Kujonin Chapter 93

Kujonin
Author: Hanabokuro
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The inside of the storehouse was stuffed with wooden boxes, pretty much unchanged from when the villagers and peddlers were having their discussion.
The only difference from when I had seen it before are that chairs and tables have been properly carried in.
Garcisan probably brought them in in case the villagers and peddlers were to have another discussion.
Garcisan, the Central Government Gramps and I sat in chairs surrounding the table, and the old coachman stood at the entrance.
"Sabui, it's fine if you get tired and sit."
Gramps called out to the old coachman.
"Yes sir."
The old coachman called Sabui merely gave a curt reply.
"Now then. Let us introduce ourselves. We know the Earth Hero, so let us move on. My name is Alfred Floura. I'm the Vice-Chairman of the Ruginia Alliance's Central Government."
The Central Government's Vice-Chairman!?
And his name is Floura!
"So Margaret-san is …?"
"My older sister."
So they're sister and brother.
"I'm Naoki. Naoki Komuro. Things are like this, but I'm the president of an exterminator company."
I also introduced myself.
"That is a name I've heard often, recently. You've been inspiring my sister, Naoki. And not just my sister, a letter from my daughter's husband's father came."
"And who is that?"
"Would you know if I said Riddle Blacks?"
Ah~ so they're relatives, good grief.
"Well, none of that matters. How dare you burn down the Earth Hero's plantation!"
Alfred-san suddenly became angry.
Without a doubt, he has to have some ulterior motive. Thanks to the cane from earlier, I doubt all of Alfred-san's actions.
"It wasn't me. The ones that burned down the plantation was the dragons."
"The one who instructed the dragons to was you, was it not!?"
"I absolutely don't know what you're talking about!"
I continue to feign ignorance. I'd explained it to Margaret-san. Even if he gets mad now, nothing is going to change. So that means…
"Alfred-san, that, that's because … my plantation was…"
Garcisan attempted to explain.
"Garcisan, there's no need to explain. It's probably already been told to Alfred-san. This is probably just an attempt to make me feel guilty so he can have me do some work."
Alfred-san snorted and the left side of his face that wasn't burned lifted into a smile.
"What an insufferable youngster. Well, fine. Oh Hero Garcia. It's a shame about the plantation. However, from hereon you will be busy. Have you heard about the toll carriageway from Naoki?"
"Yes, I've heard. I thought it was a splendid plan."
"Aah, even the Central Government is on board with the idea. However, I think it will fail."
"Why is that!?"
Garcisan gave a loud cry in surprise.
As for me, I thought, "Thank goodness, looks like things will be fine."
"First of all, how do you intend to collect the toll?"
"That's…"
Garcisan fell silent.
"Won't it be fine if they register at the Merchant's Guild? They'll be handed a plate with a number written on it, and the carriage's number will be taken down at the entrances and exits, and then it will be fine if you have them pre-pay or pay after. If they don't pay, then it would be fine to levy a percentage of their earnings. If they sell their products and make money, then the merchants will pay."
"However, there's a possibility of forgery."
"Then how about issuing coupons? Well, there's also the Merchant's Guild Card, so how about something with that?"
"Hm, however, for there to be entrances and exits, there will be those who get on it from the side selfishly at their own convenience, won't there?"
"There will be, I'd a.s.sume."
"What should we do about those?"
"Aren't there also reasons for them to selfishly enter it? Suddenly having a patient, or running away from monsters. It's fine not to question it if they have a justifiable reason, right?"
"What will you do about those who use it for free? Will you hire adventurers to catch people? Send out troops from the Central Government?"
"No, it's fine as long as the one who uses it submits a report. After that, let's see, we need to make an exit for the ones who free-rides on it."
"Dahahaha, what is that? You're going to make an exit for the guys who do things unjustly?"
Alfred-san began to laugh.
"Yes, if we purposefully make an exit that appears easy to use to exit, won't they exit there? If they continue a little bit further, then you can post the town guards or someone there. Garcisan, can you make a variance in level along the edge of road?"
"Aah, if it's just making it differ in height then it's fine."
Garcisan nodded.
"Even if it's just a little variance, it can break the carriage's wheels. No one would want to go that way. Also, you can make a hill and tunnels, right? I saw the ca.n.a.ls."
"It's possible, but for a tunnel, it takes time to fix it in place."
"Please make the tunnels as st.u.r.dy as possible so they won't break. With that, I think the the monsters will have a place to cross."
"I see, hahaha."
Garcisan laughed.
"Wait, wait Naoki. Even if you make a difference in elevation, I don't think that the people who will illegally get on will decrease."
"Of course, just like a river seeks to flow downwards, so do people's hearts seek vices, after all. Well, evil runs rampant. Then, it really would be better for them to hand something over at the exit? Even a cloth with the emblem of the town or village would be fine. Then if they show that emblem while they're doing business, then that will show they can be trusted… but if we do that…"
"Then the merchants who use the normal roads would be pitiable, wouldn't they?"
