Read Novel Full Vol 16 Chapter 15
Vol 16 Chapter 15
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(16/20)
Chapter 15 – Merchant’s Guild
After gathering information in a small village, we decided to infiltrate the port city of Toyen with a limited number of people for financial and covert reasons. The four members were myself, Dorothea-san, Ilma-san, and Marina-san. For now, the four of us would like to establish a firm foothold so that we can fully enjoy our adventures… or sightseeing in this country.
“There are a lot of beastmen here.”
Marina-san muttered as we made our way to the Merchant’s Guild.
Many beastmen?
…I had not paid attention to the ratio of the races, but after checking again, it seems that there is indeed a large percentage of beastmen.
But that doesn’t mean that humans are discriminated against, and it might be a good city where everyone can live comfortably.
As I walked around the city, I noticed subtle differences from the cities I have been to, such as a different ratio of races.
It may just be in this country, but it seems that people like the color red, and red is used in different parts of the city.
Well, what if they like red? I don’t think so, but a merchant is a merchant, even if he’s a fake merchant.
I thought to myself, “If people like red, then red products will sell.” Perhaps my merchant level was raised by the fact that I learned how to be a merchant in the small village general store.
As I walked along, vowing to cherish this simple inspiration, I arrived at the large building the lady had told me about. It was the Merchant’s Guild.
“Well, let’s go inside. After we register, they will introduce us to an inn and then we will move on.”
I told them our future plans just in case, and after Dorothea-san and the others nodded their heads in agreement, we went inside.
…Noisy.
This was my first impression of the guild.
The interior of the guild is not so different from the Southern City. There is a reception desk, a business meeting room, and all the other necessities of doing business.
What is different is the enthusiasm of the merchants.
Although it is supposed to be a Merchant’s Guild, I felt like I had walked into a marketplace. Everyone is passionate about the business and wants to make a name for themselves! I feel a kind of excitement.
Apart from the merchants, the receptionist and the merchants are arguing with each other. I don’t understand why the receptionists have to argue with them, which scares me.
It’s a kind of atmosphere that I don’t like very much.
It’s like being a deep-rooted otaku who has wandered into a hardcore cheering section.
What should I do? I don’t think I can make it here.
I want to turn around and run back to the open sea, but when I look behind me, I see beautiful women happily observing their surroundings.
I couldn’t show them how bad I looked in front of them. I push down my trembling knees, pretending that nothing is wrong, and make my way to the reception desk.
So far all the desks are occupied. There are a few men sitting at the counter, but most of them are beautiful women. It seems that the system of hiring beautiful women as receptionists is the same in this country.
Normally, I would have preferred to sit at the counter with a beautiful woman, but this time, I gave priority to kindness. Ease of conversation is more important than beauty. If possible, I would like to sit at a counter with an older man who seems friendly and does not need to be bothered.
Contrary to my wish, there were only two seats at the counter where male employees sat.
My luck, I groaned.
It has improved a little since I came to the other world, but considering my original bad luck with women, I should be able to get one of those two seats.
There is a rattling sound, and the merchant walks away with a frustrated look on his face. And the merchant’s partner was a… woman. She also looked somewhat accomplished and satisfied with her work.
I look around the guild to see if there are any other merchants on their way to the counter, but no one is there, especially at a time like this.
Then, my eyes met the woman behind the counter. Please come this way, her gaze says.
I admit defeat. Normally, I would run to the counter with joy, but my steps were heavy, and I sat down in the empty seat.
“H-hello there. It’s nice to meet you.”
I bite my lip nervously.
“Fufu. Yes, hello. It’s nice to meet you too.”
After a strange smile, the receptionist greeted me in a friendly manner. Huh? Is she unexpectedly friendly? I was afraid because she chased the merchant away so forcefully, but she seemed fine as long as it was not a business meeting?
“Yes, well, let’s see. I would like to join the guild, is that possible? I don’t even have an identification card, but…”
Feeling a little more at ease, I told her straight out what my original purpose was.
“If you don’t have an identification card, do you come from an area where there are no guilds?”
“Y-yes.”
Since I am from Japan, there were no guilds. Probably.
“Do you have a temporary ticket?”
A ticket? Yes, they gave me the ticket after the inspection. I guess they want to make sure I have no criminal record.
“Yes.”
I took the ticket out of my pocket and showed it to the receptionist.
“Everything is in order. I will now explain to you how to become a member.”
The receptionist checked the ticket and began to speak with a smile.
“First of all, you must pay an entrance fee of 100,000 sigs to join the Merchant’s Guild.”
The first explanation revealed that I didn’t have enough money. Should I apologize and leave?
I mean, isn’t the entrance fee expensive?
In the meantime, I’ve brought some goods to get additional funds, but I’d like to do business after gathering information if possible.
But it’s easier to do business if I have identification, isn’t it? Even though I can substitute the ticket I got at the gate, an official identification is definitely more trustworthy.
What should I do?
