Chapter 500: Future Prospects
“What was the name of the merchant we contracted with?”
“The name…? They called him Mr. Brown.”
Maybe it’s something like Cha-Tora or something along those lines.
“…”
Soleil rested his forehead against his clasped hands, elbows propped up on the table.
“That has to be Captain Goat, right?”
“Huh?”
Captain Goat!?
“It’s the cat one.”
Not a goat.
Could it be that in this world, captains are animals? Wait, is the head of the Shipping Guild a panda or something?
“What do you mean by ‘that’? He was turned into a cat by the Spirit’s Curse, but Captain Goat is a great captain who opened three sea routes in the open ocean!”
Soleil exclaimed, looking at me with wide eyes as if he were shouting.
A goat…! No, wait. Calm down, me. This must be some kind of mix-up caused by the Language Spirit. It feels like Akutagawa Ryunosuke has turned into Akutagawa Dragon or something. Ah, Goato. It is a goat, right?
It seems I mistakenly thought of Captain Cat as just a cat—an animal—leading to this translation mishap.
Making assumptions is never good; it leads to misunderstandings. You have to listen to what people say without prejudice, or else confusion arises.
“Is he really that famous?”
“Very famous! He’s calmed down a bit since becoming a cat, but when Captain Goat docked at Naruadeid, people came in droves, almost sinking the island!”
Captain Cat is impressive, huh? Soleil says the island nearly sank, but Naruadeid is half—well, maybe that’s an exaggeration—but it’s a large island built on reclaimed land from the sea, so it’s not impossible, which is a bit scary.
“Well, yeah, that Captain Goat is bringing Mail Wheat along with other ships, so please take care of the reception.”
“With other ships…? I heard that during his prime, Captain Goat commanded a fleet of over five ships, including galleys and sailing ships. I’ve heard he’s lightened his load by letting go of some merchant ships, but he’s bringing others too? How many ships are coming?”
“About eleven large ships, I think? There might be some smaller merchant ships as well.”
That’s how many were docked at the port for Mail. Among them, some might not be suitable for trading, and there could be ships that need repairs.
One of Captain Cat’s ships is currently broken and being used for parts. Large ships aren’t very maneuverable, so it’s common for smaller ships to mix in with the merchant fleet. Most of them head out to the open sea where pirates tend to appear.
“They say a ship can only carry as many goods as there are ships, but it seems like there’s more Mail Wheat than that… Prices are going to crash, crash!”
“As long as there are no accidents, it should be fine for the ships to carry what they can, right?”
If the Demon Beasts or accidents cause the amount I was supposed to deliver to Soleil to fall short, I was planning to transport it myself to Es, but it’s been pointed out by both Haulon and Captain Cat that it’s unrealistic to try to hide the quantity, so I should rely on the ships as much as possible.
“The Spirit that appeared during the contract promised to protect the voyage, so I think we’ll arrive safely.”
I’m not sure which one of those two— the dolphin or the muscular one with a beard—will be working for us. No, maybe they’ll notify the Retainer Spirits?
“Another one appeared?”
“Was there a Changeling among the contractors?”
“Don’t refer to them as pests. The appearance of a Spirit during a contract is a good omen. Even after years of being a merchant, it’s something that happens maybe once. I feel like I’ve seen it many times, but it’s still a rare occurrence.”
Hearing Kiel and Auro’s words, Soleil weakly insisted.
“Speaking of contracts, what about the one with the country beyond Es? Are you bringing someone along?”
Soleil doesn’t like verbal agreements, so we’ll likely need to draft a contract.
“What’s the scale of the country? Who are you planning to bring?”
“The country probably has few people for now. I guess it would be someone like a king or a prime minister?”
—What position does Haulon hold?
“I see. You mentioned it was newly established, so they probably don’t have anyone managing finances or trade yet, and they’re just getting by with two people?”
“Yeah. It seems they’ve poached a few talented individuals.”
“It’s like the village has become independent.”
“There are two very different patterns: one where they had to become independent due to a lack of protection from surrounding forces, and another where they were created as a buffer zone due to the surrounding powers’ intentions…”
Kiel summarized it simply, while Auro provided an example of a typical nation-building scenario.
“It’s a case of rebuilding a fallen nation, surrounded only by sand and rivers. There are buildings, though.”
“That’s… If you’re invested, it might work out, but whether it can stand as a nation is still a mystery.”
Soleil tilted his head, wearing a dubious expression.
“We have the King’s Branch.”
“Hey! You should have said that sooner! What kind of profits can we expect from trading with a developing nation?”
He clasped his hands together, stood up, and gazed off into the distance with a bright smile, stars sparkling in his eyes.
“I’ve never seen you this cheerful!”
“Soleil loves to sell high, but he loves thinking of business strategies even more.”
Kiel said without changing his expression. It seems he knew this would happen; their long acquaintance shows.
“My lord, let us toast to the meeting with the new King’s Branch!”
“Thanks?”
Though it’s the old King’s Branch.