Vol 21 Chapter 4
Vol 21 Chapter 4
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!
Enjoy~
Chapter 4 – Southeastern Island
When I arrived in Southern City, I was shocked to find that there were no people to greet me as the relationship was unexpectedly weak. Camille-san returned with the guild master of the Merchant’s Guild. It seems that she wanted to have a meeting with me present to avoid unnecessary trouble.
“H-hmm, there’s nothing wrong with negotiating with the Merchant’s Guild in the royal capital and the Southern Count, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to leave the reporting to the king and the negotiating to us.”
Gilmas, who had groaned at Camille-san’s request, began the negotiations.
I see, so we’ve left the important people to the guild master. I’m a little worried about the interests and bribes, but if Camille-san, who worked under Gilmas, thinks it’s okay, then there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Ara? If I go directly to the negotiations, won’t that reduce the profits of the Merchant’s Guild?”
“Don’t talk nonsense to me. You want to reduce the government’s interference, so you’re using the Merchant’s Guild as a middleman. Whether I go or you go, the maximum amount of profit you can give to the country has already been decided.”
“That’s why I’m asking you, Gilmas. If we don’t do our best here, Mauro-san will also be working on the Castle, so you know what will happen later, right? Besides, it’s not like the Castle has to dock in the Southern City. Isn’t it easy to negotiate?”
“W-well, it’s annoying to show weakness to that old man.”
The old man is calling another old man an old man.
Well, that’s not important, but it feels like I’m being told to read between the lines of the conversation.
Gilmas and Mauro-san seem to be in a bit of a rivalry, and it seems like Camille-san is trying to stir things up by pointing that out.
Well, as Camille-san said, it doesn’t matter where the Castle docks, so we can get an advantage even against a country.
Still, I’m sure she’s asking him to cut the country’s interests as much as possible.
In the Kingdom of Brescia, I think the relationship between the country and the Crown Prince was good, but is it different in the Kingdom of Latina?
“Wataru-san, in this country, the so-called Four Counts, who are related to the royal family, have power. Of course, we have to pay attention to the interests of the Southern Count, who is one of them, but we can’t ignore the other three Counts either.”
Camille-san explained, perhaps because my doubts were written all over my face. I see; in Brescia, it was enough to establish a friendship with the Crown Prince, but in Latina, there are many other people besides the royal family that we need to be careful of, so we want to cut into the royal family’s interests.
“Hmm, but in order to do business in the Southern Count’s local area, do you really need to give benefits to the other three Counts?”
Won’t the Southern Count be displeased?
“That’s the hard part about this country. The four Counts are not exactly on good terms, but they are obliged to cooperate when there is a danger of the balance being upset.”
“I see.”
I don’t really understand, but it sounds like they are maintaining the balance and keeping the country at peace?
“Well, I’ll take care of the negotiations with the royal capital. However, the expansion of the port will be difficult. Even if there is a profit, the Southern Count will not agree easily.”
So there was even a plan to expand the port? No wonder Gilmas has a hard face.
“In the Kingdom of Brescia, we used a military port, so there was no problem, but the Southern City is a center for maritime trade. If there is no special area to welcome and send off passengers when the Castle arrives, there will be chaos.”
Oh, so it’s not about building a port where the Castle can dock. If it’s just a special area for welcoming and seeing off passengers, that doesn’t sound like such an unreasonable request, does it?
“Hmm. Will there be so many ships coming and going that this big port will be chaotic?”
“That depends on how attractive customers find Southern City, but up to 5,000 guests will be staying within a stone’s throw of the port.”
I heard a voice in the background saying, “Wow, this is where Gilmas can show off his skills.”
But the people who can use luxury liners are basically rich, so they might be too good a catch as customers.
“I see, so to make them feel good about spending their money, the chaos in the port is out of the question, right? Should we also increase the number of accommodations?”
“The rooms at the Castle are comfortable, so I think there are not many customers who choose to stay in the Southern City. However, there are more accommodations now because people who want to do business with the Castle and those who will board the ship stay in Cagliari beforehand.”
“There are also first-class accommodations in the Southern City, you know?
“We will invite you when the luxury liner docks, so please check.”
Well, even if he says first class, our facilities will not be outdone. But it’s possible that people won’t get used to living on the ship for long and will want to stay on land, so it’s not a waste to be prepared.
“I see. So how long will the ship stay?”
“We are thinking of making a few different plans. For now, we’re planning to try five, ten, and fifteen days in each port.”
Everyone was concerned about the length of stay.
Personally, I thought fifteen days in a port was too long, given the length of the voyage, but in this world, where the transportation network is not well developed, it is possible that fifteen days would be considered too short, as people sometimes spend several months traveling without care.
That’s why we have several plans. It’s a devious idea to use customers as guinea pigs to gather information.
