“You wish to increase the trade volume of cellulose thread cloth?”
“That’s right. Initially, double the current amount. If possible, up to ten times.”
At the Forest Country (Lebresta) embassy in East Gate City, 30 (Dreißig) = Fragaria was meeting with the ambassador’s chief secretary, Tiariarda Elemes.
Lebresta had requested the meeting with a surprisingly earnest attitude for them.
Well, even so, in the end, they were being summoned to the embassy, so it was a bit of a delicate situation.
“Ten times, you say. That’s quite a large increase.”
“I apologize for the sudden request. It’s just that it’s extremely popular in our country. So, what do you think?”
Dreißig, operating with a loose connection, felt a sense of doubt at this attitude.
Immediately, she made an inquiry to the base AI, Fragaria Zero.
“……. Hmm.”
A pause.
To an outsider, it would have seemed like a few seconds of thought processing, as if slightly troubled by the sudden request.
In that short time, Dreißig received all the necessary information and decided on her course of action.
“Understood. We accept it as a formal request from your country. Increasing the export volume is possible. Originally, the quantity was limited to control distribution. This is based on an agreement with your country, but the trade volume and consideration can be changed immediately through discussions between representatives of both parties as supplementary provisions. Do you wish to revise it today?”
“Hmm… That’s right. I have full decision-making authority regarding this matter. If a discussion is possible, then as soon as possible.”
“Then, I will call the secretary. Please wait a moment.”
By the way, recently, as Paraiso, they haven’t been extremely secretive, but rather actively showing off their technological capabilities.
This is because they have taken control of the entire Afracia United Kingdom and can deploy sufficient land and air forces.
They have already reached the stage where they have enough military strength to judge that there would be no problem even if they were to antagonize Lebresta, so they are starting negotiations in earnest.
“It’s me. Come to the Lebresta embassy immediately. Bring the set.”
However, they are not disclosing everything unconditionally.
Currently, she used a palm-sized tablet-shaped terminal to call the secretary, 20 (Zwanzig) = Fragaria.
She had no intention of disclosing the fact that she had a built-in communication device.
“That magic tool is as convenient as ever.”
“Time is like a jewel. We fully understand its value.”
Of course, Tiariarda also knew the importance of information transmission speed.
However, even for the Forest Country (Lebresta), which excels in magical technology, long-distance information transmission seems to be still under development. Ringo’s prediction is that technological development has stagnated because the surrounding situation is stable.
“The trade of such magical tools—no, I’m sorry. Forget it.”
Tiariarda let out those words as if unintentionally.
Was it a bargaining tactic, or was it her true feelings?
It was difficult to judge due to the small sample size, but Dreißig, who had already downloaded the latest information about Lebresta, felt that it might be her true feelings.
“…This is a good opportunity. We will introduce new trade goods that we have prepared later. Separate personnel will bring samples, so please allow them through.”
“Is that so? Understood. Hey, were you listening? Please contact the guards.”
“Yes, sir. Understood.”
As the civil official left the room, a maid entered.
“Tiariarda-sama. Zwanzig Ringo-sama from Paraiso has arrived.”
“Ah, please let them through immediately. We will be holding discussions here for a while.”
“Understood. I will prepare immediately.”
The maid bowed and immediately left the room. In exchange, Zwanzig appeared, guided by the civil official.
“Excuse me. I have brought Zwanzig-sama.”
◇◇◇◇
The images captured by The Tree’s reconnaissance satellite showed many fairy circles opened in the forest.
What was displayed was the northern part of the Forest Country (Lebresta), a part of the Demon Forest that continued from the North Wall Mountains.
The majority of Lebresta’s population lives in the Demon Forest.
Now that they are investigating the Demon Forest, they can understand the abnormality, or rather, the resilience of the Lebresta people.
In the forest, which is Lebresta’s territory, many fairy circles and giant caterpillars wriggling there can be confirmed.
Some have already become adults and were flapping their wings in the sky above the forest.
As far as they could observe.
Within Lebresta’s territory, the number of these butterfly monsters is expected to increase explosively in the future.
As for Ringo, since the strength and combat ability of the butterfly monsters themselves have not been observed, it is impossible to predict the damage.
However, the same goes for the Lebresta army, and it was completely unknown what would happen if these forces clashed.
However, in that state, this negotiation was taking place.
The local Fragaria Zero did a good job.
Using Dreißig = Fragaria, they promoted the “new product” to Ambassador Tiariarda.
The “new product” is a compound bow made by The Tree. Along with it, mass-produced arrowheads, shafts, and fletching.
Tiariarda was very interested in the information that they could prepare a large quantity of these.
By the way, the reason why they were selling bows now was because they were popular with adventurers exploring the Demon Forest.
In the forest, ordinary bows are difficult to use. Because there are many obstacles, only small bows can be brought in.
Small bows are correspondingly weak, and unreliable against monsters.
The compound bow, which was created as a joke, solved this problem.
By using pulleys, it can exert a powerful force while keeping the overall length down.
Sights can also be attached, making it easier to aim even at long distances.
Because it was made by The Tree, it was difficult to break down and resistant to damage, made of composite materials that basically suited the characteristics of rough adventurers.
If so, they wondered if there would be demand in the Forest Country (Lebresta), where much of the land is covered in forests, and if they could sell it, they could also measure their technological level to some extent, so they added it to the list of trade items.
They also test-fired it on the spot, and Tiariarda herself, as well as the servants, especially the Lebresta people, were surprised by its power. The fact that it could produce such a muzzle velocity with that small size seemed like magic.
Many things can be inferred from the sales of this compound bow.
If they can handle a large quantity, it means that they do not have this level of mechanical manufacturing technology.
If sales are only at the beginning, it can be predicted that it was copied domestically.
If it doesn’t sell at all, it means that these are not needed.
However, judging from the reaction of the ambassadors, compound bows, or weapons similar to them, do not seem to exist in Lebresta, at least.
They were also interested in the raw materials for the bow.
The fact that it was manufactured with materials that did not use metal for the Lebresta people seemed to be of interest.
Carbon fiber and resin are used, and strength is ensured by integral molding.
The manufacturing error is within 0.001% (triple zero).
The fibers used for the strings are also composite materials of glass fiber and carbon fiber, ensuring durability.
Probably, Lebresta will be facing a major transformation soon.
They seem to be proceeding with considerable caution regarding the relationship with Paraiso, that is, The Tree.
However, The Tree is not.
There is also a plan to dispatch a delegation in the near future.
Judging from Tiariarda’s attitude, in the current situation, accepting an envoy from Paraiso should be worth considering for Lebresta.
Even in peacetime, Lebresta will probably face a time of trial from now on.
Borrowing the power of other countries to survive would be unpleasant, but at least Commander (Eve) will not demand exorbitant prices.
While hoping that Lebresta would make the right choice, Ringo sent the strategic objectives to Fragaria Zero.