"A horse-drawn wagon has reached Togo Pass. It is the traveling merchant Roland. I don't recognize his companion—a newcomer, perhaps?"
Through information from the monitoring system Koushin, Laojun was the first to learn of the merchant Roland’s arrival.
"He is the merchant who provides Kaina Village with goods they cannot produce themselves. Assign a secret escort to ensure he faces no danger."
Under that command, Land S shadowed Roland as far as the Erme River. Naturally, Roland remained blissfully unaware of his protector.
"Ah! It's the shopkeeper mister!"
Roland spotted a young girl waving from the stone bridge over the Erme River and waved back.
"That's Hanna-chan. Always full of energy."
The wagon rattled onto the bridge.
"Ho, this used to be made of wood, but now it's stone. Looks sturdy."
Muttering to himself, Roland guided his horse forward. Hanna, meanwhile, ran off to inform the village of his arrival.
"Senior managing director, what is that?"
Roland followed the rookie Bauthes's pointing finger. His eyes widened in shock.
"What on earth is that?"
Standing before them was Jin’s castle.
＊ ＊ ＊
Since Roland arrived late in the afternoon, he decided to delay business until the following day. That night, he stayed at Village Chief Giebeck’s home as was his custom.
"What?! Erik didn't come?!"
Barbara let out a cry of visible disappointment.
"I'm sorry. He’s quite busy with his responsibilities as a technical chief. Please try to understand."
"Maybe I... should move to Alban... but I don't want to leave the village..."
Giebeck chided Barbara as she continued to mumble to herself.
"Now, now, this isn't the time for that."
Giebeck turned his attention back to Roland. They were currently discussing how Jin had taken the village as a leased territory.
"I-I see... So Jin-san is now the..."
"Yes. He is effectively the owner for the next fifty years."
Giebeck provided a brief summary of Jin’s recent achievements.
"To think all that happened... I was in the capital and heard nothing."
Since it was an internal matter of the Royal Castle, it was only natural that news hadn't reached the ears of common merchants.
"As for that building you asked about earlier—that is Jin's 'castle,' for lack of a better word."
"A castle... I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. That's so very like Jin-san."
"If you'd like to stay there, I can ask his deputy, Butler A."
"N-No, that’s quite all right. I’d much prefer to stay here where I’m used to things," Roland replied hurriedly.
After the small talk, Roland finally broached the subject that had been troubling him.
"To be honest, there is one major problem."
"Oh?"
Roland confessed that his salt had been stolen and he could no longer sell it.
"No salt...? That is a problem. My own house is running low, and I imagine most other families are in the same boat."
"I am truly sorry. As soon as I return to the shop, I'll send more salt by horse immediately."
Roland bowed deeply, his head remaining lowered in a display of profound apology.
＊ ＊ ＊
"You say the salt was stolen?"
Land C, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation from outside Giebeck’s manor, reported back to Laojun.
"Yes, judging by their conversation."
"I see. I will handle the response. Report back if anything else occurs."
After cutting the communication, Laojun considered his options.
"This must be more harassment from the count. I didn't expect him to resort to theft after simply trying to buy up the supply. I should have assigned Roland-san a constant escort... I was still being too naive. Regardless, the solution remains the same."
Laojun then issued instructions to his mobile terminal, Laozi.
Laozi headed to the warehouses on Hourai Island. As far as salt was concerned, they literally had enough to sell—and indeed, they were already selling some.
"Moshio might be too distinct. Regular salt should suffice."
By now, they had accumulated about one hundred tons of salt refined from the seawater of Tatsumi Bay. To protect it from humidity, it was divided into one hundred kilogram portions and stored in 24-karat gold containers. Pure gold was a practical choice for storage, as it didn't corrode under normal conditions.
Laozi carried one of the containers out. He placed it inside a bag made of magical beast leather and hoisted it onto his shoulder.
He headed straight for the Warp Gate. His destination was Kaina Village.
Laozi timed his arrival for the middle of the night. Kaina Village was silent and still; no one was awake.
"I have been waiting for you."
Butler A greeted Laozi as he emerged from the basement workshop of Jin’s house. Both Laozi and Butler A had their Stealth active.
"The plan is as I explained. Where is Roland’s wagon?"
"This way."
Butler A led the way. The horses were hitched in the stable behind Giebeck’s manor, and the wagon sat parked beside it.
The cargo was left as it was. This wasn't due to negligence, but because Gon, the village guardian Jin had appointed, was keeping a watchful eye nearby.
Of course, the guardian would not interfere with Laozi or Butler A, both terminals of Laojun.
"Open the cargo quietly."
Following Laozi’s order, Butler A pulled back the wagon's canopy.
"There should be several empty salt jars."
"Yes, I have found them."
Butler A searched through the cargo for a minute before locating four salt jars.
"That is plenty. Now, let us transfer the salt."
Laozi began pouring the salt from his container into the jars with Butler A's assistance. Gon kept watch to ensure no one approached.
Within three minutes, the four jars were filled. They sealed the tops securely with parchment, and the task was complete. They decided to store the remaining twenty kilograms at Jin’s castle.
"This will do. Now, place these jars deep within the cargo."
Butler A pushed the jars into the back of the wagon. He rearranged the rest of the goods exactly as they had been, ensuring there were no signs of tampering.
"That is sufficient. A little shifting is expected in a wagon. Let us withdraw."
The night was still young. Under the light of a moon that had just passed its zenith, Laozi returned to Hourai Island while Butler A went back to Jin’s house.
＊ ＊ ＊
"...Sigh. My heart is heavy."
The plaza near Giebeck's manor was to be their storefront for the day.
"Senior managing director, we have to at least sell our other products...!"
Bauthes suddenly cut himself off. Finding this suspicious, Roland looked over to see Bauthes standing frozen, holding a salt jar with a paper lid.
"What is it, Bauthes?"
"S-Senior managing director! This jar... it has salt in it!"
"What?"
"It's not just this one! Judging by the weight, it feels like the other three jars are full too!"
"............"
Roland was utterly baffled.
Of the fifty jars of salt he had originally brought, twenty-three were sold in the Town of Charles, seventeen in the Town of Gohoho, and five in Toka Village. Of the final five, four had been bought by soldiers.
Everything was clearly recorded in his ledger. And the final jar he had set aside for this village had definitely been stolen two nights ago.
"...Where did this come from?"
"Senior managing director, who cares! This means we can fulfill our promise to the villagers!"
Bauthes’s response was carefree. While he had a point, for a merchant, having the books not balance was deeply unsettling.
"Senior managing director, we have customers!"
Bauthes hurried him as the villagers began to gather.
Deciding to worry about the mystery later, Roland forced his mind into business mode and began preparing his wares.