kscans

Chapter 99 - The Tree That Becomes Gold 1. The Sawyers and the Heartwood

Adon was racking his brain. Where could he sell the heartwood Yuri had brought without causing any trouble? It was the heartwood of Rosewood, something woodcarvers, magic tool craftsmen, and magicians alike would drool over, and it was a long piece at that. It would be welcomed wherever he took it, and he would be condemned by those he didn't... Adon could envision such a future, which was why he was having trouble deciding where to take it.

...So, Yuri's words at that moment seemed like a gospel.

"Adon-san, do you happen to know a lumber processor... a wood sawyer?"

Alright, I have heard the provider's wishes. That settles where to take it.

*

"Is the person we’re heading to now that wood sawyer?"

"Yes. Though it’s more of a wood workshop than just a craftsman. As you wished, Yuri-kun, they also saw logs into planks."

Adon, having answered Yuri’s question, now pressed Yuri for confirmation.

"More importantly, Yuri-kun, I plan to sell that heartwood to the workshop we’re going to... Are you alright with me revealing that you were the one who brought it, after getting their word that it would be kept confidential, of course? My counterpart is a wood craftsman, after all. It’s a given that he will ask this and that, but I won’t be able to answer."

This was something they had discussed with Adon, and Old Man Audel, the previous night, so Yuri nodded in agreement.

"That's fine. I mean, I just found it in the forest near my house, though."

"...Well, even so, he’ll probably want to ask various things. It would be best to answer as much as you can and then drive a hard bargain in return."

As they were having this black-hearted consultation, the carriage arrived at its destination.

*

"How about it...?"

When he asked the question for the fifth time, the other party finally seemed to snap out of his stupor, looked up, and asked in a raspy voice.

"...How much?"

"...What price will you put on it?"

At Adon’s malicious reply, the man groaned and fell silent... then, after a short pause, he gave his answer.

"...Eighty gold coins... no, I’ll go up to one hundred. ...Any more than that, and you’ll have to let me pay in installments. One hundred coins is all I can come up with right now."

One hundred gold coins. In Yuri’s mind, that was roughly ten million Japanese yen. He knew that in his previous life in Japan, famous wooden alcove posts were sold for several hundred thousand yen, and sometimes over a million. He also knew that the "heartwood" he had brought was about twenty-five centimeters in diameter and over ten meters long. Even if he could get three alcove posts from one piece of heartwood, that would be three million at most... about thirty gold coins, right? Wasn't one hundred gold coins a bit of an overestimation...?

...Adon, ignoring the astonished Yuri, said...

"One hundred and fifty gold coins, but you can pay fifty later. In return, I’ll see to it that you get priority when the next shipment comes in."

The man who seemed to be the workshop owner stared wide-eyed at Adon, who had stated this with what seemed like an arrogant attitude.

"...Next?"

"You can see for yourself. That wood has been cut at the top and bottom. It’s self-evident that there is a top and a bottom."

"A top and a bottom..."

"Well, the next shipment will be next year, but... that shouldn’t be a problem, right?"

"...No. ...In fact, it would be a problem if they were brought in so frequently."

To the workshop owner, who answered as if his soul had left him, Adon gave a single nod.

"So, what will you do?"

"...I understand. I accept those terms. ...But, please tell me a bit more, like where you got it. I have to explain to my clients as well."

"The source is the foothills of Salt-Sour Mountain. For the details, you can ask the person himself."

"The person himself...?"

"Yes, this boy here."

And so, the boy, stunned by the price, and the workshop owner, stunned that the provider was a mere child, formally met.