild is the oldest and has a distinguished history. Saying it's nimble because it's small must be a bit painful for him. But Godohart isn't so unsophisticated as to point that out. He wants to support Reinhardt, who has made a difficult decision.

"The EisenSchmidt Trading Company, which deals in grain, has recently opened a market in the north."

"Ah, they started handling Yorsten wheat. I heard they're making a good profit since the BakkesHof was dismantled."

The BakkesHof Trading Company, which tried to take over the izakaya Nobu, was dismantled due to suspicions of lager smuggling. The repercussions of that are still felt in various places.

"I want to get a piece of that market."

"Get a piece, huh? It sounds easy, but it won't be."

"Yes, we want to buy specialty products that haven't been traded in the ancient city before, through the trading company."

"You want to borrow the funds for that, then?"

That makes sense. The business itself is the domain of the trading company, but Reinhardt wants to invest in it. Borrowing part of the funds from Godohart's guild is a bit of a gamble, but it's worth it.

"I'm very sorry, but could you lend me the money?"

"The amount and the term are also important, so I can't say yes right away. But it sounds like an interesting proposal."

That's the most Godohart can say for now. However, he has one, no, two concerns.

"Reinhardt, I have two questions."

"What are they?"

Reinhardt responded with a serious expression.

"First, what do you plan to trade with EisenSchmidt? And second, what's that strange pot under the counter that keeps moving?"

It was hard to ask earlier because Reinhardt was already there, but there was a strange pot at his feet that had been moving slightly.

"I can answer both at once."

Reinhardt picked up the pot from the floor and opened the lid. The smell of the sea wafted through the air.

"This is the specialty product that will secure the future of our guild... octopus."