56 Episode 55 Sugar and Atmospheric Pressure (1/2)

Now, on to the Kaede Trading Company.

I've taken the liberty of ordering a ship, but it's not just for me to get sugar, it's for the business of the Chamber of Commerce.

If they rely on me for their infrastructure, I won't be able to move freely.

That's why I came to the Kaede Chamber of Commerce.

Unlike the Catherine's Shop, this one looks like a normal store in town.

The store seems to have been completed, and there are regular customers.

Well, they probably haven't finished making the dried meat with the ingredients I brought yet, so the taste is probably irrelevant.

”Is Mercia there?

It's faster to ask than to observe, so I quickly talk to the waiter.

The waitress looks familiar, and it's not surprising that she remembers my face.

He is the owner.

He's the owner. 　I think the manager is in the warehouse.

Yeah, I'll go there then.

I remember where the warehouse is.

I followed the same route as the other day and got there without getting lost.

I showed my directionlessness in Ayn, but I'm not so directionless that I can't find my way to a place I've already been.

In the warehouse, the employees (two men and a woman) are dismantling Galden, and Mercia is watching them.

I wonder if he is supervising.

”Hey, Mercia, how's the store doing?

Yes, it's not too bad, about where we expected it to be.

Mercia turns around and replies.

I wonder if she actually knew I was here, that she could respond correctly to someone who was suddenly speaking to her out of the corner of her eye.

Not so good, huh?

”I think the store is slightly in the red at the moment. 　We just buy and sell things that can be bought at other stores at normal prices, so there's no way we can compete with the stores that have been doing business here for a long time.

Well, you can't win.

I'll have to start selling the meat I bring in.

”Yes. 　The profit from sales is small now, but it's a waste to let the employees I've prepared be idle, so I'm selling what I've purchased to train them as shopkeepers.

Yeah, I'd say that's a very sensible way to run a store.

Since we have an advantage in terms of purchasing, there is no need to play strange games in other areas.

Everyone is trying to make a living in business, so there is nothing that can be done by playing a strange game.

There have been successful tactics such as selling at a huge discount, destroying other stores, and then raising the price to make a profit, but that was only possible with cheap procurement routes and tremendous scale.

It might be possible to do it in my place, but it would be resented, so it's best to do it the normal way.

It's unlikely to succeed, though, since the meat is being force-fed from the demon realm.

The plan is going well, I guess. 　By the way, I found some sugar cane on an island I stopped by the other day, and I'm thinking of growing it.

”Growing sugar cane?　I don't think you can get permission to grow sugar cane, do you have permission?

No permit?

Is it possible that the reason we haven't found any sugar so far is not because we don't have any farmland, but because it's forbidden?

”You need a permit to grow sugar cane?　What do you mean?

Sugar cane does not cause demons, but it does increase the number of demons from nearby demon territories, so it is generally not allowed to be grown.

I'm thinking of growing it on an island. Can you manage that?

On an island?　That's a possibility, but there are no islands with good farmland, you know?

That's what we're going to build. 　If we use magic to wipe out all the trees on the flat, forested islands in the demon realm, we'll have fertile, demon-free islands.

I've heard that flying demons are rare even in Decibatore, so building a shelter would be safer.

What about ships and ports that can reach the island in the demon realm?

”I've already ordered a ship to carry people to the shipyard. 　We don't have a port, but we'll use small flying ships instead. 　And I'll carry the supplies.

Mercia gave a little thought to my words, then gave a small nod.

It might be possible to get by with that. 　But that would require a lot of initial cost, and if it fails, you'll be in the red.　Didn't you want to keep the business small to reduce the risk?

It's about meat, which has always been an important industry here. 　I have the money, and I'll take the responsibility once the permit is granted.

”Okay!　Shall we go apply now?

You're so quick, I can't help but notice a twinkle in your eye.

By the way, I remembered that Mercia came to my house because she wanted to do business.

If a big and interesting deal suddenly came to her, she might react like this.

”Can I have the dried meat?

It's a job I can handle without me, but I just thought you should know about it. 　I have experienced people I can leave it to.

”Is the manager not as busy as you think?

”In a normal store, the manager would also be the clerk, so I don't have much to do. 　However, considering the future, I would like to keep a certain number of well-trained employees, so I hire as many as I can.

In other words, you're not working.

It's not like you're slacking off.

Are you going to apply?

”Yes.

Well, that's why I went to the commercial guild to apply.

Apparently, it's not something that can be decided only by the members of the commercial guild, and it will take some time to ask the mayor of Decibatore.

To be precise, they said that the commercial guild could give permission, but to avoid problems, they would ask other places, but the result was the same.

Will the permit be granted?

Mercia murmured in a worried voice.