Chapter 351: Detached Land
I squirmed after realizing that my own 『House』had been the very scene of crime, and that I could identify several suspects behind the incident. Forest Note wasn’t simply at the epicenter of the earthquake, he had been at the very center of the explosion.
Van didn’t appear — does that mean he had been the number one perpetrator? And his opponent was Riche — or maybe Ludere, since he’s pro-Riche? Khadar must’ve tried to stop them, and ended up multiplying the damage…
That threatening death match — ah, no he didn’t, he just said it must be a contest or a match, so it’d be great if Van is alright, but still, I can’t help but worry. For a spirit to lose his motivation, isn’t that saying that he’s losing his very existence?
Moreover, I’m also worried whether the heroes’ interest was piqued by that explosion. I’m pretty sure they won’t be able to go past the 『House』’s barrier, but it’d be good if 【Cut Ties】is working.
「It will take a while before Soleil-sama becomes free. I apologize that you have to wait for a while. 」
Auro served tea to me in the room near the office.
Deep crimson brown color, fragrant aroma — I’m pretty sure this must be a very expensive black tea, but it was at par with the tea I drank in Japan, so I don’t know how to react.
It’s said that black tea is transported in jute bags, and the journey would take 6 months and above. At first, it was treated as a medicine for stomach and gout, then it was finally touted as a drink that can be enjoyed.
Aside from being coarse, that black tea was also a bit stale. It’s a bit more like green tea? I think… Well, there’s a lot to be dissatisfied about. There are also times when ash tree and willow leaves were also mixed in with the tea leaves.
「This tea is good, how much is it? Ah, I’m also sorry for dropping by so suddenly on a whim, so you don’t really have to brother. It’s not like I’m in a hurry. 」
I just came here to check the progress of the tower, after all.
「One jar containing 1/4th of a jute bag costs 75 gold coins! It’s 4 times the price of a normal tea, you know. 」
I just put the tea cup back on the table when Soleil barged into the room with a bang.
「75… So expensive! 」
It costs an arm and a leg!!
「Calm down, for me, the Fief Lord is already making enough profit as it is, so she can enjoy that if she wants. 」
Kiel commented.
「But even if it’s for Soleil-sama’s digestive medicine… 」
Faramir muttered. Whoah, there’s someone who really uses black tea as a digestive medicine!
「Well, on top of being transported in fragile jars, we’re being ripped off by tolls everywhere after all. As far as I know, Nalluahdid handles black tea, and it’s one of the goods that come from the farthest places. 」
Soleil is already answering my questions right off the bat when we just met.
「I see, so the extra fees are terrible, huh. Oh, aren’t you busy? You sure you’re okay coming here? I’m not in a hurry, it’s nothing urgent. 」
「Even if you don’t have anything urgent, that doesn’t mean we don’t. 」
Kiel retorted, as usual.
Hmm, seems like there’s a lot of things going on.
「First things first. There is land in Tarya Peninsula’s Ripua region that’s slightly inland, can I purchase it? It comes with complete dominion over the land plus the entire population of the fief. 」
Faramir spread a map in front of me while Soleil talked.
Ripua is located southeast of Tarya Peninsula, facing the sea. The inland region circled in red must be the land in discussion.
「The fief lord is pushing the land to us since they can no longer manage it because of last year’s drought, but the upside is, we’ll have the right to use the harbor. Right now, big boats can’t enter this island, and Nalluahdid’s ports are already overcrowded as it is, so it’s ridiculously expensive getting a slot there. We can stop renting in Marina and move to Ripua instead. 」
So basically, the fief lord wants to keep the cash cow lands to himself and sell those that are in a terrible state, huh? And since we also need a ship to transport the crops we produce, Soleil proposed to the other party that we get the right to use the harbor?
「Marina’s fief lord did state that he will increase the tax upon renewal of the contract. 」
「Yes, that’s right, he’s gonna raise it up, unfortunately. Oh well, that place seems to be affected by the drought too, so he probably needed funds too. It’s just that he’s doing us dirty, so it’s a pain dealing with it. As for Ripua, they assured me that other than fixed port usage fees and transit taxes, they won’t be charging us anything. Moreover, the contract duration is set to be indefinite. 」
The way they determine taxes here is so sloppy~ I can’t help but think of that. Well, it’s because these taxes are a reflection of the fief lord’s inner thoughts, after all.
「This time, our partners in this deal — the current fief lord and his heir — are good people. Even when we were negotiating, I could feel their sincerity; instead of pushing for a higher price, they sincerely wished that no one among their fief would die from starvation. Apparently, this season’s wheat was no good as well. 」
「You want to help them, right, Soleil? 」
Kiel quipped.
「That’s right. But I’m not one for doling hand-outs. 」
「Putting Marina’s fief lord out of the question — what about the farmers in Marina, would it be alright to pull them out? 」
「The land we’re renting was almost unaffected by the drought, so it should be alright. Moreover, they’d rather plant wheat in the unaffected areas instead of the unfamiliar vegetables like the tomatoes and eggplants you requested. 」
Since there wasn’t any problem with the farmers, I agreed to buy the land. Soleil plans to rent ships once things settle down, and maybe buy boats later on with the profit. Since we’re mainly handling vegetables, the ships don’t have to go far else the crops spoil, so boats would work just fine, apparently.
By the way, Soleil’s company mostly entrusts their maritime transactions to other shipping companies. Some trading companies take pride in owning large sailing ships — kinda like a status symbol — but for now, Soleil opts to either deal with another shipping company, or rent ships and crews for each voyage.
After discussing the land purchase, Soleil — the one in charge of contracts with the humans — showed me several documents for approval, then she gave me the contracts for the new residents, then she reported on the operation of the school — basically, she systematically and comprehensively presented her reports.
「Alright, I already relayed all that must be relayed to you. So, now, spit it out, what the heck is up with that group of people staying in your tower!? The gates and artworks were suddenly switched out!!!! What the heck is going on!? 」
Oh, Faramir already prepared a chair and cushion, ready for when Soleil collapses.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
I Got Transferred in the Middle of a Mountain
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 80 hours
Thanks for the treat.