kscans

Chapter 123 - The Effect of Visualization in Sales

Three well-dressed men were seated in the reception room of the Grand Ducal Castle of Bertold. One was an old man, one was middle-aged, and the last was a young man in his mid-twenties. All were heads of noble houses situated near Bertold.

The three of them had just finished the French toast they had been served. Drenched in a generous amount of honey, it was likely too sweet for the palate of a grown man. That was why I had deliberately served small portions and made refills freely available.

Incidentally, the only one who requested a second helping was the middle-aged man. He had the largest build of the three. Perhaps he has a sweet tooth?

"The other two don’t seem to be reacting very well," I said to Luiza, who stood beside me. "Regardless of their tastes, this should be considered a luxurious refreshment. I thought that sort of thing was important to them."

"I’m not surprised. They all have their issues with the current Grand Ducal house, you see. All three of them," Luiza replied, as if it were nothing at all. They were nobles from the west, aligned with the old Fellbach faction, who had managed to avoid having their houses dissolved. In other words, they were families that had endured hardship for twenty years. This made for a tricky business negotiation.

"I’m already bad enough at dealing with nobles."

"What sort of joke is that. Oh, you mean you’re worse with them than you are with royalty."

"That’s not it."

"They’re here."

Ignoring my protest, Luiza pointed out the reception room window. I could see Alfina and Euphillia walking down the corridor. Alfina noticed me and gave a small wave. I reflexively waved back, then became aware of Luiza’s gaze.

I was just relieved to see more people I knew. It’s not because they’re royalty.

"Well then, I’ll leave escorting Alfina-sama to you."

"My main job is just to handle the explanation, so I’ll do that."

"This is important in many ways, so I expect you to do a thorough job. And another thing, a presentation filled with numbers won’t be well received. I don’t mind it, but they will."

So said Luiza, who had already begun honey production in her own viscounty. In my hand, I clutched a sheet of paper densely packed with numbers, prepared by Mia.

"This is for my own reference. I have made an effort to be creative, you know."

The knowledge I have from my original world is limited to economics. The practical application of sales is still something I’m not good at.

"That’s reassuring. Well, I’m counting on you."

With that, Luiza patted my shoulder and moved toward a blind spot in the reception room. It seemed the furniture had been subtly arranged to make it easier to observe the invited guests. At that same moment, Alfina and Euphillia entered the room. The three nobles rose to their feet and bowed.

◇◇

The long exchange of pleasantries, which I could only describe as painstakingly polite, finally concluded. It seemed they had been reluctant to even come here, but their demeanor was now calm. This was likely due to the Grand Duchess’s authority.

"I am Ricardo of the Vinder Company. I will be in charge of today’s presentation."

I stepped away from the wall and moved forward. The three men’s eyes bored into the commoner standing beside the princess. I wish they wouldn’t look at me like I was some kind of talking dog.

"Now then, I will begin the explanation of our honey enterprise."

I gripped a piece of charcoal before the stone slate that had been prepared for me. The old man rested his chin on his hand, the young man’s eyes were clearly wary, the kind of look you give a con artist. The middle-aged man in the center simply craned his neck to look at me.

Kak, shuu. Su, shuu, su, shuu.

I drew a large square on the stone slate. Next, I drew four rectangles of different sizes inside it. The three men glanced my way but seemed completely uninterested. It reminded me of geometry class for the humanities students. Watching from the side, Luiza’s face grew worried.

"This large square, please consider it your entire domain."

At the word "domain," the eyebrows of the two men on the ends twitched. If you view nobles through a business lens, they are essentially landowners. They make their living by managing the real estate of their domain. My concept for this presentation was to visualize things according to their way of thinking. As a flawed salesman who can only rely on logical arguments, my only recourse was to explain the benefits using a line of reasoning they could follow.

"First, this rectangle on the right is your farmland."

I pointed to a rectangle that took up about thirty percent of the larger square. The smallest square above the farmland, at ten percent, is fallow land. Then, I explained that the twenty percent square on the left is the communal forest, and the largest, forty percent square, is grassland.

"In other words, only thirty percent of your domain directly contributes to this year’s income."

Even limiting it to the accessible parts of the domain, only thirty percent truly generates revenue. All three of them wore expressions that said, "So what?"

"That is where beekeeping comes in. By introducing it, you can also gain income from the fallow land and grassland, the fifty percent of your land that is currently idle."

I tapped the two rectangles that made up half the total area with the tip of the charcoal. Representing it as a ratio of the total area was meant to create a visual impact. Judging by their expressions, it had succeeded. The old man took his hand from his chin, and the young man’s sharp eyes were fixed on the slate. The middle-aged man, who seemed willing to listen from the start, showed little change.

"What a ridiculous story," the old man said. "The fallow land you pointed to is not idle. It is resting. If we were to force its use, all our farmland would eventually become barren wasteland that yields no harvest."

"The grasslands, which make up nearly half the domain, are far from the villages, and working them would require a great deal of labor," the young man continued. "Forcing such a task on our people would cause the income from our vital farmland to drop. Surely you don’t mean we can gain more income from the grasslands than from the farmland. And even if we could, if we don’t produce wheat, the villages will simply starve."

Hearing their words, I smiled to myself. Sensible objections were a sign that the presentation was starting to sink in.

"Yes, the importance of fallow land is exactly as you say. Furthermore, even if we utilize this fifty percent, the income will fall far short of what you earn from the thirty percent of farmland."

At my words, the old man and the young man wore expressions that said, "See? I told you so."

"So you admit you are mistaken."

But as the young man said this, his expression seemed a little disappointed. Perhaps he had been hoping for something after all. They had been treated poorly for a long time, receiving no stipends from the central government, and on top of that, their tax assessments were apparently quite harsh. Ever since the great generosity displayed at the winter tea party, talk of Leylia Village had started to spread among the nobility. Normally, it might be dismissed as an exception due to being financed by the princess’s private funds, but these men were neighboring lords.

"No, your points are quite valid, so I will address each one. As a nectar source for the honey, we will have you plant the seeds of this grass in your fallow fields."

From under the desk, I produced a potted milk vetch plant. In this world, they bloom in the summer, which was convenient.

"This flower produces the honey you just tasted. It is beginning to gain a reputation in the Royal Capital for its clean flavor. You would simply need to sow the seeds when you convert the fields to fallow after the harvest. As you can see, it is a weed, so it will grow without any care. Furthermore, please pay close attention to the roots of this plant."

I casually pulled one of the milk vetch plants from the pot. As I brushed away the dirt, the round swellings on the thin roots became visible.

"As you can see, there are small nodules on the roots of this plant. These nodules will help restore the fallow land."