Town chapter 100: Three months since the founding of the country (Autumn), Electric Heater and Kotatsu
Reanis was released around September. Over the next month, the situation on the continent hasn't changed much. The front line in the eastern part of Dryad Kingdom remains in a stalemate due to the operation of the Eastern Nations Coalition, which brought in the enemy's attack.
Meanwhile, there were many merchants in Edo's land. The reason is the huge ransom that the Initia Kingdom has prepared for Edo to release Reanis. Because of the money for ransom, the officials of Initia Kingdom are reluctant to pay money to each company.
Every merchant has a grasp of the flow of money. The fact is that tens of millions of gold coins suddenly rolled into an emerging nation. Only use gold. If its not used, it's just as valuable as a stone. Spending money, gathering people, revitalizing the economy, and expanding the country. The merchants thought that if a country is lazy due to the longevity that had passed many years after its establishment, it would surely not be so if it was still an emerging nation.
Everyone knows, in particular, that the shadow of the Polo Company has flickered before, especially with regards to the Edo country. It is the opinion of each company that it is incompetent if a merchant is greatly related to the operation of the country. In addition, the Great East and West War is showing signs of prolongation. This is a great opportunity for emerging nations to build up their strength.
There is a lot of 「Gold」 and 「Time」 given by the heavens. In addition, there are more than 10,000 residents who have evacuated from the royal capital.
Money, time, and people. If you have these three 「Things」, you can make money just by setting up a shop there. Indeed, a place that can be said to be an ideal home for merchants. They can't let the Polo Company have the cake all alone. Therefore, many companies wanted to take root in the former Dryad Kingdom and headed north.
And again, today, there was a merchant who came to Fujiwara Town.
"Oh, this is..."
Funkel, an heir to a commercial company with several carriages and servants, was impressed by the huge castle in Fujiwara Town. How one lord defeated the Initia Kingdom was a bit of an intriguing story that was so popular in recent times. And the truth is here.
A stunning castle that is as good as the royal capital. He had heard the rumors but, now in front of him, Funkel was still greatly stunned. Not only Funkel, but also his servants are stunned.
A strange building can be seen above the castle. It was a watchtower. However, there was something that caught Funkel's gaze more than that.
"A cannon?"
Funkel muttered, reflecting in his eyes is a dull light-emitting cylinder above the castle. New weapons are being deployed in various places, even in the lands of former Dryad Kingdom controlled by Initia Kingdom. If you're a merchant, the more it stucks in your throat, the more you want it now.
Funkel hasn't heard anything about it being in the market yet. He couldn't help licking his mouth with his tongue. If so, how much would it sell if he could get it.
Funkel's party comes in from the front of the castle gate. A large beastman stood there with weapons.
(Rumors that the beastmen are an important part of the town are true.)
He has confirmed that there were many beastmen, as if he was glaring over the castle. This is impossible. But Funkel was feeling so. If he is surprised at this level, he couldn't work as a merchant.
It is all up to money. It is the spirit of a first-class merchant to trade with gold coins and a silver tongue, even if its a demon from hell.
"Who are you and why did you come here?"
"I'm Funkel of the Pief Company. I've come to deliver congratulatory goods to Fujiwarsama, whom started a new country and became king."
Funkel responds to the bull-triggered ox beastman with a high-pressure attitude. The attitude is too low, even for a beastman. The beastman's voice became softer perhaps because he cares about it. A merchant should also be able to calculate the pride and profit.
"Umm, let's check everyone's face. And the contents of the carriage."
"Yes, please take a look here."
For a while, the beastmen inspected Funkel´s carriage. Only Funkel is unmoved while all his servants have frightened faces.
"Okay, you can go in. You need to apply at the government office. I will guide you there. Needless to say, don't do anything troublesome."
"Thank you very much. Oh, this is a small token as thanks."
Funkel removes a silver coin from his sleeve and tries to give it to the ox beastman. However, the ox beastman responded with a sharp glance.
"It is said that we will not receive such things. If we do, we will be punished by the king. Better be careful in the future."
"Haa, this is something I didn't know. I'm sorry."
