NOVEL WEB Chapter 205
Chapter 205. The Freeman And The Persistent Merchant
“What’s with you?”
The moment I passed through the town’s customs, a guy in his twenties latched onto me.
“I’ve been watching from outside! This! A carriage that moves without horses! This must be an artifact, right?”
“Ah… yeah.”
“Amazing! I never thought I’d see a fully functional artifact… You! Sell it to me! Ah! Don’t worry! I’ll give you a price you’ll be satisfied with!”
“N-no, I’m not planning to sell this.”
“Hahaha! Of course not! But don’t worry! Let’s see… I’ll offer 70 million yen in cash!”
At the oddly well-dressed merchant’s shout, the surrounding residents began to stir.
“70 million? That’s insane. Even a noble’s carriage doesn’t cost that much.”
“Is that really an artifact?”
“It was moving without horses, but… isn’t it a scam?”
“That’s definitely a fraud.”
“Wait, look at that guy!”
He’s way too noticeable.
I want to run, but he’s firmly attached to my leg.
“Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Aggai Alabant, the third son of the renowned Alabant Trading Company, in charge of the Lakelear branch.”
“O-oh, I’m Akira. Just a traveling merchant… but currently on a break.”
“I knew it! Your attire is peculiar, but it must be some kind of formal wear, right?”
“W-well, yeah.”
Slacks, a dress shirt, and a tie.
Well, it’s formal enough.
“The Alabant Trading Company, you say?”
“Do you know of it, Cherina?”
“Yes. Anyone in the merchant business knows the name of the Alabant Trading Company. It’s arguably one of the top two trading companies on this continent.”
“And you are?”
“My apologies. I am Cherina Veliero.”
“Veliero… I’ve heard that before… Ah, I remember! A trading company from the western edge. You bring good salt, so I remembered.”
“Thank you.”
“By any chance, is this gentleman your husband?”
“W-well, not yet.”
Not yet, huh.
It’s an itchy kind of word, but saying anything now might complicate things, so I’ll stay silent.
“Hmm? Well, fine. If you’re associated with the Veliero Trading Company, that makes you more trustworthy. Is this carriage yours, Miss Cherina?”
“No, this belongs to Akira-sama.”
“I see! So, Akira! I really want you to sell it to me right away!”
“N-no… that’s…”
It’s true that the camper is on the SHOP list, so it’s possible to buy it, but…
“This carriage is a bit special. It moves by a secret method, so even if I sold it, it wouldn’t move without horses.”
“What?”
“Ah, I can’t tell you the secret, though.”
“Hmm… Could it be related to this strange smell?”
“What?”
“This smell, I remember it. It’s just like the smell that drifts over the dark swamp covered in blue flames. Could it be powered by… petroleum?”
I was at a loss for words.
Not only does petroleum exist in this world, but just knowing about it allows him to imagine such things?
“N-no, anyway, I can’t sell this.”
“How about 100 million yen?”
“What?”
Wait, wait, wait, you’re joking, right?
Sure, if there’s crude oil, it’s not impossible to make gasoline… but it wouldn’t be of stable quality, so it would strain the engine…
No, no, no!
That’s not the issue here!
Are you planning to spread internal combustion engines powered by petroleum in this world!?
“Sorry! It’s not about the price!”
“100 million yen isn’t enough? Any more than that, and I can’t decide on the spot…”
“No amount of money will make me sell it! Cherina! Get in!”
“Y-yes!”
I jumped into the driver’s seat with Cherina and instructed Hugg to move forward.
But…
“Hey, you! I can negotiate the price, and I can even offer some privileges! How about it? Just hear me out!”
Well, it’s the middle of town, so I can’t exactly go full throttle and escape. I can only go as fast as a walking person can keep up.
Aggai walks alongside the car, keeping pace. The windows are closed, but he shows no sign of giving up, endlessly talking.
“Somehow, he’s got incredible determination.”
“He must be quite the connoisseur. I’m surprised too.”
“His enthusiasm is good, but…”
“…so, from our side, we can offer different conditions…”
“I give up.”
After a while, we reached the inn district, and even the touts started swarming the car.
“Amazing carriage merchant! Our inn has absolutely safe stables!”
“What are you talking about! You’d just steal from it! Our inn has locks!”
“You’re the one with the keys! Our place is better!”
“No! Forget those dirty places!”
“We serve meals!”
At this rate, we can’t even move forward properly.
“Akira, what should we do? Run them over?”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
“Nuhahaha!”
It’s too late to store the camper in a container now.
I messed up.
“Hmm? If you’re looking for an inn, I recommend the one with the red roof over there. It’s a bit pricey, but the staff is well-trained. I can put in a good word.”
“No, that’s…”
“I won’t hold it over you. It’s just that if your carriage gets damaged…”
“Ah, well, I guess I’ll take your help.”
“Ah, damn it! Go to hell!”
“Stupid merchant!”
“Tch!”
“Somehow, it’s a lively country.”
“Cherina, you’ve been here a few times, right?”
“It was a long time ago. But a lively country is just like this.”
“Just don’t mind it.”
If this were Japan, it’d probably blow up on SNS and become a huge issue, but here it’s normal.
The inn Aggai guided us to was, sure enough, more relaxed than the others.
Probably a place that runs well just with regular customers.
“Is the owner here?”
“Yes… Ah! Alabant-sama! What can I do for you!?”
“Nothing much, I’d like you to lend a room to these people.”
“Wait a sec, I can’t decide before hearing the price.”
“If they’re acquaintances of Alabant-sama, we’ll provide a service!”
“Ah, I see.”
I don’t know the market rate, but I guess I’ll take the help.
I can’t help but suspect a scam, but at least they don’t seem like the type to resort to force.
“Hmm. Akira, are we staying here tonight?”
“We could go to an inn Cherina knows, but this should be fine.”
“I think this place is fine. My merchant’s intuition says so.”
“Then it’s decided. Innkeeper, two rooms for three men and four women.”
“Yes! We’ll prepare good rooms for you!”
“No, regular rooms are fine.”
Somehow, we ended up getting good available rooms at the price of the cheapest ones.
After everything, my balance is below 1 million, so I can’t afford to be too extravagant.
In a town surrounded by walls with densely packed buildings, I can’t just camp in the camper or a tent.
What a hassle.
If I were alone, camping out wouldn’t be a big deal.
“Then I’ll come again tomorrow, and we can talk more.”
Without waiting for my reply, Aggai left cheerfully.
“He’s really pushy.”
“That’s what a go-getter merchant is like.”
“Good grief. Well, let’s take it easy today. We’ve got the inn, after all.”
“Right.”
Tomorrow, we’ll head to the church first thing in the morning.
Finally, I might be able to complete one of the divine messenger events.
Of course.
It’s not going to be that easy.