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Vol 01 Chapter 18: Negotiation I

「Hehe, I have Almus all to myself…」

「Don’t cling to me too much.」

Tetra and I are in Lezado, a colonial city of Claris, a Kirisian city-state. We came here as soon as we could.

We brought provisions for the journey, Sueki pottery, and salt to serve as currency. We also have honey as a gift and a letter of introduction from King Rosais. And for self-defense, an iron sword. Since we are here to meet some influential Kirisian, we haven’t brought anything to trade with.

Ideally, I would like to buy various things on credit. If that’s not possible, we’ll have to bring a large number of people to transport the pottery later on.

I really wish we had lighter trade goods.

「Still, why this language doesn’t have written form? It’s quite troublesome, isn’t it?」

I look at a wooden tablet written in the Kirisian language. To learn to write, I have to start by learning Kirisian. It’s a real hassle. Numbers are simple enough, but for actual writing, I need to properly learn it.

Even though I finally mastered the language of this region, now I have to learn Kirisian.

「Why don’t you create one, Almus?」

「That’s a brilliant idea. Maybe I will if I get the chance… Just kidding.」

It would be faster to learn Kirisian than to create a new script.

「By the way, we always refer to this area vaguely, but doesn’t it have a name?」

「It’s usually called the Adernian Peninsula.」

「How do the Kirisians refer to us?」

「As barbarians who speak in strange tongues. Or as Peninsula people. Or just purely as barbarians.」

Well, from the perspective of those with advanced cultures, we might indeed be barbarians.

「Can I ask you one more thing?」

「What is it?」

「I see something that looks like currency over there. I thought it didn’t exist.」

I have some recollection of having such a conversation. When was that again…?

That’s right, it was right after I met the children.

I remember Ron asking, 「What is currency?」

「Only a very few use money.」

「I see.」

So, it’s something that only people with wealth have. Even in Japan, they had to enact a law like the Accumulated Coinage Ordinance, so perhaps the average farmer doesn’t know about it.

While talking about this, we arrived at the port. It seems we’d walked quite a bit without realizing it.

「So this is the sea…」

「Is it your first time?」

I asked Tetra, and she nodded.

There’s the smell of salt, but it’s subtly different from the sea in Japan.

「There are some quite large ships here.」

There are several ships moored at the port.

Their lengths are around thirty meters. Considering the cultural level of this world, they are quite large.

「I’ve heard that the Kirisians excel in navigation skills.」

Well, they’ve built a colony this far away and are trading, so of course, they must possess far superior technology compared to us.

「Now, where could Ainz-san, who’s going to sell us livestock, be?」

We haven’t arranged a meeting, so we need to look for him.

「Let’s start searching right away.」

「Before that, let’s check the value of our goods… the Sueki pottery and the honey. We might get cheated.」

That’s a good idea. After all, these people think of us as barbarians. There’s a good chance they might try to deceive us.

We showed our Sueki pottery to a Kirisian merchant specializing in pottery. On the mat he spread out, there were pottery pieces similar to ours. In terms of quality, they looked almost the same.

「What do you think?」

「Well… If I were to sell it in Kirisia, I would buy it for thirty bronze coins. If I sell it around here… thirty didar of salt (about 500 grams).」

By the way, according to a passing merchant, the currency values are as follows: one hundred bronze coins are worth one silver coin, and ten silver coins are worth one gold coin. The value of salt is about one silver coin per kilogram.

So, selling the pottery in this region means I could sell it for 1.6 times the price in Kirisia.

That’s quite a good deal.

Incidentally, it seems that one silver coin is enough to live comfortably for a month in Kirisia. The definition of ‘comfortably’ varies, but we could say that one silver coin is equivalent to about 100,000 Japanese yen.

「Did you make this? Who taught you?」

「I figured it out myself.」

When I said that, the merchant’s eyes widened.

「That’s amazing. I’d prefer it if you didn’t spread it around too much.」

「We won’t reveal the method for free, as that would make us lose our profits too.」

It’s an important asset, after all.

