Chapter 501: Suspicions Arise
“I received the contract from our business partner (tentative).”
“What’s with the sudden announcement?” Haulon said, taking the contract I offered him in the rented house of Kanum.
In front of the fireplace sat Karn, while Chris and Dean shared the same table with Haulon. They were sipping wine, snacking on some grilled meat. It was late, but it seemed Retze hadn’t returned yet.
“Oh, this is for the Mail Wheat. If possible, I’d like to continue trading with Naruadeid through this trading company.”
Earlier in the day, I had received the signed contract from Soleil. There was an excess of Mail Wheat, and it seemed that the price might rise while gathering regular wheat, so we settled on a price for Mail Wheat that matched the usual wheat price for Karn’s Country.
Soleil had been biting his handkerchief, though.
“I could transport it myself, but if we’re going to operate as a country, we should establish trade routes, right?” I said to Haulon, who was reading the contract. I was sure we had discussed something along those lines.
“That’s quite a grand scale you’re talking about. Impressive, as expected,” Chris chimed in, his eyes sparkling.
“It seems like Karn’s Country is steadily coming together. That’s amazing,” Dean said, eyes wide with wonder.
“Building a country is quite romantic, isn’t it? A beautiful city emerging from the sands, overflowing with people? If there’s anything I can help with—”
“Unfortunately, it’s too far,” Dean interjected, following up on Chris’s words.
“By the way, for the trade, we’ll be using Es as an intermediary for the ships, right? Does Karn want to handle the riverboats to Es themselves, or leave it all to us? The contract I handed over is up to Es,” Haulon asked.
“We’d prefer to handle it ourselves, but right now, we can’t manage that. We’ll likely be trading daily goods with Es, so it’s probably best to involve Es’s trading company. Once we have the resources, we’ll get our own ships,” Karn replied.
“Yes, yes. For now, we’ll use Es’s trading company’s ships and plan to transition to our own in the future. By the way, what’s the name of the country? Karn Kingdom?”
“It’s the Fire Kingdom Shahira,” Karn answered shortly.
They named it after a branch? Isn’t naming it after a branch a bit odd? Blue Spirit Island would end up being called “Kong Kong Staff EX Kingdom.”
“Wait a minute…”
“What is it?”
Dean asked Haulon, who was shaking the ends of the contract nervously.
“This contract partner!”
“Huh?” What’s going on?
“Isn’t this the public face of Assassination Island?!”
“…”
That rumor is still alive!?
“No, um, Soleil is a capable trading company president, and I highly recommend him?”
“Behind him, there’s a group of assassins! While the front business seems clean, there’s definitely something shady going on!”
“Why are we even discussing this…”
Apparently, Haulon had done some research on potential trading partners, and this was the information he gathered.
“They say there’s no way a dreamlike island could exist as it’s portrayed. There are whispers that those who’ve visited the island have been drugged to see hallucinations.”
“Haulon, where did you hear that?! Sure, there are plenty of people from neighboring Naruadeid who’ve never been to the island due to the entry restrictions, but still!”
“Mountain tribes capture travelers, drug them to induce a dreamlike state, and then toss them into lavish rooms with women and food. After several days, they’re thrown back to the original rocky mountain. They’re told that if they fulfill their mission and die, they can return to that room. It’s similar to the methods used to create assassins.”
“Karn, don’t bring up weird brainwashing stories!”
“Well, the public lord and that trading company seem decent, so I doubt they’re temporarily inducing hallucinations of paradise. But how much did the island’s environment cost…? It’s a new trading company, and there’s no way they’re making that much profit. So, the rumor that it’s an island of assassins funded by assassination fees can’t be easily dismissed.”
“Dismiss it, dismiss it. It’s clean, it’s clean.” Please stop, that sounds terrible!
“Even if you say that… I’ve heard from someone who actually stayed on the island that they witnessed a fierce battle at night. Plus, there have been several cases of people who stepped onto the island to request an assassination and then went missing right after. Even when asking the Spirits, they don’t provide clear answers, and there are ominous words that suggest it’s dangerous to approach…”
I think it’s the ones requesting assassinations who are in the wrong. The Spirits have a tendency to lead malicious people astray!
And the rumors about the Spirits are my fault! I remember asking them to give answers that would make suspicious individuals not want to come to the island! I was more focused on the takeover!
Overall, it seems my situation is only adding to Haulon’s suspicions.
“Gene seems like he could be easily deceived.”
“If you trust the good people on the surface, you might end up with scary people lurking behind you,” Dean and Chris said with concern.
As if I could be deceived! I’m the one who created that island! Sure, the Changelings gathered, but most of them were just there for the food!
It’s a peaceful island! I won’t deny that fierce battles happen at night, but it’s peaceful!