I Was Connected to Earth’s Black Market From Another World With The Skill [Market]! (WN)

Here’s the chapter. Enjoy~

Chapter 223 – Taking Order From the Demon King

“Oh, Your Majesty the Demon King. What’s wrong?”

When I arrived at the Adventurers’ Guild, I was greeted by Ecla-san, the guild master herself. She looked half expectant and half anxious, without her usual fearlessness.

“I think I can get it. For now, I have brought what I have.”

“That’s great. It won’t be possible to get them in time for the spring when we have a better grasp of the situation.”

The civil war and the invasion of the Imperial Army have left the Republic in shambles. The eastern and northern territories will be under the direct control of the Central Territory until at least the end of next year. As in the case of the Guild of Sarz, if the selection of the next lord does not go well, the matter may be postponed until next year or later. Even in the western territories, it seems that the Lord will be punished in some way.

Aside from the political turmoil, the problem is food. Production and distribution are expected to be disrupted, but the extent of the disruption will not be known until spring. There are limits to what can be done at that point. Both the central and southern territories have little arable land. Together, the two territories produce only about 20% of the Republic’s grain. Importing grain is also problematic.

As a result, relations with the Empire, which had sent its own troops to the region, were at their worst. I hear they have begun ceasefire negotiations, but it is expected to be a difficult process. In any case, they are a rebel army for the Empire, and even if you ask the Emperor for leadership responsibility, there is no way he will accept it. Besides, even though they were traitors, the entire fleet they brought with them was destroyed by the Republic. It would be fine if the negotiations ended in failure, but there is a possibility that war could break out. Even if a truce agreement and a claim for compensation went smoothly (a very unrealistic assumption), it is unlikely that the Empire would be able to contribute that much money.

Speaking of that part alone, well, I guess you could say it’s my fault. But I don’t know. It is the fault of those who enter other people’s homes without permission.

Well, aside from that, the only people who are currently cooperating with the Republic (or rather, with Lord McKin of the Southern Territory) are the nobles of the Southern Territory of the Kingdom, but there is no telling how far the aftermath of the civil war will go there.

The most pressing issue here is securing food. Especially grain.

“If we have 20 long tons of wheat and about 10 long tons of other edible grains, we can avoid the worst.”

When I heard Ecla-san’s request, I tilted my head. I understood the situation and the breakdown, but… what is this unit of measurement? I’ve never heard of it before.

“One long ton is 2,000 hengs. How do I explain that?”

I don’t know. Like distance, leagues, and measures, weight seems to be a common unit of measurement on the continent. I was told that Inos-san had a hard time explaining it to me. I guess he is smart but not good at improvising.

“Takifu must have bought a jar of honey at the market, and that’s about four hengs.”

I understood what he meant. I asked him to bring a scale to measure it, and he told me that the weight of the jar was subtracted from the price of the honey. Well, I guess they are conscientious in their business, but I don’t know what the exact weight is. I felt a jar of honey in my hand, and it weighed about 2 or 3 kilograms.

“That would mean that a heng weighs between 500 and 700 grams…?”

Suddenly, I thought of something and had the plastic bottle weighed. As a member of the merchant guild, Inos-san was very interested in the material and cost of the plastic bottles, but I didn’t care. As far as I could see on the scale, a 500-milliliter plastic bottle cost a little more than one heng. That’s a long ton for two thousand…

“…Is the world over here on the yard-pound system?”

“Yard-pound, you say?”

Inos-san asks, picking up on my mumbling.

“There was a country I was in that used a similar unit of mass.”

“Oh, that’s what Takifu meant, right? Is that a coincidence…?”

“I can’t rule out that possibility.”

The whole unit is too well coordinated for it to be a coincidence. It makes more sense to me that the original vessel was created as a result of the transmigration or reincarnation of people from the UK and the US. At least to me.

“There must have been some kind of connection a long time ago.”

“You mean your kind set the standard? Perhaps.”

“I can only speculate now. It was thousands of years ago, so the name of the person who set the standard has not been passed down.”

Well, knowing the name of the person who set the standard won’t make any difference.

…And. I’ve lived by the metric system for so long that I vaguely remember the exact number, but I think a pound of steak was a little over 450 grams. I’m sure it’s a little more than 450 grams, and since it’s 2,000, that should be about a ton for a pound. Technically, it could be a fraction, but I don’t know.

“Please let me know when you decide where to store it. What I have in reserve now is 1.5… long tons of wheat? And four-tenths of a long ton of corn flour and one-fifth of a long ton of rice.

“I will pay you in gold. We can negotiate the price at the merchant guild, but basically, that’s the price I’m willing to pay.”

This is an emergency situation, so I won’t take advantage of it. It has to be profitable for both sides, otherwise, there will be a problem in the future. Sugar and liquor are on hold, with another business in mind. I’m thinking of a café-bar in the Wolf’s Tail Pavilion…

“So… Your Majesty the Demon King? I’m afraid I’ll have to tell you something else from here.”

Oh, dear. I don’t know why Ecla-san is smiling so much. I have a very bad feeling about this. Behind her, Haru-san, the receptionist, and Kerg, the acting city administrator, approached with big smiles on their faces.

“I would like to thank you for the wonderful sweets you gave me yesterday and ask you for a favor.”

“Yes. I would like to ask you a few questions about the truth behind the rumors of a “Heavenly Sweet” that some female adventurers have been talking about.”

“The merchant guild also has a proposal for our future business dealings. By the way, the guild and the county will perfectly coordinate the interests of the insect honey business, so don’t worry about it.”

What kind of forceful, no-nonsense attitude is that? Wait, the smiles on the women’s faces are scary?