Funkel quickly put away the silver coin, bowed down to the ox-beastman, and proceeded to enter through the gate with his servants, saying「Let's go!」.
(Isn't it much better than a human guard? That is quite a contempt.)
Bribery was a common practice in the former Dryad Kingdom. On the other hand, if you don't give them a bribe, it was considered impolite. Are the beastmen obscene or is the ruler of the city so strict that he is so disciplined? Funkel thought that if bribes can't be accepted then it would be quite difficult from now on.
Guided by one of the beastmen, Funkel goes down the main street with his servants. Shops are lined up as people come and go but there are more women. This means that the men are at work.
Probably because the beastman was at the forefront, the destination was spacious. Everyone opens the way and no one tries to look at the beastman. This suggests that the town's beastmen and humans are not doing well.
At the storefront, he saw some faces from people in the same industry. When Funkel looks at the stores that are still closed, even though he thinks it's already late, there seems to be more room to go. Funkel completes the application at the government office where the rules of the town are explained. There were a lot of detailed things in the rules and the first thought was that it was troublesome.
After that, money exchange. According to the explanation, the currency that can be used in this town is fixed and it is basically prohibited to use other types of money. The currency is as follows:
Gold coins consisting of Oban, Koban, Nibuban, Ichibuban, Nishuban and Isshuban. Silver coins consisting of Chougin, Gomon´megin, Ichibugin and Nishugin. And copper Coins consisting of Shimonsen and Ichimonsen. (TL note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_coinage)
A special currency that has never been seen before. Funkel couldn't tell the ratio but when he got the oval, one piece was obviously lighter. This is evidence that the gold content is low. Funkel thought that this was a scam. But if he could only use that money in this town, he would no longer be able to complain.
In addition, there were more points to look out for, such as the gold content, which would make him laugh. The money exchanged is exactly the same in size and shape, as well as the insignificant characters engraved on it. All the money in this town was uniform.
To be clear, it was abnormal. Such a trick, how great is the casting technology needed. No, it should be made by an alchemist with rare talent.
Anyway, it is difficult to make counterfeit money. In other words, even if the gold content is low, the money in this town has a certain value and the word fraud, etc., that he thought at first , can no longer be said even if it is torn. Funkel simply rolled his tongue.
After the money exchange, Funkel decided to rent a vacant store on the main street. An official guides him to a rental store, where he will also receive a long explanation. After about thirty minutes, the talk was finally over and he took a big breath of relief.
After seeing off the official, he takes off his shoes and goes indoors. It is a two storey worthy store. Funkel had the magistrate bring the carriage underneath and lay down on it. It's usually impossible to lie down on the floor, but when he takes his shoes off, he can think of it as a place where he can settle down. After lying down and resting for a while, a servant called him.
"Young master, I got a month's worth of firewood"
"I see. You guys should take it easy today."
The firewood that the servant got is surprising because it is provided by the government and you can receive as much as you want. However, buying and selling firewood is absolutely prohibited. If found, you will be kicked out of this town.
Well, there is no price for anything you can get and you will not have to worry about buying and selling. If anyone has a price, they come from elsewhere. But if you try to carry such a bulky object out, you will be found out quickly. After all, the people who live here seem to be quite fortunate.
The next day, the outside was unfortunately rainy. Thinking of what to do, Funkel was sitting on the steps at the front door, looking outside.
(You can understand the situation just by sitting like this.)
Although the rain is strong, the water does not penetrate into the house. Probably, the town's drainage facilities are in place. Once heavy rain falls in the town where the headquarters of his own company is located, it will sink into the sewage mixed with manure. It is very different from this Fujiwara Town.
Nevertheless, traffic is more intense outside than on sunny days. Funkel wondered about this. Rainy days usually have less human activities. The good proof is that he stays at home without doing anything special.
There was another thing that made him wonder. Everyone who crosses the entrance is holding an umbrella. This is strange. Umbrellas are what women use to avoid the sun. If you ise an umbrella in the rain, it will certainly seep through. But this is insane. It's not according to common sense.
Two doubts that Funkel thought about. But the answers came from across.
