Chapter 351
"It's been a while since I've been here."
"Not so much for us.""Right. Even when busy, we came a few times a month."
Gathering people for town-building—the starting point for that is Nell's father and mother, Jinx-san and Teresa-san.
It's been a while since I last saw them, so I'm a bit nervous. I was truly busy, but wondering if that's a valid excuse, I proceed down the shopping district's main street for the first time in ages, carrying a box of sweets.
A lot of time has passed since the stampede day, and the scars from that time are gone.
"Hey, Nell-chan! And the boy's with you!! Long time no see!""Ah, Butcher-san!""Now I'm also running a mochi stall! Meat-wrapped mochi is selling great!!"
Feeling nostalgic, Butcher-san remembered me and came over, slapping my shoulder heartily.
"What brings you here? Bringing the ladies... did you come to give Nell-chan in marriage to that Jinx fella?""Ahahaha, that's not it."
Is this what they mean by a casual relationship? I'm told something I can't tell if it's a joke or serious, so I manage with the Japanese specialty: an evasive smile.
I feel like Nell's gaze beside me turned into a sharp glare, but I'll ignore that for now.
"I'm a bit short on time, so I'll take my leave here.""I see. Come eat next time!! I'll give you a discount!"
Since chatting here might gather other people, I quickly head towards Jinx-san's shop.
"Welcome... Oh, long time no see, Liberta-kun."
The shop is a bit cleaner than I remember, with more shelves inside. Besides accessories, cosmetics are also displayed, giving it the appearance more of a variety store than a jewelry shop.
Jinx-san, who was polishing accessories, stopped his work, looked up from the counter, saw me, widened his eyes, and then gave a gentle smile.
"Nell said you were doing well, but it sounds like you've been quite active.""Ahahaha, all that is thanks to you lending me the stable, Jinx-san.""Hahaha! I consider that debt repaid by you raising Nell this well. Anyway, standing around talking... have a seat. Teresa!!"
He urges us to sit and calls for Teresa-san, who must be in the back.
"What is it... Oh, long time no see.""Teresa-san?""Oh... right, I guess I never showed you, did I?"
Teresa-san appeared with her ears uncovered, no longer under a hood, looking much younger than before. Wondering what happened...
"How about it? Quite the beauty now, right?""Ah, yes. I'm surprised.""We made a lot of rice toner from the Mochi Dungeon you left behind. We developed it together with the pharmacy to see if we could improve the efficacy. Look at this beautiful skin now! It rivals even noble ladies!!"
It seems my parting gift made her remarkably beautiful. Jinx-san is also proudly showing off, looking smug as if to say, "My wife is beautiful, right?" Upon closer look, Jinx-san's face also has fewer wrinkles; while not as dramatic as Teresa-san, he looks rejuvenated too.
Teresa-san seems to have put effort into skincare and haircare, while Jinx-san seems more moderate. I see... Who knew a cash item with only flavor text had such an effect.
"I'm glad if you're pleased with it.""Thanks to that, business is going well too. Honestly, I want to praise my past self for taking you into our home."
With the double combo of cosmetics and jewelry, business seems to be thriving. This might make scouting difficult.
I came here with determination, but I hesitate a bit to tell the two, who seem satisfied with their current life, the reason for my visit.
However, coming all this way just to say I came for small talk also feels wrong.
"Guess that's the merchant's instinct, huh? Sensitive to the smell of profit.""Well, yeah. I had a sort of intuition. And I feel it now too."
Now, as I'm thinking how to broach the subject, Jinx-san, who retracted his gentle smile and put on a merchant's smile, looks at me.
"You're a busy person who went out of your way to visit me. You didn't come just for small talk, did you?"
I just mentioned being sensitive to profitable talks, but Jinx-san, why were you a no-name shopkeeper NPC? Sensing the flow of conversation so keenly and grabbing business opportunities—isn't that the mark of a skilled merchant?
"You see right through me.""Yeah, I've always had good intuition."
Believing in intuition over logic at times. Seeing such a merchant before me, I think "impressive," and take out the presentation materials from my Magic Bag.
"Actually, this time, I received land from His Majesty with independent autonomous rights."
If that's the case, let's get straight to the main topic from the start, going all out, full throttle. Even Jinx-san, as expected, widened his eyes, finding it too unexpected.
Then begins the explanation of the development roadmap.
Teresa-san was also listening together, but judging it would take a while, she quietly hung a "Closed" sign outside the shop and then listened intently next to Jinx-san.
"Hmm, how should I put it... Has my intuition dulled?""Few people could predict something this big."
Drinking the now-cooled tea, he begins to calm down. On the table, likely prepared for business talks, my presentation materials are neatly lined up. Jinx-san, picking up one sheet, gives a wry smile.