Alfred-san said.
"Then it really would be better if they show their cards at the Merchant's Guild, and by seeing the distance and number of days, and judging by what other towns they entered before this town, they'll hand over the validation emblem, and if they're way too fast, then you can collect the toll."
"However, if you do so, then wouldn't they trade outside of the towns?"
Suddenly, the coachman, Sabui, standing near the entrance, spoke up.
"Ah, I beg your pardon. I have spoken out of turn."
"No, it's fine. Sabui, you come over and sit as well."
Sabui apologized right away, but Alfred called him to the table.
"Just like Sabui-san says, there's the possibility of trade happening outside the cities… hm~…"
During the time I was groaning about it, Sabui sat down in a chair.
"My apologies."
Sabui said in embarra.s.sment.
"It's fine. Sabui, I want to hear your opinions. Actually, Sabui is a man who was a former chief of a burglar's groups."
Alfred introduced him.
"What! Say so earlier! Something like that!"
So saying, I took out a map from the item bag and spread it out on the table.
"So, for example, if we make a road between Gnomefield here and the Central Government City, where do you think thieves will appear?"
I asked Sabui.
"That's… it's a wasteland, after all. Anywhere."
"Well, I guess they would. I'm thinking we'll probably have to make a rest stop every some kilometers for broken-down carriages and the like."
"Hm, certainly, that kind of thing is needed."
"Then, if I were a robber, I think I'd aim for a broken down carriage rather than a running carriage, but what do you think?"
I asked Sabui once again.
"Let's see. A stopped carriage is easier to aim for, after all."
"Hm~…"
"What is it? Are you saying we should station guards in those sorts of places?"
"That's right. Even if it's just patrolling in turns, I think it would be good… hm~…"
I'm thinking.
"What is it? What are you pondering?"
Alfred said.
"No, see, what if we made a loophole for the thing we were just talking about? And, wherever you think they'll gather to trade, how about making a spot for them to do under-the-table dealings easily? Since we have a master of making tunnels."
I said as I pointed at Garcisan.
"In other words, you're going to create an opportunity for them in the deployment of the guards' patrols?"
Alfred said.
"That's right."
"And then, if we go take a look at the trading spot, we will be able to see who is doing underhanded dealings?"
"That's right."
"So you mean for it to be the start of a trap?"
"Well, we won't tell that to the ones who use it."
"B,but, only having one place to do deals is…"
Sabui said.
"Then, as one might expect, the place to do deals moves around?"
I asked Sabui.
"Most likely… they would take the shape of some sort of desert caravan, wouldn't they…?"
"Then how about creating a number of caravans and circulating them within the alliance? And then, after letting the merchants doing underhanded dealings make a decent profit, confiscate 70% of their a.s.sets, and then let the merchants make profits doing their underhanded dealings again and wait. Then, when they've made profits, seize 70%; repeat that again and again, and it would be the easiest way for the Central Government to earn money, right?"
"Naoki-san."
Sabui called out to me in surprise.
"You're quite evil."
He said.
"Is that so? Just so you know, I'm the president of a company after all. This is just thinking about how to make the most profit. Well, please listen to the opinions of a compnay man. Honestly, I'm relieved."
"Relieved?"
Alfred-san asked.
"Yes, I think it's very dangerous to endeavor a public enterprise without considering failure. That said, I believe overemphasizing failure won't make any profits; having a good balance is important. Perhaps, if it's Alfred-san, who believes this will fail, then he'll have made countermeasures, and I think he'll think of even better ways to collect tolls, and with Sabui-san's advice then I think we'll be able to make realistic countermeasures against thieves. Moreover, it's Garcisan and his family that are going to do the earth magic work, so it's amazing just thinking about the labor costs and time it will take. As long as Garcisan doesn't die, you can fail as many times as you wish. I wish you all the best."
"You mean that the proposer, Naoki, is going to run away!?"
Alfred's face warped as he asked.
"That's right. I'm tossing it all on you. Making a tollway isn't the job of an extermination company. And I also have to go to my next job."
"Dahahaha, what an unlikable youngster. Goodness, how terrifying. If Naoki didn't have such a level, I'd tell Sabui to restrain you by force."
Level?
"It's to that degree?"
Sabui asked Alfred.
"Aah, it's beyond Sabui's state. I, who has the Appraisal Skill, am saying so, so there's no doubt."
He has an unpleasant skill, na.
"Oi, you have such a level, so why don't you have any t.i.tles?"
"There are some circ.u.mstances."
"What an insufferable youngster. The longer you live the more weirdoes you'll meet."
Alfred smiled.
"Now then, I'm worried about the windmill and the pump, so."
So saying, I stood up and left the storehouse.

Some other things happened, and then I had an explosion in libreoffice because I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg on a word processor… anyway>