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107 Geographical
Talk
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Translator : PolterGlast
"Hey,
Yamato."
"What?"
Having finished the
interviews for civil official candidates, I was taking a break and drinking
tea, so I called out to Yamato, who was also on break.
"How's that thing
coming along?"
I had asked Yamato to
create a certain item and was checking on its progress.
"It's going well.
I'm getting help from Itsukushima-san, so there are no problems at all."
"And how is Itsukushima-san
doing?"
"Just leave her
be for a little while. I think she'll be okay eventually."
I don't quite
understand it, but I haven't seen Itsukushima-san much lately. I can tell she's
avoiding me. I just don't know why.
I listened to
Gandarvan's report on the military official interviews and combat tests.
"One hundred and
seven individuals were interviewed. Thirteen individuals will proceed to your
final interview, my lord."
There were only 5
candidates for civil official, but 107 for military official. Just seeing that
number is enough to understand that this world thinks with its muscles.
I received the
documents and reviewed the contents. The candidates who passed the first
interview were: 6 swordsmen, 5 spearmen, 1 archer, and 1 knight.
As expected, there
were no support jobs like explorers. It seems we'll have to cultivate them from
the ground up.
I also want production
jobs like Yamato and Itsukushima-san.
It's inefficient to
send our weapons and armor out for maintenance.
We're not too
concerned since we have magical armaments like magic swords and spears, but if
you hit an Orichalcum Golem, normal weapons would break immediately.
If you're going to hit
an Orichalcum Golem with something other than magical armaments, you'd want at
least a mithril weapon, and preferably one made of Gormodia.
Even a normal steel
sword enhanced with my Enchanter's Enchant: Hard skill would probably break.
While breaking a steel weapon isn't a huge expense, the problem is that it
would be disastrous if it broke during combat.
We, fortunately or
unfortunately, have Yamato.
Yamato can forge
magical swords and spears from materials like mithril. He's actually quite
capable, even if I would never say that to his face.
And Itsukushima-san.
Her alchemy can enhance items, and the two of them can create magical
armaments, so the quality of our weapons is very high.
My Enchanter job can
also create magical armaments, but it always sacrifices durability. So, it's
not needed right now.
***
I'm not just being
visited by job applicants. A good number of merchants also come to see me.
Among the merchants
requesting a meeting was Golteo-san.
"It's been a
while, Golteo-san."
"Yes. It's been a
while, Your Excellency Viscount Footscythel."
He came today with his
son, Sharnini-san, the current head of the Golteo Trading Company.
His escort, Ruineza-san,
was also there and was as beautiful as ever.
After receiving
greetings from Golteo-san and his son, they made a proposal.
"Our Golteo Trading
Company would like to open a branch in Triange. Would you grant us
permission?"
The Golteo Trading
Company is one of the leading merchant guilds in the country. Having a branch
in Triange would be great, but...
"Triange is a
town known for salt production and fishing. The population isn't that large,
you know?"
I couldn't see any
benefit to opening a branch there. The rights to salt production are already
firmly established, and fishing probably wouldn't bring in much profit.
Apparently, the
transporter's Item Box has a time progression, so it's not suitable for
transporting things that spoil easily. I heard this from our transporters, and
I was quite surprised when I did.
My unique skill, Item
Box, has no time progression, so I mistakenly thought everyone's was the same.
"We understand
that, but we can't afford not to open a branch in a territory belonging to Your
Excellency Viscount Footscythel."
I don't want to know
how he arrived at that conclusion...
"If you
understand that and still want to open a branch, then I'd be happy to allow
it."
"Thank you very
much. I plan to accompany you to Triange and personally lead the branch's
opening."
So Golteo-san himself
will be in charge of the branch's opening.
"Until the branch
is on its feet, I will be stationed there to handle things personally."
Oh, he'll be there for
a while.
"What about the
shop in Kerniff?"
"I've left that
to Mash."
Mash... Oh, the vice
store manager. He got promoted to store manager, huh? Congratulations.
"And, I have one
more request."
"It's from Golteo-san,
who has been so kind to me, so I'll listen if it's something I can do."
If I can do it, of
course.
"I've heard that
you defeated the Orichalcum Golem, the boss of the 9th floor."
I haven't mentioned
it, and we haven't exchanged any of the items from the Orichalcum Golem's
treasure chests at the Explorer's Guild. I'm curious about how he gets this
kind of information. Well, I figure that's something a merchant of his caliber
would keep secret, so I won't ask.
"You're
well-informed. Please keep that a secret for me."
"Yes. Of course.
I will never speak of it. But, I've also heard that you obtained some very
large diamonds."
He leaned in closer.
"Hmm. I don't
have any diamonds left."
