「Yeah. That was a good haul」
Just as expected, Mishinie returned in less than ten minutes.
「How many were there?」
「Hmm, I did not count them carefully, but probably more than fifty」
So she wiped out almost all of them. We cleared out nearly two thousand goblins less than three kilometers from here, yet in less than half a month, this many had gathered again. Is this place just that comfortable for goblins?
「I see. You will not be short on alcohol for a while」
「Yeah. Not just wine, I can drink sweet potato shochu too」
She did not like whiskey, but she liked sweet potato shochu and even drank it straight without diluting it.
We ate lunch, rested a bit, then headed for the guild outpost.
When we arrived, Pioneer One was already parked there, but Kainzel-san was nowhere to be seen. His presence was somewhere in town, so maybe he went out to eat lunch.
After waiting for a while, Kainzel-san and Dyne-san arrived together.
「You were together?」
「Yeah. I was acting as an escort too」
An escort? Are we getting involved in something troublesome?
「When you have ties with a major company like the Luraize Company, you tend to draw resentment from others. So I asked Kainzel-sama to act as my escort」
「That kind of thing happens? Being a merchant sounds tough」
This other world is harsh too. I should be careful myself.
「Yes, well. But if you cannot overcome that, you are not fit to be a merchant. If you want to succeed as one, you must overcome it」
Such ambition. I envy that. I need to live with stronger ambition myself.
「Where should we hold the meeting?」
A peddler is basically a mobile shop, right? Does that mean the wagon serves as both home and store?
「Let us do it at the inn where I am staying. It is an inn where peddlers gather, and it has rooms for business discussions」
Huh. So inns like that exist. Another world, huh.
I sent the weapons from the Pioneer back to Home, put the P90 into my backpack, and had them guide me to the inn.
The inn was on the west side of town, in an area where residences and workshops were mixed together.
As expected of an inn where peddlers gathered, several wagons were parked there, and the place was filled with a smell that felt more like a stable than anything else. It stinks!
When we entered the inn’s meeting room, there was nothing but a table for four and backless chairs. What kind of business talks were they planning to hold here?
「Sorry it is such a cramped place. peddlers do not have shops」
「Being a peddler sounds tougher than I imagined」
「Well, I am still one of the lucky ones. I only travel within the territory. Peddlers who go beyond the territory risk their lives」
「Is there enough profit to justify risking your life?」
「Yes. Once you make a decent profit within the territory, you move outside it. If you earn even more, you become a town merchant. If you can open a shop in the Second Wall District, you are considered a successful merchant」
What a thorny path to walk. I would have given up at the very beginning. No, I probably would not even have tried. My first career path was factory work, after all.
「First of all, I apologize for joining forces with the Luraize Company without consulting you, Takato-san」
「You do not need to worry about it. That was more like my own mistake. Dyne-san, please prioritize your own profits. I will probably ask you for work at some point. Let us maintain a relationship where we both profit」
I might ask Dyne-san to handle gathering supplies for the Goblin Extermination Guild. I do not want to leave unnecessary bad feelings over something like this.
「First, please tell me about the planned route to the Count Rydand’s territory and the arrangements with the Luraize Company」
I had already heard the rough outline from Kainzel-san, but I needed to hear it from Dyne-san as well, and I needed to understand it properly myself.
I took out my sketchbook and notebook and started writing down what Dyne-san said.
In this era, there were no detailed schedules. It was more like, we depart at this time, the formation looks like this, we camp for one night, then head to the capital of the Count Rydand’s territory.
The representative of the caravan would be Dyne-san. I would be the representative of the guards. Mishinie would handle discussions with the Luraize Company.
「Then the head of the formation will be Pioneer One, with Kainzel-san and Ladarion. The rear will be Pioneer Two, with me, Bisha, and Mebi. Mishinie and the others will take the middle of the formation」
I drew the formation in the sketchbook and decided everyone’s positions.
Up to the Mirand Pass, there supposedly were not many dangerous monsters, so everyone would stay alert on their own. If anything happened, we would shout to alert the others.
「Yesterday, I went as far as the pass and checked places where the Roselan might be hiding」
I showed them a rough map of the pass and explained that it might be hiding in the rocky area to the west.
「If it attacks, we will deal with it. Dyne-san, you and your people should gather in one place and stay hidden until it is over. We will have the adventurers protect you」
I explained the possible situations and responses. If the Roselan attacked. If it did not. If something unexpected happened. If someone was injured. If it rained.
「……You really thought this through in detail……」
「Even this is still rough. I have no experience doing escort work. Honestly, I would like someone more experienced to tell me if there are any flaws」
An escort plan made by an amateur. No matter how much I thought about it, I could not be sure there were no problems. I could not help feeling anxious.
「If you have any questions, please speak up. I want us to reach the Count Rydand’s territory safely」
I wanted to eliminate as many flaws as possible. There was a job here that could not fail.
「Kainzel-san, Mishinie, please speak freely as well」
With their help, we continued to work through and eliminate potential problems.
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