"Summarizing Liberta-kun's story... you want to take us to your development site. In other words, you're scouting us, right?""That's correct. When I think of trustworthy merchants, it's you, Jinx-san. And if I were to have someone teach Nell merchant know-how, you'd be the best candidate. To add, what I can offer in return is the position of official merchant in the land I'm developing."
The scale of each topic is too large, lacking realism. But this presentation includes the King's handwritten land delegation document.At the very least, they understand the fact that I obtained land with autonomous rights.
"Official merchant... a position any merchant would aspire to at least once. Knowing your outrageous drive, if repeated, I understand that land could become something incredible.""Are you considering the possibility of it being an empty promise?""Risk and return. Pros and cons. If a merchant excludes these from their thinking, they're third-rate. I trust you and have confidence in you. But it's different from jumping in without thought."
Even considering that, should one invest in undeveloped land, and above all, an unknown frontier territory, or not?
"As you can see, I've achieved a decent level of success here in the royal capital. Sadly, there's no merit for me to abandon this success and join your plan at this point.""Yes, I suppose not at this point.""However, at the same time, considering your track record, I also understand that simply refusing would be a mistake.""I'm honored you think that way."
Emotionally, he wants to invest. But as a merchant, he thinks he should be cautious. That thought is conveyed in his words; he's considering it positively but wants more information.
"This sentiment is probably common among people in this shopping district. But it's not impossible. During the stampede, you motivated us when we were about to give up. I sensed hope and possibility there. It might sound presumptuous, but from society's view, this shopping district corner of the royal capital is a success story, but the reality is it's a gathering of people desperately living to not fall behind, unable to rise further."
That's why he tells me the current reality of the shopping district. Living is not a problem. They can afford some luxuries.
But it's a dead end there.
At the pinnacle of this royal capital, nobles still wield power, and big merchants hold sway. No matter how hard they try, they cannot reach that peak.
If so, the sentiment of wanting to gamble on potential in a new land exists, albeit small. And the person they feel they can gamble on, albeit slightly, is the current me, it seems.
"...About that... I'm planning to hold an eye-opening tour."
Then, let's respond to that hope. I quietly take out another sheet of paper I prepared in haste from my Magic Bag and hand it to Jinx-san.
**'Development Site Tour'**
The title is meant to be clear.
"Hmm, so we can tour the development site.""Seeing the actual development work and assessing future prospects might be a good approach.""Yeah, the more information, the better. But is it okay? You came to the shopping district seeking manpower for development, right? Aren't you short-handed?""No, the development itself is possible with just us, albeit not impossible. But the finish would be more of a budget version compared to dedicated professionals, and efficiency is poor, so that's why I'm looking for manpower.""I see, so you're at a stage where you can show something... But, hmm, going to the frontier would take time, I suppose."
The development methods in this world and my conceived development methods are quite different. I thought I should first bridge that image gap.
"I can prepare teleportation magic tools, so it can be a day trip. However, since I want you to see various things, I'd need you to set aside a full day.""I can mind the shop for a day. You should go see what Liberta-kun is doing. You think it's worth seeing, don't you?""Yeah, I do."
What this world calls development is also quite analog in FBO. To create flat land, they allocate many personnel, cut down trees with axes, dig up roots with shovels, level the ground—all by hand.
They might use skills if they have them, but such skills are probably few, and those who acquire them are limited.
No matter how vast the land, unless it's a state-led project, it doesn't gain credibility.
Occasionally, individuals form development parties to create new villages, but success is rare. Most fail due to funding issues and disband.
Even if successful, maintaining the village afterward becomes tough, and while tax-free initially, after a few years when harvests become possible, taxes are imposed.
Because of that image, the term "development" probably doesn't have a good connotation.
Danger and gamble—those two are mixed. Hence, the normal thought is not to do it.
"If possible, I'd like to bring as many men from the shopping district as I can.""It's possible. It'll take some effort, but if we start the day before, we can manage somehow."
Even under such conditions, Jinx-san is willing to take a chance on me. It's no exaggeration to say he'd be abandoning life in the royal capital.
He hasn't said he'll definitely cooperate.
But he seems to feel some possibility.
Otherwise, he wouldn't suggest reaching out to other acquaintances, not just himself.
"Understood. Let's work out the detailed schedule. We have our plans too.""Yes, we also need to prepare for reception and development, so timing is good."
How many people will gather through Jinx-san's connections is unknown. But if they gather after hearing this, that in itself means they're interested in development.
"Alright, I'll contact you soon. Where should I send word?""I'm staying at a separate residence of the Edelgard Duchy, so if you take this letter of introduction there, they'll let you through."
For now, it's the first step. Let's earnestly hope we can move forward from here.