May 11th, in the Town of Charles.
"I want to buy your salt."
A group of men made their rounds, putting this request to every shopkeeper they found.
"We’re a bit short on stock right now..."
"I don't care. I’ll pay double."
"I—If that’s the case..."
In this manner, salt stocks vanished from storefronts in an instant.
On the same day, similar scenes played out in Doppa, Rakno, and Toka Village.
The Klein Kingdom was landlocked. Furthermore, at this point in time, the existence of rock salt within the kingdom's borders was entirely unknown.
Consequently, all salt was an imported commodity, with the Celuroa Kingdom accounting for more than eighty percent of those imports.
Because the vital necessity of salt was well-understood, the Klein Kingdom had naturally established certain safeguards. One was the maintenance of a national stockpile; the other was the diversification of import sources.
The capital, Alban, housed a salt warehouse that kept a constant reserve of several hundred tons. However, that supply was managed directly by the King, and not a grain could be removed without his express permission.
Additionally, a small amount was imported from the Leonard Kingdom, which shared a border to the east, but trade with the isolationist Leonard Kingdom was negligible at best. In reality, the kingdom saw more salt from the Kingdom of Egerea brought in via the Celuroa Kingdom than from its eastern neighbor.
In any case, since heavy salt had to be transported over vast distances, the price naturally inflated to more than double its original cost by the time it reached the consumer.
"It doesn't even have to be official salt—could you just sell me what you have?"
Such desperate exchanges became common.
In the Klein Kingdom, the law dictated that all salt was to be collected in the capital of Alban, where only state-authorized merchants were permitted to sell it. That being said, this authorization was easily obtained by anyone willing to pay twenty percent of their salt sales as tax.
"I’ll pay three times the market rate!"
"Well, if you're offering that much, I suppose I can part with it."
Since it wasn't a strict government monopoly, the price fluctuated based on supply and demand. Currently, in several regions, the price of salt was steadily creeping upward.
"We’ve bought up quite a lot."
"We’ve spent a fortune, too."
"It doesn't matter. We'll just dump it back onto the market when the time is right. If we play our cards right, we'll make a killing."
A certain group of men conversed in low voices. These were the henchmen of Earl Walter.
The amount of salt a person requires daily varies, but it averages around eight grams. Accounting for waste, if one assumes ten grams per person, that totals three hundred grams per month. For a family of five, that is 1.5 kilograms. Once usage for pickling and preservation is factored in, the average household consumes about two kilograms a month.
The amount of salt these men had bought up was now approaching four tons.
"Honestly, salt is only thirty Tolls per kilogram in the Kingdom of Elias, yet it's a hundred and fifty here."
"It can't be helped since we're landlocked. It’s fifty Tolls per kilogram in the Celuroa Kingdom, you know? Since our country buys from them, the high price is unavoidable."
"Even so, the Count is buying this expensive salt for four hundred and fifty Tolls per kilogram. What could he possibly be thinking?"
"Who knows? We just do as we're told."
By the end of the day, they had purchased a total of five tons of salt.
The following day, the 12th. Salt merchants who had caught wind of the rumors began arriving in the Town of Charles.
Among them was a peculiar peddler—a man accompanied by a golem.
The golem pulled a heavy cart as the merchant made his rounds. The unusual sight quickly drew a crowd, and soon a large number of customers had gathered.
"Oh, this is marvelous salt. It’s dry and pure white."
"Isn't it? This salt comes all the way from the Kingdom of Elias! It's a bit pricey, but the quality is guaranteed! Come, buy while it lasts!"
"Give me a kilogram."
"Certainly, that will be two hundred Tolls."
"I'll take a kilogram too!"
"Yes, thank you for your business!"
Seeing this, Earl Walter’s henchmen signaled to each other and pushed through the crowd toward the merchant.
"Hey, we’re buying."
"Yes? How much would you like?"
"All of it."
"Pardon?"
"I said I'll buy every bit of salt you've got."
"I appreciate the offer, truly. However, I have other customers waiting for their share..."
"Stop your bellyaching and just sell! I’ll give you six hundred Tolls per kilo."
"I—I see..."
