Volume 1 Chapter 4 Part 3
「Well, technically seems like a good idea…」
Goemon placed her finger on her chin hidden behind the mask and pondered the matter for a moment.
「However, if we don’t go to the towns where we want to sell the goods, we won’t be able to understand the market prices. And by going in a haphazard manner and buying and selling without a more coherent plan, will we be wable to dwouble the amount in 2 wiiks? 」
(Oh, she lisped.)
Inuchiyo murmured to herself. Goemon glared at Inuchiyo with her red pupils, probably because she was still able to hear what she just said.
「That’s precisely why I called you, Goemon. Using your Shinobi network, I want you to find out about the market prices of the Tokaido region from A to Z! If you do that, we’ll be able to know beforehand about where to buy which products and where to sell them, right? The job of carrying the goods would be safer as well if we left it to your followers. 」
(This is the basics of how trade is conducted. There’s no need for robbery or breaking into anyone’s pantry. This is a surefire way for us t increase the amount of our funds without anyone getting hurt.)
Yoshiharu thought to himself while obviously being proud of the plan that he came up with.
「That is indeed a genius plan, Yoshiharu-sama. 」
Goemon said while she nodded her head and clapped her hands together.
「I haven’t even thought of using my Shinobi like that. As expected of the wone Kinoshita had haigh hwopes fow, fufufu. 」
(She’s really lisping quite a lot now, doesn’t she?)
Inuchiyo once again murmured to herself, and once again Goemon glared at her.
「No, well, it’s just that all of my knowledge of the Sengoku era was obtained through me playing games placed in that time period, so it’s really not something that amazing. 」
「If that is not a technique that’s unique to you, then maybe that’s knowledge obtained from some secret barbarian scroll? 」
「… Y-Yeah, I guess you could say that’s something along similar lines.
「In that case, I will do as you asked and immediately go to search the market prices of various provinces in the surrounding area. I think that 3 days should be enough for me to complete this task. 」
After she said that, Goemon made some complicated symbols with her hands, and when she was done, a smoke screen filled the entire room. When it finally dissipated, Goemon could no longer be seen anywhere. She once again disappeared without making a single sound.
「*Cough!* *Cough!*… Don’t create smoke screens within enclosed spaces! 」
「… I think the tatami mat is burning. 」
「Hot! It’s hooot! We have to extinguish it quickly! Water, bring me some water! 」
Would there really be enough of a difference in market prices between the nearby towns that would be big enough for them to actually make a profit with the goods they were intending to sell? 」
That was the only thing that Yoshiharu and Inuchiyo were somewhat anxious about, but as it turned out, their anxiety was proven to be a needless one soon enough.
3 days later, Goemon appeared before Yoshiharu again, bearing the news of her research of the market prices of goods in Kiyosu, Kiyosu, Inokuchi (the town surrounding the castle of Mino), Ise’s port city and Ootsu.
In each of these towns, there were goods that were in surplus, which means that they would be quite cheap, but there were also goods that were scarce but in high demand by the populace, which means that they would be pretty expensive. While holding Goemon’s report in their hands, they went to the towns and bought goods which were in surplus, after which they carried it with them and moved onwards to sell them in towns that didn’t have enough products in question.
Since they used Goemon’s men even for the transport of the goods, the transportation fees and transportation time were minimal in comparison to what they could have been if they had to carry all of the goods by themselves. As a result, the amount of money in Yoshiharu’s possession kept increasing.
By the time he had realized it, Yoshiharu’s room in the Five Leaf Aralia tenements was full of gold coins to such a degree that even his tatami mat wasn’t visible under them anymore. Since the original amount was a huge sum of 3000 kan, once they exceeded expectations, the money they piled up didn’t seem like it could even be counted.
「T-T-This is a gold coin tatami? Or a gold room? Could it be that I have perhaps became filthy rich?! 」
(Originally I planned on increasing the money in order to just buy rice for Nobuna, but if
we can increase the amount of money to such an unexpected degree, then let’s keep going and increase it as much as humanly possible!)
Yoshiharu thought while giving in to his desires. Relaxing in the mountain of gold coins, he imagined himself swimming in it with a crawl stroke with noisy waves of gold coins crashing all around him.
(Ah, this feels so good…)
Yoshiharu murmured to himself with an expression of ecstasy on his face.
「With this, I will definitely become popular. If I have this many gold coins with me, I’ll be able to become popular with the ladies like I have never been before. That is the way of this world! 」
「… You look just like a merchant now. 」
Inuchiyo murmured it as if she wanted to chastise him, but Yoshiharu, who had become filthy
rich for the first time since his birth couldn’t hear her at all.
「I am fine with being called a merchant. Besides, I am bad at war and hurting people. 」
「…I understand that. 」
「Alright, in that case, I think I’ll be aiming at becoming the head clerk of the Oda clan! That way, I’ll be able to keep on piling more and more money until I won’t be able to pile up anymore of it, becoming not filthy, but obnoxiously rich instead! 」
「However, you shouldn’t forget that all that money is not yours. It belongs to Nobuna-sama. 」
「Oh come on, what are you saying now, Inuchiyo? Just look at it! We increased the original sum of money she gave us so much that she won’t even realise if we go and take a bit of it for ourselves. 」
「I retract my earlier statement. You’re not like a merchant. You’re more like a money monger now. 」
「And because of that, I will be able to buy some silk garments for you as well! After all, since you’re a girl, then you should have some girlish clothes in your wardrobe so that you could wear them on holidays or whenever you’re going to be off duty. 」
「Uhm, w-well, if you’re saying that you’re going to give it to me as a present, then I guess it would be bad manners to refuse… 」
While Yoshiharu was humming happily as he sat in the pool of gold coins, Nene walked out from Asano’s house opposite of Yoshiharu’s and walked inside. It seems like she came to check up on him, since she was worried about him because she hadn’t been able to see him for quite some time now.
After looking at the flood of gold coins in the room and Yoshiharu who was muttering 「I am popular! 」in an euphoric state, she shouted in a loud voice with both her hands raised.
「Monkey-sama! What are you doing! 」
「Oh, Nene. Since I have so much money now, then I’ll buy some cotton candy for you as well! 」
Instead of being happy, Nene kicked Yoshiharu in the abdomen with her eyes filled with anger.
「Woah! What are you doing?! 」
「I thought you were just a simple monkey, but it turns out that the moment I lose sight of you, you’ve already became a thief! 」
「You’re wrong, I didn’t steal any of that money! I made it via completely lawful trade! 」
「You’re lying! You were someone who was eating only aralia leaves stew until now, so there’s no way you’d have enough money to do trade! 」
「As expected of a sharp elementary school kid! However, if it’s about capital, then don’t waoory, for I have it covered. I had Nobuna generously lent me 3000 kan… no, wait, huh? 」
He realized too late something that should’ve been oh-so-obvious. It’s not that Nobuna lent him the money!
「I was ordered by Nobuna to buy rice with 3000 kan, but I got caught up in my dream of being popular due to getting a lot of money at once, and I completely forgot about it! 」
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