Read Novel Full Vol 21 Chapter 21
Vol 21 Chapter 21
TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!
Sponsored chapter by Patreon. Enjoy~
Chapter 21 – Three Policies
The nerve-wracking meeting between Camille-san and Miranda-san ended without incident, and I was able to avoid being killed by paperwork. Well, I did feel a sense of despair when I realized the existence of the handy tool called a stamp at the end, but there was nothing I could do about it since I couldn’t use it at the right time. That’s right, I couldn’t do anything about it.
Was it really necessary for me to be here?
Yesterday, I worked hard to finish the discussion, and today, the interview started as planned.
Camille-san announced the schedule for this afternoon, tomorrow, and the next day at the guild this morning.
Word spread quickly, and a large number of people showed up, even with the minimum requirements of being able to read, write, and do basic math.
Since more than 80% of them were women, I think it’s safe to say that the Beastmen men are in charge of the physical side of things, and the women are in charge of the intellectual side.
I’m glad it’s clear now, but even if I’m suddenly forced to sit in on the interview, I can’t tell whether the people are good or bad.
There were two interviewers: Camille-san and me, with Ines and Felicia assisting. Camille-san asked questions about the candidate’s business knowledge and character, and the candidate answered.
When the candidate left, I was asked for my impression of the candidate, and I just answered.
Well, I can understand that my impression as a boss is important, but to be honest, I hardly ever have anything to do with them, so I felt like it was a waste of time.
Also, there were a lot of women, but there were also a lot of older people, and the young women were just running away, so you could see that they were struggling, and it was kind of a pitiful situation, so I couldn’t get excited like a fool, and it was a quiet, painful time.
Besides, they all really want to get a good job, but at the same time, they want to repay me for what I’ve done for them.
I feel bad giving them a bad evaluation, even though I know it’s necessary… it still hurts my heart.
“Wataru-san, can I talk to you?”
After the interview, I was slumped over my desk when William-san came into the room.
“It’s okay, but I won’t do the paperwork.”
If I have to do endless paperwork after exhausting my mind to the limit, my mind will collapse.
“Wataru-san, it’s okay, so please let go of my hand. Dealing with the paperwork will be the job of the trading company.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. That’s right.”
I was so afraid of William-san that I grabbed Camille-san’s arm, who was checking the documents related to the interview next to me.
I’m more afraid of William-san than I thought.
“So, um, what can I do for you?”
I collected myself and asked William-san what he wanted.
“Yes. I have a consultation regarding our future plans. Oh, it looks like it will be a bit long, so is it okay if I sit down?”
“Oh, yes, please.”
William-san sits down in the applicant’s seat. Until just now, I was in the position of examining the applicant, but for some reason, I feel the pressure of being interviewed now.
I see; that was a long explanation.
But it’s certainly something I have to think about.
William-san’s consultation was about the problem of the excessive increase in the number of Beastmen.
At the moment, the main city for the Beastmen has been expanded from the original plan and is absorbing personnel. The next step is to build a port, and the final step is to build a village or town halfway between the Beastmen City and the port.
I thought there wouldn’t be any problems, but it seems there were a lot of problems.
The main problem was that there wasn’t enough water.
There was only one stream nearby, and it couldn’t supply enough water for a large number of people. So, they are doing a lot of construction to use the moat as a reservoir.
However, if the city continues to expand, even if they build a moat and lay water channels throughout the city, there will be a limit. It seems that if people become too crowded, various problems will arise.
After all, living things need water, so this problem is very serious.
As a countermeasure, William-san made three suggestions.
The first one is a very simple solution. Stop accepting any more Beastmen.
Of course, this is a natural countermeasure, but when I think about rejecting people who have fled in desperation, I hesitate.
I suppose it is the government that makes that decision, but I am not the government, so I would like to avoid making a difficult decision if possible.
The second solution is also an easy one.
Build another larger city in another location. Considering the increase in work and the dispersion of people, it’s not a bad plan. However, if we were to build another huge city, we would run out of our ample budget.
As for the budget, it could be managed if I bought a ship, but buying a ship just to make ends meet would be putting the cart before the horse, and I’m afraid the God of Commerce-sama would be furious.
The third solution is very time-consuming and expensive.
At the same time as building many small villages, they would lay out a network of waterways throughout the area and mass-produce reservoirs.
I don’t know the details, but it would probably be a project similar to the irrigation canal project on the Chita Peninsula.
It would be extremely time-consuming, but there would be some good things about it. By building many reservoirs and laying out a network of waterways around them, even if they are small, the amount of land that can be used as farmland would increase.
