kscans

Chapter 209 - Episode 7: Latter Half, A Dark Business Negotiation

"It has been a while, Lord Emissary."

As I entered the small reception room, a portly man spoke to me. Judging by his attire, he was a noble from the Empire. He should not underestimate the memory of a merchant from the Kingdom, especially one who pays close attention to dress.

"…If I recall, you are Count Biral, are you not."

I managed to pull the name from my memory. He was the Imperial envoy I had seen at the royal palace after the dragon subjugation in Kurtheite. He was also the man who had used Lisabet as a decoy and fled back to the Empire. We did not exactly have a pleasant history. The same could be said for Dagobard and Maytyl, however.

"No, no. Former count, I'm afraid."

Biral gave a dry laugh. He was from a branch of the count's main family and had apparently earned the position of envoy through his own merit. But because someone... did certain things, he had lost that position. What did he want with me? Surely not revenge.

"Lord Biral's main family manages the lands north of the Imperial Capital. The product you seek, Lord Ricardo, is produced there..."

Lisabet explained, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, as I instinctively recoiled. The product I sought? From the north? What could it be?

"I heard this is what you are looking for."

Biral placed a tightly sealed jar on the table. When he broke the seal, a fragrant aroma wafted up.

"Huh, this scent..."

I tilted my head, looking at the black objects inside the jar. The unmistakable, characteristic aroma was that of cacao. They called it cacaurus in the Empire, I believe. I had wondered how cacao could exist in the northern Empire, but of all places, it was from even further north. What was the deal with cacao in this world?

"Hmm. From your reaction, it seems you are aware that this cannot be grown except in warm climates."

Damn, he read me.

Biral explained. North of the Imperial Capital, there was land where hot water welled up, and it was apparently grown there. Naturally, the warm water was also used for wheat production. It seemed the output was quite limited.

"Now then, I have no issue with offering this to you, Lord Emissary, but I would like to hear your reason for being interested in it."

Biral's words implied it was a gift. That would not do.

"No, this is for something larger than my personal use... um, please wait a moment."

I rummaged through my documents. There it was. Mia's report on the current demand and future projections for red bean paste in the Kingdom. The current demand is about this much, so...

I wrote down the projected demand for the paste on a piece of paper. Biral's face contorted as he looked at the number. No, no, that's the pre-calculation figure.

"Yes, ultimately we will need about three times this amount. Ten times, if possible."

Considering the potential demand for chocolate, even ten times was an underestimate.

"Hahaha, that's impossible. Surely you are not about to ask me to sell you seedlings."

Biral's voice had dropped somewhat. When a negotiator's first word is "impossible," it usually means it is truly impossible.

"Of course not. Based on what you've said, they likely would not grow in the Kingdom anyway."

"Then are you telling us to stop producing wheat and plant nothing but cacaurus?"

Oh, that's a good idea. Slap them in the face with bundles of cash and turn them into a monoculture economy based on a cash crop. Then, while threatening their now indispensable supply of staple food, drive down the price of their product.

...Of course, I was not thinking anything of the sort. That method does not expand the scale of the economy.

"An idea just came to me, but could production not be increased with more efficient use of the hot water? Specifically, by using its heat in stages."

I spoke like a merchant... as a merchant.

"...And what do you mean by that?"

"Run the hot water through pipes and bury those pipes in the fields. Make small holes in the pipes to provide the minimum amount of water necessary for cultivating cacaurus. If humidity is needed, you could perhaps bury the pipes halfway. Then, send the water that has passed through the cacaurus fields to the wheat fields. The water temperature required for wheat should not be an issue even after it has warmed the cacaurus fields, no?"

This was a so called cascade utilization of heat. An agricultural version of it.

"Another thing is, it might be worth analyzing the magic in the region where the hot water wells up."

There was probably no magma in this world. Instead, a source of magic existed beneath the ground. I imagined a magic source where Earth's core would be, surrounded by something that resisted the flow of magic, analogous to Earth's mantle. In places where mountain ranges formed, it was like this,

Air Mountain Surface --◇-- Mantle

In other words, the weight pushed down not only from above, but also deeper into the mantle below. If a substance that conducted magic easily was present in the mountain range, then the mountain would be closer to the core. That was my hypothesis on the true nature of magic veins.

Magic rarely interacted with ordinary matter. That meant it produced almost no heat. But perhaps at certain wavelengths, it did interact slightly. Or maybe there was a significant difference in the amount of magic-interactive substances within the land itself.

For example, if the mantle-equivalent was exposed, it was possible that the magic it absorbed was being converted into heat.

"To expand cacaurus production while maintaining wheat production... it's a dreamlike proposition. However, how would one make these pipes..."

"With sorcerous metals. They do not rust, they have no negative impact on the soil, and the size and spacing of the holes can be freely changed. Once installed, the maintenance costs would be minimal, would they not."

I said. Biral's face twisted.