"I was told you
handed them over to Her Highness the Princess and His Excellency Duke
Gardland."
I'm starting to think
the leak came from one of them, as there were only two other parties involved.
All my people are bound by a magical contract to not leak information. Unless
there's a loophole, of course.
A merchant of Golteo-san's
level might have gotten a confirmation from both of them.
"I can't say
anything about the parties I've transferred things to."
I don't know if
there's a confidentiality agreement, but I can't trust anyone who talks about
their business partners. So I won't talk either.
"Of course. So,
if you happen to acquire any good diamonds in the future, I'd be bold enough to
ask you to allow us to handle them."
He's saying he'll give
up on the current ones because they went to the Princess and the Duke, but he
wants to handle the next ones.
Is that the right
approach for a merchant? I don't know, but it must be his way of appealing for
me to give him a call next time.
"Of course, we will
offer you the best possible price."
"I don't think
I'll be fighting the Orichalcum Golem for a while. It's possible I may never
fight it again in the future. But if you're willing to wait, I'll contact you
if I get one."
"Thank you very
much. Please, I would appreciate it."
Golteo-san seemed
satisfied with that and didn't say anything else.
Instead, his son Sharnini-san
brought up a business proposal.
"Before you enter
your territory, if you need any necessary items, we would be honored to receive
your order. For starters, how about horses, carriages, and carts for
transportation?"
Golteo-san's tutelage
seems to have been very thorough, as his son knows what to focus on. I have a
carriage for myself, but a decent number of them are needed for transportation,
even if not for everyone.
"I'll make a list
of what's needed and contact you."
"Thank you."
Golteo-san and his son
left. I was subtly made to spend money.
Oh well. It's
something I can do because I have the money. Money that isn't spent has no
meaning.
I immediately asked
Enrique to place an order for horses and carts. The prices were fair. While my Base
Magnate job has a Discount skill, I don't use it on decent people.
***
I'm not entering my
territory just yet, but I think I'll touch on the geography a bit here.
First, the name of
this country is the Oda Kingdom. Apparently, it was founded by an explorer
several hundred years ago. I never expected the first king to be an explorer.
If we divide the
continent into Eastern, Central, and Western parts, the Oda Kingdom is in the
Central part.
It's a country of a
scale that can be called a major power, bordering eight other countries.
The capital's name is
Margas, and it's located on the southeastern side of the central part of the
Oda Kingdom.
Kerniff, which I first
visited, is located almost directly east of the capital, and the Duke's
territory is in a vital location bordering two countries. Thus, it can be said
that it's governed by a house with the highest title, excluding the Royal
Family: the duke.
There are ten ducal
houses in the country. Five of them are owned by the Royal Family. The King
also holds a ducal title, and the Princess, as regent, also holds a ducal
title.
One of the remaining
five ducal houses is the Gardland Ducal House, which governs Kerniff. Each
ducal house governs a crucial location. Some have a dungeon, and some border
other countries.
Regarding foreign
relations, the Oda Kingdom is in a state of war with two of its eight
neighboring countries, has alliances with four, and friendly relations with
two.
The Oda Kingdom has a
poor relationship with the Cup Empire in the west and the Lyber Empire in the
north (they are at war). Both are considered major powers like the Oda Kingdom,
and there are small skirmishes at the border every year. The reason a major war
hasn't broken out is likely because the Oda Kingdom is allied with the Doran
Empire, which is located southwest of the Lyber Empire and north of the Cup
Empire.
The Oda Kingdom's
foreign policy is based on maintaining this alliance with the Doran Empire. The
same goes for the Doran Empire, which is surrounded by the Lyber and Cup
Empires, making its alliance with the Oda Kingdom indispensable.
As you know, my
territory faces the sea, and the Cup Empire also apparently has a very long
coastline. That's why both the Oda Kingdom and the Cup Empire have navies.
If I were to engage in
piracy at sea, it would apparently not be a problem if the targets were the Cup
Empire's navy or merchant ships.
However, even with
high physical abilities at sea, my ship might be destroyed, and I could drown.
I think I could manage to swim while clothed, but I'm not confident I could
swim in armor.
Now, Triange, which I
received, is a coastal town southwest of the capital. It's a 13-day journey by
carriage from the capital and a 23-day journey from Kerniff.
Triange's industries
are salt production and fishing. The rights to the salt are split with the
Royal Family. Salt is taxed, and the tax revenue from it is quite high.
The fish from fishing
are consumed in Triange and the nearby city of Zawalifi, which has a dungeon,
but consumption beyond that is not expected. However, I've heard that Zawalifi
is a fairly large city, and because fish is being shipped there, it's quite
lively.
In any case, there's a
lot I won't know until I go there.
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