Chapter 6
(Kyle Calendar
Year 499: Age 6)
Second Arrow,
a Move for Change
Translator : PolterGlast
【⚔History of the Solis
Barony⚔ Omen of Demise】
Kyle Calendar Year
499, the entire Kyle Kingdom is blessed by the great bounty of the earth.
The blessing spreads
far and wide, and the people are enveloped in joy at the abundant harvest.
The excessive bounty
turns into disaster, attacking the people who live on the land.
The citizens of Estol,
likewise greatly bewildered, fall into poverty.
Before and after this
blessing, ominous signs of the earth's anger bring black ash to the Estol
territory time and time again.
***
Finally, this year is
the year of the great harvest.
Originally, the Estol
territory should also prosper from the abundant crops, but...
Too much is as bad as
too little.
It will become a
typical example of that.
・Construction of a mass production system for flour
・Development of portable preserved food
These two are on
track.
But this alone will
not be enough to overcome the crisis of the following year.
Therefore, it is time
to put another proposal into action.
The plan itself has
already been finalized.
I had been waiting for
something to happen for a while.
The small eruption of
a volcano in the neighboring Griffonia Empire would cause ash to fall, crossing
the border mountain range and reaching even the Estol territory.
The scale would be
small, and the damage would be negligible, but it would definitely happen
several times sometime this year.
Without it, the final
push for the proposal would be lacking.
I had been waiting
with bated breath, feeling like a thousand years in a day, and the long-awaited
ashfall occurred before the harvest season.
For me, who had no
experience living near a volcano, it was my first real experience, even though
I had seen it on television.
Ashfall within the
Estol territory was not frequent, but it was not unusual when viewed on a scale
of several decades.
Therefore, the
citizens had no sense of crisis, and there was no major confusion within the
territory.
Confirming the
ashfall, as if I had been waiting for it, I held the second presentation with
my parents, Raymond-san, and Anne.
"Father, I heard
that this year's harvest is likely to be unusually abundant.
Congratulations."
"An abundant
harvest can be troublesome if it goes too far..."
My father reacted with
a slight frown.
Even in this world,
taxes are determined by the size of the land and are not proportional to the
amount of harvest.
Therefore, if there is
a bumper crop, the citizens' share increases, and if there is a poor harvest,
the opposite happens.
Farmers pay grain as
tax, secure the amount for the following year's seeds and their own food
consumption from the remainder, and sell the rest to earn income.
This income accounts
for a large proportion of their annual living expenses.
Therefore, if the
bumper crop is too large, the grain becomes oversupplied, resulting in a drop
in market prices, which can actually reduce their income.
This is the same for
the lord's income, and because the scale (amount) is larger, the lord also runs
the risk of suffering significant damage.
"I have something
I'm concerned about regarding the problems that occur with a bumper crop, so I
have brought a proposal that I would like you to consider this time."
The proposal is
roughly as follows:
〇About Dried Noodles
I proposed that now,
when the market price is low and there is a surplus of grain, we should proceed
with purchasing cheaply and seriously promote the production of preserved food
using flour.
"Along with that,
how about having dried noodles partially serve as stockpiles in preparation for
food crises?
We are currently
developing dried noodles that are easy to use even on the battlefield. I
believe that the dried noodles produced in this way can be utilized without
waste."
〇About Granaries for Famine Relief
Now, when there is a
surplus of grain due to the bumper crop, we should construct granaries for
famine relief (a system and its storehouses for storing grain in preparation
for poor harvests) throughout the Estol territory. By channeling the surplus
grain there, the inflow into the market will decrease, and we can suppress the
drop in market prices even if only slightly.
"For example, how
about having farmers donate grain to the granaries for famine relief, and the
lord purchase their sales portion at a preferential price?
I feel that this would
stabilize the farmers' cash income and serve as an incentive to promote
donations to the granaries for famine relief."
〇About Future Crises
There is a book (a
lie) that states that small-scale ashfall is a possible precursor to a
large-scale eruption. Therefore, now that we can buy grain cheaply, we should
proceed with propping up the market from both the perspectives of crisis
management and speculation.
"I cannot say for
certain.
However, if this
follows past examples and is a precursor to a large eruption, the impact on
next year's harvest will be significant, and I believe there is a very high
possibility of a poor harvest.
Even if there isn't a
poor harvest, I think we should promote buying up cheaply now when there is a
surplus..."
Frankly speaking, the
part about future crises is a far-fetched interpretation of the future facts I
know, intended to induce stockpiling and the establishment of granaries for
famine relief...
※
Originally, long
before I was born, the Estol territory seems to have been a remote, undeveloped
land that wasn't wealthy.