"Oh, what kind of shop is this?"
A middle-aged man came into the store. Most likely, he might have misunderstood that they were opening.
"I aren't selling anything yet."
"What a misunderstanding."
Funkel doesn't get angry at this. With a smile, he waited for the man to leave.
But then Funkel suddenly noticed the thing in the man's hand. This man also has an umbrella in his hand.
"Excuse me, why is everyone in this town holding an umbrella?"
"Hmm? Ah, what? You're probably a newcomer. You're also saying that an umbrella is not cool."
When Funkel mentioned the umbrella, the man told him with a laugh. Apparently he is proud to have an umbrella.
"But umbrellas aren't for gentlemen."
"I don't want to get wet in the rain, so I'll put on my umbrella. I'm not bothering anyone. It's really practical. The streets are thriving thanks to the umbrellas even though it's raining."
Needless to say, Funkel already knew about it. He was looking outside for a while and he could hear the hustle and bustle mixed within the sound of the rain. The man continued:
"On a rainy day, the farmers are off so they're all out in town. For stores, it's time to make money."
Just as the man says, due to the rain, farm work is closed on rainy days and the farmers stay quiet at home―there's nothing like that. Opening their umbrellas, they go out into town, drink during the daytime, play Reversi at the meetinghouse, and play chess if they want. The public bathhouse is also popular.
"The inn is specialty fine. King Fujiwara invented cuisines sequentially one after another. Each of them is so delicious that my tongue and brain seemed to melt."
"Is it so great?"
"Maybe you haven't eaten yet? It's not good. Look, I'll give you one dumpling that I was going to bring home. If it's not good, you don't need to give me money. But if it's delicious, you'll pay for it. I'm going to sit next to you."
The man sits next to Funkel and unwraps the leaf package from his basket and spreads it. Several skewers with four round dumplings stuck out from the package.
(I don't have to pay if I don't like it.)
Funkel had doubts about that man. Most of the residents of this town must have been people from the slums. Those who lived there were all stingy and nasty. However, Funkel felt no such dust from the man in front of him.
"Then, I'll take your word for it..."
Funkel picked up a skewer. He holds the skewer to his mouth with his left hand and his right hand right below to avoid spilling the sauce. As Funkel opened his mouth, the smell of the dumpling tickled his nose. A faintly sweet smell that can be felt even when cooled.
Immediately, the secretion of saliva is activated in the oral cavity. A signal to eat was emitted from the brain. It is unconscious. Whenever, Funkel himself wanted to eat with a certain will. Unconsciousness and ego, both appetite and will are mixed. Funkel put the dumpling in his mouth.
The shock running from the tongue toward the brain. The whole body became stiff and, for a moment, Funkel felt numb.
"It's good, isn't it?"
The man speaks with pride but Funkel didn't react. His head was full of the taste from the dumpling he just ate.
(Sweet, yet, slightly spicy...sweet and spicy...)
It was a taste he had never eaten. The dumpling in his mouth was gone when he noticed that he had chewed and swallowed it down. Funkel eats the remaining three dumplings stuck on the skewer in no time.
When the skewer in his hand was empty, mysteriously, Funkel's stomach growled. It is not enough! He wants to eat more! That's what Funkel's belly is telling.
"It looks like I won."
As the words imply, the attitude of the man was full of pride. How long have you been playing? But Funkel is not going to say that.
"Oh, I was beaten splendidly. My stomach keeps screaming. So, what's this food called?"
"It's a Mitarashi dumpling."
"Mitarashi dumpling..."
(Tl note: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitarashi_dango)
Funkel muttered a name he had never heard of and gulp as if to swallow the aftertaste remaining in his mouth. A merchant is a creed. For example, he ate preserved food until he came here. Bringing more, just in case something happens. Funkel and his group did not discard these preserved foods and digested them for breakfast today. But if you eat something like this, you can't eat it anymore. Funkel decided to leave the preserved food to the servants and take a Mitarashi dumpling for lunch.