Still, Camille-san and Gilmas’ conversation doesn’t seem to stop. But they both seem to be having a good time.
This should work well for the regular route to the Southern City. Probably.
***
“Alessia, Dorothea, and Ilma aren’t here, but this situation somehow feels nostalgic.”
The day after Camille-san and Gilmas’ fierce negotiations, we went to the southeastern island in the Japanese-style boat.
I was wondering if it would be a good idea to go to the southeastern island with a special permit, but Gilmas came to the Lutto at just such a time, so I took the opportunity to ask him, and he readily granted my request.
The number of small magic ships that can cross the difficult places hasn’t increased since I was there, and they have a backlog of requests they can’t fulfill, such as transporting the subspecies of saber tigers that were so conspicuous before.
Well, I was bored, and even without the three of them, my level had increased overwhelmingly compared to before, and with the help of Ines, Felicia, Rimu, and Fuu-chan, there was no problem.
Still, I was reluctant at first to accept the request to provide a tent raft for Guido-san and the others because I didn’t have a place to stay, but Gilmas gave me his stamp of approval with such a confident look on his face that I decided to accept.
I wonder what’s going on on that southeastern island. If it weren’t for my Japanese-style boat, it would have been impossible to transport the raft…
“I learned how to make dashi on this island. It really brings back memories.”
“The karaage was delicious.”
Claretta-san and Carla-san answered my murmurs. I don’t think it’s right that both of their comments were about food, but if they were that happy, then I’m happy, too.
“Speaking of which, Master, don’t you think the Galette could get through the difficult areas?”
“Hmm, it would be easy for the Galette, but it can’t carry cargo, so I don’t think it would be good to reveal a new ship for no reason.”
Besides, there are a few speed freaks in our current group, so I’d like to avoid doing anything that might damage my heart.
Because, you know, if I unleash the Galette and the speed freaks go out in the midst of complex obstacles like strong ocean currents and reefs, it’s guaranteed to be a big mess.
The effect of indestructibility will have the opposite effect, and I can see them challenging it head-on.
“Ah, it’s obvious that three Galette boats arriving at the same time would be very conspicuous.”
It’s not just conspicuous; it’s so conspicuous that even on a remote southeastern island with few people, it would be the talk of the Southern City after a few days.
While I was reminiscing about the past, we passed through the difficult area and were stunned.
“Wataru, did we make a mistake with our destination?”
Carla-san asked me with her innocent eyes.
“No, I’m sure I didn’t make a mistake with the location…”
Even though a lot of time had passed, there was no way I could have made a mistake with this place that I had passed through so many times. If the scene in front of my eyes wasn’t a hallucination, then this place with a few rafts and tents scattered here and there must have developed. It could even be called a small village.
“Oh, could it be Wataru?”
“Ah, Guido-san, it’s been a while.”
The person who came up to me as I stood there in a daze and called out to me was Guido-san, who had taken care of me in the beginning.
“Oh, it’s been a while. You look surprised.”
Guido-san looked pleased that we were surprised.
“I am surprised. Well, couldn’t you transport the raft on Guido-san’s boat?”
It must have been dangerous when the monsters came while they were cutting down trees on the island, and it must have been difficult to develop it to this extent.
Or rather, I can’t help but wonder if it’s necessary to develop such a remote place to such an extent.
Even if they are tents, there seem to be ten large buildings and nearly thirty small ones.
“Yes, we can’t carry them, but if we use our wits, we can manage somehow. Well, I wouldn’t say it’s really using our wits.”
“What do you mean?”
Guido-san’s explanation was quite simple.
If they can’t carry a large amount of things, why can’t they carry a small amount of things? That’s what he meant.
They found the limit for each of the four boats that could reach the southeastern island after transporting passengers and prepared raft parts according to their dimensions and weight.
They transported these back and forth to the southeast island each time, adding pieces like a puzzle. They repeated this process.
It’s like the saying goes, “Many a little makes a mickle.”
What’s more, the people building it seem to be apprentices of master shipwright Donino-san, whom I introduced, and the labor costs are said to be cheap.
“But with such a large scale, will it be okay in a storm?”
That must have been the biggest problem with the tent rafts.
“Yes, we’ve had a few storms, and each time, we’ve had to take them apart and bring them back to land, and some of the rafts have been damaged, but as long as we can get the tents to safety, the other parts are small and replaceable, so we can make do by combining them in any way we can.”
They’ve already considered the possibility of breakage? In the case of a jigsaw puzzle, there are certain places where the pieces fit together, but if they’re made to fit anywhere, it would certainly be easier to reassemble.
It’s not that they won’t break, but it’s okay if they do. In a way, it’s a reversal of the usual way of thinking.
I was really surprised.
If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!