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Volume 5 Chapter 3-1: The Consulate

After several days of being rocked in a carriage, we arrived in Erin. Erucy’s carriage had to adjust its speed to match Erin’s, which made the journey longer than usual. Despite having provided Azul with a specially designed carriage, the horses pulling it were still ordinary, so it moved more slowly than ours. Considering future interactions, it might be a good idea to gift Erin with some upgraded horses.

This time, there was no need to wait in line to enter the city. We used the special entrance for dignitaries. Azul informed me that Erucy’s delegation could use this entrance whenever necessary. It might not be anything extraordinary, but it’s incredibly convenient.

As we entered Erin’s town, the lively atmosphere remained unchanged. People and goods filled the streets, and smiles adorned the faces of the residents.

「This is a lovely city.」

「Yes, it’s my pride and joy. There are plenty of problems, though, like some of my foolish siblings aiming for it. I’ve worked very hard to develop it so far; I won’t hand it over so easily.」

Azul replied, running her hand through her blue hair. Her voice carried a mix of pride and fatigue.

「You have your own challenges here, it seems.」

「Well, it’s not as dire as in Erucy, but the troubles are endless.」

「Indeed. Being in a leadership role involves a continuous stream of decisions. Sometimes, you’re forced to make judgments without having all the necessary information.」

Being at the helm of a large organization often means that you receive limited information. You are detached from the actual operations, and subordinates sometimes conceal inconvenient facts. Most of the time, decisions have to be made with only forty percent of the required information. Waiting for all the information to arrive would often be too late.

「It’s scary sometimes, wondering if your choices were right.」

「I feel the same way. In the end, we have to make efforts to make those choices right. At the very least, we won’t make you feel that our deals ended up being detrimental for you or Erin.」

「That’s reassuring. Our dealings with Erucy carry a particularly high risk.」

I chuckled. Azul was taking an unimaginable risk to recognize Erucy as a nation. Given the circumstances, it was a wonder that she was still alive.

「First, I’d like you to take a look at the consulate we’ve prepared for you. We’ve arranged it in the commercial district, just as you hoped.」

As we entered the city, the carriage continued at a good pace. This was possible due to the well-planned grid-like streets, which made navigation easy and minimized detours. Thanks to the wide and straight roads, the carriage could run smoothly. In an ordinary city, they would have to navigate through narrow, winding streets, and the luggage would need to be unloaded and carried manually once outside of the main streets.

「Thank you for prioritizing our business first.」

「You’ll only be here for three days after all. I want you to finish all your other business first, I want you to focus on teaching your iron-making technology and explaining the workshop plans you’ve prepared. I doubt you’ll get much sleep during these three days.」

Azul grinned with a playful expression.

「It’s fine if it’s only three days. I can maintain my focus for that duration.」

「I’m relieved to hear that, although even if you had protested, I had already planned to make you do it all the same.」

She sure likes to make ridiculous demands, but I didn’t intend to resist since I already received ample compensation.

「I’ll make sure to shatter the pride of your precious blacksmiths thoroughly, so be prepared.」

「That’s exactly what I want. It’s time they realize that there’s always someone better.」

The state of the city and the quality of the goods displayed suggested that Erin had highly skilled blacksmiths. Teaching them would be rewarding.

「Good. I’ll crush their pride to the point where they won’t even be able to hold a hammer again.」

「Perhaps you could go a bit easy on them.」

Azul responded to my jest with a very serious expression.

「This is our consulate, huh?」

We were led by Azul to a location right in the center of the commercial district, the best possible spot. Surprisingly, there was even a garage adjacent to the building, capable of accommodating two carriages. The building had ample space and seemed to have been designed with the intention of opening a shop. It featured a wide entrance and was constructed of sturdy brick. It was a two-story building, with the second story usable both as an office and for residential purposes.

「I’m amazed that you could arrange something like this. It’s perfect.」

I exclaimed in admiration. I couldn’t have hoped for anything better. It was three ranks above what I had imagined. To purchase a building in this location in Erin, one would need thousands of gold coins, and it was difficult to find one for sale even if you had the money. It was that kind of building.

「This was intended to be a branch for a certain major merchant.」

「Why did that merchant relinquish it?」

「He was an imperial merchant who conducted business across various countries. He got accused of being a spy in the empire, landed in prison, and had all his assets confiscated. He already possessed the land deed, and business rights, and paid the construction advance payment, but, in the end, he couldn’t pay for the expenses required after the construction was finished. So, the city seized it and has held it ever since.」

「Is the Empire going that far?」

「Indeed, it seems a lot of things are happening there. Not just that person alone, but they are using every trick in the book to squeeze money from wealthy commoners. There are rumors that the shrewder Empire’s merchants are all fleeing at once. Although, it seems like most of them were caught before they could escape.」