The soil is poor, so it’s not as good as land with rich soil, but still, being able to grow crops is a big difference, and it also creates jobs.
Soil improvement and farmland development also become jobs, and the fact that it can alleviate the employment problem that was a concern is also significant.
In terms of cost, the initial investment is less than if we were to suddenly increase the size of the city, and the employment will continue with the continuation of the civil engineering work.
The problem is that it costs money to maintain, the villages are small, and it’s hard to manage the villages and waterways.
Also, in my opinion, the concept was to build a city with strong walls to protect the Beastmen, who were easy targets at first, but that safety could no longer be guaranteed.
However, looking at the Beastmen, who are now so well-built, it’s not unreasonable to wonder if walls are really necessary.
“What do you think, Camille-san, Ines and Felicia?”
If you don’t know, ask someone who does. This is important.
“Well, the second one is impossible. I would like to choose the first one, but Wataru-san wouldn’t like that, would you? Then the third one is probably the most likely at the moment. Developing land to create profit and jobs is the work of a ruler, but Wataru-san is similar to that.”
Camille-san’s decision as a merchant was the first option, but it seems that as my subordinate, she chose a policy that wouldn’t cause me any mental stress.
Well, if that was the way to ruin, I would probably choose the first option too, considering the mental stress it would cause me, but fortunately, we had the strength to develop the land, so it was the third option. Besides, I’m not like a ruler. I’m free.
“It’s a bit of a hassle, but as a fellow Beastman, I’d be happy if you chose the second or third option. But if we’re in a pinch, I’d understand if you chose the first option.”
Ah, Ines said everything I was thinking. That’s right, I don’t want to make any sacrifices.
“Considering Master’s personality and Camille and Ines’ judgment, don’t you think we should consider the third option or some other option?”
“You’re right; it’s an important issue, so Felicia is right that we need to consider other options. The third option would neglect the safety of the Beastmen. What’s the matter, William-san?”
It’s dangerous to make decisions that affect the future of so many Beastmen so lightly. That’s what I thought, but William-san made a strange face.
“No, you seem to be worried about the Beastmen, but I don’t think there are that many reckless humans who would try to kidnap Beastmen in a place where so many of them have gathered, do you?”
“Eh? Is that so?”
Well, thinking about the muscular Beastmen, I wondered if they needed protection, but still, women and children are in danger, right?
“Yes. Everything from the harbor to the city is mainly inhabited by Beastmen, so even if the human population increases in the future, the humans will still stand out. It’s not impossible to kidnap them, but the risk and reward don’t balance out.”
I see; even if you find a wallet on the ground, if the area around you is a minefield, you’d probably give up. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s true that the risk of being attacked by the conspicuous, muscular Beastmen is high.
If you wanted to balance the risks, you’d probably have to attack in a big way and kidnap a lot of Beastmen.
But then you’d need a lot of ships, and it would be easy for your plans to be discovered beforehand. If they know it’s dangerous, they can evacuate to a city with a good city wall, and most importantly, it is possible to intercept them with an army of Beastmen.
It’s not something I should be careless about, but it doesn’t seem like it’s something I should be overly nervous about.
Ah, when the Castle arrives at the port, there will be more people… well, the people who ride the Castle are basically rich, and people like that don’t visit small villages on purpose, so there’s no need to worry about them being mistaken for kidnappers.
“If that’s the case, we’ll go with the third policy, and if we come up with a better idea, we’ll revise it.”
If there’s no danger, my conscience won’t be troubled, and everyone will be happy. The third policy is enough.
“I understand. Then let’s think about it with this policy.”
William-san nodded in satisfaction. It seems that William-san was also in favor of the third option.
Come to think of it, the only work I’ve asked William-san to do is the Beastman City.
But the fact that he’s thinking about so many things means that he must find this work very rewarding.
I have many thoughts about how he’s put me in a paperwork hell, but the fact is that he’s doing more work than I asked him to.
I’ll ask Camille-san to give William-san a bonus later.
After the meeting with William-san, Camille-san returned to her room to organize the documents.
Well, I’m tired today, so I’m going to go to bed now, but tomorrow… No, I have a few more interviews to go to.
After the interviews, Camille-san will have a meeting about the regular shipping routes, right?
Hmm, I’ll go and inspect the site, but what should I do after that?
I’m sure some weirdos will show up if I show my face in the capital. Ines’ family and Flora-san are at the Castle, so there’s no need to force myself to show my face.
I’ve got time on my hands, so when I settle down, I’ll go to the Mermaid Kingdom and show my face. No, if I’m going to the Mermaid Kingdom, Camille-san might want to come too.
After I’ve settled down, we’ll all talk about what to do next.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!