Chapter 351: Enclave
Realizing that my own House is the scene of the incident, with numerous suspects involved, I can’t help but squirm. It’s not just the epicenter of the Forest Note; it’s more like the ground zero.
Could it be that Van didn’t show his face because he messed up the most? The opponent is Rishu—or rather, the radical faction led by Rudil? Kadal probably tried to intervene, but that might have only multiplied the damage…
I think I heard something about a death match, or maybe it was just a sparring session, so I hope Van is safe. But the very existence of a Spirit that can manipulate energy is a bit worrisome.
I’m also concerned whether the Hero group took an interest in this situation. They shouldn’t be able to breach the barrier of my House, but I hope the Severance is holding strong.
“It will take a little longer for Soleil-sama to be free. I apologize for the wait,” Auro says as he serves tea in a room close to the office.
The tea is a deep crimson brown, and the aroma is delightful. It feels like an incredibly expensive black tea, but it’s on par with what I’ve had back in Japan, leaving me unsure how to react.
I’ve heard that black tea is transported in hemp sacks, taking over six months to arrive. Initially treated as a medicinal herb for stomach ailments and gout, it has only recently become a sought-after delicacy.
The quality is poor and old, more akin to green tea? Well, many of them are under-fermented. Sometimes, the tea leaves are mixed with ash or willow leaves.
“This is good tea. How much does it cost? And don’t worry about me just dropping by; it’s my fault. I don’t have any urgent matters to attend to,” I say, since I only came to check on the progress of the Tower.
“A quarter sack costs seventy-five gold coins! It’s priced four times higher than regular tea leaves,” Soleil bursts through the door just as Auro sets down the cup.
“Seventy-five coins… That’s steep!”
What a ridiculous price!
“Rest assured, we make enough profit for the Lord to enjoy it,” Kiel chimes in.
“Also, it serves as Soleil-sama’s stomach medicine…” Faramia murmurs. Someone is actually looking for stomach medicine in tea!
“It’s specially transported in fragile jars, and we get charged exorbitant passage fees along the way. As far as I know, black tea is one of the items brought from the farthest regions in Naruadeid,” Soleil answers my unspoken question right away.
“I see, so the markup is outrageous. Are you okay sneaking out? My business isn’t urgent,” I say.
“Even if it’s not available on your end, we have it here,” Kiel replies, as usual.
It seems there’s a lot going on.
“First, may I purchase a piece of land slightly inland from the Lipua region on the Talia Peninsula? In this case, the residents will come with it, as it’s a purchase of governing rights,” Soleil explains while Faramia spreads a map in front of me.
Lipua is located to the south of the Talia Peninsula, facing the eastern sea. The land marked in red on the inland side is likely the subject of our discussion.
“They want to offload land that became unmanageable due to last year’s drought, but it comes with port usage rights. Large ships can’t dock at our Island, and Naruadeid is full; if you try to squeeze in, it’s prohibitively expensive. I want to stop renting from Marina and move to Lipua instead.”
So, she wants to keep the profitable land on the seaside for herself while selling off the troublesome land. And she needs a ship for transporting the vegetables she grows, which is why Soleil is negotiating for port usage rights.
“Marina’s location has the Lord saying he’ll raise the taxes when the contract is up for renewal,” I comment.
“Yes, I ended up having to raise them a bit. Well, it seems that place is also affected by the drought, and they needed funds. Their methods are underhanded, and dealing with them is a hassle. For Lipua, I secured a guarantee of no taxes other than a fixed port usage fee and passage tax. Plus, the contract is for an indefinite term.”
I think to myself how vague the taxes are here. It all depends on the whims of the Lord.
“The current head of the negotiating party and his son are good people. The real intention behind this discussion is to prevent the residents from starving to death rather than inflating the land purchase price. —It seems this season’s wheat crop has also failed,” Soleil explains.
“Soleil wants to help them, doesn’t she?” Kiel adds.
“Yes. But I’m not inclined to help for free,” Soleil replies.
“Is it okay for the people who were farming in Marina to relocate?” I ask.
“There was hardly any drought damage to the land we were renting, so it’s fine. They seem to want to grow wheat on land that hasn’t been affected, rather than the tomatoes and eggplants we requested, or the other unfamiliar vegetables.”
Since there are no issues on that front, I give my permission. Once things settle down, they’ll either rent a ship or, depending on their profits, buy a small vessel. Since they’re dealing with vegetables, they won’t need to go far, so a smaller ship will suffice.
By the way, Soleil’s trading company seems to outsource its transactions to a shipping company. Some trading companies consider owning large sailing ships a status symbol, but for now, Soleil is either outsourcing to a shipping company or renting ships and crew for each voyage.
After being shown various documents and contracts with new residents—those craftsmen contracted by Soleil—and receiving reports on the school’s operations, I’ve been updated on everything.
“I’ve reported everything that needs reporting. Now, tell me what’s going on with the group in your Tower! Suddenly, the entrance door has transformed into a work of art! What on earth is that!?”
Ah, Faramia has prepared a chair and cushion for Soleil to collapse onto again.