…In any case, I should listen to the whole explanation and then make a decision. But I think it would look bad to say I don’t have enough money after the explanation, so I’ll apologize first.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t have enough money. But I have a way to get the money, so may I ask you to explain to the end?”
“I see. Yes, that’s fine. I will continue the explanation.”
“Please do.”
She nodded her head without a single look of displeasure. She seemed to be a nice person, as long as it was not a business meeting.
“There are ten ranks in the Merchant’s Guild. It starts at the tenth rank, and the first rank is the highest. Promotion is determined by how much tax you have paid. The tax is basically 30% of the net profit of the business that the Merchant’s Guild mediates.”
Heh. So, this one uses numbers to represent ranks… is it my imagination that an S-rank merchant and a first-rank merchant are about the same… S-rank seems cooler though?
Also, the way they determine rank is very different. Over there, it was determined by how much you paid in annual fees, but over here, it’s the amount of taxes you pay.
30% of net income. I guess that’s cheap in a fantasy world.
“Huh? If you use the Merchant’s Guild as your middleman, does that mean you don’t pay taxes unless you use the Merchant’s Guild as your middleman? If I’m a peddler or something, it’s impossible to use the Merchant’s Guild as the middleman every time, right?”
There are many villages that don’t have Merchant’s Guilds.
“Of course, not every business can be handled by the Merchant’s Guilds. Especially in the case of peddling, it is impossible. But that is something the government has already taken into account.”
“Has it been taken into account?”
I know it’s just my imagination, but it seems like an unusual situation for the government to overlook the tax.
“Yes. The main purpose is to stabilize logistics, although there is also the aspect of not being able to follow up. Peddling is dangerous, so the government thinks it is necessary to have that level of benefit.”
I see. So if you want merchants to go to the countryside, there must be some benefit. I was soberly convinced.
“Besides, even though there is almost no tax, most merchants pay tax on their own returns.”
“Huh?”
Could it be that people in this country are super nice?
“The ranks of the Merchant’s Guilds are determined by the amount of taxes paid. And to own a shop, you need to be at least seventh rank. So from a credit standpoint, the rank of the guild is important.”
Then you understand the rest, the receptionist says with a smile. I see. A merchant who wants to open a shop will pay at least the seventh-rank tax, and if it is related to the size of the business, the more ambitious the merchant is, the more properly he will pay the tax.
If a merchant is satisfied with just peddling his goods, he is willing to give up his business in order to stabilize the distribution system. It’s well thought out.
Hmm? Then what is it? If we make money by peddling small amounts of goods, there is no problem, but if we want to make a certain amount of money in a business, do we need the Merchant’s Guild’s intermediary in terms of trust?
I’d have a problem if I suddenly needed a lot of money, and it seems pretty difficult to get a lot of money in secret. If I want to avoid attracting attention, I’ll have to repeat a steady stream of small transactions.
“May I continue?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
I shouldn’t. The rules seem to be quite different from those over there, so let’s make sure I understand the rules themselves before I think about it.
＊＊＊
“That’s all I have to say. Do you have any questions?”
“No, I managed to understand.”
There are some minor differences, but as long as you follow common sense as a human being, there seems to be no fundamental problem. Now, it’s just a matter of how different the way of doing business is from over there.
“Well, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about business?”
“Yes, no problem.”
“Let’s see, there is a big difference between the business I know and the business in this guild, is that the norm?”
While I was listening to this explanation, heated business negotiations were happening all around me. If the business negotiations here were normal, I would not have the confidence to continue doing business in this country.
“Oh, yes. As a newcomer, you must be confused. Don’t worry, the Merchant’s Guilds in Toyen are a bit unique.”
Good, it’s unique. I want to tell her that it’s not a bit unique, but I’ll hold back this time.
“What is unique?”
“Toyen is the largest port city in the country of Tyen and a key point of multilateral trade. The amount of goods and money it collects is enormous, so it attracts merchants with a lot of ambition.”
I found out the name of this country unexpectedly. It is called the country of Tyen. The name sounded similar to Toyen, but I wondered if there was a reason for that.
…Let’s leave the name of the country for now. But is Toyen the key to distribution? It is a port city that is not only active in domestic trade but also in foreign trade. So, it makes sense that merchants eager for business would gather there. But…
“Even if they are full of ambition, they don’t need to engage in such intense business negotiations, do they?”
It’s on a level that could be mistaken for a fight?
“The amount of goods and money going in and out of Toyen is enormous. There is no time for slow business negotiations to process and profit from them. In other words…”
“What do you mean?”
“Loud voice and forceful business negotiation are both necessary skills in Toyen.”
I’m not good at Toyen.
But I guess if you want to do big business, Toyen is the way to do it. I’ll keep that in mind.
“I understand. Thank you for your kind explanation.”
“No problem. We look forward to your admission.”
“Ah, I’m sorry. Could you please tell me where I can find a reasonably priced inn?”
For now, let’s go to the inn, organize the information here, and discuss it with Dorothea-san and the others.