Several days have passed since Funkel came to Fujiwara Town, perhaps because of the change of seasons, you can feel the temperature drop clearly every day. The townspeople were afraid that life would not be so easy at this point. Former poor people know that winter is sometimes more terrifying than a war.
However, even in such cold weather, Funkel was active. Unfortunately, to date, he hasn't had an audience with the king and even Reina Gourlet, who heads the human settlement. But it can be said that he has finished examining what is necessary for doing business.
What can he bring to Fujiwara Town to sell? He completely discarded this idea. At best, he could only sell the alcohol he carried with him here. It's much better to sell something he bought from Fujiwara Town to somewhere else than to sell something in Fujiwara Town. There are no shortage of special products in this town.
Not to mention peppers and potatoes. Starting next spring, the farmers said they would plant sugar and rice crops that the king says are his favorite. There is a plan to take oil from rapeseed and soybeans and even seasonings that he has never seen or heard of such as soy sauce.
Not just crops. Pumps that draw water from wells, weaving cages, and thread reeling machines. As if opening a number of surprise boxes in succession, new ones come out one after another.
Even in the field of art, Funkel can't take his eyes off of it. At one shop, a masked woman was selling a new book with the famous title 『Too Beautiful To Be Breaking Off an Engagement』. She says that she herself is the very popular writer, Olive Olive. There was a crowd there, and among them is an old man, a female knight in armor, and a fairly dressed blond woman who looks young, but you want to think about her age.
Funkel has also learned about other things. Right now, the inhabitants of this town have earned money from the country and are using it to buy things. In short, the nation was hiring all the townspeople. Most of the goods sold by the Polo Company are consigned by the government. For this reason, officials said that it is currently difficult to circulate a retail business only in Fujiwara Town.
These systems also play a role in the distribution of the new money. However, it is said that the salary will only be settled until the job is stabilized.
In other words, the preparation period before the people stand alone. But there is no doubt that the people are blessed.
(The reason for doing this is that you'll grab people's hearts quickly. The king seems not to divide the beastmen with an axe. It's only when he gets people to live a good life that they're going to look away.)
I think that it is a bit of an overkill. Even now, Funkel was sitting in front of the hearth in a room at the back of the store where a joyful voice can be heard.
"It's fur! Cotton wool! King Fujiwara gave me fur and cotton so that we could stay warm!"
The source of the voice can be heard both outside and inside. Prior to the arrival of winter, King Fujiwara distributed fur and cotton to the townspeople, who were given as free gifts to merchants, like Funkel and the servants, so they were delighted.
(Totally, what a bold thing to do.)
Both fur and cotton are luxury goods. There are many valuables that can be obtained from animals and plants that cannot be created by magic. In the past, silk fabrics were trying to replace the gold standard society.
Funkel also received the fur. Because the clothes are complete, he decided to use it as a rug.
"It's really perfect."
Funkel strokes the fur on the floor with the back of his hand to enjoy the feel. In front of the hearth, red firewood was crackling and there were Mitarashi dumplings on a plate with wine beside him.
Funkel described his life in this town as exhaustive. But he doesn't know that, for Nobuhide, this is nothing. One stone wall in between―it was even more amazing in the different races zone.
――Lizard tribe settlement. In the patriarch's house, an object was installed today.
"Warm, warm!"
The chief of the lizard tribe raised his voice in an unusual way. A square flat object is placed vertically in the corner of the room. The coiled rod inside emits red heat, warming the room. The lizardmen were shouting, 「Ooo!」.
In addition, a desk that looks like a futon between the tabletop and feet. Someone said,「It's warm inside」 and the lizardmen swarmed in and pushed their feet and tails into the futon one after another.
You may already know them. They are electric stoves and kotatsu. Electricity is supplied into the room from a solar panel mounted on the roof and a storage battery combined with a power conditioner.
Of course, the installation is manual. Therefore, it was not possible to place them all at once. It was done so that the work will be starting from the lizardmen residential area who won in Rock-Paper-Scissors.
"Have you seen this is science!"
Nobuhide shows a proud face to the excited lizardmen. From that day on, the installation of electric stoves and kotatsus in the different race area began.
Chapter end
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