「One more thing. How much would honey cost? I want to buy it as a souvenir.」

「Forget it. It’s not something you can buy as a souvenir. For a jar about this size, it would cost about three gold coins.」

The man said, holding a jar in his hand.

That’s incredibly expensive. Wonderful.

Honey will be our main product then.

「By the way, what are you all stocking up on?」

Trade isn’t just about selling. After selling, you use the money to buy something else and then sell it at another place.

That’s what trade is all about, repeating this cycle. It would be a waste if the ships returned empty.

Naturally, these merchants must be stocking up on something from this area, but… I have no clue what it could be.

Grain is unlikely since there’s been a recent poor harvest. Besides, this area isn’t really suitable for wheat cultivation.

There are no minerals like iron here either. Nor are there any manufactured products worth the trouble.

「Well, the main export item would be salt. This area is known for its high-quality rock salt. Kirisia has a large population, so the demand for salt is high.」

So this is a famous salt-producing area. I didn’t know that.

If we search in the forest, we might unexpectedly find some. Maybe I should look into it.

「Other than that, well, there are slaves.」

So that’s how it is.

This area is divided into small countries, so there are constant wars. Slaves must be plentiful and cheap here.

「Thank you for all the information.」

「Sure. Then…」

The man extended his hand. Seems like he’s asking for a fee for the information.

I put some of the salt I had divided into small bags into the man’s hand.

◇

「Now, this must be Ainz-san’s base.」

A rather impressive building stands before us.

It is smaller than King Rosais’ castle, but it doesn’t look inferior.

King Rosais’ castle is made of wood, while this building is made of stone, so this one is probably sturdier.

「Excuse me, is someone available?」

I knocked on the door and rang the bell.

After a while, a man with brown skin came out. He was wearing a collar around his neck.

「What can I do for you?」

「I’d like to discuss business with Mr. Ainz.」

「Unfortunately, the master is currently busy…」

「Then, could you please show him this?」

I handed over the wooden tablet I received from King Rosais. The man looked puzzled as he took the tablet and disappeared inside the building.

After a while, he returned.

「Please come in.」

As expected of a letter of introduction written by a king, even if it is from a small country. It seems to have a significant influence.

Julia was able to procure a large amount of salt, so perhaps King Rosais’ Country might be rich in salt.

「Hello, I am Ainz. And you are?」

A young man appeared before us, speaking in Kirisian.

He’s young. I had expected a major merchant to be an older man.

「I’m Almus. This is Tetra.」

「Nice to meet you.」

We replied in Kirisian. Thanks to the [Blessing of Language], my Kirisian is perfect, and Tetra has been able to speak it from the beginning. Apparently, her mother was Kirisian.

I wish I were bilingual too.

Ainz looked surprised when we responded fluently in Kirisian.

「You’re quite skilled.」

「Ahaha, well, just a bit.」

I can’t exactly say it’s thanks to a blessing.

「Are you here to purchase livestock?」

「Yes. I heard you deal in it.」

As I answered, Ainz looked me over as if appraising me. I am, after all, a 15-year-old. It must be curious for such a youngster, even from a small country, to hold a letter of introduction from a king.

「Forgive me for asking, but… what is your position?」

「Well, how should I put it… Well, I haven’t ever called myself like that, but something similar to a king.」

Frankly, we’re like an independent nation. Territory, citizens, sovereignty – we have it all.

「I see…」

Ainz looked thoughtful, as if pondering something. He seemed to be misunderstanding something, but the bigger the misunderstanding, the better for us.

「A cow costs three gold coins, and a horse four. If you’re paying in goods, I’ll need a bit more.」

「I see. Actually, I didn’t bring any money this time… I just came to check the prices. Can I come back in two weeks?」

「That’s fine. How much will you be purchasing?」

「Let’s see… One horse and two cows, please.」

So, a total of ten gold coins. I’ll need three jars worth of honey per jar.

It’s just about the amount I can pay.

It’s tough not being able to secure a large quantity of honey. I might need to find another product.

「Understood. I’ll have them ready. See you in two weeks.」

And so, we acquired the much-needed animal labor.