"Do you have any idea how much that would cost?"

"That is why I have this demand figure. Cacaurus is a luxury good. If the Kingdom generates this level of demand, it will be worth the investment."

I pointed to the number for ten times the demand. Biral swallowed. A moment ago he had completely dismissed it, but now he was hesitating.

"Is there truly that much demand?"

There definitely was. But simply saying so lacked persuasive power. If I remembered correctly, the Empire consumed it as a sort of hot chocolate. In that case, I should probably show them a contrasting way of eating it.

"If the opportunity arises, I shall introduce you to a frozen confection made with choco... cacaurus. Once you taste it, I believe you will understand that the applications for cacaurus are extremely broad."

"That is something to look forward to. And then... what is your benefit in providing this sort of knowledge?"

Biral's expression had changed. This was likely how he looked back at the royal palace.

"Of course we want the cacaurus itself, but for trade between the Kingdom and the Empire to expand, we need a greater variety of appealing products besides Magic Crystals and sorcerous metals. The more goods that travel between our two nations, the more our city profits."

"That is true," Lisabet chimed in.

"Increasing the volume of trade between the Imperial Capital, located near the northernmost part of the Empire, and the Kingdom will help raise the overall level of commerce. Economically, that is the benefit."

"I see. And politically..."

Biral looked at Lisabet.

"Is it bait for the factions in and around the Imperial Capital who are wary of expanding trade with the Kingdom?"

Biral said this, though he himself was likely one of them. The power the Imperial Capital used to control the Empire was undoubtedly its command over elite anti-monster units. But another source of power was its food production capacity. If trade with the Kingdom expanded, the Empire as a whole might see its food insecurity disappear, but the Imperial Capital's dominance would wane.

"That is your own domestic problem... Well, all of this is contingent on averting the calamity. As you said just now, to recoup such a massive investment, a stable, long term trade relationship is also essential."

At my words, Lisabet and Biral's gazes met.

"I hear you were quite active at the Flying Dragon Mountains. A region the Empire could not touch, despite being right next door, is like your own garden, is it, Lord Emissary?"

"Not at all. I was just trembling behind the sorcerers and knights. I only made it back safely thanks to Prince Dagobard and Princess Maytyl."

Biral shrugged and stood up. "I shall look forward to that frozen confection you mentioned," he said, and left. I saw him to the doorway. His portly back disappeared around a corner in the hallway.

Lisabet looked at me. Now then, what was next?

"...Right, that Negative Magic Crystal thing—"

"What shall we do about that frozen confection you mentioned? I wonder if we can find the ingredients in Maldoras."

Lisabet asked, seeming a little restless. Huh? Wait a minute. Did I reel in someone I did not need to?

"...Let's see. We can probably get ice. I brought sugar with me. After that, if we have milk, cream, and eggs..."

"Let us check."

Led by Lisabet, I went to the kitchen, where a handmaiden entered holding a basket. I believed she was Anne, one of Lisabet's attendants.

"Princess Lisabet. Regarding the meal for the Kingdom's envoy, we've acquired something a little unusual... ah."

For some reason, Anne looked troubled when she saw me.

"Unusual? Ah, I see. For the Lord Emissary, this might be..."

Lisabet gave a wry smile, removed the cover from the basket, and showed it to me. Inside was a brownish, cardboard-like object. It was unmistakably a honeycomb. Judging by its shape, it was from the wild, not from beekeeping. Incidentally, it was not filled with honey, but with...

"Do people in the Kingdom eat bee larvae..."

"Um, as for me..."

I trailed off. I knew. I heard they ate them in mountainous regions in my past life in Japan. In a way, they were like shrimp. They say crabs are close to spiders, after all.

I looked at the bee larvae squirming inside the nest. Uneri uneri. Looking closely, I could see the larvae arranged neatly inside the nest, showing their gradual growth.

Next to the plump larvae were pupae. And their color was gradually darkening. It was a living specimen of an insect's developmental stages.

I was about to turn my face away when something caught my attention. Wait a minute, this is... Right, that thing is...

"Complete Metamorphosis!" I cried out without thinking.

"What is this all of a sudden!? Is eating bee larvae that strange in the Kingdom?"

Lisabet looked bewildered. Anne shot me a harsh glare. ...She probably thought I had called her mistress a pervert.

Of course, as a man dedicated to self-preservation, I would never say something so rude. I had just thought of an ominous possibility regarding that Magic Insect.

I stared at the bee larvae. No, wait, that Magic Insect definitely had legs. The larvae of insects with Complete Metamorphosis, like bees, flies, butterflies, and moths, do not have such well-formed legs...

No, it was possible. I thought it resembled something, and now I knew. That Magic Insect looked like a ladybug larva. Ladybugs are beetles, and beetles also undergo Complete Metamorphosis.

"Excuse me. Please let me borrow this."

I had to verify my current hypothesis immediately.