"I said sell it!"
One of the men slammed his hand onto the display stand with a resounding crack. Intimidated by the aggressive display, the gathered customers scattered. The merchant, seemingly defeated, gave in.
"V-Very well. But it's a massive amount, you know?"
"Just how much do you have?"
"Let me check..." The merchant consulted his ledger. "I have about five tons."
"Five tons!?"
"Yes. So, while I don't know what you intend to do with it, perhaps you could settle for two tons and let me be?"
Despite the merchant's plea, the man was immovable.
"No. When I said 'all of it,' I meant all of it."
Pushed to the limit, the merchant had no choice but to comply.
"I understand. Please, check the salt on the cart. I’ve sold about sixty kilograms already, so there are four thousand nine hundred and forty kilograms remaining."
"Good. Let’s verify that."
The men brought out ten-kilogram balance scales and divided the labor to weigh the massive haul. By the time they finished weighing all 4,940 kilograms, nearly half the day had passed, and the men were visibly exhausted.
"Here. This is the money."
They handed over bags heavy with gold and silver coins.
"Thank you very much."
The merchant quickly counted the payment, confirmed there was 2,964,000 Tolls, and then disappeared around a street corner, his golem pulling the empty cart.
"Hmph, fool. It doesn't matter how much we pay; it won't hurt our master's coffers in the end," the man muttered as a parting shot. He then gave a sharp nod to another man watching from a distance.
"Enjoy that gold while you can. We’re going to 'collect' every coin of it tonight."
Similar scenes played out in Rakham, So, and Zuku.
That night.
"...Where is the merchant?"
"W-Well, about that..."
"I asked where he went!"
"...He’s gone."
"What!?"
"We shadowed him after the deal, but when he turned a corner, we found nothing but the empty cart. The merchant and the golem were nowhere to be found."
"That’s impossible! Never mind the man—how could a golem that massive and slow just vanish!?"
No matter how much he shouted, the missing targets did not reappear. They had paid out 2,964,000 Tolls with the full intention of stealing it back, but in the end, not a single Toll returned to them.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Excellent work, Regulus 35 and Land 54."
On Hourai Island, Laojun praised Regulus 35 of the Quinta, who had played the role of the merchant, and the Army golem Land 54. These two had operated as a team to liquidate the salt in the Town of Charles.
"As expected, there were those who attempted to reclaim the money they paid us."
"It unfolded exactly as it did in My Lord’s knowledge."
Jin had shared stories of classic period dramas where a poor farmer, unable to pay his taxes, sells his daughter to a local boss for money—only for the boss's henchmen to disguise themselves as bandits and rob the farmer on his way home. It was that exact trope.
"Yes. We were forced to leave the cart behind, however."
"That is of no consequence. It was a perfectly ordinary cart. Far more important is the fact that we forced the Count to squander his funds."
Elsewhere, in Rakham, Regulus 36 and Land 55 had carried out the same plan. In So, it was Regulus 37 and Land 56, and in Zuku, Regulus 38 and Land 57. Each pair had sold their salt at exorbitant prices.
"A total of twenty tons, amounting to twelve million Tolls. This will be a staggering blow to his finances."
Twelve million Tolls was equivalent to roughly one hundred and twenty million yen—a massive sum for an individual to lose all at once.
And then, Laojun prepared his next move.
"In a few days, we shall sell salt again, albeit on a smaller scale. We will return the price to the original two hundred Tolls per kilo. This time, however, we must ensure we do not sell to the Count's men."
By doing this, Laojun intended to stabilize the salt market.
"It is only because of a perceived shortage that the price remains high. If the market is flooded with goods, there will be no buyers for their overpriced stock, and they will eventually be forced to sell at a loss."
Jin was not particularly well-versed in economics, so Laojun’s schemes were limited to this level of complexity. Nevertheless, it proved highly effective in strangling Earl Walter’s finances.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Why!? Why is there no shortage after we bought up all that salt!?"
It was said that a scream bordering on a shriek echoed from a certain mansion that evening, though the truth of the matter remains uncertain.
It seems the Klein Kingdom won't be troubled by salt for a while.