When my father
received it, it was just land with small towns and villages scattered about,
with no particular industry and only producing a certain amount of grain.
After becoming the
Solis barony, the territory was greatly developed through land development and
commercial income due to my father's and mother's [unique skills].
My mother used earth
magic to discover new mines and focused on their development. Furthermore, she
developed promising arable land and promoted settlement to increase
productivity.
My father used
space-time magic not only to transport large quantities of minerals and goods
but also to transport goods cheaply and quickly in large quantities, expanding
commercial income through trade.
My mother's family,
the Cornell barony, has produced many individuals with earth-attribute unique
skills.
My mother is one of
them.
My mother specializes
in discovering the blessings of the earth (land appraisal) and uses this to
contribute to the development of the territory.
The foundation laid by
my mother is further utilized by my father in trade.
My father's unique
skill, spatial storage, is a type of space-time magic and is quite overpowered
when it comes to transporting goods.
My father's space-time
magic was specialized in this spatial storage.
My father alone could
carry the equivalent of several large dump trucks worth of ore and goods, and
transportation time was extremely short due to travel by horseback.
My father utilized his
spatial storage for logistics and sometimes in trade in partnership with
merchants, using the harvest obtained from the land as capital to greatly
increase his assets, which my mother then invested in development projects.
Through this virtuous
cycle, the Estol territory became wealthy.
Therefore, some nobles
sometimes derisively call him the "merchant baron," but he himself
actually likes it.
The development and
prosperity of the Estol territory as it is now is the result of the utilization
of skills and the efforts of my parents over the past ten years.
The fertile granary
and abundant mineral resources, as well as the monster materials obtained from
the demon realm, have made the Solis barony a territory that is said to be
economically superior even to a viscounty.
The vibrant, newly
developed Estol territory has seen steady progress in recruiting citizens and
settling farmers on the land. The significant difference in revenue between it
and the two neighboring viscountcies, which initially had an overwhelming
advantage, has completely reversed in the past ten years.
The two viscount
families, being of higher rank than a baron and possessing the pride of
viscounts, did not have positive feelings towards the upstart merchant baron
and the development of his territory.
In recent years, this
has become increasingly apparent, to the point where the atmosphere could be
described as hostile.
The only friendly
relationship is with my mother's family, the Cornell barony, located at the end
of a small road extending from the Estol territory towards the royal capital.
On the Solis barony's
side as well, requests for the dispatch of earth mages for development projects
in neighboring territories and the regular exchange of gifts have been carried
out properly, maintaining a friendly relationship.
The Estol territory,
which could be said to have enemies on three sides, including the neighboring
country, constantly navigates delicate diplomatic waters, and my father also
puts his heart and soul into it.
With such a state of
relations with neighboring territories, no assistance can be expected from the
surroundings in times of poor harvests or famines.
The only ally, the
Cornell barony, places more emphasis on agricultural production than the Estol
territory, so they would likely be in no position to provide support in the
event of a poor harvest.
※
I think the
presentation to my parents went well this time, too.
There are unsettling
factors in the surrounding territories, but for now, we have ample funds and
reserves.
Therefore, during the
bumper crop, we should be able to prop up the wheat market and, under that
pretext, be able to buy up large quantities without any hesitation.
Although I didn't say
it, that feeling might have been conveyed to my parents.
Regarding the dried
noodles, the head chef had already served them at the dinner table several
times (of course, after the prototypes were successful), so we smoothly entered
the mass production phase.
My father, having been
ennobled for his military achievements, was very quick to understand the
importance of logistics during wartime.
The "Omikuji
Dried Noodles," which were worry-free even in the rain, could be carried
around as containers and were easy to distribute and carry, received a certain
level of positive evaluation.
I was told to speed up
development because they wanted to start production and build up a certain amount
of reserves immediately.
Regarding the
granaries for famine relief, my mother and the steward Raymond-san strongly
agreed.
It's unclear how much
influence the knowledge from the books and the possibility of a poor harvest in
the near future (which will actually happen) had.
For the two of them,
the stability of internal affairs was the most important issue.
They may have had
similar ideas originally.
Around the time the
harvest began, it became almost certain that this year would be a great bumper
crop.
Even the farmers, who
were initially overjoyed, began to express concerns.
The movements of my
mother and Raymond-san were unusually swift, and the construction of granaries
for famine relief was decided one after another.
It was as if they had believed
everything I said and were preparing accordingly.
My father initially seemed to be taking a wait-and-see approach, but after the second ashfall at the end of the harvest, he suddenly changed his attitude, became proactive, and started getting excited about it being an excellent investment opportunity.
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